TIMO - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
She should have known. The lead vocalist was Shi Nan.
So, she wasn't too shocked. After all, with the precedent of Fu Wanqing being the band's keyboardist, the idea of Shi Nan being the lead vocalist didn't seem that out of place.
But then Kong Weiyan shoved the sheet music for another song into her hands and calmly told her that she was also one of the band's lead vocalists this time.
She wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
Because... before she could even open her mouth, Jiang Wenqing said that having the Little Island Master and the Little Island Master's fiancée participate in the Island Master's thank-you performance was perfectly fitting.
Hearing this, Fu Wanqing couldn't help but laugh. She patted Jiang Wenqing's head and looked at Fu Zhao with a smile. "Xiao Qing is right. Yes, having the Little Island Master and the Little Island Master's fiancée each take a turn as lead vocalist is perfectly fitting."
Fu Zhao looked at Jiang Wenqing's "innocent" eyes, then at Fu Wanqing across from her, who was watching with a smirk. Her mouth opened and closed, but in the end, she still said nothing.
Everyone else had agreed. She couldn't possibly back out now.
Besides, even if Shi Nan was the lead vocalist, it wasn't a big deal.
She couldn't keep avoiding Shi Nan forever... She still needed to discuss breaking off the engagement with her.
But the biggest problem was that by the time the rehearsal ended—after they had run through Shi Nan's song a dozen times and Fu Zhao's song a few times, with Fu Zhao managing to keep up with the rhythm of both—Shi Nan still hadn't shown up.
"I just called her. She said she had too many packages, and the courier told her she had to go to the delivery station to fill something out before she could sign for them." Kong Weiyan shrugged, sneaking a glance at Fu Zhao, who was packing up her things. "I guess it'll have to be next time~~"
"Mm, it's fine." Fu Wanqing frowned, heading for the door as she spoke and glancing at her watch. "Zhaozhao, go help Nannan figure out what's going on with those packages later. I have a meeting to get to, so I'll be leaving first."
Fu Zhao's movements paused. She nodded lightly and said, "Okay," just before Fu Wanqing walked out.
Only then did Fu Wanqing leave, reassured, and get into the black car that had been waiting at the entrance.
Indeed, in the eyes of everyone present, she was supposed to be Shi Nan's sole person in charge on Nanke Island.
But why would someone need to go to the delivery station to fill out paperwork just because there were too many packages?
Fu Zhao looked at the sky outside, which had already turned completely dark. A thought suddenly flashed through her mind. She quickly called out to Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er, who were already heading out with their instruments on their backs. "You two, wait a minute. I'll take you home."
"No need~~" Jiang Wenqing waved her hand, her eyes wide. "I'm a mature Alpha now, after all. How could I let you take me home? It's more like I should be taking Ye Er home."
Ye Er glanced at Jiang Wenqing. Noticing that she wasn't casually slinging an arm over his shoulder like she used to before she differentiated, he silently breathed a sigh of relief. He cleared his throat and said softly, "Thank you, Little Island Master, but that's not necessary. Department Head Kong has already arranged a car for us."
"That's right!" Kong Weiyan patted Fu Zhao's shoulder, her tone friendly. "When I handle things, you can rest assured."
"Mm..." Fu Zhao paused for a moment, then added worriedly, "But you should still be careful. After all, that fugitive-"
"We know!!" Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er, always perfectly in sync at times like this, answered in unison, both nodding.
And so, the only people left in the rehearsal room were Fu Zhao and Kong Weiyan, who was staring at her without blinking.
Fu Zhao felt flustered under Kong Weiyan's gaze but maintained a calm expression as she slung her bag over her shoulder, not even sparing Kong Weiyan a glance. As expected, before she could even reach the door, Kong Weiyan blocked her path. She raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and waited patiently for Kong Weiyan to speak.
"...It's like this." Kong Weiyan was at a loss for words for a moment, but as she stared into Fu Zhao's frank and open eyes, she decided to be direct. "Although I only got back a few days ago, I can definitely feel that something's not right with you."
