ATLAS TRANSLATES

“Do you have anything that you find hard to let go of?”

“Yes.”

“Like what?”

“My mother.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

Just then, the elevator dinged as it reached their floor. Feng Ning gave a slight smile to the person beside her, “I’ll tell you next time.”

As soon as she walked into the studio, she heard Guan Tongfu excitedly shouting, “According to reliable sources, we’ve got a big client coming up, an overseas cash cow!! A real cash cow!”

Feng Ning took off her work badge, casually placed it aside, pulled out a chair to sit down, took a sip of water, and said, “Tell me about it.”

Guan Tongfu flipped through some documents, “It’s a multinational company that just entered the Chinese market this year. They’re looking for a translation company to outsource their hotel promotions.”

Feng Ning showed some interest: “Have they started the bidding process?”

“Should be soon.” Guan Tongfu said, “I’ll have Xiao Zhu prepare a PPT later to submit a bid.”

Xiao Zhu erupted in anger: “Do it yourself, I’m about to die from dealing with idiots.”

“What’s wrong?”

Xiao Zhu put her hands on her hips, pacing back and forth in the cubicle: “I’ve been doing proofreading recently, right? The client we’re working with is completely brainless!! I tried to calmly explain the revision suggestions to them, about how it needs to align with market positioning, but they wouldn’t listen at all. They even questioned my professional qualifications! I’m about to cough up blood, what kind of weirdos are these?”

As everyone complained noisily, Feng Ning shut down her computer, “You all keep busy, I’m heading out.”

“Why are you leaving so early today?”

“Going home to catch up on sleep.”

Xiao Zhu saluted, “Have a nice weekend, Sister Ning. See you next week.”

Feng Ning flicked Xiao Zhu’s forehead, “You too.”

Xiao Zhu clutched her chest, pretending to be smitten, “Sis, what perfume are you wearing today? It smells so good.”

Taking the elevator to the basement parking lot, while backing up her car, Feng Ning received another phone call.

Min Yueyue shouted on the other end: “Ningning, come out for Ge Laoguan tonight.”

Feng Ning watched the rearview mirror, backing up one-handed, and refused without thinking: “Sister, find someone else, I don’t have time to accompany you for this.”

Last time at Hengsheng Mall, they had waited in line for over 200 tables, waiting four or five hours. Midway through, Min Yueyue insisted on going downstairs to look around, and they even missed their number, forcing them to drag on until 3 AM before they finally got to eat a hot meal.

Min Yueyue wouldn’t give up, whining over the phone: “Ningning, I’m begging you, please. I just got back from the Maldives, and I brought you lots of gifts. I just want to see you, I have so much gossip to tell you, I really miss you so much.”

Min Yueyue was Feng Ning’s roommate during graduate school, from a wealthy family, pampered since childhood, growing up spoiled by her parents. Their dorm had four people in total, and the other two girls didn’t really like Min Yueyue, often complaining about her princess behavior behind her back.

It wasn’t really their fault for disliking her so much. The first impression Min Yueyue left on everyone when they first met was truly too memorable.

On the first day of school, the three of them had finished reporting in and were cleaning and organizing things in the dorm. Just as everything was quiet, suddenly an affected, spoiled voice rang out.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look together.

The half-closed door was pushed open, and Min Yueyue appeared in all Chanel branded clothes, wearing Valentino high heels, carrying a new Hermès bag, making a dazzling entrance.

This young lady seemed completely oblivious to their presence, turning around on the spot, still complaining to someone beside her, “How can the graduate dorm building be so shabby, it’s like a dangerous building. And this dorm environment looks so poor, won’t there be cockroaches and rats? Even my housekeeper’s room has better conditions than this.”

Her tone was full of superiority, immediately causing one of the girls to secretly roll her eyes.

Min Yueyue rarely stayed in the dorm, only deigning to stay for a few days when things got too busy during finals, then sticking to Feng Ning’s side to go study in the library together. She was forgetful and scatterbrained, often forgetting to do tasks assigned by their advisor.

The other two roommates just waited to watch the drama unfold, but only Feng Ning patiently reminded her.

One day, a roommate finally couldn’t hold back and complained, “Feng Ning, why are you so nice to Min Yueyue? It’s really annoying just seeing her.”

Feng Ning was translating a paper at the time and didn’t react much to this, “Her? Isn’t she quite cute?”

“Cute??” The roommate was incredulous, “Are you crazy? How can you find this peacock girl cute?”

Feng Ning had gotten into A University through recommended admission, not knowing anyone at first.

When she graduated from college, a senior student had pulled Feng Ning into starting a business, opening their own company. So besides her graduate studies, Feng Ning was also incredibly busy, coming and going alone for meals and classes.

Her personality was neither cold nor warm, she could joke around and lighten the mood, but didn’t get too close to anyone. Being beautiful and handling everything steadily, she was quite popular among both male and female students behind the scenes.

The other two girls in the dorm actually both wanted to be friends with her, but who knew she would end up getting closer to Min Yueyue.

…

…

A honking sound came from behind, and Feng Ning snapped back to reality, shifting gears. Min Yueyue was still pleading on the phone, “Please, please, Ningning is the best, the best in the world.”

