TIMO - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

The book on the table...

Fu Zhao reacted abruptly and opened her eyes.

The large characters, "Alpha Susceptibility Period and Marking Precautions," came crashing down on her like punishing boulders, spinning and magnifying in the air before hitting her all at once, leaving her dizzy and overwhelmed.

A warm breath washed over the top of her head, laced with a light, lazy laugh. It seemed to seep into every inch of her exposed skin, instantly setting her heart ablaze.

In a fluster, Fu Zhao grabbed a few documents and covered up those conspicuous words.

Shi Nan seemed to have a perfect grasp of the situation. She didn't say anything to make Fu Zhao more uncomfortable, simply continuing to massage her head with a gentle touch.

But the less Shi Nan reacted, the stronger Fu Zhao's own reaction became. It was just like their time in the hot spring-Shi Nan wasn't doing anything in particular, yet Fu Zhao's thoughts were already drifting to the heavens. Even just hearing her voice was enough to set her incredibly vivid imagination running wild.

And it was the same at this very moment. Shi Nan hadn't said a word, but questions kept popping into Fu Zhao's mind: What will Shi Nan think of me? Will she think I'm just like all those other Alphas, only thinking about these things?

Once such thoughts appeared, they became a ceaseless torrent.

Fu Zhao swallowed, feeling she ought to offer some kind of explanation. But after racking her brain, all she could manage was a lame, "It was Kong Weiyan's... prank."

"Mm..." Shi Nan hummed, her tone light and lazy. Her fingertips drifted down to Fu Zhao's earlobe, gently kneading it a few times. "Isn't it a birthday gift? How did it become a prank?"

Fu Zhao nearly shot up from her chair. The next second, she did exactly that, just as Shi Nan's fingertips were about to drift lower and trace the skin around her isolation patch.

She leaped up from the chair, her breath catching, her heart in a panicked flutter.

"A birthday gift from her is basically a prank, isn't it?" Fu Zhao picked up the glass of water on the desk and took a large gulp, her eyes darting about. One moment they were on Shi Nan's face, the next on the documents covering those bold words. Her gaze was unsteady, her mind in turmoil.

Shi Nan watched her quietly. After a moment, she nodded and said nonchalantly, "So that's how it is."

"What's how what is?" Fu Zhao fell into the trap, asking back in confusion.

Shi Nan walked over, took the glass from her hand, and placed it on the desk. She smiled, her eyes shimmering in the glow of the night lamp. "I asked you before what you wanted for your birthday..."

"You said you didn't know."

Shi Nan drew closer, her gaze locking onto Fu Zhao's, her breath ghosting across her neck. "But now it seems..."

Fu Zhao grew even more flustered, the small of her back pressing against the desk behind her. Her ears flushed red as she stammered a denial, "It's not... I didn't."

"Why are you so flustered?"

Shi Nan gave a charming smile. Her right hand brushed past Fu Zhao's waist to rest on the desk behind her, her upturned lashes fluttering slightly. "I never said this was the birthday gift you wanted."

The woman before her blinked, her expression lazy and enchanting. The hand by her waist was so close, its heat sending a tingling numbness through her.

Fu Zhao let out a soft breath and turned her head, avoiding Shi Nan's direct gaze. "I'm not flustered," she managed to say, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Even she thought her voice sounded pathetic. She lowered her head, only snapping out of it when she felt a tap on her foot. She looked down to see Shi Nan's shoe pressing against the tip of hers, tapping it gently before pulling away.

Shi Nan's eyes curved, a smile gracing her lips. She leaned in, her voice a soft whisper by Fu Zhao's ear. "But I'm guessing you quite like this gift."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have left it out, even when you fell asleep."

Fu Zhao's pupils constricted, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly. But in the next second, Shi Nan let out a soft laugh and patted her on the head.

"I'm just teasing you, silly."

"Come on, let's go get the birthday gift I prepared for you."

Shi Nan patted her cheek with a beaming smile, then created some distance between them. She tapped her finger on the dictionary-thick book, right through the documents covering it. "Oh, and remember to bring this birthday gift along, too."

"After all, it's a token of Weiyan's affection," she added, her tone a little pointed.

Fu Zhao froze for a few seconds before she processed what was said. By then, Shi Nan was already walking away. Her gaze lingered on the book pinned beneath the white papers, her brow furrowing and then smoothing out as if she were waging an internal war. Finally, gritting her teeth, she stuffed the book into her briefcase and carried it out with her.

