ATLAS TRANSLATES

Chu Zhi was so embarrassed she nearly cried. She couldn’t understand how someone could speak such outrageous things with such a calm, unflinching expression.

And it was clearly all his fault.

Yet he acted completely unbothered, as if everything was perfectly normal.

The young girl curled up into a ball, wrapping herself tightly in the small blanket. She whimpered softly and rolled back and forth inside the blanket, refusing to come out no matter how Lu Jiaheng apologized or tried to coax her.

When Lu Jiaheng reached to pull her blanket, she kicked at him.

After a while, the bedroom grew quiet.

Chu Zhi waited and waited, but there wasn’t a sound.

She quietly lifted a corner of the blanket, her whole head pressed against the bed as her bright eyes peeked out to look around.

The bedroom was empty. The curtains were drawn, and Lu Jiaheng had left at some point.

Chu Zhi emerged from under the blanket and sat on the bed, spacing out for a moment. Her body felt a bit uncomfortable, and she blushed as she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. However, just as she reached the door, Lu Jiaheng came back in.

Chu Zhi darted into the bathroom like a startled rabbit and shut the door.

“…”

Lu Jiaheng walked over and knocked gently on the glass: “Your phone.”

After two seconds of silence.

The bathroom door opened a crack, and a small arm reached out toward him, fingers beckoning.

Lu Jiaheng placed the phone in her hand.

The call was from Chu Zhi’s father. Chu Zhi answered saying she was going to have dinner at a colleague’s house. Her father didn’t suspect anything and agreed very readily, just telling her to come home early.

Chu Zhi responded obediently, feeling guilty and nervous like she had done something wrong.

The holiday period in America had long passed, and Lu Jiaheng had come back on his own accord, meaning he would probably have to leave again soon.

After thinking for a moment, she hesitantly said: “Dad.”

“Hmm?”

“Can I stay at my colleague’s place tonight? We can go to work together tomorrow morning since her place is closer to the office…”

As expected, her father fell silent.

After a pause, he said unhappily: “Dad can drive you to work tomorrow morning too.”

Chu Zhi stopped talking and hung her head at the bathroom doorway: “Then I’ll come back later.”

Hearing her say this, her father was quiet again for a moment: “Go ahead and stay. Get to bed early, don’t stay up too late playing.”

“…”

Chu Zhi: “Eh?”

Her father sighed wistfully: “Ah, my little treasure is growing up. Things can’t be like before anymore.”

Chu Zhi blinked: “Dad.”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

Chu Zhi spent a few moments being sweet and spoiled, then put the phone down on the sink. After thinking, she went to lock the bathroom door.

With a soft click, Lu Jiaheng’s light voice drifted in: “Chu Chu, the key is still in the door.”

Chu Zhi: “…”

Chu Zhi unlocked and opened the door again, poking her red face out: “Find me some pajamas to wear.”

Lu Jiaheng leaned against the wall by the door, smirking as he deliberately asked: “Which colleague’s house are you sleeping at tonight?”

“…”

Chu Zhi: “Then I’m going home.”

Lu Jiaheng lowered his eyes to look at her.

From her delicate brows to her bright eyes, her tender red lips slightly swollen, from her pointed chin to her neck to the small bit of collarbone showing – all of it was covered in marks he had left, some deep and some light.

The little girl was growing up.

He had watched over her since she was seventeen until now, seeing her colors grow brighter and brighter.

Lu Jiaheng raised his hand, his fingertip landing on a string of light red marks on her neck: “You’re going home like this?”

It was better when he didn’t mention it – now that he had, Chu Zhi wanted to sink into the ground.

She irritably swatted away his hand as it traced down to her collar.

Lu Jiaheng seemed addicted to teasing her as he pinched her earlobe, then tapped her little nose. He leaned in slightly, tilting his head and bringing his neck near her lips, smiling as he said: “Then why don’t you bite me back?”

He had shaved his beard and looked much more energetic. The neck he exposed to her had a graceful line, with a small Adam’s apple in the middle that moved slightly when he spoke.

Chu Zhi stared at that part of him that she didn’t have for a moment, as if entranced. She suddenly stepped forward half a step, her fingertips resting on his neck as she tilted her head and took his Adam’s apple between her lips.

It was warm with his body heat, rolling gently against her lips.

At such close distance, Chu Zhi heard him swallow.

She opened her mouth and bit down lightly.

Like a switch had been flipped, even his breathing grew heavier.

