TIMO - Chapter 30
Chapter 30
What was the last “what if”?
She hadn’t figured it out yet, or perhaps, she didn’t dare let that final “what if” form into a clear thought.
“It’s so late. Why are you here instead of resting properly?”
In a daze, Fu Zhao asked a question to which she already knew the answer.
But Shi Nan still answered her good-naturedly. She blinked, looked at her, and smiled. “I came to bring food for a certain dummy who has poor eyesight, who can’t see me even with her beautiful eyes, and who burns her tongue drinking soy milk.”
To see you.
To see what this other solution you mentioned, the one you told me to look forward to, actually is.
To see if you can live up to my expectations.
Shi Nan didn’t say these words aloud, keeping them in her heart. She glanced again at Fu Zhao, who was still dazed and silent, and sighed softly. She scooped up a spoonful of steamed egg custard and brought it to Fu Zhao’s lips. “Spray some medicine on it after you eat. Don’t let it stay uncomfortable.”
The savory, warm egg custard was brought close, and Fu Zhao snapped back to her senses, meeting Shi Nan’s bright eyes. In a panic, she tried to take the spoon from Shi Nan’s hand, but Shi Nan quickly moved it away.
She paused, pressing her lips together. “I can do it myself.”
Shi Nan raised an eyebrow. “Just the first bite. You can eat the rest yourself.”
“Why do you have to feed me the first bite?” Fu Zhao really didn’t understand Shi Nan’s thinking. She blinked in confusion, her gaze falling on Shi Nan’s face as she turned her head to look at her.
The warm yellow light shone on Shi Nan’s face. The ends of her slightly curly hair rested naturally on her shoulders, making the lines of her face appear even more smooth and natural. A few strands were tucked behind her ear, revealing a small, fair ear.
Every movement automatically slowed down before her eyes, like a slow-motion shot in a movie.
Shi Nan was very beautiful.
Only now did Fu Zhao begin to re-examine this fact.
“Because…” Shi Nan nudged the spoon with the egg custard against Fu Zhao’s lips again. Her expression was calm, but the light in her eyes couldn’t help but flicker a few times, a hint of “I’m looking forward to this but I won’t say it” flashing through. “It’s a dish I made, so of course, the process is only complete if I feed you the first bite.”
Fu Zhao didn’t quite grasp Shi Nan’s logic, but the spoon was already nearly in her mouth, and Shi Nan’s sparkling gaze was practically floating into her already chaotic mind.
She stared blankly at the tender, smooth, and trembling egg custard before her, subconsciously opening her mouth and taking that bite of egg custard “fed to her by Shi Nan.”
It was, indeed, tender and smooth.
And fragrant.
With a slight press of the tongue, it melted in her mouth, sliding automatically from her mouth down her throat and into her stomach, leaving only a savory aroma behind, making her want more.
“…It’s delicious.”
Fu Zhao answered before Shi Nan could ask, because Shi Nan didn’t need to speak; her translucent, bright eyes had already asked the question, “Is it good?”
At that, Shi Nan’s eyebrows rose, and the phrase “Of course it’s good” practically leaped out from her confident expression.
Fu Zhao felt a little urge to laugh, probably because Shi Nan, when she was being occasionally childish, was particularly cute.
Cute?
She realized she had started using that word to describe Shi Nan. She quickly took the spoon, which Shi Nan had now loaded with a piece of eggplant, and swallowed the word that had just popped into her head along with the soft, delicious bite.
How could she be cute?
It could only be admiration. Admiration for Shi Nan’s ability to cook so many dishes. Although she had only tasted two, they were surprisingly both delicious, no worse than the dishes made by her family’s housekeeping robot.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a good cook.” Fu Zhao offered this appropriately, diverting her own thoughts, which were gradually beginning to show. “They’re both very tasty, and… they suit the local palate quite well.”
“It was mainly to suit your palate.”
