TIMO - Chapter 87
Chapter 87
“I’ve decided!!!”
“I’m going to post this century-spanning proposal on the StarNet!!”
Amidst the noisy crowd, this sentence suddenly drifted over, laced with an excited tone, as if the speaker had just witnessed something incredible.
The clamor continued.
Fu Zhao looked toward the source of the voice and saw Jiang Wenqing, who had just said she was going to film the bell-tolling ceremony, aiming a dark camera at the two of them.
“Xiao Qing~”
“When did you get here?”
Shi Nan emerged from Fu Zhao’s embrace, her voice tinged with pleasant surprise, seemingly unaware that Jiang Wenqing had been on Nanke Island recently.
“Sister Shi Nan!!”
Jiang Wenqing called out enthusiastically, waving before putting away her equipment. She bounced over from the crowd, still breathing warmly. “I came back a few days ago. I wasn’t originally planning to, but I really wanted to spend Century Transition Day on Nanke Island, so I used up all my saved vacation days.”
“So that’s how it is.” Shi Nan nodded lightly and smiled as she ruffled Jiang Wenqing’s hair. “So you were filming us just now?”
“Of course!” Jiang Wenqing nodded like a pecking chicken. “By the way, Sister Shi Nan, I also have a video recording of the Island Master crying and looking for you when she was drunk last time. Do you want to—”
Before she could say the word “see,” Jiang Wenqing felt the warmth on her head disappear. She then watched as Shi Nan’s hand was pulled away and intertwined with another, fingers lacing together.
“She’s grown up now, you should keep a respectable distance.” Fu Zhao’s expression was calm and composed as she tucked her hand, now holding Shi Nan’s, into her own pocket. She refused to admit her possessiveness was at play and naturally dodged the topic of the “video recording.”
Or perhaps, before her possessiveness could even fully surface, her palm was gently and soothingly scratched.
In an instant, the unhappy emotion was suppressed.
Shi Nan spoke softly in her ear, her voice carrying a tender smile, “Does that mean I have to keep my distance from Xiao Qing from now on?”
Fu Zhao coughed lightly, looked squarely at the still-fuming Jiang Wenqing, and lifted her chin. “Yes.”
“She’s a big girl now. I think it’s necessary to maintain some distance.”
Jiang Wenqing wasn’t annoyed by the comment, merely huffing lightly through her nose. “I know, I know.”
“I won’t release your embarrassing record, don’t worry. I’ll definitely watch it in secret so you won’t see.”
“But when are you two planning to get married?” As she asked this, she turned her recording device back on and aimed it at them, muttering, “I need to record this. I’ll play it at your wedding.”
“You’re just a kid, what are you doing meddling in adult affairs?” Fu Zhao habitually teased Jiang Wenqing, saying casually.
“You’re the kid.” Jiang Wenqing rolled her eyes, unable to stop complaining. “I came of age three years ago, okay? You still treat me like a kid, but I’ve been over the legal age for marriage for more than a year.”
“Fine, fine, you’re not a kid,” Fu Zhao replied perfunctorily.
Jiang Wenqing pouted. “So, when are you planning to get married? I need to contact Ye Er so we can arrange our schedules in advance to come sing a celebratory song at your wedding.”
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under Jiang Wenqing’s pressure, Fu Zhao pursed her lips, glanced at Shi Nan, and began to speak softly, “When—”
“Now.”
Shi Nan didn’t let Fu Zhao finish. She squeezed her hand with a bit of force and uttered those two words nonchalantly. It sounded like a joke, yet there was a hint of seriousness to it.
Both Fu Zhao and Jiang Wenqing froze, unsure how to react.
Fu Zhao glanced at the speechless Jiang Wenqing before her gaze shifted back to Shi Nan’s face, trying to discern from her expression whether this was a joke or if she was serious.
“Now?” she finally asked, her eyes filled with a surprised confusion.
Shi Nan nodded, her gaze burning as she looked at her. “I brought all my documents with me this time. Before coming here, I also went to your house and brought your ID and household registration card.”
“We can go get married right now,” she added succinctly.
Fu Zhao’s breath hitched. She stammered and stuttered, not knowing what to say.
Marriage was inevitable.
She just hadn’t expected Shi Nan to have prepared everything already.
She had even gone to her house beforehand to get all the documents ready.
This was a huge surprise. It seemed Shi Nan was always preparing surprises for her.
Perhaps sensing the astonishment in her eyes, Shi Nan’s gaze flickered, and she blinked. “What, you’re allowed to carry a wedding ring around, but I’m not allowed to carry around the marriage registration documents?”
That one sentence dispelled all of Fu Zhao’s surprise. She relaxed her tense shoulders, and her voice unconsciously softened a great deal.
“Of course you’re allowed.”
“Then…” She bit her lower lip gently, asking with some embarrassment, “Should we… go now?”
“Of course you should go!!!” a teary-eyed Jiang Wenqing interjected. “I’ve already checked! To welcome the Century Transition Day and to fulfill everyone’s wish to register their marriage at the very beginning of the 52nd century, the Registration Office is on duty 24 hours on January 1st.”
Fu Zhao’s lips moved. She looked at the excited Jiang Wenqing but didn’t say anything. Of course she knew this—she was the one who had signed the relevant documents.
Her palm was squeezed, and her gaze fell on Shi Nan’s face. Shi Nan was looking at her steadily, her eyes curving into a gentle smile.
“Do you want to go? A marriage registration at the very beginning of the 52nd century.”
Fu Zhao was stunned for a few seconds before a smile bloomed on her lips. She squeezed Shi Nan’s hand back.
