ATLAS TRANSLATES

Feng Ning climbed onto Jiang Wen’s shoulders, mimicking his earlier actions, kissing his neck.

“Kiss here.”

That was his last sentence before he captured her lips.

Before long, Feng Ning was having trouble breathing.

He paused his movements slightly, and she immediately turned her head to catch her breath.

Due to lack of oxygen, Feng Ning said weakly: “You really aren’t afraid I’ll give you my cold.”

Her lips had a moist shine.

After looking for a few seconds, without any warning, Jiang Wen kissed her again. As he used his tongue to part her lips, he murmured, “Not afraid.”

…

…

After winter began, it got dark very early. Jiang Wen drove, taking her to the area near Qide. Feng Ning wore a big hat, transforming into an Eskimo again. She was a bit curious, “Coming here for dinner, reminiscing about the past?”

This earned another glare from Jiang Wen.

It happened to be the day before winter break in their senior year, and it was dismissal time, peak traffic hour, with students coming and going on the street. Jiang Wen and Feng Ning, both dressed quite noticeably.

Jiang Wen wanted to eat wonton, so they found a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Watching him flip through the menu, Feng Ning propped her chin with both hands: “Shuangyao just brought me food earlier, I won’t eat, I’ll just watch you eat.”

Jiang Wen ate very elegantly.

They sat by the window on the second floor. Feng Ning rested her chin on her hands, looking down through the window at the street’s neon lights flickering like flowing light. She moved her gaze away, “Want to go walk around the school later?”

Jiang Wen put down his chopsticks and nodded.

The school security office wouldn’t let them in, so they could only walk around nearby. Many shops here had been renovated, the old snack street was still there, though it had been widened to twice its size.

Looking at the changed scenery around them, Feng Ning pointed at a certain shop and said, “I used to love buying books to read here.” After walking a while, she pointed at a street corner and said: “I used to love eating spicy hot pot here, there was also a tofu pudding stall next door, wonder if it’s still there.”

One sentence after another, after talking for a while, she noticed Jiang Wen was quietly unresponsive. Feng Ning stopped and asked: “Why don’t you have any feelings about this?”

Jiang Wen spoke briefly and plainly: “Forgot.”

Feng Ning looked at him.

Jiang Wen’s expression remained unchanged, his eyelashes casting shadows below his eyes, “After breaking up with you, I rarely came here again.”

His voice held no resentment or anger. Feng Ning was stunned for a few seconds, not knowing how to respond. She cleared her throat and deliberately changed the subject, “Jiang Wen, do you have any tissue?”

She sniffled, “Feel like my nose is going to run again.”

The atmosphere had been nice, but because of her bad cold, Feng Ning had been constantly wiping her nose, clutching a bunch of tissues. After that moment, she was sensible enough not to bring up sensitive topics again.

After walking around for a while, Jiang Wen took her home.

Before she went in, Jiang Wen said, “I’ll be a bit busy these couple of days.”

Feng Ning nodded understandingly, “No problem, come find me when you’re free.”

On New Year’s Eve, like previous years, Feng Ning spent the holiday at Shuangyao’s house.

After lunch, the adults gathered to play mahjong, the children went out to set off firecrackers. Shuangyao went up to the attic to watch movies.

The two curled up in bed watching an old film, in the final scene, the female lead completely missed the male lead in the rain.

As the movie ended, Shuangyao silently pulled out two tissues and started wiping her tears.

Feng Ning casually drank her yogurt.

Shuangyao turned her head to look at her, her voice still a bit choked, “Don’t you find it moving?”

After taking a few sips of yogurt, Feng Ning asked back: “What’s moving about it? This isn’t even as moving as my love story.”

“That’s true, after all, being entangled with Jiang Wen for ten years is quite moving.”

So the topic turned to Jiang Wen again. Shuangyao’s expression suddenly turned suggestive, asking several roundabout questions.

Feng Ning pondered for a moment, honestly said: “Not too sure.”

“Why not too sure?”

“Haven’t tried.”

“Haven’t tried until now?! Really?” After a silence, Shuangyao’s face showed shock.

“Really.” Feng Ning was confused, “What’s that expression for?”

The finished movie automatically jumped to the next one, Shuangyao used the remote to pause it, threw aside the pillow she was hugging, and focused on chatting with Feng Ning. She was half-believing, “So you two have always… used other methods?”

Feng Ning said seriously: “Yeah.”

“Holy crap, I never thought you two would be so innocent! Like elementary school students, this is too much. Playing Platonic love?”

