TIMO - Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Fu Zhao had ordered this pair of rings that day.
But she had never mentioned it to her.
Why didn’t Fu Zhao say anything?
Shi Nan felt she probably knew the answer to that question. It was just like when Fu Zhao had asked, “Can I miss you?” Fu Zhao never voiced her longing and expectations, because she was always afraid they would influence Shi Nan’s decisions.
Perhaps she should do something in return, to respond to these unspoken longings and expectations.
More than two years was enough time for them to get used to each other’s existence only through holographic calls. Fu Zhao spoke of her longing less and less, and the things she shared became shorter and shorter as Shi Nan grew busier.
She had always thought it was because Fu Zhao had gotten busy too.
She had always been afraid that the two of them would gradually grow distant.
But now she knew. How could they possibly grow distant?
Fu Zhao had clearly been carrying this pair of rings with her all this time. Naturally, she understood Fu Zhao’s thinking- she was probably prepared at every moment to welcome her back; she was probably thinking at every moment about giving her the ring.
Shi Nan knew this clearly, which made her heart ache for Fu Zhao all the more.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
The person in her arms stirred, a hoarse voice echoing in the room and interrupting Shi Nan’s thoughts. She lowered her gaze, hiding the warmth welling in her eyes, and rested her chin in the crook of Fu Zhao’s shoulder.
“It’s nothing.”
Her voice was so thick with emotion that even she noticed it, but Fu Zhao seemed not to, or rather, she was pretending not to.
She didn’t move, simply letting Shi Nan hold her.
After a moment, a warm touch came from her back, patting her gently, again and again.
“I’ve taken off my jacket, so don’t cry.”
A soft sentence whispered by her ear made the tears that were about to fall instantly recede. She couldn’t help but laugh, the strength in her arms loosening.
She looked up, meeting Fu Zhao’s earnest gaze. It was so cute and proper that her tears were laughed away. She reached out and pinched Fu Zhao’s cheek. The delicate texture made her want to knead it, and soft strands of hair brushed past her fingertips.
“Go be a good girl and take a shower, and I won’t cry anymore.”
Fu Zhao nodded, her lips pursed as she spoke, “Okay.”
And so, Fu Zhao obediently went to take a shower. After washing herself and her hair, she even dutifully put on her pajamas and fastened all the buttons.
Meticulous, not a single bit exposed.
Shi Nan sighed softly. Figuring she probably couldn’t leave Fu Zhao alone tonight, she gathered her own clothes and went to wash up. Before closing the door, she pushed Fu Zhao’s little head, which had peeked in, back out.
“Wait for me outside. If you get sleepy, go lie down on the bed, understand?” she reminded her, still a little worried.
Fu Zhao nodded, her curly lashes fluttering.
Shi Nan stared for a moment before closing the door.
But she couldn’t quite relax during her shower, constantly worrying that the person standing outside might bump into something, and she unconsciously sped up her movements.
This was her first time dealing with a drunk Fu Zhao.
Although she was behaving very well for now, who knew if she might just jump out the window the next second…
At this thought, her lips pressed into a tight line. She hastily dried herself off, opened the door, and stepped out.
Steam filled the air, and the night light cast a hazy glow.
She glanced outside and felt her heart settle.
Fu Zhao was sitting quietly by the door, her arms crossed and her head leaning against them. Her eyes were gently closed, her breathing steady, as if she had fallen asleep sitting up.
Shi Nan felt as if something soft had bumped against her heart, causing it to melt instantly.
It was a complete and utter mess.
Shi Nan crouched down, raised a hand to gently tuck away the strands of hair that had fallen beside Fu Zhao’s ear, and whispered softly,
“I told you to go sleep on the bed. Why didn’t you listen?”
The slender lashes trembled, and then the amber eyes reappeared, carrying a hazy, misty light, like a rippling clear spring gazing at her.
“I just wanted to wait a bit,” she said.
Shi Nan nodded gently, her heart settling as her voice softened. “Then let’s go to sleep now?”
“Mm,” Fu Zhao replied.
Then, her body swayed slightly, her little head wobbling along with it as she stood up.
Shi Nan stood up as well. Looking at the person standing ramrod straight before her, she hooked her lips into a small smile, grabbed the person’s wrist, and tried to lead her to the bed.
But the moment she moved, she was pulled back by the wrist she was holding.
Fu Zhao’s gaze fell into the depths of her eyes, washing over her entire being, wavering slightly.
“What-”
Before she could finish, a click sounded by her ear, and the room plunged into darkness.
It was quiet and dim. A sliver of moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, illuminating the clear, beautiful profile of the person before her, as well as the bright clarity of her eyes.
Her breathing grew uneven, her heartbeat slowly accelerating.
The distance between them shrank, and her reflection in Fu Zhao’s eyes gradually grew larger.
Their exhaled breaths intertwined, warm and tender.
“Mmm-hmm~~” Shi Nan blinked, slowing her heartbeat. Not taking Fu Zhao’s actions seriously, she spoke with some amusement, “Are you actually trying to kiss me?”
After all, Fu Zhao was such a coward; she would never do something like this.
She had been certain of this.
