MORIC - Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Why Is It Meeting the Family Again?
If so many people weren't watching, Chi Yueshan would have loved to turn around and punch this woman.
She had been fiddling with her flower arrangement for so long and thought it looked quite good, but Xi Zhoumeng changed just one flower and it was completely different.
How could she!
Many people nearby recognized Chi Yueshan, and the familiar whispers started again.
-Hey, isn't that the first-year Omega who likes Wen Xinghuo?
-You can even recognize her? Why do I remember her not looking like this?
-Maybe she had plastic surgery.
You're the one who had plastic surgery! This old lady is naturally beautiful and doesn't need any work done at all.
Chi Yueshan was quite satisfied with herself, but that satisfaction was limited to the Lower World. After coming to Guyun Academy, she felt dissatisfied with everything.
She had never expected someone of Xi Zhoumeng's caliber. Perhaps the very air in the Upper World was different; everyone looked at least decent.
"Mhm, mhm, what a coincidence."
Chi Yueshan gave a perfunctory reply and looked at Zhan Siqi, "Senior, shall you continue?"
She didn't even want to look at Xi Zhoumeng, acting as if she were thin air, and was about to take out the yellow rose Xi Zhoumeng had inserted.
Xi Zhoumeng let out a laugh, and Zhan Siqi glanced at her hesitantly.
The extremely popular Omega senior was wearing a modified lotus-leaf cloak today. It was probably custom-made by the Xi Family; the insignia was dazzling, and the silk thread was in Xi Zhoumeng's usual style—the height of luxury. Even amidst the brilliance of the entire hall, it couldn't compare to a ten-thousandth of her splendor.
"Do you have anything else to do today?"
Xi Zhoumeng asked Zhan Siqi.
Xi Zhoumeng remembered Zhan Siqi, a new junior who had joined the council.
This bit of recognition left Zhan Siqi feeling flattered and overwhelmed. She remembered that during her interview, among the several seniors present, only Xi Zhoumeng had seemed absent-minded, yet she had still remembered her.
Chi Yueshan frowned as she watched Zhan Siqi nod with teary eyes.
What! Aren't you here to teach me?
What other important thing could there be?
"Then you can go first. Just leave this to me."
Xi Zhoumeng's voice was gentle, but her enunciation carried an indiscriminate tenderness, as if even those of the same sex were within her range of conquest.
Zhan Siqi gave Chi Yueshan an apologetic smile and left.
The others were still looking over curiously. Xi Zhoumeng stood beside Chi Yueshan and asked her, "About to fail the class?"
Chi Yueshan fiddled with a ranunculus, too lazy to bother with her. "Did you come here just to laugh at me?"
She was completely unaware that her tone when speaking to Xi Zhoumeng carried a subtle, almost imperceptible intimacy.
Xi Zhoumeng: "Yes, I did. How could anyone fail such a simple class?"
She casually picked up the yellow rose that Chi Yueshan had pulled out. Her freshly manicured nails were an indigo blue like the deep night. The pearlescent shimmer on them was like quicksand from a river of stars, making her long fingers appear even fairer. Not to mention, the ring on her ring finger was connected to her pinky by a silver chain studded with crushed diamonds. Every aspect screamed extravagance, making one inexplicably envious of the rose petals she pinched.
Chi Yueshan retaliated by pulling out all the flowers she had arranged.
She had no natural interest in tending to flowers and plants, and her Master was much the same. When the two of them were depending on each other for survival in the underground machine shop, the only living thing besides them was a turtle.
And it didn't require much effort to raise.
Flowers and plants were also very precious in the Lower World. Most people who liked them would buy some succulents, or use plastic flowers and plants to feign a vibrant, lively balcony.
Chi Yueshan: "Move away."
Her tone was unfriendly, and she even bumped into Xi Zhoumeng.
Xi Zhoumeng watched her rough technique and couldn't bear it any longer. "How about this: I'll teach you flower arranging. Not only will you not fail, but you'll also get a high score."
Chi Yueshan lifted her eyelids. "If the condition is that I give up on liking Senior, that's impossible."
Xi Zhoumeng scoffed. She reached out and picked up a camellia. "Something else."
Chi Yueshan said sarcastically, "Then you should beg me."
Xi Zhoumeng: "Then find someone more capable."
Her tone was devoid of emotion, as if she had just asked casually.
Chi Yueshan felt like there was some kind of conspiracy, but her subconscious told her that Xi Zhoumeng wasn't a bad person.
After all, Xi Zhoumeng had already helped her several times before this.
So why would she help me?
Generally speaking, wouldn't a love rival just ignore you?
Although she knew she wasn't a bad person, she didn't think she was a good person either.
Chi Yueshan lowered her head, looking at the diagram on the side, when a message from Ling Xun suddenly popped up.
