ATLAS TRANSLATES

Ultraman silently laughed.

Chen Yuzheng remained composed as he put out his half-smoked cigarette and threw it in the trash.

The cleaning lady called them downstairs for dinner.

The day after tomorrow, they had to go to the venue for the departure ceremony. They had specifically adjusted their schedule today. Being forced to get up from bed, everyone was a bit tired.

Killer woke up the latest, bleary-eyed, shuffling in his slippers as he walked into the small cafeteria last. “What’s going on? What are you all talking about?”

Van and Ultraman exchanged a knowing look.

Van said, “Nothing much, just that our Brother Zheng almost got fired up just now.”

“Fired up?” Killer was still groggy, his brain not quite following, “What kind of fire?”

Ultraman had a meaningful expression as he quoted Jin’s line: “The moment before I open fire is the peak of ecstasy.”

Killer: “?”

He took a bite of his steamed bun, his tone suddenly changing: “Oh, that kind of fire. I get it. Chen Yuzheng’s got his blood running hot, huh? Were you watching porn? Did you manage to keep it down, or did you have to go to the bathroom for a moment of pleasure?”

Chen Yuzheng leaned back in his chair and gave him a look.

Ultraman: “What porn? How could that compare to Yu Nuo?”

“Yu Nuo?” Sensing something, Killer became curious, “What’s going on? Come on, Manman, tell big brother all about it.”

Thomas interrupted them, “Alright, alright, you bunch of guys, always joking about Conquer and the young lady. When will it end? We have matches next week, can’t you focus on training properly?”

“This is the only bit of fun in our boring lives, you’re so dull,” Killer complained. “There’s something weird about Chen Yuzheng. Last time when Yu Nuo got drunk, he took her home overnight. How could nothing have happened? Who would believe that?”

Ultraman: “What?!”

Van exclaimed: “It’s gotten that far?”

Chen Yuzheng kicked Killer, “Stop spreading rumors.”

“Why are you pretending? I can see right through you. Be honest, what’s going on between you and Yu Nuo? Think carefully – she’s Fish’s sister! Are you really planning to accept him as your brother-in-law?”

Chen Yuzheng: “Brother-in-law my ass, I told you there’s nothing going on.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, look at him, he’s getting worked up again,” Ultraman understood. “So you like her but can’t get her, right?”

Van was puzzled: “In this day and age, you’re still playing the secret crush game?”

Chen Yuzheng: “……”

“Zheng, this won’t do, you’re too soft,” Killer shook his head and sighed deeply. “When chasing girls, you need to be hard. How can you chase anyone being this soft as a man?”

Ultraman continued stirring the pot: “After all, she’s Yu Ge’s sister. Who is Yu Ge? In the LPL, besides the retired Wan God, who has higher popularity than him? He has over a million followers on Weibo. Chen Yuzheng chasing his sister, wanting to be his brother-in-law – isn’t that just trying to ride his coattails?”

Chen Yuzheng didn’t speak, just raised his eyes and gave him a cold stare.

Ultraman backed down: “I’ll shut up, I won’t say anymore. Go ahead and rely on Fish, maybe get some popularity, you might even be able to support the whole team. Manman supports you.”

Van raised his hand: “VV supports you too.”

Thomas: “Bunch of idiots.”

—

Yu Nuo ran into the bathroom and closed the door. She raised her hand to touch her face – it was burning hot.

Xiang Jiajia brought over two hair dryers and helped Yu Nuo dry her clothes and hair. They chatted casually while waiting for Yu Nuo to get ready.

When it was time, they went to the conference room to wait for the meeting.

Qi Yalan talked about the Rift Rivals and Summer Split matters, and handed out next week’s schedule to everyone.

Yu Nuo even brought a small notebook, carefully writing down all the important points.

The meeting lasted half an hour. After it ended, Yu Nuo packed up her things and went downstairs. Just as she reached the entrance, a little cat came running over, rubbing against her legs while meowing.

Yu Nuo paused her steps, recognizing it as the stray cat from last time by its coloring. She was pleasantly surprised and crouched down to look at it.

The kitten was much cleaner now, with round eyes and twitching whiskers, and had even gained some weight. She reached out to pet it and played with it for a while.

Killer came over with a bag of cat food, kicked the iron bowl nearby, and crouched down next to Yu Nuo, “Chen Tony, dinner time.”

“It’s called… Chen Tony?” Yu Nuo found the name a bit strange and turned to ask, “Did you guys adopt this cat?”

“Huh?” Killer replied casually, “We didn’t adopt it, Chen Yuzheng picked up this ugly cat from somewhere. It’s so ugly, look at Tony’s uneven eyes, this messy fur, and the tail that looks half broken. Chen Yuzheng just has no taste.”

