MORIC - Chapter 35
Chapter 35: What's There to Be Jealous About?
Chi Yueshan's discomfort faded quickly. By the time the next rehearsal began, she had already eaten with Ling Xun several times.
Xi Zhoumeng hadn't been to the academy for half a week, and as a result, the gossip-loving Duan Daizhen nearly blew up her light-brain with messages.
[Forum Section][Watercooler][hot]《Breaking!!! Wen Xinghuo's number one fangirl has left the fandom! Now suspected to be passionately in love!》
-One sentence to make you understand the level of special admission students these days!
-Turns out love at first sight never existed in this world!!! Even Chi Yueshan, who declared her undying love for Wen Xinghuo, has fallen for someone else!
-I've never been this impressed by a special admission student in my life.
-The semester isn't even over... Is she really that fast?
-The Alpha this little sister found is pretty good-looking! I feel like she looks a bit like Xi Shuang. What is this! Revenge literature??
-Right now, I'm more concerned about Wen Xinghuo's feelings.
-I've seen these two at the library too, next to my VIP reading room.
-No, I want to know why!! What kind of magic does this Chi Yueshan have!!
-You guys probably don't know the true face of that drab first-year Omega [Image][Image]
-Hello, is this the interstellar version of an immersive Temptation to Go Home murder mystery script?
...
Xi Zhoumeng hadn't arrived at school yet. After her medical check-up in the morning, she went with Xi Li to the sanatorium to see her Omega mother, Chu Jing.
Xi Li didn't really want to go back to work either, so he shamelessly accompanied Xi Zhoumeng shopping and then dropped by Guyun Academy on the way.
But he had absolutely no place to sit. The extended luxury hovercar was filled with things his sister had bought, so Xi Li, a tall and strapping Alpha, could only squeeze into a corner.
The light-brain floated before her eyes. Xi Zhoumeng hadn't turned on the privacy screen, so Xi Li happened to glance at it.
"What's this all about?"
He saw Xi Zhoumeng tap open a larger image, a photo of a slender and beautiful Alpha eating with a petite and cute Omega.
The atmosphere looked very couple-like.
This made Xi Li reminisce about his own life at Guyun Academy.
He sighed, "Youth is wonderful, isn't it? Are you really not planning on falling in love?"
"By the way, what about that cute little O who's a 100% match for you?"
Xi Li didn't doubt Xi Zhoumeng's potential, as she, the youngest, had the highest spiritual power in the entire family.
Aside from being a bit short-tempered, having peculiar hobbies, and a sharp tongue, Xi Zhoumeng didn't have any other obvious flaws.
An Omega like her would be doted on, and even if she became an Alpha, she wouldn't have trouble finding a partner. It's just that she might end up getting a divorce.
Xi Zhoumeng turned off her light-brain and said flatly, "Didn't you just see it? A youthful school romance."
Xi Li didn't react for a moment. His naturally blond hair had been styled into a black slick-back, but it lacked the dignified air of a family head and instead looked a bit frivolous.
"Wait... don't turn it off yet... What's going on here... Didn't that little sister named Yue, Chi, uh, Chi Yueshan like Wen Xinghuo?"
Xi Zhoumeng nodded.
Xi Li recalled the photo that had flashed by. "Did Wen Xinghuo get a head transplant or plastic surgery?"
Xi Zhoumeng: "That's not Wen Xinghuo."
Xi Li said, "Oh. That's good... Hey, hey, hey!! Wait a minute!"
Xi Zhoumeng found him very noisy.
【System: Your house got stolen, didn't it!】
【Xi Zhoumeng: Is that how you use that term?】
Xi Li: "You're killing me with anxiety. I'm really scared that by the time you become an Alpha, your 100% match Omega will have already been marked by someone else."
Xi Zhoumeng replied nonchalantly, "So what? Do I have to have an Omega?"
Xi Li: "An Alpha will die without an Omega."
Xi Zhoumeng: "It's not that serious, is it?"
She looked Xi Li up and down several times. "Brother, aren't you living just fine?"
Xi Li: "I at least have a steady partner."
Xi Zhoumeng: "A temporary marking relationship. If I wanted one, I could have one too."
Xi Li: "If the compatibility rate is high, there's an unconscious attraction. Not to mention it's one hundred percent—that sense of attraction is even stronger. Some people go their whole lives without finding a partner like that."
