ATLAS TRANSLATES

After one week of dating, Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi’s dates were all confined to apartment 1504. In that private space, the two young people were nervous and shy about kissing and hugging, let alone under the bright open sky.

They hadn’t held hands outdoors yet, with people all around and a little light bulb following them.

Luo Jingyu originally wanted to keep his distance from Huanhuan, so that even if little Weiwei told his parents about “Uncle Fish’s” existence, Huanhuan could still cover it up as just being “friends.”

Who knew Huanhuan would be so bold – Luo Jingyu was used to walking with his hands in his pockets, but she forcefully pulled his hand out.

Of course he wanted to hold her hand! To walk intimately like other couples, but he didn’t dare. He knew her family didn’t know yet, knew that her being with him came with pressure.

Look, even his deaf classmate Yu Qi thought he and Huanhuan wouldn’t last. What would people around Huanhuan think if they found out?

This was exactly what he was afraid of. He didn’t want Huanhuan to feel pressure, wanted her to be happy and carefree. But his condition couldn’t be changed. Even though he felt he could financially support their future life together, he knew he still couldn’t block out society’s prejudices.

Despite his fears and worries, Luo Jingyu ended up holding Zhan Xi’s hand tightly.

Both their hands were very warm, whether from the heat or from their hearts, their palms were sweaty, but neither minded, only holding on tighter.

Zhan Xi’s fingers even scratched at the scabs on Luo Jingyu’s left hand. He hadn’t made peonies for three days, and those messy wounds were gradually healing. Some old scabs were starting to itch, and when Zhan Xi scratched them, they itched even more.

It made his heart itch too, like being scratched by Gift’s little paws.

The two adults and one child ate lunch at Pizza Hut, with Zhan Xi and Weiwei sitting on one side and Luo Jingyu sitting across from them. While eating pizza, he watched them chat.

Weiwei had fun reading class in the morning and creative art and math genius class in the afternoon. Since he was just a first grader, after finishing his food and wiping his mouth, he proudly took out last week’s homework from his backpack to show off.

“Auntie, is my drawing good? The teacher always praises me.” Weiwei’s drawing theme was “Busy Street” – there was definitely no perspective, just colorful cars on the page, along with what seemed to be a traffic officer and two children crossing at a zebra crossing.

Zhan Xi praised him as usual: “Wow! So well done! You’re a little artist!”

Weiwei showed it to Luo Jingyu too: “Uncle Fish, is my drawing good?”

Luo Jingyu gave him a thumbs up, his expression not at all perfunctory.

Zhan Xi said: “Weiwei, did you know? Your Uncle Fish used to study art, he draws very well. He can teach you how to draw in the future.”

“Really?” Weiwei turned to Luo Jingyu, “Uncle Fish, you can draw?”

Luo Jingyu smiled and nodded. Weiwei immediately dug out a piece of paper and a pencil from his backpack and handed them to him: “Can you draw Ryder from PAW Patrol for me?”

Luo Jingyu didn’t understand what he said. Zhan Xi saw his confused face and laughed: “‘PAW Patrol’ is an animated show, Ryder is a puppy in it.”

Weiwei protested: “Ryder is the police captain! He’s a special agent!”

Zhan Xi: “He’s just a puppy!”

Luo Jingyu still didn’t understand, so Zhan Xi searched for a picture of Ryder on her phone and sent it to him. After seeing it, Luo Jingyu finally understood and typed to Zhan Xi: [Tell him I’ll draw it at home, I’ll give him a colored version.]

“That’s too much trouble,” Zhan Xi was defeated by his earnestness. “Kids are just excited in the moment, you can just sketch something quick with pencil.”

Luo Jingyu smiled and shook his head, typing again: [I’ll draw it at home, ask him if he wants me to make an origami dog now? I know origami.]

“Really?” Zhan Xi was excited, “Yes yes yes, no need to ask him, I want to see you fold it.”

Weiwei unhappily said: “Auntie, what are you talking about?”

Zhan Xi told him: “Uncle Fish says he’ll draw you a colored Ryder at home, and he’ll make you an origami dog now, want one?”

“Yes yes!” Weiwei was excited too.

