ATLAS TRANSLATES

Jing Yi felt self-conscious under her gaze. He let go of her hand and walked slowly toward the bedroom, his steps unusually flustered.

Shu He came back to her senses and watched him with amusement: “You’re thinking quite far ahead.”

“…..”

The man paused, turned around, and silently came back to her side.

“Haven’t you thought about our future together?”

“……”

Shu He choked on her water and coughed until her cheeks turned red. Jing Yi nervously helped her, though his eyes couldn’t hide his disappointment: “….I guess you really haven’t thought about it, or you wouldn’t be so shocked.”

“……”

Shu He cleared her throat. Her light-colored, upturned clear eyes sparkled with a hint of gleam as she silently gave him a reproachful glance.

“What are you thinking? I just couldn’t follow your train of thought, and what I said wasn’t wrong.” She deliberately teased him: “Right now, we’ve only just reconciled, haven’t we? And you’re already thinking about children?”

His expression was gloomy, with a dejected look that said ‘I knew you hadn’t thought about our future.’

“By now, we would have already been married.”

This gentle statement was like a stone suddenly thrown into a long-calm lake, creating ripples that couldn’t be smoothed away for a long time.

“Jiejie.” He suddenly gripped her wrist, leaning in closer. His dark eyes stared straight at her. “What exactly is our relationship now?”

Shu He was surrounded by him, her hands supporting her body as she leaned back. Their exchanging gazes seemed to ignite hot and ambiguous sparks in the air, scattering into every corner of the living room. Her eyelashes trembled as she softly asked: “What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” his voice was low. “If you don’t say it, I can’t be sure.”

“Jiejie.” He deliberately moved a little closer, his long lashes lowered, as innocent as a puppy begging to be taken home: “Tell me yourself, so I’ll know who I am to you.”

But those direct dark eyes clearly hid a readiness to pounce, as if he would devour her the next second, while still pretending to be innocent, wrapping his fluffy tail around her.

Shu He’s heart beat faster, as if something was burning inside her, getting hotter and hotter. Her throat felt dry.

Her hand moved slightly, and the person holding her instinctively loosened his grip. Before he could feel disappointed, she raised her hands, removed his glasses, loosely circled him, and commanded: “Kiss me.”

He was obviously stunned, but two seconds later, he obediently lowered his head. His dry lips carefully touched hers, tentatively nibbling, as awkward as if it were his first kiss.

Shu He couldn’t help but smile, her heart warm and full. She gently scratched the skin on the back of his neck: “Have you forgotten how to kiss?”

How could he possibly forget?

Back then, neither of them had any kissing experience. They were clumsy at first, but eventually he figured it out on his own and taught her.

He held her hand again, his moist tongue eagerly parting her lips. Their teeth clicked together, and Shu He let out a soft laugh. Surrounded by intense heat, she chided him with difficulty: “…Slow down.”

He paused slightly, his nose unconsciously nuzzling against hers. The long-missed tingling sensation made her feel so comfortable that her whole body relaxed. She lazily yielded to his taking, sucking and nibbling. His uneasiness and displeasure seemed to have been crushed by himself as he kissed her adoringly.

Occasionally when she leaned back slightly, he would instinctively cling to her, his hand moving up to hold her head, unwilling to let go for even a second.

In the quiet living room, only irregular breathing and the intimate sounds of their kissing remained.

After some time, Shu He’s tongue began to feel numb, but the person in front of her was still reluctantly kissing her. She couldn’t help but put up a hand to stop him. The man’s once dry lips were now glistening red. Almost instinctively, he obsessively licked her palm, his warm breath falling on her skin. She was amused by his puppy-like behavior.

“It’s not like today is the only day we can kiss.”

Moreover, she was leaning back against the table, maintaining this position for a long time, and her waist was getting sore.

The man’s Adam’s apple moved unconsciously. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, “It’s been too long since we kissed…”

His gaze was still fixated on her. Shu He’s body felt somewhat weak. If they continued kissing, things would get out of hand.