But Xi Zhoumeng just shook her head, her expression looking extremely cold, one of complete indifference. "This kind of bond is also a shackle of fate."
Xi Li thought to himself: So damn stubborn.
The box of newly bought jewelry was now askew.
When Xi Zhoumeng arrived, it was afternoon, just in time for the elective course rehearsal.
Teacher Chen had specially arranged a large venue for the students to do a preview performance.
Chi Yueshan had lunch with Ling Xun, not expecting to find Ling Xun also at the elective course venue that afternoon.
Xi Shuang was standing next to her.
The two cousins didn't look very much alike; only when they stood together did one get a sense of familiarity.
Moreover, their temperaments were completely different. Xi Shuang was naturally extroverted, seemingly never unhappy, while Ling Xun was much more reserved. She usually wore a pair of retro silver-framed glasses.
When Ling Xun saw Chi Yueshan, she smiled at her.
Wen Xinghuo stood in a corner, but no one could ignore her.
After all, her aura was too domineering.
Sheng Yangkui stood in the same row as her, looking like a pitiful human who had wandered into another's territory.
Chi Yueshan sat to one side, watching the groups perform their previews one by one according to the group ranking order.
Many Alphas had also come to the theater. Some were there for guest roles, as the character assignments weren't quite filled out.
Some were the family members of Omegas, there to watch their partners perform.
A few days ago, the Alphas had just finished their month-long regular mecha combat simulation test and were enjoying a rare break.
Xi Shuang plopped down next to Chi Yueshan, pulling the hesitant Ling Xun over with her.
Xi Shuang: "Hey, junior. Are you nervous? I said I was coming to play a guest role, and Ling Xun said she wanted to come see me perform too."
The members of other groups in the front rows couldn't help but look at Chi Yueshan.
After all, everyone had been seeing Ling Xun and Chi Yueshan together all week.
Generally, special admission students weren't too ostentatious.
One reason was their status; even though the academy had rules against it, there was still a lot of hidden discrimination.
The second reason was that they were too poor, and everything at the academy cost money.
But Chi Yueshan seemed completely unafraid. She could confess her love on the first day of school, and she could also take on all sorts of internal part-time jobs at the academy for points.
She wasn't afraid that her love rival was the dream Omega Xi Zhoumeng, and could even rehearse a play with her.
Anyone who saw her would think she was the personification of courage.
There were many types of Omegas, but this inconspicuous one seemed to fear nothing in heaven or on earth.
Now, Chi Yueshan had a new hairstyle. The messy, wolf-tail-like hair had been cut, and the short hair made her look much fresher. She had also taken off her oversized glasses.
Her pair of emerald-green eyes were like a pool deep in a forest, holding an indescribable attraction.
Chi Yueshan glanced at Xi Shuang, but not at Ling Xun.
"I'm quite nervous. I'm really afraid of failing the course."
Xi Shuang had never really looked closely at Chi Yueshan before. When Ling Xun told her she kind of liked Chi Yueshan, her first reaction was that her cousin had probably gone mad.
Liking an Omega from the Lower World seemed crazy no matter how you looked at it.
If it were anyone else, Xi Shuang would think they were just looking for fun, but Ling Xun had always been a serious person since she was a child.
Her affection was definitely not perfunctory.
As for why, Ling Xun's answer was quite ridiculous.
Something like, "The way she glares at me is so cute."
I really couldn't tell you were into that kind of thing!!
I don't believe it, I absolutely don't believe it.
But as a qualified older cousin, Xi Shuang naturally had to do her utmost to create opportunities for her younger cousin.
Xi Shuang: "Failing? Impossible. How could you fail when you're in a group with Zhoumeng?"
After speaking, she cleared her throat. "The New Year's party, do you want to..."
Ling Xun looked at Xi Shuang, wanting to stop her cousin, but before she could speak, a familiar voice sounded out: "If you're afraid of failing, then hurry up and rehearse."
Xi Zhoumeng had arrived at some point and was walking right toward them.
Chi Yueshan turned her head and saw that Xi Zhoumeng had a new hairstyle. Her previously straight hair, like flowing light, had become stylish curls, the dark red color like a thicket of thorns, walking through a stretch of fragmented desolation.
Seeing her, Xi Shuang greeted her, "I heard you took time off?"
Xi Zhoumeng nodded. "I went to see my mother."
