TIMO - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Have you heard? The Little Island Master’s fiancée is coming to the island in a few days?”
It was dusk, and Nanke Island seemed to be veiled in a layer of golden light. The slanting rays shone on the coastal highway, splashed across the mechanical fishing boats near the docks, and illuminated the bustling crowds. A group of seventeen and eighteen-year-olds in school uniforms gathered together, chattering excitedly about the biggest news on the island.
“The Little Island Master’s fiancée? Since when did the Little Island Master have a fiancée?”
A delicate-looking boy, clearly out of the loop, pushed his bicycle slowly behind a group of girls, his ears perked to catch their latest topic. Hearing this news, his eyes widened as if he’d never heard it before.
At his question, the group of girls in front all turned around, their eyes wide with disbelief, revealing varying degrees of shock.
“Ye Er, did your differentiation just finish? Is your brain still catching up? Hasn’t this been the biggest news on the island for the past few months?”
The girl leading the group walked back to Ye Er’s side, glanced at the inhibitor patch on the back of his neck, and patted his shoulder. She spoke in a solemn, heartfelt tone, “Your studies aren’t as important as your health. If you’re not feeling well, don’t force yourself to come to school. Be good, now. Listen.”
Ye Er frowned and pushed the girl away. He had just recently differentiated into an Omega, and his pheromone control was still unstable, so he had been wearing inhibitor patches for the past few days. The strong pheromones unconsciously emanating from the girl made him feel a bit uncomfortable. “Jiang Wenqing, are you about to differentiate soon? You’re covered in this smell, it’s awful.”
Jiang Wenqing wasn’t annoyed at being pushed away. She just sheepishly put some distance between herself and Ye Er. “Soon, soon. I went for a screening, and the results said I’m an Alpha. Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
Ye Er pressed his lips together. “Be more careful in the future.”
“Got it.”
Jiang Wenqing walked back to the front. Among their group of friends, only Ye Er had differentiated into an Omega so far, making him a top priority for protection. She really should be more careful with him.
“Anyway, back to the Little Island Master’s fiancée…” Jiang Wenqing shook her head, stroking her chin pretentiously. “I heard she was the Little Island Master’s junior high classmate from before she was brought back to the island. And get this, when the Little Island Master first heard she had an arranged marriage, she didn’t even know it was this classmate. She knelt before the late Island Master’s grave for three days and three nights, begging the Island Master to go to the fiancée’s family and break off the engagement. Those three days were absolutely tragic. It was only after she found out the fiancée was her junior high classmate that she finally came out of the cemetery.”
“I bet the Little Island Master must really, really like this fiancée.”
“And once the Island Master met the fiancée, she was quite satisfied with her. She even came back to the island and praised the Little Island Master for her excellent taste. So this time, it was the Island Master herself who invited the fiancée to the island, saying that before the official wedding, she should come and experience the atmosphere. The marriage is still up for discussion.”
“? Who is this fiancée, to be so protected by both the Island Master and the Little Island Master?” someone in the crowd asked.
“Who is she?”
Jiang Wenqing craned her neck to look at the person, raised her eyebrows, and cleared her throat, spilling everything she had read in the gossip columns. “This fiancée… is said to be a one-in-a-million beauty, an Omega. The kind whose suitors could line up from the northernmost tip of Nanke Island to the southernmost.”
“Is it that exaggerated?” Ye Er, who was following behind, couldn’t help but ask. “Is she that beautiful?”
“More than that-”
“Not only is she beautiful, but she’s also the only daughter of some industry tycoon.”
Jiang Wenqing paused, then looked back at Ye Er and pursed her lips. “I heard that the president of Sheng Corporation from the neighboring RT Planet has sworn he’ll marry no one but her. A double-award-winning actress has also publicly stated that she’s pursuing her. Oh, and there’s a scientist, a winner of a planet-level achievement, who calls her his irreplaceable muse every single day.”
“Whoa! Jiang Wenqing, where did you get all this dirt?”
“Can our Little Island Master even compete with people like that?”
