TIMO - Chapter 45
Chapter 45
“The Ten Standards of Alpha Virtue? What are the ten standards, exactly?”
One evening after band practice, Shi Nan suddenly remembered this “standard” she had heard mentioned countless times since arriving on the island, and she realized she didn't actually know what the specific ten standards were.
So, she asked Fu Zhao.
The night breeze drifted by, and the figures on the street were sparse. Fu Zhao was quiet beside her, her eyes lowered, lost in thought.
Hearing her question, Fu Zhao finally looked up, her eyes blinking in confusion. “Aren't they everywhere? You should know…”
“Everywhere?”
Shi Nan repeated the word, then immediately understood what Fu Zhao meant. That was right. Nanke Island placed great importance on gender education, so promotional slogans for this kind of “Alpha” gender education would naturally be all over the island. She must have just not paid attention.
“Maybe I just haven't been paying much attention.” She blinked and took a few steps closer to Fu Zhao, closing the small gap between them so they were walking shoulder to shoulder. “In that case, why don't you tell me yourself, Little Island Master?”
“You're not an Alpha, and neither am I.” Seeing Shi Nan approach, Fu Zhao didn't jump away like she used to. She just silently shifted her shoulder, as if afraid of bumping into her, before speaking distractedly, “What's the point of knowing this?”
“I'm just curious.”
Shi Nan looked at Fu Zhao candidly, an eyebrow raised. “I want to know if these Ten Standards of Alpha Virtue are meaningful or meaningless.”
She had said the word “meaningless,” expecting that Fu Zhao, as the person who established this standard, would righteously refute her and list various examples to prove her wrong.
But Fu Zhao didn't. She just looked at her quietly. After a moment, her eyelashes lowered, and her tone was soft. “Whether it's meaningful or not, you probably already have an answer in your heart. A few simple words from me won't change your mind.”
“I can only say that we are trying our best to prevent the gender education on Nanke Island from becoming a meaningless thing.”
“I hope that one day, you won't need to ask this question anymore.”
As Fu Zhao spoke, her eyes trembled slightly. Her expression was serious yet gentle as always, and she didn't take issue with what Shi Nan had said.
For some reason, Shi Nan felt a pang of apology. She pressed her lips together, about to apologize, but then she saw the light in Fu Zhao's eyes flash and flicker.
A warm, soft touch landed on her arm.
A force, not strong but steady, pulled her in front of Fu Zhao, where she met those beautiful amber eyes.
A deafening “vroom” roared past them, bringing a gust of turbulent wind that messed up both her and Fu Zhao's hair.
Then, the sound of the motorcycle faded into the distance, and the wind subsided.
A gentle breeze rustled Fu Zhao's hair, making it dance before her eyes. Scattered figures walked by, and the surrounding sounds seemed to quiet down. The air was filled with a faint tea fragrance, seemingly coming from all directions. The inoffensive, clean scent soothed the frantic beating of her heart, which had been startled by the sudden event.
In her field of vision, there was only Fu Zhao.
“Are you okay?”
Fu Zhao quickly released her hand and took an appropriate step back. She turned her head to look at the speeding motorcycle, her brow furrowed tightly. After a moment, she looked back at Shi Nan, her face filled with concern. “Did you get bumped or scraped anywhere?”
The pressure on her arm dissipated, and the fragrance by her nose drifted away, leaving a faint, lingering scent in the air.
Shi Nan returned from her daze, her gaze fixed on Fu Zhao's beautiful profile, illuminated by the streetlights. She stared for a moment before smiling and shaking her head.
“I'm fine, just a little startled.”
“But I'm okay now,” she added, seeing Fu Zhao's brow furrow in worry because she had been scared.
“That's good.”
Fu Zhao's tightly knitted brow relaxed considerably. Only then did she feel relieved enough to raise a hand and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Then, she very naturally took a few steps to walk on Shi Nan's outer side.
“No matter the situation, an Alpha must never use their pheromones as a form of ‘help’ to an Omega.”
A clear, pleasant voice drifted slowly to her ear, soft and captivating.
Fu Zhao’s lips curved slightly. The fragmented light of the street lamps danced across her face, making her eyes shine even brighter. The moonlight seemed to add a touch of coolness to her voice. “That’s the first standard.”
Shi Nan understood, her eyes curving into a gentle smile as she looked over. “Is the Little Island Master reciting this to cheer me up because I was scared?”