“……”

Tony was clearly resistant to Killer’s touch, baring its teeth at him with all its fur standing up. Killer laughed, “Damn, you can understand human speech? Can’t even take criticism about being ugly, what a bad temper, just like your owner.”

Just as he finished speaking, someone kicked him in the butt. Killer yelped and nearly fell forward, angrily saying: “Why do you always like kicking people? Did playing Lee Sin get to your head? I’ve had enough of your abuse!”

Chen Yuzheng: “Move aside.”

Hearing his voice, Yu Nuo’s nerves tensed up, and she unconsciously straightened her back.

Killer glanced at Yu Nuo, coughed, and reluctantly got up.

As the previous scene flashed through her mind, Yu Nuo was lost in thought when Chen Yuzheng crouched down beside her.

He didn’t speak, just picked up the small bowl and poured water into it. As he raised his hand, it accidentally brushed against her bare leg.

Yu Nuo’s heart skipped a beat. She held her breath and secretly turned her head, only to find he wasn’t looking at her.

Chen Yuzheng’s features and temperament were rather striking, and when expressionless, he could appear a bit unapproachable.

Yu Nuo initiated conversation: “This cat, you adopted it?”

He gave a brief “mm” in response.

They both fell silent. For some reason, Yu Nuo clearly felt that he seemed… to be in a bad mood… She quietly watched Chen Yuzheng feed water to the cat for a while.

She wondered if it was because of what Killer had said earlier?

Yu Nuo thought for a moment and said: “This cat is actually quite cute, and the name… the name you gave it is very nice too.”

“Is it?”

Yu Nuo nodded firmly, “Mm.”

This comment seemed to please him. Chen Yuzheng’s lips curved slightly as he opened his palm.

Tony meowed twice and gently nuzzled into his palm.

After Tony finished drinking, Chen Yuzheng stood up.

Yu Nuo also stood up and said goodbye: “Well, I’ll be going then.”

Chen Yuzheng put his hands in his pockets and called out: “Jiejie.”

Yu Nuo’s ears tingled at this form of address, but she steadied herself, “Hm?”

Chen Yuzheng’s gaze moved downward, making no attempt to hide as he swept a glance at her legs.

Yu Nuo tensed up and unconsciously took a step back.

He said casually: “Has no one told you before?”

“Ah? What?”

Chen Yuzheng lowered his head slightly and said near her ear: “In places with lots of men, remember to wear longer skirts.”

…

…

Yu Nuo lay in bed, turned over again, and stared at the bracelet on her wrist. Her mind couldn’t shake Chen Yuzheng’s words from that afternoon.

As she thought about it, her face began to burn again.

Recently, whenever she faced Chen Yuzheng, she didn’t dare to make much eye contact with him, as she blushed too many times.

A vague guess surfaced in her heart, making Yu Nuo’s heart beat faster. Even though the air conditioning was on in the dormitory, she still felt hot all over.

Yu Nuo couldn’t help but message Fu Yidong on WeChat.

Yu Nuo: “Dongdong, I want to ask you something.”

Fu Yidong: “Go ahead”

Yu Nuo: “If a guy tells a girl to wear longer skirts, what does that mean? Do you think it’s flirting…?”

Fu Yidong: “Who told you to wear longer skirts? Your brother?”

Yu Nuo: “Not me, it’s my friend…”

Fu Yidong: “Come on, stop pretending, has this guy shown any interest in you?”

Yu Nuo: “…no”

Fu Yidong: “?”

The next second, Fu Yidong’s call came through.

Yu Nuo put on earphones.

Fu Yidong: “Damn, last time when I asked you, didn’t you keep saying there was nothing going on?”

“No, no.” Yu Nuo lowered her voice to avoid disturbing her roommate, “There really isn’t anything, I’m just asking.”

“Who is this guy? Do I know him?”

Yu Nuo remained silent.

Fu Yidong: “How old is he? How many years younger than you?”

Yu Nuo gave a number: “19.”

“Damn, so young!” Fu Yidong’s voice rose, “Is he a puppy or a wolf?”

“……”

Yu Nuo sighed.

Fu Yidong was confused: “Why are you so melancholic, little fish? You’re finally going to experience spring!”

“He…” Yu Nuo didn’t know how to say it, “He seems to see me as an older sister.”

“Huh?” Fu Yidong was quiet for a moment, “What older sister nonsense, that’s all bullshit. I know exactly what these young players are thinking. He’s never said he likes you?”

Yu Nuo paused, “No.”

“Then, any hints?”

“What hints?”

“Like, does he often casually mention being lonely in front of you, wanting a girlfriend, or ask if you have a boyfriend?”

