TIMO - Chapter 29
Chapter 29
It wasn’t a matter of having to choose one or the other.
It wasn’t that Fu Zhao had to sacrifice her sleep for Shi Nan to rest, nor was it that Shi Nan couldn’t sleep well unless Fu Zhao sacrificed her sleep to stay with her.
There would always be another way.
But it seemed Fu Zhao had truly found a way for both of them to sleep well, for neither of them to get “rained on.”
Shi Nan had used the “raining analogy” to ask Fu Zhao not to get “rained on” for her sake, to not lose sleep just to watch over her.
Fu Zhao had returned the “raining analogy,” saying that besides both of them getting rained on, she had another way to ensure they both slept well.
Fu Zhao didn’t ask her why she had to listen to her pulse to fall asleep, nor did she ask why she insisted on bringing up the topic of “getting rained on.”
Yet even without knowing everything Shi Nan knew, Fu Zhao still gave her an incredibly firm answer.
Neither of them had to get “rained on.”
They could both live well. She should have confidence; perhaps this time, there really was another way.
Perhaps this Fu Zhao was the one who could change everything.
Perhaps she should trust Fu Zhao.
Shi Nan couldn’t help but have such thoughts.
And she began to feel an unconscious sense of anticipation for the “other way” Fu Zhao had mentioned.
Listening to the amplified, real-time sound of a pulse in the room, lying on the small bed where Fu Zhao used to sleep, she fell asleep with an expectation she had never felt before.
It seemed she even had a rather wonderful, beautiful dream.
It was an even more beautiful dream than the ones she had when Fu Zhao was here, sleeping beside her.
She knew very well that this time, her sense of security didn’t just come from Fu Zhao’s presence.
More than that, it came from Fu Zhao’s affirmative response.
It was about the present, and also about the future.
Fu Zhao had been in a daze all day.
When she went for her morning run, she didn’t notice when her earbud fell out.
While eating a steamed bun, she chewed thirty-four times without remembering to swallow.
When drinking soy milk, she didn’t check if it had cooled down and took a big gulp, burning her mouth and tongue.
As a result, she barely spoke a word all day.
Even after today’s rehearsal ended, she remained absent-minded, staring… at some unknown spot in a daze. In short, she hadn’t said much.
This made the usually chatty Jiang Wenqing feel a bit stifled. With Kong Weiyan absent, Fu Zhao distracted, and Ye Er wearing his usual cold, “deadpan face,” she could only talk to Shi Nan and Fu Wanqing, who seemed to be in the best moods among the group.
But she was an Alpha, after all, and didn’t dare get too close to Shi Nan.
Besides, the moment she got a little closer, Fu Zhao, who was staring blankly at the drum score, would somehow sense her movement and glare at her like a tiger watching its prey.
Perhaps Fu Zhao really did have some kind of “Shi Nan detector” installed in her.
Whenever there was the slightest disturbance within a hundred meters of Shi Nan, Fu Zhao was always the first to notice.
After eleven attempts, Jiang Wenqing came to this conclusion.
She pouted and retracted her foot. “I was going to invite everyone to my place for a good meal before the official performance tomorrow, but now it looks like even if you came, Fu Zhao, you’d just end up sticking your chopsticks in your nose, completely distracted.”
“And Sister Kong isn’t here either…”
“The Little Island Master is just a bit nervous, don’t talk nonsense.” Ye Er, adhering to his principle of siding with the Little Island Master, offered a brief explanation for Fu Zhao. “Sister Kong has so many programs to manage, how could she hang out with us every day.”
“Mm, Xiao Ye is right.” Fu Wanqing nodded in deep agreement, patting Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er on the head. “As for dinner at Xiao Qing’s place, maybe it would be better to go after the official performance tomorrow.”
“Today is more suited for my place. Whatever you want to eat, it’s my treat.”
“Yay! Pizza, coke, and burgers!! My mom never lets me eat that stuff, but if the Island Master is treating, I’m not afraid!!” Jiang Wenqing showed no restraint, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Fu Wanqing, while also urging Ye Er to pack up. “Hurry up, we’re going to the Island Master’s house to eat!!”
