ATLAS TRANSLATES

The holidays had just ended, and most students hadn’t readjusted to their identity as students yet. When it came time to submit their first English assignment, the entire class erupted in groans.

The reason for everyone’s terror was mainly due to the deep impression their English teacher and homeroom teacher left on them during the first class. She wore a fitted suit with an A-line skirt, and her hair was immaculately pinned up.

She intimidated them with an all-English lesson, then laid down three rules during class meeting. “I know most of you come from well-off families, but I didn’t get to teach here without some backing of my own. As long as you listen attentively and complete the assignments I give, everything will be fine. Don’t try to go against me, or my punishment will be direct – you’ll run laps on the field until I say stop, and even the principal’s pleas won’t help you.”

This cold and harsh speech left the whole class speechless for a long time. The Iron Lady (English teacher) wasn’t joking with her students. She even personally selected all the group leaders, all girls, who were jokingly called her “home army.”

During the long break of thirty minutes, Feng Ning, as one of the main forces of the “home army,” had to start collecting homework from the front. When someone hadn’t finished, they’d give her a meaningful look, and she’d casually hand over her own work. She wasn’t in a hurry, lazily waiting for them to copy before moving to the next row.

When she reached Zhao Binlin’s desk, both he and someone else were writing furiously.

“Here.” She habitually pulled out her homework and tossed it onto his desk. “Take it, hurry up.”

Jiang Wen flipped through a few pages of his book, glanced over with his peripheral vision, and said emotionlessly, “I won’t copy.”

Feng Ning was slightly surprised. She made a sound of acknowledgment and moved aside. “Then keep writing, I’ll collect from the back first.”

After a while, she returned. Her voice drifted lazily, “You got the tense and plurals wrong in the second paragraph.”

Jiang Wen’s pen paused, hovering over the paper for a moment. Meanwhile, Zhao Binlin eagerly joined the conversation, extremely friendly, “Oh my, Teacher Feng, would you check mine too?”

Feng Ning pulled out a smile, deliberately using a disdainful tone, “For you? Well, if you pay tuition, I might consider it.”

While they were chatting happily, Jiang Wen twirled his pen with his right hand, and the cap fell to the ground. He put down his pen with a “pat” and bent down to pick it up, catching sight of the shadow on the ground, he paused.

He instinctively looked up at her, there was a second of stillness, as if someone had pressed the mute button.

The scene was silent, shadows forming a slanted line. Feng Ning held a stack of homework in her arms, intertwined with the light and shadows behind her, her gaze calm and peaceful, looking at him from neither too far nor too close.

From this angle, Jiang Wen had to look up at her. They were both still so young, and the teenage boy could only instinctively look at her this way. At that time, he didn’t know that this ‘looking up’ would become a constant throughout his life.

In the long years to come, he could only look at her this way.

After Zhao Binlin heard about several of Feng Ning’s “glorious deeds” from Wang Shao, he became extremely curious about her. Finally getting a chance to talk with her, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is it true that you cut your own hair in middle school?”

Feng Ning remained unfazed, calmly saying, “You even know about that?”

“Heard it from others.”

“Oh? Am I that famous?”

Zhao Binlin nodded. He wanted to continue talking, but seeing Jiang Wen’s expression, he shrank his neck and automatically fell silent.

In the evening, Feng Ning came to the classroom to study after showering. It was just the start of the semester, far from midterm exams, so most people weren’t motivated to study. Only about a dozen students sat scattered around the classroom, making it relatively quiet.

After studying for a while, for some unknown reason, people at the front started celebrating raucously.

Feng Ning was battling through a sea of problems, and after finishing one, she erased the wrong formula on her scratch paper. Looking up, she saw Zhao Binlin walking over with an elegant paper box.

She froze, “Wow, is it your birthday today?”

Zhao Binlin untied the silk ribbon tied in a butterfly knot, “Not exactly. It’s my lunar calendar birthday. I usually don’t celebrate, but my mom is fussy and insisted on getting me a cake.”

“Oh.” Feng Ning nodded indifferently and continued with the next problem, “Happy birthday.”

Gradually, more people filled the classroom, making it livelier.

A triangular piece of mousse cake was placed on the desk, leaving Feng Ning puzzled.

Zhao Binlin tried to act casual, “It’s for you.”

She unceremoniously forked a small piece into her mouth, making appreciative sounds: “Thanks, boss.”

Several boys nearby started hooting when they saw Zhao Binlin weaving through rows of desks to personally deliver cake to a girl.

Zhao Binlin had slightly dark, wheat-colored skin, but it couldn’t hide his slight blush. He cursed under his breath but couldn’t help grinning.

Everyone could tell that something was off with Zhao Binlin tonight – some nerve must have misfired, making him extremely active. He bounced up and down, though it wasn’t clear who he was trying to impress.

“You’re very excited today?” Jiang Wen sat in his seat, leaning against the desk as he watched him, making this observation.

Zhao Binlin felt a bit embarrassed, as if his thoughts had been exposed, and started shouting about something or other.

Originally, Jiang Wen didn’t like sweet things, but they forced him to take a big bite, making him nauseous, “Is there anything to drink?”

A voice came from behind: “Want some AD Calcium Milk? I have several bottles.” Feng Ning pulled out a bottle, acting very familiar, and passed it over with a straw, “Here you go, here you go.”

Jiang Wen remained silent for a moment before reaching back to take it.

But she wouldn’t let go, and when he pulled again, it wouldn’t budge. He turned his head in annoyance, “What are you doing?”

Feng Ning smiled silently, deliberately teasing him, “Are you that weak?” She leaned in close, her warm breath brushing his ear.