Fu Zhao’s steps faltered. After a long moment, she spoke, her tone helpless. “If you say so.”
“What's next, then?” Shi Nan followed, and this time her shoulder brushed against Fu Zhao's, closer than they had ever been before.
Fu Zhao's shoulders stiffened, but as if considering Shi Nan's state, she didn't pull away. She just walked shoulder to shoulder with her, the hem of her white shirt fluttering in a beautiful arc in the wind.
Shi Nan seemed to catch that faint tea fragrance again.
It was a pleasant scent.
To her, it was also an attractive scent, but she knew Fu Zhao didn't have pheromones. This wasn't the pull of pheromones; it was because this was Fu Zhao's scent.
It wasn't the scent that attracted her.
It was Fu Zhao herself who attracted her.
After smelling it so many times, this faint, gentle tea fragrance was more pleasant than any scent she had ever encountered before. It was as if it had seeped into her lungs, permeated her body, making her stir with anticipation whenever she smelled it.
The air was quiet for a moment. Fu Zhao seemed a little uncomfortable under her gaze, a hint of red appearing on the tips of her ears, but she still recited the “Ten Standards of Alpha Virtue” for her, one by one.
“Never release your pheromones in a public place.”
“Never believe your gender is superior to others.”
“Always respect every gender.”
…
The clear, pleasant voice still seemed to linger by her ear, reciting each word, each sentence, with gentle care.
Shi Nan’s eyes flew open. The first thing she saw was a pure white ceiling, and she was lying on a soft mattress. For a moment, she couldn't figure out where she was.
Fragments of memory still swirled in her mind, feeling like a dream, yet real.
“Sister Shi Nan-”
The low, crisp voice of a teenage boy sounded by her ear.
Shi Nan blinked blankly and finally saw Ye Er sitting by her bed. He was covered in sweat, his face pale. He let out a visible sigh of relief when he saw she was awake. “I just gave you an inhibitor. Are you feeling any better now?”
No wonder…
Shi Nan moved her arm. The sticky, feverish feeling on her body had subsided a little, and the fluid being secreted from her gland had also lessened.
It seemed the inhibitor was working.
She pushed herself up into a sitting position, but she still felt dizzy and weak. “Where am I? How did you two happen to be here?”
Ye Er helped her lean against the pillows. He pressed his lips together tightly. “Our grade had a field trip to another planet today, so we happened to see you here.”
“We're in the rescue room at the starship port.”
Shi Nan nodded and took the glass of light saltwater Ye Er handed her. The cool liquid eased some of the burning heat inside her. “I've really troubled you two. Did I delay your field trip? I-”
“It's no trouble at all!”
Ye Er sounded a little agitated, but he quickly composed himself and lowered his voice. “I know how awful this situation is. Nothing is more important than helping you.”
Shi Nan paused, her strength gradually returning. She reached out and stroked Ye Er's short hair, leaning back against the bed with a faint smile. Her voice was light but tinged with weakness. “Thank you.”
“By the way, where's Xiao Qing? I remember she was here too.”
“She's outside,” Ye Er said after a moment of silence. “The pheromone concentration in the rescue room is too high right now. It's not convenient for an Alpha like her to come in.”
“That's true.”
Only then did Shi Nan notice the automatic purifier in the room, which was extracting and cleaning the residual pheromones from the air. She lowered her hand, took a few more sips of saltwater, and placed the cup on the bedside table. As she pulled her hand back, she paused.
“What about the others? Are they all outside too?”
“The others?”
Ye Er's lips moved slightly, unsure if Shi Nan was referring to Fu Zhao or the two Alphas outside. After some thought, he decided to report on the two Alphas first. “Those two Alphas are still standing outside, refusing to leave. They're fighting over who gets to take you away. Since they're guests who came with proper visas, we have no reason to deport them.”
“I'm sorry, Sister Shi Nan.”
“Even though I know they both have ill intentions toward you…”
“Don't be sorry,” Shi Nan interrupted Ye Er's explanation, her voice unconsciously softening. “I should be thanking you. If I hadn't been on Nanke Island just now, if you two hadn't been here, I might have already been taken away.”
Hearing Shi Nan's words, Ye Er frowned. He wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Sister Shi Nan! Are you feeling better? It's Jiang Wenqing! I'm wearing a filtering mask and an isolation patch now. Can I come in and see you?”
