ATLAS TRANSLATES

As closing time approached, a familiar young woman came into the store—the girl who had previously waited until late, crying by the window.

There was an upcoming sports meet at Qingyu University in a few days, and she came to pre-order some coffee.

After Shu He confirmed the date and quantity with her, Jing Yi slowly made his way over once the girl had left.

Shu He’s once gentle long curly hair had been cut to shoulder length. Her serious expression momentarily overlapped with the image of the naive young girl she once was. When she looked up, she caught him staring directly at her.

She unconsciously touched her hair and asked, “Does it look strange?”

He shook his head, his dark eyes filled with sincerity: “It looks very nice.”

“…..”

It had indeed been a long time since Shu He had cut her hair this short. She noticed the candied haws in his hand and frowned: “Why aren’t you eating it?”

This tall, long-legged man stood holding a string of appetizing candied haws, looking down and answering honestly: “I don’t want to finish it.”

“…..”

Shu He was speechless: “You can always buy more.”

But the moment those words left her mouth, Shu He suddenly understood why he was acting this way.

He had mentioned before that everything she had left him was gone.

Even if it was just a string of candied haws, he couldn’t bear to eat it.

Like a once-abandoned puppy that had been adopted again, becoming cautious. Whatever the owner gives, it becomes afraid to accept, only daring to look with round black eyes, fearing that its greediness might cause it to be abandoned again.

Or perhaps he was afraid there wouldn’t be a next time.

Leaving the store, Shu He directly took the candied haws from his hand. “Really not going to eat it? If you don’t, I will.”

Jing Yi clearly hadn’t expected her to suddenly “snatch” his treat. He watched her unwrap the packaging, stunned for a second, then nodded: “You eat it.”

Shu He looked at the glistening candied haws and glanced at him: “So you’re willing to let me have it?”

“Mm.” He nodded slightly, his thin lips moving, about to say something more when a sweet, sugary strawberry was unexpectedly pushed into his mouth.

Her sudden feeding motion confused him momentarily, but he still awkwardly bit down. Sweet and sour flavors immediately spread through his mouth. Just as he was about to say something, his eyebrows suddenly furrowed from the sourness.

Shu He laughed at his reaction and looked suspiciously at the candied haws in her hand. “Is it that sour? It shouldn’t be.”

He mumbled an agreement, “The strawberry isn’t fresh.”

“Then spit it out.”

He shook his head, his gaze boldly fixed on her as he pretended to be calm: “Why did you suddenly feed me?”

Shu He could see through his act: “You don’t like it?”

He shook his head again. “I like it.”

Seeing his obedient manner, her heart softened. “Just finish it and buy more.”

The sour yet sweet stickiness lingering in his throat was difficult to bear, but it couldn’t overcome his current happiness. The corners of his lips curved into a pleased smile—if he had a tail, it would probably be wagging now.

Shu He initially wanted to put the treat back in his hands, but since he was still using a crutch, she simply kept holding it herself.

But then she remembered what Cheng Shu had said about raising puppies—you need to be a bit strict, otherwise they get spoiled.

How was she giving in to him again…

With this thought, she glanced at his legs, hesitating before asking, “Do you do rehabilitation by yourself?”

Hearing her question, he slowly finished the candied haw in his mouth and made an affirmative sound.

“Initially I needed a doctor’s assistance, but now I can practice on my own.”

Shu He glanced at his legs and responded with a simple “Oh”: “Every day?”

“Mm.”

“Walking like this every day… doesn’t it tire you out?”

He shook his head. Jing Yi didn’t tell her that when he first started rehabilitation, he couldn’t even stand up.

He could only clumsily support himself on equipment, veins bulging in his arms, and each time he fell, getting back up was a struggle—he truly felt useless.

He had considered giving up, but it was then that he saw her again.

She had said she wanted him to come to her and tell her everything personally.

So he had to recover quickly.

“Didn’t you want to eat?” he asked gently.

“I don’t want it anymore.”

She casually brushed him off. Jing Yi remained silent for a moment, staring longingly at her red lips, but didn’t say anything more.

Before heading home, they stopped at a supermarket. Jing Yi slowly followed beside her. After picking up some daily necessities, she stood in front of the candy shelf and selected a few sweets.

They didn’t buy much. On their way back, Jing Yi tried to take the shopping bag from her hand but was refused.

