TIMO - Chapter 37
Chapter 37
So she really is a female celebrity.
And a goddess of the entire galaxy, a Double Film Queen, the “Most A Goddess”... so many titles.
Most importantly, besides all these impressive-sounding titles, she was also one of Shi Nan's pursuers.
However, being a pursuer meant she hadn't won her over yet. And in the original novel, Shi Nan's attitude toward all three pursuers seemed quite cold, even resistant. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fled to the island to hide from them.
How did she manage to chase her all the way to Nanke Island?
Fu Zhao looked at the blonde woman waiting patiently outside the door, her lips pressed into a tight line. She remembered that in the original novel, Shen Caiwei had never come to Nanke Island before Fu Zhao's death. And now, she had shown up right at her doorstep looking for Shi Nan... This was a complete deviation from the original book's plot.
Did this also mean... that many of the things that were supposed to happen to Fu Zhao in the original novel, including the ending where she died shielding someone from a knife, wouldn't happen either?
She stared quietly for a moment before speaking faintly,
"Shi Nan doesn't live here. You have the wrong place."
After saying this, Fu Zhao decisively turned off the display screen with a click. On the surface, she was calm, but inside, her heart was in turmoil.
Shen Caiwei's appearance forced her to confront the question she had been avoiding in her heart.
This was an important character from the original novel, and the most popular among the three Alphas pursuing Shi Nan. Compared to the arrogant professor and the aloof president, Shen Caiwei-who appeared to be the “Most A,” cool goddess but was actually a tsundere, endearingly silly, and cute, and knew when to advance or retreat at critical moments-was clearly much more likable due to this contrasting charm.
Even Shi Nan herself treated Shen Caiwei much better than the other pursuers.
The original novel was a story with multiple potential love interests. Fu Zhao hadn't read to the end; she stopped reading after the original host died and her will was published, bequeathing the island and all her assets to Shi Nan. So, she never saw who the female lead, Shi Nan, ultimately chose.
Based on the discussion levels she'd seen in the comment sections, Shen Caiwei was the most popular choice. Although the original host had gained a lot of popularity and support due to her devoted character design and the knife-shielding incident-even showing a trend of surpassing Shen Caiwei-and despite the later chapters' comment sections clamoring for a miracle to resurrect Fu Zhao, the author probably had no intention of promoting the cannon fodder 'Fu Zhao' to a main role... The focus of the writing was still on Shen Caiwei.
Therefore, logically speaking, Shen Caiwei should have been the "true love" Shi Nan chose in the end.
But now, almost everything was different from the original novel's trajectory. The entire timeline was disrupted, as if it had stalled at the very beginning of the book-in the event line of "Shi Nan arrives on the island and annuls her engagement with Fu Zhao." The engagement hadn't been successfully annulled yet, and Shi Nan hadn't left the island, so it seemed none of the events that were supposed to happen after she left had occurred.
Would Shi Nan still choose Shen Caiwei in the end?
Or rather, would she still die in the end?
If she kept dragging out the annulment, if she kept preventing Shi Nan from leaving the island...
Such a strange yet logical idea popped into Fu Zhao's mind, and her thoughts began to race along with it, not stopping until she turned and saw Kong Weiyan with a "peculiar expression."
She closed her eyes for a moment, temporarily setting aside those thoughts, and uttered a single word, "Say it."
Kong Weiyan clicked her tongue in amazement, stroking her chin as she circled Fu Zhao. "You're strange. This is your love rival, yet your reaction is so calm? Aren't you afraid she'll follow the clues and find her way next door to Shi Nan?"
"..." Fu Zhao's lips moved, her tone flat. "Shi Nan isn't my property. Can I really stop others from seeing her? Besides... you yourself said she's a Double Film Queen, a goddess of the entire galaxy. How could I possibly win against her?"
After speaking, she subtly lowered her gaze, a sour feeling in her heart. Although her words were partly to placate Kong Weiyan, they also held a kernel of truth. After all, Shen Caiwei was very likely the perfect match arranged by Shi Nan's "creator author."
"Bullshit!"
Hearing Fu Zhao's words and seeing her dejected expression, Kong Weiyan grew furious and punched Fu Zhao's shoulder. "So what if she's a Double Film Queen? Aren't you, the Little Island Master, our Nanke Island's own female celebrity? So what if she's a goddess of the entire galaxy? You're the Little Island Master who will one day rule our Nanke Island, which is as rich as a nation!!"
"Snap out of it!" Kong Weiyan grew more agitated as she spoke, stopping just short of shaking Fu Zhao's shoulders. "With your status, how are you in any way inferior to her? Don't you dare tell me you're feeling insecure in front of these small fries?"