Shi Nan’s lips curved slightly as she propped her chin on her hand and watched Fu Zhao. Fu Zhao ate at a moderate pace, not exactly elegant, but she always chewed slowly and thoroughly. As she bit into the softened green beans, her mouth would still get a little full, her cheeks puffing out slightly, like an adorable little hamster.
“I specifically asked Auntie Li at home what dishes you like and what flavors you prefer. Then I searched for what’s not suitable to eat after burning your tongue and finally chose these few.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
Shi Nan said this distractedly, then watched as the “little hamster” paused, puffed out her cheeks, and gave her a sparkling glance before chewing and swallowing the food in her mouth. Her ears flushed red as she said softly, “Thank you.”
“You make food look so delicious~”
Shi Nan couldn’t help but say this, propping her face in her hands and smiling at Fu Zhao. She deliberately mumbled in a “low voice,” “Watching you makes me want to eat some too.”
And so, Fu Zhao, with a mouthful of egg custard she hadn’t yet swallowed, widened her eyes, looking just like a little hamster caught red-handed sneaking food.
Shi Nan pressed her advantage, pointing to the small bite of egg custard left in Fu Zhao’s bowl. “Can I have a bite?”
Fu Zhao swallowed the egg custard, only then realizing what Shi Nan had said. She pressed her lips together and glanced at the egg custard in the lunchbox with some reluctance. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to share with Shi Nan, but it seemed there was only one set of utensils.
But since Shi Nan had made the food, it wouldn’t be right not to let her have any.
She pushed the lunchbox forward but kept a tight grip on the spoon, saying in a tiny voice, “Go ahead.”
“How am I supposed to eat?” Shi Nan blinked. “With my hands?”
“There are no other utensils,” Fu Zhao replied, blinking back.
“Then you feed me.” Shi Nan tilted her head to look at Fu Zhao and smiled. “One for you, one for me. It’s only fair, isn’t it?”
“Besides… I made it myself, and I haven’t had a single bite. You ate it all.” Shi Nan bit her lower lip gently, the light in her eyes shimmering with a deliberately released hint of grievance. “How could you do this to me?”
Fu Zhao froze. Although she knew Shi Nan was just being mischievous and pretending to be pitiful, it was as Shi Nan said: she couldn’t be so heartless as to not let her have a single bite.
Besides, it was no big deal.
Between girls, sharing a milk tea or using the same spoon was a very normal thing, whether in the ABO world or her original world.
Yet, as Fu Zhao scooped up the last bite of egg custard and met Shi Nan’s smiling eyes, her hand began to tremble uncontrollably, as if it would shake off the meager amount of egg custard left on the spoon.
Until Shi Nan gently parted her lips and took that trembling bite of egg custard.
Fu Zhao’s gaze couldn’t help but fall on Shi Nan’s lips. The round, delicate philtrum, the naturally upturned corners of her mouth, the full lips coated in a semi-matte, moisturizing lipstick—it was like a rose-lychee flavored gummy bursting with juice had been stuck there, vibrant and alluring.
She pursed them, then closed them tightly, chewing the egg custard in small bites.
They looked very soft, very sweet, and very fragrant.
And they tasted that way too.
She was talking about the egg custard she had eaten countless bites of today, not Shi Nan’s lips.
Although Fu Zhao told herself this, she inevitably recalled the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from their first meeting.
She had been panicked and rushed then, devoid of emotion or feeling, just mechanically repeating the first-aid techniques she had learned, with no time to feel anything.
But now, she suddenly remembered the touch from that time, and a thought she couldn’t suppress popped into her head:
Compared to the egg custard, would Shi Nan’s lips be softer, sweeter, and more fragrant?
“Mm, it’s quite soft, pretty sweet, and very fragrant.”
Before this thought could dissipate, a soft, lazy voice sounded unexpectedly by her ear. She came back to her senses as the spoon was pulled from her hand and a water bottle was pressed into her palm. The water was still slightly warm.
