TIMO - Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Shi Nan's lips felt so much better than egg custard.
Unlike the last time she'd performed artificial respiration with a clear mind, this was the only thought in Fu Zhao's head now.
It made sense. Back then, Shi Nan was the one who was drunk, not her.
She was sober, so much so that she could perceive with unparalleled clarity the difference between egg custard, jelly, and Shi Nan's lips.
It was strange, but that was the thought that had occupied her mind at that moment.
The chandelier overhead swayed, casting a hazy halo of light. Fine specks of glare scattered over the two of them. They were near the window, and the bright moonlight snuck in, carrying the salty, warm ocean breeze.
Once a person quieted down, the ambient sounds became particularly prominent.
The surging crash of the waves, the rustling of the sea breeze, the slightly noisy chirping of crickets… and her own deliberately softened breathing, along with Shi Nan's slow breaths. Everything seemed tranquil and leisurely.
Fu Zhao had been tense at first, but as time slowly passed, she relaxed along with these leisurely sounds and began to sneak glances at Shi Nan, who was leaning on her shoulder.
The bright moonlight and the warm yellow light from overhead intertwined, casting a shimmering, soft glow that outlined Shi Nan's entire figure.
Her slender, curled eyelashes rested gently on her lower eyelids. A few strands of hair at the nape of her neck and the bangs at her forehead were lifted by the sea breeze. Her white shirt was slightly open, revealing fair, delicate skin. The line of her neck was long, and a hint of her collarbone was visible, its lines sensual.
She boldly sized Shi Nan up, yet automatically averted her gaze when she reached the parts she shouldn't be looking at.
Waiting for Shi Nan to wake up was bound to be boring. She scanned the restaurant's decor, the liquor boxes and bottles in the corner, and the leftover plates on every table, but Shi Nan still didn't wake.
So, she could only look at Shi Nan.
She just kept looking and looking, until Shi Nan's eyelashes trembled slightly and she slowly opened her eyes. Her deep, tea-brown eyes were still tinged with a bit of haze, moist and glistening.
Fu Zhao froze, not reacting for a moment.
Shi Nan didn't react much either, simply staring at her. After a long while, she blinked, and a soft, lingering ripple of light shimmered at the edge of her tea-brown irises.
"Shi Nan…"
She called Shi Nan's name, but feeling that the other woman wasn't fully awake yet, she unconsciously softened the end of her name, making it much gentler.
Hearing her name, Shi Nan lifted her head from Fu Zhao's shoulder, but she just blinked at her again. Her upper body leaned closer as she stared straight at her, the moonlight reflected in her eyes splashing directly onto Fu Zhao.
Fu Zhao felt a little flustered. She clutched the hem of her clothes, wanting to create some distance, but in the next second, she felt a slight warmth and a soft touch on the back of her hand.
Her hand was pressed into Shi Nan's palm.
It felt as if Shi Nan had grasped her entire being. Somehow, she lost the strength to move and had to meet Shi Nan's direct gaze, stammering out her name but not knowing what else to say.
She should have said something at that moment, but all she felt was a dry mouth and throat.
And so, she couldn't say anything at all.
Shi Nan's palm remained on her arm, but her upper body leaned closer and closer. Her hazy eyes were fixed on her, and Fu Zhao's own reflection in her pupils grew larger and larger.
She just stood there, stunned.
But perhaps, it wasn't that she didn't react, but that she was also anticipating it.
In that instant, the sounds of the waves, the crickets, and the wind all seemed to pause, and even her own breathing was held.
"Thump-thump-thump."
This time, it wasn't the sound of Shi Nan's footsteps approaching her that was so clear, but the sound of her own real heartbeat. It pounded violently, as if it would break through her chest and leap out.
This impending moment felt very slow, but perhaps it was just her mind automatically slowing it down.
But the moment also passed very quickly, at least much faster than she had imagined.
A soft sensation pressed against her lips, carrying a hint of moisture.
There was even… a soft, slick feeling that glided between her lips. The touch was so light she suspected she had imagined it.
