ATLAS TRANSLATES

At lunch, the Zhao family gathered around a full table. Taking advantage of Zhao Shutang being there, Fang Ruqing brought up Ruan Mian’s relationship problems several times.

Zhao Shutang smiled. “Auntie, there’s no need to rush these things.”

Ruan Mian nodded in agreement, but this time Fang Ruqing refused to compromise. After lunch she contacted her old friends right away.

Zhao Shutang’s boyfriend was also from Pingcheng. He went back after lunch. While Ruan Mian was resting upstairs, Zhao Shuyang, who was preparing for middle school exams this year, came in holding test papers.

After solving the difficult problems, Zhao Shuyang sat at Ruan Mian’s desk while continuing to write and said, “Sis, you’re really amazing.”

She stood by the window blowing on the breeze. Hearing this, she smiled lightly.

“Sis, when you were in Eighth Middle, you must have been top of the grade right?”

“No.”

Ruan Mian said, “But I was in the same class as the top student.”

“Whoa.”

Zhao Shuyang stopped writing, eyes shining. “What’s he doing now? Must be some really cool job right?”

“He’s in the military now.”

Zhao Shuyang grew even more excited, pulling her to ask all sorts of questions. Ruan Mian was pestered into a headache, and brushed him off, “When there’s a chance in the future, I’ll introduce you. You can ask him yourself then, okay?”

“Really? You really can?”

Ruan Mian hesitated for a moment, looking out at Pingjiang Mansion across the way, and murmured, “Should be able to.”

Later, Zhao Shutang returned. The three of them played poker for a bit. Ruan Mian was a little drowsy and took a nap. When she woke up, she discovered an unread WeChat message on her phone.

CY: Something came up suddenly. Probably won’t be able to send you back until later.

The message was sent an hour ago. Ruan Mian fumbled for a long time before simply replying with an “okay”. He didn’t message again after that. Ruan Mian put her phone down and went downstairs.

Fang Ruqing and Zhao Yingwei were preparing dinner in the kitchen, while the three children were watching TV in the living room. Outside, the sun was setting in the west, the prelude before the evening rush hour.

On the road leading to the city center, there was a traffic jam. A black Audi was stuck among them, unable to move. The driver’s side window rolled down, revealing an extraordinarily handsome face.

The deafening honks around made one’s head hurt. Chen Yi rolled up the car window again. He was sent out by his mother Song Jing to pick up his father Chen Shuyu, who had gotten together with old friends this afternoon for lunch, and then went to a teahouse, so he let the driver go back first.

It was right during rush hour, and he had been stuck in traffic for over 40 minutes before arriving at the teahouse. After getting out of the car and taking out his phone, he saw that Ruan Mian had replied to his message.

Chen Yi asked her when she would eat dinner, then put away his phone and entered the teahouse.

Chen Shuyu and his friend were waiting in the lobby lounge area, chatting and laughing. Chen Yi walked over, “Dad.”

Chen Shuyu sighed and got up, introducing, “Chen Yi, this is your Uncle Ruan, a senior colleague in nuclear physics research.”

Chen Yi greeted him politely, “Nice to meet you, Uncle.”

Ruan Mingke nodded in response.

Chen Shuyu said, “If you had persisted in physics back then, you might be colleagues with Uncle Ruan now.”

Ruan Mingke laughed, “Young people should try different things, and you’re still successful now.”

Chen Shuyu chatted with him, then they got in the car and Chen Yi sent Ruan Mingke home first. Chen Yi didn’t speak much the whole way.

After dropping the man off, the sky outside was already dark.

Chen Shuyu didn’t say much to his son. When they got home and the family sat down for dinner, Song Jing brought it up, “Your dad’s friend has a daughter around your age who is also still single. I saw her photo, she looks quite pretty. Let your dad arrange a meeting, how about you two meet?”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi stopped his chopsticks. He laughed lightly, “So today when you asked me to pick up Dad, it was to first check if I was suitable, right?”

Song Jing picked up some greens with her chopsticks and said lightly, “With your job, most families don’t want to marry their daughters to you.”

Chen Yi raised his hand and scratched his brow. “Forget the matchmaking. I already have someone I’m seeing, so don’t worry about it.”

“What girl?”

Song Jing said, “I think your uncle is right, you just don’t want to get married and made up someone to fool us.”

Chen Yi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry being stumped by his parents with a single sentence, even though he was a fully grown adult. He didn’t have much to say, so he lowered his head to take a couple bites of rice. Then he put down his chopsticks and said, “Think whatever you want, but I won’t go on any blind dates. I still have something to do, so I’ll go out for a bit and come back late. Don’t wait up for me.”

After saying that, he walked straight out, leaving Chen Shuyu and Song Jing helpless.

On the other hand, Ruan Mian was afraid Fang Ruqing would talk to her about something again, so right after finishing dinner she sent Chen Yi a message saying she would go back later.

He replied very quickly.

CY: I’m at Li Zhi’s place.

Ruan Mian: Then I’ll come find you later.

CY: Okay.

Ruan Mian smiled looking at her phone. Zhao Shutang came over and sat next to her, “Hey, what are you laughing so happily about?”

She quickly turned off her phone, “Nothing, when are you going back?”

“In a couple days.”

“Are you planning to keep working there?”

Zhao Shutang went to university in City Z, and after graduating he remained there. Like Ruan Mian, he only came back during holidays or Chinese New Year.