Being lectured by Kong Weiyan like this, the heavy feeling in Fu Zhao's heart dissipated a little, but she still found it somewhat amusing. She raised her eyebrows. "A goddess to all the Omegas in the galaxy, a Double Film Queen, the daughter of the biggest pharmaceutical tycoon in the Federation-and you describe her with the term 'small fry'? Besides, all those prefixes came out of your mouth earlier."
Kong Weiyan crossed her arms, still looking unconvinced. "So what? As far as I'm concerned, you'll always beat her. Even without my 'childhood friend filter,' the two of you would be at a draw, at best."
"How could you possibly be inferior to her? Fu Zhao, listen to me. Don't overthink it, just go for it."
Fu Zhao stared into Kong Weiyan's earnest eyes, momentarily at a loss for words. Kong Weiyan was right. As the most developed independent island on UI Planet, Nanke Island held a pivotal position in the galaxy. The status of future Island Master was in no way inferior to the daughter of an interstellar commercial tycoon or a professor who had won an interstellar science award; in fact, it was even more superior.
But the original host, in front of these people, was insecure.
Because of the deep-rooted gender dynamics, the original host always felt that as a Beta, she was unworthy of the S-class Omega, Shi Nan. Even with the engagement and her illustrious background, she couldn't overcome this feeling of inferiority.
It was probably because she had lived on RT Planet with the melancholic Gu Shubai and had this idea instilled in her from a young age. Even after Fu Wanqing brought her back to the island at the age of ten, the "gender equality" atmosphere of Nanke Island never rubbed off on the original host.
But Fu Zhao didn't feel that way. She wasn't ashamed of her gender, nor did she feel that other genders were superior to her own. What she was worried about, in the end, was whether everything she was experiencing would follow the plot of the original novel.
Ding-dong~
Before Fu Zhao could sort out her thoughts or give Kong Weiyan a definite answer, the doorbell rang again. She composed herself, gave a reassuring look to Kong Weiyan-who looked like she was about to jump up and curse her-and turned on the display screen and the call button.
The blonde woman outside smiled, the dimples by her mouth deepening, and the light in her eyes flickered slightly.
"Excuse me~ Sorry to bother you."
"I heard you say just now that Shi Nan doesn't live here, that I have the wrong place."
Shen Caiwei pondered for a moment, her brow furrowed. "Does that mean you know Shi Nan, and it sounds like... you know where she lives?"
"Ooh~~" Kong Weiyan curled her lip, resting a hand on Fu Zhao's shoulder. "She's pretty sharp, figuring out so much from a single sentence."
"Excuse me..." Shen Caiwei on the screen suddenly interjected, the polite curve of her smile never wavering. "To the lady who first called me the Double Film Queen of RT Planet and the Most A Goddess of all the Omegas in the galaxy, I can hear you speaking. I heard what you just said, too."
"I think it's best not to praise me or analyze my words right in front of me." She blinked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Otherwise, I might get too shy to say another word."
"Holy crap!"
Kong Weiyan immediately shrank behind Fu Zhao and whispered, "I forgot the call button was on, and I even bad-mouthed her. What do I do now?"
Not holding grudges, not getting angry easily, and saying whatever was on her mind without hiding anything-this was one of the most distinct traits of Shen Caiwei's character design, and one of the reasons the comment section loved her.
Fu Zhao glanced at Kong Weiyan, who was choked into silence by Shen Caiwei's words and hiding behind her. She shook her head slightly and crossed her arms. "Yes, I know Shi Nan, and I know where she lives."
"But I'm sorry, I can't give you any information about Shi Nan until I'm completely clear on your intentions."
She said this calmly, and Kong Weiyan beside her immediately gave her a thumbs-up, signaling that she had spoken beautifully.
"I see..." Shen Caiwei nodded, her tone relaxed as she began to analyze the situation aloud. "You're right. Maybe I'm a bad person, maybe I'm here to cause trouble for Shi Nan. That's certainly something to consider."
"But since that lady over there knows who I am, she should also know that I'm just one of Shi Nan's pursuers and bear her no ill will."
"I just want to see if Nannan is doing well, and whether that engagement her family forced on her has been successfully annulled..." Shen Caiwei's eyes crinkled at the corners. "That's my intention. Can you tell me where Nannan is now?"
"No." Fu Zhao answered decisively. "You've already made it this far. I'm sure you'll be able to find your Nannan soon enough through your own perseverance."
With that, she snapped the display screen off again with a click, and without looking back, went back to her swing chair, picked up the newspaper, and covered her face with it again, looking like she had no intention of dealing with anyone.
She ignored the incessant ringing of the doorbell and Kong Weiyan turning the call button back on to continue talking with Shen Caiwei.
It was as if the newspaper covering her face blocked all her senses and could extinguish the anger gathering in the pit of her stomach.
She rarely got angry like this. Her nature was gentle and mild, and she had never done something so disrespectful as turning and walking away from someone in the middle of a conversation. But she did it today, because of the phrase "that engagement her family forced on her," and because of the "Nannan" that rolled so easily off Shen Caiwei's tongue.
