TIMO - Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Three years later, it was early summer once again.
The headquarters of Shi Corporation had completely relocated to Nanke Island.
Consequently, Nanke Island's role as a hub in the entire interstellar network grew ever more significant.
Coupled with the influence of Jiang Wenqing's StarNet channel, netizens across the StarNet seemed to pay special attention to the marriage between the Island Master of Nanke Island and the president of Shi Corporation.
Every time Jiang Wenqing posted a new video, countless bullet comments and replies would pop up asking about the two of them, which left Jiang Wenqing feeling a bit melancholic.
However, this also brought immense attention to her account, provided some publicity for the Omega Rescue Center and the Qixing Project, and even encouraged netizens who followed her to actively participate in charitable causes.
According to real-time data, after the vlog of Fu Zhao and Shi Nan's wedding was released, Jiang Wenqing's personal StarNet channel gained twenty million followers, and the number of volunteer applications for the Omega Rescue Center that year exceeded two million.
Jiang Wenqing had gotten a taste of success. Given Fu Zhao and Shi Nan's popularity on the StarNet, whenever she returned to Nanke Island, she would bring her recording equipment to find them and film their daily lives.
Of course, Fu Zhao and Shi Nan weren't always willing to let her film them.
Like right now, for instance.
In the camera's view, Fu Zhao was wearing a loose, comfortable white shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a fair, slender neck and the delicate lines of her collarbones below. A clean, slim wrist emerged from the rolled-up cuff of her white shirt, resting on the handlebars of a small electric scooter.
She glanced at the camera before lazily looking away. Her hair, casually tied back, fluttered gently in the summer breeze. Her refined, three-dimensional features were bathed in a golden glow, looking both unrestrained and full of affection.
This scene seemed somewhat familiar.
Jiang Wenqing was stunned for a few seconds but couldn't recall why it was familiar. She grumbled to herself silently but didn't let it show, clearing her throat before speaking.
“Fu Zhao, today seems to be your and Sister Shi Nan's third wedding anniversary. How are you planning to celebrate?”
“Are you going to pick up Sister Shi Nan for a big meal, or set off fireworks again, or maybe…” She paused deliberately for a few seconds, drawing out her last word, then leaned in with a suggestive wink, leaving the rest unsaid.
But in the next second, Fu Zhao pushed her away. Fu Zhao's expression in the shot shifted from indifference to disdain as she spoke with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
“You know it's our third anniversary today, so why are you still following us?”
“Hey, don't say that!” Jiang Wenqing, challenged by Fu Zhao, exclaimed with dramatic flair. “Isn't this what the StarNet netizens want to see?”
“Besides, would I really follow you the whole time?”
“When have I ever done something like that!” She lied through her teeth, completely forgetting what she had done over the past few years-like following them on the day they registered their marriage, filming Fu Zhao's drunken antics during the Mid-year Celebration and uploading a clip to the StarNet, or shoving the camera in Fu Zhao and Shi Nan's faces when they went to watch the sunrise.
Fu Zhao couldn't be bothered to argue with Jiang Wenqing. She took a helmet from the basket on the front of the scooter, put it on, and fastened the strap under her chin. “I don't care what you're thinking, but not today,” she said nonchalantly.
Jiang Wenqing pressed her lips together, wanting to say more, but seeing Fu Zhao's non-negotiable expression, she could only give up. She said dryly,
“Got it.”
“I'll leave after you pick her up. I promise I won't disturb your date.”
“But…” She raised an eyebrow, another idea popping into her head, her eyes lighting up. “Could you give me a little hint about what you're doing for your date today?”
Hearing this, Fu Zhao finally looked over, her eyes flickering slightly. She opened her lips as if to say something, but in the next instant, her gaze shifted past Jiang Wenqing, and her eyes brightened.
Like a puppy seeing its owner, her eyes sparkled.
No, that metaphor didn't seem quite right.
As Jiang Wenqing thought this, she couldn't suppress a laugh, but she still turned the camera toward the Shi Corporation building.
A tall, slender figure descended the steps. She was wearing a white shirt, and her soft, shoulder-length hair was curled into a lovely shape. In the afterglow of the sunset, her fair skin seemed to emit a cool, translucent light.
As she walked over, her hair and the hem of her shirt were gently lifted by the breeze.
It was like a deliberately designed slow-motion shot.
Jiang Wenqing was very satisfied. When Shi Nan finally reached them, she greeted her with a wide smile. “Sister Shi Nan, are you off work?”