“Bullshit! The Little Island Master is so outstanding and kind, she’s incredibly charming, okay! Of course she can compete! Besides, the girl is already the Little Island Master’s fiancée. Doesn’t that mean the Little Island Master has already won?!”
Ye Er, pushing his bicycle, paused for a moment. “You’ve been talking for so long, but you haven’t said what the fiancée’s name is.”
“Her name is-”
Jiang Wenqing repeated the words, drawing out the last syllable lazily, deliberately pausing to build suspense.
“Her name is Shi Nan.”
Just a few simple words, spoken in a clear and bright female voice, melodious and carried over by the sea breeze.
Jiang Wenqing had just been about to speak when she was interrupted. She turned her head indignantly toward the source of the voice, but when she saw the person on the electric scooter slowly keeping pace with them, she froze for a moment. After looking the person up and down and recognizing the helmeted rider, she immediately deflated and obediently called out, “Little Island Master.”
“Mm. School’s out and you’re still loitering on the road? Aren’t you afraid your parents will worry?”
The steady admonition didn’t sound like something the person cruising around the island on an electric scooter would say.
And this person, who often rode her electric scooter along the coastal highway, looked nothing like one of the masters of Nanke Island-the Little Island Master, Fu Zhao.
But no matter how unlike she seemed, this person was indeed the Little Island Master of Nanke Island, and its future Island Master.
The electric scooter stopped beside them. In the front basket sat a white helmet, along with some scattered sea fishing gear that glinted with a yellow halo in the golden sunlight.
Fu Zhao, sitting on the scooter, wore a white shirt loosely, with two buttons undone, revealing a flawless neck and delicate collarbones. The cuffs were slightly rolled up, exposing clean, slender wrists.
She leisurely took off her helmet, revealing a beautiful, unrestrained face. Her hair was casually tied back, with a few strands falling across her exquisite brows and eyes. Her eyes were a rounded shape, and with a gentle blink, the light in her amber pupils flickered, making her look innocent and gentle. Yet, paired with her straight, prominent nose and thin, narrow lips, and her striking bone structure, her entire face was a fusion of audacious and mild temperaments.
Her slender, pale fingers lifted the helmet and hung it on the front of the scooter, making a soft clinking sound.
With the helmet off, her hair was quite messy, but under the golden light of the setting sun, Fu Zhao casually ran her fingers through it, exuding an overwhelming sense of vibrant spirit.
“Oh, we know. We’re heading back now.”
In front of the very person they had been loudly discussing, the group of chattering teenagers fell silent, no longer daring to discuss the finer details of their conversation.
Jiang Wenqing, who had been the most talkative, was especially quiet. She grabbed a few of her friends, trying to flee the scene of the crime.
“Jiang Wenqing.”
Fu Zhao called out. The girl, who had been running away, stopped in her tracks and turned back with a miserable look on her face. “I was wrong, Fu Zhao. I’ll never gossip like that again.”
Nanke Island was a small island on the interstellar UI Planet, independent from the planet’s other continents. UI Planet was considered a desolate planet in the interstellar community, but Nanke Island was the most developed and wealthy part of this wasteland, comparable to the bustling areas of other planets.
From the time she returned to the island at the age of twelve, every detail of the Little Island Master Fu Zhao’s growth and life had been a major focus for the island’s newspapers, television stations, and various online media.
All the residents of Nanke Island knew her.
And her family adhered to the principle of “being down-to-earth and serving the islanders.” Thus, from neighborhood squabbles to the island’s economic development, Fu Zhao’s family was never absent from island affairs.
Coupled with Fu Zhao’s gentle personality since childhood and her lack of airs, those who knew her simply called her Fu Zhao, not addressing her as Little Island Master to her face.
Even this group of high school students, who were a few years younger than her, had known Fu Zhao since birth. They often chatted with her as she wandered around the island, and over time, they got to know each other. Since Fu Zhao was so gentle and easy to talk to, it was common for them to call her by name. This group of kids only brought up her title as Little Island Master when they ran into trouble or needed a favor from her.
