ATLAS TRANSLATES

The tail end of September whooshed by.

The hot summer gradually cooled. Shuang Yao had been facing serious relationship problems lately. Feng Ning had just finished running on the track field and let herself be dragged along limply by her friend.

“I’ll take you to see him tomorrow, really, he’s exactly my type. I’m swooning – tall, fair-skinned, and slim.”

“What’s his name?”

“Don’t know yet.”

Feng Ning laughed at her: “He’s from another class? So you’re just here swooning by yourself – does he even know you?”

Shuang Yao pinched her arm and said: “Why do you have to say it like that? Even though we don’t know each other’s surnames or names, I have a strong feeling.”

“What feeling?”

“I must be special to him because we’ve made eye contact across the crowded hallway many times.”

“If you’re both interested in each other, then why is special Yao Yao so worried?”

“Well, I thought he was the type who doesn’t pay attention to girls. But today, today someone went to ask for his contact information, and he actually gave it!! He!! Actually!! Gave it!!”

Speaking of this, Shuang Yao got angry again, her words becoming jumbled. She quickly took two deep breaths, “I happened to pass by and saw him writing it down and giving it to that girl. I really, I’m going to die of anger!”

Walking across fallen leaves, Feng Ning suggested: “Then why don’t you go ask for it too? If you don’t take the first step, how can you take the countless steps that follow?”

Shuang Yao shook her head, describing her emotional journey in detail to her friend: “No, I can’t ask. That wouldn’t be romantic at all. I can write in my diary about him every day, calculate the perfect distance to brush past him, I can even count every second we make eye contact in my heart, but I can’t take this step actively.”

“Why not?” Feng Ning commented incisively, “Aren’t you just being self-indulgent?”

“You just don’t understand.”

The sunset was hanging between falling and not falling as they walked around the track field, with retired teachers nearby. After arguing for a while and seeing Shuang Yao looking pitiful, Feng Ning sighed, “If it’s so painful, why don’t you just stop liking him?”

Shuang Yao was indignant and pathetic: “But I can’t do that, can I?”

“Let me analyze it for you.” Feng Ning twisted her mouth slightly, “Have you considered that maybe you don’t actually like him, but rather you like the feeling of submission that ‘liking him’ gives you?”

Shuang Yao stopped, “Feeling of submission?”

“Yes, think about that word carefully.” Feng Ning put on a rational appearance, “Simply liking someone is boring. Objectively speaking, liking someone is itself both a pleasant and painful thing – it needs to have this feeling of vague loss, making you suffer while also letting you enjoy it.”

Shuang Yao’s mind didn’t work as quickly as hers, and she struggled to understand these words.

She threw out one point after another, quickly drawing her conclusion, “Remember my speech? Nietzsche’s view – ultimately, what you like is the desire you create yourself, and the object of that desire doesn’t really matter. If you understand this point, it’s not hard to switch to liking someone else, right?”

Shuang Yao nodded unconsciously, confused and lost in thought.

Having achieved her desired effect, Feng Ning smiled triumphantly.

When she was talking nonsense, she could always keep a straight face while making things she didn’t even believe in sound logically consistent. She would casually quote some classic sayings, making it sound very convincing at first hearing, making it hard to distinguish truth from fiction. Then she would imperceptibly leave others bewildered.

Feng Ning was essentially an unrepentant rogue.

The sports meet was approaching.

The class monitor was having a headache over event registration. The boys were easy to handle, but the girls weren’t very enthusiastic, with low participation.

“Iron Lady told me and the sports representative to handle it. But we’ve been asking around the class for two days, and the girls either can’t be in the sun or can’t do intense exercise. Our class has a pretty even ratio of boys and girls, but if we’re missing people for this event and that event, isn’t it pretty embarrassing? It’s not even about class honor anymore, at least we should make a decent showing.”

During evening self-study, the class monitor was trying to persuade people, rambling on like a broken record.

Five minutes without stopping. Feng Ning’s head was hurting from his nagging. She put down her pen with a snap and looked up: “Fine, stop talking. Give me the registration form, what’s missing?”

The class monitor, somewhat pleading and careful, said: “We barely managed to get enough people for the others, but the 1500 meters…”

Feng Ning didn’t want to hear him ramble on, quickly scanned the form, signed her name under the 1500 section, and tossed the form back to him, “Alright, I need to study now, hurry up and go, don’t interfere with my studying.”

“There’s also high jump… would you consider that too?” The class monitor was speaking when someone tapped his shoulder. He didn’t notice at all, and before he could finish speaking, an impatient voice came from above.