“Yes.”
And so, Fu Zhao and Shi Nan, in the first hour of the 52nd century, at the precise moment of 01:31:4, became a legally married couple.
A staff member at the Registration Office said it must be fate blessing them, for when it was their turn to register, the time was captured perfectly, flawlessly printed on their marriage certificate.
Fu Zhao also ordered plenty of drinks and snacks to thank the staff who were still working overtime, as well as the other couples-to-be who were in line with them, whether they were two wives, a husband and wife, or two husbands.
The moment she walked out of the Registration Office, Fu Zhao was still in a daze. She couldn’t believe that she and Shi Nan had gone and registered their marriage without notifying their parents.
It felt like something two rebellious teenage girls would do.
It seemed a bit immature, not quite what she had imagined.
“What are you thinking about?”
A soft, gentle voice by her ear interrupted her thoughts.
Fu Zhao came back to her senses and smiled, a curve forming on her lips. “I just find it a little incredible. I never thought that even though we’re almost thirty, we’d still do something so impulsive.”
Shi Nan stopped walking and turned to look at her, her tone light. “This might be impulsive for other people, but for us, it’s just right.”
“It was something that only needed a single word.”
Fu Zhao was taken aback for a few seconds but accepted Shi Nan’s explanation, nodding lightly. “Then what about the wedding? Should we have it on RT Planet or Nanke Island?”
“How long are you back for this time? Do we have time to hold a wedding?”
As she spoke, she answered her own question. “Or we could have ceremonies in both places. As for the wedding preparations, you can leave that to me. All you have to do is—”
Before she could finish, her lips were sealed.
This time it wasn’t a palm, but lips that were just as soft and warm, rushing toward her with the boisterous wind.
A faint, sweet scent seemed to linger at the tip of her nose.
Fu Zhao’s eyes widened, not having reacted yet.
Then, a pair of warm hands wrapped around her neck.
A gentle breeze swept by, messing up their hair. A stray lock from beside Shi Nan’s ear brushed against her face, a little itchy and a little feverish.
After a long moment, Shi Nan released her. A layer of mist had coated the light in her eyes as she looked at her so gently and spoke softly.
“On Nanke Island.”
Fu Zhao still hadn’t recovered, asking blankly, “What?”
Shi Nan patiently repeated herself, her fingertips gently brushing past Fu Zhao’s ear to tidy the hair there.
“The wedding will be on Nanke Island.”
“Mother said she also likes Nanke Island very much and has decided to immigrate here. We’ve decided to slowly move the company headquarters to Nanke Island over the next few years.”
“It’s because we really like it here, not because of you.” Shi Nan looked at her, her eyes full of tenderness. “Don’t overthink it.”
Fu Zhao stared at Shi Nan for a long time, her gaze wavering slightly. It took a while for her to emerge from the question of “am I dreaming?”
She had originally thought that her relationship with Shi Nan was already mature enough.
Even if they were on different planets, they could visit each other back and forth.
She hadn’t thought there was anything wrong with that model before; in fact, she was already more than satisfied.
But now, what Shi Nan was saying meant they could start a new phase, a new model for their relationship, or rather, their marriage.
Just like the newly arrived 52nd century, she could look forward to even more in the future.
It was like the greatest surprise heaven could give her.
Fu Zhao’s gaze trembled slightly as she met Shi Nan’s eyes and spoke softly.
“Is it really not because of me?”
“If it is because of me…” She fell silent for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “I might not be as happy as you think…”
“You probably don’t know what Nanke Island means to me.” Shi Nan ruffled her hair, her voice gentle and tender. “I’ve been to so many planets and investigated many places, but I still think Nanke Island is the best.”
“Just moving here doesn’t mean I’ll stay on Nanke Island forever and never leave. I still have to go handle things for the Qixing Project or on other planets.”
“It’s not just because of you.”
Shi Nan spoke softly, and Fu Zhao listened quietly.
When Shi Nan finished, she seized the pause, her lips pressed tightly together, and said one thing.
“I want to kiss you.”
Shi Nan was stunned for a few seconds, then her eyes curved into a smile.
“Silly~~ Why do you have to ask to kiss me?”
Fu Zhao got the answer she wanted and leaned in contentedly. She cupped Shi Nan’s cheeks with her palms and pressed her lips against hers.
Lips and teeth met, breaths intertwining.
An arm hooked around her neck, fingertips gently tracing the area around the isolation patch on her nape.
Not touching that soft flesh, just circling lightly around it.
This was Shi Nan’s habit.
Fu Zhao loved this habit of Shi Nan’s. It made her feel very comfortable, like a puppy being petted, so very comfortable.
So comfortable she even felt like stretching.
And ever since Shi Nan had mentioned it the first time, she too had developed the habit of holding her waist when they kissed.
She held Shi Nan’s waist.
Slender and soft.
After much practice, she had slowly learned to control her strength, resting her hands lightly there, yet still making Shi Nan feel like she was being held in an embrace.
But perhaps because there were too many surprises today, she couldn’t help but press closer. She even couldn’t resist rubbing her palm against Shi Nan’s neck, and the force of her embrace tightened, as if wanting to knead Shi Nan’s entire being into her own.
Until the body in her arms stiffened as if sensing something, and a warm palm pushed against her chest with gentle force.
Shi Nan’s eyes were moist as she looked at her, her body trembling slightly.
“Fu Zhao…” she called out softly. It took her a moment to speak again, her voice hoarse, her breathing ragged.
“You’re very hot. It must be your susceptibility period.”
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