TIMO - Chapter 23
Chapter 23
The two hugs were perfectly normal.
They were merely for comfort, merely an expression of affection.
That afternoon, as Fu Zhao watered the flowers, she found herself unconsciously replaying the two hugs she had shared with Shi Nan that morning.
Yes, they were perfectly normal.
Shi Nan had just gone through something unpleasant, and she had given her two comforting hugs. It was nothing, just something between good friends… or perhaps, something old classmates ought to do.
She comforted herself with this, warned herself with this.
But when Shi Nan, who was lying on the rocking chair reading a book and sipping tea, happened to glance her way, she couldn't help but relive the feeling of her heart racing during the embrace.
It was as if a thousand little butterflies were slumbering in her chest.
The moment she recalled Shi Nan nestled in the crook of her shoulder, her voice soft and languid, her breath gentle…
The thousand little butterflies in her chest would begin to dance flutteringly, floating out from her breath, from her throat, to weave and dance among the roses in the garden.
It made it almost impossible for her to hold the nozzle of the watering hose.
Fu Zhao blinked, gazing at the garden full of roses, feeling a wave of melancholy brought on by those nonexistent little butterflies.
And yet, the presence of the other person in the yard…
Made those little butterflies seem as if they had always existed.
Fu Zhao pretended to casually glance at Shi Nan and found her lying comfortably on the swing chair, wearing glasses and reading intently, occasionally turning a page. This only deepened her melancholy.
As expected, she was the only one whose thoughts had been thrown into disarray by that hug.
Fu Zhao took a deep breath, deciding to ignore those two “normal” hugs. She aimed the nozzle at the “little butterflies” dancing in the garden, intending to drive away these nonexistent thoughts that shouldn't be affecting her.
But as she watered, some strange ideas began to pop into her head.
The mist from the nozzle was fine and hazy, like the layer of moisture in Shi Nan’s eyes after she had cried.
The roses receiving the water were a tender pink, their petals delicate and vibrant, like the color of Shi Nan’s lips after she bit them-pink and moist.
The afternoon sun was bright, casting an almost white, brilliant light onto the orange canopy. When mixed together, it somewhat resembled the light-brown, glowing pupils of Shi Nan’s eyes.
These comparisons were all strange. Incoherent.
But the strangest thing of all was probably Fu Zhao herself.
The patch of flowers before her was now thoroughly watered, and she couldn't keep her back to Shi Nan just to water this one spot.
Fu Zhao took a deep breath and turned around uneasily, trying her best to maintain an outward appearance of calm composure, her gaze focused on the roses that needed watering.
But no matter how hard she forced herself not to get distracted…
Her gaze would unconsciously, inadvertently, drift to the person swinging her legs on the swing chair.
The fine mist sprayed into the air, adding a hazy, dreamlike filter to everything she saw.
A pure white T-shirt under a pink plaid shirt, paired with loose-fitting five-point shorts. It was a casual, not particularly curated outfit, yet on the tall, gracefully-lined Shi Nan, it exuded a lazy, warm feeling.
Her shoulder-length hair was casually tied up in a bun, with messy strands escaping here and there, swaying in the warm breeze. Yet it perfectly showcased a light, graceful charm in the summer heat.
Her fair, translucent skin appeared even more supple and delicate under the soft-focus filter of the water mist.
Her eyelashes were gently lowered, the light in her eyes circling round and round, focused on the book in her hands.
Fu Zhao felt her eyesight was far too good; otherwise, how could she see the slight upward curl of Shi Nan’s lowered lashes?
Her body moved faster than her mind. Before Shi Nan’s gaze could shift over, she reacted first, averting her eyes and staring intently at the cluster of roses beside her, adopting the posture of someone meticulously studying their growth patterns.
Even though she knew nothing about roses.
Even though she only knew how to water them.
But she could also keenly feel the direct stare coming from the swing chair.
In her peripheral vision…
She could see that Shi Nan was no longer turning the pages, but had placed the book on her lap and picked up the floral tea from the side table, sipping it mouthful by mouthful.
She could also see Shi Nan’s completely unwavering gaze.
She lowered her head to water, raised her head to water, turned her head to water, but still couldn't escape Shi Nan’s eyes.
She couldn't help but meet Shi Nan's gaze, her tone a little awkward as she spoke, “Why are you always looking at me instead of reading your book?”