As the car drove out of the parking lot, Feng Ning sighed slightly: “Fine, what time are we eating?”

“Ah, you agreed!” Min Yueyue cheered, “How about seven? I’ll pick you up from your place then.”

Hearing her happy voice, Feng Ning couldn’t help but smile, “Mm, call me when you arrive. I have to hang up now, I’m driving.”

Getting home at three in the afternoon, Feng Ning took a shower and set an alarm for three hours. She had been busy lately with her schedule turned upside down, working with two other translators to proofread menu translations for a French restaurant, getting less than ten hours of rest over several days.

She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

As night fell, the urgent sound of the doorbell jolted Feng Ning awake from her sleep. She dragged her tired body out of bed to open the door.

A waft of perfume rushed in as Min Yueyue threw herself at Feng Ning, planting two kisses on her face, left and right.

Feng Ning let go of the door handle, raising her hand to wipe her face, “Why did you come to my place?”

Min Yueyue replied matter-of-factly: “It’s already six o’clock, I kept calling your phone but no one answered. I was afraid you’d stand me up!”

“Young lady, I set my alarm for six-thirty.” Feng Ning felt a bit helpless as she went to the living room to get a glass of water, taking a few sips to moisten her throat.

Min Yueyue sat on the sofa, commanding imperiously: “You have half an hour to get ready, hurry up.”

Within just a few minutes, Feng Ning came out changed.

Plain black t-shirt, denim pencil pants, bare face, with noticeable dark circles under her eyes.

Min Yueyue pointed at her: “You’re going out with me looking like this?”

Feng Ning had just woken up, her dark long hair was messy. She grabbed a white baseball cap from the entryway and put it on, “What else? Should I put on makeup, wear a dress, and come back from Ge Laoguan smelling like hotpot?”

“Alright, alright.”

In the elevator, Min Yueyue held her purse in one hand and linked arms with Feng Ning with the other, “Let me introduce you to my new baby later, Little Pink, fresh and hot, my brother just picked up the car for me this afternoon.”

“What about your Little Yellow? Abandoned?”

“Little Yellow was my first love, it’s tired lately, so I’m letting it rest at home.”

They went downstairs together and left the complex. Several people were taking photos of a Maserati parked by the road.

The trident logo gleamed nobly in the night.

Min Yueyue snorted, naturally leading Feng Ning through these admiring gazes, opening Little Pink’s door and getting in.

Stepping on the gas, shifting gears, the Maserati let out a deep roar as it sped away.

It was Friday evening, as lights were coming on, they hit rush hour traffic, and the roads were completely jammed. Feng Ning sat in the passenger seat, occasionally checking work emails while listening to Min Yueyue complain about her new boyfriend.

The car inched along at a snail’s pace near Hengsheng Mall.

“There’s no parking space left, how annoying.” Min Yueyue turned the steering wheel, “Whatever, let’s just park here.”

Once the car stopped, Feng Ning unbuckled her seatbelt and got out to check. She was a bit speechless, “What are you doing? You’re blocking the car behind.”

Min Yueyue had already turned off the engine and was dangling her keys as she came over, “Oh, what’s the problem? There’s no other place to park.” She noticed the silver-grey car and whistled briefly, “Oh, it’s a Bentley. Never mind, never mind, let’s go. It’s fine, we can come move it later if needed.”

Out of professional habit, Feng Ning always carried a pen and paper. She quickly wrote her phone number on a sticky note, adding: [Call this number if there’s any issue]

“Ningning, what are you doing?”

Feng Ning stuck the note on the Bentley’s hood, capped her pen, “Leaving contact information so they don’t smash your car.”

Ge Laoguan was as crowded as ever, bustling with activity. It was two hours later when they finally got their number and went in.

The server led them to their seats and handed them menus.

Min Yueyue waved her hand grandly: “Give me fifteen frogs.”

“Fifteen?” The server confirmed, “That might be too much for just two people.”

“Fifteen frogs, I can finish them all myself.” Min Yueyue started marking dishes.

“Other rich kids like fancy delicacies, how come you’re just obsessed with frogs?”

Min Yueyue: “Let’s just say Ge Laoguan’s hunger marketing is too successful. The harder something is to get, the more you crave it.”

Min Yueyue had one quirk — she wouldn’t allow any dishes she didn’t like on the table while eating. So when ordering, she never asked others’ opinions, and only Feng Ning would accommodate her.

Min Yueyue handed the menu to the server, “Oh right, Ningning, have you noticed anything different about me today?”

“What’s different?”

“You haven’t noticed? My clothes.”

Min Yueyue stood up and turned around, “This is Chanel’s latest little black dress from their spring/summer collection, isn’t it pretty?”

After a pause of two seconds, Feng Ning said: “I suggest Jennie hand over her title of Human Chanel to you.”

Min Yueyue burst out laughing, “Ningning, how do you say such funny things?”

Feng Ning maintained her serious expression: “To be honest, I’ve been watching Deyun Club since high school, I learned from Guo Degang.”