Shuangyao kept laughing, “So when are you planning to… with Jiang Wen?”

Feng Ning was very straightforward: “For things like this, I think it doesn’t matter. If he wants to, why would I refuse?”

Shuangyao, being an experienced veteran, started discussing increasingly inappropriate topics with Feng Ning. While she went to get snacks, Feng Ning casually picked up the phone that was charging nearby. Just as she brought it to her eyes, she was shocked.

—How was it showing an ongoing call?!

The call had been going for ten minutes, probably accidentally dialed when she was charging it earlier. Pulling out the charging cable, Feng Ning put the phone to her ear, tentatively: “Hello?”

The background on the other end was very noisy, seeming like many people were talking. Feng Ning had just breathed a sigh of relief when she suddenly heard Jiang Wen’s voice.

He quietly said goodbye to someone and walked to a quieter place before speaking into the phone: “Feng Ning.”

“You… you?” Feng Ning was almost stuttering, “You were listening the whole time?!”

Jiang Wen seemed to give a low laugh, “Mm.”

Immediately thinking of all the inappropriate things said earlier, Feng Ning felt internally wounded enough to spit blood, “You just held the phone the whole time?! Weren’t you tired?!”

“Wore earphones.” Jiang Wen said, “Wasn’t planning to listen.” He paused, then continued, “But, I seemed to hear my name.”

“…….”

She stiffly changed the subject: “What are you doing?”

“Had some drinks with my grandfather.”

“And then?”

His voice deepened several degrees, “Miss you a bit.”

In the evening, after Jiang Wen finished the reunion dinner with his family, his little niece ran over and climbed onto his lap to be spoiled.

Jiang Wen took out his phone, replied to a few New Year’s greetings, and opened WeChat.

More than an hour ago, Feng Ning had sent him a message.

Jiang Wen sat on the sofa, watching cartoons with his niece for a while. After a while, he got up, handed his niece to the housekeeper to look after, went upstairs to change clothes and came down.

Jiang Yukun was leaning nearby talking on the phone, saw her brother taking his car keys, and casually asked: “Where are you going so late?”

“Meeting a friend.”

“Meeting a friend?” Jiang Yukun looked a bit confused, confirming again, “Now? On New Year’s Eve?”

Jiang Wen made an affirmative sound.

“Zhao Binlin and them?”

“No.”

After saying something to someone else, Jiang Yukun asked again: “Then who could you be meeting at this time?”

“My girlfriend.”

Jiang Yukun made an “oh” sound, “Then go ahead.” After saying a few more words to her friend, she suddenly realized something was wrong, “—Wait!”

Jiang Wen had already reached the door.

Jiang Yukun put down her phone, raised her voice: “Say that again, who are you meeting?”

Jiang Wen’s expression was calm, “Girlfriend.”

Feng Ning had her hands in her pockets, walking to the alley.

Standing at the courtyard gate, she took off her hat, was just looking for her keys when she heard a deep voice.

She paused her movements, turning her head in surprise.

Jiang Wen’s figure emerged from the darkness, “Where did you go?”

Feng Ning pointed to the side: “I just went for a walk around.”

Jiang Wen looked normal: “Your phone wasn’t working.”

“Really?” Feng Ning quickly took it out to look, pressed it a couple times, still black screen. “Seems like it ran out of battery.”

Feng Ning was a bit uncertain: “Why are you here, don’t you need to spend New Year’s Eve with your family?”

Jiang Wen was still standing in place, “Didn’t I say?”

Feng Ning: “?”

He said casually, “I missed you.”

The night was thick, the lights from the neighboring courtyard fell unevenly on Jiang Wen, elongating his entire shadow.

Feng Ning walked over.

He let her wrap her arms around his waist.

Maybe because of her cold, Feng Ning couldn’t smell Jiang Wen’s scent. He was like winter snow, a bit cold and distant, faint and clean.

Feng Ning sighed meaningfully, breathing out, “It’s so cold outside, let’s go in.”

…

…

She took Jiang Wen up to the second floor. The room had the heating on, the temperature was high, she took off her coat, wearing only a long-sleeve shirt.

Feng Ning was a bit thirsty, poured herself a glass of water, leaned against the table edge, tilted her head back to slowly drink.

Hearing a slight movement, she kept drinking while glancing at him with her eyes.

Jiang Wen suddenly turned his head to look elsewhere.

Feng Ning’s lips slightly left the glass rim, “If you want to look at me, just look openly.”