It was sweet. Maybe because Shi Nan had just been drinking, but how could alcohol be sweet?
It was fragrant. Maybe because Shi Nan was wearing perfume, but how could perfume come from her mouth?
Compared to egg custard, it was fuller, not dissolving with a single press.
Compared to jelly, it was softer, not as springy.
Her mind automatically came to this comparative conclusion, but soon, the sensation on her lips vanished. It was as if that one kiss had used up all of Shi Nan's remaining consciousness, and her upper body slumped downward.
Fu Zhao instinctively caught Shi Nan, her arms filling with a warm, soft body.
Shi Nan had fallen into her arms again. She closed her eyes and murmured softly, as if talking in her sleep, "Does your tongue still hurt? Wifey~~"
Shi Nan was talking about how she had burned her tongue on soy milk yesterday.
Shi Nan had called her Wifey again.
Shi Nan had kissed her, probably just in a dream, but even in her dream, she was worried about her burned tongue.
Fu Zhao couldn't think straight, couldn't make sense of it. Her mind was a complete mess. She quietly helped Shi Nan sit up and lean against her shoulder again. She didn't respond, just silently took a few more sips of water, trying to forget all the thoughts that were sprouting in her mind.
But as she looked at the peacefully quiet Shi Nan, she blinked blankly and still answered the question Shi Nan had asked.
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
"But…"
She didn't finish the sentence. After staring blankly for a moment, she couldn't help but touch the spot Shi Nan had just licked with her fingertip and said softly,
"My mouth is a little hot."
That night, Shi Nan had called Fu Zhao "Wifey" three times, and Fu Zhao's heart had jumped three times.
So, when she saw that Shi Nan was about to blurt it out a fourth time, Fu Zhao interrupted her.
Or rather, she felt that Shi Nan had just remembered that little kiss.
It could only be described as a little kiss, after all, since it was just a light touch.
And… it didn't even last as long as the first time with the artificial respiration, but it was far more flustering.
Perhaps, it was more memorable.
Otherwise, why would she still feel the warm, soft sensation lingering on her lips after all this time, impossible to shake off?
A lot had happened that night, but her mind was filled with nothing but that nameless little kiss.
Actually, between adults, when they're drunk, it's not unusual for something to happen…
Fu Zhao closed her eyes and let out a long breath. She really couldn't ignore this, nor could she comfort herself with the excuse "this is normal" like before.
"Let's go back."
Her gaze shifted from the constantly exploding fireworks to Shi Nan, who was right beside her. "If we don't go back soon, the sun will be up."
If they didn't go back soon, her thoughts would become even more chaotic.
"But wouldn't it be perfect if the sun came up?" Shi Nan turned her head, her eyes landing on her as she smiled. "We can watch the sunrise before we leave."
"Hey, have you ever seen the sunrise on Nanke Island? I was looking at travel guides online, and they all say the sunrise here is beautiful. You have to see it if you get the chance."
As she spoke, Shi Nan sat down on a long wooden bench by the beach and patted the spot next to her, smiling at Fu Zhao. "If you're not busy today, how about watching the sunrise with me?"
"We've already done so much anyway, don't you think?"
Fu Zhao stood quietly for a moment, then lowered her eyes. Shi Nan was right. They had already done so much. She sat down next to Shi Nan, leaving the space of one person between them.
"I've never seen a sunrise," she said softly, answering Shi Nan's earlier question. "Watching the sunrise is something romantic people like to do, right? I've never been one for things like that. My life has always been very plain and ordinary."
"How could it be ordinary?"
Shi Nan looked at her, her eyes curving into crescents. "If the Little Island Master of Nanke Island, the future Island Master, also says she's just an ordinary person, then what does that make the rest of us? Not even ordinary?"
"Can't the Little Island Master be an ordinary person?" Fu Zhao replied with a smile. "Actually, I'd quite like to be an ordinary person. To spend my whole life on the island, peacefully and contentedly, surrounded by the people I've known since I was a child. That would be enough."