Shi Nan was right; it was a gift from Kong Weiyan, after all. Even if she wasn't going to read it, there was no reason to leave it in the office. It was better to let it collect dust in some corner at home.

As for anything else... she... Fu Zhao took a shallow breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. She had no other thoughts. None at all. Really.

The place Shi Nan took Fu Zhao was right next door-to Shi Nan's own home. And the gift Shi Nan was giving Fu Zhao was the chance to make a cup for Shi Nan.

"Who gives someone a birthday gift by making them give you something?" Fu Zhao's tone was light as she allowed Shi Nan to tie an apron on her. Despite her words, she felt in her heart that this was the best gift imaginable. She had suddenly realized that the only birthday gift she truly wanted was to be with Shi Nan. To spend her birthday with her, creating a one-of-a-kind memory-that was the thing she wanted most.

"There is. Me," Shi Nan said, finishing with Fu Zhao's apron. She then proceeded to roll up the cuffs of Fu Zhao's white shirt, the corners of her lips turning up slightly. "I've been racking my brain these past few days..."

"Wondering what kind of birthday gift you would actually like. After all, our Island Master of Nanke Island already has so much, and I've given you all the typical gifts over the past two years."

"Finally, I had an idea: to have you make a cup for me with your own hands. You might even discover a new hobby, you never know."

Fu Zhao listened quietly, obediently letting Shi Nan work. Once her left cuff was rolled up, she extended her right arm and smiled. "You're probably right."

"Here," Shi Nan said, passing another apron to her. She opened her arms, her eyes curving into crescents as she looked at Fu Zhao. "Now it's your turn to tie mine."

Fu Zhao took the apron instinctively and froze for a few seconds, her gaze falling on Shi Nan's outstretched arms. She started to turn, intending to walk around and tie it from behind. But Shi Nan blocked her, turning right along with her.

"Face me," Shi Nan said, lifting her chin. "Are you really going to be so shy about tying your girlfriend's apron?"

Before the incident with the book, Fu Zhao wouldn't have been this awkward. But now, whenever she got even slightly close to Shi Nan, she couldn't help but remember those words seared into her brain. That gift had gone off like a firecracker, and her mind was still ringing from the explosion.

To be fair, the biology lessons she'd taken after her differentiation had covered susceptibility periods and marking. Back then, she'd learned the material and thought nothing of it. But now, her relationship with Shi Nan had changed. All that theory now had a tangible subject. She was ashamed of her own thoughts yet couldn't control them, and that left her feeling flustered.

"Hm?" a lazy voice murmured by her ear.

Fu Zhao snapped back to reality. Seeing Shi Nan still standing before her with open arms, she pressed her lips together and finally stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her in a frontal embrace to tie the apron.

She subconsciously left a small gap between her arms and Shi Nan's waist, like two overly polite friends.

Naturally, Shi Nan was not pleased. She closed the distance, wrapped an arm around Fu Zhao's waist, and brazenly rested her head on her shoulder, nuzzling it gently. The carefully maintained gap vanished in an instant.

Fu Zhao's arms were now pressed against a warm, slender waist-a perfect handful that fit just right within her embrace. Warm breath ghosted across the side of her neck. Soft, smooth strands of hair cascaded over her shoulder and chest, and a rich, sweet fragrance coiled around the tip of her nose before winding its way into the very depths of her heart.

Fu Zhao swallowed instinctively. Her hands trembled, and she froze the moment she noticed, forcing herself to calm down before she could successfully tie the knot on the apron.

"It's done," she said, but suddenly she didn't know where to put her hands. Shi Nan, however, didn't let go, continuing to hold her, nuzzle her, and press close against her.

"You need to pay more attention in the future, you know?" The voice from her shoulder was soft and a little muffled.

"What?" Fu Zhao barely dared to speak in long sentences. Whenever she tried, her voice trembled, and her throat felt as if it were full of smoke-dry and hoarse.

"When we hug..." Shi Nan took Fu Zhao's hands and guided them to where they should be. "You have to remember to hug me back."

Her hands now had a place to rest, but the warmth seeping into her palms felt scorching. Fu Zhao silently held her breath, her fingers tightening slightly. "I know," she said softly.

They held each other quietly for a while before Shi Nan finally let go. She led Fu Zhao over to the potter's wheel and had her sit down. "Watch how I work for a bit, then think about what shape you want to make."

