TIMO - Chapter 25
Chapter 25
The moment she said it, she was practically dumbfounded by her own words.
And Shi Nan, who had abruptly stopped in her tracks, was also surprised by the sentence that had just tumbled out of Fu Zhao’s mouth. She stared straight at her, seemingly waiting for her to continue.
Behind them, the three people sorting through the packages all muttered a collective “Holy crap” before falling silent, as if they had even stopped breathing.
“What I mean is…”
Fu Zhao snatched her gaze back as if she’d been burned, trying her best to explain with a straight face and a steady heart, “We still have to perform at the closing ceremony, so we can’t call off the engagement for now.”
Her reasoning was perfectly sound.
But her face still flushed, and her heart still pounded, especially when Shi Nan’s eyes, brimming with amusement, turned to look at her.
She couldn’t control her own actions. Like a guilty deserter, she quickly dodged Shi Nan’s gaze.
“…So that’s what you meant.”
Shi Nan spoke softly, her final syllable dragging out slightly. A smile played on her lips as she reluctantly pulled her gaze away from Fu Zhao and let it drift over to the stunned group nearby. “If you hadn’t clarified, I might have thought… you’d suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to marry me.”
“Pfft-”
As soon as Shi Nan finished speaking, before Fu Zhao could even react, Kong Weiyan spat out a mouthful of water. She broke into a fit of coughing, and it was only thanks to Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er, who were patting her back, that she slowly recovered.
Fu Zhao did her best to maintain a calm facade. She walked over to Kong Weiyan with steady steps, picked up the scissors from a delivery box with a completely straight face, and silently sliced open the tape to start unpacking.
She didn’t say a word, because she had no idea what to say in response to Shi Nan’s mischievous streak.
But in any case, if her mischievous streak was back, her mood must have recovered as well.
She probably wasn’t angry with her anymore.
What if she denied it now, or said something outrageous, and Shi Nan got angry again?
She shouldn’t speak right now. Firmly adhering to this principle, she methodically opened the box, took out the bubble wrap inside, and said nothing.
“Of course, I know…” Shi Nan walked over and joined her in taking out the bubble wrap from the box. As she bent down, a few strands of hair tucked behind her ear came loose, swaying in the breeze. She raised a hand to brush them back, the corners of her lips lifting into a gentle curve. In a soft, coaxing tone, as if speaking to a child, she said, “It’s just because our Little Island Master is very worried about the closing ceremony performance that she had this idea, right?”
“It’s not because you can’t bear to part with me.”
If Shi Nan hadn’t added that last sentence, Fu Zhao might not have felt so awkward.
But since Shi Nan had added it, Fu Zhao felt even more awkward.
She pressed her lips together, unwilling to discuss the issue of whether she “could bear to part with Shi Nan.” She changed the subject directly. “What’s in all these packages?”
She pulled out all the bubble wrap, revealing a square-shaped machine.
“I know!!” Jiang Wenqing, finally finding a topic she could contribute to, raised her hand and answered excitedly, “I’ve seen a documentary! I know this is an electronic kiln!!”
“An electronic kiln?” Ye Er asked curiously. “What is it used for?”
“Making pottery,” Fu Zhao blurted out. But after answering, she found it strange and couldn’t help but turn her gaze to Shi Nan. “Are you going to make pottery at home?”
Shi Nan walked over to the other, smaller packages and answered nonchalantly, “Yeah. I figured I don’t have much to do on the island, so I might as well make some pottery. Consider it cultivating a hobby.”
“Wow!” Kong Weiyan exclaimed with exaggerated surprise, holding a set of high-end pottery tools. “These are pottery tools, too~”
Next, Ye Er unpacked the potter’s clay, and Jiang Wenqing unpacked a variable-speed potter’s wheel.
With Shi Nan’s packages and Jiang Wenqing’s chattering commentary, they received a complete lesson on the entire pottery-making process.
Then, the group helped Shi Nan move everything into an empty room on the first floor. The room was large, and even after placing all the items inside, there was still a large empty space.
Fu Zhao silently observed the empty area, thoughtfully rubbing her chin. She glanced sideways at Shi Nan. “So when you mentioned Ning Si last time, you really knew her. I thought you were just being polite.”
“After all, you said Ning Si hadn’t updated in a long time. I thought you were a fake fan.”
“But now, she really hasn’t updated in a long time,” Shi Nan replied coolly, letting out a soft huff through her nose. “Do you still think I was lying to you?”
Shi Nan’s words made Fu Zhao feel a little embarrassed again. She cleared her throat. “I didn’t say you were lying to me.”
“It’s just…”
“Just what?” Shi Nan crossed her arms. “Just that you thought I didn’t like Ning Si at all and was just trying to snatch your favorite pottery from you?”
“…No.”
