TIMO - Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Fu Zhao didn’t know how she got to the starship port.
From the moment she saw that letter, her mind had exploded into a blank void. She sat on the sofa in a stupor.
It wasn’t until Kong Weiyan rushed in, grabbed her, and started running that she finally processed it- Shi Nan was gone. She had left without a word. And the glass sculpture that was supposed to be an engagement gift had become a parting gift.
What was originally a glass sculpture of two people had become one of her alone.
She was pulled into the car in a daze, her seatbelt fastened, and driven at high speed toward the starship port. The roar of the engine pulled her thoughts back to reality. The lurching of the speeding car jolted her, and she suddenly came to her senses.
“What’s wrong?”
She gripped the safety handle above her head, belatedly realizing they were heading to the starship port. She looked at Kong Weiyan, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Do you also know that Shi Nan… is gone?”
“I… If she wants to go, then let her go. It’s not right for me to rush over like this…”
As she spoke, her gaze fell, and her nose began to sting. Everything had been fine just yesterday. They had released Kongming Lanterns together, made wishes together, agreed to spite Shen Caiwei, and agreed to put on a show for the islanders, but Shi Nan had broken her promise.
But even so.
Fu Zhao still felt she could understand Shi Nan’s concerns, even though she didn’t know what Shi Nan was hiding, even though Shi Nan had told her to hate her as much as she wanted…
It seemed she still couldn’t bring herself to hate Shi Nan.
Faintly, illogically, she even found herself quietly supporting Shi Nan in her heart.
And once that thought emerged, her mind grew even more chaotic, leaving her increasingly bewildered.
“Go, my ass!!”
While driving, Kong Weiyan finally found a moment to glance at Fu Zhao in the passenger seat, only to see her slumped listlessly against the window. She was furious and blurted out all the news she had just received.
“News just came in. There was a disturbance at the starship port. A number of Alphas’ pheromones went into a frenzy on the spot. The scene is very chaotic…” She glanced at the stunned Fu Zhao and added, “But they say they’re evacuating according to secondary gender, and there are no casualties so far. It should be brought under control soon.”
At that, the heart that had leaped into Fu Zhao’s throat settled back down. She furrowed her brow. “It’s good there are no casualties. After what almost happened during Ye Er’s heat last time, we strengthened controls on pheromone leaks in public places and established a dedicated aid center to handle these incidents promptly. The crowd should be evacuated quickly…”
“What about the Alphas whose pheromones went haywire? And the Omegas, was anyone affected?”
“Why did the pheromones suddenly go into a frenzy?”
Fu Zhao fired off a series of questions, but Kong Weiyan was in no mood to answer, only replying, “The Alphas have probably been brought under control. The others should be fine too.”
“But…”
Her mouth opened and closed before she finally said it. “Something happened to Shi Nan.”
“What do you mean?” Fu Zhao, beside her, froze for a moment. Her grip on the car handle tightened unconsciously, her fingertips turning white. “What happened to Shi Nan?”
Kong Weiyan sighed softly. “It all started because an Omega in the aid room was in an abnormal heat. The pheromone concentration was too high and it leaked out. The aid room was built with strict containment and air purification systems, so this shouldn’t have happened.”
“But according to the reports from the scene, the pheromone concentration must have reached a certain level and overwhelmed the air purification and containment systems…”
As she spoke, she noticed the car had fallen silent, save for the sound of tightly held breath, as if waiting for her to say the next words.
Kong Weiyan closed her eyes for a second. “That Omega… was Shi Nan.”
After she said that, the breath Fu Zhao had been holding seemed to escape. After a long silence, she finally spoke. “How is she now?”
Kong Weiyan shook her head. “Not good. Ye Er just called me. They’ve used every inhibitor they have, but it doesn’t seem to be helping. The aid staff on site wanted to check the condition of her gland, but Shi Nan has locked herself in the aid room and won’t let anyone in or come out.”
She paused, as if in regret, then gritted her teeth. “They say Shen Caiwei was also there, and… Lu Jingmo came too, that biology professor who’s pursuing Shi Nan. This can’t be a coincidence. It must have something to do with those two.”
