TIMO - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Not an islander?
Then why does she know me?
Could it be someone I've met before, but just don't remember?
Fu Zhao walked out of the hospital entrance. Watching the roaring traffic and the bustling crowds, a name suddenly popped into her mind, causing her previously natural stride to freeze instantly.
Miss Shi's surname is "shí"?
She didn't get a chance to ask which "shí" it was. It couldn't possibly be the "Shi" from Shi Nan, could it?
Once this thought emerged, it refused to leave Fu Zhao's mind.
She recalled the book's description of Shi Nan's attitude toward Fu Zhao, as well as the Shi Nan from "Fu Zhao's" monologues, and couldn't help but compare her to the Miss Shi she had just met.
The original book was written from Shi Nan's perspective. "Fu Zhao" was always on Nanke Island and didn't appear often, but each appearance was perfectly timed to help Shi Nan resolve her most difficult crises. Therefore, Shi Nan's attitude toward "Fu Zhao" was one of gratitude. She treated "Fu Zhao" as a friend, a classmate, and never even noticed the love Fu Zhao hid in her heart.
But in "Fu Zhao's" monologues, the distance between her and Shi Nan was exceptionally vast.
In Shi Nan's eyes, "Fu Zhao" was a good friend who offered help in times of need. In "Fu Zhao's" eyes, however, Shi Nan was the unattainable love of her life, hidden within this neither-too-close-nor-too-far relationship.
But in the end, the transmigrated Fu Zhao was merely an outsider to this "asymmetrical emotional relationship."
Nothing more.
As for Miss Shi... is she really Shi Nan?
Fu Zhao couldn't find an answer in her heart. Miss Shi said her relatives were gone and her friends had gone far away, which didn't match what Fu Zhao knew of Shi Nan's situation. Miss Shi's attitude toward her also seemed quite normal; she wasn't particularly surprised that Fu Zhao didn't recognize her.
As for what Miss Shi had said: she didn't want to owe her any more.
She had saved Miss Shi from the sea and even ended up in the hospital because of it.
It was normal for Miss Shi to feel indebted to her.
It was also normal for Miss Shi to take the initiative to pay the medical bills and not let her pay.
This was all very normal.
Except for that pair of eyes in the vision she saw-eyes that, despite being incredibly blurry, bore an inexplicable resemblance to Miss Shi's.
In the end, Fu Zhao still couldn't get a definitive answer as to whether Miss Shi was Shi Nan. She could only keep comforting herself, telling herself that perhaps she was just overthinking it.
There were many female Omegas with the surname "shí" who knew her, knew she was the Little Island Master of Nanke Island, yet were not island residents.
It wasn't just Shi Nan.
Dressed in the clothes Miss Shi had bought for her, Fu Zhao returned to the seaside.
She still needed to retrieve her scooter and personal belongings.
The Security Department acted quickly. Along the way, she saw patrol teams much more frequently than usual, and the security level at the seaside also seemed to have been raised.
Unexpectedly, when she arrived at that stretch of sea, her little electric scooter, which had been lying on its side, had been righted and was parked quietly under a streetlight by the road.
Under the warm, yellow glow of the streetlight, the cream-white and ginger-yellow scooter seemed to show no signs of the previous accident. It was clean and tidy. The items that had been scattered on the ground, which she hadn't had time to pick up, now seemed to be neatly stored in the front basket.
As she got closer, she discovered that not only had her things been gathered, but the previously broken rearview mirror, which had shattered into pieces on the ground, had now been pieced back together and glued in its original place. And hanging from it was a watch.
A black strap, an orange-pink face, a simple design.
But this wasn't Fu Zhao's watch.
It was as if the owner of the watch, after righting her scooter and gathering her things, had deliberately left it on the vehicle.
Was it someone she knew?
Thinking of this question again, she once more thought of Miss Shi at an inopportune moment.
Fu Zhao closed her eyes, trying to cast the name "Miss Shi" from her mind. She shouldn't be so concerned about this Miss Shi, even if she had nothing to do with Shi Nan. She just shouldn't.
She composed herself slightly, checked the basic instruments on the scooter, and after confirming there were no issues, she got on and started it.
Before setting off, she glanced at the watch hanging on the rearview mirror. After some thought, she took it down.
The watch didn't look new; it had been used for quite some time. It must be an old item.
If that was the case, why would its owner abandon it so casually?
Fu Zhao felt that many things she had encountered recently were incomprehensible-not just this watch, but also that baby who had suddenly appeared and disappeared, and... Miss Shi.
She reined in her thoughts, stopping herself from pondering these unanswerable questions. Instead, she tucked the watch into the inner pocket of her clothes, thinking she would return it to the owner whenever she happened to meet them.
But she didn't expect that she would see Miss Shi again after riding only a short distance toward the West Archipelago.
Patrols along the road had been strengthened. Even though few people passed through this area, there were security posts at regular intervals. And Miss Shi was just strolling slowly by the roadside, her hair fluttering gently in the sea breeze. She looked quite leisurely, like an ordinary student just taking a walk.
Yes, dressed in a white T-shirt and sweatpants, Miss Shi looked like a student who hadn't graduated yet.
With this thought, Fu Zhao found herself unconsciously following Miss Shi on her scooter. When she was about to overtake the person ahead, she quickly tapped the brakes, slowing down to trail behind her.
