TIMO - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
There was a fugitive on the island, wanted for attempted forced marking, and Shi Nan was a single Omega.
She was even a guest personally invited to Nanke Island by the Island Master.
It was perfectly reasonable for Fu Zhao to be worried about her safety.
Although the Island Master’s residence was the most secure place on the island, after careful consideration, Fu Zhao still turned back. She installed a security camera in a blind spot by Shi Nan’s front door, added several top-tier alarms, and, with time on her hands, even fixed the flickering, nearly broken streetlight outside Shi Nan’s house.
And when Shi Nan awoke from her nightmare and decided to step out for some fresh air, this was the exact scene she witnessed.
It was the early hours of a summer night. A clear breeze brushed against her face, cool and refreshing, alleviating the stuffiness from her nightmare. The cold sweat from her sleep was quickly dried by the quiet night wind.
A crescent moon still hung in the sky, its faint light and sparse shadows illuminating the moving figure below.
Just as Shi Nan reached her courtyard wall, she saw Fu Zhao approaching with a large bag. She was still wearing the same style of T-shirt Shi Nan had bought, her figure slender. Her long, fair arms dangled from the wide, short sleeves, giving her a casual, relaxed air, as if she were just stepping out to take out the trash.
But no one stays up until three in the morning just to take out the trash.
And Fu Zhao, who had spent the evening rescuing someone, persuading them, and dealing with a “failed engagement annulment,” would certainly not waste her rest time to throw out garbage.
But Shi Nan saw it. The Little Island Master, upholding her “way of hospitality,” was out at three in the morning, hammering and tinkering away. She installed several alarms on the iron gate of her courtyard and even brought over a ladder to “by the way” climb up and replace the bulb in the flickering streetlight outside her door.
Normally, the Little Island Master wouldn’t have to do these things herself. But perhaps because it was three in the morning, she didn’t seem to want to trouble anyone else, nor did she use a mechanical assistant with its loud noises. Instead, she chose to do it all herself.
There was a short flight of stairs by the iron gate, and next to the stairs was a wall. The red bricks had a certain retro feel. From just the other side of this wall, Shi Nan watched Fu Zhao finish installing the alarms, checking them over and over again. She watched Fu Zhao climb the ladder and carefully remove the old lightbulb, replacing it with a new, enhanced one. She watched as Fu Zhao was momentarily blinded by the bright light of the new bulb, her face scrunching up like a little squirrel that had just chewed on a bad pinecone.
The Little Island Master of Nanke Island was truly hospitable.
And truly cute.
Her eyesight, however, was truly terrible. She could have seen Shi Nan watching her by the wall if she had just lifted her head slightly, but Fu Zhao remained oblivious. She just furtively finished her work and left in the morning light.
Perhaps Fu Zhao was too focused on doing things “by the way,” so she couldn’t even be bothered to “by the way” lift her head. She just stared intently at the iron gate, installed the necessary items for her “hospitality,” and left, completely unaware of Shi Nan, who had been watching her from the wall the entire time.
But Shi Nan, by sheer coincidence, had spotted Fu Zhao at a glance. Then she had watched Fu Zhao all night, and dreamed of Fu Zhao all night.
The Fu Zhao in her dream was just like the one she had seen that evening. Her profile, traced by the cool moonlight, was soft, and her eyes held an extra clarity. She was cast in the twilight glow of the moon, and a single look was enough to be swept up in her serene and elegant aura.
Fu Zhao sat on her courtyard wall, legs swinging in the air. She turned her head and smiled at her, her clear, bright eyes shining even more brilliantly, as luminous as the moon. She said to her, “Shi Nan, it’s just hospitality.”
“Don’t take it to heart.”
“I don’t like you, and I will never like you.”
The words were so cruel, and hearing them made her a little sad. It wasn’t as if Shi Nan wanted Fu Zhao to like her; after all, it was because of her that Fu Zhao had encountered such a terrible fate…
But now, everything was starting over. That final event, the one that filled her with guilt and pain just thinking about it, might not happen.
So many things were different now. The biggest difference was that Fu Zhao didn’t know her.
