MORIC - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Who Sets a Trap Without Batting an Eye

Chi Yueshan had originally planned to ask Xi Zhoumeng out for a meal after the exams, especially since the even more painful final performance for her drama elective was coming up.

She had come to fully realize just how important Xi Zhoumeng was.

After all, while she could practice with the other group members, her main scenes were opposite Xi Zhoumeng. Damn it, without her, she couldn't get through it at all.

But the matter with Ling Xun was still unresolved.

When Ling Xun suggested they eat together, Chi Yueshan took the opportunity to ask if she could see her mecha.

Ling Xun wasn't surprised in the least and agreed readily.

"Ling Xun, you should have your own dedicated mecha technician, right?"

Chi Yueshan wasn't very familiar with Ling Xun's family background, but how could an Alpha from the Alpha division not have a mecha technician, unless their circumstances were special?

Those from well-off families even had their own exclusive, one-on-one technicians.

Ling Xun: "I do, but I want to bind with the one my maternal grandmother left behind. The DNA sequence is compatible, so it can be activated, but the parts are severely outdated."

The Alpha had a pair of brown eyes and spoke with a gentle warmth, completely devoid of the usual Alpha aggressiveness.

Compared to an Alpha like Wen Xinghuo, whose very presence was imposing, Ling Xun clearly had the kind of appearance that Omegas would find more appealing.

Chi Yueshan, however, was immune.

After all, Xi Zhoumeng was already stunning enough. Her face was the type that could look completely different just by changing her dress, offering a fresh look every time. In comparison, it made Ling Xun seem somewhat plain.

Chi Yueshan said, "Oh," and asked, "Then how did you bring it to the academy?"

Ling Xun: "I'd like to invite you to my home to see it."

They were eating in the dining hall, which was noisy after the exams. Chi Yueshan didn't quite catch what she said and asked, "What?"

Ling Xun repeated herself. Chi Yueshan nodded, a bit disappointed. "I thought we were going to the mecha bay."

Ling Xun thought for a moment. "Exams just ended, so it should be empty. If you want to go, I can take you there too."

Chi Yueshan's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Ling Xun: "Some senior Alphas have taken their girlfriends there before."

She realized the ambiguity in her words as soon as she said them and hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant."

Chi Yueshan wasn't like a typical Omega anyway. After all, what other Omega was bold enough to earn their tuition by livestreaming?

She'd heard plenty of jokes like that. The Lower World was a chaotic mix of people, and she came from one of its most dangerous districts. After she presented, quite a few people had wanted to date her.

When her Master was around, she would protect her. After her Master passed away, Chi Yueshan had to protect herself.

Perhaps she had reserved all her innocent yearnings for Wen Xinghuo, making her shyness a limited-edition trait.

So now, she just waved her hand naturally. "I know."

She cupped her face in her hands and asked Ling Xun, "But the academy rules forbid it. Are you sure it's okay?"

Having ditched her old, thick black frames, her current glasses made her eyes seem even brighter. It felt as if being gazed upon by those green eyes could grant a person boundless strength.

For once, Ling Xun nodded with uncharacteristic boldness. "I'll protect you."

Chi Yueshan: "Okay, thank you."

After visiting her flower arrangement instructor, Xi Zhoumeng was heading back to her dorm to sleep when she ran into Xi Shuang on the path. Xi Shuang was unusually by herself, and she looked rather gloomy.

Seeing Xi Zhoumeng, who was holding a parasol even against the winter sun, she called out a greeting, "Yo, Zhoumeng."

Xi Zhoumeng didn't seem to be in a good mood either and merely nodded.

Xi Shuang said, "I just bought some dessert. Here, this box of cake is for you."

Xi Zhoumeng refused. "Why do you look like you just got KO'd?"

"Why do you always manage to land a precision strike on my self-confidence?"

Xi Shuang flicked her bangs. "Just came from the training hall. Got beaten to a pulp by your Wen."

She glanced at the Omega, who was exquisite from her hair down to her toes. "Can you talk to her next time? It's just an exam, there's no need to be so brutal, is there?"

Xi Shuang pointed indignantly at the corner of her mouth. "She actually hit me in the face!"

Xi Zhoumeng nodded listlessly. "I can't control her. You should go talk to Junior Sheng."

Xi Shuang let out a heavy "Ah!"

"What's that supposed to mean? Did you have a fight with Wen Xinghuo?"