The voice from outside was quiet, almost like a request.
“What's a filtering mask?” Shi Nan asked Ye Er.
Ye Er got up to check the pheromone concentration on the purifier. Seeing that it was low enough, he turned back to explain to Shi Nan. “It's a new product recently launched on the island. Wearing it can block a certain amount of pheromones, preventing Alphas and Omegas from influencing each other at critical moments… for example, during riots to help evacuate crowds and things like that.”
“The pheromone concentration in the air isn't high now, and with the mask, she should be able to come in.”
“Sister Shi Nan, do you want to let her in?”
A filtering mask…
It was the first time she had heard of such a thing. Other places were all researching the combination of AO pheromones; only Nanke Island would research how to avoid their influence.
Thinking of this, Shi Nan found Nanke Island even more incredible. She nodded. “Okay.”
Ye Er peeked through the crack in the door and saw Shen Caiwei and Lu Jingmo surrounded by airport rescue personnel. Only then did he open the door to let Jiang Wenqing in.
And so, Jiang Wenqing walked in, wearing a head-mounted air-chamber mask. Her entire head was covered, and she stared at Shi Nan with wide eyes.
“Sister Shi Nan, are you okay?”
“I was so worried just now! Ye Er told me to go find the rescue personnel, so I was a little late. I was scared to death when I saw you!!”
Shi Nan stared blankly at the fully sealed-off Jiang Wenqing. It took her a long moment to react before she smiled at her. “I'm fine, I'm better now.”
“That's good!”
Jiang Wenqing patted her chest in relief, a smile finally appearing on her face behind the transparent visor. “I just came in to see you. I can only rest easy after seeing you with my own eyes. This mask is so stuffy, but I can't stay long anyway. I'll leave right away.”
“This is still the first-generation product,” Ye Er explained aptly from the side. “So it still has many flaws. For example, you can't stay in an environment with an opposite-gender pheromone concentration of over 60% for more than four hours, even while wearing it.”
“And Ye Er designed it himself!!” Jiang Wenqing added.
This time, Shi Nan was truly surprised. The look of amazement on her face was unconcealable as she looked at Ye Er. “Our Ye Er designed this? That's amazing.”
“Yeah.”
Ye Er nodded shyly, wringing his fingers, at a loss for what to do. “Because when I went into my first heat, something happened, so I developed a strong aversion to pheromones…”
“Later, the Little Island Master came to see me.”
He paused, as if recalling the scene. His tone was light, but his words were filled with gratitude. “She said that when you hate a certain situation, you can try to change it. Even if you feel your own power is small, you can still give it a try. At least that way, you won't seem so powerless in the face of that situation.”
“Even a small thing is a useful attempt.”
“But if you do nothing, you'll be consumed by helplessness.”
“Afterward, the Little Island Master and the Island Master also gave me financial and emotional support to research this, even though I'm just a high school student…”
“Pah! What's wrong with being a high school student?”
Jiang Wenqing put her hands on her hips, looking indignant. “The Little Island Master and the Island Master hang out with us two all the time. Don't sell yourself short!!”
Ye Er was taken aback, but he couldn't deny that what Jiang Wenqing said was true. He nodded helplessly. “You're right…”
Before he could finish, he saw that Shi Nan, who had just woken up, was staring blankly again, lost in thought. He asked with some concern, “What's wrong? Sister Shi Nan, are you okay?”
“Are you feeling unwell again?”
Hearing her name, Shi Nan snapped back to reality. She quickly reined in her turbulent emotions and shook her head. “I'm fine.”
She had just seen the most beautiful quality in Fu Zhao.
It seemed Fu Zhao never gave up the fight, no matter how small her power was.
For example, the “Ten Standards of Alpha Virtue,” which were only implemented on Nanke Island.
For example, the donation ceremony during the closing parade, gathering strength to donate to the Omega Rescue Center.
And this time, the words she said to Ye Er.
Listening to this, Shi Nan felt as if Fu Zhao's words were all meant for her. Her unannounced departure, her hasty escape, all because of the slightest disturbance.
Nothing had even happened yet, but she had already given up.
Perhaps because she had been through it too many times, this feeling of powerlessness in the face of desperation had grown stronger and stronger, making her almost afraid to face the outcome. But Fu Zhao was right. The more you run, the less you do, the more powerless you become.
