ATLAS TRANSLATES

The barbecue stall was outdoors. The hot, humid early summer air felt stuffy and sticky. Even with the fan on full blast, it was still sweating a little.

A group of twelve people sat around a circular table. Ruan Mian was still sandwiched between Meng Xinglan and Chen Yi. The evening sky was torn into pieces by the motley magnificent sunset glow. The sun had not completely set yet, and was still exerting the last of its heat with great effort.

Shen Yu ticked off most of the menu items, then passed the menu around for everyone to see if they wanted to add anything. “You guys order, I’ll go grab the drinks.”

After the menu circulated around, only grilled bell peppers and grilled pig brain were not ordered. The server came to collect the menus, and seeing Shen Yu bringing over a case of alcohol, added a few more words with his pen.

Shen Yu cracked open several bottles of alcohol at once. A cap fell to the ground and he picked it up to ask, “Is everyone here of age?”

In response, they all chimed in – I’m sixteen, I’m seventeen, I’m not of age yet. The oldest was still a week away from turning eighteen.

They really were all kids.

Chen Yi smiled, raised his hand to call the server over and added a few bottles of soft drinks. Shen Yu passed the alcohol to Jiang Rang and the others, and when it got to Chen Yi, he waved it away. “I won’t be drinking.”

Shen Yu laughed and cursed, “Don’t pretend to be all proper with me.”

Chen Yi leaned back in his chair, discreetly draping his arm over the back of Ruan Mian’s chair. “I’ll be driving later.”

His implication was crystal clear.

Shen Yu was long used to his behavior, so he handed the bottle to Ruan Mian instead, placing it between her and Chen Yi’s hands in the middle.

Ruan Mian still remembered what happened the last time they ate together. As soon as Shen Yu retracted his hand, she moved the bottle to her own right side.

Seeing her action, Chen Yi suddenly laughed out loud. With the hand on the back of her chair, he lightly poked her shoulder. When she looked over, he casually asked, “What are you doing?”

It had been Ruan Mian’s instinctive reaction, so she felt a little awkward now. “…It’s more convenient for me to put it here.”

He raised his eyebrows, speaking slowly, “Oh, I see.”

“Mm.”

She even nodded to add credibility.

Chen Yi laughed breezily, eyes and brows relaxed, and lazily said, “Alright, bring it over here. I won’t drink your alcohol this time.”

Considering they still had to visit Teacher Zhou later, none of them drank too much. Only half the case of alcohol was emptied. Seeing they were just about done eating, Chen Yi got up to go pay.

Over a dozen people had racked up a bill of several hundred yuan. After paying, Chen Yi also grabbed two sour plum candies from the table and pocketed them. By the time he returned to his seat, those younger boys had already left first after eating their fill.

He sat down and naturally took the unfinished bottle of alcohol in front of Ruan Mian, placing the two candies in its spot. In a low voice, he said, “Drink less.”

Ruan Mian swallowed her food and didn’t say anything, only reached out to take the two candies.

After eating, they went to a nearby mall to buy some things. On the way back, they passed by a fruit stall and Ruan Mian and Meng Xinglan went in to buy some fruit.

By the time they reached Teacher Zhou’s place, it was already nine o’clock. Zhou Hai was fifty-three this year, already old enough to be a grandpa. When he came to open the door holding his grandson, he was stunned for a moment before his delight and excitement overflowed, and he could barely speak properly.

Zhou Hai had only been the head teacher for Ruan Mian, Chen Yi, Jiang Rang and Meng Xinglan’s class, but he had also taught Chen Yi’s class biology in 10th grade. So it was reasonable for Liang Yiran and Shen Yu to visit him too.

They had deliberately chosen this late hour to avoid wasting too much of his time or troubling him. They sat down for two cups of tea, chatted for a bit, then left.

Zhou Hai saw them to the school gates, lamenting, “My, year after year, and in the blink of an eye you all will be starting families and careers too.”

