ATLAS TRANSLATES

Throughout the entire evening, Chu Zhi received three calls from her father. She had to pretend everything was normal while answering them under Lu Jiaheng’s watchful gaze.

Finally, there was a video call on WeChat. Chu Zhi had no choice but to flee downstairs again to answer it at home.

Her father was like a veteran detective from the criminal investigation unit. Chu Zhi had never seen his gaze so sharp before. He made her walk around the house with her phone, showing every corner. After dawdling for half an hour, they finally had to board their flight, and her father was reluctantly pulled away by Ms. Deng to go through security, still looking worried.

Chu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. When she turned around, she met You Cai’s gaze.

You Cai stood by her feet, his big blue eyes looking at her, letting out a “meow.”

That sound, that expression, that gaze – for some reason, Chu Zhi suddenly felt guilty.

She thought for a moment, took out a can of food for him, and crouched beside him watching him lick it up: “Guess what, you get an extra meal today, so be good, okay?”

“Meow.”

“I’m going upstairs to play for a while, I’ll be back soon, and you better not tattle on me.”

You Cai lifted his head: “Meow meow.”

Chu Zhi took that as agreement, giggled while scratching his head, then eagerly ran upstairs.

For dinner, Chu Zhi ordered red oil wontons.

The shop was small. Chu Zhi had eaten there once before – the soup was rich, spicy and fragrant. The wontons were slightly smaller than regular ones, filled with fresh meat. Scooping one up with soup and eating it together was both spicy and delicious.

Chu Zhi ate with tears and snot running, unable to stop herself, sitting cross-legged on the carpet and leaning on the coffee table while blowing her nose.

She ate slowly. Lu Jiaheng had already finished and was sitting on the sofa typing away on his laptop. Chu Zhi watched a movie while eating – it was Hachiko, and she was crying “wuu wuu wuu.”

Lu Jiaheng turned his head, looking at her with amusement: “Your snot is forming strings.”

Chu Zhi glared at him with teary eyes, her mouth still full of wontons, not speaking.

Lu Jiaheng turned off the TV: “Who cries while eating? Finish eating first, then watch.”

Chu Zhi wiped her nose, unclear whether it was from the spice or from crying: “Lu Jiaheng, I want to raise a dog.”

He lowered his head again: “Don’t you have You Cai already?”

“Cats and dogs are different,” Chu Zhi swallowed the last wonton and pushed away the bowl. “Let me raise a dog, it can keep You Cai company.”

Lu Jiaheng thought of that perverted cat and paused his typing: “Get a female one, otherwise that dog will be bullied to death.”

Chu Zhi didn’t believe him. She thought her You Cai was the most well-behaved cat in the world: “That won’t happen. You Cai is so well-behaved, he’ll protect his little brother.”

Lu Jiaheng snorted with laughter: “Perverted cat.”

Chu Zhi was protective: “You’re the perverted one.”

Lu Jiaheng finally looked up at her, surprisingly not objecting.

He leaned back on the sofa, one hand resting on the cushion, and lectured her: “Young lady, there’s no man who isn’t perverted.”

Chu Zhi rolled her eyes and accused him: “That’s just you. Don’t assume all men in the world are hooligans like you, okay?”

“Okay,” Lu Jiaheng nodded, closed his laptop and casually put it on the coffee table beside him. He leaned forward, reached out, and picked her up like a kitten, placing her on his lap.

Chu Zhi was startled, straddling him with her skirt riding up, her knees bent, half-kneeling on the sofa.

She pressed against his chest and looked up, blinking at him.

Lu Jiaheng raised his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her forward.

Chu Zhi’s head was pressed against his chest with a muffled thud.

She let out a yelp, her nose aching from the impact, suspecting this man was made of iron.

Before the pain could subside, she felt his cool fingers slip under her clothes at her waist.

When his fingertips touched her skin, Chu Zhi shivered as if frozen by his temperature. She struggled in his arms like a little goldfish, but her head was firmly pressed against his chest, unable to move.

His fingers traced upward along her skin.

Chu Zhi’s knees pressed against the soft sofa. She struggled for a while but found it useless – under the man’s absolute restraint, her strength was negligible.

Chu Zhi gave up, going limp in his arms with her head buried in his chest, her voice muffled: “Lu Jiaheng—”

“Hmm?” he responded lazily through his nose.

“Where are you touching…”

At this moment, the man’s hand had moved up past her navel and stopped, covering.

Chu Zhi was already trembling.

He paused, lowered his head, his voice hoarse: “Going home today?”

“…”

Chu Zhi paused, her voice tiny: “Yes, I just promised You Cai. One must keep their word…”

He chuckled softly, giving a couple squeezes: “Then let me rephrase – want to do me today?”

Chu Zhi went completely soft, curling up in his arms and nuzzling, her little head moving up to rest her forehead on his shoulder as she lightly bit his shoulder, trembling: “How can you—”

Lu Jiaheng didn’t stop his movements, muttering hoarsely: “What’s this made of, feels like pudding.”

Chu Zhi’s hands and feet went weak, her face starting to burn hot.

She blushed, burying her head firmly in his neck, biting her tongue until it went numb.