Everyone knew a little about the Xi family's affairs. The A and O parents rarely saw each other year-round, and Xi Zhoumeng's biological mother, Madam Chu, didn't participate much in the high-society wives' gatherings, preferring to live in the sanatorium. Xi Shuang didn't ask any more questions. She swapped places with Ling Xun, signaling her cousin to hurry up.
Unexpectedly, Xi Zhoumeng sat down before she could.
Ling Xun looked at Xi Shuang.
Xi Shuang covered her face and mouthed the word "forget it."
She didn't think too much of it, figuring that someone as proud as Xi Zhoumeng would never allow any flaws in her performance.
She was probably here to give Chi Yueshan some pointers again.
Xi Zhoumeng was the kind of person whose perfume you could smell before she even arrived.
But Chi Yueshan could always recall the scent of her pheromones.
The kind that came out of nowhere.
Yesterday, when she was at the library with Ling Xun, she had run into Xi Shuang and tried asking her about this.
But Xi Shuang said she didn't know.
The debonair Alpha shrugged and said, "I don't really understand those two, but I think they're probably dating."
"And they're a great match."
Xi Shuang was closer to Wen Xinghuo. They often practiced together in the Alpha academy's training classes, and she would occasionally see Wen Xinghuo furtively checking messages.
Xi Shuang felt there was no room for doubt. The one and only Omega in that girl's life was the ever-so-dazzling Xi Zhoumeng.
Who else could it be?
However, she had always believed that the two of them were just putting on a formal front for others to see.
After all, the nobility had its own hierarchy of status.
An interstellar version of Romeo and Juliet. Hope it has a happy ending.
Xi Zhoumeng noticed that Chi Yueshan wasn't as unkempt as before. Seeing the script resting on her lap, she casually asked, "When did you get your hair cut?"
Chi Yueshan: "A few days ago."
Xi Zhoumeng flipped through the pages and asked again, "Did Ling Xun go with you?"
Chi Yueshan: "Yes."
A group member named Jiang Xian, sitting next to them, felt the atmosphere was a bit strange.
It was a lot like a wife interrogating her cheating husband.
The problem was, they were both Omegas!
Xi Zhoumeng raised her eyes and reached out before Chi Yueshan could react. The next second, an earring was clipped onto Chi Yueshan's ear.
Most Omegas get their ears pierced after differentiating, but Chi Yueshan hadn't.
This clip-on earring was blue and looked quite valuable, as if it held the color of a starry sky.
Even someone with no eye for quality could tell it was genuine at a glance.
Chi Yueshan touched her ear and looked at Xi Zhoumeng in astonishment.
At this moment, Xi Zhoumeng's expression was gentle—so gentle that it made Chi Yueshan's hair stand on end.
For some reason, Chi Yueshan seemed to smell that faint, elusive scent of pheromones again.
It was emanating from Xi Zhoumeng, who was wearing a pheromone patch.
"What is this?"
Chi Yueshan asked.
Xi Zhoumeng nodded calmly. "The new hairstyle is nice. Much more pleasing to the eye than before."
Her change in style seemed to have altered her entire aura, making her somewhat cold face seem a few degrees warmer even when she wasn't smiling.
But Chi Yueshan felt that this sentence carried a familiar mockery.
"A prop. The character Fu Xin is suited for this kind of accessory."
She looked over, and as Chi Yueshan met her gaze, she felt like she had crashed into the eye of a typhoon.
She found it baffling and subconsciously asked, "What are you angry about?"
【System: Yeah, what are you angry about? Weren't you just playing around? Weren't you not going to develop real feelings?】
【System: Anger level detected at fifty percent. Given that your anger index has been below twenty percent for all these years, I assess that you are in a state of rage.】
For some reason, the system's mechanical voice was so damn snarky, and it even carried a sense of pleasure that suited Xi Zhoumeng's style.
Xi Zhoumeng: "Am I?"
She opened the script and glanced at it distractedly, only to find that she too could smell the scent of rust on Chi Yueshan.
Tempting pheromones.
So annoying. Maybe I should just trick her into my hands for real.
But that would be no fun.
Chi Yueshan kept feeling Xi Zhoumeng looking at her from the corner of her eye, but when she looked over, the other girl was intently studying the script again.
What is she up to?
Then she heard Xi Zhoumeng ask, "What's so great about Ling Xun that's worth you eating with her every day?"
Comments
Post a Comment