ATLAS TRANSLATES

Their coats were still in the private room. Lu Jiaheng held her at the entrance for a while, until Cheng Yi and Lin Yujing walked over.

Cheng Yi asked with natural curiosity: “Big bro, what are you doing standing here?”

When people approached, Chu Zhi felt embarrassed. She wiggled her legs, trying to slide down.

This time, Lu Jiaheng let her down smoothly. The originally 1.9-meter tall Chu Zhi instantly shrunk by over 30 centimeters, and she had to tilt her head up to look at him again.

Lu Jiaheng lowered his eyes and reached out to pat her head: “Are you full?”

Even if Chu Zhi wasn’t full before, after all this commotion she definitely was now. She nodded.

He bent down: “Then wait for me here for a moment, no need to go back in. I’ll be right out.”

Chu Zhi hesitated.

She turned her head and saw the woman behind Cheng Yi. She looked quite disheveled – her face was washed but her makeup was smeared and dirty, and her clothes were covered in hand soap.

She looked rather pitiful.

Chu Zhi had indeed been very angry earlier. In all her life, she had never encountered someone like this before. She never knew that such a beautiful person could say such vicious things.

But now seeing her frightened expression, with her lipstick completely washed off leaving pale lips, looking terrified at just a glance from Lu Jiaheng – Chu Zhi’s heart softened a little.

Chu Zhi quietly reached up and tugged at Lu Jiaheng’s sweater sleeve.

Lu Jiaheng was about to go in, but feeling the pull on his sleeve, he turned and looked down, asking: “What’s wrong?”

Chu Zhi furrowed her brows and said seriously: “The war between women is over, and I won. You men don’t need to get involved.”

“…”

Lu Jiaheng chuckled softly: “Alright, I won’t get involved. I’m just going to get our coats.”

Inside were a bunch of people Chu Zhi didn’t know, and she had developed a bit of psychological trauma from them. She didn’t particularly want to go in, so she nodded and let go of him: “Okay, go ahead then.”

So Young Master Lu bounced right in to get their coats.

Cheng Yi and the others followed behind. Watching them, Chu Zhi didn’t know why, but it reminded her of scenes from TV shows where criminals are being led to execution.

Lin Yujing didn’t go in though. She leaned against the wall opposite Chu Zhi with disinterest, eyes lowered, lost in thought.

Just as the private room door closed, Lu Jiaheng’s light voice drifted out: “Who brought this person here?”

Chu Zhi: “…”

With a bang, the door closed, blocking out the bloodbath inside.

Lin Yujing let out a laugh.

Chu Zhi turned around. Lin Yujing was lazily leaning against the wall, head slightly tilted, looking like someone with stories to tell.

That carefree demeanor did somewhat resemble Lu Jiaheng.

Chu Zhi didn’t ask why she had hidden earlier. Neither of them spoke, and the silence became a bit awkward. After thinking for a moment, Chu Zhi forced out: “Thank you for earlier.”

Lin Yujing was surprised, wondering how she knew it was her who called Lu Jiaheng.

She raised an eyebrow: “What are you thanking me for?”

Chu Zhi thanked her sincerely: “Thank you for helping me fix the faucet earlier. I had been trying for so long.”

Lin Yujing: “…”

Lin Yujing felt her usually impeccable ability to read people had failed today.

She looked at her curiously: “Are you together with Lu Jiaheng?”

Chu Zhi didn’t speak, her face turning red.

Lin Yujing lifted her chin slightly, her almond eyes raised, looking like a legitimate queen coming to cause trouble: “Do you think he likes you?” Her tone was unhurried, “Let me be honest with you – when I first saw you, I thought you two were completely incompatible. Lu Jiaheng isn’t right for you. You two aren’t from the same world at all.”

Chu Zhi was stunned.

She felt Lu Jiaheng’s childhood friend was quite changeable – just earlier she seemed to have no hostility, but now her words sounded like she was treating her as a love rival.

Chu Zhi sighed quite dejectedly, really wanting to beat up Lu Jiaheng – wasn’t his peach blossom luck a bit too abundant?

She felt a bit defiant and puffed up her cheeks: “If he doesn’t like me, are you saying he likes you instead?”

Lin Yujing was taken aback for a moment, then started laughing at her.

She laughed very happily, extremely invested in her laughter, laughing so much that Chu Zhi felt puzzled.