Her knee touched the bulging part that was stirring, clearly indicating that she wasn’t the only one about to lose control.

Even through his pants and her skirt, the man noticeably stiffened.

She pushed him away, trying to suppress her laughter and deliberately ignoring the heat throughout her body. It had been so long since they’d kissed that the desire within her was easily aroused, seemingly about to boil over.

“So now do you know what our relationship is?”

She pulled out a chair and sat down, her slender legs crossing unnaturally. With her whole body feeling weak, she could only sit down to recover.

Jing Yi poured her a glass of water, then put his elegant silver-rimmed glasses back on, instantly transforming back into that gentle, harmless appearance, completely different from the way he had been clinging tightly to her, chasing after her kisses, almost wanting to devour her whole.

“I’m not quite sure.”

“……” Shu He seemed amused yet annoyed, her toe lightly kicking him: “You don’t understand, yet you kissed me so enthusiastically?”

She also truly forgot that this person was best at playing innocent.

He glanced at her bright, fair ankles and pushed further: “If we kissed every day… I might understand.”

“……”

Shu He glared at him speechlessly: “Jing. Yi.”

He drank his water, feeling parched: “But we used to kiss every day.”

“……”

“I could kiss you whenever I wanted, and sometimes you would initiate kisses too.”

You would also initiate making love.

He didn’t dare say the second half, and instead complained quietly: “Or are you just appeasing me? You don’t really want to get back together.”

“……”

He was now like a unreasonable, occasionally extending his paws to test her boundaries puppy.

He looked somewhat mischievous, yet revealed insecure emotions, just wanting to know if she would still love him like before.

Or perhaps, increasingly presumptuous, wanting her to love him more than before, to spoil him more.

“Tomorrow too.”

She compromised helplessly, her bright eyes reflecting his image, just like her soft heart would infinitely accommodate him.

“I’m not just appeasing you.” She held his hand, as solemn and gentle as the day they had confirmed their relationship years ago: “Jing Yi, we are together.”

—

When Shu He woke up the next day, she immediately saw the unread message on her phone.

Jing Yi: [Do you remember what you said yesterday?]

Through the screen, she could imagine how anxiously he was clutching his phone.

After laughing enough, she didn’t reply to the message. She slowly finished washing up and walked out of the bedroom. At that moment, the door beside her also opened.

The tall man stared at her intently, like a puppy wagging its tail, finally waiting for her.

She couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile. She walked over, grabbed his collar, stood on tiptoes, put one hand on his chest, and gently kissed him.

The soft kiss only lasted two seconds. She smiled brightly: “Good morning kiss.”

Jing Yi touched his lips. His empty heart seemed to find its anchor. He followed closely behind her, no longer acting up, obediently drinking the honey water she poured for him.

“Are you coming to the shop with me this afternoon?”

He thought for a moment, then nodded: “Yes.”

At the coffee shop, he still sat in the corner.

The place was quite crowded at this time. He belatedly noticed something—Shu He was busy, and it was Tong Yuan who brought over his order.

He asked casually: “Can’t customers sit in this spot?”

Tong Yuan smiled: “Sister Shu He instructed that this seat is reserved for you.”

Even after she left, Jing Yi remained sitting still, lost in thought for a long time.

Once before, he had come late and sat by the window. Many passersby would glance at him.

He actually hated being looked at with pitying eyes. Sometimes he himself had become numb to it, but she had noticed.

For several consecutive days, Shu He discovered he wasn’t actually working, just sitting there watching her, so she simply sent him home.

Jing Yi was somewhat displeased, but after brooding for a while and seeing she wasn’t going to coax him, he reluctantly agreed.

He was no longer satisfied with just good morning and goodnight kisses. With Liang Xu’s wedding approaching, he spent this time at home practicing rehabilitation exercises. He tentatively asked her for rewards.

Shu He thought about it and agreed.

But who could have imagined his rewards would be so numerous?

Walking one round, he wanted a kiss.