Yu Nuo thought about it, “…no to that too.”

Then she added: “But, I feel like he’s quite nice to me.”

Fu Yidong: “So you’re in unrequited love now?”

Hearing this, Yu Nuo’s heart jolted, “Unrequited love…?”

“What else, why are you so…” Fu Yidong clicked her tongue, “You’re even asking me these questions about whether something is flirting or not, don’t you know your own heart?”

Yu Nuo stammered: “I really don’t know.”

Fu Yidong asked again: “So that guy really hasn’t shown any interest in you?”

Yu Nuo: “No.”

“Damn, isn’t he just stringing you along then!”

Yu Nuo: “……”

“Run away, sister. Really, run away tonight.” Fu Yidong advised her, “I’ve seen too many players like this. You must hold yourself back. He might have some interest in you, but doesn’t want to commit, so he occasionally gives you the illusion that he’s flirting with you, making you lose your mind every day, torturing you!”

Yu Nuo felt uncomfortable hearing this, her heart gradually growing cold. Her fingers unconsciously clutched at her blanket, “…I don’t want to date him either, he’s not torturing me. I just feel…”

She lowered her head, “Feel like he’s really nice to me, really nice. Maybe he just sees me as an older sister.”

Fu Yidong: “……”

Just then, WeChat pinged, and Fu Yidong sent her a Baidu answer to “What to do when you fall for a player”:

[When you fall for a player, you need to quit them like an addiction. People need to know what to keep and what to let go, cut losses in time. Falling for a scumbag is something many people experience, but if you can’t leave a scumbag, that’s your problem. Leaving the wrong person is like giving yourself a chance at rebirth.]

Fu Yidong said gravely: “See this? Nuo Nuo, listen to me, players aren’t worth it. Bye means bye, the next one will be better.”

Yu Nuo: “……”

After finishing the call with Fu Yidong, Yu Nuo stayed awake until midnight.

The next day when she woke up, she found her period had started. Her lower abdomen was sore, so she made herself a cup of brown sugar water.

Sigh… no wonder she’d been so emotional lately.

—

A few days later, Xu Yitong invited Yu Nuo to watch Sunday’s Rift Rivals opening ceremony.

Xu Yitong asked her about the opening ceremony on WeChat.

Yu Nuo: “Do you want to go? I can bring you in directly. Though we probably can’t go to the front, only backstage.”

Xu Yitong replied immediately: “No need, no need, I specially bought VIP seats from scalpers, damn, they’re so expensive.”

This opening ceremony had specially invited several popular celebrities to attend, to increase buzz, and had arranged an exhibition match with professional players. With four teams gathered, there were many different types of fans attending.

Yu Nuo explained: “The tickets seem to be hard to get this time, so they’re expensive.”

Xu Yitong: “No big deal, I bought one for you too. And I want to ask you for a favor, can you take me backstage after the match?”

Yu Nuo thought she wanted to see Chen Yuzheng, so she agreed: “Should be fine”

Xu Yitong sent a high-five emoji.

…

…

Qi Yanan gave Yu Nuo the hotel address for next week’s overseas competition and asked her to check nearby Chinese restaurants.

On Sunday, Yu Nuo brought her organized materials to the TG base, planning to leave for the venue with them.

It was the familiar bus.

The others hadn’t arrived yet, and the driver was crouching down smoking. Yu Nuo chatted with him for a while before getting on the bus.

She walked to her usual spot with Xiang Jiajia, the third row from the back.

There was still time before departure, so she sat by the window and took out her novel and snacks from her backpack to pass the time.

She gradually became absorbed in reading.

After a while, someone sat down beside her. Thinking it was Xiang Jiajia, she mumbled a greeting while eating her donut, “Jiajia.”

There was no response.

Yu Nuo had just reached an exciting part, so she didn’t pay much attention. Once she started focusing on something, she became oblivious to everything happening around her.

The afternoon sunlight was pleasant, with the blue curtains half drawn.

Sunlight fell on Yu Nuo’s shoulders, turning her hair ends golden.

She focused on reading her book and took another bite of her donut, finding it quite tasty. Being familiar with Xiang Jiajia, she casually extended her hand, “Jiajia, try a bite, it’s pretty good.”

Yu Nuo turned a page of the book on her knee, but there was no movement beside her. She turned her head, “You don’t want to… eat?”

She was surprised: “Chen Yuzheng?”

Chen Yuzheng lowered his eyes to look at the donut near his mouth, raising an eyebrow.

Yu Nuo was about to pull her hand back.

He held her wrist in place, paused for a few seconds, then leaned forward and slowly took a bite.

— From the exact spot where she had just eaten.