MORIC - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Thank-you Gift

Xi Li had someone send up a simple set of flower arranging tools, but the two people inside didn't use them at all.

After sleeping, getting an injection, and changing clothes, it was already late in the morning, and Xi Yang's brand fashion show was that evening.

Chi Yueshan was on the verge of tears from anxiety.

Yet Xi Zhoumeng remained slow and methodical, descending the stairs as if she were about to ascend the throne. Chi Yueshan, utterly exasperated, reached out and pulled her down.

Xi Zhoumeng: "Slow down."

Chi Yueshan nearly lost her temper. "You hurry up! We're running out of time. Can you guarantee I'll learn this in a crash course? I still can't even recognize all the flowers."

The curriculum at Guyun Academy included some basics. The first flower arranging class, aside from covering history, involved students identifying flowers randomly pointed out by the teacher.

Omegas from the Upper World had no fear of flower arranging; most had been immersed in it since childhood. Only the students from the Lower World found themselves in an awkward position.

Chi Yueshan was never one to admit defeat, but many things couldn't be mastered through rote memorization alone.

Xuan Ping had parents and a family, and getting into Guyun Academy had been her goal since she was young. Even if flower arranging was difficult for her, she at least had some foundation.

Chi Yueshan had lived a turbulent and displaced life for her first eighteen years. Even when things settled down a bit, she hadn't enjoyed much warmth. Moreover, growing flowers in the Lower World was difficult; even plastic flowers were expensive.

Crafting a mechanical rose was her true forte.

As she was pulled downstairs by Chi Yueshan, Xi Zhoumeng found her dress completely unsuitable for walking quickly. The bustle pads created a perky, rounded silhouette. She frowned, shook off Chi Yueshan's hand, and said slowly, "I know."

Chi Yueshan sniffled. "Don't you lie to me."

Xi Zhoumeng was used to this person's scornful attitude. Crying was usually a sign of helplessness, like during her heat in the lounge, or last night's loss of control.

This must be the first time she's been helpless for a reason other than her heat, right?

How novel.

A maid led the way in front. Xi Zhoumeng stood beside Chi Yueshan and noticed she had her head down, biting her lip, exuding an air of sorrow.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

Xi Zhoumeng casually picked a stray hair from the collar of Chi Yueshan's shirt. "This outfit is really beautiful."

The corner of Chi Yueshan's mouth twitched. This entire outfit is yours, she thought. And here you are, complimenting yourself.

A strange sense of disappointment washed over her, and she let out a huff.

"Who knows."

It was only today that Chi Yueshan learned Xi Zhoumeng had such severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies, unable to stand a misaligned button on a shirt, so agitated she could have ripped the button right off.

If Chi Yueshan hadn't stopped her in time, this person might have ruined another expensive piece of clothing.

She was starting to regret it now.

It's not my shirt, anyway. Why should I care?

Xi Zhoumeng glanced down and noticed the girl muttering to herself again. "Are you cursing me in your head again?"

Chi Yueshan reacted quickly. "No."

Xi Zhoumeng scoffed. "You only have a few curses in your repertoire, anyway. No taste."

Just then, they arrived at the Flower House. The maid opened the door, and Chi Yueshan shot back, "What do you mean I have no taste!"

Xi Zhoumeng couldn't be bothered to reply, instead going to pick out flowers she deemed suitable for arranging.

Chi Yueshan argued, "What do you mean I only have a few curses? I'm very good at cursing, I'll have you know. Back when I was taking jobs, I ran into this kind of..."

She trailed off.

Xi Zhoumeng disliked peonies and set them aside, moving to select a base. She asked casually, "Taking jobs? What kind of jobs?"

Somehow, such a proper term sounded rather vulgar coming from her.

And yet, she looked so ethereal.

Chi Yueshan pressed her lips together. "It's nothing. Just forget it."

Xi Zhoumeng handed her a standard base while picking out fresh flowers, her voice still laced with languor. "Isn't it just about your time in the Lower World? You can tell me about it."

She had been looking for an opportunity to ask.

She couldn't pry anything out of Wen Xinghuo, who stubbornly refused to admit she knew Chi Yueshan.

So whose memory was wrong?

Could it be that the book I transmigrated into isn't the original story?

A fanfiction based on it? Or an ending that someone rewrote?

Xi Zhoumeng's finger tapped the stamen of a camellia. The thought that this book was never even finished gave her an even bigger headache.

She had no idea what Wen Xinghuo's final outcome was.

The latest chapter she had read was about Wen Xinghuo going off to fight for the Empire.

The protagonist certainly wouldn't fail. After a triumphant return would come supreme glory and the rise of her family.

She would become the head of the Upper World's nobility.

"There's nothing worth telling. In any case, my life wasn't as comfortable as yours."

Chi Yueshan clutched the base and asked Xi Zhoumeng, "What kind of theme should I make? They say the teacher prefers something more elegant and refined."