She was dazed for a moment, watching Shi Nan’s unhurried movements as she packed up the utensils. Only then did she realize that Shi Nan had been talking about the egg custard.
Her question, it seemed, would not be answered.
Fu Zhao silently began to help Shi Nan pack up. The clattering of the utensils could temporarily suppress the thoughts about Shi Nan that kept bubbling up in her mind.
But she couldn’t help but wonder: if Shi Nan knew how to cook, why did she still come to her house for dinner every day?
She didn’t dare ask.
Perhaps it was because Shi Nan was lazy and didn’t want to cook.
But then a new question arose.
If Shi Nan was so lazy, why was she willing to cook for her?
She couldn’t figure out why, because after they finished cleaning up, Shi Nan said she would practice with her again.
Even though she said it wasn’t necessary, Shi Nan still sat down on the drum stool they usually shared, sitting up straight and looking at her, her clear eyes smiling, in a posture that said she wouldn’t leave unless Fu Zhao did.
Having been fed, Fu Zhao felt she couldn’t refuse. She sat down at the keyboard, placed her hands on it, and played the first note.
Shi Nan smiled, picked up her drumsticks, and joined in on the rhythm flawlessly.
They didn’t use a backing track.
With just the keyboard and drums, they played through Fu Zhao’s originally “boisterous” song. Fu Zhao already knew how to play the piano, and now, looking at the sheet music on the stand, she could play along smoothly.
The rather high-profile style of the song, now reduced to just keyboard and drums, combined with Fu Zhao’s relatively slow and deep voice, produced a uniquely languid flavor.
This was the first time since they started rehearsing that they practiced from an almost face-to-face angle.
Sitting on the drum stool, Shi Nan could see Fu Zhao’s serious expression as she looked at the sheet music while playing; she could see Fu Zhao’s fair, still neck, where a small brown mole dotted the pale skin, adding a touch of asceticism; she could also clearly see Fu Zhao’s slender eyelashes trembling slightly as she sang the chorus.
Most importantly, she could perfectly catch Fu Zhao’s gaze when it couldn’t help but drift over to her, and then watch as Fu Zhao, embarrassed, tugged at the corner of her mouth before turning her eyes back to the sheet music.
The Fu Zhao who wasn’t looking at her was earnest and serious, possessing a heart-stirring charm that automatically shone, capturing all of her attention.
But the Fu Zhao who was looking at her would always involuntarily retract that energy, becoming adorable and full of life.
If Shi Nan had to choose between the Fu Zhao who looked at her and the one who didn’t, she probably couldn’t.
The song ended.
Shi Nan was about to get up and switch places, but Fu Zhao didn’t stand up. She calmly turned a page of the sheet music, played the opening of another song, and then nodded at her, the hair at her temple fluttering gently with the movement.
The melody began, even more gentle and leisurely when played on the keyboard alone.
Shi Nan sat back down on the drum stool, pulled the microphone closer, and began to sing softly.
On the day before the official performance, the two of them, in a rehearsal room that originally belonged to five people, played their two songs over and over again. Sitting in positions they had never sat in during previous rehearsals, they performed the two songs in a different style.
A style exclusive to this night.
This didn’t feel like a rehearsal, but more like a date.
Shi Nan thought this, right up until the power in the rehearsal room went out. The lights all went dark, and all the instruments fell silent.
“The power’s out.”
Fu Zhao spoke softly, taking her hands off the keyboard. After she spoke, the room fell silent again. The moonlight streaming in from the window cast itself on her face, outlining her cool, jade-like features and beautiful face.
“It should be fine. It’ll come back on in a bit.”
Shi Nan nodded, stood up decisively, walked over to Fu Zhao, and sat down beside her, looking up at her. “Should we go back?”
“It’s already very late…”
Fu Zhao pressed her lips together. They should go back, but maybe it was because the atmosphere of their private rehearsal was too good, maybe it was because this was their last night in the rehearsal room, or maybe it was because after tomorrow night, she and Shi Nan would no longer see each other every day.
