TIMO - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"That's because I trust Miss Shi."

"Just like when Miss Shi fell asleep on my electric scooter, she trusted me."

Fu Zhao put some distance between herself and the iron gate behind her, taking the first step into the courtyard. She explained with a calm and composed demeanor, but her still-burning earlobes reminded her that she wasn't quite comfortable with what had just happened.

"Mmm..."

Shi Nan hummed from behind, deliberately drawing out the sound. She followed with light steps, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Fu Zhao and glancing sideways at her. "Of course I trust you, because I've known you for a very, very long time."

"But Fu Zhao, you said you don't know me, so why would you trust me?"

Because you are the most wonderful existence penned by the author-kind, upright, considerate. The author used the thickest ink to pile almost all the world's beautiful qualities onto you.

Because you are the most flawless person in the original host's eyes.

So even if I'm afraid of that ending, I shouldn't be afraid of you, nor should I blame you.

I just have to control myself and not meddle.

Fu Zhao silently averted her gaze from Shi Nan's, which had "accidentally" met hers. She keyed the code into the door, not answering Shi Nan's previous question. "The gate code is 0117, your birthday. You can change it later. Oh, you can also set up facial recognition to add a second layer of security. The island hasn't been very safe recently, I mentioned this to you before. So after I leave, you can change the password and set up the facial lock."

As she spoke, she turned on the lights in the house. "All the furnishings inside are smart-controlled. The central control system is called... Xiao An. You can activate it after recording your voiceprint."

"Also, if you need to buy or pay for anything on the island, you can use this phone directly. It's linked to a bank card, so you can use it for payments, or just have Xiao An buy things for you."

"Xiao An..."

Shi Nan repeated the name, her gaze sweeping over the room's decor. It was almost identical to her memory.

Except... the central control system's name had changed from "Number Ten" to "Xiao An," and the smart speaker Fu Zhao had shown her before was gone. Other than that, everything seemed the same.

Shi Nan looked around, her gaze finally settling on Fu Zhao, her eyes trembling slightly. "Understood. Thank you, Little Island Master."

Fu Zhao's tone and every word she said made it very clear: she would only treat her as a guest of Nanke Island, not as Fu Zhao's fiancée. She had also heard Fu Zhao mention calling off the engagement.

Calling off the engagement...

This marriage had been arranged for her by her family since she was a child. When she first heard about it, she had even threatened suicide to get out of it. But later, she learned that her fiancé was her middle school classmate, Fu Zhao.

To be fair, they were just middle school classmates. She and Fu Zhao weren't very close and had barely spoken a few words to each other; she only knew of her existence. So, after hearing the engagement was with Fu Zhao, she decided to make things clear with her.

But she didn't get to meet Fu Zhao. Instead, she was met by Fu Wanqing.

When Fu Wanqing heard about her suicide threat, she was surprised for only a moment before her eyes filled with relief. Finally, she smiled, patted her head, and said softly, "Nannan, you can think about it some more. It's not too late to come play on Nanke Island first before you decide. In any case, you are very welcome on Nanke Island. Of course, we won't force you."

At that time, Shi Nan had just returned from volunteering at the Omega Rescue Center, frustrated and annoyed by certain things and certain people. The idea of hiding out on Nanke Island for a while appealed to her. It would also be a good chance to meet Fu Zhao in person and clear things up.

The last time she came to Nanke Island and reunited with Fu Zhao, the scene was much more mundane than this life-or-death encounter in the sea.

She remembered getting out of the starship port and seeing a pair of amber eyes looking over, calm yet filled with joy.

It was a rainy day. Fu Zhao was holding a large, long-handled umbrella, big enough for the two of them, but most of it was tilted toward her. A quick glance revealed that half of Fu Zhao's white shirt was soaked through.

Later, the Little Island Master smiled at her, her gaze shy, and said it was Nanke Island's way of treating guests.

When she arrived at the house that day, it was also a fully furnished place. Wherever she went, "Number Ten" would introduce how to use the items with meticulous care.

Most importantly, the voice of "Number Ten" was Fu Zhao's own.

She asked Fu Zhao how long it took to record, but Fu Zhao didn't answer. She just silently took out a smart speaker and told her this was the main body of "Number Ten," and she could talk to it for any needs.

