MORIC - Chapter 19
Chapter 19: An Artificial Battlefield
When Chi Yueshan got to her seat, she found it was already full of people.
Her ticket was actually for the seat with the best view in the entire venue.
Xuan Ping was sitting next to her. Seeing Chi Yueshan arrive, she hurriedly asked, "Yueshan, where did you go? What took you so long? The warm-up matches are already over."
Before the official competition, there were warm-up matches, followed by the opening address.
The Alphas in the warm-up matches were enough to get the crowd excited.
Xuan Ping had even taken a few photos of Wen Xinghuo, planning to show them to Chi Yueshan.
After asking, Xuan Ping noticed that Chi Yueshan had changed into a dress. She asked in confusion, "Your clothes are also..."
Chi Yueshan said in a low voice, "There was a little accident."
Xuan Ping let out an "ah" and asked, "What happened?"
Chi Yueshan: "I'll tell you later."
The venue was now dark, with only a single spotlight on the stage. Only those in the front rows could barely see anything.
She hadn't expected Xuan Ping's eyes to be so sharp.
Just as she finished speaking, an AI's mechanical voice introduced the speaker for the opening address.
The second-year Omega who had been bickering with Chi Yueshan in the locker room descended on a lift platform. The spotlight fell on her, and her face on the split-screen was breathtakingly stunning.
The applause was like thunder.
Chi Yueshan thought to herself: She's really putting on an act. Just a moment ago, she was all 'I'm the young lady, you all have to listen to me.'
Xi Zhoumeng's speech was very official, perfectly matching the dignified air of her council president uniform.
This kind of kendo tournament final wouldn't normally be much of a spectacle, but after the Omega Council took over, they introduced a "flower-voting" system.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a form of gambling. Besides the overall winner, there was also a popularity winner.
It seemed to be a way to save face for some.
Life was just that boring, that such a flashy voting system could actually take off.
Each person's account could cast one vote, with the results displayed in real-time on the forum.
Chi Yueshan didn't even have to think to know who she would vote for.
Unfortunately, it wasn't time to vote yet. The contestants in the official matches all wore numbers. Fully geared up from head to toe, one could only rely on their imagination.
Xuan Ping didn't understand it at all; she was just here with her Alpha "friend."
After sitting for a while, Chi Yueshan noticed a female Alpha sitting next to Xuan Ping.
Xuan Ping's hushed whispers would occasionally drift over.
She's totally in love. What 'friend'.
Chi Yueshan was also quite curious. When she and Xuan Ping had just entered after getting their tickets checked, this Alpha had been called away.
Bored, Chi Yueshan had wandered over to the locker room at the back.
Fingerprints were the least secure type of password. For someone like Chi Yueshan, who had dismantled many fingerprint mechanisms, it was nothing at all.
Getting in was a piece of cake.
She had dreamed of being alone with Wen Xinghuo.
But in the end, she didn't get to say a single word to Wen Xinghuo and was instead discovered by Xi Zhoumeng again.
She even went into heat prematurely, and her love rival saw her in such a pathetic state.
It was so embarrassing.
Xi Zhoumeng probably wouldn't go around gossiping, right?
I really don't want to see rumors like 'a first-year Omega got pregnant before marriage'.
So mortifying.
This type of competitive sport had undergone many years of reform and didn't follow the rules of civilized society from long ago. However, it still demanded great precision, and most Alphas would spar in their spare time.
It helped to improve their spiritual power.
After watching for a bit, Chi Yueshan opened her light-brain to start voting.
But before she could click into the designated voting interface, she saw a hot post—
《Help! I accidentally saw Senior Xi Zhoumeng enter Senior Wen Xinghuo's locker room!》
The title had obvious you-know-what implications, which made Chi Yueshan click on it with great interest.
I was there anyway. Nothing happened between those two at all.
-Is this a case of "found phone" literature?
-That's it...? No pics, no proof!!!
-Isn't it perfectly natural for Senior Xi Zhoumeng to go to Wen Xinghuo's locker room? They're a female A and female O with dual S+ spiritual power. It's not our place, you riffraff, to be naysayers.
-If these two really made it official, it would be called breaking the bonds of the secular world for love. Don't define love by compatibility ratings!
-Am I the only one who cares that Senior changed her clothes? [OP updated with a pic]
-It feels like it's only been a few minutes, right? Senior Wen is that intense?!!! Is this the stamina of S+ spiritual power?
-That's not right. Senior Xi just got backstage. That means she stayed in the locker room for a while after Senior Wen left. Damn, what is this??? Could it be??
-Don't you guys think it's a bit... you know... to be discussing this on the forum?
-We talk about everything in the off-topic section! Besides, someone asked Senior Xinghuo before and she said she didn't care. Senior Xi likes her anyway, so she'd mind even less. All we need to do is offer our blessings!
