TIMO - Chapter 24
Chapter 24
When Fu Zhao mentioned calling off the engagement, it wasn't because she wanted to drive Shi Nan away.
Shi Nan knew this clearly, yet she couldn't help but feel wronged. She attributed it all to the willfulness of a body that hadn't fully recovered.
Perhaps it was because the condition of her gland was poor.
It made her experience emotions that a more delicate Omega, or even an Alpha, might have.
How could Fu Zhao, right after she had suffered such a "terrifying" ordeal, suggest calling off their engagement?
And on top of that, tell her to be the one to initiate it.
Hearing those words made Shi Nan very unhappy.
Especially since Fu Zhao's expression was so relaxed when she said it, as if she were about to be freed from something unpleasant.
And both she and Fu Zhao knew very well that this "unpleasant thing" was their engagement.
But now that they were actually starting to discuss calling it off,
Shi Nan suddenly felt a little indignant. She didn't really know what she was indignant about, so for the time being, she could only attribute this indignation, or sense of being wronged, to her still-unsettled mood.
So, as the mist from the water sprayer dissipated and Fu Zhao stared at her intently, Shi Nan simply looked back quietly, meeting the candor in Fu Zhao's amber eyes without rushing to speak.
Perhaps because she remained silent, Fu Zhao added, "What I mean is, Mother said that for an engagement arranged by our Fu family, we can't be the ones to call it off before the age of thirty, unless the other party initiates it."
"So... I might need you to be the one to propose calling it off."
After saying this, Fu Zhao let out a long breath. Standing under the brilliant white light pouring down from above, a faintly trembling light flickered in her eyes. Her lips were pressed tightly together, as if she were nervously awaiting an answer.
Shi Nan's fingertips couldn't help but rub against the book in her hands; its hard, matte texture sobered her up considerably.
Shi Nan looked up. Through the gaps in the rose bouquet hanging from the swing chair, she saw Fu Zhao's knuckles, white from the force of her grip. She glanced over coolly, her eyes flickering.
"Are you trying to make me leave Nanke Island now?" She asked it anyway, even though she knew the real answer.
Fu Zhao froze for a moment at her words, her voice softening unconsciously. "...That's not what I mean."
"I just..." She trailed off. Ultimately, she didn't know why she had brought this up at this particular moment. It clearly wasn't a good time. She should be taking care of Shi Nan until she recovered, and then they could discuss this properly.
"I just thought it would be better to get these things settled first."
But she had said it anyway.
Fu Zhao closed her eyes for a second, momentarily unsure where she got the nerve. "I've said it before, I'd be very happy for you to stay on the island as a guest. But..."
"But what?" Shi Nan interrupted Fu Zhao, raising an eyebrow thoughtfully. "But being a guest has a time limit, right?"
Frankly, if there were no engagement between them, Fu Zhao would probably be very happy to have Shi Nan stay on Nanke Island. The problem was, if Shi Nan stayed on the island as her fiancée, the connection between them... and her own thoughts about "finding Shi Nan more and more beautiful"... would only become more tangled.
That wasn't the outcome she wanted.
Fu Zhao took a deep breath and looked down at the water sprayer in her hand, not daring to meet Shi Nan's eyes again. "It's not about a time limit. I just think it would be better for us to deal with the engagement first."
"What do you think?"
Shi Nan retorted, her tone dragging lazily at the end, "If I call off the engagement with you, how could I have the face to stay on Nanke Island as a guest? Do you think I wouldn't care about that... or are you planning for us to call it off privately but publicly maintain our fiancée relationship? In that case, calling it off or not wouldn't achieve your goal."
"..." Fu Zhao's lips moved, opening and then closing again. Shi Nan was right. Now was not a suitable time. She had been too impulsive.
And it seemed Shi Nan hadn't directly agreed to call off the engagement.
She, on the other hand, had secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She really was a contradictory and strange person. She was the one who had made the request, yet she felt... a sliver of relief at Shi Nan's refusal.
But the relief didn't last long.
Her conflicting feelings began to affect her train of thought, influencing the words that came out of her mouth.
"I was too impulsive. I'm sorry, I didn't think it through," she explained. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to say, but for some reason, as she watched Shi Nan lower her head to her book with a blank expression, a surge of something rose within her, and she unconsciously added,
"But don't worry. Just as we agreed, if you want to leave, we can call off the engagement at any time. I can let you go at any time."