Xi Zhoumeng lifted her eyelids. "A spherical shape is relatively simple. Why don't you start with a rose one?"

She then pointed to some billy buttons on the side, gesturing for Chi Yueshan to use her creativity.

Chi Yueshan felt this was too simple. "They definitely wouldn't test us on this, right?"

Xi Zhoumeng wasn't a great teacher, and for anyone else, she would have been too lazy to take on such a thankless task.

But seeing Chi Yueshan clutch the rose, call it too simple, yet still try to arrange it, made Xi Zhoumeng want to laugh.

Like a kitten tentatively testing its claws.

Chi Yueshan bared her teeth at her. "What are you laughing at!"

Xi Zhoumeng tilted her chin up. "The front-to-back placement is too extreme."

Chi Yueshan frantically went to fix it, but the billy buttons she used to fill the gaps now seemed too dense in her hands.

Xi Zhoumeng had little patience to begin with and reached out directly, grabbing Chi Yueshan's hand to remove some of the billy buttons.

The arrangement stand was quite large, yet the hand-over-hand instruction made the space feel cramped. Xi Zhoumeng was a slender Omega, but standing next to Chi Yueshan, one could see she was tall with a not-so-small frame, enough to completely envelop Chi Yueshan.

"Take some out, otherwise it looks too suffocating."

Her tone held no mockery. The palm of the hand holding Chi Yueshan's was warm. Perhaps it was the ring that made Chi Yueshan uncomfortable, or maybe it was the necklace on Xi Zhoumeng's chest.

Or perhaps it was that this person's chest padding was so exaggerated that it made Chi Yueshan's entire body go rigid.

After a long moment, she finally managed an "oh."

Xi Zhoumeng had no romantic thoughts whatsoever. She pushed away, casually picked out some materials, and set them aside. "Follow my lead."

"Do you remember which style, Eastern or Western, is about filling space and which is about creating it?"

The shelves behind them held many vases of various shapes. Xi Zhoumeng had prepared the same materials for Chi Yueshan as for herself.

But no matter what, Chi Yueshan couldn't manage to be casual.

The question made her skin crawl. It was only at this moment that she truly felt, "This person is my senior."

"I-I remember..."

Xi Zhoumeng said, "Oh," and gave her a look tinged with a smile.

The look gave Chi Yueshan goosebumps, and she nodded.

"I don't know how to explain it," Xi Zhoumeng said, picking up a branch of spirea. "Just follow me through it once."

Chi Yueshan's impression of Xi Zhoumeng was mostly tied to her being a love rival. She never thought Xi Zhoumeng was particularly accomplished academically; after all, her grades were available on the forums.

Xi Zhoumeng was nowhere near the top of the class.

Her scores in public courses were barely passing, and her overall grades made one worry she might fail.

But she seemed to handle these Omega-specific courses with ease.

Just like now, she could become serious when she wanted to, entering the zone in a second.

They say a focused person is captivating. Chi Yueshan used to find her master captivating when she was engrossed in drafting blueprints, but that was the admiration she held for an elder.

Now, as she watched Xi Zhoumeng lower her head to arrange flowers—spirea, monstera, cymbidium leaves...

She wasn't like the other students in class who needed to look at their notes; she had a kind of effortless grace.

Chi Yueshan clumsily followed along. Xi Zhoumeng would glance at her from time to time, reaching out to adjust a branch or leaf, while saying, "You should do an Eastern style. The teacher likes some of the Eastern ones."

There were only two teachers for the flower arranging course, both renowned Omega floral artists. Xi Zhoumeng had met them during her middle school years and would even pay them visits during holidays.

These relationships were usually maintained by Xi Li, be it the wife of a minister or some distant relative.

But there were times when her Alpha big brother couldn't handle it, her second brother was a slacker Beta, and her third sister was a feisty Omega, which, by contrast, made Xi Zhoumeng seem to bring great honor to the family.

Chi Yueshan said, "Oh. No wonder my quiz scores are so low."

Xi Zhoumeng said, "Be gentler with the flowers."

She stared at a petal Chi Yueshan had pinched off. Startled by her sharp tone, Chi Yueshan said, a little hurt, "I am being gentle."

Xi Zhoumeng thought of the incident where this person had sent an Alpha flying at the entrance of the Pearl Auditorium.

She asked, "Are you naturally this strong?"

Chi Yueshan huffed. "Believe it or not, I can pick you up."

Xi Zhoumeng's arrangement was already finished. She nodded. "Alright."

Chi Yueshan scrambled to keep up. "Not right now. I'm not as strong during my heat. I can carry you after it's over."

Xi Zhoumeng reached for a second vase. "Why would an Omega like you want to carry me?"

She truly didn't know how this girl had grown up. She seemed so starved for affection, and her life appeared to have been very frugal.

Perhaps giving a name to a fictional character was like raising a child; Xi Zhoumeng felt a degree of emotional transference, especially now that the paper character had become a living person.

