MORIC - Chapter 68
Chapter 68: Flirting and Bickering
Chi Yueshan thought she wouldn't be nervous, but when the host announced the start of the play and it was officially her turn to go on stage, she still took a deep breath.
Xuan Ping was sitting in the front row, with Mu Lai beside her.
Mu Lai had pulled an all-nighter yesterday and was incredibly sleepy, yawning incessantly next to Xuan Ping.
As an Alpha from a well-off family in the Upper World, Mu Lai also had an Omega mother who loved watching plays. But even though she had been exposed to them since childhood, she still had no interest in such things.
Today, she was purely here for the spectacle.
Xuan Ping, on the other hand, was particularly excited, even though she had seen Chi Yueshan rehearse.
Looking back, she still felt that fate was wonderfully mysterious. The elective course Chi Yueshan had reluctantly chosen at the beginning of the semester had now led to her co-starring with Xi Zhoumeng, a perfect illustration of how one cannot defy destiny.
"This should be the last exciting event of the semester."
Mu Lai leaned back in her chair and yawned lazily. "The date for the ball has been set, too. Anyway, I'm dancing with you this year."
The third-year senior was pretty, but she lacked a certain poise. She even shifted, trying to rest her head on Xuan Ping's shoulder, completely ignoring the disdainful look from the student next to them.
Suddenly, a spotlight hit the stage.
Xuan Ping stared at it with great interest, giving a perfunctory "uh-huh."
The few short plays before had also been quite good. The teacher hadn't graded them immediately, treating this final class as a form of artistic performance.
The first to appear was Shi Yangshu. He was the soul of the cast of Yellow Rose, the male protagonist. The story began from his perspective and would also end with it.
The first act was a family dinner where the patriarch of the Fu family was to introduce his new wife.
People arrived one after another. Jiang Xian, the male protagonist's fiancée, was dressed very demurely and even brought a gift when she entered.
The second child, Fu Xin, came home from work. She was a proper office worker, dressed a bit more formally, yet her tie was oddly flashy.
The third child was a shut-in at home, a web novelist with pale skin, so thin her bones could poke through. Her hair was a mess, and she spoke listlessly.
This group of people had no expectations for their new stepmother, and after taking their seats, they all chatted amongst themselves.
But once this play was on stage, the audience could clearly feel a difference in quality compared to the previous ones.
It wasn't just the costumes; even the music was a perfect fit, instantly setting the tone for this gloomy story.
If Xuan Ping didn't know what these people were usually like, she would have hardly recognized them.
Mu Lai sat up a little straighter. She stared at the person sitting in the main seat, let out a "holy crap," and whispered to Xuan Ping, "I'm not seeing things, am I? Is that Wen Xinghuo?"
Xuan Ping nodded.
Most of the people present knew that the drama both on and off stage for this play was very interesting, but they hadn't expected Wen Xinghuo's look to be so good.
The live thread on the forum was constantly updating.
【??? Why does Wen Xinghuo look so... that... in a suit!!! Damn! My impression of her was just that one school robe for all seasons. I never thought she'd look so good dressed up!!】
【No way! The point isn't the clothes! It's the slicked-back hair!! A girl with slicked-back hair usually gives me a forced vibe, but without that hairband that seems to be a part of her, she looks completely different!!】
【I'm going crazy, does no one else think her figure is so hot? The design of this suit is very, it feels like it's trying to match the feudalistic vibe of the original work, but the problem is that Wen Xinghuo dressed like this is still so... sexually arousing.】
【I'm dying of laughter, Sheng Yangkui playing the third child looks so tiny next to her!! I heard there's something going on between these two? Oh my, that difference, when they're fucking, wouldn't it really...】
【Poster above, be careful. No one can save you if you get banned.】
【Chi Yueshan's office worker outfit is also very... This first-year usually dresses so shabbily. I heard Wen Xinghuo used to be from the Lower World too? In a way, these two are...】
Wen Xinghuo's cross-dressing role was well-known. When Fu Yao announced he was introducing his new wife, the reactions of the children were quite ordinary.
Only the eldest asked, "Where is she?"