The few murmured in agreement. Upon reaching the gates, they told Zhou Hai not to see them off further. Zhou Hai nodded lightly, looking back every few steps as he waved them goodbye, telling them to be safe on the way back.

The campus, just finished with college entrance exams, was empty and quiet. The group stood at the school gates for a while, reminiscing about the bygone student days.

Jiang Rang was the first to leave. He took a call, then smilingly said, “Something came up at home, I have to head back first.”

Shen Yu was going the same way, and slung an arm across Jiang Rang’s shoulders as they went to hail a cab by the roadside. Meng Xinglan and Liang Yiran’s new place was near Ping University, still some ways off, so they left after that too.

Ruan Mian and Chen Yi were left standing there, a small distance apart, with the lamplight stretching their shadows long.

After blowing some breeze, Chen Yi offered to send her back. Ruan Mian followed him across the street to the milk tea shop they were at earlier to get his car.

The streets were still bustling with people.

The two didn’t walk too close together until a child suddenly came running towards them head on, brushing right between them.

It seemed to alert Chen Yi, whose footsteps imperceptibly shifted nearer to her. He glanced at her sideways, “Are you going back to B City tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

She had booked a noon ticket. “When are you guys going back?”

“Tomorrow night.”

Chen Yi asked, “Want to go together?”

Ruan Mian had an early morning shift the day after, and also had to cover her colleague’s night shift. She deliberated between going back with Chen Yi versus going back earlier to get some extra sleep, then shook her head. “It’s alright, I’m working the whole day after tomorrow and need to rest early at night.”

He didn’t say much either. “Alright.”

When they reached the car, Ruan Mian felt a little thirsty and went to the nearby convenience store to buy two bottles of water. Just as she was about to get in the car, there was a sudden voice from the side.

“Mianmian?”

Ruan Mian instinctively looked up to see Fang Ruqing and Zhao Shuyang standing not far away, across the open car door. She met Chen Yi’s questioning gaze and hesitated briefly before explaining, “My mom and younger brother.”

Resigned, she closed the car door. Fang Ruqing had already walked over. She first glanced at Chen Yi before asking, “Why are you still here so late?”

Ruan Mian: “I came to visit my teacher and was just about to head back.”

As she spoke, Chen Yi also walked around from the driver’s side. He was always courteous and composed – even in such sudden situations, he maintained his refined manners. Unhurriedly, he introduced himself, “Hello Auntie, I’m Chen Yi.”

At that moment, Fang Ruqing had no interest in this man’s name. She greeted him politely as an elder, then recalling Ruan Mian’s earlier reply, asked again, “You two are classmates right, coming back together to visit your teacher?”

“Yes, high school classmates.”

Chen Yi glanced at someone keeping silent beside them, and continued, “But today Ruan Mian and I were on a blind date.”

Right as he finished speaking, Ruan Mian’s head jerked up to look at him. He was frank and aboveboard, neither lying nor deceiving, calmly meeting her gaze.

Contrary to Ruan Mian’s surprise, Fang Ruqing, who had always been worried about her daughter’s marriage, instantly brightened. “Oh my, it’s still early. We live nearby, why don’t you come in for some tea before leaving?”

Chen Yi knew when to advance and retreat. Extremely politely, he declined, “Please don’t trouble yourself Auntie. Next time there is a chance I will visit properly.”

Just as Fang Ruqing was about to say more, Ruan Mian interrupted her. “Mom, it’s late, please take Shuyang back first. I’ll talk to you about it when I get home tonight.”

After much cajoling, Fang Ruqing was finally dragged away by Zhao Shuyang. Ruan Mian breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately recalled something. She turned to Chen Yi, “You didn’t actually have to say all that to my mom.”

“Say what, the blind date?”

Chen Yi responded seriously, “It’s because my family has rules to not lie to elders.”

On the ride back later, Ruan Mian kept receiving messages from Fang Ruqing asking about Chen Yi’s background, wanting to know everything about his ancestors going back eighteen generations.

