MORIC - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Pretending to be Dignified

If Chi Yueshan hadn't really felt it before, she discovered during her flower arranging exam that her fame had grown considerably.

In the past, she was an Omega who had never received a proper glance from anyone. Even the discussions about her as people passed by were the kind of whispers that were clearly mocking just from their looks.

Today, even their gazes had changed.

Xuan Ping, who had been in the mood to joke with her earlier, was the one who became nervous instead, her steps feeling a bit unsteady all the way from the cafeteria to the flower arranging classroom.

Chi Yueshan held back a laugh. "Pingping, didn't you say you weren't nervous?"

Logically, it should have been Chi Yueshan who was nervous. After all, this was the first practical exam of her first semester since enrolling, whereas Xuan Ping had already taken her elective exam last week.

But now, she was clutching Chi Yueshan's arm, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm afraid I'll be last. That would be so embarrassing."

Chi Yueshan said, "A few days ago, you said it should be no problem. Besides, your dear Alpha girlfriend has already given you private lessons."

Xuan Ping glanced at the people passing by. Many were looking at Chi Yueshan, their posture making it obvious they were gossiping.

Before, she had never imagined that her academy life would be spent with a girl who was such a hot topic.

But no matter how she looked at it, Chi Yueshan was bold, unruly, and fearless, which in turn gave her a sense of courage, as if she too could take that step forward.

It was just that, even now that she was dating Mu Lai, she still wasn't used to major public displays of affection. As a result, she would instantly cower like a quail when faced with the gazes of others.

Xuan Ping said, "Well, you were personally tutored by Senior Xi."

Chi Yueshan was speechless.

Hmm... personally tutored, and always provoking me.

Thinking about it now, Xi Zhoumeng was probably just enjoying the show.

That person is so annoying.

Perhaps Chi Yueshan's smile froze a bit too dramatically, as Xuan Ping sighed again. "The senior who taught me said the flower arranging teacher has her own preferences. As long as you follow the general direction of the style she likes, you can't go wrong."

Xuan Ping said, "But I'm still so worried."

Chi Yueshan thought of Xi Zhoumeng's guidance. The other girl seemed to handle everything with ease, and she spoke as if she knew the teacher very well. But she herself surely wouldn't pander to the teacher's tastes during an exam.

Seeing her spacing out, Xuan Ping asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Xi..." Chi Yueshan began subconsciously, then quickly clamped her mouth shut. Xuan Ping, however, covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled. "I knew you didn't dislike Senior as much as you let on."

Chi Yueshan didn't even want to explain anymore.

But the exam went just as she had expected. The topic was almost exactly what Xi Zhoumeng had predicted, so all Chi Yueshan had to do was follow what she had practiced to finish.

Xuan Ping still wasn't finished when she left. She waved at Chi Yueshan, who then departed.

There were many exams this week, so the stairways in the academic building were a bit crowded. Some couples who had finished their exams were waiting for their partners.

Chi Yueshan pushed up her glasses. She was back in the style of clothes she used to prefer and was thinking about finding an opportunity to return the other clothes to Xi Zhoumeng.

She had no idea what kind of high-end suppressant Xi Zhoumeng had given her, but she found that having her heat suppressed felt no different from not being in heat at all.

As long as her emotions remained stable, there wasn't even the embarrassing overflow.

How much must that have cost?

Chi Yueshan checked her light-brain account, hoping her salary had been deposited.

There was also the payment for the small parts she had made before. Adding it all up, and based on the market price of pheromone patches...

Damn, it's still not enough.

Even if it were barely enough, if she transferred the money to Xi Zhoumeng, would she even accept it?

The young lady's bank account probably had an unimaginable number of digits.

Chi Yueshan descended the stairs, lost in thought, indifferent to the gossip from those around her.

The way she looked walking while lost in thought was actually quite cute, even though the clothes under her school robe weren't very new, her pants were wide, and her shoes were round-toed leather ones.

At least her hair was smoother than before, and the split ends were gone. She was like a stray puppy that had been taken home and given a thorough cleaning; even if it still wanted to roam, it was now tinged with the scent of that family.

Ling Xun had been following Chi Yueshan for quite a while, but Chi Yueshan hadn't noticed.

During exam week, waves of people moved through the academic building, their voices a clamor of complaints about exam questions and teachers' grading, as well as worries about what to wear to the ball before the winter break.