“As long as you know.”
Fu Zhao raised an eyebrow. Seeing the girl’s apprehensive expression, she couldn’t help but laugh, her amber eyes glowing brightly in the sunset. “Hurry home now. And read fewer of those gossip magazines in the future.”
She took a bag of lychees from her basket and casually placed it in the basket of Ye Er’s bicycle beside her.
“Take these and share them when you get back.”
“Hee hee, thank you, Little Island Master.” Jiang Wenqing blinked, remembering she should keep her distance from Ye Er. She didn’t go over, but her eyes were fixed on the bag of large, plump lychees. “It’s the perfect time of year for lychees. They look great!”
“Mhm.”
Fu Zhao gave a noncommittal hum and glanced at the stunned Ye Er beside her, sighing softly. A few days ago, Ye Er had gone into an early Heat at school, nearly causing a major incident. He probably still hadn’t fully recovered.
She patted Ye Er’s shoulder. “You should hurry home too. A fugitive from off-island… who attempted a forced marking has escaped to our island and hasn’t been caught yet. Be careful when you’re out at night these days.”
“You all, too…”
Fu Zhao looked at the group of teenagers and couldn’t help but raise a hand to her forehead. “The Security Department will increase patrols and work quickly to screen for him, but until then, every one of you needs to be careful. Keep your guard up, understand?”
“We will!!”
The others replied in unison, their eyes shining brightly, as they all protectively escorted the newly differentiated Ye Er forward.
The teenagers’ steps were light, and they chatted amongst themselves as they quickly walked away, their shadows stretching long behind them in the slanting sun.
Fu Zhao stared at the row of shadows on the road for a while before picking up the helmet hanging from the handlebars, putting it on securely, and starting the electric scooter with a twist of her wrist, slowly following the group in front.
It was early summer, and the sea breeze was cool, gently brushing against her. The stickiness on her cheeks, behind her ears, and on her neck was cooled, dissipating much of the mugginess from the weather.
Fu Zhao was a Beta and couldn’t smell pheromones, but she could guess the situation from the isolation patch pressed tightly to the back of Ye Er’s neck.
Although she had transmigrated into this book less than a month ago, she had completely adapted to and accepted this world’s ABO setting.
She was lucky to be just a Beta, completely unrelated to the ABO dynamics of this world.
But it seemed the original host’s consciousness had a deep influence on her, subtly changing her and making her unconsciously care about every little detail on the island.
Perhaps another factor was that in her previous world, she had been a university student village official, mediating disputes for villagers, handling fire and theft prevention, pulling weeds and planting trees, and managing all sorts of affairs as a matter of course.
In any case, Fu Zhao still felt uneasy, so she rode her scooter and followed the group until everyone had arrived home safely.
After dropping off Ye Er, Jiang Wenqing was the last one.
Fu Zhao stopped her scooter and watched Jiang Wenqing walk toward her house. As she walked, Jiang Wenqing suddenly turned her back and waved her hand defiantly a few times, signaling for her to go back.
So she’d been spotted long ago.
Fu Zhao was stunned for a few seconds, then smiled when she came to her senses. She turned her scooter around, rode out of the community, and got back on the coastal highway outside.
She liked riding her scooter along the coast, watching the sea, the people, and the island.
When she was a village official in the mountains, she had almost never seen the sea.
After arriving in this world, whenever Fu Zhao had a bit of free time, she would ride her scooter to feel the sea breeze, and she had developed many hobbies she’d never tried in her previous world.
The sea was everywhere, and she had fallen in love with this feeling of being able to see it from anywhere. The sea breeze on her face could calm her troubled heart.
Anyone who inexplicably arrived in another world would be terrified, not just troubled.
But she had arrived in this world from a book. Relying on her impressions of the book and the original host’s residual consciousness, she had managed to adapt to this interstellar and ABO world.
Life here was so real. Though she had been here for less than a month, her memories of her original world were gradually being covered over by the events of this one, hidden deep within her mind.