Maybe she should try to learn from Fu Zhao.
To find other ways, to make some changes.
There was another layer of meaning… she should probably also use her own power to make an effort to change the situations she couldn't stand.
“I… I think I'm not okay.”
A weak voice entered her ears again. Shi Nan snapped out of her chaotic thoughts. The heat seemed to be returning, and every breath she exhaled turned hot again. “What… what's wrong?”
Jiang Wenqing tugged at her clothes, clearly feeling her body's reaction to the high concentration of pheromones. “I'm so hot. I'm leaving.”
With that, Jiang Wenqing quickly opened the door and ran out, shutting it tightly behind her.
Ye Er frowned as he watched Jiang Wenqing run out, then looked at Shi Nan, whose face was flushed and starting to sweat. Panic rose in his heart. “What's going on? I just gave her an inhibitor, how could this… Could it be because Jiang Wenqing came in? Did the mask not work?”
“It has nothing to do with her…”
Shi Nan gritted her teeth, suppressing the reaction surging through her body. She exhaled a few times. “I didn't smell any pheromones just now. It must be my own problem.”
“Last time… Doctor Liu specifically warned me about my heat… Maybe one inhibitor isn't enough anymore…”
“You… you leave the inhibitors here.”
“You should go first.”
Her vision started to blur again. Shi Nan saw a frantic Ye Er give her all the inhibitors and then say something, but she only caught a few words. All the sounds around her seemed to stop, and all she could hear was the accelerating beat of her own heart.
Heat. This time, it was a torrential wave of heat.
It was many times stronger than the heat she felt outside. The fluid from the gland on the back of her neck began to secrete again.
Her body grew weaker and weaker.
Then, a cool inhibitor was pressed into her hand, and the sound of frantic footsteps faded away.
“Bang-”
The door was shut. She let out a sigh of relief, clutching the inhibitor in her hand.
Dense beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, her waist, and her back, scalding hot.
Her vision was blurry, her head was heavy, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Her hair stuck to her face, impossible to pull away.
With her last bit of strength, she injected the inhibitor in her hand into her arm. The cool liquid slowly pushed in, alleviating some of the burning heat that was surging from her blood.
She had just let out a breath when the heat surged back, a thousand times stronger.
Her palm, slick with sweat, lost its grip on the inhibitor, and it slid off the edge of the bed.
“Clang-”
The sound of shattering glass reached her ears, but it felt distant, hazy.
The feeling of powerlessness grew stronger, and her body grew hotter. The room was filled with the cloyingly sweet scent of pheromones. Lychee, her pheromone scent, at a very high concentration.
With every breath, her nose was filled with this smell.
It was a bit overwhelming, and smelling it made her dizzier.
Shi Nan looked at the pile of inhibitors on the bedside table. She wanted to reach for them, but they seemed terrifyingly far away. She slowly moved to the edge of the bed and stretched out her hand, managing to touch one. But then her hand trembled, she couldn't get a firm grip, and instead, she pushed all the inhibitors off the table, shattering them.
She gave a bitter smile, but there was nothing she could do.
It seemed that no matter how many inhibitors there were, they were no longer effective.
It looked like she could only wait.
More and more thoughts flooded her mind, and she was losing control of her body. Her reactions were getting stronger, and she even began to have thoughts she had never had before.
After an unknown amount of time, the door creaked softly.
A familiar voice came from outside the door. It was distant, yet very close; very soft, yet it reached her ears with perfect clarity.
“Shi Nan! It's Fu Zhao!”
“It's going to be okay, don't be afraid. I'll take you to Doctor Liu…”
She couldn't quite hear the rest of the words.
Shi Nan struggled, unsure if she was lucid or delirious, and called out with a sense of relief, “Fu Zhao…”
Then, the door was opened from the outside and closed again.
A tea fragrance surrounded her, cool and refreshing as it entered her lungs, seeming to ease the burning heat in her body.
It was Fu Zhao's scent.
Realizing this, she could hold back no longer. She threw herself into that warm, familiar embrace, which carried a pleasant, rich fragrance that calmed her turbulent emotions. She couldn't help but hug Fu Zhao's neck tightly, nuzzling against the warmth there, and said the words she most wanted to say at this moment, a sob catching in her throat.
“I'm sorry… that sculpture, can it still be our engagement gift?”
Comments
Post a Comment