-Just thinking about my wifey Zhoumeng changing out of her love-stained clothes alone in the locker room makes me!!! Oh heavens! Even if childhood friends from noble families who grew up together have a mutual understanding, they can still suffer from unrequited love. My heart is broken. So who is the happiest in this society!
-Of course Alphas are the happiest. They can mark so many Omegas, but an O can only be marked once!
————This thread contains sensitive topics and has been locked————
Chi Yueshan was burning with anger as she read, while also scratching her ears and cheeks, her face flushed red.
In the past, reading such risqué discussions on the forum would only make her angry, as if Wen Xinghuo were being defiled. Now, because she had experienced it firsthand and was the damn person involved, it gave her a strange feeling instead.
What do they mean, stamina?
Heh, my big sister Xinghuo is the most badass, of course.
But the problem is, she left early! The long time after that was purely me being tormented by that vicious woman, Xi Zhoumeng.
...Ugh, I'm still wearing her dress. I can't curse her like that.
Chi Yueshan was incredibly conflicted.
She had imagined many times wearing a normal dress—perhaps because she had gotten into the parliament after graduation, or because she had bought a dress with money from a part-time job to dance with Wen Xinghuo at a ball.
She never thought the dress would be Xi Zhoumeng's.
This dress wasn't the mid-range price she had imagined; it was the kind she would never buy at all.
And it was her love rival's dress.
So weird.
Chi Yueshan was so engrossed in her light-brain that she missed Wen Xinghuo winning her first round.
Even Xuan Ping's applause was louder than hers.
The first half was the round of twelve advancing to six. During the intermission, the lights came on, and the halftime show was an exhibition match by the Alpha division.
The eliminated Xi Shuang cheerfully led the dance, dressed in an incredibly flamboyant outfit.
Chi Yueshan sighed, "If only it were Senior Xinghuo dancing."
Only then did Xuan Ping get a clear look at Chi Yueshan's dress. Beside her, Mu Lai turned her head to glance at the Omega who was rumored to be in love with Wen Xinghuo.
That one glance startled her so much she almost stood up.
Xuan Ping turned her head in confusion, "Senior, what's wrong?"
Mu Lai looked at Chi Yueshan. The Omega was cupping her face in her hands, watching the stage.
But her dress looked very familiar to Mu Lai.
There were many clothing brands in the galaxy, but the upper class generally opted for custom-made attire.
Especially for nobles, there were also specialized brands for custom tailoring. The logos were inconspicuous, but those in the know could recognize them.
For example, the small flower embroidered with silver thread on the shoulder of Chi Yueshan's black dress was the logo of Cloud, a brand frequently used by the Xi Family.
This was even stranger!
Why would this Omega from the Lower World be wearing Xi Zhoumeng's dress?
Didn't everyone say this Omega was Xi Zhoumeng's love rival?
The lighting wasn't bright, so Mu Lai didn't notice Chi Yueshan's tattoo.
Mu Lai asked Xuan Ping, "Where did your friend get that dress?"
She couldn't have stolen it, right?
Xi Zhoumeng's things were all ridiculously expensive. Even though Mu Lai was a year older than Xi Zhoumeng, she had heard about her extravagant and luxurious lifestyle since she was young.
Her expenses on food and clothing could even be more exaggerated than the royal family's.
After all, the royal family was subject to supervision, while the private industries of noble families were completely unaffected.
Xuan Ping also found it strange. Chi Yueshan wasn't wearing this when she arrived.
Besides, Chi Yueshan had always said she didn't own any dresses.
Xuan Ping's attention wasn't on the dress at all. Her mind was completely occupied with: This girl is way too bold, tattooing Wen Xinghuo's name on her chest.
It's too much!! Won't your future Alpha feel weird seeing that?
Last time at the bathhouse, Xuan Ping's attention had been on Chi Yueshan's wounds, so seeing it again now still made her scalp tingle.
She let out a grunt and forced herself to change the subject, "Yueshan, your dress is really pretty. When did you buy it?"
The female Alpha group dancing on stage was much cooler than the male Alphas. Chi Yueshan, who was definitely attracted to the strong, reluctantly tore her gaze away. "It's Xi Zhoumeng's."
Xuan Ping and Mu Lai both let out a gasp.
Just then, a beam of light swept past, and Chi Yueshan finally got a clear look at the senior's face next to Xuan Ping.
Mu Lai looked like she came from a very wealthy family. She wore heavy makeup, a style completely different from Xi Zhoumeng's.
However, she would inadvertently reveal an accessory with a logo.
Her looks... a six out of ten, barely.
According to Chi Yueshan's aesthetic standards for Alphas, Wen Xinghuo was a 10, someone like Xi Shuang was a 7, and Mu Lai, who didn't look very muscular, only got a 6 as a friendly favor to Xuan Ping.
