TIMO - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
If it was an engagement arranged before birth… how could it be something she herself had once chosen?
No matter how she heard it, it was unreasonable. And that so-called rule passed down from their ancestors was also very strange.
Since actively annulling the engagement was already permitted, why delay it until after inheriting Nanke Island?
What connection was there between inheriting Nanke Island and actively annulling the engagement?
But Fu Wanqing had indeed only left her with this explanation. No matter how much Fu Zhao asked afterward, Fu Wanqing didn't answer, just vaguely brushing it aside.
That night, Fu Zhao tossed and turned in bed, staring at the glowing LED eyes of the mechanical “Number Ten” on her bedside table. She had no choice but to accept the facts:
Either Shi Nan actively annulled the engagement, or she would have to wait until she was thirty to do it.
Would Shi Nan actively annul the engagement?
She probably would.
But Fu Zhao was still a little unsure of the answer to this question. If everything followed the original novel's plot, Shi Nan would be more than happy to annul the engagement. But… the Shi Nan she had met was far more ambiguous about the matter than she had imagined.
For now, there was no other way.
She couldn't possibly wait until she was thirty to annul the engagement, could she?
And Shi Nan couldn't possibly stay on the island until she was thirty before leaving.
She needed to find an opportunity to make things clear with Shi Nan, and preferably get Shi Nan to go to Fu Wanqing to annul the engagement within the next few days.
Sigh…
Fu Zhao sighed softly and turned over. Through a gap in the curtains, she saw the pear blossoms drifting from a tree outside. She stared at them for a long time, until the fluttering blossoms started to blur her vision. She still couldn't think of a way to appease the angered Shi Nan, or how to swallow her pride and bring up the matter of having Shi Nan actively annul their engagement.
I'll wait a little longer.
I'll talk about it after Shi Nan has cooled down.
With that thought, she hid. She left early and returned late every day, wishing she could just live somewhere else and not go back home at all.
She made sure Fu Wanqing couldn't catch a glimpse of her, and that Shi Nan couldn't see her either.
It also gave her enough rationality and ample time to think clearly about how to interact with Shi Nan, and how to bring up the topic of annulling the engagement.
This went on for many days, until summer arrived on Nanke Island with its heat waves and surging tides. The island was covered in pear blossoms, and the Mid-year Celebration was more than halfway through.
She had just slipped out of the house, planning to go sea fishing, when she was cornered on the main road by Kong Weiyan, who had just returned from an off-island business trip. With her center-parted, collarbone-length bob, dramatic earrings, untamed eyebrows, white t-shirt, and casual trousers, her tall figure looked like that of a cool and straightforward Alpha.
Although, according to Kong Weiyan herself, she was just a delicate and beautiful Alpha.
But right now, dressed as she was and holding a beautiful, exquisitely wrapped bouquet of sunflowers, standing next to Fu Zhao-who was wearing a fisherman's hat and a white shirt, empty-handed and looking slightly frail-the pair inevitably drew some attention.
Fu Zhao subtly increased the distance between herself and Kong Weiyan, trying her best to ignore the stares coming from all directions. "When? Can I refuse?" she asked flatly.
"Would I lie to you about something like this?" Kong Weiyan rolled her eyes dramatically, then her gaze shifted. Thinking it was better to coax someone to get them to work with enthusiasm, she patted Fu Zhao's shoulder and explained patiently, "The Mid-year Celebration is itself a ceremony to give back to the islanders. The performance by the Island Master and the management at the closing ceremony has always been a staple of the event."
"Didn't you used to perform a piano solo every year? Everyone's tired of seeing that, so this time I was thinking we could put on a live band performance. After all, this year is a milestone anniversary, so we have to give everyone something fresh."
"So you were on a business trip for weeks just for this?" Fu Zhao slapped Kong Weiyan's hand off her shoulder, her brow furrowing slightly. She hadn't expected that being the Little Island Master would require her to perform. But on second thought, it seemed reasonable. After all, back when she was a student official organizing a spring festival gala, she had to write, direct, and act in the performances herself.
"Ahem~~"
Kong Weiyan wasn't angry or annoyed at having her hand slapped away; after all, her Beta friend had never liked physical contact with others. But she couldn't let Fu Zhao describe her important mission as the Department Head of Nanke Island's Literature and Art Propaganda Department as "this." She spoke again, educating her with earnest gravity, "How can you use 'this' to describe our Nanke Island's grandest annual artistic performance? This is one of the most important duties of our Literature and Art Propaganda Department. You need to apologize."