“Maybe…” Shi Nan’s voice trailed off lightly. Her ethereal gaze drifted over, and she blinked gently, her tone carrying a hint of languor, yet it seemed she was seriously answering Fu Zhao’s question. “It’s only when I look at you that my mood improves a little.”
“Or maybe… this book is just far too dull compared to you.”
There it was again.
That sentence was even more potent than “Fu Zhao, I need you.”
Perhaps because Shi Nan hadn't fully recovered, she seemed much gentler than usual when she said it, her eyes even softer.
It made the thousand little butterflies slumbering in Fu Zhao’s chest multiply, becoming more than thousands, more than tens of thousands.
Fu Zhao felt a little indignant, thinking her heartbeat was being far too pathetic. But even after several deep breaths, she couldn't slow it down.
She let out a long exhale, met Shi Nan’s frank gaze, and turned off the nozzle in her hand. In an instant, the sprayed mist lost its force and drifted down from the air between them.
The hazy, wet filter immediately dissipated.
But what made Fu Zhao feel even more miserable was that without the cover of the mist, the Shi Nan before her seemed to have become even more beautiful.
Something was wrong with her.
Fu Zhao stood ramrod straight, her expression placid, her tone incredibly relaxed, as if she were stating a simple fact.
“Shi Nan, you might need to be the one to initiate the annulment.”
When Kong Weiyan arrived with Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er, carrying fruit and a flower basket to visit Shi Nan, she clearly sensed that the atmosphere between Fu Zhao and Shi Nan was off.
One of them, despite having finished watering the flowers, kept the nozzle on, staring blankly at the mist spraying out without saying a word.
The other, though seemingly reading a book and relaxing on the swing chair, hadn't turned a single page in a long time.
Most importantly, the distance between the two of them felt like an entire galaxy.
Kong Weiyan keenly picked up on the strangeness. She placed the fruit and flower basket neatly on the table, cleared her throat, and deliberately tried to liven things up. “The weather is so nice today, it seems perfect for a picnic~”
“A picnic? Where?”
They spoke almost in unison. The two people standing on opposite sides of the yard spoke at the same time, their gazes simultaneously landing on her.
It was like sitting on pins and needles.
Kong Weiyan nudged Jiang Wenqing beside her, gesturing with her chin, suggesting it might be better for a younger person to speak up.
Jiang Wenqing raised a hand to her forehead, shook her head for a moment, then looked at the two people whose gazes met and then darted away. She reluctantly opened the bag she was carrying, revealing containers of food and drink bottles. “Sister Shi Nan probably can’t go out right now, so we thought we could just do it here in the yard. It’s big, there are roses, and the canopy will keep it from getting too hot.”
“We’ve already prepared all the food for the picnic. We just need you and Sister Shi Nan to show up.”
After she finished, she nudged Ye Er. Ye Er also carefully opened the large bag he was carrying, called out “Sister Shi Nan” and “Little Island Master,” and continued where Jiang Wenqing left off, “I have some freshly baked egg tarts and sushi, and Jiang Wenqing has a snack platter and some drinks.”
“We picked everything specially. It’s a menu suitable for a patient’s recovery,” Kong Weiyan added with a smile, draping an arm over Jiang Wenqing’s shoulder.
“I’m in~” Shi Nan replied with a smile. She stood up from the swing chair, put her book away, and walked over to pat Ye Er and Jiang Wenqing on the head. “Thank you for your hard work, preparing and bringing all this over.”
“It’s no trouble, no trouble at all~” Jiang Wenqing purred comfortably from the head pat, her smile bright and lively.
Ye Er’s ears turned red. He clutched his bag strap and also said, “It’s no trouble.”
In short, the four of them over there were all smiles.
Fu Zhao listened for a bit, unable to describe the feeling in her heart, but her face betrayed nothing. She just stood there, stunned.
Until she heard Kong Weiyan calling her name.
She subconsciously turned around, the still-running water nozzle in her hand, and the four people over there shrieked and dodged out of the way.
“Fu Zhao, be careful!” Kong Weiyan let out the cry of a delicate and beautiful Alpha.
“Fu Zhao/Little Island Master, watch out!” Jiang Wenqing, displaying the style of a high-quality Alpha, bared her teeth and shielded Ye Er… and Shi Nan.
She snapped back to her senses and quickly turned off the nozzle.
“Wait a minute, I’ll go get some towels for you to dry off.”
Fu Zhao dropped the nozzle and ran into the house as if she were flying, leaving the four of them to stare at each other.