Since heaven had given her a chance to start over, it must have also given her a chance to change that event. Heaven’s gift to her was a new beginning, and she should cherish this gift.
Even following the original trajectory, that event was still three years away.
It was still early. She had plenty of time to change everything.
As for liking someone or not, that wasn’t too important.
After hearing those words from the moonlit Fu Zhao, Shi Nan’s mind wandered for a moment. When she came to, she saw that the smile on the lips of the Fu Zhao sitting on the wall had widened.
Then, Fu Zhao stood up. With her back to the road and facing her, she spread her arms and fell backward.
She still remembered the distinct sensations in the dream. The wind around her instantly stopped. All her senses were abruptly slowed, leaving only Fu Zhao’s decelerated fall, her rustling hair fanning out in the air, and the gentle smile still on her lips.
She used all her strength to run over, but she still couldn’t match the speed of Fu Zhao’s fall.
By the time she reached the wall, the figure she expected to see lying on the road had vanished. All that remained were the trees, swaying emptily in the air.
The dream was bizarre, and strangely real.
When she woke up, it felt as if a lifetime had passed.
But thankfully, the living, breathing Fu Zhao was still alive and well, living in the detached house next to hers.
She had been invited to Fu Zhao’s house for a meal, had seen Number Ten again, and had even worn Fu Zhao’s clothes, which carried the faint, clean scent of white tea.
After she woke up, everything around her was telling her that the living, real Fu Zhao still existed in this world.
She was very lucky to have a chance to make up for her regrets.
“It was just on the way…”
The clear, soft voice echoed in her ears again. Even when being stubborn, it still carried that warm, comforting tone. Who else could it be but Fu Zhao?
Shi Nan abruptly pulled her thoughts back to the present, taking a light breath to steady herself from that daze. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were once more filled with a lazy, casual air. “I know. It’s the Little Island Master’s way of hospitality.”
“But since the Little Island Master has spoken of treating me with courtesy, and the Island Master has given the Little Island Master a day off, and the weather today happens to be so nice, why don’t you accompany me for a tour of the island?”
“I’ve heard that the Flower Throwing Ceremony is a rare and wonderful event on Nanke Island.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
With that, Shi Nan put on her shoes and walked out on her own. Her figure disappeared quickly, as if she were certain Fu Zhao would follow.
And in fact, Fu Zhao really did follow.
She stood stunned for a moment before reacting. Watching Shi Nan’s slender, swaying back, she sighed helplessly, put on her jacket, and followed.
After all, she was a guest personally invited by Fu Wanqing, and Fu Wanqing had given the order…
She couldn’t just leave the person to fend for herself, could she?
This time, Fu Zhao didn’t ride her bike. She had her family’s driver take her and Shi Nan to the starting point of the island-circling Flower Throwing Ceremony.
The afternoon was slightly cooler than noon. A warm breeze billowed, and the sunlight was gentle. The entire road was bathed in a golden glow. Beyond the road lay the azure sea, a single horizontal line meeting a sapphire sky dotted with clusters of white clouds.
Many people were participating in the Flower Throwing Ceremony: high school students who had snuck out, flowers still pinned to their collars; a family of four with beautiful, neat flower wreaths on their heads; a young couple holding hands tightly despite the heat, palms pressed together…
“The Flower Throwing Ceremony is held every year during Nanke Island’s Mid-year Celebration. This is when the island’s flowers are in their most brilliant bloom and the weather is at its best, perfect for holding the island-circling flower-throwing ritual for blessings. Every participant receives various fresh flowers. They can walk with the procession for a while and toss the flowers up in front of their own homes or on their favorite roads, symbolizing blessings as brilliant as the flowers…”
Fu Zhao, blending into the crowd with Shi Nan, dutifully explained the origin of the island’s ceremony, though she herself had only learned about it recently.
Her identity as the Little Island Master didn’t seem out of place at all. Everyone, their faces beaming with smiles, would greet them brightly before turning back to what they were doing, continuing conversations they had left unfinished.