Although the engagement was indeed arranged by their families, the word "forced" was hardly necessary.
Besides, she had known Shi Nan for so long and had never once called her "Nannan."
Except for that angry "your Nannan" just now, but it lacked any real tone or emotion. It was dry and didn't sound very pleasant.
As Fu Zhao was thinking this, her surroundings fell quiet again.
She breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt unsettled. After all, even if she managed to put her off today, the woman was still on the island, still looking for Shi Nan. She couldn't possibly stop them from meeting, could she?
The more she thought, the more the face hidden under the newspaper scrunched up in distress.
The most dangerous thing for a person is to develop feelings they've never had before for someone, to do things they've never done before for someone.
She was becoming less and less like her old self.
Fu Zhao's hand couldn't help but drift to her chest, where a steady, strong heartbeat pulsed. She didn't know when she had picked up Shi Nan's habit of occasionally listening to her own pulse and heartbeat. But in the end, for her, her own pulse and heartbeat served no purpose.
She sighed softly, feeling glad that no one could see her troubled expression.
"Tsk~~"
A sound came from beside her ear. It was Kong Weiyan clicking her tongue again and again. It was Kong Weiyan walking briskly to the lounge chair next to her and flopping down. It was the sound of her contentedly picking up the watermelon juice beside her and taking a big gulp, a gurgling noise following. It was Kong Weiyan's gloating tone,
"You can't stand it when someone else calls her Nannan?"
"On the surface, you act like you want to annul the engagement, but in reality, your jar of vinegar tips over faster than anyone's. Admit it, Fu Zhao, you're in too deep. When it comes down to it, you already have the answer to that question in your heart, you're just unwilling to admit it."
Kong Weiyan stopped there, having made her point. If Fu Zhao didn't want to think it through herself, nothing more she said would help.
Listening to Kong Weiyan's words, Fu Zhao felt a tightness in her chest. Her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't utter a single word of denial.
This was jealousy. She had to admit it.
"Ding-dong~"
The doorbell rang.
Fu Zhao didn't make a sound, still lying on the swing chair. She waved a hand at Kong Weiyan. "You go."
"Fine." Kong Weiyan rolled her eyes. "I guess I owe you, since I'm freeloading here."
"Mm, glad you know."
After Fu Zhao said this, Kong Weiyan stirred beside her, shuffling toward the door in her slippers. A moment later, the doorbell stopped ringing. She didn't hear any talking, and it fell quiet again.
Without the noisy Kong Weiyan and the doorbell.
The chirping of cicadas, the rustling of leaves in the wind, the songs of birds-all these sounds flooded her ears once more, the ambient noise amplified.
"Who was it? Was it that Shen Caiwei again?"
She asked, but hearing no reply from Kong Weiyan, she muttered, "Why so quiet?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Kong Weiyan's voice came over, followed by a set of footsteps that rushed to the lounge chair beside her with a gust of wind, moving so quickly it was as if she were being chased.
But the gust of wind Kong Weiyan brought with her carried a faint, sweet fragrance, different from the rose scent from before. It was sweeter, more fragrant, but most of it was masked by the inky smell of the paper on her face.
Fu Zhao wrinkled her nose. Just as she was about to speak, a gust of wind blew past, and the newspaper lifted into the air before falling to the ground again.
The darkness before her eyes was replaced by brightness. Her vision was dazzling and hazy. The deep blue sky was dotted with clusters of white clouds, and the leaves and flowers swayed, no different from what she had seen when she opened her eyes before.
The light flickering through the gaps in the leaves was much gentler than the harsh brightness from before. The person bending over and looking down at her must have been blocking most of it.
A gradually clarifying fragrance washed over her, fresh, sweet, and rich.
Then came a pair of light, tea-brown pupils haloed in a soft glow. They blinked, the gaze within them clear, gentle, and lingering.
The corners of her eyes were slightly curved, holding a smile and a sense of lazy charm.
Because she was bending over, strands of hair from her temples and shoulders cascaded down, catching the brilliant golden light that made her black hair appear light brown. They floated gently, a few occasionally brushing against Fu Zhao's face, making it tickle, but it wasn't unpleasant.
She wore a light, long-sleeved designer T-shirt with a narrow collar, revealing a sliver of fair skin on her neck and shoulders, drawing the eye.
She remained stunned, unable to snap out of it, until the person leaning over her moved a little closer. Her own reflection in those tea-brown pupils grew larger, the curve at the corners of the person's eyes deepened, and she spoke softly, her voice gentle and laced with a smile,
"I heard someone here is jealous of Shen Caiwei?"
"I've come to coax her~"
Author's Notes
Fu Zhao: There are two people here, so the jealous one isn't me.
Shi Nan: But I'll only coax you.
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