She rated them in her head and then thought of Wen Xinghuo with delight.
As expected, big sister Wen Xinghuo is the one who makes me feel the safest.
At this moment, the lights brightened significantly. Mu Lai still couldn't see Chi Yueshan's face clearly, only thinking she looked plain and rustic from the neck up, but had some appeal from the neck down.
Even that embroidered bandeau was strangely stylish, but then again, it was Xi Zhoumeng's taste.
She could instantly piece together the full name from the half-hidden tattoo... It was truly speechless-making!
Xuan Ping: "Se-Senior Xi?"
Chi Yueshan nodded.
Xuan Ping's expression was exceptionally strange. "When did you two get so close?"
Chi Yueshan hurriedly denied it, "No! Who's close with her!"
Thinking of that awkward scene and Xi Zhoumeng's scrutinizing gaze, her face turned red again. "She was the one who wanted me to wear it..."
That doesn't sound right either.
For a moment, Chi Yueshan didn't know how to explain.
It was unclear what Xuan Ping was thinking, but she leaned in and asked Chi Yueshan in a low voice, "What happened to you?"
Chi Yueshan let out a small "ah."
Mu Lai's voice came over, "Don't tell me you walked in on Wen Xinghuo and Xi Zhoumeng doing it, rushed in to fight, and got your clothes torn?"
Chi Yueshan: ...
I wish!!
But is that even possible?
Xuan Ping imagined the scene, thought it was too dangerous, and besides, Wen Xinghuo would definitely side with Xi Zhoumeng!
No matter how infatuated Yueshan was with Wen Xinghuo, Xuan Ping still felt this relationship was a long shot. If it were any other Alpha, one without a childhood friend of Xi Zhoumeng's caliber, it wouldn't be this difficult.
She nervously grabbed Chi Yueshan's hand. "Yueshan, are you hurt?"
Xi Zhoumeng's dress originally had a deep V-neck with red cords crisscrossing the chest. If she wore it with a push-up bra, it could create a "pure yet seductive" look.
Moreover, Xi Zhoumeng's hair was also smooth and silky, half draped over her shoulders and half falling over her chest, looking very noble no matter how you looked at it.
Chi Yueshan didn't have the aura of a great beauty, her hair wasn't properly styled, and this kind of low neckline was usually a minefield for her.
Xuan Ping turned her head and saw her excessively pretty pheromone patch.
Ordinary pheromone patches were about the size of a band-aid, and Omegas from the Lower World couldn't afford expensive ones.
Xuan Ping's pheromone patch was a simple round disc that her mother had bought in a batch.
The concept of luxury consumption was very popular in the Upper World. All sorts of small items were weird and wonderful. This pheromone patch was more like a temporary tattoo, shaped like a rose.
Xuan Ping asked in surprise, "You even changed your pheromone patch? Are you sure nothing happened?"
I even took medicine, Chi Yueshan thought.
As expected of high-grade chewable suppressants. The effect was immediate. Aside from still being a little wet down there, I was back to normal in a second.
Chi Yueshan hemmed and hawed for a long time, then frantically searched for an excuse.
Just then, the Alphas from the exhibition match were passing by the front row to interact with the audience. Xi Shuang, a popular Alpha, was strutting flamboyantly. She passed in front of Chi Yueshan, let out a sound of surprise, and said nonchalantly, "Isn't your bandeau Zhoumeng's handkerchief?"
She had completely forgotten there was a microphone on her collar.
She squinted, saw the half-hidden name, sucked in a breath, and exclaimed, "Wow, first-year, your tattoo is even 'Xing...'"
Hushing sounds cut her off, but the entire venue had heard.
Bandeau, handkerchief, Zhoumeng.
These three words together were enough to make one's imagination run wild.
The person handling the split-screen this time was probably the same one from the academy lectures; their camera-switching skills were clumsy enough to be used for cutting cake.
Even Xi Zhoumeng, who was talking to Wen Xinghuo backstage, looked up.
Amid the uproar, Xi Zhoumeng nonchalantly ate a cherry.
Her lipstick was incredibly glossy; the cherry wasn't as tempting as she was.
Wen Xinghuo: "What happened between you and her?"
When Wen Xinghuo had walked out of the locker room earlier, she had sensed something was off, because there was an extra Omega's pheromones in the air.
But it definitely wasn't Xi Zhoumeng's.
In all these years, she had never known the scent of Xi Zhoumeng's pheromones.
Xi Zhoumeng acted as if she never had a heat cycle, nor did she ever get emotional.
This made her particularly inscrutable to Wen Xinghuo.
The red mole on Xi Zhoumeng's cheekbone was like a cinnabar dot, adding a contradictory touch to her cold and glamorous attire.
She let out a laugh, seemingly recalling Chi Yueshan's teary eyes, and said with relish, "We had a fight over you."
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