Shi Nan paused for a few seconds, pondering. She propped her hands on either side of her legs. The sea breeze loosened a few strands of hair from her bun. "Of course you can."
"But even ordinary people can be romantic."
"I think you're already very romantic. You took me for a ride on your motorcycle, took me to see an open-air movie, bought me sparklers to play with on the beach, and are staying to watch the sunrise with me…"
"And that real-time pulse pillow you made for me was also very romantic."
"Looking at it this way, you really are a very romantic person."
As Shi Nan spoke, she suddenly turned her head, took off her left canvas shoe, and tipped it over. A stream of white sand poured out, and the brilliant orange sunlight shone through the gaps, a little dazzling.
"There's so much sand in my shoe, I'm just emptying it," she explained.
But Fu Zhao, beside her, seemed to have fallen silent. She just hummed a soft "mhm" and said nothing more, sitting quietly next to her.
By the time Shi Nan had emptied the sand from both shoes, the sun had broken through the clouds. The entire sea surface turned a brilliant gold. The sun's light was dazzling, the sky bright, the sea luminous.
"It's out! It's out!!"
Her eyes burned as she looked at Fu Zhao, grabbing her arm. Realizing her own excitement, she calmed herself down, restraining the urge to jump up and down, and said softly, "It's been a long time… since I've seen a sunrise."
"Especially a sunrise this beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen one like it. Probably because I always had so many things to worry about before. I could never relax, always had that string pulled taut. I wasn't in the mood for romantic things like this, but now…"
"Now that I've truly seen it, I realize that beautiful scenery like this can heal bad moods."
"It also gives people the courage to face the future and confront difficulties."
"You were right, Fu Zhao. Everything will be okay. We'll find another way, a way to protect everything."
She had poured her heart out, but after saying so much, she heard no response from Fu Zhao. She stopped talking, tugged on Fu Zhao's sleeve, and shifted her gaze from the sunrise in front of them to Fu Zhao.
"Why aren't you saying anything, Fu Zhao?"
"Isn't the sunrise beautiful?"
She asked this question as she looked at Fu Zhao.
Feeling Shi Nan's gaze on her, Fu Zhao instinctively lowered her eyes, then quickly turned her head to look at the sunrise ahead, as if her eyes had never lingered on Shi Nan at all.
"It's beautiful."
She replied, her hand propped on the bench beside her, picking at it. She didn't know if she was talking about the sunrise, or Shi Nan.
"What about now? That taut string in your heart, does it feel a little better than before?"
Today, Shi Nan's cheerful mood was truly visible to the naked eye. Fu Zhao didn't know why, but she was happy for Shi Nan. She smiled, but her heart was a mix of happiness and panic.
But Shi Nan probably didn't detect her panic. She smiled at her. "Much better, I'm serious. Maybe it's because I've never stayed on Nanke Island before…"
Shi Nan answered Fu Zhao's question earnestly, but as Fu Zhao stared at Shi Nan's soft profile, outlined by the sunrise's glow, her thoughts unconsciously drifted away.
She tried to focus her attention, but she couldn't hear what Shi Nan was saying at all. Her thoughts were completely beyond her control. She thought about what Shi Nan had just said about her being romantic.
Just now, Shi Nan had given many examples to prove that she, too, was a romantic person. But as she listened, she came to a conclusion: all the things that proved she was romantic were things she had done for Shi Nan.
No matter how dense she was, no matter how inexperienced she was with relationships and love.
She knew that when an ordinary person becomes romantic for someone, it means she likes that person.
A lot had happened tonight, and her thoughts were a mess, but at this moment, they became incredibly clear. She remembered the three "ifs" that had popped into her head that night when Shi Nan brought her dinner and she gave Shi Nan the pulse pillow.
At the time, she hadn't dared to let the third "if" become clear.
But now, she couldn't avoid it, because the third "if" had fully materialized in her mind.
It was just like the opening line of her song, 《Lovely Her》.
If only she had a reason not to like Shi Nan.
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