ATLAS TRANSLATES

That brief contact was particularly odd due to the two people’s abnormal reactions. The atmosphere at that moment was somewhat strangely subtle.

Ruan Mian wasn’t wearing clothes with pockets today. After retracting her hand, she didn’t even know where to put it for a moment, and could only tightly grip her bag strap.

That man shouting to get on the elevator still squeezed in. The already narrow space became even more cramped because of him and the wheelchair he held.

The man turned back and thanked Ruan Mian. Ruan Mian nodded with a smile and said you’re welcome. He pressed the button for the 5th floor. The elevator stopped on the 2nd floor and 3 more people got on. The man holding the wheelchair moved back, seemingly about to bump into Ruan Mian. She reflexively took a small step back.

It’s like an act of “walking into a trap willingly.”

Her head bumped into Chen Yi’s chin. Losing her footing, Chen Yi reached out to steady her by the arm, his chest against her back. From behind, it looked just like he was hugging her.

Ruan Mian’s whole body stiffened, hardly daring to look back.

She couldn’t help feeling somewhat relieved that Chen Yi was standing behind her, unable to see her flushed face and extremely nervous expression.

After steadying her, Chen Yi retracted his hand and stood there, his gaze naturally falling on her. At such a close distance, he could even see that she had just one earring hole.

The fair earlobe was exquisite and delicate, now tinged red. He only looked for a few seconds before lowering his head to touch his own ear and averting his gaze.

The elevator soon reached the 3rd floor. Many people got off on this floor. Ruan Mian followed the crowd out of the elevator. As if to cover up, she said, “It feels a bit hot today.”

Chen Yi looked at her flushed cheeks and nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”

Neither mentioned what just happened, as if nothing had occurred at all.

The dressing room was at the end of the corridor. Because of Lin Jiahui in general surgery, Ruan Mian was familiar with the doctors and nurses here.

Chen Yi went in to change his dressings while she chatted outside with Nurse Yu Wu who was on duty. She was inevitably gossiped about: “Doctor Ruan, is this your boyfriend?”

Ruan Mian wished she could shake her head like a rattle drum2: “No, just a friend.”

Yu Wu laughed. “If he’s just a friend, why are you so nervous?”

Ruan Mian couldn’t laugh. She pulled out a paper towel to wipe her hands. “I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Go ahead.”

She came out of the dressing room, stood in the corridor to calm her breathing. In the end, she didn’t go back in, waiting until Chen Yi came out.

Chen Yi was wearing a single piece today. He probably took his shirt off for the dressing change. Coming out, the hem of the black dress shirt hung loose, buttons haphazardly done up, stretching from his neck to collarbone, glaringly white.

Ruan Mian’s mental preparation nearly crumbled. She only glanced once before immediately averting her gaze, feigning composure as she asked: “Where to now?”

“Bathroom.”

“Hm?”

She was puzzled.

Chen Yi smiled softly, lowering his eyes. “I’m going to tidy up.”

With one hand adjusting his buttons, the black shirt made his fingers appear especially long and fair, somehow adding a hint of sexiness.

Ruan Mian blinked uncomfortably twice, pointing him to the bathroom and saying, “I’ll wait for you by the elevators.”

“Okay.”

Chen Yi was gone for less than 3 minutes. The elevator going down was empty. Ruan Mian stood much farther from him than before.

Leaving the hospital, it was already past 3:30. On the way here, Chen Yi had his friend from the car rental place bring his car over. Only after getting the car did they realize it was an awkward time, neither early nor late.

The car was parked in a temporary spot by the road. Lined along the road were rows of poplar trees. At this time, the sunlight wasn’t too harsh. Ruan Mian sat in the passenger seat, the wind blowing in through the window.

Chen Yi buckled his seatbelt, tapping the steering wheel twice. “It’s a bit early to eat now. Do you have any plans?”

Ruan Mian’s lips moved, still unsure how to respond, when she heard him continue: “If not, let’s go catch a movie. It’ll be about the right time once we’re done.”

He then turned to look at her again. “Does that work for you?”

Ruan Mian’s eyelid twitched and she nodded. “…Okay.”

The nearest theater was in Yintai Shopping Mall. On the way there, Ruan Mian browsed the app for movies recently released.

Some just released yesterday were coming soon. Others released half a month ago still had limited screenings, just less frequently and at less convenient times.

She scrolled casually. This cinema had many screens but she couldn’t find anything suitable right away. She decided to choose when they got there.

From the hospital it was a 20+ minutes drive. Ruan Mian had wanted to chat but couldn’t think of anything to talk about after pondering half the day. She sat spacing out for over 10 minutes but didn’t feel as awkward and tense as before.

Trees and buildings flashed by outside.

