ATLAS TRANSLATES

At around two in the morning, Jiang Wen leaned there with a dark fire burning in his eyes.

Feng Ning remained silent.

So they sat quietly for a while.

Feng Ning stood up, planning to get her phone that was charging by the bedside.

The space was a bit narrow, and as she passed by Jiang Wen, her arm was grabbed.

Feng Ning fell sitting onto his lap.

Jiang Wen pulled her forward a bit.

She slid down. He spread her knees apart, making her kneel on the carpet.

They looked at each other, Feng Ning holding Jiang Wen’s face, pressing her forehead against his, “What are you planning to do?”

In this position, very obviously, she could feel a certain part.

However, Feng Ning hadn’t been shy about these things since her teens, and now she was even more composed: “If you’re really uncomfortable, want me to help you with my hand?”

Jiang Wen tilted his head, his lips silently pressing against her neck. After nuzzling for a while, he opened his mouth and bit down.

She yelped in pain, “You bastard, you like biting so much, are you a dog or what?”

In the late night, after fooling around with him, she had no strength left. The floor hurt her back, so they moved to roll around on the bed to sleep.

Feng Ning was exhausted, her eyelids felt glued together. After sleeping for a few minutes, she was flipped over again, pinned down and kissed.

This happened several times.

…

…

When the phone rang, Feng Ning drowsily rolled over, fumbling under the pillow, answering with a “hello.”

The other end was silent for a while.

Feng Ning sleepily said hello again, “Who is it?”

Zhao Binlin’s slightly stuttering voice came through: “F-Feng Ning?”

Feng Ning’s eyes snapped open, sleep instantly clearing from her mind by half. She pulled the phone away from her ear.

—It was Jiang Wen’s phone she had answered.

On the other end, Zhao Binlin slightly recovered from his shock, “You… you just woke up?”

Feng Ning turned her head to look – Jiang Wen wasn’t in the room. The sound of water came from the bathroom. She sat up a bit, calmly answering, “Oh, yeah.”

“Is Jiang Wen next to you?”

“He’s showering.”

Zhao Binlin managed a couple of difficult acknowledgments, “Then… okay, tell him to call me back later.”

The phone call completely cleared away Feng Ning’s sleepiness.

After hanging up, she picked up her own phone from the bedside table. She checked her emails and WeChat, selectively replying to a few messages.

Shuang Yao had sent a message in the early morning:

Shuang Yao ah Yao: [What the fuck, Xiao Zhao told me you have a boyfriend now, and spent New Year’s Eve together last night…………. Is it you and Jiang Wen?]

Ning: [Yes]

Within a minute, Shuang Yao replied with dozens of exclamation marks, twenty-something question marks, thirty-something ellipses, and a long string of angry emojis.

The phone kept vibrating continuously.

Feng Ning didn’t reply to any of them, waiting for her to calm down on her own.

Shuang Yao ah Yao: [You’re not joking with me, right?]

Ning: [What would I joke about?]

Shuang Yao ah Yao: [Didn’t you tell me you weren’t planning to get together with Jiang Wen?]

Shuang Yao ah Yao: [I suspect I’ve lost my memory…….?]

Ning: [I was just saying that :)]

Shuang Yao ah Yao: [Hm???? Just saying that??!!!!!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Ning: [Sigh, we’ll take it step by step, I don’t want to think about it too much, who knows, might die tomorrow.]

Shuang Yao ah Yao: [Fine, you’re amazing, Feng Ning, amazing, you’re the most amazing.]

Ning: [………..]

Jiang Wen walked silently, and Feng Ning only noticed him when he reached the bedside.

She was typing, glancing at him briefly, “Done showering?”

Jiang Wen’s short hair was wet, water still dripping from the ends, and he made a sound of agreement.

Feng Ning replied to Shuang Yao a few more times, then tossed aside her phone. She lifted the covers and got out of bed, stepping into slippers as she stood up, “Okay, I’ll go brush my teeth first.”

Her hair was a mess, having not dried properly after washing it last night.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she tried to smooth it out with her fingers, but the ends were a bit tangled. Feng Ning’s hair reached her waist, and she was very afraid of the pain from her scalp being pulled, so she usually used a cushioned brush.

Right now there was only a regular comb, so she had to make do.

Turning her eyes, she met Jiang Wen’s gaze in the mirror.

He was leaning against the doorframe, staring at her for quite a while: “Want me to help?”

Feng Ning’s movements paused: “Help with what?”

Jiang Wen’s eyelids lowered halfway, gesturing.

She realized what he meant, “You want to help me brush my hair?”

Jiang Wen made a sound of agreement.

Feng Ning was amused inside but didn’t show it on her face. She made a sound of acknowledgment and held out the comb to him, “Sure.”

Bending down, she brushed her teeth at the sink. Feng Ning, mouth full of white foam, watched Jiang Wen through the mirror.

He stood behind her, head lowered, one hand gathering all her hair from her shoulders and back into his hand. He clearly had no experience, his movements somewhat clumsy, but extremely patient.

Grabbing a cup, she rinsed her mouth, then used the nearby towel to dry off. Feng Ning straightened up, making an “ouch” sound.