Before coming to the island, Shi Nan would never have imagined that the Little Island Master of Nanke Island would be so down-to-earth, completely lacking the arrogance of a ruler. She seemed no different from anyone else on the island…
Here on the island, there wasn’t even much of a distinction between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas.
This place was open, free, and equal. Island Master and islander were just titles, not statuses. An Alpha could be delicate, and an Omega could be independent and capable. It was completely different from the city where Shi Nan had lived before.
She liked it here very much.
The wind on the island was light, the clouds were white, the sea was blue, and the people… were also very good.
Shi Nan silently watched Fu Zhao for a moment, then smilingly asked a question she had asked before, “The Little Island Master doesn’t seem to have the airs of a Little Island Master at all?”
“Does a Little Island Master need to put on airs?” Fu Zhao retorted. Perhaps infected by the crowd’s excitement and liveliness, she lifted the corners of her mouth and looked at Shi Nan, her eyes sparkling slightly. “I only have a drum kit.”
It was a terrible pun, but Shi Nan still laughed. She laughed out loud, “Pfft-hahahahaha,” her crescent eyes crinkling as she stared at Fu Zhao. Halos of light shimmered under the sun. Her pearly white teeth were perfectly aligned, and the dimples by her mouth curved into an intoxicating arc. Her mouth was shaped beautifully.
It was a particularly brilliant smile.
Even though Fu Zhao still held reservations about Shi Nan, even though just a second ago she hadn’t wanted to be anywhere near her.
In this second, she was dazzled by Shi Nan’s smile, so much so that she found herself smiling along. She felt grateful that the two of them were now just ordinary classmates who hadn’t seen each other in years, without all those terrible, irreversible events between them.
Fu Zhao told herself it was only because this was her first time participating in the ceremony that a feeling of joy was welling up inside her, that this thought had emerged amidst the lively crowd.
But in the next instant, she sobered up, and the smile on her lips involuntarily faded.
A fine, numbing pain once again surged in her chest. Her heart throbbed painfully, as if reminding her-do you still remember the ending you must avoid? Have you forgotten the feeling of this body being pierced in the dream?
Fu Zhao clutched her chest, her breathing growing heavier. Beads of sweat even formed on her forehead, trickling down onto the flower petal tucked behind her ear.
“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
Shi Nan’s smile vanished. Her eyelashes trembled, and she pressed her lips together. “If you’re not feeling well…”
Before she could finish, Shi Nan’s gaze flickered. In an instant, she pulled Fu Zhao’s entire body over, stepping in front of her. In a flash, a cool, wet liquid splashed onto her back, making her frown involuntarily.
Before Fu Zhao could react, a dark shadow flashed before her eyes, and the next second, she was pulled away.
In an instant, she and Shi Nan had switched places, and their gazes met involuntarily.
Shi Nan stood in front of her, her back to the light, shielding her from the splashing water. Her shoulder-length black hair was damp, sticking together in strands, yet it was sprinkled with a faint, soft halo of light that outlined the delicate contours of her face.
The water droplets, transparent and bright under the sunlight, clung to Shi Nan’s hair. One by one, they fell from the strands at her forehead, reflecting the brilliant light, sparkling.
As the water continued to spray, Shi Nan’s tea-brown eyes also became moist, as if covered by a layer of mist, shimmering and exceptionally beautiful.
The surroundings were clearly noisy, yet in this moment, it seemed to have fallen silent. Everyone and everything seemed to have stopped moving, as if they were the only two people left who could move.
Perhaps the excitement of the crowd was contagious. Shi Nan grabbed Fu Zhao’s hand and started running forward with the crowd. She took off her soaked jacket, unfurled it, and held it up behind Fu Zhao. She lifted her chin, her voice soft and clear, mingling with the sound of splashing water, as if telling a story,
“You’ve helped me so many times under the excuse of hospitality.”
“This time, it’s my turn to ‘save’ the Little Island Master.”
Author's Notes
Fu Zhao (stubborn version): I was really just doing it in passing... at most, you could call it proper hospitality.
Shi Nan: Yes, yes, yes, you're right.
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