-Yueshan, Zhan Siqi told me Senior Xi is going to teach you personally? That's great! Her flower arranging is one of the best. You definitely won't fail.
Chi Yueshan couldn't bring herself to smile. She had strong self-esteem, but in some respects, she wasn't that rigid.
She knew that taking advantage of a situation didn't depend on the size of the gain, but it did depend on who you were taking advantage of.
Doesn't taking advantage of Xi Zhoumeng mean I've lost?
But I can't fail. The fee for the makeup exam is too expensive.
I still want to try my best to learn proper mecha theory.
After weighing her options, Chi Yueshan looked up. "What's the condition?"
Xi Zhoumeng poked at the rose's thorns, explaining nonchalantly, "You beg me."
This woman is so petty.
Chi Yueshan pouted. After a long pause, she said, "I won't do anything related to Senior."
Xi Zhoumeng hummed lazily. "You beg me."
Is she a broken record?
Chi Yueshan: "Can I get into the top three?"
Getting in the top three for a single subject also came with some point rewards, which Chi Yueshan didn't want to miss out on.
Xi Zhoumeng laughed out loud. "Are you looking down on me?"
She was tall and slender, and even though she was standing lazily, she still gave Chi Yueshan a sense of being looked down upon.
Beneath the cloak, her figure was exquisite and well-proportioned. Her waist was so slender it seemed it would snap if bent, yet she exuded a nobility that made one dare not violate her.
Chi Yueshan: "Oh. Then if I don't get first place, you have to compensate me."
She deliberately provoked Xi Zhoumeng, not expecting the other to nod without a second thought. "Alright."
The next second, she repeated, "You beg me."
Chi Yueshan looked up speechlessly, her gaze on Xi Zhoumeng like she was looking at an unreasonable, tantrum-throwing cat.
She bit her lower lip. "I'm begging you."
Xi Zhoumeng shook her head. "Not sincere enough."
Chi Yueshan: "I'm begging you."
Xi Zhoumeng: "Who am I?"
Chi Yueshan glanced around. Everyone was busy with their own things, but her sense of shame was skyrocketing. After a long pause, she said in a fit of self-abandonment, "I'm begging you, Senior."
It was a little loud, and gazes from all directions fell upon them. Chi Yueshan's face flushed red.
Xi Zhoumeng laughed. "I thought for a second you were about to kneel and kowtow to me."
Chi Yueshan's face was bright red, purely from anger. "Why don't you kneel and lick the back of my foot?"
Xi Zhoumeng gave her a meaningful look. "You're such a pervert."
Chi Yueshan was speechless. It was the helpless feeling of punching cotton.
This person is so annoying.
"What's your condition?"
Chi Yueshan arranged all the flowers and then opened her light-brain to check the course requirements.
Xi Zhoumeng: "Accompany me out tonight. My older sister has a show, and she needs a model."
Chi Yueshan didn't quite understand. "Huh?"
Xi Zhoumeng: "The foreign model with green eyes who was originally booked got held up because of her interstellar visa."
Without looking up, Chi Yueshan said, "Couldn't she just wear colored contacts?"
Xi Zhoumeng didn't speak. Amidst the silence, Chi Yueshan looked up. "Alright, alright, I know I asked a stupid question."
Even though Chi Yueshan was from the Lower World, she knew that the modeling industry now had a strict rule: eye color could not be altered. This was because the industry collaborated with many alien star systems, and they were afraid that mutated Zerg could infiltrate through the iris.
Xi Zhoumeng: "Then let's go now."
Chi Yueshan let out a cry. "So soon? Aren't you going to teach me? My exam is on Monday."
Xi Zhoumeng gave a sneer. "This is simple. For the exam, even a pig could cram and pass."
Chi Yueshan couldn't take it anymore and stomped on her foot. "You're insulting me again."
Xi Zhoumeng glanced at the footprint on her white long boots. "These boots cost thirty thousand Star Coins."
Chi Yueshan: "My bad, big sis. Let's hurry up and go."
She quickly walked ahead of Xi Zhoumeng. "It won't be too late, right? I have other things to do."
Xi Zhoumeng: "What things? A date with that Alpha named Ling Xun?"
Chi Yueshan: "No! My feelings for Senior Wen are as clear as day for heaven and earth to see."
Xi Zhoumeng nodded. "Liking her while trampling on the hearts of other Alphas."
Chi Yueshan got angry. "Stop slandering me."
Walking beside Xi Zhoumeng, she had to stand on her tiptoes just to argue with her. Xi Zhoumeng walked very slowly, the footprint on her boot so obvious that passersby couldn't help but glance at it, as if a pristine gem had been stained with dirt. This made Chi Yueshan feel a little guilty. As she got into the car, Chi Yueshan still managed to ask with difficulty, "I don't have thirty thousand. How much is the cleaning fee?"