Suddenly, the pain in her lip subsided. Xi Shuang, clutching the small cake box, excitedly cursed Wen Xinghuo, "I knew there was something wrong with that big lug! I'll go give her a piece of my mind! I'll help you beat her up!"

This was clearly a personal vendetta disguised as help, a chance to get her own back.

Xi Zhoumeng: "Just don't get beaten up again."

Xi Shuang huffed, but ultimately, she was concerned about the relationship between her goddess and her good friend. "What's going on? You can tell me, you know."

【System: Are you going to make your move?】

【Xi Zhoumeng: It has to happen sooner or later.】

Her tone was genuinely impatient.

Even the system could sense the host's anger, but it didn't dare voice its own indignation. After all, it was useless.

It secretly checked Xi Zhoumeng's favorability rating toward Chi Yueshan.

Whoa, 74%. That's so high.

To put it in perspective, Xi Zhoumeng's favorability rating for most passersby was only 1-10%.

For classmates she had actually spoken to, it was 10-20%. For minor characters from the original novel like Xi Shuang, it was 30-40%. Even for Wen Xinghuo, the protagonist whom she had practically watched grow up, the rating was barely at a passing grade.

Chi Yueshan's favorability rating was in a league of its own.

This person must have been a completely cold-hearted scoundrel before, right?

It's unclear what Xi Zhoumeng was thinking, but she glanced at Xi Shuang's bruised face and smiled sweetly. "Alright. You can treat me to a cup of coffee."

Xi Shuang nodded. "It would be my honor."

They chatted in the café at the center of the dormitory complex.

The winter sun outside the window was warm, and the afternoon campus was still bustling with people. Xi Shuang exclaimed, "Damn it!" nearly causing the part-time Omega server to spill the coffee.

Xi Zhoumeng reminded her lightly, "Calm down."

Xi Shuang lowered her voice. "How am I supposed to calm down? Zhoumeng, you're just too magnanimous. I was wondering why I saw that girl sitting there during the livestream. Even if she was the lucky winner, shouldn't she have kept her distance to avoid suspicion?"

Her voice was tinged with disappointment, as if scolding iron for not becoming steel—the perfect definition of a frenemy.

"That blockhead Wen Xinghuo!"

Xi Zhoumeng fiddled with her spoon. Her bangs were fluffy, and her curly hair cascaded over her chest, with one side draped over her back. Whether viewed from the front or the side, she possessed an elegance that was simply unmatched.

It was a poise that seemed forged through a thousand trials, a lesson drilled into her very soul countless times over.

Anyone who had met the Xi siblings would praise Xi Zhoumeng's etiquette to no end, only to then feel dissatisfied with that of the other three.

This was despite the other three being considered model examples of an Alpha, a Beta, and an Omega.

Xi Zhoumeng smiled. "If she truly likes her, then I will offer my sincere blessings."

She gazed out the window at the gradually setting sun, her eyes holding a hint of feigned strength, as if she'd been hurt. The atmosphere she created made it all the more heart-wrenching to watch.

Xi Shuang couldn't believe that Wen Xinghuo, who had only been enrolled for one semester of her first year, had already reached the point of a relationship crisis.

To abandon an Omega that everyone was practically drooling over, and instead pursue a royal princess.

"I think this is too reckless!"

Xi Shuang mulled it over, still feeling something was off. "She hasn't even known that princess for long, has she? I remember the awards ceremony for the kendo tournament... and what else..."

Xi Shuang was practically scratching her head in frustration. Wen Xinghuo always wore a neat, high ponytail, while Xi Shuang was a spunky Alpha with braids wrapped around her head—braids that people on the forums had once suspected were fake, a rumor she had to personally debunk on a livestream.

"And your drama class! I remember now!"

Xi Shuang propped her chin on her hand, pouting. "Could it be that familiarity bred affection? But you haven't been rehearsing for that long. Besides, what's so great about being with a princess? If she ends up inheriting the throne... then it's all for nothing..."

Xi Zhoumeng let her imagination run wild. "But rehearsals continue tomorrow, you know."

Her lips were a smudged pink, a shade that might look ghastly on other women, but on her, it was effortlessly chic.

As she lowered her gaze, her eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears, which only made Xi Shuang more furious. She slammed her hand on the table—

"I'm going to find her right now!"

Xi Zhoumeng tapped her fingers on the table. "Forget it. That's not a good idea."