She had only stayed on the island for less than a month. After relaxing a bit and getting Fu Zhao's promise that she could call off the engagement at any time, she left and went back to the Omega Rescue Center.

After that... she and Fu Zhao had barely seen each other.

But this time, "Number Ten" had become "Xiao An," who had no connection to Fu Zhao, and its main body was gone.

"You're welcome. It's just a matter of hospitality."

Fu Zhao replied, turning her head slightly to look at Shi Nan, who was still standing in the same spot. Her eyelashes were lowered, her lips pressed into a thin line. It seemed she hadn't really heard what she'd said.

"Miss Shi..." Fu Zhao called out again. She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already two in the morning, later than she'd thought. After a moment's thought, she asked again, "Did you hear what I just said? If you're not clear, I can repeat it for you."

"Huh?"

Shi Nan snapped back to reality, raising her eyes to meet Fu Zhao's. She smiled, the corners of her lips turning up. "I understand. If I need anything, I'll call... 'Xiao An'. It's getting late, you can go back now."

"Okay." Fu Zhao nodded. "In any case, you must be careful. Although the security level of the residential area has been raised to the highest, I'm still worried something might happen."

"Since Miss Shi doesn't need anything else, I'll be going. Rest well."

Fu Zhao said a few polite words. Seeing that Shi Nan was using the house's furnishings with considerable ease, she decided to hurry back and get Fu Wanqing, who was still asleep on the swing chair, into a room.

"Fu Zhao..."

Before she could step out the door, Fu Zhao was called to a halt. She turned to look at Shi Nan behind her, her eyes filled with confusion. "Miss Shi, is there anything else?"

Shi Nan paused, her pearly white teeth gently biting her lower lip. The light in her eyes flickered, outlining a captivating brilliance. "You... why do you want to call off the engagement?"

That was truly a difficult question to answer.

Fu Zhao was at a loss for words. She remained silent for a while before finally speaking. "Miss Shi, you also want to call off the engagement, don't you? Since neither of us has any desire for this marriage, calling it off is the more suitable choice."

"How do you know I want to call off the engagement?"

Shi Nan sharply detected something wrong in Fu Zhao's words. She remembered that she hadn't mentioned wanting to call off the engagement to Fu Zhao this time. Why did Fu Zhao not recognize her, yet still know she wanted to end it?

This matter was becoming more and more puzzling.

Fu Zhao froze for a few seconds, only then realizing her slip of the tongue. Her lips moved. "It was just a guess. After all, no one would want to marry someone they're not familiar with, right?"

"Right." Shi Nan responded bluntly. She took a few steps closer, staring straight into Fu Zhao's eyes. Her voice was so soft it was as if she were muttering to herself, yet also speaking to Fu Zhao. "Besides, you don't know me, so it's reasonable that you'd want to call off our engagement."

"But the more important reason is, you don't like me."

"You don't like me either."

Fu Zhao replied calmly. Admitting it this time was much less painful than the last. Her heart only stung for a moment before it passed. It seemed the residual consciousness of the original host could also accept this fact.

Perhaps it wouldn't be long before she could face Shi Nan calmly, instead of feeling a dull ache in her chest at just a glance.

Shi Nan didn't answer Fu Zhao's question. She only lowered her eyelashes and, after a long while, said nothing more.

"Rest assured, Miss Shi. I will speak to my family about the engagement as soon as possible so as not to put you in a difficult position. The island will not neglect you because of this. I only hope that Miss Shi can help me keep that secret."

"Well then, I'll take my leave. I wish you a good night's dream, Miss Shi."

After Fu Zhao finished speaking, she didn't wait for Shi Nan's reply. The moment she opened the door and stepped out, a soft voice came from behind her, carrying complex emotions. Disappointment, regret, hope-they all seemed to be mixed together, leaving Fu Zhao unable to discern the true meaning of the words.

By the time she had left Shi Nan's courtyard and securely locked the fence, the moon was hanging high in the sky, casting a soft halo that made her feel dazed. She once again recalled the words Shi Nan had said.

"Fu Zhao, of course you don't like me. That's for the best. That way, you won't..."

She hadn't had time to hear the rest of the sentence before she was out the door.

Although she didn't know what Shi Nan meant by that.

Although she really, truly, absolutely would not like Shi Nan.

But those words still sounded inexplicably uncomfortable.