Walking for ten minutes, he wanted a kiss.

Every circuit’s destination was her sitting on the sofa. Shu He was still looking down at her phone when suddenly someone held her chin and kissed her.

She fell back helplessly, pushing his head away: “Practice properly! No being greedy.”

He appeared obedient on the surface, trying to walk without his crutches.

Shu He constantly watched his steps. The next second, she saw him frown, his long leg seemingly buckling. Her heart jumped in alarm, and she instinctively moved forward to catch him—

The tall man fell onto her, and Shu He couldn’t support him. They fell back onto the sofa together. Her waist was tightly encircled by him as he rested in the crook of her neck. His soft black hair nuzzled against her like a puppy, his warm breath falling on her skin, making her ticklish.

“You did that on purpose!”

She pushed his head, but his voice was sticky: “So tired, need a hug.”

As he spoke, dense, warm kisses roamed restlessly around her neck, gradually moving upward. Shu He couldn’t help but laugh, gently biting his lip: “Little rascal.”

This continued for several days. He claimed to be practicing rehabilitation, but his attention was entirely on her.

Shu He felt dazed from all the kissing. Even in her dreams, he was kissing her—not just kissing, but his hands were also wandering elsewhere.

She woke with a start, feeling the secret discomfort in her body, and irritably muttered that he was truly a puppy.

Today Jing Yi didn’t go to the shop. Shu He was busy until the afternoon when she received a message from Xiang Lanye.

Xiang Lanye: [You were right! Xu Yichi really isn’t a good person!]

After reading the content, Shu He’s gaze gradually turned cold. Xu Yichi had withdrawn his investment. Unless she personally went to find him, the film crew faced disbandment, affecting everyone involved.

Her gaze turned to the sunlight filtering through the window as she recalled what Liang Xu had said.

The media that had exposed Ren Yinyue’s painful loss of her child was indeed primarily written by Xu Yichi’s mother, who was then just an editor-in-chief, Ms. Cheng.

The news was suppressed because Jing Zeliang intervened.

She wasn’t clear what method Jing Zeliang had used to make them suppress the news, but she thought that its reappearance now was beyond Jing Zeliang’s expectations.

As Jing Yi had said, Jing Zeliang wouldn’t let anyone destroy Ren Yinyue’s work.

She thought she needed to meet with Jing Zeliang again.

—

Jing Zeliang hadn’t expected to meet her again. Upon learning her purpose, he smiled.

“I can help you deal with her, but young lady, my condition remains the same—you must leave him.”

Shu He was extremely calm. “I don’t quite understand you.”

“On one hand, you hope no one will love him; on the other hand, you don’t allow anyone to slander him.”

Jing Zeliang pulled his lips into a smile. “He caused the death of so many people. What right does he have to be loved?”

At this moment, the scale in Shu He’s heart completely tipped toward Jing Yi: “None of this is his fault.”

Jing Zeliang smiled without speaking.

He was a madman, a madman who only loved Ren Yinyue. For him, Ren Yinyue was the only standard.

Shu He didn’t waste words. She handed him what Liang Xu had discovered. “You don’t need to threaten me here. I don’t think you want someone using Ms. Ren for attention, do you?”

Jing Zeliang’s gaze on the screen grew colder. To destroy Jing Yi, Xu Yichi had spread many slanderous messages, including questioning whether Jing Yi was really Ren Yinyue’s son or an illegitimate child.

“Nonsense! No matter what, he is the son of me and Xiao Yue!”

His loyalty to Ren Yinyue couldn’t tolerate any questioning.

Regarding Xu Yichi’s despicable actions and Jing Zeliang’s anger, Shu He didn’t show the slightest ripple of emotion. “Uncle Jing, as much as you love Ms. Ren.”

“That’s how much I love Jing Yi.”

“I will never give up on Jing Yi.” She fearlessly returned the man’s deep gaze: “This matter can’t be delayed any longer. It must be resolved quickly.”

And Jing Zeliang would be her weapon.