Just as she finished speaking, a soft clinking sound reached her ears.
Then, a pair of fair, slender hands appeared in the frame. The wrists were as delicate as jade, and one palm held another helmet.
The owner of the hands methodically placed the helmet on Shi Nan's head and fastened the strap.
In the shot, Shi Nan's eyes instantly curved into a smile, the corners crinkling with gentle amusement. She then intertwined her fingers with that fair, jade-like hand, their fingertips pressing together without a single gap.
“Yes, I'm off work.”
“Xiao Qing, you should get off work early too. Don't follow us.”
Shi Nan answered her with a smile, her gaze, which had been glued to Fu Zhao, finally sparing a glance for the camera before immediately returning to Fu Zhao.
“Aren't you hot?”
“Why did you come so early?”
Her tone was a coquettish complaint as she settled onto the seat behind Fu Zhao, wrapping her arms around her waist.
Jiang Wenqing was dumbfounded. She had seen scenes like this many times, but she still found the sight of the 'incredibly loving Island Master and her wife' somewhat unbelievable.
No wonder people on the StarNet loved to ship them.
If it were her, she'd ship them too.
Jiang Wenqing clicked her tongue. She aimed the camera at them, about to say something more, but in the next second, Fu Zhao started the scooter. She shot Jiang Wenqing a glance, quickly pulled down her helmet's visor, and fixed her eyes on the road ahead.
And so, holding the camera steady, she managed to capture one last shot.
Only when the scooter had completely disappeared from view did she lower the camera, turning it toward another building next to the Shi Corporation headquarters-the Nanke Island Pheromone Research Center.
Soon, the famous interstellar scientist Ye Er would walk out of it.
Since she couldn't film the Island Master couple's third-anniversary date, 'A Boring Day in the Life of a Poker-Faced Scientist' sounded like a decent alternative.
The muggy heat of early summer was tempered by the cool sea breeze.
At dusk, a brilliant sunset glow covered everything in sight, filtering through the layered clouds and draping itself over every figure bathed in its light.
The sea breeze caressed their faces, making the hems of their clothes rustle softly.
Fu Zhao rode the little electric scooter at a leisurely pace, with Shi Nan sitting behind her, a pair of slender arms wrapped around her waist.
For their third wedding anniversary, they had agreed to go for a ride around the island.
There was no complex sense of ceremony, only the comfortable and natural feeling of the two of them sticking together.
In the past, under countless sunsets just like this one, they had strolled along the beach and gone for rides, using what seemed like every mode of transport.
A little electric scooter, a motorcycle, a sports car.
But the little electric scooter was still the most comfortable to ride.
At least, it was by the sea.
At least, when she was with Shi Nan, she greatly enjoyed this kind of slow-paced life.
After a few laps, she parked the scooter by the open-air cinema they used to frequent. Unlike in her memories, the cinema hadn't shown any movies in recent years.
A few days ago, Fu Zhao had remembered this and sent someone to investigate. She learned that the cinema's temporary operator was gone, which was why it hadn't been running for the past few years.
And she had also discovered something important.
“Want to watch a movie?”
A soft, lazy voice sounded by her ear, carried into her eardrums by the wind.
Fu Zhao came back to her senses. In a flash, she met Shi Nan's smiling eyes. She took Shi Nan's hand in hers and smiled.
“Yeah, it's been a while.”
“This anniversary is the perfect chance for us to properly watch another movie together.”
“Just a movie?” Shi Nan squeezed her palm. Although her tone was a bit reproachful, her eyes still curved softly, holding no trace of blame. “For our third wedding anniversary, you're just going to fob me off with a movie?”
“What else?” Fu Zhao spread her hands, her gaze gentle and helpless. “I asked you what you wanted to do, and you said you didn't know, telling me to decide.”
“Now I've brought you here, and you're still not satisfied.”
Shi Nan huffed and raised a hand to pinch Fu Zhao's ear. “I get it. You don't cherish what you have anymore, so now you can't even be bothered to humor me. You just picked a random place to come to.”
“A random place?”
Fu Zhao pulled Shi Nan's fingers off her ear. Although Shi Nan hadn't been pinching hard, she didn't want to watch the beginning of the movie in that position.
“Is this a random place? I clearly remember… a lot of stories happened here.”
“You have a way with words.”
Shi Nan let go and sat down on one of the prepared seats, pulling Fu Zhao down into the chair beside her. A soft curve appeared on her lips. “Hasn't this cinema been closed? How did you find someone to show a movie for you?”