“And to think I-”
“Are you sure?”
Fu Zhao cut Kong Weiyan off. Her heart sank, and her palms clenched into fists. “Last time, Doctor Liu told me that Shi Nan’s gland had been severely attacked by Alpha pheromones, which is why her heat would come early… but she never mentioned a situation where inhibitors wouldn’t work. Unless this time… she was stimulated by something again.”
“Doctor Liu is an expert in both clinical practice and research. She shouldn’t be wrong,” Kong Weiyan replied, unable to stop herself from cursing under her breath. “If what happened to Shi Nan this time… is related to that Shen Caiwei or Lu Jingmo, I’ll fucking destroy them…”
“You won’t have to.”
Fu Zhao’s voice was soft, but her eyes, fixed on the road ahead, trembled slightly, her gaze turning sharp.
“No matter who they are, if they harmed Shi Nan, I will personally send them to prison…”
“If the interstellar law can’t handle capitalists and scientists, then Nanke Island will.”
“I need to extract a sample of Miss Shi’s pheromones to create a corresponding specialized inhibitor.”
Doctor Liu took off her gloves, her expression grave. “The condition of her gland is not good. It’s clear that… Miss Shi is in a lot of pain right now.”
Fu Zhao looked down at Shi Nan, whose face was flushed and whose hair was soaked, sticking to her face and neck. She took a deep breath to calm herself and lowered her voice. “How long will it take to make the specialized inhibitor?”
“It’s hard to say…”
Doctor Liu quickly opened her medical kit, took out a medical collection device, and peeled off the completely soaked isolation sticker on Shi Nan’s neck, revealing the red, swollen gland underneath. “At least four hours.”
“I’ll give you a dose of a potent inhibitor. Administer it to Miss Shi depending on the situation. It should be enough to get her through.”
She quickly collected a sample of Shi Nan’s pheromones, stored it in the medical kit, and then took out a vial of blue liquid inhibitor. She frowned. “Potent inhibitors have side effects. They might cause some adverse reactions in the gland, so unless it’s absolutely necessary, you must not use it.”
“I’m taking the sample back to the hospital to prepare the inhibitor now. I’ll also arrange a private room for Miss Shi. Little Island Master, you can take Miss Shi to the hospital later. I’ll deliver it directly to the room once it’s ready.”
Doctor Liu gave a few more instructions, then stood up and strode out, with no more time to talk.
Fu Zhao clutched the exceptionally precious potent inhibitor in her hand and breathed a small sigh of relief. Four hours, and one shot of a potent inhibitor. The situation was better than she had imagined. At least it wasn’t one of the scenarios she’d dreaded on the way here, like the inhibitor being completely ineffective, leaving Alpha pheromones as the only way to soothe her.
The person in her arms was still burning up, radiating heat, clinging to her tightly with her eyes closed.
She looked better than when Fu Zhao had first opened the door.
She wasn’t thrashing around, nor had she completely lost her senses like Ye Er had during his heat, losing all his original dignity and pride, rolling around on the floor, a complete stranger.
Shi Nan was enduring it.
Fu Zhao was enduring it too, enduring the heartache that welled up from the bottom of her heart, so fine and dense it almost made it hard for her to breathe.
“Fu Zhao…”
The unconscious person was still calling her name.
Over and over again.
Fu Zhao felt the tsunami of emotions surging from that call. Her fingertips trembled abruptly. Unable to hold back any longer, she raised the back of her hand to touch Shi Nan’s burning forehead. Her own eyes began to grow hot, her vision blurring as it filled with tears. A single teardrop fell onto Shi Nan’s cheek, slid down her chin to her neck, and disappeared into her collar.
“Nannan…”
She finally said the name, acknowledging the deep emotions welling up inside her. She swept Shi Nan up into a bridal carry and spoke softly.
“I will not let anything happen to you.”
Fortunately, Shi Nan remained stable until she was brought to the specialized, sealed hospital room.
Except for the fact that she wouldn’t let go of Fu Zhao.
So, Fu Zhao had no choice but to stay with Shi Nan in the room.
