ATLAS TRANSLATES

Chen Yi had accidentally broken his phone recently and didn’t have time to get it fixed, so he took out his old phone which happened to be the same model and style as Ruan Mian’s, and both of their ringtones were the system default.

To make matters worse, last night Ruan Mian was sleeping on the left side of the bed with her phone also on the left bedside table, but when Chen Yi came in the second time, she had moved to the right side.

Chen Yi didn’t expect this to happen either. He casually put his phone down in the empty spot on the left and lied down.

At this moment, the two of them heard Ruan Mingke’s puzzled voice coming from the earpiece. They looked at each other and Ruan Mian quickly came to her senses, picked up the phone and said, “Dad, it’s me. Give me a few minutes and I’ll call you back.”

After saying that, she immediately hung up the call.

An awkward silence fell over the room. Chen Yi, after sleeping for a while, was no longer feeling as groggy. He sat up and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, “Should I give Uncle a call to explain?”

“Forget it, I’ll do it.”

Ruan Mian tossed the phone onto the comforter and bent down to bury her head in it. Her back was exposed by this action, the straight and protruding outline pressed tightly against her pajamas, and a slim waist was also revealed.

Chen Yi reached out and tugged her pajama hem down a little. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “I’ll go out and wait for you. You call Uncle back first.”

Ruan Mian responded with an “Okay.” Chen Yi pushed aside the hair hanging in front of her face, grabbed the phone and handed it to her, “I’ll take responsibility for any problems.”

“Mm.”

Chen Yi ruffled Ruan Mian’s hair again before getting out of bed and leaving the room, taking his own phone with him.

The room became quiet again after the sounds of the door opening and closing. Ruan Mian held her phone and pondered for a while before dialing Ruan Mingke’s number.

A few seconds later—

“Dad.”

After calling out, she couldn’t find anything else to say.

Ruan Mingke reacted normally and didn’t bring up what had happened earlier. “Just got up?”

Ruan Mian traced the patterns on the comforter and gave a low “Mm” in response.

Father and daughter were silent for a while. Ruan Mian heaved an inaudible sigh, plucked up her courage and brought it up, “Dad, it was Chen Yi who picked up the call earlier.”

Ruan Mingke: “I guessed that already.”

“We are…” Ruan Mian had already thought of several explanations in that moment for why Chen Yi picked up the call, but when it came time to actually voice them, it turned into a confession instead. “Dad, Chen Yi and I are together now.”

Ruan Mingke didn’t seem surprised at all. “Since when?”

“Last time I went home for the Dragon Boat Festival.”

Ruan Mian said, “Chen Yi and I had already met in Luolin before. I didn’t expect he was Uncle Chen’s son. I didn’t deliberately try to hide it from you and Mom either.”

“No wonder. I noticed something was off between you two that day.”

Ruan Mingke laughed. “Since you’re together, then be together properly. This isn’t a bad thing.”

“Mm.”

Ruan Mian rubbed her temples, and still decided to mention Fang Ruqing’s concerns to Ruan Mingke. “Dad, can you help communicate with Mom about this?”

“Okay, I’ll contact your mom when I get back.”

Ruan Mingke seemed to recall something. “Mianmian, although you’re not a teenage girl anymore, dating is still dating. There are some things you need to protect yourself properly for.

Chen Yi is a friend’s son, so his character shouldn’t be a problem in principle. But you’re my daughter, and as your father, my only request is that I hope you won’t suffer any emotional or physical harm in this relationship.”

When Ruan Mian heard the first half of Ruan Mingke’s words, she still felt embarrassed. But when she heard the second half, she felt her eyes grow hot. Afraid that he would hear her crying voice, she could only give a heavy “Mm”.

“Alright, don’t worry too much about your mom either.”

Ruan Mingke didn’t say anything more, just reminded her not to skip meals in this hot weather before hanging up.

With no more worries holding her back, Ruan Mian shed two tears but quickly wiped them away. She opened WeChat and sent Chen Yi a message.

Ruan Mian: I told my dad about us.

Chen Yi didn’t reply immediately. Ruan Mian got out of bed in her slippers and went into the bathroom to wash up. While washing her face, she heard the sound of curtains being pulled outside and wanted to turn her head to look, but soap bubbles unexpectedly got into her eyes. Although it was a no-tears formula, it was still a little uncomfortable.

She hurriedly lowered her head to rinse off thoroughly. Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around her waist, and half her weight pressed down on her shoulders.

Chen Yi nibbled her earlobe and looked at her from the mirror. “What did Uncle say?”

“Nothing much.”

Ruan Mian took out individually wrapped facial tissue from her bag to wipe off the water droplets on her face. “He didn’t seem very surprised that we’re together.”

“I also gave my dad a call just now and told him about us.”

Not only that, Chen Yi had gotten Chen’s father’s contact information and specifically called to explain things.

He lowered his head and saw the redness around her eyes. His fingertips touched it. “Cried?”

“No, soap got in my eyes just now.”

Ruan Mian hadn’t expected the worries from last night to be completely resolved with just a phone call this morning. Although the way it was resolved was a bit awkward, at least it was resolved.

Chen Yi didn’t ask any more. He rested his chin on her head, and reached from both sides to pinch her soft, chubby cheeks. “So, come over for dinner with me tonight?”

He hooked the corners of his lips. “What do you want for lunch?”

“Anything is fine.”

“Mm.”

“Red braised pork ribs?”

“Sure.”

Chen Yi readily agreed. He hugged Ruan Mian as they walked out, had her sit on the edge of the bed, then squatted down to check the injury on her ankle.

It hadn’t gotten wet, wasn’t infected, and wasn’t swollen—everything looked fine.