The class monitor opened his mouth uncertainly: “Jiang Wen, you… you need something?”

Jiang Wen stood beside them, tall and cold-faced, “This is my seat.”

“Oh, oh.” The class monitor nervously stood up, making way.

For some reason, though girls all said Jiang Wen was handsome, he always felt there was something gloomy about him, like his gaze could freeze people to death. The class monitor was a bit scared and quickly walked away.

Thank heavens, it was finally quiet around Feng Ning’s ears. She had sweated a lot running in the evening and then spent quite a while in the wind with Shuang Yao. Now her headache was acting up, and she couldn’t figure out several physics problems even after looking at them for a long time.

She lazily raised her arm and poked the person in front of her, “Jiang Wen.”

After three or four seconds, Jiang Wen leaned back and turned his head to look.

Feng Ning withdrew her hand and listlessly turned her problem book around, “Help me look at a few questions?”

He took it and studied it for a while.

When Jiang Wen was explaining the problems, he sat sideways with his arm resting on the edge of her desk. As he explained, he drew force analysis diagrams on the paper with his pen.

He kept his head down, his black hair soft and fine, falling over his brow, inadvertently revealing a hint of gentleness.

Feng Ning had no energy, her waist slumped as she rested her chin softly on the desk.

Jiang Wen’s breath lightly brushed past her nose tip. Feng Ning sniffed and caught a fresh scent that was so fresh it made her a bit distracted.

Her eyes caught sight of Jiang Wen’s lips, and she wondered, his lips are so red, what brand of mouthwash does he use…?

Orange flavor?

Or grapefruit…

After a minute, Feng Ning chased away her wandering thoughts and concentrated on listening to his explanation. She pointed at the homework book, “Here, aren’t the forces on both sides of the fixed pulley the same?”

Jiang Wen quickly drew two more lines, “The pulley axle friction is negligible, but you can’t ignore the rope’s tension force on p.”

“Oh…”

Feng Ning gathered her thoughts and listened to him with undivided attention. Her long eyelashes blinked, even the light in her eyes scattered with each blink.

He slightly raised his eyes and accidentally caught this sight, causing his pen-holding hand to shake.

Suddenly, the light overhead went out with a pop, and at the same time, the entire classroom fell into darkness.

Someone in front called out, “What’s going on? Did the circuit breaker trip?”

The class monitor hurried out to check and found that the entire teaching building had lost power, with only the emergency lights in the stairwell still on.

The class became chaotic, but Feng Ning maintained her original position without moving.

In the pitch darkness, Jiang Wen silently waited for a while. He still held the pen, with warm breath spraying on the back of his hand.

It was hers.

He tightened his hand, then loosened it. When he withdrew it, his wrist abruptly brushed against her forehead.

Nothing could be seen, making the senses of touch and hearing become increasingly acute.

Thump, thump, thump, this was the sound of heartbeats.

“Did you understand?”

Feng Ning hummed, “…More or less.”

“There are two more problems, I’ll explain them to you when we get back to the dorm.”

They couldn’t see each other’s expressions, and Feng Ning questioned with an “Ah?” sound, “How are you going to explain to me when we’re back at the dorms?”

“…Do you have a phone?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Jiang Wen was quiet for a moment, speaking with difficulty, seeming quite forced, “…Then tell me your phone number.”

Feng Ning laughed and mercilessly exposed him: “Jiang Wen, have you never dated before? Your way of asking for contact information is a bit stiff.”

“……”

Just then, the corridor lights came on, and weak light filtered in. The classroom regained a bit of light, and Jiang Wen’s embarrassed expression hadn’t had time to disappear.

Their eyes met, and Feng Ning still maintained her previous posture.

Besides embarrassment, she could even see a bit of dejection.

He turned his head away, trying hard to maintain a natural expression, stubbornly saying: “Forget it.”

Shortly after, patrolling teachers came by, telling all the students studying in the classroom to return to their dorms, saying they didn’t know when the power would be restored.

Jiang Wen started packing up his things. As he stood up, someone called out to him, and Feng Ning held out a piece of paper between two fingers, clearly torn from a notebook just now.

Jiang Wen hadn’t gotten over his mood, didn’t move his head but looked down, “What is it?”

She giggled, “What you wanted, my phone number.”

“I don’t want it.” Jiang Wen didn’t take it and wouldn’t look at her.

Feng Ning almost rolled her eyes.