So Luo Jingyu took the white paper and cut it into a square. He didn’t even need to look up the steps online – his ten fingers skillfully folded the paper. Zhan Xi and Weiwei watched intently. In no time, a paper dog was born in Luo Jingyu’s hands.

He picked up the pencil to draw eyes and a mouth on the dog, then pulled at its body to make it pop up and become more three-dimensional.

“Wow! So cute!” Weiwei loved it, holding the paper dog in his hands to play with it, then putting it on the table to stare at it. Children have no resistance to capable people – Uncle Fish’s Level went up another notch in his heart.

Zhan Xi said: “If you want to learn, Uncle Fish can teach you.”

“I want to learn!” Weiwei said loudly, “Uncle Fish, can you teach me?”

Luo Jingyu nodded, but there wasn’t enough time – the little one still had afternoon classes.

Zhan Xi patted her nephew’s head: “Next time, next time Uncle Fish will teach you.”

“Mm hmm!” Weiwei nodded vigorously, “You have to keep your promise!”

After eating, the three returned to the Youth Palace. There was still half an hour before class, and Weiwei was bored, so he watched other children doing art in the crafts area in front of the teaching building.

This was an outdoor area with seven or eight low round tables, each surrounded by children and parents. Some were making snow clay art, some were making 3D collages, there were also sequin sand art, paint coloring pages, and so on… Kids’ money was really easy to make – materials that cost just a few cents were being sold for thirty yuan each here.

After watching for a while, Weiwei wanted to play too. Zhan Xi said it was almost time for class and he wouldn’t have time to finish, but Weiwei swayed back and forth stamping his feet: “If I can’t finish Uncle Fish can help me! I really want to play!”

Luo Jingyu: “?”

Zhan Xi looked at him helplessly, but Luo Jingyu wouldn’t let a child be disappointed. He took Weiwei’s hand to go pay and pick a picture. Zhan Xi could only sigh, watching their backs and thinking that if Little Fish became a father, he would definitely spoil the child rotten.

Weiwei chose a coloring page of Jett from “Super Wings” and sat down seriously, carefully squeezing paint into the outlined spaces. Since he was still young, he couldn’t control the pressure well and often squeezed too much paint outside the lines. Luo Jingyu sat beside him, using tissues to absorb excess paint when he squeezed too much, and using toothpicks to help spread it evenly when there wasn’t enough.

The sight of the tall man and small boy working together was surprisingly harmonious. They didn’t speak, just bent their heads together focusing on the task. Zhan Xi secretly took several photos of them, finding it very interesting.

Weiwei indeed didn’t have time to finish. He solemnly handed the half-finished work to Luo Jingyu, looking back several times as he followed Zhan Xi to class.

After sending her nephew to the classroom, Zhan Xi returned to the crafts area and immediately spotted Luo Jingyu. With his height, youth and handsome looks, he stood out noticeably among the children and parents.

He was working very seriously, comparing colors on the colored paper sheets, carefully coloring Jett. A little girl about five or six years old with a round face sat next to him, working on her own picture while turning to watch him, even giving directions: “Jett is red! Bright red! You’re using pink!”

Seeing Luo Jingyu not responding, the little girl got anxious. She stuck out her bottom and reached over to stuff a bottle of bright red paint into his hand, taking away his pink paint in the process.

Luo Jingyu: “?”

He looked carefully at the color in the reference picture – it was indeed pink. Then seeing the little girl’s serious expression, he realized the picture must be off. Luo Jingyu smiled at the little girl, and she shyly hid in her mother’s arms.

The young mother laughed heartily and said to Luo Jingyu: “You’re so patient. Our dad would never do these things, he’d have wandered off to play with his phone by now.”

Luo Jingyu blinked, smiling shyly. Zhan Xi watched everything, covering her mouth to secretly laugh.

After finishing the picture, Luo Jingyu took it to the staff for processing. The lady in her fifties dried the picture in an oven and told him it could be stuck on the refrigerator after peeling it off at home.

Luo Jingyu found it very interesting. Remembering this Jett was for Weiwei, he quickly went to find Zhan Xi, taking out his phone to type: [I want to make another one!]

Zhan Xi: “Huh?”