Jiang Wen immediately looked up: “Did I hurt you?”

“No, I was just teasing you.”

To be honest, Feng Ning couldn’t handle Jiang Wen’s clingy, dawdling manner, “Stop brushing, I’ll just put it in a ponytail. Let’s go check out and eat. We might miss the afternoon flight if we wait any longer.”

Neither of them had much appetite, so they found a nearby noodle shop and ate a little.

On the way to the airport, Feng Ning was chatting with Shi Yuange on WeChat.

They both sat in the back, with Jiang Wen next to her, “Who are you chatting with?”

Feng Ning kept her head down, not looking at him, casually replying: “My senior.”

Jiang Wen made a sound of acknowledgment and turned his head away.

The driver was playing music, and for a moment no one spoke in the car. Feng Ning checked some client information Shi Yuange had sent, then after a while, turned to Jiang Wen and said, “Oh right, Zhao Binlin called you, you should call him back later.”

He didn’t respond.

She called out: “Hey.”

Jiang Wen looked out the window, still not moving.

Though she couldn’t see his expression, she could feel his displeased mood.

Feng Ning tried to recall how he had gotten upset with her again.

She thought for a moment, then handed him her phone, showing him the chat screen, “I’m just discussing some work stuff with my senior.”

Jiang Wen’s eyelids lowered as he glanced at the phone, finally willing to talk to her, “When did he call?”

Feng Ning answered: “This morning, while you were showering.”

After exiting the highway and making a turn, they arrived at Nan Cheng Airport, and the two got out of the car.

Before boarding the plane, Jiang Wen called Zhao Binlin back: “What is it?”

“You’re arriving at three?”

“Mm.”

Zhao Binlin held back for a while, then burst out: “Fuck, you actually got together with Feng Ning?”

“I didn’t pursue her.”

Zhao Binlin raised his voice: “Then why did Feng Ning answer your phone this morning, weren’t you two together last night???”

Jiang Wen remained calm: “We were together.”

Zhao Binlin got even more excited: “What the hell, so she just slept with you but doesn’t plan to take responsibility? That’s too cruel, man.”

Jiang Wen said with a straight face, “She confessed to me.”

Zhao Binlin: “……”

After his shock, he said: “What does that mean?”

Jiang Wen: “Can’t understand plain language? Feng Ning confessed to me, and I reluctantly accepted.”

Zhao Binlin said: “Are you having delusions again, you bastard?”

Jiang Wen hung up on him.

…

…

The temperature on the plane was set oddly, making Feng Ning feel cold without her down jacket but too hot with it on. She asked the flight attendant for two blankets, tossing one to Jiang Wen and wrapping herself in the other.

There was still over an hour until they reached Shanghai, too short to really sleep, and nothing else to do. Feng Ning was bored and said: “Jiang Wen, take out your phone, let’s listen to some music together.”

Jiang Wen handed his phone to Feng Ning, and they each put in one earbud.

She opened his playlist and clicked on his recently played rankings.

The number one song was an mp3 file directly imported locally. She was curious, “What’s this?”

Jiang Wen reached out and quickly scrolled down the screen, “Nothing, just an American movie, I use it for listening practice.”

Seeing how he acted, Feng Ning knew something was up, but she just casually said “oh.”

Jiang Wen scrolled down for a while, “Never mind, I don’t have many songs, let’s use yours.”

“I’m too lazy to take out my phone, I’ll just search for my account and listen to my playlist.”

Jiang Wen leaned back in his seat.

“What was that thing you didn’t want me to see earlier?” Feng Ning brought it up again.

Jiang Wen frowned: “What could I possibly have that I wouldn’t want you to see?”

“American movie?”

“Mm.”

She guessed: “It’s not porn, is it?”

“Fall asleep to porn?” Jiang Wen brushed it off, “I’m not as perverted as you think.”

“Is that so? That’s good then.” Feng Ning smiled mischievously, “Then let me practice my listening too.”

Jiang Wen realized what she meant and tried to stop her, but Feng Ning was a second faster, clicking play on the mp3.

It was a song.

The intro passed quickly.

You are in my dreams, unfamiliar, familiar, unique…

Your eyes are colorful… black and white is you… sad and joyful… with a beginning but no end…

A familiar, soft and gentle female voice played out, stunning them both.

Feng Ning burst out laughing, “You secretly recorded me singing?” She tried to remember, “When did I sing ‘All Kinds’? Oh, was it that time at Disneyland?”

Jiang Wen pulled out her earbud, somewhat embarrassed and angry.

Feng Ning was still laughing.

Jiang Wen’s face darkened, “Stop laughing.”

Feng Ning promised him, “Okay, I won’t laugh anymore.”

After a few seconds of silence, she laughed again.

An annoyed Jiang Wen lifted the blanket from his knees and covered her head with it.

Feng Ning’s muffled voice came from underneath: “If you like listening to it, I’ll get a yearly membership at the KTV in Yu Nan City later, we can go sing whenever we want.”

She pulled the blanket down, revealing her face and taking a couple breaths of fresh air.

