Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Ji Yinbing stood under the roof with a group of adults in their twenties beside her. Her young age made her stand out.

  Craven saw her immediately.

  It was already very cold in Boston in November. Ji Yinbing wore a beige windbreaker and jeans and carried a bag as she stood at the door. She wore a gray velvet hat that covered her short hair. Her pretty and cold face stared blankly at the rain on the ground.

  “Hey, sweetheart.” Craven held the umbrella over Ji Yinbing’s head.

  Ji Yinbing was so shocked that her entire body went numb.

  ‘When they first met, Craven was a particularly shy boy. Gradually, he let go of himself and became glib-tongued. He kept calling her sweetheart, but Ji Yinbing was not used to it. After being chased by Craven for more than a month, Ji Yinbing still felt irritated at first. Gradually, when she realized that

  Craven was indeed an evenly matched opponent, she admired him.

  Geniuses admired geniuses.

  They would talk about difficult questions together, but Ji Yinbing’s attitude was always clear. She did not love him, nor would she give him hope. When the two of them were together, Ji Yinbing would never talk about ambiguous topics with him.

  Craven stopped talking about love.

  He was like a real senior. If Ji Yinbing didn’t understand, he would teach her. If he didn’t understand, he would discuss it with Ji Yinbing.

  He planned to cook Ji Yinbing like a frog in warm water in his daily company.

  “Come, I’ll drive you home.”


  Ji Yinbing agreed.

  They walked out of the school and took the subway back to Zhuang Long’s house.

  When they came out of the train station, the rain did not stop. Instead, it was getting heavier. The handle of the umbrella was not big, and the two of them inevitably got closer. They talked about interesting things in school and complained about the teachers. Finally, they arrived at Zhuang Long’s door.

  “Tm here.”


  Craven looked up at the apartment and saw the door open and Zhuang Long walking out.

  He had long known about Zhuang Long and Ji Yinbing’s relationship.

  Craven nodded at Zhuang Long and personally sent Ji Yinbing to the entrance of the apartment.

  Out of courtesy, Ji Yinbing invited him into the house for a cup of coffee. Craven refused. “I have something on. Maybe next time.”


  “Okay.”


  Craven turned to leave. Ji Yinbing watched his back disappear before entering the house.

  Zhuang Long followed behind her. He took a towel and wiped Ji Yinbing’s hair. The rain was too heavy, so Ji Yinbing’s body was inevitably still wet. As Zhuang Long wiped her hair, he said, “That guy has a debate in twenty minutes.”


  Ji Yinbing was stunned.

  “Who?”


  “Craven.” Zhuang Long saw Ji Yinbing’s surprised expression and felt helpless. “You’re a little negligent as the chairperson.”


  Ji Yinbing said, “If it’s our school’s debate, I definitely remember the time.” She didn’t remember that Craven had a debate today, so she said, “It’s not a debate in the name of our school, right?”


  “Perhaps.”


  Zhuang Long hung up the towel and made himself coffee. He asked Ji Yinbing if she wanted it.

  “One cup, no sugar.”


  Zhuang Long poured coffee beans before saying, “The point is that the debate will be held in downtown London. Twenty minutes from here to the city will not be enough.” He turned around and stared at Ji Yinbing with a burning gaze. He said in a sharp tone, “For you, he might miss this debate.”


  Ji Yinbing’s gaze froze.

  “That boy hasn’t given up. He’s still chasing you.”


  Ji Yinbing remained silent for a long time.

  A moment later, she stood up and said, “I understand.”


  Zhuang Long raised his eyebrows. He believed that Ji Yinbing was a smart person and knew what to do.

  The next day, when Ji Yinbing was having lunch, she saw Craven again.

  Craven walked towards her with a smile.

  Ji Yinbing waited for him to approach.

  The two of them sat down at the same table. Before Ji Yinbing touched her spoon to eat, she stared at Craven first. Craven asked her with a smile, “Did you suddenly realize that I’m very handsome?”


  Ji Yinbing’s temperament was cold, and her exquisite face did not smile often. When she was serious, she was especially unapproachable.

  At this moment, Ji Yinbing’s entire body exuded a cold aura.

  She asked Craven, “You missed the debate session yesterday, right?”


  Craven was surprised. Then, avoiding the question, he said, “You pay a lot of attention to me.” His pointless attitude made Ji Yinbing realize that this person was serious about her.

  Ji Yinbing was most afraid of owing love debts.

  Her expression turned serious as she looked at Craven. Affected by her, Craven stopped smiling.

  “What’s wrong?” The young man’s voice became puzzled.

  “Craven.” Ji Yinbing looked straight at Craven. Seeing that Craven was listening to her, Ji Yinbing said, “If you want to influence me by asking about my feelings, then I advise you not to.” Seeing Craven’s gaze sink, Ji Yinbing paused.

  After a short pause, Ji Yinbing spoke again. “I have someone I like, and this is true. I love that person very much. He’s a responsible and serious person. Craven, I’m not a little girl. I won’t fall for your tricks. If you think that you can please me by giving me an umbrella on a rainy day and covering me in the

  sun, you’re wrong.”


  “The person I admire is someone who is serious about things and is responsible for his own identity and future. To me, your actions yesterday are not worth it. I don’t like you like this.”


  “People have to love themselves first before they love someone.”


  “Craven, I don’t want you to delay your own future because of me.”


  Ji Yinbing picked up her plate and said to Craven, “We can only be like-minded friends in the same school. We can’t be lovers.” She then left without looking back.

  Craven looked at the empty stool in front of him.

  He could not help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

  Oh no, this girl was hard to deal with.

  Ji Yinbing’s words woke up Craven.

  After that, he really did not look for Ji Yinbing again. However, when they occasionally met in the canteen or school, he would still greet Ji Yinbing. The first time they met, Ji Yinbing was stunned for a moment when she saw Craven’s bright smile. Then, she nodded and greeted him.

  Ji Yinbing’s days were rarely peaceful.

  It was winter vacation in December, and everyone was busy going home to prepare for Christmas. Students from all over the world stayed in their rented houses to spend winter vacation with international friends from all over the world.

  There was still a lot of homework for winter break. Ji Yinbing went to the library to borrow books and planned to buy a plane ticket back to I Nation.

  She had just bought a plane ticket when Yan Nuo called.

  “Return the plane tickets,” he said……