Luckily, she was a Beta. She couldn’t smell pheromones and wouldn’t be affected by them, so she could stay in the room with her.
But as she was placing Shi Nan on the hospital bed, Fu Zhao saw a nurse take out special restraints, intending to tie Shi Nan to the bed. She subconsciously reached out and stopped the nurse’s hand, shaking her head gently.
“It’s okay, don’t tie her up. She’s being very good.”
The nurse looked doubtfully at Shi Nan on the bed and sighed softly. “Little Island Master, I know you care for Miss Shi, but you’ve probably never seen an Omega in an abnormal heat. Although Miss Shi seems quiet now, when she starts acting up later, an Omega in heat has a lot of strength. If she bumps into things, you could get hurt… and Miss Shi could get hurt too.”
“So…”
“There’s no need.”
Fu Zhao shook her head gently, her gaze sweeping over Shi Nan, who lay on the bed with her eyes closed, clutching her wrist tightly. “She’ll definitely be uncomfortable if she’s tied up. Don’t worry, I won’t let myself get hurt, and I won’t let her get hurt.”
“Besides, even if you use restraints, if she’s strong enough, won’t she just break free?”
The nurse wanted to say that the hospital’s restraints were specially designed and couldn’t be broken, but seeing the stubbornness on the Little Island Master’s face and the quietly lying Shi Nan, she shook her head and held her tongue.
They would be right outside anyway. If anything happened, they could come in immediately.
It probably wouldn’t be a big problem.
With that thought, the nurse put the restraints away and left.
The room fell silent. Fu Zhao sat by the bed, quietly watching Shi Nan, gently wiping the sweat that continuously beaded on her face, hands, and neck with a clean towel.
As she was wiping, she noticed that the pair of tea-brown eyes had opened. They were misty due to the heat, and they just stared at her quietly, without blinking.
“Are you awake?”
Fu Zhao paused for a moment, then placed the back of her hand on Shi Nan’s forehead. A scorching temperature traveled up her arm, and hot, boiling breath washed over her forearm.
“Fu Zhao, give me the potent inhibitor.”
Shi Nan looked at her, her face growing redder, her forehead hotter. Her voice trembled, and it was clear she was struggling to endure.
“Are you sure?”
Fu Zhao’s eyelashes trembled, and her voice trembled along with them. “Doctor Liu said this has side effects.”
“It can’t be used unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“This is an absolutely necessary situation.” Shi Nan stared at Fu Zhao, drenched in hot sweat, her gaze growing more and more feverish. “I can’t hold on much longer. What if I lose control and hurt you?”
Fu Zhao lowered her eyes, unconsciously averting her gaze. “We’ll deal with that then.”
“I’m a Beta. How could you hurt me?”
Shi Nan bit her tongue hard. Her head was spinning, but she forced herself to speak, clutching the bedsheet tightly. “Either you leave the medicine and get out, or you inject me with the potent inhibitor right now.”
“Do you know?”
“An Omega in heat… is a very ugly sight.” She exhaled a hot breath and turned her gaze away from Fu Zhao. Her soaked hair stuck to the side of her face, giving her the air of a fragile, sickly beauty. Her voice choked up a little. “I’ll lose control. I’ll cling to you and not let go. I might even… in front of you…”
“Beg for pleasure.”
Shi Nan uttered those two words softly, her eyes trembling slightly with defiance. She didn’t look at Fu Zhao at all.
Fu Zhao was stunned for a few seconds before she understood. She didn’t know how to comfort Shi Nan. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Are you sure, right now, that this is an absolutely necessary situation?”
Shi Nan looked over, her fingertips clutching the bedsheet beneath her, on the verge of thrashing. “I’m sure.”
Fu Zhao felt a fine, dense pain begin to spread in her chest. She held her breath, suppressing the heartache rising in her throat, and picked up the vial of potent inhibitor Doctor Liu had left her. She tore open the packaging, carefully took Shi Nan’s arm, and injected it.
The blue liquid slowly entered her forearm, looking somewhat frightening.
Fu Zhao fought back her heartache and slowly pushed the syringe, but the next second, the syringe was knocked away. The glass syringe fell to the floor, and the blue liquid inside burst out, splattering on the ground.