She patiently opened her notebook and held out a pen with both hands, speaking pleasantly: “Alright, alright, it’s me who wants your phone number, okay? Would you be so kind as to write your phone number in my notebook?”

Xi Gaoyuan and Zhao Binlin were watching a football match on the computer. They were quite surprised to see Jiang Wen push open the door, “Weren’t you studying in the classroom? Why are you back so early?”

He was concise: “Power outage.”

Jiang Wen changed into his pajamas and sat down on the bed. With nothing else to do, he watched the football match live stream with Zhao Binlin and the others.

When the first half ended and the cheerleaders came out to dance, after enthusiastically commenting on the girls’ figures for a while, Xi Gaoyuan turned back and suddenly said, “Jiang Wen, who are you waiting for a message from?”

Jiang Wen couldn’t be bothered to waste words with him: “I’m using my phone to check the time.”

“Yeah right.” Xi Gaoyuan smiled slyly, “In just these ten-plus minutes, you’ve checked the time at least five or six times. What’s up, eager to turn off the lights and sleep?”

Just then, his phone buzzed once with a WeChat notification, and Jiang Wen slid open the lock screen.

A friend request with a Cherry Maruko avatar, username fnn: Hello, I’m your homeroom teacher, checking on your study progress.

He made a sound from his throat, looked at the time, and turned off the screen. He didn’t accept this friend request.

After a few minutes, his phone lit up again. A text message from an unknown number:

[Bro, why aren’t you responding?]

Jiang Wen silently smiled. Looking at the time, after several more minutes passed, he finally reluctantly accepted Cherry Maruko’s friend request.

fnn_: Why are you so slow?

w: So many people add me, how would I know it was you.

fnn_: You talk so coldly

w: ……

fnn_: You probably don’t need to sleep yet, right?

w: Mm

Zhao Binlin’s loud voice exploded by his ear: “Jiang Wen, what the hell are you watching porn for, grinning at your phone by yourself?” As he spoke, he tried to peek at the phone.

Jiang Wen still had a pleased expression on his face and instinctively withdrew his phone, “Nothing.” After saying this, he quickly stood up, opened the balcony door, and went out.

Zhao Binlin and Xi Gaoyuan exchanged glances.

Feng Ning sent another message:

fnn_: Perhaps you’re interested in discussing that conveyor belt problem with me?

After a few minutes, he replied:

w: Not interested. Let’s talk tomorrow, typing is a bit tiring.

Feng Ning couldn’t stand his affected manner. She turned up her desk lamp a bit, threw aside the pillow she was hugging. Sitting up slightly on the bed, she directly called him, and it rang five or six times before he answered.

“Hehe, try to understand, I can’t sleep if I don’t figure out this problem,” Feng Ning flipped through her book with a rustle, “I just have one question, when those two objects are slipping, why are their friction forces in the same direction?”

On this spring evening intoxicated with romance, the night breeze carried hints of coolness. Jiang Wen leaned against the balcony railing, looking at the night sky in the distance.

The door behind him was pulled open. Xi Gaoyuan stuck his head out: “Who are you on the phone with, hiding away?”

Jiang Wen reacted half a beat late, moving his phone further away, “What?”

Xi Gaoyuan guessed: “Your sister?”

He denied: “No.”

“Your younger sister?”

“No.”

“Feng Ning?”

“……”

Jiang Wen was quiet for a moment, and Xi Gaoyuan quickly snatched his phone and ducked back into the dorm.

Jiang Wen didn’t react in time, stunned for two seconds before chasing after him. Zhao Binlin wrapped an arm around his waist, preventing him from moving. He was somewhat annoyed and struggled, calling out, “What are you guys doing?”

Xi Gaoyuan cleared his throat and turned on the speakerphone, “Hello hello, is this Feng Ning?”

Feng Ning’s tone was casual: “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Calling so late…” Xi Gaoyuan smiled broadly with deep meaning: “Are you two up to something?”

“What would we be up to? Nothing going on. This is just the first and second in the grade discussing academic questions.”

Jiang Wen glared angrily, lowering his voice, “Damn it, give me back my phone.”

Xi Gaoyuan made a gesture telling him not to rush, “Then can I ask the top student two questions?”

“Sure, ask away.”

Xi Gaoyuan pressed the volume button up again, “What does your mom call you when you’re together?”

“Just my name.”

He drew out an “Oh” sound, “Then what does Jiang Wen call you when you’re together?”

“Just my name.”

Zhao Binlin laughed merrily and called out loudly:

“—Then when are you and Jiang Wen going to be together?”