An Alpha classmate who had been walking with Ling Xun earlier parted ways with her, only to run into her again. The classmate asked, "Aren't you going to go up and talk to her?"

Ling Xun smiled. "In a moment."

The other person was an old acquaintance of Ling Xun's. Seeing such an expression on her face for the first time, they asked, "Seriously? I didn't quite believe it when other people said it. You like her?"

Unlike most Alphas, who had an open view on relationships, Ling Xun took matters of the heart very seriously. This was perhaps due to the teachings of her late mother, who had taught her that as an Alpha, she must not wantonly trample on an Omega's affections. To this day, Ling Xun had never been in a relationship.

"I don't know."

Ling Xun reached out and patted her old classmate's shoulder. "How could you tell?"

"I'm not about to analyze it for you. I've got to go get lunch."

The other person huffed, seemingly certain that they would be force-fed a meal of public affection if they stayed any longer, and turned to leave.

But two Alphas staring intently at an Omega was bound to attract attention.

Amidst the snickers of several people walking toward her, Chi Yueshan finally snapped out of it and saw Ling Xun standing two steps away.

The slender Alpha wore her school robe. Unlike the modified versions many students wore, every one of her buttons was fastened neatly, and the robe itself had no adornments, making it look almost too plain.

"Ling Xun?"

Chi Yueshan suddenly felt a bit awkward, remembering that she had stood the other girl up.

Even though she had given her advance notice, she still felt the unease of having deceived her.

After all, the "something" she had to do had ended with her tumbling into bed with Xi Zhoumeng.

Ling Xun walked up and apologized first. "I saw you were deep in thought, so I followed you for a little while."

Chi Yueshan replied, "It's fine. Did you need me for something?"

Ling Xun asked, "How did your exam go?"

Chi Yueshan's brow furrowed, and Ling Xun, thinking she was displeased, said, "I'm sorry, if..."

"It went great!" Chi Yueshan said.

She smiled at Ling Xun, then sighed. "I'm not angry. It's just, whenever flower arranging comes up, I subconsciously..."

She pointed to her eyebrows. "Get uncontrollably irritated."

Her eyebrows had been specially shaped for the runway show, and though she wasn't dressed up today, she still exuded a fresh charm.

Ling Xun had seen Chi Yueshan's stage performance on StarNet, and just like all the other netizens, she felt a thrill for such a person.

It was strange, as if a childhood fantasy had become tangible.

What she had thought was hopeless now held a glimmer of hope.

Even though Ling Xun hadn't yet seen Chi Yueshan modify the parts for her, she had already arbitrarily decided that Chi Yueshan was someone worthy of her trust.

"What about you? I heard you had your mecha theory exam today. What did they test you on?"

Chi Yueshan asked curiously as they walked side by side. Along the academy's main avenue, the winter ivy was as lush as ever, and interspersed among it were newly planted wintersweet, blooming with passionate fervor.

Ling Xun replied, "It was basically content from the textbook. It's just..."

She frowned slightly. Her gentle eyes and brows were usually relaxed, so the frown struck Chi Yueshan as novel. She pressed on curiously, "Just what?"

Ling Xun took a milk candy from her pocket and offered it to Chi Yueshan. "It's just that I'm really not good at drawing diagrams."

Guyun Academy's mecha theory was very complex. Although Ling Xun was strong in practical application, her theoretical knowledge was always a bit lacking.

This was a common failing among many Alphas. Perhaps Ling Xun's goal had always been Wen Xinghuo; because the other girl was a prodigy with S-rank abilities in every aspect, Ling Xun hoped to become better herself.

Chi Yueshan grew even more curious. "If you don't mind, could you let me..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Ling Xun had already answered, "I don't mind."

The rest of Chi Yueshan's words were caught in her throat. She let out a small "uh," suddenly feeling like she was getting ahead of herself.

To think that Ling Xun might actually like me a little.

But to an onlooker, the scene was quite beautiful.

After all, people are drawn to beauty. The reason many people were not optimistic about Wen Xinghuo and Xi Zhoumeng's relationship was partly because they felt the two did not meet the public's aesthetic standards in terms of appearance.

Even though love is a matter for those involved, there were still bystanders who felt it was nothing more than a fantasy.