He’d gotten hooked on this?

Luo Jingyu pointed at the picture, then at Zhan Xi, his eyes sparkling as he made the sign for “gift.”

Zhan Xi was amused: “For me? Alright, go ahead.”

Luo Jingyu held her hand and excitedly led her to the staff lady, letting Zhan Xi pick a pattern.

The lady looked dubiously at the two of them – no child with them, she thought these young people nowadays were really interesting, dating by playing with things meant for five or six-year-olds. Her eight-year-old granddaughter wouldn’t even bother with these anymore.

Zhan Xi looked through the templates one by one until she saw a “Finding Nemo” pattern with cute Nemo in the center, surrounded by seaweed and starfish.

She picked that one, and after Luo Jingyu paid, he went straight to work at the table, his excitement no less than Weiwei’s.

This time Zhan Xi sat beside him, watching him excitedly rub his hands together before focusing intently on the clownfish. She thought Little Fish probably never played with these things as a child – he was so happy, so satisfied, it made her feel even better too.

After Luo Jingyu finished and dried the second picture, he was still reluctant to leave. He looked at what other children were making – snow clay, sand art, 3D collages… he’d never played with any of them, wanted to try them all.

He thought children nowadays were so lucky, having so many crafts to make and so many patterns to choose from – he never had these as a child. Zhan Xi saw his envious look and realized Little Fish had a deep love for crafts.

They sat down on a long bench, with Luo Jingyu preciously looking at the two pictures in his hands. Zhan Xi glanced at him, tugged his sleeve and asked: “Little Fish, you can rest for a while now, right? Until when approximately?”

Luo Jingyu read her lips, counted on his fingers, and typed to Zhan Xi: [I want to open shop on March 25, this time doing custom orders, won’t be too busy, one month.]

Zhan Xi asked: “So that means you can rest for half a month?”

Luo Jingyu nodded happily, thinking these two weeks would be so relaxed and fun, not boring at all – he had a girlfriend now! He could spend more time with Huanhuan, cook good food for her every day, help her fatten up a bit, help her take care of the cat, and if she was willing, he could even help clean apartment 802.

Unexpectedly, Zhan Xi said: “Then about the peony bonsai I mentioned before, and that bridal bouquet, do you have time to make them now?”

The smile gradually disappeared from Luo Jingyu’s face.

He narrowed his eyes at Zhan Xi, his lips pressed tightly together. He picked up his phone to type – Zhan Xi saw him type “bo,” then his fingers stopped there as he frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

Zhan Xi extended her index finger to help him type on his phone, “xue,” and when the word combinations appeared, the first was “scholarly,” but she chose the second – “exploitation.”

“Is this what you wanted to say?” She raised her eyebrows at Little Fish.

Luo Jingyu was dejected. He glared at her, lightly poked her forehead with his index finger, then pointed at those two characters on the phone.

Zhan Xi remained unmoved, asking: “So will you make them?”

Luo Jingyu looked at her with a troubled expression, then after a while suddenly smiled and nodded helplessly.

He put his arm around Zhan Xi’s shoulders, letting her head rest on his shoulder as he typed one-handed for her to see: [Now that I have a girlfriend, I need to work harder to buy you bags.]

Zhan Xi was delighted. Too lazy to turn her head to talk to him, she typed on his phone too: [Do you feel pitiful working all year round with no breaks?]

Luo Jingyu put the phone on his leg, crossed his left index and middle fingers like the sign for “ten,” but nodded it up and down firmly. This was an emphatic “yes” – if he could speak, his tone would definitely be indignant.

Zhan Xi lifted her head from his shoulder, turned to look at him seriously and said: “I don’t need you to buy me things. I just think it’s pretty rare for those customers to want you to make pressed flowers, opportunities like these shouldn’t be passed up. Especially Mrs. Wu – she’s really sincere and has been waiting for you to have time.”

Luo Jingyu’s expression gradually softened. He lowered his head to type: [I know, I was joking. I’ll definitely make them. Can you help me? Ask about their requirements, I can’t explain well.]

