TIMO - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Shi Nan nodded.
In an instant, Fu Zhao felt the world spin. Her mind buzzed as if a thousand bees were swarming inside her head.
The feeling of fate seizing her by the heart washed over her.
Her temples throbbed painfully, and a sharp ache spread across her chest.
'Why are you only telling me now?' - Her mouth opened and closed, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to say the words.
In a fluster, Fu Zhao only managed to say, "I'll have someone else take you back later."
Then she got on her bike and rode away without looking back, leaving a stunned Shi Nan standing there.
Shi Nan watched Fu Zhao's retreating back, her brow furrowed slightly. Fu Zhao's attitude toward her had changed. She had sensed it to some degree before, ever since Fu Zhao failed to recognize her. She knew then that something was different this time.
But why, in the moment she learned she was Shi Nan, did panic and fear appear on Fu Zhao's face?
The fireworks festival was still going on. Fireworks bloomed endlessly in the sky-all sorts of shapes and colors, as brilliant as the stars-illuminating the bustling crowds and splendidly lit buildings of the West Archipelago.
And the path back to Shi Nan's residence.
Shi Nan stood there quietly for a while, her gaze trembling slightly. So far, this fireworks festival was identical to the last one she had seen. Even the sequence of the different colored and shaped fireworks was exactly the same.
If nothing had changed this time either...
Then, in another half hour, when the festival ended, the final set of fireworks would form several dazzling, brilliant characters in the sky:
Welcome to Nanke Island, esteemed guest Miss Shi Nan.
This was the surprise Fu Zhao had prepared for her the last time she visited the island.
She even remembered the look of relief on Fu Zhao's face when those words appeared in the sky. Her eyes were clear and bright, as if they held the most brilliant fireworks of all. Her gaze was gentle and cautious, hiding the deepest, most tender affection in their depths.
With that same cautious gaze, Fu Zhao had saved her twice-once just now by the sea, and another time long ago.
Shi Nan closed her eyes. She waited right there until the fireworks festival ended, even intentionally staying an extra ten minutes until most of the spectators had left and the sky grew dark once more.
But the fireworks spelling out her name never appeared.
Shi Nan took a deep breath and pulled out her watch. Her fingertips subconsciously traced the marks on the strap. As her finger pads touched it, she could feel its rough texture and almost imagine the familiar, gentle warmth it once held.
The watch was still the same.
The fireworks festival was different, and so was the person.
So this time, would this Fu Zhao, this Nanke Island, be even more different?
Fu Zhao arrived home just as the fireworks festival was ending.
She walked in flustered, but as soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw a figure swaying on the swing chair.
The swing chair was large, adorned with clusters of roses. Layers of pink petals were illuminated by the warm, dim light from above, creating a soft halo.
A person was lying on it, dressed in loose loungewear. Her figure was slender and tall, her skin pale, and her features delicate, showing faint traces of time. Long, curly hair cascaded down, gently stirred by the summer night's breeze.
It was Fu Zhao's Omega mother, the current Island Master of Nanke Island, Fu Wanqing.
Several red wine bottles were scattered around the swing chair, many of them empty. The nearby wine glasses were also empty, without a single drop left.
She looked drunk. Her eyes were closed, and she didn't even glance up at the sound of Fu Zhao's arrival, merely continuing to rock gently on the swing chair, looking quite at ease.
"Mother."
Fu Zhao forced herself to call out. Having only recently transmigrated, she wasn't very familiar with the original host's mother and was afraid of giving herself away. But Fu Wanqing didn't seem to notice anything amiss. Even when Fu Zhao occasionally used phrases uncommon here, Fu Wanqing would just watch her with interest, sometimes patting her head and praising her for learning something new.
It was probably because "Fu Zhao" had been raised off-island by her Beta mother from a young age and was only brought back to become the Little Island Master after her Beta mother passed away. Because of this, Fu Wanqing always felt she owed her.
Her gaze was gentle, and she granted almost every request. The only exception was when "Fu Zhao" had wanted to break off the engagement. Fu Wanqing initially refused, but she eventually gave in after "Fu Zhao" knelt before her Beta mother's grave for three days and three nights. Unexpectedly, after hearing her fiancée was Shi Nan, Fu Zhao agreed to the engagement again.
Although the original host had done all this, not Fu Zhao, she couldn't deny that Fu Wanqing was a very good mother who had given her a sense of family she had never experienced before.
"Zhaozhao~~"
Fu Zhao had planned to just greet her and go inside, but she was stopped before she could even step through the door. She turned around and replied helplessly, "Is there anything else, Mother?"
"Why do I feel like Zhaozhao has been so distant with me lately?" Fu Wanqing opened her eyes. She casually picked up a nearby wine bottle and took a swig, her eyes shimmering. "Has our Zhaozhao really forgotten her mother now that she's getting a wife, hmm?"
"...You're drunk again."
Fu Zhao sighed softly and walked over. She took the wine bottle from Fu Wanqing's hand and set it neatly aside. Then, she frowned at the other bottles scattered about. The mess bothered her, so she simply squatted down and began to clean up Fu Wanqing's mess. "I'm not getting a wife, and I won't forget you."
"Is that so?"
Fu Wanqing shifted slightly, watching Fu Zhao's movements with great interest. "A while ago, who was it that was crying and begging me to break off the engagement, even saying they'd kneel forever if I didn't agree? Then, after hearing who the engagement was with, they changed their mind and didn't want to break it off. And now you're not getting a wife?"
