ATLAS TRANSLATES

“My milk foam oolong tea was knocked over by someone just now.”

“…”

Chu Zhi froze, unconsciously glancing at the wall clock. “You hadn’t finished it yet?”

She didn’t even need to check the time—they had met at school in the afternoon, and now night had fallen. Chu Zhi had already returned home and finished dinner.

Several hours had passed between then and now. That milk foam would have been completely cold.

Chu Zhi glanced out the window, bringing the phone to her ear and saying patiently, “It’s fine if it spilled. It wouldn’t have tasted good cold anyway.”

After she finished speaking, Lu Jiaheng went quiet again.

He must have been outside—there was some background noise, with car horns and nighttime street sounds coming through the phone. Lu Jiaheng was silent for a while before making an “ah” sound and continuing dryly, “I’m so pitiful.”

Chu Zhi: “…”

“The milk foam is gone.”

“…”

“My milk foam oolong tea.”

“…”

What are you trying to say?

Chu Zhi didn’t know how to respond and scratched her head in confusion. “Why don’t you buy another one?”

Lu Jiaheng paused: “It’s not the same.”

“Shouldn’t milk foam oolong tea taste about the same everywhere?”

“It’s different,” he insisted stubbornly.

“…”

“Senior, have you been drinking?” Chu Zhi asked carefully.

Lu Jiaheng: “…”

During her two days off at home, Chu Zhi had been preparing her lines for the play.

Pages and pages of A4 paper with dialogue, half of which belonged to the female lead. She had to memorize everything and perform it—no small challenge for Chu Zhi.

Though due to her personality, she rarely got nervous or stage fright, because usually by the time she started feeling nervous, it was already over.

The script was adapted from “The Mistress of the Inn,” about an innkeeper who refuses wealthy counts and hereditary marquises, tricks an arrogant knight who’s disrespectful toward women, and chooses to marry a common servant instead.

As soon as Chu Zhi got the script, she felt she didn’t match the innkeeper’s image at all—she’d be better suited playing her daughter.

Plus, she had to “seduce” the knight.

Chu Zhi was dumbfounded.

That weekend, Chu Zhi woke up early. She had been obsessed with her new innkeeper persona these past two days, feeling alluring every day, staying up late researching character analysis articles online. She got up in a daze, ate breakfast, and was curled up on the couch peeling tangerines with You Guess when her phone rang.

With yellow tangerine juice on her hands, she stuck her bottom out and moved her head closer, using her chin to answer the call, laying her head sideways on the coffee table to listen: “Hello?”

Lu Jiaheng’s end was quite quiet, with occasional male voices in the background. “Going back to school today?”

Chu Zhi made an “mm” sound.

You Guess’s ears in her arms twitched, as if recognizing who it was, and suddenly darted down from Chu Zhi’s arms, standing by the coffee table and hissing out a “meow.”

Chu Zhi laughed: “Senior, You Guess is saying good morning to you.”

Lu Jiaheng choked, not at all believing that perverted cat wanted to tell him good morning. He asked her again: “Are you free right now?”

Chu Zhi blinked: “Yes, what’s up?”

Lu Jiaheng was quiet for a moment before saying: “About the renovation—Cheng Yi’s taste is terrible. I wanted to ask your opinion.”

Chu Zhi was surprised: “Me? But my taste isn’t very good either…”

“It’s quite good,” Lu Jiaheng laughed softly. “The clothes you picked out looked very nice too.”

Chu Zhi thought for a moment before remembering he meant the clothes she’d helped him pick when they went shopping at the mall.

She said seriously: “That’s because you’re basically a clothes hanger—anything looks good on you.”

The other end went quiet again.

Chu Zhi felt this person had been falling into strange silences a lot lately.

She waited patiently for a few seconds before he slowly asked in a low voice: “Can you come up for a bit? Now.”

Chu Zhi made an “ah” sound, sat up, and headed out the door while peeling tangerines.

Lu Jiaheng’s door wasn’t closed. When Chu Zhi entered, it was indeed much better than her last visit.

The interior was basically clean now, with the floor and wallpaper done. The living room was empty except for one huge sofa. Lu Jiaheng was slightly hunched over, arms propped on the kitchen counter’s small bar, talking to a renovation worker.

The worker nodded and left. Chu Zhi walked in, and Lu Jiaheng turned his head slightly, saw her, and beckoned to her.

She walked over, having just finished peeling her tangerine. She pulled off some of the white strings, holding them in her fingers, walked to his side and offered it: “Want some?”

Lu Jiaheng looked down at the small tangerine in her hands, then raised his hand to show her his palm.

His hands were a bit dirty, with some sawdust and dust on them.

Chu Zhi made an “oh” sound and silently split the tangerine, putting half in her mouth.

“So you’re not giving me any now?” Lu Jiaheng suddenly said.

Chu Zhi looked up, startled: “Didn’t you say you didn’t want any?”

Lu Jiaheng raised an eyebrow: “When did I say I didn’t want any?”

“Didn’t you—” Chu Zhi held the tangerine in one hand and copied his earlier gesture, stretching out her two small arms in front of him and waving them.