Fu Zhao was silent for a long moment before conceding, "Fine, I apologize. I'm sorry for underestimating your work."
"Mmm~" Kong Weiyan nodded in satisfaction, swinging the flowers as she walked. "Anyway, I went off-island to check things out, and band performances are quite popular this year. So, a drum kit should have already been delivered to your house by now."
Fu Zhao froze for a few seconds, then stopped walking. She turned to look at Kong Weiyan without a word, took a deep breath, and almost couldn't recover. So, she had told Shi Nan she would only have a drum kit and not a stand, and now the "drum kit" itself had really come looking for her.
Calming down, she raised a hand to smooth back the strands of hair blown loose by the sea breeze, and in doing so, also straightened out her thoughts. "A band can't just be me, can it? Where's the guitarist? The bassist? The keyboardist? The lead vocalist?"
"Good question!!"
Kong Weiyan took a deep breath and shouted, nearly making Fu Zhao jump out of her skin. Realizing that everyone around was looking at them, she coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness before explaining, "For the guitarist and bassist, I found Xiao Jiang and Xiao Ye. The keyboardist will be your mother, Ms. Fu Wanqing. As for the lead vocalist, of course it's me…"
She paused deliberately, seeing the stunned look in Fu Zhao's eyes. Thinking she had achieved her goal, she grinned and finished the sentence she had left hanging, "…personally invited, a beautiful person with a sweet voice…"
Before she could finish, she saw Fu Zhao, who had been staring blankly ahead, suddenly make a huge clatter with the fishing gear in her hand. The light in her eyes flickered as she softly uttered a name, "Shi Nan."
"Holy crap!"
Kong Weiyan exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, completely bewildered. "How did you know…"
But she couldn't finish that sentence either, as Fu Zhao immediately clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her away. She could barely breathe, the words "How did you know I was talking about Shi Nan" stuck in her throat. Vaguely, in the crowd of people approaching from a distance, she thought she saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing tall under the bright afternoon sun, her shirt clinging to an enchanting waistline.
Right.
That was the great beauty she had personally invited to be one of the band's lead vocalists.
And also the fiancée of a certain Fu, who was currently covering her mouth, preventing her from speaking and forcing her to act like a thief-Shi Nan.
Unfortunately, she couldn't greet Shi Nan right now. Her very lifeline was being choked off, and she couldn't utter a single word.
"Hey, why are Fu Zhao and the others leaving?" Jiang Wenqing called out, but she couldn't stop the determined Fu Zhao. She could only look at Shi Nan standing beside her and mutter, "There's no need to be that afraid of your wife~ Running away at the sight of her."
Shi Nan watched Fu Zhao drag Kong Weiyan away in the distance and heard Jiang Wenqing's quiet comment. Only then did her mood improve slightly. She tugged at the corners of her lips. "Let her hide. She can't hide for long anyway."
It wasn't that she hadn't tried to find Fu Zhao these past few days. But either she couldn't find her at all, or Fu Zhao would run the moment she saw her, faster than a mouse that's seen a cat.
Although she wasn't sure of the specific reason Fu Zhao was avoiding her, after some thought, it could only be about annulling the engagement.
She couldn't bring herself to talk to her, nor could she actively annul the engagement herself.
And so, the matter was at a stalemate.
But thankfully, the past few days had been peaceful. Accompanied by the two "tour guides" Fu Zhao had arranged for her, she had explored the parts of Nanke Island she had never properly seen before, taking in the beautiful scenery she had previously overlooked.
More importantly, Nanke Island seemed smaller than she had imagined. From time to time, she would run into Fu Zhao, who was either handling the island's complicated affairs or just wandering around leisurely.
She saw Fu Zhao wearing a white shirt and an apron, occasionally helping out at Jiang Wenqing's family restaurant.
She saw Fu Zhao wearing a helmet and riding a little electric scooter, slowly taking in the scenery, the hem of her white shirt and her long, loose hair fluttering and rustling in the wind.
She saw Fu Zhao sitting quietly by the shore with her fishing gear, not catching a single fish for half a day, yet still persisting in going every day. On the rare occasion she did catch one, she would carry it back, beaming with joy, and put it in her fish tank. As a result, Fu Zhao's tank was now filled with many strange and adorable fish.