Zhan Xi lounged in his arms, not looking at him as she raised her right hand to make an “OK” sign, then pointed her right index finger down for “next,” held up her left index finger while her right hand made a “7,” bringing the three gathered fingertips to tap on her left index finger for “week,” and finally drew a small question mark in the air – altogether meaning “ask next week.”

Luo Jingyu watched her finish and didn’t react immediately. In his memory, he had never taught Zhan Xi the sign for “week” – how did she know it?

Actually, Zhan Xi had self-studied many sign language words this week, and tomorrow she would go to Teacher Zhou’s house for class again. If Teacher Zhou tested her on last lesson’s content, she wasn’t worried at all – she had practiced until she was very familiar with it.

At 4 PM, little Weiwei finally finished class and Zhan Xi took him home. Luo Jingyu decided to go with them, planning to wait for Zhan Xi at a coffee shop downstairs from Zhan Jie’s place so they could return to Qingque Garden together.

He was so free these days, wanting to spend all twenty-four hours with Huanhuan. He didn’t mind waiting a few hours – he didn’t want to go home alone, and he wasn’t comfortable letting Huanhuan go home alone either.

Fortunately, after Zhan Xi brought Weiwei home, Zhan Jie said he would be back in half an hour.

Weiwei stuck his Jett paint picture on the refrigerator at home, then went back to playing with a PAW Patrol Ryder toy – Uncle Fish had bought it for him from the Youth Palace’s shop while waiting for him after class. He liked Uncle Fish more and more! He had even invited him to visit their home, but Uncle Fish hadn’t agreed.

Zhan Xi felt it was time to have a talk with Weiwei.

They both sat at the dining table, Weiwei playing with his toy as Zhan Xi asked: “Weiwei, did you have fun today?”

“Yes,” Weiwei smiled brightly, “I haven’t played at the playground for so long, mom won’t let me play.”

“Auntie wants to discuss something with you,” Zhan Xi rested her chin in her hand, trying to speak in a way the little one could understand. “About you playing at the playground today, Auntie will keep it secret from your mom and dad. I also hope you can keep a secret for me – don’t tell mom and dad that you met Uncle Fish, okay?”

Weiwei didn’t understand: “Why?”

“Because…” Zhan Xi smiled and said, “When you first met Uncle Fish this morning and realized his ears couldn’t hear, you were a bit scared, right? Your mom and dad would be the same. If they know Auntie is friends with an uncle who can’t hear, they’ll be a bit scared too, then they’ll get angry and scold Auntie, and they’ll scold Uncle Fish too. Your dad is so fierce, and Uncle Fish can’t speak – what if he cries when he gets scolded? Do you want them to scold Uncle Fish?”

Weiwei shook his head repeatedly, then said: “But I’m not scared anymore! I really like Uncle Fish now!”

“That’s because you’ve played with Uncle Fish, but your mom and dad don’t know him yet,” Zhan Xi said. “Someday, when Auntie brings Uncle Fish to visit, and lets your mom and dad meet him and know he’s a good person, then they won’t be scared anymore. But for now, Auntie hopes you can keep this secret, okay?”

Zhan Kaiwei was a clever elementary school student. Though he didn’t fully understand the logic, he knew Uncle Fish was a good person. He liked Uncle Fish and liked his auntie too. He couldn’t let his dad bully Uncle Fish – Uncle Fish couldn’t even speak! How pitiful would it be if he cried from being scolded!

Weiwei nodded at Zhan Xi: “I’ll keep the secret, I won’t tell them I saw Uncle Fish.”

“Such a good boy, Auntie knew you would help me.” Zhan Xi had confidence in her nephew. When she lived at her brother’s house, she and her nephew had many little secrets. For the sake of toys, snacks, and occasional tablet time, Weiwei kept his mouth pretty tight.

Weiwei suddenly thought of something: “Auntie, you said Uncle Fish can’t speak, but when we were on the pirate ship and drop tower, I heard him make sounds!”

Zhan Xi asked in surprise: “Really? What did he say?”

“Ah! Ah! Then he covered his mouth.” Weiwei’s baby voice couldn’t quite imitate adult sounds.

Zhan Xi was stunned for a while before asking: “Did you think his voice sounded nice?”

“It did!” Weiwei said, “Just a bit unclear. Auntie, have you heard Uncle Fish speak?”