“I’m sorry, I was just joking. I wish you and Lu Jiaheng a hundred years of happiness. In the future, hopefully you can pin him down and beat him up.” Lin Yujing finished laughing, looking at her with curved eyes, “I originally thought you seemed like the passive type, but looks like I overthought it. That’s right – when you meet someone you like, you should charge forward and get them!”

Chu Zhi: “…”

Chu Zhi’s mouth fell open, but before she could speak, Lu Jiaheng came out.

He was holding their coats, and seeing them talking, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Lin Yujing: “What did you say to her?”

Lin Yujing said with a smile: “I told her about how I used to pin you down and beat you up when we were kids.”

Lu Jiaheng laughed once, his gaze very contemptuous, looking completely unwilling to deal with her. He walked over with Chu Zhi’s coat and scarf: “Did you wait long?”

Chu Zhi shook her head: “No.”

The Crown Prince finally had a legitimate reason to serve his Crown Princess, and eagerly helped his beloved. He shook open the small coat and held it up: “Put your arms out.”

Chu Zhi felt a bit awkward, feeling like he was treating her like a child, but still turned around and obediently stretched one arm back, pulling the other side to put it on herself.

When she turned back around, he had already looped one end of her scarf around her neck.

Before Chu Zhi could react, he pulled her closer to himself. As their distance shortened, Lu Jiaheng bent down, holding one end of the scarf, wrapping it around her neck turn by turn.

Like a thief, Chu Zhi secretly looked up at him.

He was bent over with lowered eyes as he fixed her scarf, his eyelashes casting shadows, black and thick like crow feathers.

His expression was gentle and focused, handsome enough to make any girl’s heart flutter.

Chu Zhi’s heart pounded, and with red ears, she quickly lowered her eyes.

Lu Jiaheng pulled the edge of the scarf up a bit, let go and straightened up: “Let’s go.”

She shook her head, revealing her pointed chin that had been hidden in the scarf, and reached out her hand to him.

She stretched out her hand palm up with fingers spread, blinking as she looked up at him.

Lu Jiaheng was startled, not expecting her to be so proactive. His gaze softened.

He raised his hand, about to take hers, when Chu Zhi said: “Give me my apple.”

Lu Jiaheng: “…”

Lin Yujing: “Hahahahahahaha!”

Without another word, Lu Jiaheng grabbed the small hand stretched out to him and walked toward the exit: “Are you cold?”

Having been indoors, Chu Zhi’s hands were warm like little heaters, and she found his question strange: “No, I’m not cold.”

Lu Jiaheng’s fingers moved slightly, easily enveloping her entire hand in his palm. Her hand was small and soft, seemingly boneless. He gently squeezed it and couldn’t help but smile: “My baby’s hands are so small.”

Chu Zhi’s face turned red and she gently tried to pull her hand away, raising her other hand to rub her ear: “Who’s your baby…”

Lu Jiaheng laughed softly, refusing to let go.

It was already past 10 PM. It would take about an hour to get back to school, and the dormitory doors would be locked by now. Chu Zhi’s father and Ms. Deng were still avoiding the cold in Hainan and hadn’t returned yet. Chu Zhi had left in a hurry and didn’t bring her keys.

Lu Jiaheng had driven over, and after they got in the car, Chu Zhi began to contemplate their options.

She was still holding her precious snake fruit apple, unwashed so she couldn’t eat it, just cradling it like a doll.

The car’s air conditioning was on and it soon got warm. Chu Zhi put the apple on her lap and slowly took off her scarf. Still feeling hot, she removed her coat too.

Chu Zhi neatly folded the scarf and coat and placed them on her lap. Lu Jiaheng glanced at her, reached over to grab her clothes and scarf, and put them in the back seat.

She didn’t react much, letting him do as he pleased.

Chu Zhi was still contemplating whether she should just try returning to the dorm and calling Lin Tong to help secretly open the door, when Lu Jiaheng had already started driving.

Chu Zhi turned to look at him: “Are we going back to school?”

Lu Jiaheng had one hand on the steering wheel, looking casual and relaxed even while driving. He gazed ahead, his sharp profile distinct as he said lazily: “Going home.”

Chu Zhi was about to say she didn’t bring her keys.

Then suddenly she realized.

His home was right above hers.

So when he said going home…

Chu Zhi’s eyes widened a bit.

It’s not that she had never been to Lu Jiaheng’s home, but she had never spent the night there.

To be precise, before university, apart from family trips, Chu Zhi had never spent the night away from home.

In high school, when she went to play at her then-best friend’s house and it got very late, both her friend and their family insisted she stay over until the next day, but her father absolutely refused. He drove an hour to pick her up and take her home.