Arriving, Chen Yi parked in the B2 level. Getting out of the car, he locked up and walked with Ruan Mian towards the elevator entrance, casually asking, “Do you drive to work normally?”

“Rarely.”

Ruan Mian looked ahead. “I share an apartment near the hospital with colleagues. Taking the subway is more convenient than driving.”

“I see. Traffic in B City has always been bad.”

The theater was on the 5th floor. As the two exited the elevator, they happened to catch the last screening letting out, the atrium packed with people. Chen Yi and Ruan Mian went to the self-service ticket machines.

He tapped open the listings and asked, “What do you want to watch?”

“Anything is fine, you pick.”

She didn’t really care what they watched since they were just here to kill time anyway.

“Okay.”

Chen Yi stood there selecting a film while Ruan Mian felt a little thirsty and asked: “I’m getting water. What would you like?”

“Just purified water is fine.”

Chen Yi chose a film with the nearest screening, starting in 19 minutes. After paying and collecting the tickets, the entrance had already started checking.

He glanced back. Ruan Mian was in line at the vending machines, queued behind tall guys with long legs. She looked very petite among them, somewhat conspicuous.

Chen Yi inexplicably smiled and quickly walked over. “Let me buy them. You go line up to get our tickets checked first.”

In recent years, Ruan Mian’s studies had kept her very busy and tense. The occasional breaks were all used to clear her mind. This led to a very bad habit now – when free, she liked spacing out thinking about random things.

When Chen Yi came over, she was wondering what to eat for dinner tonight. The sudden voice beside her made her heart skip a beat.

Coming to her senses, she took the tickets Chen Yi handed over and glanced down, then froze. The movie Chen Yi chose was not unfamiliar to Ruan Mian at all.

One could even say it left a deep impression.

That summer of 11th grade, she watched another version of this movie at the cinema. At that time, she envied the endings the characters got, no matter good or bad, unlike her and Chen Yi who didn’t even have an ending.

The solo plays of her youth, which she performed from start to finish alone – the sadness and sourness unknown to anyone. He was the protagonist occupying her world, while she was just an insignificant passerby in his life.

She thought the story of Ruan Mian and Chen Yi had already closed curtains long ago. But now, it seemed to not be the case.

Sensing Ruan Mian’s abnormal mood, Chen Yi lightly pursed his lips and asked: “What’s wrong? Don’t like watching this movie?”

Ruan Mian’s thoughts were interrupted by his words. Coming back to herself, she smiled imperceptibly and said: “No, I just didn’t expect you to pick this movie.”

“I randomly chose the next available screening. We can still change it if you don’t like it.”

Chen Yi looked down at her, though his mind was on other things. “Have you seen this movie before?”

“Mm, I’ve seen the Korean version. The ending wasn’t very good…” After saying this, Ruan Mian paused. She thought she might have directly spoiled it.

Chen Yi didn’t care much about these details. “Then should we keep watching?”

“Let’s watch. The tickets are bought already, can’t get a refund.”

Ruan Mian held the tickets. “I’ll go line up first to get them checked. Help me buy a bottle of water too.”

“Sure.”

Watching her walk away, Chen Yi had a thoughtful expression.

The total runtime was less than two hours. The content and ending were largely the same as the Korean version. Watching it a second time, Ruan Mian no longer felt the sadness she did originally.

Perhaps because she already knew the ending, or for some other reason – when the movie finished, she only sighed a few times for the helplessness of the characters.

Chen Yi was even more oblivious to what was shown in the movie. From start to end, his mind was occupied by other matters.

With divergent thoughts, it was almost 6pm when they came out of the theater. There were more people at the weekend mall. Ruan Mian chose a moderately-priced restaurant.

After ordering, on her way back from the restroom, she borrowed a power bank from the bar to charge her phone.

Chen Yi had chosen the seats, by the window overlooking the bustle outside.

Ruan Mian finished half a glass of lemon water. Her phone had charged to 3% already. With the power connected, turning it on wouldn’t be an issue.

Seeing this, Chen Yi also put his phone down, as if recalling something. He tapped a few times and passed it to her. “Add me on WeChat.”

Their phones were the same brand, released last winter.

Ruan Mian opened her WeChat and scanned the QR code on his screen. The page jumped to his profile. His avatar was very similar to the QQ one he used in high school, also an orange cat.

His nickname was his initials, CY.

The two quickly became WeChat friends. Each took their phone back to fiddle with it. Ruan Mian tapped into Chen Yi’s Moments page. He had full public sharing, but not much content.

The most recent post was three months ago, the photo from his avatar. She was about to like it, but on second thought felt it might be inappropriate. She exited WeChat and put her phone aside to charge.

Seeing this, Chen Yi also put his phone down.

Ruan Mian held her teacup, taking the initiative to break the silence: “How many days are you guys off for?”

“Two days. You?”