“Not necessarily.”

Zhao Shutang smiled, “It depends on my boyfriend. His family wants him to come back to Pingcheng, and I want to come back too, since it’s closer to home.”

“That’s good too.”

After chatting for a bit, Ruan Mian looked at the time and prepared to head back. Fang Ruqing couldn’t help but bring up the matchmaking again, “Avoiding me is useless, I’ve talked to your dad too.”

“Alright, how are you getting back, did you drive here?”

Fang Ruqing wiped her hands, “I didn’t drive, your Uncle Zhao and I will send you back.”

“No need, I called a car, it’ll be here soon.”

Ruan Mian didn’t let them send her off, and took two bags of zongzi1 to Li Zhi’s place.

Chen Yi and Li Zhi were talking at the entrance of the supermarket. They seemed to be discussing something, and Chen Yi tilted his head and laughed. Just then he happened to see Ruan Mian walking over.

He removed the arm draped over Li Zhi’s shoulder and walked over. His actions were natural as he took the things from her hands, “What’s this?”

“Zongzi.”

Ruan Mian gave one bag to Li Zhi.

Chen Yi said “Oh,” then asked, “So this bag is for me?”

Ruan Mian was clearly not expecting him to say that. She was taken aback and denied, “No.”

He gave a bland laugh, seeming to convey displeasure.

Ruan Mian hesitated, then tentatively said, “Then how about I give you this bag?”

He raised his eyes. “Forget it, let’s go.”

Ruan Mian pursed her lips and followed his footsteps. Once they got in the car, Chen Yi asked for her address.

“Huabang World Trade Center.”

Ruan Mian was busy fastening her seatbelt and didn’t notice Chen Yi’s brief pause upon hearing this address.

He asked, “That’s on South 2nd Ring Road?”

“Yes.”

Chen Yi entered the navigation. The first item in his history was this location, so he tapped it in. The car left the area.

With fewer cars on the road at night, the evening breeze was pleasant.

Chen Yi drove about halfway before turning off the navigation. The rest of the route was not unfamiliar to him after just passing through it this evening.

They soon arrived.

Chen Yi parked the car steadily. He watched her undo her seatbelt, and said in a neutral tone, “You were in the physics competition class in high school, right?”

He kept bringing up the past today. Ruan Mian suppressed her panic and turned to look at him. “Yeah, what about it?”

Chen Yi tapped the steering wheel. “I remember Teacher Zhou said you were more suited for the math group. Why did you switch to physics later on, was it because of someone?”

Ruan Mian’s breath hitched. She unconsciously clenched the bag in her hand, her lips moved but no sound came out. She swallowed, then said, “Because my dad does research in physics.”

“You have your dad’s surname, right?”

The topic jumped too quickly. Ruan Mian was stunned for a moment. “Yes.”

Chen Yi seemed to have received good news. He laughed to himself, “I see, go on up, it’s late, rest early.”

Ruan Mian gave a bewildered “Oh,” then got out of the car and walked a few steps. She couldn’t help but look back, only to see Chen Yi still sitting in the car watching her.

She quickly retracted her gaze and hurried into the residential area.

Chen Yi watched her go in, then rushed home at the fastest speed. But at a red light, he suddenly recalled Ruan Mian’s reaction when answering his questions.

Earlier he had only paid attention to other things, but thinking back now, he felt her answers didn’t match her response.

The traffic light changed and Chen Yi continued forward. At a certain moment, he vaguely felt that a large part of Ruan Mian’s reason for choosing physics back then was probably because of him.

Chen Yi didn’t dare think further. He took a deep breath, and accelerated, arriving home after another half hour.

Song Jing and Chen Shuyu were still in the living room, video calling the two elderly who were out travelling. Chen Yi sat down on the nearby sofa, leaning his elbow on the armrest, zoning out.

After a while, Song Jing got up to wash up. Chen Shuyu lightly kicked his leg and gently asked, “What’s wrong? Got all deflated after going out for a bit?”

Chen Yi snapped back to reality. He pinched his left thumb with his right hand, lowered his eyes and asked, “Dad, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Uncle Ruan’s daughter…” He moistened his lips, then asked three questions in one breath, “What’s her name? Where does she work? Do you have a photo?”

Chen Shuyu was completely confused.

Chen Yi touched the corner of his mouth. “You wanted to arrange a blind date, shouldn’t you at least let me understand some things about the other party first?”

Chen Shuyu found it amusing. “What do you need to understand? Weren’t you being stubborn earlier?”

Chen Yi gave a laugh and sigh. “I was immature before, so don’t make things difficult for me.”

“If only you were like this from the start, what was that childish temper for?”

Chen Yi decisively nipped it in the bud. “Nevermind then, I won’t go on any blind dates in the future anyway.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll arrange it.”

Chen Shuyu said this while sending a voice message to his old friend. Chen Yi sent Ruan Mian a WeChat message while sitting to the side listening to him chat.

CY: Are you free tomorrow?

But Ruan Mian didn’t reply at all, until half an hour later when Chen Shuyu and Ruan Mingke set a time and place to meet tomorrow.

Only then did he receive a new WeChat message. He opened it.

Ruan Mian: Might be busy tomorrow, something came up at home.

Chen Yi stared at those words for a while, then smiled faintly.

Okay.

Something came up at home.

He was going to see just what would come up tomorrow.