For some reason, Chu Zhi suddenly remembered how he had just been curled up on the sofa with his laptop, focused on the screen, his fingertips tapping away on the keyboard.

Now those hands were sneaking up under her clothes, committing all sorts of mischief.

Chu Zhi felt like she was the keyboard on his computer, fully experiencing the dexterity of the man’s long fingers.

She bit his neck hard with red eyes, sniffling, refusing to make a sound.

But he seemed determined to hear her voice, his hands growing increasingly forceful.

Chu Zhi gripped his arms, her fingers digging into his arm muscles through his clothes.

Her top was pushed up.

Chu Zhi finally couldn’t help crying out, hitting him hard: “Can’t you turn off the lights…”

“No,” he said hoarsely, his other hand sliding under her skirt, “why turn them off…”

She was about to cry, her voice rising: “Lu Jiaheng!”

Lu Jiaheng buried his head, laughing softly, his chest vibrating as he negotiated gently: “How about we go to the bedroom and use a lamp? I want to see you.”

Chu Zhi was exasperated: “Are you a pervert?!”

“Mm,” he lifted her skirt, “I’m a bastard…”

Chu Zhi angrily raised her hand and slapped his face, pushing away his deeply buried head: “You think you’re invincible now, huh!”

Lu Jiaheng ignored her, picking her up like a chick and carrying her to the bedroom.

In the bedroom, Chu Zhi’s clothes were already unbuttoned and sliding down. She pulled at them up and down, kicking her legs: “Light! Light light light!”

He still ignored her, throwing her on the bed and covering her. His six-foot-something frame pressed down, his bones hard and muscles firm, almost suffocating Chu Zhi. His arms propped beside her ears as he lowered his head with a smile: “Are you an Intel commercial?”

Even at this moment, Chu Zhi still spared some attention to seriously discuss this question. She swallowed: “The Intel commercial had five kicks.”

Lu Jiaheng laughed, his fingers slipping in to pull something off and throw it on the floor: “Can’t you be more serious? Pay attention to the situation?”

She shrank her shoulders and pulled at the bedsheet beside her, her whole body seeming to catch fire, unclear whether from anger or embarrassment: “Can’t you just turn off the lights! If you don’t turn them off, I won’t do it!”

He lowered his head, bit her lips, and raised his hand to cover her eyes.

They stayed like that for several seconds.

Though Chu Zhi’s vision was blocked, she could seemingly clearly feel his gaze scanning her, creating an inexplicable sense of unease and shame. Her whole body curled up, only to be pinned down by him.

Lu Jiaheng finally spoke slowly, his voice even hoarser than before: “Is this okay?”

“…” Chu Zhi grabbed his wrist and threw it off, “Just get off the bed.”

“No,” Lu Jiaheng flatly refused, pinning her wrists above her head and pushing her knees up.

This clearly exceeded Chu Zhi’s maximum tolerance.

Her skirt covered her fair belly. She let out a small cry, but before she could react, his lips had already descended.

Starting from her forehead, moving downward, with dense, long entanglements that seemed to extend to the end of the world.

Chu Zhi was like a shrimp in a pot, her whole body changing color from embarrassment, trembling uncontrollably before weakly struggling a couple times.

She bit her knuckle and whimpered.

Lu Jiaheng’s large hands were completely immovable, holding her steadily as his teeth bit the flesh inside her knee. He raised his eyes, his gaze dark and dangerous: “Louder…”

Chu Zhi kept trying to shrink back, her eyes red from being bullied, her voice soft and enticing with a tremor: “Lu Jiaheng, are you in a hurry…”

Lu Jiaheng laughed at her words, propping himself up again and pulling her wrist down: “Feel for yourself if I’m in a hurry.”

Chu Zhi shrank her hand back in horror: “No need no need, I was wrong I was wrong.”

Lu Jiaheng pinned both her wrists back up with one hand, speaking softly: “Little sister, big brother Lu has waited four years for you, my hand’s about to be useless.”

He tilted his head to lick and bite her ear tip, his voice like mixed sand and waves, hoarse and sexy, “Don’t play with me anymore…”

Chu Zhi’s whole body was tense, her gaze fixed on the dim ceiling above.

For no reason at all, she suddenly remembered their first meeting.

On the first day of school, the man stood beside the volunteers’ temporary tent, wearing all black, holding a can of cola to his lips, listening to someone beside him talk.

He wasn’t standing straight, slightly hunched and leaning against the table, eyes lowered, standing there carelessly. His black shirt rode up, exposing his forearms with their beautiful muscle lines.

The next moment, he raised his eyes, and their gazes met.

Those beautiful black phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her, sunlight filtering through the leaves, his eyes seeming to contain light.

Chu Zhi closed her eyes, freeing her wrists from his hand to wrap her arms around his neck.

She trembled as she pulled him down, her warm lips pressing against the man’s long, slightly upturned eyes, her whole body slowly unfurling in silent invitation.

Lu Jiaheng’s movements paused, his breathing growing heavy.

Like a rose blooming at midnight, thorny stems wrapping tightly around his neck, thorns piercing skin, tearing arteries, warm blood flowing silently, yet still he was unwilling to break free.

Wanting to embrace the rose into his blood and bones, wanting her closer, even closer.