But as Fu Zhao moved closer and closer, she wasn’t so sure anymore. A sense of panic began to set in. She avoided Fu Zhao’s direct stare, suppressing the faint urge to tilt her head up.
She didn’t know what she was afraid of. Perhaps she was afraid this was just a whim on Fu Zhao’s part.
But the current situation left no room for such thoughts. She tried to relax her grip, but the next second, her wrist was seized again.
The person before her drew nearer, the bright gleam in her eyes growing moister.
The air she breathed out grew hotter.
Shi Nan clenched her fingertips and let out a soft breath. She couldn’t help but close her eyes. Fu Zhao’s lips seemed very soft; a kiss wouldn’t be a loss.
She had fully prepared herself, but the expected soft, warm touch never came.
Instead, a weight settled on her shoulder, a slender chin resting in the crook of her neck. Then, an arm gently wrapped around her waist, and the sound of breathing brushed past her ear, scorching and steamy.
But…
How did it seem like she was the only one feeling the heat?
Shi Nan opened her eyes and listened to the breathing by her ear, which was gradually becoming steady. She had to face a certain fact:
This time, Fu Zhao had truly fallen asleep.
Shi Nan expended a great deal of effort to get the tall, long-legged Alpha onto the bed, which left her faintly breaking out in a thin layer of sweat again.
Finally, it was quiet.
In the room, Fu Zhao’s breathing and Shi Nan’s heartbeat.
Both quieted down together.
Moonlight slipped in from outside the window, casting a glow on the side of Fu Zhao’s deeply sleeping face. Her long, slender eyelashes cast a shadow on her eyelids.
Shi Nan gently tucked the corner of the blanket in for her. Looking at that peacefully sleeping face, she couldn’t help but huff through her nose, poking Fu Zhao’s ear, stroking her cheek, and, with a bit of vengeful spirit, deliberately messing up her soft hair.
Fu Zhao was a sound sleeper, barely moving or kicking off the covers.
Shi Nan, however, couldn’t quite fall asleep. She could only grind her teeth in frustration. She wanted to pinch Fu Zhao’s ear but stopped herself at the last second. In the end, she just sighed softly and carefully smoothed out the messy hair again.
“Why are you still too scared to do anything, even when you’re drunk?”
When Fu Zhao woke up, her face felt a little itchy, as if someone was tickling her.
But who would be tickling her face first thing in the morning?
She had always slept alone.
So she scratched her face, hugged her blanket, and buried her face in it, thinking she’d just wait for the mosquito to fly away on its own.
But as she hugged her blanket, she felt that something wasn’t quite right. It was very soft, and warm, and it even had hair- smooth and silky, with a light, pleasant fragrance of its own.
Something was wrong.
Fu Zhao was instantly wide awake. The sight before her stunned her for a moment, and heat began to spread throughout her body, her mind exploding into a blank slate. Then, even the top of her head started to steam.
She shot up with what was probably the fastest speed of her life, leaping to the other side of the bed. She frantically clutched her balled-up blanket, not daring to look again at Shi Nan, whose hair was tousled and pajama collar was askew.
Shi Nan’s gaze drifted over, her eyes flickering slightly. She raised a hand and slowly straightened her hair. Her rosy lips moved, but she said nothing, though her intended meaning was self-evident.
Fu Zhao’s mind was in chaos. Her memories of last night were shattered into pieces, a complete mess. She couldn’t quite remember why she and Shi Nan were in the same bed, or why Shi Nan, who was on YT Planet yesterday, was lying next to her this morning. But she knew what she had just done.
Her mind was still reeling.
Fu Zhao froze for a few seconds. After a long moment, she pursed her lips and clenched her fists. The pain that followed reminded her that this was not a dream.
Her lips moved, her throat swallowing unconsciously. Her voice was a bit dry when she spoke. She wanted to ask why Shi Nan was here, but then she remembered the fact that she was an Alpha.
Fu Zhao lowered her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Clutching the corner of the blanket, she said,
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?” Shi Nan looked over, raising an eyebrow.
Fu Zhao was stunned for a few seconds, her mouth opening and closing. Finally, she managed to squeeze out a single word, “Just…”
Meeting Shi Nan’s cool gaze, she deflated instantly and spoke cautiously, “Even though I don’t know what I did last night, as an Alpha, my actions just now were offensive to you.”
“So I can only say I’m sorry.”
Shi Nan looked up, propping her face on her hand and meeting Fu Zhao’s eyes. Her tone was lazy and enchanting. “Compared to what you did last night, what you did just now…”
“Was nothing.”
Fu Zhao nearly jumped off the edge of the bed. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She tried to recall what happened last night, but the harder she tried, the blanker her mind became.
“Silly girl~~”
A familiar, tender call reached her ears.
Then, a warm sensation touched her cheeks, as if they were being cupped in someone’s palms, full and encompassing.
A gentle pressure came from the palms, tilting her face upward.
Their eyes met. The light in the tea-brown eyes trembled slightly. The hands cupping her cheeks slid up past her ears, gently pinching an earlobe before ruffling her hair.
Shi Nan’s lips curved into a gentle smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Instead of an apology…”
“I’d rather you confess.”
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