Jiang Wen quickly turned back, “Can’t you drink water properly?”

Feng Ning put down the water glass, “How is my way of drinking water bothering you?”

…

…

After snagging some snacks from Shuangyao’s house, and taking some oranges and apples, she arranged a fruit plate and carried it up. Feng Ning bent down, putting things on the small tea table, “I don’t have much to offer you at my place, just make do with this.”

The TV was playing the Spring Festival Gala, Jiang Wen didn’t speak. He was watching the comedy sketch very seriously.

She asked: “Are you going back later?”

Jiang Wen moved his gaze to her face and nodded.

Feng Ning thought to herself, aren’t you just putting on airs? She found a blanket, shared it with Jiang Wen, and they curled up on the sofa watching the Spring Festival Gala.

Time slowly passed, unconsciously it was almost twelve o’clock, the lunar new year was about to arrive. Outside, firecrackers had started crackling.

Feng Ning was infected by the atmosphere, jumped off the sofa, excitedly poked her head out to look at the sky, “There will be fireworks soon!”

The TV hosts were counting down together,

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…….

Feng Ning turned her head smiling, saw Jiang Wen wearing a thin wool sweater, leaning against the wardrobe nearby, just looking at her like that.

Feng Ning pounced over, tickling him, “Why don’t you smile at all?”

She was restrained by Jiang Wen’s hands.

At the same time, fireworks outside started going boom boom boom. Feng Ning squinted her eyes smiling, “Classmate Jiang Wen, Happy New Year!”

Jiang Wen tugged at the corner of his mouth, “Happy New Year.”

They looked at each other for a few seconds. Feng Ning suddenly grabbed his collar, spun around, pushed him onto the sofa, with a bit of coaxing, “Close your eyes, I’ll give you a New Year’s gift.”

Her lips brushed past his ear, blowing a breath.

Seduced, Jiang Wen slowly closed his eyes. Feng Ning continued directing: “Cross your hands behind your back.”

Jiang Wen: “?”

Completely off guard, feeling something on his wrists, he opened his eyes and looked to the side—

His hands… had been tied up by Feng Ning with a tie.

“What are you doing?”

Feng Ning didn’t answer, bent one leg, straddling Jiang Wen with a flirtatious air, intently looking at him, “Giving you your New Year’s gift.”

She was so serious, so blatant.

Jiang Wen’s body was rigid like a sculpture, tense, restrained, forced to the point where every blood vessel was aching, on the edge of bursting.

Then, she moved.

Feng Ning kissed his chin, then kissed his lips, then kissed his eye corner, forehead, earlobe, eyelashes.

Jiang Wen instinctively kissed her back.

Feng Ning pushed Jiang Wen down on the sofa, pressing their foreheads together, her fingertips hovering, tracing Jiang Wen’s features.

Her hand reached over, pinching his ear again.

His ear cartilage was soft, felt nice, so she pinched it a couple more times.

Faintly, there were sounds of children playing. Occasionally firecrackers would explode.

This place seemed isolated from everything else.

The wall lamp was dim and yellow, adding an indescribable romance. Strands of jet-black hair fell by Feng Ning’s cheeks, there was a bit of light reflected in her eyes, with a soul-stirring beauty.

Jiang Wen was silent for a while. When he spoke again, his voice was controlled and suppressed: “Untie my hands.”

She didn’t.

But Feng Ning had still underestimated Jiang Wen. It didn’t take much time for him to free his hands.

Feng Ning bounced back, looking a bit nervous.

Jiang Wen rubbed his wrists, turning his head to look at her.

When she was pushed down, Feng Ning hadn’t quite reacted yet.

He reversed their positions, hovering above her, speaking hoarsely, “This is your New Year’s gift?”

After the initial panic passed, Feng Ning held her breath, quickly regaining composure. She looked at him without blinking.

Jiang Wen made no extra movements, just looking at her, “Are you sure?”

Feng Ning was very calm, asking slowly: “What’s wrong, not satisfied?”

…

…

The night deepened.

After who knows how long, Feng Ning was lifted up by Jiang Wen.

By the window, Jiang Wen lowered his head, from behind, kissed her eyes, “Is the moon beautiful tonight?”

Feng Ning was pressed against the window by his hands. She was dizzy, barely managing to say, “Beautiful.”

Love born from restraint was spreading.

Mist made the glass hazy, barely reflecting the images of two people, inseparable, intertwined.

Jiang Wen’s index finger landed on her cupid’s bow, “Then shall I let you look at it all night?”