Xi Zhoumeng's hovercar was incredibly luxurious, even equipped with a shoe cabinet. Chi Yueshan watched, wide-eyed, as she took out a new pair of shoes and put them on.
The pair of long boots worth thirty thousand Star Coins had just been thrown into the trash can.
Chi Yueshan: So damn extravagant.
Xi Zhoumeng glanced at the dumbfounded Chi Yueshan. "Want to step on them again?"
The new boots she changed into looked very similar to the previous pair at first glance, but the detailed embellishments seemed even more luxurious. Chi Yueshan's mouth twitched; she felt as if she had recklessly wasted a precious thing.
What kind of Alpha could afford to support her?
Even Senior Wen probably couldn't afford it.
"What are you muttering about?"
Xi Zhoumeng had been listening to Chi Yueshan's constant muttering the whole way.
From the sky-rail, they could see the night scenery of the streets on both sides. The last time Chi Yueshan had come out was with Xi Zhoumeng, and this time it was with Xi Zhoumeng again. She felt a mix of excitement and speechlessness.
It felt like she and Xi Zhoumeng were always getting entangled somehow.
"I'm thinking of finding a place to work during the holidays."
Chi Yueshan got a headache just thinking about next year's tuition. Guyun Academy didn't allow students to stay in the dorms during the holidays, and Chi Yueshan had already given up her rental in the Lower World long ago.
She had to find a short-term job that included room and board. It would be even better if she could find work in a machine city.
However, her status as an Omega was another problem.
Xi Zhoumeng: "What about your parents?"
She had already seen some of the information, but she couldn't help but want to ask in person.
【System: Are you starting to get curious?】
【Xi Zhoumeng: The life story of the female cannon fodder, don't you want to know?】
Chi Yueshan: "They've been gone for a long time."
She didn't have much to be sad about, and she subconsciously touched the face of her watch again.
It felt like none of the main or supporting characters in this book had a happy family.
【System: Is your family not a happy one?】
【Xi Zhoumeng: Don't disgust me.】
She looked at Chi Yueshan's side profile and said as the hovercar arrived at its destination, "This place is hiring for the holidays. You can consider it, but I won't be pulling any strings for you."
A doorman opened the car door, and Chi Yueshan stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before her.
Xi Zhoumeng: "The official show isn't until tomorrow night. I found you on short notice, so I don't know if you'll be of any use."
Away from the campus, this seemed to be a glimpse into the life of the Upper World.
A grand manor, unceasing neon lights, a path lined with expensive ore lamps, and even the male servants guiding the way were dressed in high luxury brands.
Chi Yueshan was a little intimidated by this feeling of having money thrown in her face, feeling a bit dazed.
Xi Zhoumeng reached out and pulled her. Chi Yueshan didn't even have time to react before she was led by the hand into the inner area.
It was even busier inside. The most eye-catching person was a female Omega with her hair in an updo. She wasn't tall, but you could tell she was very energetic, and she had a fiery temper—
"Where is everyone? Where did they all go? Makeup? She's already done, what more is there to put on?"
"This flower basket is too ugly, get it out of here."
"Why are you asking me about a missing belt? It's not like I slept with you, right? If you dare to be late again, I'll chop you to pieces!"
...
Chi Yueshan heard these bold words from afar and shivered subconsciously.
Only then did she realize that her hand was being held by Xi Zhoumeng. By the time she looked down, Xi Zhoumeng had already let go.
But the sensation still lingered on Chi Yueshan's wrist, like the searing heat from a scorching hot bracelet, gnawing at her heart and leaving a patch of tingling numbness.
Amidst the music, a tall Beta reported to the woman, who then looked up and saw Xi Zhoumeng.
As she walked over quickly, she brought a gust of wind with her, and the scent of chamomile perfume hit Chi Yueshan right in the face.
"Zhoumeng, you're here? Your big sister missed you to death."
Big sister?
But Xi Zhoumeng didn't return the hug. She directly pulled Chi Yueshan over, placing her in front like she was moving some large decorative piece.
"This is the backup model I mentioned. It's up to you whether you use her or not."
If it weren't for Xi Yang's constant clamoring and daily light-brain bombardment, which had tormented Xi Li to the point of being unable to bear it, leading him to pass the buck to Xi Zhoumeng, Xi Zhoumeng wouldn't have brought Chi Yueshan here.
"Oh~ is this the Omega that Xi Li said is a one hundred percent match for you? What a cute little kitten. Come, let me have a good look."
Goosebumps erupted all over Chi Yueshan's body. She subconsciously stepped back, only to bump into Xi Zhoumeng's arms.
Xi Zhoumeng called out helplessly, "Third Sister."
"Act normal. She's timid."
Chi Yueshan: I almost believed you.
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