Besides, a couple desperately needs atmosphere. Even if Xi Zhoumeng considered her acting perfect and her persona well-fleshed-out, it was difficult to truly create a perfect atmosphere with Wen Xinghuo.

In this world, almost anything can be performed, but love is the one thing that is difficult to act out to perfection.

Even actors need the support of lighting, makeup, costumes, and music...

The flower arranging teacher, who was also an honorary member of the Floral Art Association, leaned against the window. Watching the students milling about in groups below, she joked with Xi Zhoumeng, "How come I've never seen you roughhousing with anyone?"

The teacher looked to be in her early thirties, but her child was already almost ten. She had the typical look of a virtuous and capable Omega, and many young Omegas had studied floral art with her since childhood.

Xi Zhoumeng had first been brought along by Xi Yang; the older sister, whose own homework was a complete mess, had her younger sister, still in middle school, help her out.

Over time, she had gotten to know this teacher.

Although flower arranging was a required course, the Xi family also had their own private tutors for it.

Xi Yang was simply too unruly at home, so her mother, Chu Jing, and her eldest brother had escorted her there against her will.

Unfortunately, the fiery-tempered Omega found it difficult to calm her heart for such things. Despite having an impeccable aesthetic sense, her heart was set on becoming a tailor.

"That doesn't suit my personality."

Xi Zhoumeng was dressed in her school robe, the petal collar of her blouse beneath it enveloping her slender neck, perfectly complementing the pink petal earrings on her earlobes.

She said this without the slightest blush, then stated the purpose of her visit. "That first-year student named Chi Yueshan, what did you think of her work?"

【System: Are you her mother?】

【Xi Zhoumeng: In a certain sense, you're not wrong.】

She didn't know if the system's corrupted data had recently been repaired, but Xi Zhoumeng wasn't hearing as much static, and she felt it had become less whiny.

It just still wouldn't stay quiet.

The teacher looked out the window, her gaze drawn to the most eye-catching pair in the crowd: an Alpha and an Omega student looking at each other.

She let out a sound of surprise. "Is that her?"

"What?"

Xi Zhoumeng followed her pointing finger and discovered the two people gazing at each other under the plum tree.

She recognized the taller one, too: the well-known first-year Alpha, Ling Xun. Her family was second-tier—not terrible, but not particularly good either.

But as an Alpha, she was quite good.

As for the shorter one, Xi Zhoumeng was intimately familiar with her pheromones. It was just that with the reinforced pheromone patch and the bustling post-exam crowd, the scents were all jumbled, so Xi Zhoumeng hadn't been able to pinpoint her exact location.

Now, she had a precise lock.

Chi Yueshan has gotten mixed up with Ling Xun again.

Their shared gaze looked so tender and affectionate; they looked for all the world like a pair of smitten lovers.

The teacher's love for gossip was by no means inferior to her students'. Knowing that Xi Zhoumeng wasn't the type one could easily joke with, she asked out of simple curiosity, "I heard that Chi Yueshan likes your Wen Xinghuo. What's the situation now? Has she already given up?"

Xi Zhoumeng chuckled. "Oh no."

It was just that Wen Xinghuo was a stubborn, stinking stone in a latrine, and Chi Yueshan was a weed outside a thatched hut.

What a stinking stone needed wasn't a weed. It needed a falling meteor of fire, someone who could shatter it to pieces and grant it complete redemption.

As for the weed, well, someone had to come and reap it.

After all, with a bit of tidying up, it could make for the most beautiful decoration.

The teacher sighed, feeling she probably didn't understand the youth of today. She asked again, "Then did you come here specifically to ask about Chi Yueshan's grade to scout out the competition?"

For the first time, Xi Zhoumeng was this speechless.

Does she need to scout out a rival of this caliber?

If there was someone she truly wanted to obtain, there would be no such thing as a love rival.

She would just snatch them, possess them. As for a creature like a love rival, she would just eliminate them.

My flower can only be arranged by me, in a suitable vase.

"Then, do I need to give her a low score for your sake?"

The teacher glanced at the photo of the finished piece, looking a little regretful. "I find her work quite to my taste, you know. It gives me the same feeling your work did, all those years ago."

Xi Zhoumeng thought to herself: Of course it does. I taught her.

On the surface, she remained dignified and stern. "There's no need. I have always preferred fair competition."

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