Zhan Xi thought for a moment and nodded: “Once, just once. Less than you. I also thought his voice sounded very nice.”

Zhan Jie finally came home, looking fierce, as if ready to snap at anyone. The originally happy Zhan Kaiwei deflated like a punctured balloon at the sight of his father’s face, voluntarily retreating to his room to do homework.

Zhan Xi wanted to talk to her brother and persuade him, but had barely started when Zhan Jie became impatient: “Don’t tell me anything! I don’t want to hear it. If you want to talk, go talk to Qin Fei! Suddenly wanting a divorce out of nowhere, I bet she’s got someone else! We were living just fine and she has to go crazy! Whatever! Let’s divorce! The house is mine anyway, and she’s not taking our son!”

Zhan Xi: “…”

Fine, she didn’t want to say more. Little Fish was still waiting for her outside.

As Zhan Xi was about to leave, Zhan Jie called out: “Huanhuan, help me cook dinner before you go.”

“?” Zhan Xi glared at him, “I won’t cook, I’m going home to eat.”

Zhan Jie found it strange: “Whether you eat here or at home, you still need to eat, right? I have ingredients, just make a couple dishes.”

Zhan Xi said: “Cook yourself! I’ve helped you all day already. I have class tomorrow morning and want to go home and rest!”

Zhan Jie was very righteous: “But I don’t know how!”

Zhan Xi got angry: “Can’t you learn? I didn’t know how either, but now I can cook several dishes. How can you be so lazy? Are you and Weiwei going to starve just because sister-in-law isn’t here?”

Zhan Jie: “…”

He exploded, waving his hand: “Go go go go go! Everyone just has to bring up what hurts!”

Zhan Xi granted his wish and left quickly.

—

Luo Jingyu was lying bored on the table.

He sat by the window at a high table with tall chairs. His coffee was almost finished, with an open book beside him that he’d taken from the café’s bookshelf.

Facing the window, Luo Jingyu could clearly see outside. Cars passed on the road, pedestrians hurried by. It was almost 5:30 PM, the sky had darkened considerably. He was hungry, but Huanhuan hadn’t come yet.

The book was called “Everything I Never Told You.” Luo Jingyu was attracted by the title – just looking at those four words felt so romantic. But when he opened it, all the characters had foreign names, immediately making his head hurt.

He persisted for five pages before giving up, closing the book to stare at its cover.

— “Everything I Never Told You” “All our lives, we’re trying to break free from others’ expectations to find our true selves.” — By [US] Celeste Ng, translated by Sun Lu

Luo Jingyu thought this must be a good book, the cover said it was the number one best book of 2014 on some platform. Huanhuan must have read it, but he wondered how long it would take him to finish such a thick book! He’d never read such a thick book before.

Just then, a grass-green shadow flashed before his eyes. Luo Jingyu immediately looked up to see Zhan Xi almost pressed against the glass window, waving at him and making a heart shape with her thumb and index finger while grinning.

Luo Jingyu put the book back on the shelf and walked out of the shop.

Zhan Xi went to meet him saying: “Let’s go home and cook dinner.”

Luo Jingyu nodded and took out his phone to call a car, but Zhan Xi pressed his hand down: “Let’s take the subway, it’s expensive to get a taxi from here.”

Luo Jingyu didn’t insist – as long as he was with Huanhuan, he’d be fine even walking home. Ah no, too far, Huanhuan would get tired. No problem, if she got tired he could carry her.

Thinking this, he walked side by side with Zhan Xi toward the subway station. They stayed close, his right arm occasionally brushing against her left arm.

Touch once, touch again…

Luo Jingyu secretly turned to look at her, his mind full of thoughts. Zhan Xi remained calm, her left hand swaying slightly while her right hand held her bag as she walked leisurely beside Luo Jingyu.

After walking oddly like this for about a hundred meters, Luo Jingyu bit his lip and grabbed Zhan Xi’s left hand with his right. He didn’t dare look at her, only looking ahead as he turned his palm to hold hers firmly.

Zhan Xi held back her laughter, thinking he was really so cute! Even with no little light bulb around, he became even more awkward. She glanced at him – oh my, his face was red! Heavens, Zhan Xi couldn’t hold it anymore and burst out laughing.