She even felt that having a mother who loved her, a comfortable life, and many lovely people, without so many worries, was pretty good here.
This place had everything she didn’t have in her original world.
Except… Shi Nan.
That was a dangerous element. The moment that name appeared, she would become flustered.
She didn’t have the original host’s memories. Her understanding of this world came almost entirely from the novel she had never finished.
But perhaps it was the influence of the original host’s residual consciousness, or perhaps it was a side effect of having read the book, but whenever she thought of the original host’s final ending, she felt a sharp pain in her chest.
Just as she was thinking this, a toddler appeared ahead, waddling unsteadily toward the sea.
“Screech-”
Fu Zhao snapped back to her senses, a chill instantly shooting up her spine. She quickly slammed on the brakes.
The scooter skidded across the ground, coming to a sharp stop just ten centimeters from the toddler. But the force of the sudden stop made her lose her balance. The scooter fell sideways, and in an instant, the world spun around her as she was thrown from it.
A piercing pain shot up from the palm that had scraped against the ground.
But she couldn’t worry about that. She quickly scrambled out from under the scooter, not even bothering to pick it up, and looked toward where the toddler had been.
The sky was growing dark. At dusk, the evening clouds spread out, hanging at the edge of the sky, soft and dense with shades of purple and pink.
The wobbly toddler from before was gone.
Fu Zhao looked around. This area was relatively remote, with few people on the road, only a few cars driving past in a hurry. There was no sign of any parents looking for a child.
Had she seen it wrong?
Unwilling to give up, she thought it best to check a few more times. She walked to the side of the road and cast her gaze further out.
Still no sign of the toddler.
She scanned the area, thinking that perhaps she was just too tired these past few days and had started hallucinating.
The electric scooter lay quietly on the road. One of the rearview mirrors was broken, and some of the items from the front basket had fallen out.
Fu Zhao looked at the scene before her, yet felt as if everything was tinged with a hazy halo. Just a few glances made her feel dazed.
A burning pain radiated from her palm, mixing with a touch of unease that welled up in her heart.
She looked at her scraped palm. Blood was faintly seeping out. There was nothing wrong; it was a normal reaction to an injury.
She flexed her fingers, and the fine, tingling pain instantly intensified, startling her out of her daze. She let out a ragged breath and forced herself to regain her composure.
Fu Zhao shook her head, her hair tousled by the wind. A few strands flew up, and with a casual glance, she spotted a figure standing by the sea not far away.
It was a woman with fluffy, natural black hair of shoulder length, which cascaded down, occasionally lifted by the wind, instantly creating an enchanting atmosphere.
She was tall, with a captivating waistline and long, straight legs. She seemed to be enveloped in the evening glow, hazy and indistinct, yet full of grace and charm.
The figure grew smaller and smaller, slowly fading from clear to blurry, getting closer to the sea and farther from Fu Zhao.
If she wasn't mistaken.
This woman… looked like she was about to jump into the sea?
Author's Notes
The ABO setting in this story is non-traditional and includes many of my own personal additions. Female Alphas do not have extra organs. Fu Zhao is the Little Island Master initially and will become the Island Master later. Her character is a down-to-earth, bright, and warm young woman. Readers who are expecting a 'cool, strong, tragic, overbearing CEO' type might be disappointed.
The world background of 《Island Master》 is not realistic, nor is it like other interstellar stories you may have seen. Since I have never been to space or an ABO world, this story has no real-world standard. It is a healing, relationship-focused sweet story, not a plot-driven, power-leveling story.
Finally, I must emphasize three times: this is a pseudo-transmigration, a pseudo-transmigration, a pseudo-transmigration!! So please don't get hung up on the original book's plot or the original host's story. The pseudo-transmigration setting will be explained clearly in the subsequent plot! I want to remind everyone that this is primarily a story about making up for regrets, not one where a character has to grovel for forgiveness. Before the full picture is revealed, anything seen from a single character's perspective might not be what it seems.
Comments
Post a Comment