Chu Zhi pushed against his shoulder with one hand while the other pressed against his neck, gently pushing him away as she moved her body back slightly, still tilting her head to look at his Adam’s apple.

There was a small, shallow teeth mark there, slightly wet with saliva, but no red mark.

After a while, the young girl frowned with a defeated look, clearly unhappy: “Lu Jiaheng, it’s not red.”

Lu Jiaheng didn’t answer.

He wanted to ask if she was trying to kill him.

He took long, heavy breaths, exhaling slowly as he said in a hoarse voice: “If you suck on it, it’ll turn red.”

Chu Zhi’s face reddened and she stepped back again, righteously declaring: “You’re too perverted.”

“…”

Young Master Lu: ?

Lu Jiaheng privately wanted to see Chu Zhi wear his dress shirt – the young girl was small but had all the right curves, with soft breasts, a slim waist, and round bottom. Her skin was as white and delicate as cream. But thinking about it, he realized he would be the one suffering, so in the end he pulled out a set of his own pajamas for her.

The men’s pajamas had sleeves that were much too long, and Chu Zhi came out waving the sleeves around like she was performing in an opera.

The pajama collar was too big, and even with the top button done up it still exposed a flash of white skin. Chu Zhi pulled the collar very far back, which ended up exposing a patch of tender white neck.

But she couldn’t see the back and didn’t notice it. Seeing that the front wasn’t revealing anything, she focused on continuing to play with the sleeves.

The pants were big too. Chu Zhi held up the waistband as she walked to the bed, and as soon as she got in bed she kicked the pants onto the floor and got under the covers, sitting on the edge: “Lu Jiaheng, when are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.”

Chu Zhi made an “oh” sound and stopped talking.

Lu Jiaheng glanced at her, bent down to pick up the sleep pants, and dangled them in front of her: “Wear them.”

Chu Zhi hung her head, her little feet swinging under the covers: “They’re too big, I can’t wear them.”

He tossed the sleep pants onto the bed and sat on the edge without saying anything.

Chu Zhi looked up, sat for a while, feeling a bit tired. She propped up the pillow behind her to lean against the headboard, and pulled another one to hug against her chest as she looked at him: “What time are you leaving tomorrow?”

“Noon.”

“Take me with you.”

Lu Jiaheng started: “What?”

She blinked, looking at him eagerly: “I’m on winter break anyway, I can go keep you company for a while before coming back,” her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, “I can cook for you, I know how to make some dishes now, and I can clean the house.”

Lu Jiaheng didn’t comment, only suddenly asked: “What will you tell your aunt and uncle?”

Chu Zhi thought for a moment: “Business trip?”

Lu Jiaheng smiled: “An intern on a business trip?”

“Interns go on business trips too, Gu Han went to Shanghai on a business trip just the other day.”

Lu Jiaheng’s eyes narrowed, suddenly asking: “Did something happen at your internship?”

Chu Zhi looked at him without speaking, her lips gradually puffing out.

“Did you get scolded?”

She still didn’t speak.

“Not getting along with colleagues?”

Chu Zhi’s eyes drooped, her long lashes lowering as she avoided his gaze: “I quit.” She wrinkled her nose, “I couldn’t do it well, I’m too stupid, I have no ambition at all.”

It seemed to often end this way in many situations – at the time it happens this is how it ends, but thinking back later brings regret.

Arguments with others only become clear and coherent when lying in bed at night, when creative ways to curse without swearing emerge endlessly. When wronged or falsely accused, it’s only afterward that you realize how spineless you were, wondering why you didn’t rush up to slap them twice and shout “you’re talking nonsense!”, then slam their head onto the conference room desk.

Chu Zhi finally had a place to be spoiled and upset, and her whole demeanor became affected. Her eyes welled up with tears again as she raised her hand to wipe them, hugging the pillow and burying her chin in it pitifully: “Lu Jiaheng, internships are awful, they all bully people.”

Lu Jiaheng sighed softly, leaning over to pull her along with the pillow into his arms, stroking her soft hair: “Who bullied you?”

Chu Zhi found a comfortable position nestled in his arms, blinking her wet big eyes as she looked up, curious even in her misery: “Why aren’t you asking how they bullied me?”

He kissed her wet eyes, kissing away a few tears: “They made my baby this upset, it’s not okay no matter what they did.”

Chu Zhi hugged the pillow in her arms, and when he pulled her into his embrace she had left the covers, her white little feet kicking at the blanket: “Are you going to help me get revenge?”