Fu Zhao paused. She pulled out a wine bottle from under the swing chair and placed it in front of her. After a moment of silence, she said, "I was immature back then."
"Mhm~ Kneeling at the cemetery for three days and three nights was quite immature." Fu Wanqing didn't deny it. She gave Fu Zhao a lazy glance, a glint in her eye. "What, are you mature now? You don't want to marry Nannan anymore?"
"Yes, I don't want to anymore."
Fu Zhao wanted to say she had never wanted to, but meeting Fu Wanqing's questioning gaze, she hesitated. After all, the original host's feelings had been plain for all to see. Although she had never directly confessed to Shi Nan, those close to her could tell from her every action just how deep her feelings ran.
"...She doesn't love me. There's no point in forcing it." Fu Zhao said, sticking to the original host's persona, her tone deliberately tinged with the appropriate regret and sadness. But as she spoke the words aloud, the original host's residual consciousness still affected her. A tsunami of pain surged through her limbs, finally gathering in her heart and stabbing at it until it ached.
She couldn't help but furrow her brow, her lips pressing into a thin line. Her face began to pale, and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
This original host's consciousness is really strong.
Just saying that one sentence was enough to make her feel awful.
"Silly child..."
Fu Wanqing naturally saw Fu Zhao's "pained" expression. She sighed softly, raised a hand to stroke Fu Zhao's head, and spoke in the gentle, graceful tone unique to a mother. "Matters of the heart truly can't be forced. You need to understand one thing: only a relationship where both parties are equal, mutually respectful, and in love can last. As long as you are both resolute, all external obstacles and difficulties are nothing."
"But..." Fu Wanqing paused, her gaze falling, her eyes hiding deep regret and remorse. "If one person isn't resolute enough, if one person chooses to give up, then that becomes your greatest obstacle."
Fu Zhao knew Fu Wanqing was probably talking about herself again.
Fu Wanqing and Gu Shubai were "Fu Zhao's" two mothers. One was a priceless Omega, the other an impoverished, orphaned Beta. Their vastly different statuses screamed of a tumultuous, tragic romance. In the beginning, her two mothers had been determined to be together, but in the end, the first to give up, the first to waver, was Fu Wanqing-the one who had initially promised to persevere.
So, Gu Shubai left Nanke Island with "Fu Zhao" still in her womb. She eventually fell ill with depression and died in the winter. It wasn't until after Gu Shubai's death that Fu Wanqing discovered "Fu Zhao's" existence, brought her back to the island, and made her the Little Island Master.
After that, Fu Wanqing spent her days drinking.
Seeing Fu Wanqing once again lost in her emotions, Fu Zhao couldn't help but sigh. She sat down on the grass in front of the swing chair, hugged her knees, and looked up at Fu Wanqing. The air carried a faint, fragrant scent of alcohol from Fu Wanqing, not heavy, which helped her relax. Perhaps being back with her "mother" had calmed the panic she'd felt earlier. She nodded lightly. "I know, Mother."
"Shi Nan and I are different from you two."
"Shi Nan... she never liked me. It was just my own unrequited love. It's too tiring to be the only one holding on, so I don't want to like her anymore."
As she said this, Fu Zhao's voice was a little hoarse, perhaps because the night air was too cold.
Fu Wanqing didn't speak right away. She silently studied Fu Zhao's expression for a moment, as if trying to determine if she was serious, before finally speaking. "Zhaozhao~"
"I'm quite fond of Nannan, you know. Although Nannan explained the situation between you two to me at the beginning, saying she only saw you as a friend and a classmate. But I have to admit, after getting to know her, I've grown quite fond of her."
"So, I also think it's a pity. How could she not like our cute, beautiful, kind, upright, brave, and generous Zhaozhao?"
Fu Wanqing's tone was regretful as she stroked Fu Zhao's head, her gaze gentle. "Perhaps it's because our Zhaozhao has never honestly told Nannan how she feels? It seems you've never seriously pursued her either?"
Fu Zhao silently averted her gaze. The original book never directly described the original host's feelings for Shi Nan. It seemed the original host had never confessed her feelings to Shi Nan either, because she was self-conscious about her Beta status. In the ABO world setting, Alphas and Omegas were always the most compatible.
Of course, another reason was that the original host had grown up watching Gu Shubai's melancholy, subconsciously forming this irrational belief.
But she couldn't say that. She couldn't make Fu Wanqing blame herself even more.
Besides, none of this had anything to do with her. She was just an outsider who had transmigrated. Although she didn't know if the plot would follow the original book, she didn't want to get involved, especially not in that ending that made her tremble with fear just thinking about it.
She closed her eyes, sorted through her thoughts, and spoke softly,
"Mother, I want to break off the engagement."
Fu Wanqing was stunned for a few seconds, a look of astonishment flashing in her eyes. But before she could react and speak,
The courtyard gate behind Fu Zhao creaked open with a dull sound, and a figure stood there, motionless.
Fu Wanqing even wondered if she had drunk too much and her old eyes were playing tricks on her.
Why were Nannan and her "unrequited" Zhaozhao, who was just talking about breaking off the engagement, wearing matching outfits?
Author's Notes
The little couple's little quirks, wanting to break off the engagement while wearing matching outfits together~~
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