ATLAS TRANSLATES

Though said casually, his words carried undertones that bordered on being somewhat crude.

Feng Ning stared at Jiang Wen thoughtfully for a moment, then suddenly laughed lightly: “Fine, let’s watch together then.”

After saying this, she carelessly folded her arms and let her gaze fall into the distance, seriously observing.

In all her life, when it came to having thick skin, Feng Ning had never lost to anyone.

In the darkness, the two remained silent. Not far away, the live “spring scene” grew increasingly intense, with occasional gasps and low moans.

Feng Ning remained motionless, her expression as serious as if she were listening to an academic discussion.

Jiang Wen slightly turned his head away, being the first to withdraw his gaze, “Let’s go.”

“Go what?” Feng Ning glanced at him sideways, looking him up and down, “Aren’t you watching?”

He said unhurriedly, “I’m not as perverted as you.”

She said: “This is perverted? Weren’t you just making suggestive comments earlier? What, was that all just talk?”

Jiang Wen: “……”

Seeing him rendered nearly speechless by her retort, Feng Ning scoffed coldly, “You’re something else.” She turned and left.

Footsteps followed from behind, but Feng Ning ignored him. Following the LED lights, she entered a convenience store.

She picked two travel-sized bottles of hair conditioner, two hydrating face masks, and two bags of cucumber-flavored chips, placing them on the checkout counter.

Feng Ning took out her phone, “How much?”

A hand reached from behind, tossing in a bottle of Nescafe coffee and mineral water.

The clerk’s scanning hand paused, somewhat uncertain, “Are you two… together?”

“Yes.” “No.” They answered simultaneously.

Jiang Wen pulled up his payment code and tossed his phone on the counter, “Scan mine.”

The clerk, seeing the situation and thinking they were just a couple having a spat, didn’t mind and nodded, “Total is 227 yuan, do you need a plastic bag?”

“Yes.”

Feng Ning put the items one by one into the bag, “Could I have the receipt too?”

Hanging the plastic bag on her wrist, she walked back, calculating from the receipt along the way and transferred the money back to Jiang Wen on WeChat.

Jiang Wen fell a few steps behind Feng Ning.

After a while, she stopped and turned around, “Why are you following me? Do you need something?”

Jiang Wen was quiet for a moment before speaking: “Only you’re allowed to go back?”

“This isn’t the way back.”

Jiang Wen: “……”

On the street ahead, most souvenir shops were closed. Feeling her phone vibrate, Feng Ning glanced down and replied to Shuang Yao’s message.

Ning: [Everything’s closed today, I’ll help you buy the Stella Lou backpack before we leave tomorrow.]

Jiang Wen made a sound of acknowledgment and casually asked: “Why are you so angry? I was just making a joke earlier.”

Feng Ning turned off her phone screen, paused, and stated plainly: “If you don’t have the ability, don’t make those kinds of jokes with me.”

Jiang Wen stared at her silently. He stood there, looking like a child being scolded for doing something wrong.

A lonely moon hung in the sky, reflecting on a lonely person below. Seeing him like this, the anger in Feng Ning’s heart suddenly dissipated considerably.

She started walking toward the guesthouse. After a while, she turned around to find Jiang Wen still standing in the same spot.

Feng Ning said to him, “Aren’t you coming?”

Coming out of the bathroom after showering, Min Yueyue was changing clothes.

Feng Ning sat on the edge of the bed while drying her hair, “Are you going out?”

“No, not going out.” Min Yueyue sprayed perfume on her wrists and dabbed some behind her ears.

Feng Ning: “Then why are you getting so dressed up?”

“There’s a family KTV on the third floor of this guesthouse, let’s go sing together later.” Min Yueyue showed a bright smile, “Ning Ning, I want to hear you sing.”

Feng Ning switched sides of the towel and continued drying her hair: “You guys go ahead, I’m tired, I want to sleep.”

“No sleeping, no sleeping.” Min Yueyue pulled her arm, looking pitiful: “Come with us, okay? Besides, in the middle of the night, it’s not good for a girl to be alone with two men.”