She was small with small hands, her white delicate palm flashing briefly before his eyes.

Lu Jiaheng watched her movement, lowered his eyelashes and smiled, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly upward as his voice lowered with mischief: “Is that saying no? That means… you should feed me.”

Those three words came out soft from his lips, gentle and drawn out with an intimate flavor.

He even lowered his body, leaning in to match her height, looking very accommodating as he waited.

Chu Zhi held the small tangerine piece and quickly stepped back two steps, looking away with slightly red ears: “Then don’t eat it…”

Lu Jiaheng made an “oh” sound, drawing out his words: “But I want to eat it.”

Chu Zhi looked up at him: “Then go wash your hands and come back to eat, I’ll save it for you.”

Her expression looked patient and sincere, written all over with “I promise I won’t eat it,” as she negotiated with him good-naturedly.

Lu Jiaheng slowly curved his lips, still persisting: “That won’t work, I don’t trust you. The tangerine will definitely be gone as soon as I leave.”

Chu Zhi couldn’t take it anymore and made an “aiya” sound: “You’re so annoying! No tangerine for you!”

Even when angry she had no intimidation factor at all. Her eyes were wide open, cheeks puffed up like a little hamster, making her look rather cute instead.

Lu Jiaheng laughed out loud.

Chu Zhi glared at him again.

Lu Jiaheng cleared his throat and obediently apologized: “I’m sorry, I want to eat it.”

Chu Zhi discovered that sometimes being nice to this person didn’t work, and tried to sound fierce: “Go wash your hands!”

“Okay.” Lu Jiaheng nodded and obediently went to wash his hands in the kitchen sink.

While washing he wanted to laugh again—how had this little girl’s temper gotten so big?

Lu Jiaheng’s apartment had the same square footage as Chu Zhi’s, but since he lived alone, he had combined the master bedroom with the living room using a partition, making the whole place seem much bigger.

He really did want Chu Zhi’s help—she helped him pick wallpaper for the study, chose curtains and sheers for each room, and finally picked out furniture.

Girls seemed to have great interest in soft furnishings. Chu Zhi selected things with relish, showing Lu Jiaheng anything she thought looked nice, changing styles frequently.

The homeowner Lu Jiaheng seemed to have no opinion at all, lounging sideways on the sofa with his legs crossed, elbow propped on the armrest supporting his chin as he lazily watched her.

“Senior, what do you think about Mediterranean style? It’s very popular lately.”

“Mm.”

“Nordic style seems nice too, though it’s a bit cold, but very clean.”

“Good.”

“Senior, do you like European style? I feel like you would, you’re so flamboyant.”

Lu Jiaheng: “…”

Lu Jiaheng lazily lifted his eyelids: “How am I flamboyant?”

Chu Zhi: “…”

The morning passed quickly. When their stomachs started growling at noon, Mrs. Deng called to ask where she was, what time she was going back to school, and if she wasn’t coming home for lunch.

Chu Zhi looked at Lu Jiaheng sprawled on the sofa, hesitated for a moment, but still made an “mm” sound: “Probably won’t come back to eat.”

While hanging up the phone, she asked: “Senior, what are you eating for lunch?”

Lu Jiaheng stretched out his long legs like a dead fish, lying limply: “Whatever, something not flamboyant.”

Chu Zhi: “…”

She had just said it casually earlier, but this person seemed to have taken it quite seriously.

While Chu Zhi was debating whether to simply invite him to eat at her place since it was just downstairs, Lu Jiaheng’s phone started vibrating.

He just glanced at the caller ID on the screen before tossing the phone aside.

Chu Zhi tilted her head.

The phone kept vibrating in the sofa. Lu Jiaheng watched it with lowered eyes for a while before picking it up. He pulled back his long legs, stood up from the sofa, and turned to walk into the bathroom.

After quite a while, he came out.

While putting his phone in his pocket, he walked over and stood in front of Chu Zhi: “Little Zhizi, I need to go out for a bit.”

Chu Zhi made an “ah” sound, looking up: “Where are you going?”

He was standing and she was sitting, making him look even taller, like a giant standing before her. Chu Zhi had to tilt her head way back, her fair neck stretching into a straight line, mouth slightly open.

Only after asking did she realize she might be overstepping.

The question had come out naturally, and Chu Zhi felt awkward, quickly waving her hands: “Sorry sorry, go ahead with your business.”

But Lu Jiaheng didn’t seem to find anything wrong with it, saying calmly: “I’m going home. You can go back first—didn’t auntie just call you to go home for lunch?”

Chu Zhi made an “ah” sound, looking a bit uneasy: “Senior…”

Lu Jiaheng looked at her with amusement: “What is it?”

Chu Zhi licked her lips but didn’t speak.

Lu Jiaheng suddenly asked: “Did you tell auntie you were at my place?”

Chu Zhi shook her head.

Lu Jiaheng raised an eyebrow: “Oh, then what will you say when you go back? That you were helping the neighbors sun their bedding?”

“I’m not going back,” Chu Zhi pressed her lips together, frowning as she looked at him. “I’ll just wait here for you to come back, okay?”