Feeling a pang of guilt from Shi Nan’s words, Fu Zhao’s mouth went dry. She took the bottle of mineral water Kong Weiyan tossed her, but after twisting it open, she handed it to Shi Nan first, subconsciously licking her own lips. “That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s just that I really do like Ning Si a lot, too.”
“Opening the cap is just preferential treatment for a patient. It’s not because you’re an Omega,” she added, afraid Shi Nan might misunderstand her intentions.
Shi Nan looked at Fu Zhao’s “you-guessed-it-but-I’m-still-going-to-be-stubborn-and-not-admit-it” expression, huffed lightly, and decided not to pursue the matter. She accepted the water Fu Zhao had opened for her, brought it to her lips, and took a few small sips. The cool liquid eased the stuffiness of the hot summer day, but it wasn’t icy-cold—it was just right.
After a few sips, she handed it back to Fu Zhao. “Here, you drink the rest.”
Fu Zhao glanced at the mouth of the bottle, which was still glistening with moisture. Under the warm lights, it was incredibly tempting.
Of course, she was referring to the mineral water, and nothing else.
She paused, her fingertips subconsciously pressing against the seams of her pants. She shook her head. “It’s okay, you drink it.”
“What? You have a problem with me?” Shi Nan raised an eyebrow and pulled her hand back. “Fine, don’t drink it then.”
“It’s not that…”
Fu Zhao caught herself. She curled her fingers into a fist and brought it to her lips, hiding the embarrassment of having stared at the bottle’s opening. “It’s not like there isn’t any other water. You drink first. I’ll ask Kong Weiyan for another bottle.”
“There’s no more!! That’s the last bottle!! The water purifier is empty too!!”
Kong Weiyan interjected abruptly, lying through her teeth without batting an eye.
Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er froze for a second, then quickly finished off the rest of their water, leaving Fu Zhao no other option.
Fu Zhao was stunned, not quite processing what had happened.
“Here~”
Shi Nan smiled, exchanging a look with the others. She stepped closer, holding the bottle out until its damp rim was almost touching Fu Zhao’s lips.
A few strands of her dark hair fell from her shoulder, stirred by the breeze into a gentle arc. The blue cat’s-eye earring on her left earlobe glowed with a faint halo in the direct sunlight.
The dusk light slanted in from the right, casting a shadow from her high-bridged nose onto her cheek, its lines captivating and elegant. Her skin was as fair as fine jade, delicate and translucent.
Shi Nan just looked at her like that, her hazel eyes twinkling with tiny flecks of light. A hint of slyness flashed through them as she lifted her lashes, the corners of her lips quirking up slightly.
“Why are you so shy?”
“Or should I find a straw to feed you, like you did for me before?”
Those two sentences were spoken very softly, but the heat they carried was intense, delivered almost directly into Fu Zhao’s ear, rushing straight to her brain.
Her back instantly stiffened.
Seeing Shi Nan getting closer and closer, as if she really was about to “feed her,” Fu Zhao frantically snatched the water bottle from her hand, took several quick steps back, and stammered,
“No need, I can do it myself.”
She didn’t dare look at Shi Nan again, nor did she dare hesitate. She poured the water into her mouth sip by sip, avoiding contact with the bottle’s rim.
“As expected, the Little Island Master’s level of purity is still beyond my imagination.”
That sentence suddenly sounded beside her ear. Fu Zhao nearly choked on a mouthful of water, spraying most of it out. A sharp pain flared in her chest, and she coughed so violently it felt like she was about to cough up a lung.
“Are you okay?”
The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and a gentle, slow voice reached her ears, soothing her.
A soft warmth soon touched her back. The heat of a palm pressed against her, stroking her back gently, again and again, following a comfortable rhythm.
She coughed until tears welled up, blurring her vision. She could only vaguely see the others still laughing at her—laughing at her for being clumsy with her water, laughing at her for being too pure.
But Shi Nan wasn’t laughing at her.
Soon, her coughing subsided.
The hand on her back stopped at just the right moment, tactfully removing itself instead of lingering. Shi Nan also took a step back.
Fu Zhao turned her head to meet Shi Nan’s worried gaze and said softly, “Thank you.”
Shi Nan let out a sigh of relief, then smiled again. She moved a little closer and raised her hand, gently wiping away the tears Fu Zhao had just coughed up with the pad of her finger. “You’re welcome.”
“Little Island Master~~”
The way she drew out “Little Island Master” was lilting, her tone lingering and gentle, laden with some kind of deep emotion.
Fu Zhao froze. As the blurriness in her vision cleared, she saw her own reflection in Shi Nan’s hazel eyes.
If she could see a little more clearly.
She would probably be able to see her own face slowly turning red.
But thankfully, she couldn’t see it now. She could only feel her own burning cheeks and earlobes. She swallowed, and after a long moment, managed to force out an “Mm,” before quickly putting distance between herself and Shi Nan. Without looking back, she went to find Kong Weiyan to settle the score, not daring to look at Shi Nan again.