Feng Ning glanced at her, “You care about that?”

Min Yueyue looked somewhat sheepish: “No, I just want to hear you sing.”

Feng Ning dried her dripping hair halfway and picked up the hairdryer to start drying.

Min Yueyue urged Feng Ning, “Hurry up, hurry up.”

“You go first.”

“Okay.” Min Yueyue got up from the bed, “But make sure you come later.”

Feng Ning made a sound of agreement.

… …

She didn’t bother with makeup, just applied lotion to her arms and changed out of her pajamas. After applying some toner and moisturizer, she went out with a bare face and her long hair tied loosely.

Pushing open the private room door, Min Yueyue and Bai Hongyi were singing a duet. The lights were dimmed, and Jiang Wen sat in the corner of the sofa near the door, his expression unclear.

Feng Ning walked to the other end and sat down.

They just finished their song, and Min Yueyue asked: “Ning Ning, what do you want to sing?”

Feng Ning was indifferent, “Whatever, you pick for me.”

Min Yueyue flipped through the rankings and chose Chen Li’s “All Kinds.”

Bai Hongyi passed the microphone to Feng Ning. She took it, sat on the high stool with one leg bent, waiting for the intro.

Min Yueyue finished selecting the song and came to sit beside Bai Hongyi. The two were talking. Jiang Wen sat on her left, and Min Yueyue casually glanced over to see WeChat open on his phone. She didn’t pay much attention and looked away.

…

When the first ethereal, slow note came out, Bai Hongyi suddenly stopped talking. After listening to a few more lines, he asked, “Did you forget to turn off the original singer?”

Min Yueyue: “This is Ning Ning singing, can’t you tell?”

Bai Hongyi was a bit surprised, “She sings this well?”

Feng Ning wasn’t singing very seriously, rather casually, skipping lyrics she couldn’t see clearly. Her singing voice was very different from her speaking voice.

Gentle and graceful, her voice was light. The other three people in the room all fell silent.

When the song was more than halfway through, Bai Hongyi finally came to his senses, muttering: “Wow, that’s amazing.”

When the song finished, Bai Hongyi was the first to give her enthusiastic applause, “Feng Ning, really, this is the first time I’ve heard you sing, it’s just too stunning. With this level, this skill, why don’t you join ‘The Voice of China’?”

Feng Ning was long used to others’ praise and didn’t think much of it: “Being a singer on a talent show isn’t my pursuit.”

Bai Hongyi was curious: “Then what is your pursuit?”

Feng Ning joked with him, half-serious and half-joking: “To be a great orator.”

Bai Hongyi: “Did you specially train in singing?”

“Natural talent, I guess.” Feng Ning thought for a moment, “I’ve always been good at singing since I was young.”

Bai Hongyi gave a thumbs up: “Then sing another one.”

Min Yueyue got up to go to the song selection screen and picked another song for her, “One Person Watching Chibi Maruko-chan,” telling them: “Ning Ning singing this song is also amazing. The tune sounds cheerful at first, but she can sing it with such a sad, bitter feeling.”

… …

Dinner time came and the aroma wafted in through the window That’s when other families started happily eating I hold my bowl alone, watching cartoons alone Tears fall without realizing … I will try hard, even though I’m so tired …

Several meters away, in the dim corner, Jiang Wen kept watching her. The intersecting light and shadow fell on her face. Feng Ning faced the screen, watching the scrolling lyrics, singing very seriously.

… Back then so much happiness surrounded me Yet I always felt time was such torture … But I’ve grown up now, I’ve learned to endure No longer willful like before …

After singing two songs, Feng Ning put the microphone on the table, “I’m going to the bathroom, you guys continue.”

Min Yueyue took over, selecting Jay Chou’s “Love Confession Balloon.” She was tone-deaf, singing love songs like children’s songs.

Feng Ning came out of the bathroom, sat on the sofa listening for a while, laughing at Min Yueyue’s singing. She stood up, preparing to go back to the room to sleep. Looking around, she noticed the person sitting in the corner was gone.

Feng Ning casually asked, “Where’s Jiang Wen?”