She saw Fu Zhao greeting every resident on the island with a smile.
Relaxed, free, at ease. She had never seen this side of Fu Zhao before. Or perhaps it was because she had never observed Fu Zhao from a bystander's perspective for such a long time.
The feeling was wonderfully strange.
It made Shi Nan feel leisurely and content as well. At least she could see the person she couldn't save in her dreams standing alive and well before her. At least Fu Zhao was safe and happy now. That was fortunate enough.
It would be even better if Fu Zhao didn't run to the ends of the earth every time she saw her.
"Of course!!" Jiang Wenqing exclaimed excitedly, practically dancing with joy. "I've been practicing the music recently. Hehe, I heard from Sister Kong that we should be starting tomorrow. It'll be even more awesome when our band gets together, ahhh!!"
The young girl, who had just differentiated into an Alpha, showed none of the arrogance or pride Shi Nan had seen in the Alphas off-island. After learning to control her pheromones, Shi Nan no longer smelled any "unconsciously" leaked pheromones from her.
Perhaps this was thanks to the "Ten Standards of Alpha Virtue."
But she didn't seem to remember hearing about this before. Another difference.
There were too many differences. She had a reasonable suspicion that this second chance would lead to a completely different story.
If that was the case… did that mean she didn't have to worry about that matter all day? Could her relationship with Fu Zhao also be a little closer than it was now? At least moving in a better direction, not just with Fu Zhao following her, or her following Fu Zhao.
Not just this relationship of watching each other from afar.
She found that she was a little unwilling to settle for just that.
Shi Nan pressed her lips together. Coming back to her senses, she smiled at Jiang Wenqing, then glanced at the quiet Ye Er on her left. The handsome and refined boy had his eyes lowered. When he noticed her gaze, he quickly looked up in a panic. "What is it, Sister Shi Nan? Is there a problem? Or is there somewhere else you'd like to go?"
"No~" Shi Nan shook her head gently, the corners of her lips curling up. "I just didn't expect that Ye Er, who usually seems so quiet and well-behaved, would actually be in a band."
"Pfft!"
Ye Er didn't say anything, but Jiang Wenqing burst out laughing first, her shoulders shaking like a wobbly little squirrel. "Sister Shi Nan, don't get the wrong idea. Ye Er isn't quiet at all. He's usually really fierce. He's just restraining himself in front of you."
Ye Er shot her a cold glare, pulling up his loosened backpack strap and huffing, "Jiang Wenqing, stop slandering me. I'm not as boisterous as you."
"Pah! You're the boisterous one!!" Jiang Wenqing nearly jumped up again, vehemently denying it.
Ye Er fell silent again, wearing an expression that said, "the facts speak for themselves." Jiang Wenqing rolled up her sleeves, ready to argue properly with Ye Er, but in the next second, a gentle force pulled her back. She met Shi Nan's soft eyes and instantly deflated.
"Alright, you two, stop fooling around. Aren't you supposed to be showing me around?" Shi Nan said patiently, as one would to a "tour guide," and blinked. "Don't fight, it hurts your friendship. We're going to be in a band together, aren't we?"
"Yes."
Ye Er and Jiang Wenqing said in unison, instantly becoming well-behaved and shaking hands to make up.
"Mmm, good~"
Shi Nan praised them softly. Then, as if casually, she glanced up and met the gaze of the person standing obediently under a crabapple tree not far away. The light in those amber eyes flickered, and in the next second, her wavering gaze shifted away, pretending to look at the tree, the flowers, the sea-anywhere but at her.
It was precisely this kind of cute, evasive denial that was the most adorable.
She couldn't help it. She let go of the taut string inside her, completely abandoning all her previous reservations. She walked over, her eyes fixed on those amber irises that were slowly filling with surprise, pinning Fu Zhao down so she had nowhere to run.
She took the pear blossom she had just bought from a roadside stall and tucked it perfectly behind Fu Zhao's ear.
The long, black hair by her ear stirred gently, brushing past the pear blossom and her cheek. It made those already stunningly beautiful eyes seem even more beautiful, her already fair skin appear even fairer, and added a touch of softness to her exquisite, sharp features, making her look even more lively and vibrant.
Shi Nan curled her lips in satisfaction and smiled. Her voice softened, carrying the mirth that had escaped from her eyes.
"Of course, this one is the best-behaved~"
Comments
Post a Comment