Ye Er was helpless against her and could only silently speed up his packing.
“Nannan, Zhaozhao, what do you two want to eat?” Fu Wanqing watched the two youngsters interact and smiled for a moment before remembering her own two “big kids” and asking them as well.
Hearing her name, Fu Zhao snapped out of her daze. She followed Fu Wanqing’s gaze to Shi Nan and shook her head gently. “I’m fine, you all can go back first.”
“I was… a little distracted during practice just now. I want to get more familiar with the drum beats and rhythm.”
“Mother, remember to take Shi Nan… and Jiang Wenqing and Ye Er home later.” She had originally blurted out only “Shi Nan,” but then realized her mistake and added the names “Jiang Wenqing” and “Ye Er.”
Perhaps it was just because her tongue was burned, so she didn’t want to add those two names.
“You’re not coming back with us? Fu Zhao, you need to rest properly-”
Jiang Wenqing trailed off and gestured for Ye Er to add something.
Ye Er paused, then said succinctly, “Little Island Master, it’s best to balance work and rest.”
Fu Zhao was amused by the two little adults’ words, and the tense string in her heart suddenly loosened, allowing her to relax quite a bit. She nodded lightly. “Mm, okay, I know.”
After speaking, she looked at Shi Nan again, thinking of something to say, but she just pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Shi Nan looked over, a flicker of light in her eyes that quickly returned to calm. She seemed to be waiting for her to speak, just watching her quietly.
But Fu Zhao still said nothing, only lowering her eyelashes silently.
“I’m leaving then,” Shi Nan said, her tone sounding devoid of emotion.
Fu Zhao’s mouth opened and closed, finally forcing out a single “Mm” from her throat.
At that, Shi Nan raised her eyebrows thoughtfully, her gaze shifting away from Fu Zhao. She smiled at the others, her eyes curving. “Then we’ll go have a feast and not worry about her~~”
She even dragged out the last syllable, as if afraid Fu Zhao wouldn’t hear her.
Fu Wanqing glanced between the two, crossed her arms, and curled her lips into a smile. She had no intention of getting involved in the “push and pull between the young couple” and just cleared her throat. “Well then, Zhaozhao, we’ll head back first?”
Fu Zhao grunted in agreement again.
Jiang Wenqing looked confused and was about to say something else, but she was quickly pulled away by Ye Er.
And so, the once lively rehearsal room fell silent, leaving only Fu Zhao. Outside the window, wind chime flowers swayed gently, their orange-red blossoms hanging from slender branches, dancing gracefully.
A faint floral scent drifted in through the window on the gentle night breeze, alleviating much of her daze and waking her unfocused mind.
Fu Zhao glanced at the bag she had brought with her. It was bulging, containing the “culprit” behind her distraction all day. She sighed softly, walked over, and took the item out of her bag.
It was an orange-red gift box with a golden silk ribbon, adorned with a wind chime flower she had just picked today.
Suitable for a gift.
It was originally a gift, a gift she wasn’t mentally prepared to give.
Perhaps it was because she knew that once this gift was given, her connection with that person, her relationship with that person, could never return to the place she had initially wanted it to stay.
But what was the place she wanted to stay at? She hadn’t figured that out yet.
Just like after tomorrow, after the most important band performance…
The matter of annulling the engagement, the matter of leaving the island… it felt as if there were no other excuses to hide behind, nothing to stop her, to hold her back, to keep her from thinking about these two things any longer.
Even if she could ignore the ending in the original book, even if she could use other methods to solve it…
But one thing at a time.
She didn’t really want the band performance to end so quickly, nor did she want Shi Nan to leave the island so soon.
This was only supposed to be a parting gift.
She told herself this, warned herself of this.
Two songs. In one, she was the lead singer; in the other, she was the drummer.
In one, Shi Nan was the drummer; in the other, Shi Nan was the lead singer.
Fu Zhao practiced one song after another in the rehearsal room. They had previously made recordings that allowed individuals to practice their parts alone when the others weren’t present.
Both songs were well-chosen.
One had a light and cheerful melody that matched Shi Nan’s soft and gentle voice.