What she actually meant was that Chi Yueshan should have been the one to be pampered and cherished as she grew up.

If this were her original world, Xi Zhoumeng certainly had the ability to do so.

Chi Yueshan, however, misunderstood. She reacted as if a sore spot had been poked. "What's wrong with being an Omega? There's no law that says one Omega can't pick up another Omega!"

It seemed she was easily provoked in front of Xi Zhoumeng.

Besides, Xi Zhoumeng's strength had been terrifying yesterday when they were both in heat! She was the one who threw me from the sofa to the bed!

Chi Yueshan's face flushed red. She inserted the last leaf, then charged forward in a single bound, attacking Xi Zhoumeng from behind in an attempt to lift her.

She didn't budge an inch.

Chi Yueshan was stunned.

Xi Zhoumeng calmly continued to select a vase. "What are you, crazy? Didn't you take an suppressant shot? Are you wanting it again?"

Chi Yueshan thought through gritted teeth: How can this person's mouth be so foul!

She wrapped her arms around Xi Zhoumeng's waist again, found it was still no use, and refused to attribute it to her weakness from the suppressant shot during her heat. After all, she could still carry a bag of rice up and down stairs during her heat before.

"You're too heavy! I'm going to expose you on the forums for saying you only weigh a hundred and ten pounds!"

Xi Zhoumeng turned around. "When did I say I weigh a hundred and ten pounds?"

She tilted her head. The openwork lace made the white skin of her chest a tantalizing, half-hidden sight. A ruby, like a red beauty mark, was nestled right in the middle, serving as a warning.

She handed over the porcelain vase. Chi Yueshan subconsciously took it, and in the next second, she was lifted off her feet at the waist.

Xi Zhoumeng looked down, a hint of pride in her voice. "I am, after all, a perfect Omega with S-rank spiritual power."

Chi Yueshan was both humiliated and incredulous, her eyes practically shooting fire, wanting to burn this female Omega whose jawline was so superior.

Xi Zhoumeng's laughter was filled with delight. "Right, and we're a perfect match. It seems that even when both are Omegas, one is still stronger."

The words couldn't have been more smug. Chi Yueshan didn't believe for a second that a one hundred percent match held any profound meaning.

Besides, two Omegas couldn't reproduce. Even if they got together, it was useless without an Alpha's pheromones. Although some niche O-O couples would consume black market Alpha pheromones together during their heats, it would lead to side effects in the long run.

Love is precious, but life is more valuable.

Chi Yueshan still thought it was all too foolish.

Even if I really like Senior Wen, I wouldn't die for her.

Even after being set down, Chi Yueshan refused to admit defeat. "Again! I don't believe it!"

A smile played on Xi Zhoumeng's lips, which in Chi Yueshan's eyes was pure mockery. "Alright."

She opened her arms as if waiting for Chi Yueshan to rush into them. Chi Yueshan reached out and failed once more.

Seeing her face flush red with anger, Xi Zhoumeng adopted a tone of feigned concern. "Darling, stop messing around. You've only made one arrangement."

Chi Yueshan retorted, "How am I supposed to learn when you do it so fast!"

Xi Zhoumeng said, "It depends on your aptitude."

She shrugged. Chi Yueshan threw a fit. "I don't care, you promised you could guarantee me a top-three spot!"

Xi Zhoumeng nodded perfunctorily. "You will. Just make a few more, get proficient with the movements, and then memorize it. This universal formula will definitely suit the teacher's taste."

Chi Yueshan asked, "Really?"

Xi Zhoumeng replied, "Really."

Chi Yueshan did as she was told, becoming so focused that even Xi Zhoumeng didn't have the heart to disturb her.

A crash course, after all, was just about memorizing material. Any subject was difficult to learn in depth, but Xi Zhoumeng could at least teach the superficial basics.

Chi Yueshan got better and better with each arrangement. She was a quick study, and she never made a mistake Xi Zhoumeng pointed out a second time. By the time the sun began to set, she was already adept.

Xi Zhoumeng felt a strange sense of pride. She watched Chi Yueshan cheer, feeling a little joyful herself.

Chi Yueshan admired her own work for a long while before finally saying, "Thank you."

Even if this was a transaction.

Xi Zhoumeng made a joke. "What did the etiquette class say you were supposed to do to thank a teacher three hundred years ago?"

She knew Chi Yueshan wasn't interested in etiquette class, that she was practically feral.

But she had forgotten that Chi Yueshan was excellent at rote memorization.

The next second, a kiss landed on Xi Zhoumeng's cheek.

The Omega who had stood on her toes to kiss her was blushing furiously. Perhaps from excessive embarrassment, even her neck was red. She didn't look at Xi Zhoumeng at all, stammering, "You-you don't have to test me like that. I'm very, very good at theory."

Xi Zhoumeng nodded haughtily, then added a critique, "Next time, don't make a sound when you kiss."

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