Jiang Wen’s face darkened as he pulled slightly harder. They were at a standstill, neither letting go.

This strange and ambiguous scene caught the eye of a girl who had been passing notes. She clutched her pen tightly and lowered her head.

Pei Shurong had just entered the classroom when she saw Jiang Wen tugging at something with someone. She took a few steps closer and stopped, stunned.

It was a girl.

Jiang Wen never played around or struggled with girls like this.

“A-Wen,” Pei Shurong called out.

Having had her fun, Feng Ning saw someone approaching and smoothly withdrew her hand.

“What are you doing?” Pei Shurong, with fair skin and pure black hair flowing to her waist, wore a smile as her gaze circled Feng Ning’s face twice before asking him.

Jiang Wen quickly regained his composure. He didn’t explain, just turned away indifferently, “The cake is over there, help yourself.”

She sat down, pouting coyly, “Have you forgotten I’m on a diet? I can’t eat at night.”

“Mm.”

“Where did you all eat dinner? Why did you come to the classroom to celebrate?”

Jiang Wen didn’t even look up, browsing news on his phone, “Ask Zhao Binlin.”

Pei Shurong stared at his profile, swallowing back what she wanted to say.

Feng Ning could feel that examining gaze, but she continued eating her cake seriously, completely detached from the situation. Her ears were filled with Pei Shurong’s giggles, sweet as honey.

After a while, Zhao Binlin came to talk to her again, scratching his head, “Feng Ning, since you ate my cake, remember to give me a birthday present.”

“Sure,” Feng Ning agreed readily, “When’s your actual birthday? I’ll give you a big present.”

“Really? Then I’ll start looking forward to it.” Zhao Binlin counted on his fingers, “Next weekend.”

After chatting idly for a bit, Feng Ning suddenly said, “Since you treated me to cake today, I’ll tell you a secret that very few people know.”

“What is it?”

She spoke slowly and clearly, drawing out her words, “Did you know that not only are accidents more common on rainy days, but rain also increases dopamine secretion, so the probability of love at first sight is higher on rainy days.”

Zhao Binlin was skeptical: “Is there really such a saying? Have you experienced love at first sight on a rainy day?”

Jiang Wen abruptly stopped speaking.

Xi Gaoyuan was still enthusiastically planning to see snow in Hokkaido during winter, and when Pei Shurong noticed his silence, she asked, “What’s wrong, A-Wen?”

He seemed slightly dazed, but recovered in an instant, his expression remaining quite cold, “Nothing.”

Under Zhao Binlin’s expectant gaze, Feng Ning giggled, “That’s not for me to say.”

“Why not?”

“Because I only promised to tell you one secret.”

The next day, there was a scheduled basketball game with Class 4. The moment the history teacher stepped out of the classroom, the boys in the back cheered and started changing into their basketball uniforms.

For PE class, they first ran a 400-meter warm-up around the track. The PE teacher gathered the boys from both classes to explain the scoring rules, ending with, “I hope both classes will show their best performance. Remember, competition comes first, friendship second!”

The cheerleading squad gathered quickly.

Shuang Yao was from Class 4, and she always had a strong sense of honor for these collective competitions. She forcefully pulled Feng Ning and Meng Taoyu along to grab good spots. They stood under the phoenix tree, and after a while, two other girls came to stand nearby.

“So annoying, it’s so hot, when is the game starting?” Tong Erdie was in a very bad mood after sending away her third admirer. After a while, she changed the subject, “Hey, Meng Taoyu, have you decided yet? Just apologize to Cheng Jiajia. She’s a pampered young lady, why are you being stubborn with her?”

Meng Taoyu froze and lowered her head, making a small sound of acknowledgment.

Tong Erdie, seemingly oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, deliberately glanced at Feng Ning and said in an affected tone, “She’s interested in Jiang Wen now. As long as you don’t get involved with Jiang Wen, she won’t give you trouble.” Then, as if suddenly remembering something, “Oh right, Feng Ning, I heard you like Jiang Wen too? Yesterday someone saw you two in the classroom…”

Feng Ning squeezed Meng Taoyu’s hand hard under cover, and smiled at Tong Erdie, appearing slightly coy, “Yes, how did you know?”

“So it’s true?!” another girl immediately chimed in, “Then I advise you to wake- uh, think it through.”

She had almost said ‘wake up.’

“Why?”

“See those big white buildings over there?”

Everyone tilted their heads to look where Tong Erdie was pointing.

“—They’re named after his father.”

Someone in the court called for Jiang Wen to serve. At the center of the crowd, he wore a white jersey, leaning against the basketball hoop, turning his head slightly to talk to someone else, carelessly tossing the basketball in his hand.

The ball drew an arc through the air, bounced on the ground, and landed exactly in the center of the court.

Every movement, even the most casual gesture, made people think of the word “cool.” As the whistle blew, girls began screaming and cheering.

Feng Ning took a small deep breath and exclaimed in surprise: “Wow, so Jiang Wen’s family is that rich?”

“Mm-hmm.” Tong Erdie suppressed the disdain in her eyes, “I don’t mean anything else, I just think that as students, studying is most important. With his family background, you shouldn’t get in too deep.”

Shuang Yao couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

“Tsk.” Feng Ning excitedly slapped her thigh, “Isn’t that perfect then?”

Tong Erdie’s smile froze, not quite getting it yet. She watched as Feng Ning turned her head, face full of sincerity, and said, “You know what? My favorite story since childhood has been Cinderella, ah— I think I’ve finally found my prince!”