But Ruan Mian’s knowledge of Chen Yi was limited to what she currently knew, plus some personal information he had mentioned that afternoon.

She couldn’t answer many of the questions, and Fang Ruqing even began suspecting Chen Yi was someone Ruan Mian had made up to fob her off.

Ruan Mian: “…”

She could only bring up Ruan Mingke, and Fang Ruqing finally let up, as if redirecting her interrogation target, and stopped messaging her.

Her phone finally quieted down.

Chen Yi looked over at her, thoughtfully asking, “Do you need me to add your mom on WeChat?”

“Hm?”

“To explain things.”

Chen Yi said, “And tell her about me at the same time.”

Ruan Mian pressed her lips together, seeming to find his “kind intentions” somewhat hard to accept. After a long pause, she said, “No need.”

Adhering to his principle of focusing on driving, Chen Yi retracted his gaze to watch the road conditions ahead. The remaining half hour journey was especially smooth.

When they arrived at the entrance to her complex, Ruan Mian undid her seatbelt, preparing to get out of the car. But then there was suddenly the sound of the doors locking.

She was startled, trying the door handle again but unable to open it. Puzzled, she looked back at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Seven hours and twenty-four minutes.”

To be precise, after saying that Chen Yi glanced at his phone again. Only then did Ruan Mian notice he had recorded a time in his notes app.

2:18pm.

Counting back, it was exactly when he had spoken plainly that afternoon. After seven hours and twenty-four minutes, he brought it up again. “It’s been so long since I asked you that question, yet you still haven’t given me an answer.”

Ruan Mian had assumed Chen Yi had long forgotten about it. She didn’t expect him to not only remember, but so precisely and meticulously. It felt like they were suddenly back in that afternoon atmosphere.

Her hand was still on the door handle, and she looked at him in much the same way as on the basketball court that afternoon.

The circumstances then were not as opportune as now, yet Chen Yi still did not make a move. As he looked at her, there was a hint of laughter in his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that.”

His gaze shifted pointedly downward for an instant before withdrawing again. In a low voice, he said, “Or I’ll feel like kissing you.”

Ruan Mian came to her senses. Her lips moved but no sound came out, a shy redness rising to her cheeks. An ambiguous tension crept in.

She turned her head to look out the window, her heart galloping wildly.

Those few tens of seconds felt rather long, even making the usually unflappable Chen Yi faintly feel he was on shaky ground. His gaze on her was full of nerves.

Outside the car, people came and went. Ruan Mian saw a bickering couple, a family of three walking hand in hand, and an old man taking his elderly partner on a stroll.

The many facets of humanity, all just one of the countless lives journeying to the same destination.

She drew her gaze back, and softly asked, “This afternoon, you said that if you won the basketball game, you’d make me agree to something. What did you want me to agree to do?”

Chen Yi’s eyes never left her, Adam’s apple rolling lightly. “If I say it now, will you agree?”

“Tell me what it is first.”

Ruan Mian wasn’t going to fall for that.

“Marry me.”

A smile spread on his lips. “No? Then how about being my girlfriend?”

Ruan Mian raised her head to look at him, seemingly shy. She quickly turned to look out the window again. After a few seconds of silence, she whispered, “I guess that’s okay.”

I guess that’s okay.

After Ruan Mian uttered those words, the car abruptly sank into silence. She felt indescribably nervous, not even daring to look back at him.

Chen Yi’s gaze lingered on her blushing ear. His heart felt sweet and tender, like it was filled with honey. “Won’t you turn this way and look at me?”

Ruan Mian automatically turned towards him, only to find that the person who had been at a distance just now was suddenly right before her eyes. His dark brows and warm lips were vividly real.

Her heartbeat even stopped for a moment, eyelashes fluttering lightly.

A few seconds later, Chen Yi drew back a little. His fingertip touched the spot his lips had just brushed, soft and delicate, just like her name.

The car interior was dim. He looked at her, eyes brimming with ardency, his voice low and gentle. “I like you.”