Her friends could come stay overnight at her house, but she wasn’t allowed to stay over at others’ homes. Chu Zhi didn’t understand at first, but got used to it over time.

Moreover, Lu Jiaheng was now her boyfriend.

Although he had stayed over at her place when he was sick before, this was completely different somehow.

Staying at her boyfriend’s house on their first day of dating – Chu Zhi’s stress levels instantly skyrocketed.

She fidgeted with her fingertips, looking at him, then away, then back at him, hesitating: “We’re not going back to school?”

Lu Jiaheng turned the steering wheel to get on the bridge: “There’s curfew. It’s finals period so they’re very strict – you’ll lose credit points.” He paused before adding casually, “Besides, at this time the dorm manager should still be awake, so you won’t be able to have your roommate help you open the door either.”

With her only option blocked, Chu Zhi frowned, looking somewhat dejected: “Isn’t there any other way?”

“There is.”

Chu Zhi’s eyes brightened.

Lu Jiaheng turned his head, licked his lips, his expression somewhat meaningful: “We could get a hotel room.”

Chu Zhi: “…”

Lu Jiaheng turned back, asking carelessly: “Don’t want to come home with me?”

Not “go to my place”, but “come home with me.”

The way he phrased it sounded strange no matter how she interpreted it. Chu Zhi’s face reddened slightly as she looked away, speaking very softly: “It’s not that I don’t want to…”

Lu Jiaheng made an “oh” sound and chuckled lightly: “So you do want to?”

“…”

This person was just teasing her.

Chu Zhi looked up at him in embarrassed frustration: “Lu Jiaheng, how can you still be like this!”

He laughed deeply, keeping one hand on the steering wheel while reaching over with the other to pat her head: “Why is my baby so cute?”

Chu Zhi pushed his hand away with puffed cheeks: “Who’s your baby!”

Even when throwing a little tantrum she was soft and completely unthreatening, with her big dark eyes glaring at him, blushing from eartip to earlobe, her pink cheeks slightly puffed like an angry little hamster.

Lu Jiaheng reached over to pinch her puffy cheek, his voice low and coaxing: “Then you choose? Hmm? My place or a hotel?”

Chu Zhi: “…”

No matter how she heard it, something seemed off.

This person seemed to have the ability to make anything sound suggestive and heart-fluttering, as if hinting at something.

But he maintained such a casual and innocent demeanor, making it seem like she was the one with inappropriate thoughts.

Chu Zhi stayed silent for a long while.

Finally, she let out her held breath, her puffed cheeks deflating as she exhaled with a “poof”, wearing an expression of resignation as she said: “Your place then.”

Christmas Eve was very lively, with streets bright as day. Various shops had Christmas trees out front, decorations and colorful LED light strings hung everywhere, and cheerful Christmas songs filtered into the car.

Chu Zhi sat in the passenger seat, leaning her head against the window frame as she looked outside.

Halfway there, she got a bit sleepy and yawned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand like a child before quickly shaking her head to stay awake.

The car turned into the residential complex and stopped downstairs. After turning off the engine and removing the key, Lu Jiaheng turned his head and stared at her profile for a while.

Chu Zhi’s eyes darted around, pretending not to notice, not looking at him.

She had been unusually quiet the whole time, not making a sound, her brows slightly furrowed, hair tucked behind her ears with only her round exposed ears suspiciously red.

Lu Jiaheng’s gaze deepened as he leaned closer.

Chu Zhi turned her head and found his enlarged face right in front of her eyes, so close that she felt like she might go cross-eyed.

She quickly scooted back a bit. The dim light from the residential complex filtered through the car window as she looked at him with bright eyes.

“Chu Chu.”

He said softly.

“What is it…” Chu Zhi lowered her head, speaking quietly.

Lu Jiaheng didn’t speak.

His tongue slightly raised, slowly sweeping across his upper lip as his dark eyes stared at her intensely.

After a while, he suddenly leaned forward.

His soft lips pressed against her smooth forehead.

Chu Zhi’s eyelashes trembled as her eyes widened slightly. She raised her hands to push against his chest, instinctively wanting to push him away.

Before she could make another move, Lu Jiaheng reached up and grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t move,”

His voice was low and hoarse, his lips brushing against her forehead as they moved: “Just one kiss, to release some tension.”

Author’s Note:

Young Master: Girlfriend is too timid, don’t want to scare her, so just hold back and kiss her forehead for now.