Right, it was all Kong Weiyan’s fault.
It was all this bottle of water’s fault. In any case, it wasn’t her fault.
She clutched at her wildly beating heart, thinking this to herself.
The group stayed at Shi Nan’s house late into the night. They had dinner with her and helped assemble everything that needed assembling. Then, they waited for Shi Nan to finish tidying up before getting up to leave.
While Shi Nan was taking a shower.
Kong Weiyan grabbed Fu Zhao with one hand and pulled a drowsy Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er with the other, her expression serious.
“One of us has to stay here tonight to keep Shi Nan company.”
“We both have class tomorrow,” Ye Er said with a yawn, concisely stating why he and Jiang Wenqing couldn’t stay.
“We’re both Alphas,” Kong Weiyan said, pointing to herself and Jiang Wenqing, calmly stating the dual reasons why Jiang Wenqing couldn’t stay.
“You’re the closest, and your gender is the most suitable.”
“You’re also the one with the most free time.”
“What about my mother? Logically speaking, she should be the most suitable, in terms of both gender and home address,” Fu Zhao retorted.
Kong Weiyan took a sip of tea to wet her dry throat before adding, “The Island Master leaves early and comes back late every day. Do you have the heart to ask her? Besides, she’s working overtime tonight and isn’t even back yet.”
“And let me be clear, you can’t find a stranger, like a housekeeper or a robot. That’s not reliable. It has to be someone she knows, someone who can give Shi Nan a sense of security. No one else will do.”
They had suggested getting a housekeeper for Shi Nan before, but because Shi Nan said she didn’t like living with other people, the housekeeper only came at scheduled times to clean the house.
As for meals, Shi Nan had been eating all three meals a day at her house and had never cooked for herself at home.
Fu Zhao couldn’t help but think of how Shi Nan had gripped her wrist last night. She had to admit that Kong Weiyan was right; she was the most suitable candidate.
Fu Zhao’s gaze swept over the three of them. After a moment of silence, she replied, “Since you’ve all already decided, why are you even asking me?”
“Just a formality,” Kong Weiyan said lightly. She then glanced toward the bathroom and lowered her voice. “Besides, Shi Nan was angry today. You need to stay and coax her properly.”
“We’ve created so many opportunities for you. Why don’t you know how to use them?”
“Exactly, exactly,” Jiang Wenqing chimed in softly, unable to stop herself from complaining. “Fu Zhao, you’re really hopeless. You were so wishy-washy about a sip of water, and now you’re being wishy-washy about staying to keep Sister Shi Nan company.”
Fu Zhao: “…”
“When did I-”
She didn’t finish her sentence, defeated by their glares. Unresigned, she looked at Ye Er, the best-behaved of the three. “Am I being wishy-washy?”
Ye Er didn’t speak, only pursing his lips, giving his answer in silence.
“See? They all think you’re being wishy-washy, that you’re dithering.”
“If you want to prove you’re not wishy-washy, then when Shi Nan comes out, you should take the initiative and offer to stay with her.”
Although Fu Zhao didn’t agree with what Kong Weiyan said, she couldn’t find a good reason to refute it. She pressed her lips together, and just as she was about to speak, Shi Nan’s voice came from behind her.
“What’s wrong? You’re all huddled together like you’re in a meeting about something.”
“It’s nothing, Fu Zhao was just-”
Kong Weiyan didn’t get to finish before Fu Zhao clapped a hand over her mouth. She blinked helplessly.
Jiang Wenqing had just opened her mouth when a glare from Fu Zhao stopped her. She blinked innocently, wearing an expression that said, “I want to talk but Fu Zhao threatened me so I don’t dare.”
And Ye Er, whom Fu Zhao trusted the most, silently took a sip of water and hugged his backpack, distancing himself from the battlefield.
The two troublemakers were neutralized.
Fu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, but Shi Nan didn’t seem ready to let her off the hook. Casually drying her hair, she said, “Hm? What about Fu Zhao?”
“Why aren’t you talking?”
“Fu Zhao said she wants to say it herself!” Jiang Wenqing blurted out, then immediately grabbed her bag and sat with Ye Er on the other sofa, making a zipping motion across her lips and placing her hands obediently on her knees.
Shi Nan blinked, her eyes veiled with a layer of damp mist as she looked over. “Is there something you want to say? I’m listening.”
And so, under the intense stares of the other four people.
Fu Zhao was in a bind. Meeting Shi Nan’s direct gaze, she suddenly remembered something Shi Nan had said while on her back that night.
Shi Nan had said she needed her.
Her breath had been against the side of her neck, her voice seemingly laced with an emotion she couldn’t perceive.
In a daze, she came back to her senses. Meeting the clear, sparkling light in Shi Nan’s eyes, she unconsciously asked,
“Tonight… will you need me too?”
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