“Mm, I’ll help you get revenge.”

“Are you going to make the king fall when it gets cold?”

Lu Jiaheng paused: “Make what?”

The young girl still had tears hanging on her long lashes, but her expression went from pitiful to proper in an instant as she straightened her back while leaning on his thigh, tilting her eyes and raising her brows as she imitated: “When it gets cold, let the Wang Corporation go bankrupt.”

Lu Jiaheng: “…”

Lu Jiaheng thought these young people really had quite the collection of trendy phrases.

Chu Zhi told him all the details of what happened today, using “Intern A” and “Supervisor B” to refer to everyone, and wouldn’t even tell him the company name, clearly showing she didn’t want to tell him.

However, she did reveal it was her classmate, so he could just have Cheng Yi ask around later.

Lu Jiaheng grabbed the blanket to cover her restless little legs that kept kicking: “You’ll still see him after school starts, what are you planning to do?”

Chu Zhi lay on the pillow, looking at him very seriously: “He used my idea, but he did it better than me.”

Lu Jiaheng raised an eyebrow.

“Even though it was my own thing, I couldn’t write it as well as someone else, that’s not okay. Even if I eventually prove the idea was mine, it’s still not okay. I definitely need to be better than him in every way.”

With that one sentence, all of Lu Jiaheng’s thoughts of doing something behind the scenes disappeared.

He sat on the edge of the bed propping his head up as he looked at her, laughing softly before leaning down to kiss her forehead: “My Chu Chu has grown up.”

Lu Jiaheng straightened up, but before he could move, Chu Zhi suddenly reached up to grab his sleeve.

In a small voice, her big eyes looking at him: “Where are you sleeping?”

“The couch.”

She made an “oh” sound, slowly putting the pillow she was hugging next to herself, saying quietly: “But I want to sleep with you…”

Lu Jiaheng looked up, his body slightly stiff.

Chu Zhi’s ears turned red, and she sank down a bit, hiding her chin and mouth under the covers: “Just sleeping, nothing else.”

“…”

Lu Jiaheng sighed, showing an expression of helpless exasperation: “You have such high demands of me?”

Chu Zhi didn’t speak, just blinked at him.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Lu Jiaheng surrendered, sighing again as he turned and got into bed, lying on his side next to her.

Chu Zhi happily scooted toward the edge of the bed to make room for him, lifting the edge of her little blanket to cover him cheerfully, then turning on her side, her soft little body moving a bit closer.

He lay there with his arms crossed while she held the edge of the blanket, and they lay in bed looking at each other for a while.

“Lu Jiaheng.”

“Mm.”

“Will you take me with you tomorrow?”

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

Chu Zhi’s eyes widened: “You don’t want me to go? You still have a dog.”

Lu Jiaheng narrowed his eyes, raising his hand to press her head against his chest: “I want you to, I don’t even have a cat.”

Chu Zhi was pressed into his embrace, her small hands against his chest as she spoke in a muffled voice: “Then why do we have to talk about it tomorrow?”

“Let’s talk about it today.”

“Take me with you.”

“I’ll be very good, I really can cook now.”

Chu Zhi raised her head again, and although she knew his roommate had someone he liked, she still wasn’t completely at ease: “I want to meet Little Chrysanthemum — no, I mean your roommate.”

Lu Jiaheng didn’t speak, just pressed her head back down again, reaching his arm outside the blanket to hold her through it.

Chu Zhi struggled to look up, glancing at the clock, “Are you going to sleep? But it’s still early, let’s talk until ten o’clock, anyway you have a noon flight tomorrow, we can get up a little later.”

“Are you going to sleep?”

“Are you really sleeping?”

“Lu Jiaheng, I can’t sleep.”

Lu Jiaheng finally opened his eyes: “Are you possessed by a little parrot again?”

Chu Zhi blinked: “Because I’m happy to see you.”

He pressed his lips together.

After a while, he lowered his head to softly kiss her eyes, his breath gentle and controlled: “Chu Zhi, go to sleep.”

Chu Zhi wiggled around in his arms like a little loach, whimpering and trying to demonstrate her determination not to sleep through action.

Lu Jiaheng hissed, patting her bottom through the blanket.

Chu Zhi let out a small cry.

He looked down at her, deliberately lowering his voice mischievously: “Little parrot, if you don’t go to sleep I’m going to eat you up.”

Chu Zhi: “…”

“Oh.”