Just like when she had escorted Jiang Wenqing and her group back in the evening.
She was just fulfilling her duty as a good person and as the Little Island Master of Nanke Island. Even if Miss Shi wasn't a resident of the island, she was a guest.
This was very reasonable.
And so, just like Jiang Wenqing, Miss Shi very reasonably discovered Fu Zhao secretly following her.
Fu Zhao had only been following Miss Shi for a short while, before the fireworks in the sky had even started, when Miss Shi discovered her.
"Little Island Master, how long are you going to follow me?"
The words came abruptly from ahead, carrying a hint of laziness and nonchalance in the night sea breeze.
Fu Zhao subconsciously slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the asphalt.
The tall, straight figure ahead turned around in the next second, revealing a pair of captivating, dazzling tea-brown eyes, a ring of light held within them, and the same lettered T-shirt that Fu Zhao was wearing.
The person standing quietly walked back toward her. Her facial contours were smooth, as if traced by starlight, and her features were exquisite and perfect. Her shoulder-length hair swayed with each step, tossed into floating arcs by the salty, cool night sea breeze.
The hem of her clothes rustled in the wind.
Miss Shi stopped in front of Fu Zhao's scooter, held onto the handlebars, and tilted her head to look at her. Her long, thick eyelashes lowered, then lifted, creating ripples like fluctuating starlight in her eyes. "So this scooter really is yours, Little Island Master?"
"I just happened to see it. I had nothing better to do, so I tidied it up a bit. I didn't expect it to actually be your scooter, Little Island Master."
Fu Zhao was stunned for a moment. After coming to her senses, she understood the whole story. She took out the watch she had tucked in her pocket and smiled at Miss Shi. "Then this watch, it seems, really is yours, Miss Shi."
"It's a good thing I kept it. It looks like something very important. You probably forgot to take it with you, Miss Shi."
Miss Shi took the watch from Fu Zhao, glanced down at it, and gently caressed the face and strap with her fingertips. A complex emotion flickered in her eyes. After a moment, she lowered her gaze, then immediately looked up at Fu Zhao, the corners of her eyes curving. "Thank you."
She didn't answer whether it was important or not, simply putting it away properly after looking at it for a while.
It must be important, Fu Zhao thought.
That's why you can only throw it away the first time, but can't bring yourself to do it a second time.
"Since fate has brought us together... and the Little Island Master is so kind..."
Miss Shi muttered to herself, then deftly put on the other helmet from the basket and swung herself onto the back seat of Fu Zhao's scooter with perfect ease. Her voice was light and lazy, her breathing soft. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Little Island Master. Could you give me a ride back?"
Before Fu Zhao could even react, someone was sitting behind her.
The scooter wasn't large, and with two people on it, their bodies were pressed close together. Fu Zhao could even feel the soft warmth from behind her, carrying a fresh, sweet scent, like... the fragrance of the lychees she had given Jiang Wenqing and the others today.
It washed over her, creeping up her spine, along the nape of her neck, and climbing to the tip of her nose-sweet, mellow, and fragrant.
Fu Zhao's back instantly went rigid. She discreetly held her breath, and her fingertips gripping the handlebars stiffened.
Perhaps Miss Shi had also just eaten lychees.
"I think... given our life-and-death relationship of having performed artificial respiration..."
The clear, soft voice sounded by her ear again, carried on the wind, laced with sweetness, like a gentle breeze and soft rain brushing past her ear. "The Little Island Master wouldn't mind if I borrowed her shoulder to lean on, would she?"
Fu Zhao's breath hitched for a second. So Miss Shi knew about the artificial respiration. But she could only console herself that Miss Shi had just been through a life-or-death struggle and probably wouldn't mind such emergency measures.
After all, they were both adults.
With that thought, she relaxed her tense shoulders. Before Miss Shi's breathing grew any lighter, she said, "...I don't mind. I'll get you home safely, Miss Shi."
"Okay..." Miss Shi chuckled softly. "Just keep heading toward the West Archipelago. I'll let you know when we're there. Thank you, Little Island Master."
"...You're welcome."
Fu Zhao replied and started the engine. The next second, a delicate, slender chin rested on her shoulder. The feeling against her back grew closer, and the breath by her ear brushed against her auricle, bringing with it waves of undeniable heat.
Everything by her ear, everything around her, became searingly hot.
She swallowed subconsciously and adjusted the shattered rearview mirror. A single glance was enough to see her own earlobe, still red enough to bleed under the dim yellow streetlight, and...
Her fingers quietly tightened on the handlebars as she gently rode the scooter forward.
Behind her, Miss Shi had gently closed her eyes. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the strands of hair on her forehead were occasionally lifted into beautiful arcs by the wind as she rested relaxedly on her shoulder.
Her hands were lightly wrapped around her waist, though of course, they maintained a proper, discreet distance.
Miss Shi... seemed to trust her a lot?
Miss Shi doesn't seem to have much of a sense of safety, thought Fu Zhao, the Little Island Master of Nanke Island.
Author's Notes
Fu Zhao: Isn't Miss Shi afraid I'll just drag her off and throw her into the sea?
Shi Nan: Silly, Miss Shi doesn't lack a sense of safety, it's because she trusts you.
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