He looked at his hands holding the crutches and his legs, instantly feeling dejected.

Back home, Shu He gave all the candy to him. He stared at her in surprise: “You bought these for me?”

She didn’t look at him, turning away to wash fruits: “Just to meet the minimum purchase.”

Jing Yi responded with a small “Oh,” the corner of his lips lifting slightly. The supermarket didn’t have any discount promotions, so what minimum purchase was she talking about?

Shu He placed the washed cherries in a ceramic bowl. Suddenly her vision darkened, and a cool mint candy was stuffed into her mouth.

Turning her head, she saw his right cheek slightly bulging, apparently also eating candy. “Paying you back for feeding me earlier.”

“……”

After dinner, Shu He lazily leaned against the sofa as Jing Yi played a game with her, though his gaze kept drifting toward her, impossible to ignore.

“I’ve been shortlisted for the Annual Chinese Best Composer Award. I might have a chance to win this year.”

This was indeed good news. Shu He focused on the character on the screen, “Will you attend the ceremony?”

“Do you want me to participate?” he asked in return.

The character Shu He was controlling paused for two seconds. She still didn’t look at him: “If you want to go, then go. Why ask me?”

In the past, Jing Yi had been developing his career as a singer, but he was brought back by the Jing family shortly after signing a contract.

Later, he focused on composition and made a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Now more and more people knew the name Qi Shan Jing, and he was indeed qualified to participate in various award events.

Actually, the company representative could attend on his behalf, but Liang Xu still hoped he would attend in person.

Jing Yi hesitated: “If I don’t want to show up, would you think I’m…”

He paused, but Shu He knew what he was thinking. “If I want you to go, would you go?”

He thought for a moment, then nodded.

Shu He put down the controller. Her mouth still seemed to retain the cool mint flavor. “Why are you so obedient now?”

He remained silent for a long time before speaking again. “You mentioned two conditions before. Can I use one now?”

Shu He looked at him steadily: “What?”

“On the day of the event, can you wait for me at home until I return?”

“So you’ve decided to attend?”

He shook his head, “I haven’t decided yet. If I don’t attend, can we watch the livestream together at home?”

Shu He nodded, her tone casual, “Sure.”

Seeing her agree, he breathed a sigh of relief.

But before returning to his room, Shu He still called out to him: “Whether you want to go or not, decide for yourself.”

“Okay.”

Back in his bedroom, Jing Yi looked at his expressionless reflection in the mirror and struggled to speak haltingly.

“Jing Lin… is my brother.”

He practiced all his secrets over and over again mechanically, but every word felt like countless tiny insects crawling over his wounds, with painful memories vividly surrounding him.

Yet he still harbored hope…

Shu He was different from them.

She had said she would wait for him to come back. This time, he would rush back as soon as the event was over…

He definitely wouldn’t make her wait too long.

—

The young girl who had come to pre-order coffee was named Chen Wan. She ordered more than forty cups and some small desserts.

Two other girls came with her. Worried they might have trouble carrying everything, Shu He helped deliver it to the school.

She had only been to Qingyu University once before, when she accompanied Xiang Lanye to attend a lecture.

After cutting her hair, she looked less mature, blending in seamlessly among the students.

When she received Jing Yi’s message, Shu He’s gaze fell on the basketball court in the distance.

Under the bright sunlight, a group of young men moved nimbly and athletically, wearing bright, eye-catching jerseys, dribbling arrogantly, dodging skillfully. With a “bang,” cheers immediately erupted.

Jing Yi: [The mint leaves at home seem to be wilting.]

Shu He deliberately took a photo and sent it to him: [How did you know I was watching college boys play basketball?]

Seeing “typing…” at the top of the screen, she couldn’t help but smile.

During her university days, she had worked at the basketball club for one semester to earn credits, mainly preparing water and arranging matches.

Until one day, she saw his name on the club’s roster.

Before a match, he jogged up to her, hands on his knees, his bright black eyes staring straight at her: “Senior, what a coincidence.”

“…..”

“Didn’t you say your knee was injured before?” she couldn’t help asking.

The young man seemed surprised that she remembered what he had said. The corners of his eyes instantly lifted upward, looking exactly like a happy puppy wagging its tail: “It’s fine to play occasionally.”

His gaze was too bright. Shu He felt uncomfortable under his stare. “…You should hurry over there.”