He let go and stood up, eyes lowered as he looked at her. “Take your time. I’ll go tidy up the kitchen first.”

Ruan Mian nodded and said okay. She turned around to look for her phone, groping around in the sheets for a long time but couldn’t find it. Seeing this, Chen Yi walked over and found the phone with barely any effort.

She gave a surprised sound, and smiled as she reached out for it.

Chen Yi took the opportunity to grasp her wrist and lowered his head to kiss it.

Outside, the sunshine was bright and warm. Inside, they were wrapped up in tender intimacy.

Chen Yi didn’t tell Ruan Mian about contacting Ruan Mingke, and Ruan Mian also didn’t mention Fang Ruqing’s attitude to him.

The two were hiding their efforts for this relationship from each other.

After lunch, Meng Xinglan went back to the hotel where she had previously stayed to attend a temporary meeting, and Liang Yiran accompanied her there.

Shen Yu was called back home by his parents who were staying short-term in City B. As expected, it was another blind date. After making a fuss about it last time, Shen’s father was so angry at Shen Yu’s rebelliousness that his blood pressure suddenly rose and he stayed in the hospital for over half a month. Afterwards, he and his wife went back to Pingcheng to recuperate for a period of time.

After coming back recently, the couple had a long talk with Shen Yu through the night. Both sides compromised – there would still be blind dates, but only with Shen Yu’s agreement before they would arrange a meeting.

Adults can never escape this fate.

After one group left, the originally lively and noisy room instantly became much quieter. Chen Yi washed some grapes and strawberries and brought them to the living room coffee table. Seeing Ruan Mian was on the phone, he didn’t go over to disturb her.

A few minutes later, the call ended. Chen Yi saw her somber expression and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Ruan Mian lowered her head to look for slippers, and said while walking, “Something happened with my senior, she’s at the hospital now, so I have to go over.”

Chen Yi followed her, “I’ll take you there.”

Ruan Mian didn’t drive here last night. Now the sun outside was glaringly bright, just walking out the door you could already feel the heat, so she didn’t refuse.

After getting in the car, Ruan Mian sent the location to Chen Yi, and made another call to Lin Jiahui, “I’m already on my way, estimated another hour before I can get to you.”

Chen Yi glanced at the destination on the navigation – it was a gynecology hospital in City B. He vaguely guessed what had happened, but since it was someone else’s private matters, he didn’t ask too many questions, only held Ruan Mian’s hand to comfort her, “She’s already at the hospital, it shouldn’t be too serious.”

Ruan Mian sighed, “Mm.”

It really took about an hour to get to the hospital. Chen Yi accompanied Ruan Mian into the hospital, but didn’t go upstairs with her. “I’ll wait in the lobby, call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Upstairs, Ruan Mian headed straight for the room Lin Jiahui was in. It was a two-person room, with a young woman who had just undergone surgery lying next to her. The young woman’s complexion was ghastly pale, and there were several women sitting at her bedside, which made Lin Jiahui lying on the other hospital bed seem especially lonely.

Ruan Mian walked over, “Senior.”

“You came.”

Lin Jiahui had been frightened by the woman next to her. Her complexion was just as poor, “I didn’t mean to trouble you, but I couldn’t find anyone else.”

Lin Jiahui had been dating Zhou Yuan for 10 years since their college days. They were at the age where they should be talking about marriage, but because of their individual work and family circumstances, they still hadn’t gotten married up to now.

Last week during a routine health checkup at the hospital, she was found to be pregnant. She originally thought that with a child, they could start considering marriage. But Zhou Yuan wanted Lin Jiahui to abort this child.

He said to Lin Jiahui, “Jiahui, look at the kind of life we’re living now. Do you think we’re still in a position to take on a child?”

“Give me another two years, and once I become the project manager, we’ll get married. Then you can have as many children as you want, okay?”

Naturally, Lin Jiahui was unwilling. The two had a huge fight over this issue, and were on the verge of breaking up.

Today morning, before leaving on a business trip, Zhou Yuan sent Lin Jiahui a message – in summary, if she insisted on having this child, they would break up.

Lin Jiahui covered her face and cried. Ruan Mian didn’t know how to comfort her, and after she finished crying, only asked: “So are you planning to not keep this child?”

“I have no choice.”

Lin Jiahui sobbed, “How could I raise a child alone?”

The surgery had already been scheduled before Ruan Mian arrived. The process was shorter than she imagined. Ruan Mian helped Lin Jiahui with matters before and after, and once she was settled, she remembered that Chen Yi was still waiting downstairs. Seeing that Lin Jiahui was still sleeping, she told the nurse she was stepping out and went to the first floor lobby.

Chen Yi saw her running down with sweat dripping off her forehead. He got up and pulled her into his arms, then picked up an unopened bottle of water next to him, opened it and handed it to her, “How’s the situation?”

Ruan Mian drank a sip, pursed her lips, “Not great.”

Chen Yi didn’t ask how exactly it was not great. He raised his hand to wipe away the sweat on her temple, “So are you staying at the hospital now?”

“More or less, I’ll ask her when she wakes up if she needs me to go back and get anything.”

Ruan Mian sighed, looking utterly depressed.

A few seconds later, as if recalling something, she let go of his hand and urged, “You should go.”

“Hmm?”

Chen Yi pulled her back, finding it somewhat amusing, “How heartless. At the very least, it’s still my birthday today.”

It was precisely because Ruan Mian thought of it being his birthday today that she wanted to urge him to leave early. With him bringing it up, she felt even more apologetic, and compensated by leaning in to kiss the corner of his lips, “Happy birthday, student Chen Yi.”