Before she could react, Shi Nan pressed against her.
Hot breath sprayed against the side of her neck, damp strands of hair tangled at her shoulder, and the sound of heavy breathing, mixed with faint sobs, filled her ears.
A wet hand covered her eyes, plunging her vision into darkness.
“I told you to use it sooner.”
“You… don’t look at me… not even a glance.”
As soon as she said that, Fu Zhao was embraced tightly. The person on top of her was still moving erratically, pinning down her hands, her soaked hair covering Fu Zhao’s face.
Then, one by one, scalding tears, carrying heat and steam, fell onto her shoulder, soaking the fabric.
“It’s all your fault.”
Shi Nan was still thrashing, frantically searching for the pheromones that could soothe her.
But no matter how much Shi Nan searched, she wouldn’t find them.
Because she wasn’t an Alpha.
Fu Zhao immediately closed her eyes, not looking at the expression on Shi Nan’s face, but Shi Nan’s whimpers still flooded in from all directions. Shi Nan’s helplessness and vulnerability were transmitted through her tight embrace, making Fu Zhao feel an equal, if not deeper, sense of powerlessness and sorrow.
She suddenly understood why the original host had been willing to die for Shi Nan.
Because at this very moment, all she could think was, if only I were the one suffering this pain.
“Just endure it a little longer. It’ll be okay if you just endure it.”
Fu Zhao carefully supported Shi Nan’s head. Tears welled up in her own eyes, and her words came out choked. “Just endure a little longer…”
But Shi Nan had completely lost her self-awareness, moving only on instinct.
A fine pain began to gather from her organs, converging in her heart, as if an invisible hand was squeezing it.
“Nannan…”
She called out softly. By the time she spoke, her eyes were already full of tears, her vision completely blurred. The heat on her body, she didn’t know if it was from Shi Nan or from the sorrow she felt for the words she was about to say.
“Do you need… Alpha pheromones?”
She didn’t know if an abnormal Omega heat could be alleviated with Alpha pheromones, but if it could… maybe she should try to find a suitable Alpha…
Even though her temples throbbed painfully as she said it, and tears finally spilled from her eyes, the feeling of heartache had already overcome all reason.
She just wanted Shi Nan to feel a little better.
But clearly, hearing her words did not make Shi Nan feel better. Her movements paused.
Then, a sharp pain shot through the side of Fu Zhao’s neck, again and again, making her gasp.
As if in retaliation, Shi Nan was biting her.
Her neck, the hollow of her shoulder, her collarbone.
Sharp teeth grazed over them all, sending waves of stinging pain that left her breathless.
But it seemed that after biting her, Shi Nan felt a little better.
Fu Zhao noticed this. Her mind was in chaos, but she also felt a sense of relief. She gently patted Shi Nan’s shoulder and spoke softly.
“If biting me makes you feel better, then take a few more bites.”
The moment she finished speaking, a sharp, intense pain erupted from the very center of her nape, searing her heart and lungs. A hot liquid seeped from the wound, mixing with some other fluid, making the stinging on her nape even more pronounced.
This wasn’t the intermittent pain of being lightly bitten before.
It was an intense pain that, once it started, never stopped. It made her head spin, and her breathing grew heavier and hotter.
But after that one bite, Shi Nan seemed to stop. She was no longer thrashing, the heat in her breath had lessened considerably, and the burning sensation of her body was no longer rising.
Before Fu Zhao could feel relieved about this, she was assaulted by the intense pain that coursed through her body. It was as if it was no longer concentrated on her nape but was spreading throughout her entire body, to every organ.
Her whole body was radiating pain.
Then, her vision began to blur, her consciousness started to fade, and she didn’t even have the strength to hold up Shi Nan, who had already passed out.
Her eyelids grew heavier.
The world grew darker.
The sounds of her own breathing and heartbeat were deafeningly close.
Just before she completely lost consciousness, a rich, sweet scent, a mixture of fragrances, wafted to her nose, fresh and fragrant.
It seemed to be… the sweet scent of lychee.
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