With some distance between them again, Fu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and discreetly wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. She quickly changed the subject. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Hmm... sometime in the morning." Shi Nan started the wheel, placed a lump of clay on it, and gently touched it with her fingertips. The wheel began to turn slowly. Her fair, slender fingers were soon stained with gray, and the clay began to take shape under her skillful touch.

The shape was lively and animated, but it was nothing compared to the liveliness and animation of the Shi Nan right before her eyes.

Fu Zhao watched her, transfixed, and didn't say a word. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would ask when Shi Nan would be back next, and she didn't want to distract her.

"I might not be able to see you off," she said, lowering her gaze. "I have a meeting with a few department heads tomorrow morning... If it ends in time, I'll come."

"Put your hands here. Give it a try." As she spoke, Shi Nan pulled Fu Zhao's hands over and placed them on the already-shaped clay. Only then did she answer Fu Zhao's question. "You don't really have to see me off..."

"I'll be back next month."

"Besides, am I supposed to have you see me off every single time?" Shi Nan paused, her voice casual. "You're busy, I'm busy. It's a small thing, it doesn't matter."

"Mm," Fu Zhao replied softly.

"'Mm'?" Shi Nan's lips tightened as she pressed down on Fu Zhao's hands. "Is that all you have to say?"

The warmth of Shi Nan's skin enveloped the cool, gray clay on her hands. It felt sticky and damp. The atmosphere was both enchanting and tender.

Fu Zhao lifted her eyes to meet Shi Nan's, her gaze captured by their shimmering light. She smiled, then looked down at their joined hands on the clay. "You're the one who said it was a small thing, and now you're blaming me for agreeing."

Shi Nan fell silent, her lashes lowering. She pushed Fu Zhao's hands away-not forcefully, but with enough of a huff to splatter clay on her.

Fu Zhao glanced at Shi Nan, the corners of her lips turning up in a subtle smile that she quickly suppressed just as Shi Nan looked up. She cleared her throat. "In a few days, for the new year, can I apply to visit you on RT Planet?"

Shi Nan paused. She pulled Fu Zhao's hands back to the wheel, and seeing that her form was a little off, she would occasionally reach out to adjust her fingers. After a while, once the clay was properly shaped again, she finally spoke. "We'll see."

"You've said 'we'll see' so many times..." Fu Zhao lowered her voice. "When, exactly, are we going to 'see'?"

Shi Nan looked up, meeting Fu Zhao's gentle, amber eyes. She knew she couldn't keep avoiding the question. With a soft sigh, she considered it. Today was Fu Zhao's 25th birthday. Logically, once today passed, that whole affair should be completely behind them. So what was she still so worried about?

She kept telling herself to wait a little longer, maybe a few more years. But in the end, she couldn't keep Fu Zhao confined to Nanke Island forever. It was time for them to try new things. If she remained this afraid, the problem would never be solved. The best way to solve a problem was to face it head-on.

Having come to this conclusion, Shi Nan let her gaze linger on Fu Zhao. Her long, dark hair was tied back in a low ponytail, revealing the long, elegant line of her neck above the collar of her white shirt. The spot on her nape where the silver isolation patch was applied was slightly raised.

She was habitually wearing several layers of isolation patches again. It was a habit of Fu Zhao's. Ever since differentiating into an Alpha, she was constantly worried about losing control of her pheromones, so she took the safest possible precaution: a minimum of three isolation patches at all times. When she was alone with Shi Nan, she would even wear five.

Although Shi Nan had never tried wearing so many patches herself, and despite how thin they were, she could imagine how stifling it must feel to have that many layers stuck to the soft flesh of her nape.

Thinking of this, Shi Nan sighed to herself. This little Alpha who always made her worry so much... her first susceptibility period hadn't even arrived, yet she was already on high alert, terrified that she would lose control and hurt someone. Or more accurately, Fu Zhao was terrified of hurting her.

She wondered when Fu Zhao's first susceptibility period would arrive. If this kept up, the poor girl's neck would be permanently warped by all those patches.

Shi Nan observed her for another moment, then raised an eyebrow. Her voice softened, taking on a long, velvety quality. "If, before your first susceptibility period..."

She deliberately drew out her words, waiting for Fu Zhao to look up with those innocent, uncomprehending eyes. Her gaze then drifted to the corner of the book peeking out of the briefcase. Once Fu Zhao's eyes followed hers to the book, a faint smile touched her lips as she continued.

"...you finish reading that 'birthday gift' of yours..."

"...then you can come to RT Planet and find me."

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