The other had a restless, energetic melody, perfect for hyping up a live audience. And as it happened, this song was to be sung by the usually quiet Fu Zhao.
She didn’t know why Kong Weiyan had chosen such a song for her.
She wasn’t quite sure she could handle it.
During previous practices, she had thought about letting someone else sing it, but Kong Weiyan had said it wasn’t suitable and insisted that the Little Island Master had to sing a song herself to showcase the brilliance of the special performance.
Fu Zhao frowned as she practiced the two songs of different styles, feeling the tip of her tongue, which she had burned this morning, ache more and more.
Only after practicing an unknown number of times did she feel a bit more confident and decide to take a short break.
The moment she stopped, the restless music and drumbeats vanished.
The rehearsal room fell silent again. Practicing alone always made one feel a little empty inside.
It’s just that I’m not used to it, it’s not that I’m being sentimental.
She thought this, comforting herself.
But as soon as she was idle, the complicated thoughts in her mind, as if finding a rare opportunity, all bubbled up from her brain.
They finally converged into a single idea.
An unreliable and not-so-proper idea.
Fu Zhao shook her head, stood up, and took a sip from her water bottle. The water was the right temperature, and one gulp soothed much of the irritation on her tongue and the roof of her mouth.
But the restlessness in her heart was not eased.
She took a few more sips and placed the bottle back on the table, only to find that a square box had appeared on the previously empty surface.
It had a light brown base and a dark brown lid, with a ceramic texture, and was decorated with cute little brown bears.
It looked like a lunchbox.
Why would a lunchbox suddenly be here so late?
Did someone forget to take it home?
Fu Zhao found it strange and carefully scanned the other tables, but saw nothing else left behind.
She glanced at the lunchbox on the table again, and then at the water bottle next to it.
Right, something was off.
It was bottled mineral water, so why was it warm when she drank it? The air conditioning in the room was set to cool…
Before she could figure it out, there was a sound at her feet. Something seemed to hit her lightly before rolling to a stop beside her.
A familiar maneuver.
Fu Zhao blinked and looked around. With just one glance, she spotted a person standing quietly behind her, leaning against the doorframe. She wore a white knit cardigan over a lavender floral dress, and canvas shoes with white socks that covered a third of her calves, her legs perfectly straight and smooth.
The dim light above the door suddenly lit up, illuminating the person standing there and casting a soft halo around her entire body.
Her shoulder-length hair was spread softly over her shoulders, gently brushing against her cheeks with the breeze.
Her eyes tilted up slightly, her tea-brown pupils reflecting a circle of gentle light.
It was the night, the light, and some unknown sentiment that made Shi Nan look exceptionally beautiful right now.
“Silly~”
Shi Nan’s red lips parted as she spoke, her tone soft and light. She then uncrossed her arms and walked over slowly, step by step, opening the lunchbox and utensils. “I’ve been standing here for fifteen minutes. You didn’t see me even once?”
“The food’s gotten cold, and you didn’t notice.”
As Shi Nan spoke, she started laughing, her eyelashes curving and her eyes shining like brilliant stars. She smiled brightly, and with that smile filling her eyes, she looked over. “I don’t know if you burned your eyes when you burned your tongue this morning, making you unable to see anything.”
Fu Zhao blinked, dazed. Only then did she realize why the water she had just drunk was warm—Shi Nan knew she had burned her tongue this morning and had replaced the mineral water on her table with warm water.
Shi Nan had finished her own dinner and even brought some for her.
Shi Nan was truly so thoughtful.
That never-dissipating, not-so-normal idea grew stronger and stronger in her mind.
Just like the Shi Nan before her eyes—every movement, her curved eyes, her lowered and then raised eyelashes, her fair skin with a pinkish hue, the arc of every strand of her hair as it moved, the faint, rich, and fresh fragrance from her body…
It captured all of her attention.
That abnormal, unreliable idea magnified infinitely in her mind, battering all her reason, all her emotions.
And then it told her that the deepest thoughts hidden in her heart could no longer be hidden; they were spilling out from every glance she directed at Shi Nan.
If only the gift she prepared wasn’t a parting gift.
If only Shi Nan wouldn’t leave Nanke Island.
If only…
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