Luo Jingyu couldn’t hear her laughter but could feel her body shaking. Gathering his courage to look, he was almost furious – so she had been doing it on purpose!

He had no choice but to hold her hand tighter, giving her an angry glare. Zhan Xi laughed heartily, and finally Luo Jingyu smiled helplessly too, holding her hand as they walked slowly to the subway station.

This was their first date since becoming a couple. The original plan had been to visit the natural history museum, watch a movie, go shopping at the mall, and have a fancy dinner.

Now it had turned into a day of babysitting at the Youth Palace, taking the subway home, shopping at the market, and finally cooking and eating dinner together at home.

Zhan Xi wasn’t disappointed at all. This date was romantic too – holding hands with Little Fish while walking down the street, riding the subway together, eating pizza together, browsing the market together – all firsts!

Gift wandered around the spacious room, crawling into the small cubbies or space pod on the cat tower when bored.

Luo Jingyu was in charge of cooking, Zhan Xi responsible for washing dishes. As she dried each dish and put them in the cabinet, she felt an illusion that she and Little Fish were like a newly married couple.

She walked out of the kitchen to see Little Fish on the sofa petting the cat. Gift was lying on his lap showing its belly. Zhan Xi pouted – since the kitten returned to 1504, it had never shown her its belly.

What a cat with mainstream taste and looks-obsessed preferences!

Zhan Xi went over to shoo Gift away. Gift bared its teeth at her unhappily, and Zhan Xi was unhappy too: “Go away, this is my boyfriend. If you want a boyfriend, let your dad find you a male cat.”

Gift crouched on the sofa watching her. Zhan Xi plopped herself onto Luo Jingyu’s lap and hugged his neck, challenging the cat: “This is my spot, you, go away.”

Gift jumped down from the sofa to the second level of the cat tower across the room, continuing to watch them like a scout.

Zhan Xi ignored it and turned to look at Luo Jingyu. Their faces were very close, and he had already wrapped his arms around her waist, studying her face intently.

Luo Jingyu had something important to ask her, so he had to type on his phone: [Will the child tell your brother?]

Zhan Xi shook her head with a smile: “Probably not. He’s a very clever little boy, I made an agreement with him, he’ll help keep our secret. Besides, he’s quite afraid of his father, they’re not close.”

Luo Jingyu’s eyes showed confusion, and Zhan Xi explained: “My brother isn’t a good husband or father. He rarely takes care of the child, and when he does, he gets impatient.”

Luo Jingyu couldn’t understand and typed: [The child is very cute.]

“Yes, I think Weiwei is very cute too. He’s actually very well-behaved, not a troublemaker at all. My sister-in-law has taught him well, he’s very polite.” Zhan Xi spoke, then remembered what her nephew had told her. She bit her lip and bravely said, “Little Fish, Weiwei just told me he heard your voice.”

Luo Jingyu froze.

“I…” Zhan Xi’s right hand caressed his cheek, gradually moving to his chin, neck, and finally resting her fingers on his Adam’s apple. Her gaze was anxious yet hopeful: “I want to hear your voice too. Can you speak for me?”

Luo Jingyu didn’t hesitate, quickly shaking his head and anxiously averting his gaze.

“Why?” Zhan Xi turned his head back to face her.

Luo Jingyu thought, what was there to explain? He simply couldn’t speak, he had only lost control and made sounds. Meaningless sounds that wouldn’t sound good!

He kept shaking his head, lips pressed tightly together, as if afraid Zhan Xi would force him to speak.

“I know you can’t speak, I just want to hear your voice. It’s just us here…” Zhan Xi was talking when she noticed Luo Jingyu’s expression becoming increasingly distressed, looking anxious. If she hadn’t been sitting on his lap, he looked like he would have gotten up to leave.

“Okay okay, I won’t listen, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Zhan Xi immediately apologized. She hadn’t expected this request would trouble Little Fish so much. How could she pressure him? What she thought was a small matter was clearly very important to Little Fish — he was so averse to making sounds.

Luo Jingyu understood Zhan Xi’s lip movements, feeling terribly guilty.