This statement startled Fu Zhao. She really wasn't the original Fu Zhao, but she never expected Kong Weiyan to see through something that even Fu Wanqing hadn't questioned.
She feigned composure and knocked Kong Weiyan's hand away. "What's not right? You're overthinking it."
Kong Weiyan stared at Fu Zhao for a long while before sighing with complicated emotions. "You used to talk about Shi Nan constantly, but now you're not only avoiding her, you even seem a little... resistant."
"Of course, that's just my feeling." She paused, pulling her hand back, her expression dejected. "I just feel like you and Shi Nan have switched roles. It used to be you chasing after Shi Nan, and now it's Shi Nan chasing after you. Of course, I'm definitely on your side. With Shi Nan chasing you, you don't have to work so hard or bottle everything up like you used to."
"I've always been very clear about your feelings for Shi Nan, but this time, I don't quite understand." Kong Weiyan's lips moved a couple of times. She let out a long sigh, her tone tinged with a deep-seated bitterness. "I just... don't want you to waste any more time on these twists and turns. Wouldn't it be great if you could just move on to a state of happiness? Don't you think?"
Fu Zhao listened quietly to Kong Weiyan's words. She closed her eyes and took a light breath to calm herself. After thinking it over, she finally asked, "If... and I'm just saying if... you had a dream that you would die because of someone, how would you treat that person after you woke up?"
Kong Weiyan froze, not comprehending. She asked, completely bewildered, "You... it's not just because of this dream, is it?"
Fu Zhao didn't say anything more. She fixed her gaze on the flickering streetlight ahead and patted Kong Weiyan's shoulder with a smile. "How could that be? I'm just kidding."
She didn't wait for Kong Weiyan's reply and just started walking forward. But before she had taken more than a few steps, Kong Weiyan's voice came from behind, stopping her in her tracks.
"If it were me..."
"Even if everything in the dream was real, after waking up, I think I would try my best to change that outcome."
"Do you understand, Fu Zhao... What I mean is, I would focus on the situation, not the person."
Fu Zhao was silent for a moment, then turned around. Most of Kong Weiyan's body was illuminated by the light from the room, and her eyes were filled with an expression that screamed, "I'm the most perceptive one here," shining brightly as she held her chin up.
Kong Weiyan had really stated the simplest of principles, yet it was one that was difficult for her to see, being in the thick of it.
Fu Zhao couldn't help but smile. She tightened her grip on her bag strap and nodded lightly.
"Mm, I get it now. Focus on the situation, not the person."
Kong Weiyan was right. She should focus on the situation, not the person. But even if she were to focus on a person, it should be the one who delivered the final stab. Besides, that incident was originally a low-probability event, and the responsibility didn't lie with Shi Nan at all.
The one she should blame wasn't Shi Nan.
Once Fu Zhao had thought this through, she came to her senses and realized she had unconsciously walked to Shi Nan's front door.
Surprisingly, there was no one in sight.
The yard was pitch black, with only the automatically activated streetlight outside the iron gate and the quietly attached alarm system.
It was so late, yet Shi Nan wasn't back.
Fu Zhao felt a little uneasy. She went forward to check the alarm system. It was equipped with a 720-degree camera and the latest AI. If anything unusual happened within its field of view, the AI would automatically sound an alarm. But the electronic screen showed that the number of alarms triggered today was zero, which meant nothing worthy of an alarm had happened outside this gate today.
Logically, the residential complex she lived in had the highest level of security, and the alarm system she had given Shi Nan was also the most intelligent, with the highest security protection.
She should be fine.
Perhaps Shi Nan just happened to have gone out for something.
Right, that courier...
Fu Zhao stopped abruptly. She seemed to have just glimpsed something familiar.
She took a few steps back. When she saw the object lying in an inconspicuous spot just outside the bushes, her pupils couldn't help but constrict, and she rushed over.
It was the watch.
Black strap, orange-pink face.
The scuff marks on it were much more severe, and the hands had even stopped moving.
She remembered that after she returned the watch to Shi Nan, Shi Nan had worn it almost every day, never taking it off wherever she went.
But now, this watch was broken.
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