“Haha, you’re so cute, if I were a man, I’d definitely pursue you.”

“Please don’t.” Feng Ning made a stopping gesture, “I can’t imagine what someone with your personality would be like as a man.”

“Then I’d just change from a peacock woman to a peacock man.” Min Yueyue knew what people called her behind her back, “What’s wrong with being a peacock man?”

Feng Ning seemed to think of something, slowly dropping her playful tone, “Mm, it’s fine.”

There were many customers, and after waiting ten minutes, their food still hadn’t arrived. The table next to them suddenly got noisy, and Min Yueyue turned to look.

There were both men and women, and one of the women seemed drunk, her eyes hazy as she wrestled with someone beside her.

Min Yueyue gave a quick scan, about to look away when she suddenly paused, her attention caught by a man sitting in the corner.

He was opening a pack of cigarettes, possibly mindful of the public setting, only taking one out to play with between his index and middle fingers, not lighting it. The man had a casual smile at the corner of his mouth as he listened to others talk.

Min Yueyue blinked twice, then widened her eyes forcefully, lowering her voice, “Wow, Ningning, look at that handsome guy, he’s perfect, just diagonally in front of you.”

Feng Ning was about to turn her head when suddenly a few drops of cola splashed onto their faces. Min Yueyue cursed quietly, taking a napkin to wipe her face.

The drunk woman from the next table stood up unsteadily, holding a cup, slurring her words as she shouted, “Brother, you rarely come back to the country, you must have a drink with me today.”

— The cola had splashed from her cup.

Min Yueyue complained in a low voice, “So annoying, this woman looks terrible when she’s drunk and making a scene.”

Feng Ning wiped the cola from the back of her hand: “You don’t look any better when you’re drunk.”

Tonight the hot pot base was taking especially long to arrive. Min Yueyue was chatting with her boyfriend on WeChat while Feng Ning, having nothing else to do, opened a mobile game to pass the time.

After a few minutes, a man appeared from somewhere asking for Feng Ning’s WeChat.

Feng Ning looked up: “Sorry, I don’t add strangers on WeChat.”

The man didn’t give up after being rejected, “Let’s just be friends.”

Min Yueyue rolled her eyes, “She has a boyfriend.”

After the person left, Feng Ning smiled and said, “You’ve gotten quite good at shutting people down.”

“Didn’t I learn it from you?”

“Learn what from me?”

Min Yueyue thought back, “During our first semester of graduate school, when we were eating in the cafeteria. A junior lost at truth or dare and came over to ask if you needed a boyfriend, don’t you remember what you said?”

Feng Ning had no impression of it anymore: “What did I say?”

“You said…”

Min Yueyue remembered it crystal clear, imitating her tone, “A boyfriend? You probably need one more than I do.”

After imitating, she couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably: “Oh my god, I just thought then, how can there be such a unique girl.”

While they were chatting, the next table had finished eating. People were gradually standing up. The drunk woman was being supported as she passed by their table when she suddenly struggled.

Her arm swung wildly, knocking over the lemon juice on the table.

Min Yueyue let out a cry, quickly standing up, but a corner of her dress was unfortunately splashed. Her rich young lady temper immediately flared up, “What are you doing? This dress is very expensive, I just bought it a few days ago. Go home to act drunk!”

Her complaining voice was very loud, and the group that was about to leave all went quiet. Those people looked at each other, and one woman carelessly said: “How much is it? We’ll compensate you.”

The “perfect handsome guy” that had excited Min Yueyue earlier happened to be right there. With unforgettable features, somewhat deep contours but rather thin lips, he said: “I’m sorry, my sister is drunk. Here’s my business card.”

Min Yueyue had a thing for deep voices.

As soon as the handsome guy spoke, her expression, along with her legs, instantly went soft.

Feng Ning was wearing a baseball cap, her vision restricted. She had been focused on playing her game and hadn’t really heard this handsome guy speak.

She turned her head, starting from looking at his lower body and slowly moving up.

Light grey suit pants, light blue shirt. The business card was held between long fingers, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a wrist with an understated but expensive silver watch.

With her view blocked by the cap’s brim, she could only see up to his waist.

His waist was slim, and his legs were long.

Nice figure.

Across from her, Min Yueyue had already entered fangirl mode, standing there in a daze.

Feng Ning found it amusing and raised her hand, not paying much attention, taking the business card on Min Yueyue’s behalf.

On her slender, fair wrist, a flash of red appeared.

The deep voice said: “Contact me if anything needs to be done about the dress.”

Hearing this voice, Feng Ning’s movements froze, her heart skipping several beats. She quickly turned her head.

Someone nearby urged, “Come on, Ryan, let’s go.”

The person being called suddenly paused, staring at the red string on Feng Ning’s wrist.

Min Yueyue didn’t know what was happening.

Feng Ning tilted her head up in the dim light. Without any mental preparation, she clearly saw his face.

Eyes that tilted upward at the corners, half-lowered lashes, very sensual, showing no emotion.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

His gaze moved slowly from her wrist to her face. After two or three seconds, he moved his lips slightly and said two words.

“…Feng Ning.”