Bai Hongyi didn’t seem concerned, “Oh, he probably went down to drink alone again.”

Feng Ning caught one word: “Again?”

Thinking of something, her brows furrowed, “Does he drink often?”

“Yeah.” Bai Hongyi was taken aback by her attitude, “You didn’t know?”

Feng Ning paused, “He didn’t drink before.”

“Really?” Bai Hongyi said, “While Ryan was studying abroad, he went through a period of severe alcoholism, was hospitalized several times for gastric perforation, but still couldn’t quit.”

Feng Ning went downstairs alone.

A dim light was on in one corner. She walked to his side but didn’t speak immediately.

Jiang Wen seemed unaware of anyone else’s presence. With a few clinks, the ice cubes in the glass floated up and gently collided.

Several empty bottles were scattered across the bar, all strong liquor judging by the bottles. She said: “Stop drinking.”

No response.

Jiang Wen acted as if he hadn’t heard, his eyes narrowed, and took another drink on his own. Feng Ning grabbed his glass, “I said stop drinking.”

She threw the glass on the table, the golden liquid spilling out.

Jiang Wen stared blankly. He was already drunk, his eyes watery. His gaze was confused, somewhat unfocused.

Feng Ning helped him to sit on the nearby sofa. She went to the kitchen refrigerator to find yogurt and brought it out.

His eyes were closed, as if asleep.

“Jiang Wen?” Walking over, bending down, Feng Ning patted his face, “Drink some yogurt.”

Based on her experience with drunk customers, Feng Ning decided to get a glass of water too. There was no ready hot water in the guesthouse, so Feng Ning found an electric kettle and boiled some. A few minutes later, when the water boiled, she poured it into a cup and mixed in some cold water.

Carrying the warm water out, Feng Ning stopped a short distance away.

Jiang Wen had his legs propped on the coffee table, head slightly lowered, a cigarette between his lips, cupping it with his hand. The lighter clicked once, a weak flame jumped, lighting the cigarette. He took a drag, blowing out the smoke.

Feng Ning stood in place, staring at Jiang Wen’s profile as he smoked.

He only smoked half, then quietly waited for the glowing tip to burn out.

Feng Ning remembered how he used to be – even though he would arrogantly look down his nose at people, he was well-mannered, excellent in his studies, rarely cursed, didn’t smoke, and barely touched alcohol.

Compared to his youth, his features had grown increasingly refined. Yet his every movement had become increasingly unfamiliar.

Suddenly, a feeling of sadness and loss emerged.

Feng Ning walked over and put down the warm water.

Looking at her, his gaze was a bit clearer than before.

Jiang Wen stood up, swaying as he walked around her, returning to sit at the bar. He bent his elbow, propping himself up on the table, picking up his glass, seeming both sober and not.

Carelessly picking up the already opened bottle nearby, he refilled his glass.

His every gesture showed abandonment and decadence.

Feng Ning went over, wanting to take away his glass.

Jiang Wen turned sideways, her hand was pressed against the table, unable to move. His expression was cold as he tilted his head back to finish the drink, then suddenly lowered it.

The spicy alcohol hit his throat, his voice hoarse, “Seen enough?”

Feng Ning used some strength to pull back her hand, “Bai Hongyi said you’re an alcoholic, why?”

Jiang Wen’s head hung very low, not speaking.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

She asked softly: “Why did you become like this?”

Feng Ning couldn’t imagine that the person before her, addicted to alcohol and cigarettes, was the same as the youth in her memory.

Jiang Wen tilted his head slightly and said to Feng Ning, “What does it matter to you what happens to me?”

After staring at each other for a moment, Feng Ning said: “You weren’t like this before.”

He made a sound of acknowledgment.

Faint music came from upstairs. Seeing Jiang Wen in this state, Feng Ning didn’t know what to feel in her heart. She said: “Jiang Wen, you’re not like yourself anymore.”

“The previous Jiang Wen?”

After a full minute of silence, he gave a low laugh, “The previous Jiang Wen couldn’t even keep the person he loved, why should I be like him?”