They had seen all the sights on the island, and the band performance would be over.
Where Shi Nan went would have nothing to do with her.
What Shi Nan did, she wouldn’t need to do with her.
There would no longer be any necessary connection binding the two of them together.
And the first emotion she felt after realizing this was, surprisingly, a reluctance to part.
“Uh-huh~” Shi Nan hummed distractedly, propping her hands on the bench. “So, are we going back?”
They had to go back.
No matter how reluctant she was, they had to go back.
Fu Zhao bit her tongue hard, forcing herself to snap out of this feeling of “reluctance.” She took a deep breath, shot up from the bench with a “swoosh,” and, under Shi Nan’s surprised gaze, went to get the gift box from her bag.
Then she sat down next to Shi Nan again, shoulder to shoulder, very close.
So close that she was afraid Shi Nan would hear her increasingly tense and rapid breathing, so close that she was afraid she couldn’t suppress the drumming of her own heart.
She didn’t look at Shi Nan, staring straight at the lyrics on the sheet music as she handed over the gift box.
“What’s this?”
“A gift to celebrate a successful performance tomorrow?”
Shi Nan’s tone was filled with curiosity, her voice filling the entire rehearsal room.
It came from all directions; Fu Zhao couldn’t escape it.
“No.”
She replied softly, not daring to speak too loudly, perhaps because Shi Nan’s shoulder was pressing against hers, making her nervous.
Then, the sound of the gift ribbon being untied, the gift box being opened, the wrapping paper being torn… echoed throughout the room, affecting her held breath.
“Are you sure you’re not going to look at me?”
At Shi Nan’s words, Fu Zhao looked over. In the bright moonlight, a hazy silver light filled the air. Shi Nan, sitting beside her, held the gift she had given her. Her eyelashes trembled, her breathing softened, and her voice became much quieter. “Is this the other solution you mentioned, besides yesterday’s exception?”
The gift was a small, heart-shaped pillow. It was a light pink, soft in texture, and fluffy.
Other than that, it didn’t look particularly special.
Fu Zhao closed her eyes and clenched the hem of her shirt, her tone a little unnatural. Her breathing seemed somewhat abrupt in the quiet room. “Although I personally think this gift is a bit strange, Kong Weiyan said that since it’s related to a pulse, a heart shape would be more appropriate.”
“But it doesn’t mean anything else. It’s just the shape she recommended, and it was already made when I got it.”
“You know how she is, always a bit dramatic.”
After explaining the gift’s shape, she pressed her lips together, took out her smartwatch from her pocket, put it on, and began to explain the gift’s true purpose. “Inside is a real-time simulator. It mimics the pulse recorded in real-time by the chip attached to the watch.”
“I calibrated it many times before, and Kong Weiyan also found a professional to help me, to make the simulator as close to a real pulse as possible. Which is to say…”
Fu Zhao finished putting on the watch, pressed the switch, and looked up at Shi Nan, trying her best to finish what she had to say without blushing or her heart skipping a beat.
“Although I don’t know what my pulse means to you, and I don’t want to press the issue—you can tell me when you want to, and if you don’t want to, that’s fine too.”
“After all, you were kidnapped because of me. So I don’t want you to continue to be trapped in that shadow. I hope you can move forward, that you won’t have any bad impressions of Nanke Island because of what happened, and that you won’t be stuck in this incident. But I also know that if I were to stay with you all day, it would surely be a burden for you. So after thinking it over, this was the only method I could come up with. It can give you a sense of security, and it also allows me to go do my own things in the future.”
“No matter where you are, as long as I don’t turn this switch off.”
“I can… accompany you in this way, until you’ve completely forgotten this incident, until you’re no longer afraid because of it.”
“As long as I’m alive,” she added.
Author's Notes
Damn it, it’s precisely this kind of sincere gift, given without any ulterior motives, that makes one’s heart flutter!!
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment