ATLAS TRANSLATES

Waking up and falling asleep, never quite settled. In a hazy state, she felt someone walking back and forth. Fu Xueli forced her eyes open, her vision blurry. She could only see a figure sitting in the chair next to her bed, very close.

She was too lazy to look up, only seeing a porcelain-white jaw and pale thin lips.

He seemed to have been sitting there for a very long time, motionless.

Seeming to sense her gaze, Xu Xingchun turned to look at her.

Their eyes met.

Fu Xueli had slept so long that half her arm was numb and immobile. She glanced at him and then turned away, rolling over.

After a while, there was no sound from behind her. She simply closed her eyes and remained still.

Xu Xingchun leaned down, his eyelashes lowered as he looked at her for a moment. Leaning close to her ear, he lowered his voice, which was hoarse, “Are you feeling better?”

Fu Xueli buried her head under her arm, using her elbow to push Xu Xingchun away while avoiding his gaze. She mumbled, “Why did you come?”

“Are you thirsty? I’ll pour you some water to drink.”

Fu Xueli held back, but still couldn’t resist. She suddenly turned over and said irritably, “Don’t bother with me. Go away, as far as possible. I want to sleep now.”

Xu Xingchun remained unperturbed, as if he hadn’t heard. He lowered his eyes and poured some water, “You’ve slept for a long time. Get up and drink some water.”

It was like punching a pillow, neither painful nor itchy. He was impervious, never arguing with her or getting angry at her, seeming to have no temper at all, calm as still water.

Usually, she didn’t feel much, but for some reason, seeing him like this now particularly irritated her.

Fu Xueli was full of pent-up anger and said loudly, “Do you always treat what I say as nonsense?! Xu Xingchun, can you understand human language? I said don’t bother with me. If you want to take care of someone, go take care of someone else, please?! Aren’t you the class monitor? There are so many people in the class lining up for you to take care of! Oh right, didn’t you just meet someone? Go take care of her, why are you here with me?!”

She panted as she scolded him fiercely, speaking through gritted teeth. As soon as she finished, she regretted it.

That outburst sounded too much like a jealous wife.

Xu Xingchun’s heart stirred slightly, and he looked at her intently.

Fu Xueli decided to go all in and glared back, “What are you looking at?”

“Are you angry?” he asked.

“I’m not!” she instinctively denied.

Xu Xingchun caught her thin wrist, was silent for a moment, then called her name softly: “Fu Xueli?”

Fu Xueli turned her head away, not making a sound.

The room was completely silent.

“You’re having quite a time, Big Pear. We’ve been working hard all afternoon, and here you are, having a grand old time,” Song Yifan and his group’s laughter could be heard before they arrived.

The curtain was lifted slightly, and several tall boys poured in. The quiet, small space instantly became lively.

“Oh! Class monitor, what a coincidence, you’re here too?! The teacher was just looking for you!” Song Yifan familiarly put his arm around Xu Xingchun’s shoulder.

Fu Xueli found Song Yifan’s noisy voice extremely annoying and frowned, “Why are you so loud?”

“I’m not loud, I’m just happy to see you, my darling.” Song Yifan said to Fu Xueli with a grin, then turned and deliberately took Xu Xingchun’s hand in front of everyone, “Thank you, class monitor, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to care for our Fu Xueli. Much appreciated, hehe!”

Xu Xingchun looked at him indifferently and pulled his hand away, “I never do things for others.”

His voice was flat and slow.

A boy nearby chimed in to change the subject, “Sis Xueli, are you feeling better? It’s almost dinner time.”

With everyone talking at once, it was terribly annoying. She looked through the gaps in the crowd towards the outside, and Xu Xingchun had quietly left at some point.

Fu Xueli’s mood suddenly soured, and she shouted at them: “—All of you, get out!”

Not two days into military training, a shocking piece of gossip spread, circulating gradually before dinner.

A boy from Class 4 had set up candles in the bushes late at night to confess his love, trying to be romantic, but it almost ended in a fire. Luckily, it was discovered early and the fire was put out, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

The object of his affection was Fu Xueli. This incident caused quite a stir, and those involved were all taken away for criticism and education. When they returned to school, they would likely face disciplinary action.

“If you ask me, that Hong Jiarui from Class 4 is truly an idiot, getting a disciplinary warning as soon as he enters school. The key is, why chase after Fu Xueli of all people? Has he lost his mind?!”

“Huh? I saw Fu Xueli a few days ago and thought she was quite pretty. Plus, her family is rich. Isn’t it normal for boys to like her? People from Class 4 told me that Hong Jiarui has liked Fu Xueli since middle school. He’s quite devoted.”

A girl sneered, “What kind of taste do you have? Look at how she’s always hanging out with a bunch of boys, she’s so flirtatious it’s disgusting. She just knows how to dress up. Plus, her grades are poor, and her personality isn’t good. Apart from her pretty face, she has no other merits. I can’t stand how shallow boys are nowadays.”

Someone couldn’t bear her acidity and laughed mockingly, “Oh my, why are you so bitter? It’s not like Fu Xueli even knows you. Isn’t it just because the boy you like is interested in Fu Xueli? Are you jealous?”

The girl who was mocked turned pale and retorted, “What do you mean? I’ve long stopped liking him. Are you joking? Who’s jealous of her!”

“Alright, alright, stop arguing. But have you heard? Today, a friend of mine saw Fu Xueli and Hong Jiarui eating together during the noon break. It seems like they weren’t affected at all, they were even laughing and talking afterwards. Could they have actually gotten together?”

“What?! Hong Jiarui? No way, how could Fu Xueli possibly be interested in him? Hong Jiarui looks very ordinary.”

“It’s because his family is rich and he’s well-connected.”

Another person sighed softly, “To be honest, I think Hong Jiarui is quite pitiful.”

They chattered on for a while, and suddenly one girl said in a panicked low voice, “Lower your voices, lower your voices, Fu Xueli is coming.”

—

“Xueli, tomorrow… can we have lunch together again tomorrow?” Hong Jiarui, a big guy nearly 1.9 meters tall, dark and sturdy like a bear, forced a dry laugh, but his voice was as faint as a mosquito’s.

“Xueli?” Hong Jiarui had been talking about his interesting experiences on the basketball court for a long time but got no response. He looked down and realized she was lost in thought. He couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Are you feeling unwell? What’s wrong? You look unhappy.”

In Hong Jiarui’s eyes, Fu Xueli agreeing to have meals with him was already a tacit acceptance of being his girlfriend. Even his buddies had started teasing him about treating them to a meal when they got back.

“Huh? What?” Fu Xueli shook her head and said lightly, “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

The two walked side by side. Fu Xueli was actually extremely annoyed inside, finding the boy beside her too noisy, constantly chattering without end, not knowing why he had so much to say.

Usually, when she was with Xu Xingchun, she did most of the talking. Xu Xingchun rarely spoke, just quietly gazing at her, listening attentively and seriously.

The difference was stark; indeed, without comparison, there is no sense of harm.

But then she thought—

Xu Xingchun had been getting so close to a girl in their class recently. That time on the bus, they even sat together. Well, let that be. Xu Xingchun had been acting neither cold nor warm towards her these past two days. Even when she tried to provoke him with Hong Jiarui’s matter, he didn’t seem to have any particular reaction.

She also remembered running into Xu Xingchun just now.

She had deliberately laughed and talked very loudly with Hong Jiarui.

But Xu Xingchun had passed by them without responding to her provocative gaze, not saying a single extra word, as if she were just a most ordinary stranger.

Fu Xueli was furious.

Xu Xingchun was indeed a scumbag who liked to play with people’s feelings!

“Xueli, are you really okay?” Hong Jiarui touched Fu Xueli’s arm.

His hand had barely made contact when she violently shook it off, “Hey, don’t touch me.”

Hong Jiarui: “……”

Having been inexplicably yelled at, he didn’t get angry, just mumbled an apology, “I’m sorry.”

His attitude was so humble that Fu Xueli couldn’t bring herself to say what she had intended to.

After a while, she could only say, “I’m sorry, don’t come looking for me anymore in the future.”

With that, she walked away without looking back, without any hesitation or lingering.

Leaving a dumbfounded Hong Jiarui standing alone in the wind.

—

After evening training ended and they had just returned to the tents, the instructor sent someone to inform them that there might be a meteor shower at 11 PM tonight. Those who wanted to go should gather by class later, and they would be taken by jeep to another hilltop with a wider view to watch.

“Xueli, aren’t you going to watch the meteor shower?” A girl from the same tent came back to get something and, seeing Fu Xueli not moving, curiously asked again.

Fu Xueli was lying on the soft mat, her hands hidden under her stomach, lazily replying, “Not going.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to see the meteor shower? It’s such a rare opportunity.”

Fu Xueli couldn’t muster any enthusiasm, “I’m on my period. You all have fun.”

“Then you rest well. I’m off.”

“Mm, bye.”

Soon after, the surroundings fell completely silent.

Fu Xueli daydreamed for a while, humming a tune out of extreme boredom. It was still early, and she didn’t feel sleepy at all.

She sat up abruptly, wearing her nightgown, and decided to throw on a jacket and go for a walk.

Tonight, the sky above was particularly beautiful, like a deep blue curtain studded with brilliant stars.

She sat down somewhere for a while, her hair falling loose. Staring blankly at the night sky, Fu Xueli rubbed her eyes.

Suddenly, she sensitively felt that someone was watching her.

She turned her head.

Just a few meters away, a person was vaguely hidden in the darkness, leaning against a tree, who knew how long they had been standing behind her.

For a moment, Fu Xueli’s skin broke out in goosebumps. She stood up, frightened, “Damn, who are you?!”

Silence.

A few minutes later, she tentatively asked, “Xu Xingchun?”

The person still didn’t make a sound, it was really creepy.

So Fu Xueli mustered her courage and moved a few steps closer. Finally seeing clearly, she let out a long breath, “Are you trying to scare me to death?”

She had a sensitive nose, and as soon as she got close, she smelled a faint scent of smoke.

Xu Xingchun had just been smoking.

Fu Xueli frowned. In the light of her phone, she saw he was wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt, the collar loose, exposing most of his collarbone. His black hair was slightly damp, as if he had just taken a shower.

Tall and handsome, with a pure and desireless appearance.

He was the cool moonlight in the hearts of countless girls.

“Why are you following me?” Fu Xueli snorted with laughter, looking at him very calmly, “Didn’t you go watch the meteor shower with your Ma Xuanrui?”

She had already found out that girl’s name.

Xu Xingchun looked at Fu Xueli, his silence making one’s heart uneasy.

He looked at her for a long time, his eyes never so piercingly cold.

“W-what are you looking at?” Fu Xueli clenched her fists, not daring to meet his gaze, “If you look at me one more time, I’ll kiss you, believe it or not?”

Seeing her fierce appearance, one would think she was about to say something harsh. But unexpectedly, such a sentence came out.

He stared at her for a long time, so long that she felt chilled to the bone.

Seeing Xu Xingchun not speaking for so long, Fu Xueli suddenly stepped forward, put her hands on his shoulders, stood on tiptoe and leaned in to kiss his lips.

He watched coldly, tilting his head slightly back, and she missed.

“……”

Fu Xueli pushed him away, stepped back two paces, trembling with shame and anger, and turned to leave. But her wrist was caught.

He gripped her wrist bone, using force, making it very painful. She couldn’t shake it off.

Fu Xueli struggled hard, trying to pull her hand free. She lowered her head, tears coming out, “You’re hurting me! Xu Xingchun, let go quickly!”

“Are you sick?” She pinched and hit him, pushing him away hard, “Don’t touch me, wuwuwu!!!”

Xu Xingchun looked at her reddened eyes and asked, “Does it hurt?”

“Get lost!”

[Hong Jiarui was probably too invested, in the end, the one who was pleased wasn’t Fu Xueli.]

[As time went on, he fell deeper and deeper. As for Fu Xueli, girls with her personality can seem very enthusiastic, able to smile happily at anyone, but in reality, they’re not sincere at all.]

[Making others unconsciously like them, in the end, only the other person falls in, while they themselves are just playing around.]

[They all love to trample on and play with others’ feelings, tsk tsk, how pitiful.]

Xu Xingchun’s eyes surged with dark currents, his face showing a slightly gentle smile. Very patiently, he repeated, “Does it hurt?”

“I told you to get lost—mmph!”

Xu Xingchun lowered his head, and Fu Xueli’s words were cut off by his lips.

Her heart skipped a beat.

They had been dating for so long, but Xu Xingchun had hardly ever done anything substantial to her. This was the first time he had kissed her so fiercely and inappropriately.

The force was so great it seemed he wanted to crush her in his arms.

At first, it was just a light touch of lips, then his tongue entered her mouth, prying open her lips and intertwining.

Later, for some reason, Fu Xueli’s days of irritation disappeared like smoke. Her arms awkwardly wrapped around his neck, her ears and neck growing hot.

Her legs gradually weakened, as he kissed her senseless. Xu Xingchun kissed her temple, lingering to her ear, licking and biting her earlobe, speaking softly.

“Can I make love to you?”

In his youth, he had once controlled the rapidly growing love and desire in his heart. Even though he felt repressed, he was unwilling to release it easily.

But it seemed he could no longer hold on. She made him feel more painful each time.

Xu Xingchun appeared gentle and kind on the surface, restraining himself in every way, struggling to maintain the appearance of a normal person.

Only because she was still innocent and carefree.

While he had reached the point where he would go crazy if she looked at someone else even once.