She rarely made requests of him. That gentle, understanding, considerate Huanhuan just wanted to hear his voice, and he couldn’t even fulfill that. And she was apologizing to him!

Luo Jingyu picked up his phone to type: [Not nice to hear.]

Zhan Xi read it and said: “Weiwei said it sounds nice.”

Luo Jingyu shook his head, stubbornly typing: [Not nice to hear!]

Zhan Xi pouted and said: “You’ve never heard it yourself, how do you know it’s not nice?”

Luo Jingyu: “…”

He typed again: [You will be scared.]

Zhan Xi was puzzled: “Why would I be scared? This is your voice, Little Fish.”

Luo Jingyu suddenly threw down his phone and hugged Zhan Xi tighter, burying his head in the crook of her neck, nuzzling against her like she often did to him.

He was so afraid, so nervous. He actually wanted to try, but didn’t dare!

He only wanted to show her his good side. People said he was handsome, tall, with a good figure; he had a big apartment, though the mortgage wasn’t paid off; he had a job with decent income; he could cook, bake cakes and cookies, was clean, had a good temper… Every time he thought about the gap between himself and Huanhuan, he would list out his few advantages to encourage himself.

As for his flaws, those naturally had to be hidden. He tried very hard to read lips, trying not to make her repeat things twice, so she would overlook that he couldn’t hear.

Although not being able to speak was very inconvenient, they had found a kind of balance in their communication, a kind of understanding – wasn’t that enough? Why would Huanhuan want to hear his voice?

Once she heard it, wouldn’t everything be exposed?

Zhan Xi hugged Luo Jingyu tight, her right hand gently stroking his back. His body was very stiff, like he was extremely nervous. She regretted it, felt heartache, and decided never to make this request again.

She must have been touching his wounds. Too cruel – she should have thought it through more carefully.

Just then, Luo Jingyu raised his head from her embrace. His eyes were a bit red, his gaze sad. Zhan Xi was startled, thinking had he cried?

Before she could ask, she saw Luo Jingyu slightly open his mouth. He grabbed her right hand and pressed it to his Adam’s apple, his reddened eyes meeting hers.

He opened his mouth a bit more, and Zhan Xi’s right hand fingers felt a slight tremor. At the same time, a young, clear, but slightly unclear male voice sounded by her ear.

“Ah…”

Luo Jingyu closed his eyes, pressing Zhan Xi’s fingers more firmly against his throat as he continued making sounds: “Uh ah… ah… oh… uh ah…”

He couldn’t hear, and now couldn’t see either. His fingers could feel the vibrations in his throat. He repeatedly vibrated his vocal cords, just like when he secretly made sounds in the bathroom, trying different mouth shapes, attempting to make different syllables.

Was he speaking too loudly? Too strange? Too unpleasant?

Luo Jingyu didn’t know.

He also didn’t care what kind of nonsense Zhan Xi was hearing – volume, tone, timbre… he knew nothing about them and would never know.

He only knew she wanted to hear, so let her hear!

If it was something Huanhuan wanted, he would give her anything.

When those soft lips pressed against his, he hadn’t finished making sounds, and Zhan Xi heard an “uh ah” instantly become “mmm…”

She held Luo Jingyu’s head, kissing him deeply, her fingers threading through his hair, feeling its dry, fluffy texture. She closed her eyes too, taking the lead in kissing for the first time, not letting him hide or escape. Her tongue tangled with his, exploring his teeth, leaving no corner untouched, so intense, so passionate, so wild… only separating when they both could barely breathe.

They pressed their foreheads together, feeling each other’s rapid breathing so close.

Luo Jingyu’s eyelashes trembled, finally opening his eyes. His eyes were still wet and red as he looked at Zhan Xi almost submissively.

Zhan Xi had opened her eyes first. After moving her body slightly away from him, she raised her right thumb, then cupped her right palm by her ear, repeating these two gestures without speaking.

[Sounds good.]

His gaze was as deep as the sea.

Zhan Xi tapped her index fingers together, extended her right index finger with thumb pressed against its base dipping down, then gave a thumbs up, palm cupped by ear…

She was saying: [Really sounds good.]