“If I’m not mistaken, isn’t this your place, Shi Nan? Why is Fu Zhao acting like she’s the lady of the house?” Kong Weiyan muttered at just the right volume, afraid Shi Nan wouldn't notice how strange Fu Zhao’s behavior was.
Shi Nan’s gaze followed Fu Zhao inside, her eyes flickering slightly. She smiled at Kong Weiyan and the others.
“She is the lady of the house. I’m just a guest.”
Fu Zhao rushed inside, only to realize this wasn't her home.
It was just that the furnishings and layout were identical to her own place, so she must have gotten them mixed up.
She ran to the bathroom and looked at her not-quite-right self in the mirror. She sighed deeply and splashed a handful of cold water on her face.
The cool liquid on her face helped to clear her muddled head.
The person in the mirror didn't look too good. Her eyes were dazed, the hair at her temples was slightly damp, and her skin looked pale under the cold light, yet her cheeks held a strange flush.
This didn't seem right.
Just like how, amidst the chorus of screams just now, the first person she had looked at was Shi Nan, who had quietly dodged without making a sound.
Perhaps it was because Shi Nan was a patient, and a guest.
It was normal for her to be more worried about Shi Nan than the others.
With that thought, Fu Zhao walked out with a pile of towels, only to freeze at the scene before her.
Kong Weiyan and the others had already spread out a picnic blanket, and the four of them were sitting on it.
Translucent sunlight spilled down, bathing everyone in a golden glow. Behind them were lush green leaves and colorful roses, and above them was a clear blue sky dotted with milky-white clouds.
It was a beautiful day.
And a perfect place for a picnic.
The people before her were laughing brightly about something, leaning against each other, their eyes curved into crescents.
Fu Zhao stood stunned for a moment, not because her gaze kept circling back to Shi Nan.
But because this scene felt… familiar.
But she couldn't for the life of her remember where she had seen it before.
“Fu Zhao!!”
Kong Weiyan spotted her and waved. “Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and come over!! We saved a spot for you!!”
Fu Zhao snapped back to reality. Her hand, which had been gripping the doorframe, suddenly relaxed. She returned a smile and slowly walked over, handing the towels to the others. When she saw the spot Kong Weiyan had saved for her, she paused again.
She sat down awkwardly, half her body stiff.
Because Kong Weiyan had saved her a spot right in the middle.
So, to her left were two Alphas.
To her right were two Omegas, but most importantly, Shi Nan was sitting right next to her.
Yet Shi Nan seemed to have no reaction at all. She just sat there quietly, discussing things like “the egg tarts are very soft and she likes them” with Ye Er in a soft voice.
She didn't even glance at her.
Fu Zhao felt uncomfortable all over. She subconsciously scooted her bottom towards Kong Weiyan. Just as she moved, a soft cough came from beside her. She paused again, not daring to move too much, and stopped.
Jiang Wenqing’s eyes darted back and forth. She exchanged a look with Kong Weiyan, then cleanly opened an orange container, revealing mouth-watering lemon chicken feet inside. “Sister Shi Nan, eat this! I made it myself, it’s delicious!!”
“No, she can’t eat that.”
Before Shi Nan could speak, Fu Zhao spotted the chili peppers in the container and frowned, stating righteously, “She can’t eat spicy food right now.”
Shi Nan simply stopped talking, quietly watching Fu Zhao close the container, her face expressionless.
The atmosphere plummeted.
Jiang Wenqing spoke with a tremor in her voice, “This… isn’t spicy.”
Fu Zhao froze for a few seconds. Just as she was about to speak, a relaxed and calm voice came from beside her, speaking softly as if in casual conversation.
“Aren’t you trying to get an annulment? Why do you care what I do?”
Although Shi Nan’s tone was light, the sentence still shocked the others present so much that they almost spat out the drinks they hadn't swallowed.
Kong Weiyan swallowed her drink, staring at Fu Zhao in disbelief. She wanted to quickly usher Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er away, but her mouth opened and closed, not daring to be the first to speak in such a tense atmosphere and become the target.
Fu Zhao felt the tension as well.
Her fingertips stiffened. She turned to look at Shi Nan, meeting the ring of light in her eyes. She gently pushed the container in her hand over, quickly reining in her turbulent emotions, and said helplessly,
“Isn’t this what we agreed on from the start?”
She paused, her tone carrying a hint of unfounded grievance.
“Besides… just now, you clearly seemed to agree to the annulment too.”
Author's Notes
If you say things you don't mean, the little butterflies will fly out!
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