“Okay.”

Shu He wasn’t really interested in basketball games, but at that time, she couldn’t help but watch him.

The young man jumped gracefully, dribbling skillfully. His black hair fluttered in the wind, revealing his high, full forehead. As he moved, the muscles on his bare arms flowed smoothly.

He stumbled when someone bumped into him. Shu He’s heart skipped a beat, but then settled again when he deftly passed the ball.

After the game ended, he said something to someone nearby, then jogged over to her. His breathing was unsteady, his forehead sweaty and messy. The sunlight fell behind him, but his black eyes remained bright.

“Senior, will you come tomorrow too?”

Shu He’s gaze fell on his bobbing Adam’s apple. Sweat trickled down the sexy curve into the young man’s chest. She swallowed unconsciously, looked away, and coldly responded with a simple “mm.”

He casually picked up a bottle of mineral water, twisted the cap and took a couple of sips, then smiled: “Then I’ll come tomorrow too.”

Shu He couldn’t help but look at him. Perhaps seeing that it would be tiring for her to look up while speaking, before she could speak, he dropped to one knee, crouching down to hear her talk.

Shu He’s words caught in her throat. Meeting his clear, innocent black eyes, she somehow couldn’t bring herself to refuse him. She could only look away and say stiffly: “Whatever.”

From then on, he followed her like a tail. Whenever she was there, he would come to play basketball.

Her phone buzzed. Shu He shifted her gaze to see his awkward message: [Didn’t you say you don’t like watching basketball games?]

Shu He’s lips curved slightly. Later when they got together, she learned that his leg had been injured before and wasn’t really suitable for playing basketball regularly.

They both seemed to have misunderstood each other. He thought she liked watching basketball games, while she thought Jing Yi genuinely enjoyed playing basketball. Later when the misunderstanding was cleared up, he stopped playing basketball.

Shu He suddenly realized something belatedly. He had said his leg was injured from a childhood fall, but now it seemed that might not have been the case.

Before leaving campus, Chen Wan said she had left a gift for her.

The young girl looked somewhat shy. “Thank you so much for comforting me last time, and you also gave me a gift, didn’t you?”

Shu He hadn’t expected that the girl would remember that night’s events so clearly.

She didn’t refuse again and followed Chen Wan to the teaching building. The gift was a pair of handmade flower earrings—very pretty.

Before leaving, Shu He noticed introductions of various faculty members displayed on the corridor wall, including Jing Zeliang.

Seeing her gaze linger, Chen Wan said: “Professor Jing is a famous professor at our school. Many students like his classes.”

“And he’s also known as a good husband.”

Apparently, everyone at the school knew that Jing Zeliang’s wife was Ren Yinyue. When Ren Yinyue passed away, Chen Wan hadn’t enrolled yet. She heard from seniors that Jing Zeliang had donated a building to the school in Ren Yinyue’s name.

From what she said, Jing Zeliang was a good teacher and husband in everyone’s eyes.

Strictly speaking, she hadn’t met Jing Zeliang more than a few times. Perhaps because of Jing Yi, she still disliked him.

“Huh? Professor Jing?”

Chen Wan’s surprised voice made Shu He turn her head. Jing Zeliang had obviously recognized her too. Their gazes met in the cold air. She calmly looked at the man shrouded in dim light, without any hint of timidity or panic.

—

At the coffee shop.

Shu He looked at the man in front of her. She had to admit that Jing Yi did indeed resemble him. Their eyebrows and facial features shared the same profound advantages. However, Jing Zeliang had an additional piercing quality that could see through people’s hearts, like a bottomless abyss, making people fear him.

Jing Zeliang was also sizing her up. After a long while, he seemed to mockingly curl his lip: “I originally thought I would never meet with a young girl like you.”

Shu He didn’t show the slightest reaction to his words. Jing Zeliang stopped looking at her. He took a leisurely sip of coffee, like a proud person of high status: “I heard your father wants you to return home and get married?”

“As children, filial piety comes first, don’t you agree?”

Shu He’s expression suddenly turned cold. “You investigated me?”

Jing Zeliang smiled, leaning back with his hands raised innocently. But those haughty eyes clearly revealed coldness: “Since he likes you, I should get to know you a bit.”

“By the way, when your father was laid off, did he ever tell you the reason?”