She wasn't wrong; she was just repeating their agreement.
But words spoken with an edge always carried a certain emotion and felt a bit off.
At that, Shi Nan finally lifted her gaze from her book, her eyes calm. "That is indeed what we agreed upon. So my answer is still the same."
"Fine."
That one crisp "Fine" took the breath she had just released and shoved it right back, lodging it in her throat. It was stuck, making her feel even more uncomfortable.
"But you'll have to wait," Shi Nan added nonchalantly.
The lump in Fu Zhao's throat eased a little. She pressed her lips together and couldn't help but ask, "Wait for what?"
"Wait until I've had enough of staying here, and I want to leave..." Shi Nan closed her book, her fair fingertips tapping lightly on the cover. The pair of beautiful eyes that looked over at her held a trace of mist that hadn't yet dissipated. "Then I'll naturally go."
Fu Zhao was silent for a moment, then quietly turned on the water sprayer in her hand again. A fine mist sprayed out, alleviating the overly quiet atmosphere between them and making Shi Nan's gaze feel less direct.
She turned her body slightly, her hand moving to aim the mist. It sprayed into the air, scattering and falling to the ground, shimmering colorfully in the clear, brilliant sunlight.
The two of them fell silent.
After a long while, an emotional voice came from the swing chair again. The tone was light, sounding partly petulant, partly serious.
"Don't worry, I won't cling to you."
And with that, the lump stuck in Fu Zhao's throat suddenly grew much larger.
She turned to look at Shi Nan. After saying her piece, Shi Nan had leaned back in the swing chair again, her gaze fixed on her book, her expression blank. She even turned a page now and then to show she was reading intently.
Fu Zhao opened her mouth and replied in a small voice, "I didn't say you were clinging to me."
But perhaps her voice was too quiet, because Shi Nan didn't answer or give any indication that she had heard.
But for some reason.
Perhaps because the lump in her throat had also turned into petulance.
In the end, she didn't try to explain again.
She still hadn't managed to say it out loud by the time Kong Weiyan and the others came in boisterously.
The sudden arrival of a delivery person broke their current tense atmosphere.
The doorbell rang. Shi Nan turned on the monitor, which Fu Zhao had someone install for her just this morning.
"Excuse me, who is Miss Shi Nan?"
The face of a chubby Beta delivery person appeared on the monitor screen, looking friendly. "Miss Shi Nan has quite a few packages. We can offer to bring them upstairs for you~"
His attitude was cordial and warm.
Kong Weiyan, as if she'd found a rescuer, tugged on Fu Zhao's sleeve and gave a dry laugh. "Whatever it is, you can talk about it later. Let's sign for the packages first."
Shi Nan said nothing, just pressed the unlock button.
Before Kong Weiyan could poke a hole in her elbow, Fu Zhao walked to the door, intentionally or not, positioning herself in front of Shi Nan. Although she didn't know exactly what had happened yesterday or how Shi Nan had been tricked by the fugitive pretending to be a delivery person,
she guessed that if it were her, she probably wouldn't want to receive any packages for a while either.
"If you need to receive packages in the future, remember to call me," Fu Zhao couldn't help but advise. "Or just have them sent to my place, and I'll bring them over to you."
"...That's not necessary."
Shi Nan's mouth was faster than her heart in refusing, but when she saw Fu Zhao's straight back tremble, she softened and added, "I don't have many packages anyway. After these, I won't have any for a while."
Fu Zhao's lips moved a couple of times. Just as she was about to speak, several delivery people filed in, carrying boxes.
She subconsciously took a step back.
The corner of Fu Zhao's clothes was suddenly grabbed, then her wrist. A warm, soft palm pressed against her skin.
She could feel her own pulse quickening, throbbing under that palm.
"Hey, okay, you can just put them over here."
Kong Weiyan's eyes darted around. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, she decisively led Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er to direct the delivery people to place the packages in an empty space.
Fu Zhao couldn't help but look back. Shi Nan's eyes were lowered, her lashes trembling. She just kept clutching Fu Zhao's wrist, not looking at her or the delivery people. Her face was expressionless, but one could still sense a stubborn emotion from her.
A Shi Nan like this was the most heart-wrenching Shi Nan.
Fu Zhao felt guilty for this-for her thoughtless words, for getting into a petty argument with a patient who was currently lacking a sense of security. She began to blame herself.
She was the one who had gone too far.