…

…

No matter how she teased him, Jiang Wen closed his eyes to rest, treating Feng Ning like she was invisible.

The flight attendants started distributing water and drinks.

When they reached them, Feng Ning asked for coffee.

When the attendant asked Jiang Wen, he didn’t open his eyes and said coolly, “No thank you.”

Feng Ning casually flipped through a magazine, taking a sip of coffee. After turning a few pages, she unconsciously hummed a tune, broken and intermittent.

Jiang Wen’s eyes flew open, glaring at her in annoyance, “Feng Ning, will you ever stop?”

Feng Ning finally shut up.

Fine, she’d stop teasing him, or she’d have to comfort him if he got too worked up.

After an hour and a half, the plane landed at Pudong Airport.

At the airport terminal.

Watching the two people walk out from security, Zhao Binlin took off his sunglasses.

Jiang Wen maintained his usual reserved and cold demeanor, his right hand holding Feng Ning’s.

They were wearing matching jackets.

When they got closer, Zhao Binlin said meaningfully: “Jiang Wen, you asked me to pick you up at the airport just to show off in my face, right?”

Jiang Wen couldn’t be bothered with him.

Zhao Binlin asked Feng Ning, pretending not to know: “Ah, I really give up, so you two, dressed like this, what are you doing, couple outfits?”

Feng Ning didn’t answer him either.

Zhao Binlin persisted: “Come on, say something, what’s going on, did the old flame rekindle?”

Jiang Wen finally spoke impatiently: “We’re dating.”

“Huh?”

“We two are da-ting.” Jiang Wen glanced at him, “Understand now?”

Dating.

Zhao Binlin laughed at this word for a long time.

Zhao Binlin had driven here.

He gossiped the entire way, and Feng Ning was in a good mood, chatting along with him.

It was just about dinner time, so they found a Sichuan restaurant near Nanjing West Road.

At the dinner table, Feng Ning and Zhao Binlin drank, but she didn’t let Jiang Wen drink.

While Zhao Binlin was replying to someone’s message, not paying attention, Feng Ning said quietly: “I’m afraid you’ll cry while hugging me if you drink too much.”

Jiang Wen: “……”

She said in an evil tone: “I’ve known you for so long, only to find out now that you’re quite the crybaby, tears falling like pear blossoms, quite heartbreaking.”

Jiang Wen: “Maybe you should stop eating.”

“Hahahahahahaha.”

Feng Ning laughed so happily.

She felt like she hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

Zhao Binlin, who had put down his phone, didn’t know what they were talking about, seeing Feng Ning laugh, he said, “What’s so funny, tell me too.”

Jiang Wen kept glaring at Feng Ning, but his words were directed at Zhao Binlin: “None of your business.”

Zhao Binlin gritted his teeth, cursing, “Jiang Wen, I’m telling you, if you weren’t my childhood friend, I would’ve beaten you up long ago. You’re so annoying!”

The meal was quite enjoyable, mostly with Feng Ning and Zhao Binlin chatting. Jiang Wen didn’t drink, and after dinner, he drove them both home.

They dropped off Zhao Binlin first, then Feng Ning.

She had work tomorrow morning and hadn’t slept well for two nights in a row. She needed to catch up on sleep now.

As the car approached Yu Nan City, Jiang Wen turned into a quieter street. The car stopped and he turned off the engine.

Feng Ning looked down, unbuckling her seatbelt.

The car door clicked, locking.

She turned her head, “Hm?”

Jiang Wen was silent for a moment, then said, “Stay a while longer, ten minutes.”

“Then why did you lock the door?”

“Afraid you’ll run away.”

Feng Ning: “……”

He lowered the window slightly, letting the cool air circulate.

Feng Ning leaned back in her seat, looking at the road ahead, dark with just one street lamp. She suddenly started singing: “You are in my dreams, unfamiliar, familiar…”

She had barely sung half of “All Kinds” when Jiang Wen raised his hand to cover her mouth.

She was laughing, her lips moving against his hand, her warm breath brushing his palm.

The gesture had a provocative feel, but she seemed completely unaware.

Feng Ning’s lower face was covered, only showing above her nose bridge, her eyes blinking.

Jiang Wen lowered his voice, “Doing this on purpose?”

She spoke in a muffled voice, indifferently: “Don’t be so sensitive.”

“Sing again, and face the consequences.”

Hearing his warning, Feng Ning was curious: “What consequences?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know.”

Jiang Wen withdrew his hand, leaning towards her, gripping her chin and covering her mouth with his lips.

After kissing softly for a while, Feng Ning laughed against his lips, “So these are the consequences…”

She looked like she wanted more: “Then I quite like them.”

Jiang Wen: “……”

Even Feng Ning’s most casual flirting left Jiang Wen defenseless.

Jiang Wen stared at her, his breathing getting heavier.

After a full ten seconds, his gaze grew burning hot, “How about this?”

Feng Ning tried to push his hand away but was restrained by his other hand, pinned behind her.

“I am a normal man.”

Feng Ning was still laughing: “Do you know how?”

Jiang Wen’s voice had gone completely hoarse: “Why don’t you try and find out?”