She took in the expressions of the surrounding onlookers and said with a smile, "We're all adults. Parting amicably is the right thing to do."

"Besides..."

She thought about the full video recording she'd gotten from Xi Yang, and the conflict between the second and third triplets.

As expected of the protagonist's treatment, she could even cause people to fight over her.

Wen Xinghuo was probably the most clueless protagonist ever.

Xi Shuang glanced at Xi Zhoumeng, afraid she might cry. In her eyes, Xi Zhoumeng's usual sharp tongue was just the typical pampered attitude of a young noble lady.

After all, the other Omegas she'd encountered, both male and female, put on even more extravagant airs.

In a way, Xi Zhoumeng was almost too well-behaved.

Her extravagance was backed by her family's fortune, and it also served to warn off any Alphas from humble backgrounds from dreaming of a toad eating a swan's flesh.

And Wen Xinghuo still betrayed her!!

"Besides what? Just because she's a royal princess..."

Before Xi Shuang could finish, Xi Zhoumeng shushed her. She actually broke into a smile, her eyes curving like a crescent moon. "There, there. I just wanted to talk it over with you."

"After all, everyone has the right to find love."

Xi Zhoumeng nodded as she spoke. "I'll just wait and see."

She said to Xi Shuang, "Just consider it me venting. Thanks."

The system thought to itself: As expected of a master of the tea arts.

Xi Shuang still couldn't swallow her anger. She didn't even finish her coffee. For once, she didn't offer to walk Xi Zhoumeng back, simply saying, "I'm going to the infirmary to take care of my wound."

Xi Zhoumeng even added with concern, "Make sure you take good care of that wound. And come see my final drama performance next time."

【System: Poor Wen Xinghuo...】

Xi Zhoumeng sipped her coffee unhurriedly.

【Why are you siding with Wen Xinghuo now? Have you been assimilated by Chi Yueshan?】

【System: I am not! I was just moved by your superb acting skills, wasn't I? Were you an actress in your past life?】

Xi Zhoumeng had always felt there was something off about this system. If it was a supernatural entity that could exist within her consciousness, why couldn't it read her memories?

It was completely clueless whenever she asked anything, acting as if it were the native of this world.

It couldn't be artificial, could it?

【No.】

Xi Zhoumeng fiddled with her spoon and glanced at the sky outside. Once Xi Shuang was done treating her wound, she would definitely go to the mecha bay to confront Wen Xinghuo.

The gap in spiritual power between an S-rank and an A-rank was a chasm, but Xi Shuang only looked like a slacker; in reality, she was very diligent. Besides, as an only child, she had her entire family's resources poured into her. Her practical combat skills were definitely superior to Wen Xinghuo's.

Going to "spar" while emotional like this should leave Wen Xinghuo with a few scrapes, right?

And what would Sheng Yangkui's reaction be?

【System: Then what did you do before?】

The mechanical voice was eternally unchanging. Xi Zhoumeng had grown accustomed to using this thing to alleviate her boredom and replied.

【A gambler from the lowest rungs of society.】

The system felt there had to be some special meaning behind the word "gambler."

But Xi Zhoumeng just sighed.

【I gambled that my parents cared for me, even a little. But unfortunately, they didn't love me. So I locked them all up.】

She always spoke in a flat tone, the timbre of her soul seeming to have a natural, electronic quality.

【System: So you're a world-destroying villain?】

【Not really. I only destroyed one part of it—the upper class of my world.】

A world of scandal wrapped up and presented as a mascot, a world that had its rules turned upside down.

But the middle and lower classes were completely unaffected. New political powers rose and fell. No one knew that the woman passed out drunk on the street was actually the ruler of the country.

No one knew what her face once looked like.

And certainly, no one knew that she had once longed for love, only to exile herself in the end.

And then she was drawn into this world.

【Has your data been restored?】

Xi Zhoumeng asked.

The system subconsciously started to answer before realizing it had nearly been bewitched by this woman.

It chose to shut up. If it said any more, its secrets would surely be exposed.

Xi Zhoumeng didn't seem to mind. She let out a small laugh, checked the time, and headed for the mecha bay.

The moment she left, the café erupted in a flurry of discussion.

Before long, a new post shot to the top of the forum's homepage.

「Is it true!! Xi Zhoumeng and Wen Xinghuo are breaking up!! Did Wen Xinghuo cheat on her??」

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