She glanced at the group busy with the packages; one of the delivery people shot a curious look their way. She turned sideways, completely shielding Shi Nan with her body. Facing Shi Nan directly, she was slightly taller, and this angle was perfect for blocking others' view of Shi Nan, as well as blocking the delivery people from Shi Nan's line of sight.
"It's okay, don't be afraid. I know these delivery people. They often deliver around this neighborhood."
"They're not bad people."
"They can't see you now, either. Don't worry."
"This kind of thing..." She paused, trying to soften her voice as much as possible. "It's okay to be a little vulnerable, a little scared sometimes."
"If it were me..."
She glanced at the strands of hair on top of Shi Nan's head, gently stirred by the breeze, and continued her rambling murmur. "I probably wouldn't receive another package for the rest of my life, and I'd probably cry for days without getting out of bed."
"There's no shame in that at all."
"Shi Nan, this has nothing to do with gender. Whether we're Omega, Beta, or Alpha, we're all allowed to be afraid."
"Being scared, being vulnerable, doesn't mean you're just a 'delicate' Omega. It's just human nature. You're still you, not defined by your biological makeup."
"It's okay for us to be afraid. It's okay."
She kept rambling on. Hearing no response from Shi Nan, she thought she must have guessed wrong and added uncomfortably, "Of course, I'm just saying. Maybe you're not scared."
"Maybe what I'm doing, what I'm saying, is just unnecessary."
Shi Nan listened to all of this quietly, then raised her eyes to look directly into Fu Zhao's. The corners of her lips curved up slightly. "No, you're not unnecessary."
You're always the one who can empathize with me so readily, the one who cares about my feelings.
What kind of person was Fu Zhao?
If the current Shi Nan were to summarize, she would definitely say Fu Zhao was an enthusiastic, warm, and considerate person. These were the most direct qualities she had perceived in her.
They were also the qualities she... liked the most.
Always able to feel what she felt, to put herself in her situation.
This was also why she was suddenly a little reluctant to call off the engagement with Fu Zhao.
Although Fu Zhao hadn't backed down or apologized for bringing up the engagement, Shi Nan had indeed been "coaxed" back into a good mood by her.
She was, it seemed, a very easy person to coax.
But what if it were someone else? If it wasn't Fu Zhao, she didn't think she would be so easily placated.
"Shi Nan! Sister Shi Nan!! Want help opening the packages~~"
Three voices shouted in unison, pulling Shi Nan from her daze. The light in her eyes flickered gently, as if mirroring the light in Fu Zhao's.
Their gazes intertwined, open yet tender.
There was an indescribable feeling between them.
Fu Zhao was the first to break away. She averted her gaze, answered for Shi Nan, and then looked back at Shi Nan, who was staring at her without blinking. "Do you want help opening them?"
"You probably shouldn't be doing any physical labor right now."
Shi Nan stared at Fu Zhao and smiled. "Yes."
After Kong Weiyan signed for the packages, the delivery people left through the door. Perhaps sensing Shi Nan's avoidance, they were tactful enough not to cast another glance her way and simply walked out quietly.
"They're gone."
Fu Zhao said this, glancing at Shi Nan's hand still clutching her fingertips tightly. She should have reminded Shi Nan to let go, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
It's just extra care for a patient.
Besides, it's just her wrist, it's nothing. I don't care about the distinction between Betas and Omegas; I just know we're both girls.
But Shi Nan let go much faster than she had expected.
Even though she had been holding on for so long, the moment she let go, Fu Zhao still felt the discomfort of the pressure leaving her hand, and a hollow feeling in her heart.
"Let's go, time to open the packages."
Shi Nan blinked, a smile rippling across her lips, as if she had forgiven Fu Zhao for her earlier unpleasant words.
But Fu Zhao felt she still needed to explain. After all, she'd heard that it was best to explain things clearly after an argument, not just turn the page without saying anything.
Whether it was friendship... or something else, that was a bad habit.
If you don't explain things clearly after a disagreement, the awkwardness will likely persist.
So, she took a deep breath and, almost blurting it out, spoke the truest thought from the bottom of her heart.
"For now... I don't want to call off the engagement with you."
Author's Notes
If you don't explain things clearly after a disagreement, the awkwardness will likely persist.
Sob, Zhaozhao and Nannan are actually both especially lovely and good people. Their disagreements don't last more than a chapter. It's so great that they communicate when they have something to say.
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