Especially when she saw the streetlight outside Shi Nan's courtyard flicker on and off before going out completely, plunging that stretch of road into darkness. That made it even more uncomfortable.

She stood for a moment under the broken streetlight, her eyes calm. Then, she took a few large strides and pushed open the gate to Building 1's courtyard with an open and clear conscience.

It was just a matter of hospitality.

Nothing more.

After returning home and getting everything in order, Fu Zhao lay in bed, her mind tossing and turning, occupied by only one person: "Shi Nan."

Shi Nan had arrived on the island and, following the original book's plot, had become her fiancée. She couldn't pretend nothing had happened, couldn't continue to play dumb and treat Shi Nan as just Miss Shi.

But she also couldn't act as if everything had already happened.

After all, the worst outcome from the original book hadn't occurred yet. She couldn't blame the current Shi Nan for it. And even if it had happened, she couldn't blame Shi Nan.

And then there was that strange sentence from Shi Nan...

She couldn't gauge Shi Nan's current attitude, nor could she understand why Shi Nan had jumped into the sea in the first place. She remembered that in the original book's section about arriving on the island, although Shi Nan was facing some career difficulties, she was at least relaxed on the island. Even though she only stayed for a month before leaving, she certainly didn't jump into the sea right at the beginning.

There must be details that weren't written in the original book, or perhaps something happened that didn't occur in the original book.

But right now, Fu Zhao was completely in the dark about all of it. All she could do was keep her distance from Shi Nan.

Maintaining a sense of hospitality was enough.

She didn't know how many times she had used the phrase "a matter of hospitality" tonight.

Fu Zhao sighed softly. Uncharacteristically, she tossed and turned in bed until the sky outside began to show a dull light, and only then did she drowsily fall asleep.

Another long nightmare.

The same scene again.

Only this time, amidst the pool of blood and the blur, she clearly saw that pair of hazy eyes. The light in the tea-brown irises flickered, and a faint shimmer of water seemed to emerge.

Her breathing was still abnormally heavy, and the pain in her chest felt even more real, stabbing at her so intensely she couldn't open her eyes at all. She could only dizzily sense a strong wind begin to blow around her, stinging her cheeks and ears.

She couldn't help but close her eyes. Her surroundings turned completely black, leaving only her faint breathing and a... sobbing sound that grew quieter and quieter.

Then, somewhere on her face, something like a large teardrop fell, hitting her cheek, scalding hot.

Or maybe it was just her imagination.

Fu Zhao's eyes flew open. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat. The curtains rustled as the wind blew them, and light from outside streamed in. The fragmented rays of light shone straight in, swaying in a gentle arc, just like the light she had seen in Shi Nan's eyes in her dream.

Did Shi Nan cry?

How could that be? In her previous nightmares, Shi Nan hadn't cried.

If that was the case, was the plot she saw the same as what really happened to "Fu Zhao"?

But in the end, it was just a dream. Truth and fiction-she couldn't figure out which dream was real.

Unable to make sense of it, she could only slow her breathing, get out of bed to freshen up, and force herself to calm down.

Shedding tears was also a possibility, right?

She could only comfort herself with that thought. But as soon as she went downstairs, she saw a lazy figure curled up comfortably on the sofa in her living room, reading a book.

Her thick, dark hair was tied up in a messy bun, coiled into a fluffy, natural ball that made the lines of her neck appear even more slender. The skin exposed above her collar was rendered even more soft, delicate, and translucent by the sunlight pouring in from the window.

An isolation patch was neatly placed on the back of her neck. The slight bulge of the patch was the most distinct mark of an Omega.

A simple striped top was layered over a white T-shirt, and loose black capri pants still made her figure look slender and well-proportioned. The lines of her exposed calves were smooth, fair, and delicate. Half-covered by white socks, they still revealed a pair of exceptionally straight and long legs.

"Hi~"

Shi Nan, who had been sitting quietly downstairs, heard the noise and looked up at her. Her eyes seemed to hold a circle of the golden sunlight from outside. Under the brilliant light, her tea-brown pupils looked almost like transparent glass-clear and captivating.

"Little Island Master~~ You're up quite early."

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Author's Notes

Fu Zhao: A matter of hospitality, a matter of hospitality, a matter of hospitality. Come on, repeat it with me three times!!!

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