“One more day than you.”

As Ruan Mian spoke, her hand still drifted to her phone, fingers running along the edge. “Do you guys get rest periods normally too?”

“Yeah.”

Chen Yi thought for a bit before saying: “When not on missions, we get a month off once. Missions are separate. And there are also impromptu breaks depending on circumstances. Can take leave when something comes up too.”

Ruan Mian nodded. They didn’t chat much before the dishes started coming one by one, and the two focused on eating.

Around 8:30pm after the meal, Ruan Mian only found out when going to pay that Chen Yi had already settled the bill earlier. She put her card back in her bag. “When did you pay?”

“When you went to the bathroom.”

Chen Yi walked on her left. A child ran by in front and he shifted to the right imperceptibly.

Ruan Mian didn’t notice any of this. Hesitantly, she said: “Since you picked up my phone, I should’ve treated you to dinner.”

Hearing this, Chen Yi let out a quiet laugh: “Next time. Leave it for next time there’s a chance to let you treat.”

Ruan Mian looked up to meet his gaze, her heart thumping rapidly. For some reason, she gained new expectations for this ‘next time’ he spoke of. She nodded and uttered an “Okay.”

Leaving the mall, Chen Yi drove Ruan Mian home. The usual 40+ minute drive took nearly an hour and a half due to traffic jams.

After 10pm, the car stopped at the residential community entrance. Ruan Mian didn’t linger to chat with Chen Yi, still bidding him routine farewells before returning home. Lin Jiahui was still out on her date.

After tidying up a bit, Ruan Mian sat in the living room to call her parents back, chatting with each for a good half hour. Later, she also received a call from He Zechuan.

The two spoke for a while before hanging up. Ruan Mian went back to her room to rest. Lying in bed, she received a WeChat message from Song Yangling.

Song Yangling: Dr. Ruan, are you there?

She was somewhat surprised that Song Yangling would look for her at this time, but since she saw it, she couldn’t just ignore it. She typed a few words back.

Ruan Mian: Here, what’s up?

Song Yangling: I wanted to ask if you could give me Chen Yi’s WeChat? You were classmates, so you should have his WeChat right? Please, please!

Seeing this message, Ruan Mian somehow found it funny that she had only just added his WeChat today, and coincidentally got this request.

After careful consideration, she typed a reply:

Ruan Mian: Sorry, I’ll have to ask him first. Is that okay?

Song Yangling: ……

Song Yangling: Okay then, thanks for the trouble. (Flying kiss emoji.)

Ruan Mian didn’t reply to Song Yangling’s messages again. She opened her chat with Chen Yi, hesitating for a long while before sending a “Are you there?” with a question mark.

It took Chen Yi a full ten minutes to reply.

CY: What’s up?

Was driving just now.

Ruan Mian: It’s just one of my colleagues asked me for your WeChat. Can I give it to her?

CY: ?

Ruan Mian: ……

Ruan Mian: It’s someone you also know, Dr. Song Yangling.

After sending this, it was as if the message sank to the bottom of the ocean. Song Yangling even sent Ruan Mian several more messages after a long while. Ruan Mian could only tell her Chen Yi hadn’t replied yet.

Sitting at the desk holding her phone, Ruan Mian was at a loss.

After some time, Meng Fuping called Ruan Mian for the departmental thesis references. She had no choice but to put this matter aside temporarily to work on the thesis.

Close to midnight, after ending the long voice call with Meng Fuping, Ruan Mian picked up her phone and saw Chen Yi had replied ten minutes ago.

CY: WeChat is quite personal, I don’t want to just give it to others casually.

Ruan Mian stared at this message for over ten seconds before replying with an “Okay”, then passed Chen Yi’s intentions on to Song Yangling.

After finishing up these matters, she put her phone down to go brush her teeth. By chance, raising her head to look in the mirror, she froze for a moment.

The smile on her face froze along with the action.

Ruan Mian lowered her head to spit out the foam, then looked up again after washing her face clean. The bright bathroom lights illuminated everything clearly.

Even the smile in her eyes that wouldn’t fade away.

On January 4, 2009, Ruan Mian learned from Sheng Huan that Chen Yi had accepted her QQ request.

On July 16, 2009, Ruan Mian watched “More Than Blue¹” at the theater.

On March 23, 2019, Ruan Mian watched “More Than Blue” together with Chen Yi. Chen Yi took the initiative to add her WeChat and rejected someone else’s friend request.

All the sorrows and regrets she once had were made up for today.

1. “More Than Blue” (2009: South Korean, 2018: Taiwan remake, 2021: Drama series remake). It was a really popular tearjerker movie about two best friends who shared a home, with explorations on friendship, romance, and death.
   
   (T/N: I have to admit, I cried a lot the first time I watched it…) ↩︎