“It was.” Fu Zhao cleared her throat. “But I had someone look into it, and I discovered that the owner of this cinema is, in fact, me.”
“So, as its owner, I naturally have to let it serve its proper purpose.”
“You're the owner?” Surprise colored Shi Nan's eyes. She stared blankly for a few seconds before it registered. “Then how did you not know all this time?”
“I found it strange too, so I did some more digging.” Fu Zhao raised an eyebrow. “It turns out someone bought it and gave it to me as a gift a few years ago.”
“I don't know who it was, but I imagine the person who gifted it to me would also want this cinema to be put to use.”
“So that's how it is.” Shi Nan's gaze trembled slightly. She seemed lost in thought for a few seconds, her mind drifting back into memories. After a moment, as if she understood something, she blinked, her eyes clearing. Her voice, mingled with the sea breeze, was much softer when she spoke.
“What movie are we watching?”
“This time, we're not watching the movie we've seen so many times.”
Fu Zhao looked up at Shi Nan, her eyes shimmering slightly. “We're watching a romantic comedy with a happy ending.”
Shi Nan softened her voice and answered gently, “Okay.”
It was time to watch a romantic comedy.
After all, in those Realms of Regret, they had already experienced tragic endings many times, and they had watched that movie with the tragic ending many times over.
Now, it was finally time for a romantic comedy.
As it should be.
With that thought, she turned her gaze to the large screen that had already been turned on, waiting for the romantic comedy Fu Zhao had chosen for them.
The dark screen flickered to life.
Shi Nan's gaze trembled, and her fingertips subconsciously tightened their grip on Fu Zhao beside her.
“How… How could this be?” she asked, stunned.
Fu Zhao held her hand, soothingly scratching her palm. “Watch first. We can talk later.”
As the clear, gentle voice sounded by her ear, it also echoed from the large screen in front of them.
It was different from the “romantic comedy” she had imagined.
On the screen was Fu Zhao.
Fu Zhao in a white shirt, Fu Zhao in a coat, Fu Zhao by the sea, Fu Zhao in the kitchen at home, Fu Zhao downstairs at the Shi Corporation building…
Many such clips were edited together.
And the common thread in all the clips was that she seemed to be behind Fu Zhao in every one-her back, her profile, her casual voice.
It was a collection of their moments together.
And in each of these moments, without her knowing, Fu Zhao had taken out her phone, recorded the instant, and said the same thing to the camera with smiling eyes:
“Today is the first day/second day/third day… of our marriage.”
Hundreds of clips, edited into a video a few minutes long.
Shi Nan's eyes had started to burn just from watching the first few clips. By the time she finished watching them all, her eyes were brimming with tears.
The final scene faded.
The tears that had been welling in her eyes finally fell from her lids, sliding down her cheeks.
They were then wiped away by warm fingertips.
A soft palm cupped her cheek, and gentle, amber eyes met hers. They, too, seemed to be shimmering with tears.
The wind rustled, the waves churned, and the cicadas chirped in the summer heat.
Amidst these sounds, Fu Zhao's voice was very soft, yet it reached her with perfect clarity, landing right in her heart.
“I know you actually remember many things I don't. After all, we went through it so many times, and my final ending was always death.”
“Leaving you all alone to face this world.”
“The things that happened when you were alone must have been much harder than I can imagine…”
Fu Zhao's voice choked up as she spoke. She could feel the tears welling from Shi Nan's eyes, falling continuously onto her palm, searing hot.
She looked at Shi Nan's trembling, tear-filled gaze and took a long moment to compose herself before continuing.
“But I won't anymore. I won't ever let you face these things alone again.”
“From now on, we will always, always, always be together. We'll face this world together, for better or for worse. I will always be with you.”
“I promise,” she added.
The next second, a soft body lunged forward, wrapping around her neck. Tears fell onto her shoulder.
Drop by drop, they carried a searing heat.
She held Shi Nan, gently stroking her back.
Shi Nan took a long while to recover in her arms. When she spoke, her voice was thick with emotion, a few degrees softer than usual.
“I believe your promise.”
Just like every time before, Shi Nan believed her promise.
Fu Zhao held Shi Nan tightly, responding with all her passion.
Like the waves on the shore in early summer, the wind on the island, the flowers in spring.
This time, the endlessly repeating tragedy had finally ended.
Their story, their future, would only be a romantic, exciting, and memorable romantic comedy.
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