In the original work, the old man revealed a smile. The book's description of this part even had a hint of an old tree blooming anew.
But Wen Xinghuo was far from old. She had a fierce-looking face, and the tailored suit, besides making her figure look even more impressive, only gave off the vibe of a mafia boss introducing his wife.
The next second, Xi Zhoumeng descended the stairs.
She wore a black dress, the hem reaching her calves. Below it, thin black cords from her high heels wound around her ankles like the ribbons on a gift.
She walked steadily down the old-fashioned spiral staircase prop. Her face was made up to look more mature, yet it didn't give off the slightest hint of being old-fashioned. It was as if all the sorrow she had experienced had become her nourishment, and the gazes of others could make her continue to grow.
"I have already registered my marriage with Qiu Mei. You should address her as Mother."
Fu Yao, played by Wen Xinghuo, pulled out a chair. Xi Zhoumeng sat down and smiled at the table of "grown children" who were about the same age as her.
"Hello, everyone."
Her voice was even more languid than usual, as if every syllable was coated in sweet syrup.
Faint gasps could be heard from the audience.
Upon seeing Xi Zhoumeng, Xuan Ping subconsciously held her breath.
Mu Lai clicked her tongue and whispered, "Xi Zhoumeng is beautiful, alright, but no one can handle her."
Excluding compatibility matching and the natural suppressive power between Alphas and Omegas, Xi Zhoumeng was still a partner most Alphas wouldn't dare to choose.
The Xi family was simply too illustrious. Even those siblings who were said to be unable to make it on their own were actually more respectable than ordinary people.
The reference group for this "unable to make it" was merely the ancestors of the Xi family.
【Who could resist a mother like that!!!】
【Mom—! Ah!!! Senior is so alluring! So beautiful!! The thirst I had for Wen Xinghuo just a moment ago has instantly turned into jealousy, sob sob sob. Even if they're not a couple, they at least grew up together. I'm so jealous.】
【LMAO, the most exciting part has to be Chi Yueshan's scene with Xi Zhoumeng, right!!! That whole 'a pair of villains separately plotting for the family fortune, I'll be the stepmom, you be the daughter' thing... But I'm really curious, was Fu Xin in the original work actually a twin?! That would make the switcheroo make sense! But—that's even more thrilling!】
【The part I've been waiting for is coming.jpg】
The first act laid out the backstory and introduced the characters. During the blackout, Chi Yueshan scrambled to change her clothes, nearly stepping on Xi Zhoumeng's dress hem.
After the music, the second act began, focusing on the eldest son and his fiancée plotting to seize the family fortune.
The spotlight swept over to Xi Zhoumeng and Chi Yueshan standing side by side. The background was a garden, with a light drizzle falling. It looked like a stepdaughter holding an umbrella for her stepmother, with nothing out of place.
But their pinkies accidentally brushed, their eyes seemed to hold countless emotions, and the words they spoke were as gloomy as the sound of the rain.
Fu Xin walked her stepmother back to the villa. As they parted, she said, "Your dress today is beautiful."
Qiu Mei smiled. On that face belonging to Xi Zhoumeng, her smoky-gray eyes seemed even foggier than the overcast sky.
She covered her mouth as she chuckled, "Your affection, I've received it."
The light swept again, landing on Fu Shi, who was hunched over her desk alone.
On her desk was a photo of her biological mother. The man standing beside her mother had been scribbled all over.
The music intensified the atmosphere, and it felt as if the rainy day had seeped into the theater.
Everyone had their own ulterior motives; only Fu Yao thought he had found true love.
In the end, only Wen Xinghuo was left, standing in the rain, holding an umbrella and smoking.
Her profile was exceptionally defined. The next scene was her visiting the third child in the sickroom. Backstage, Chi Yueshan watched the scene on her light-brain while changing her clothes.
Xi Zhoumeng had changed into another dress. Jiang Xian was still on stage, and Shi Yangshu was changing in the dressing room.
"Come here," Xi Zhoumeng said to Chi Yueshan.
Chi Yueshan's gaze was still fixed on the stage feed, a portal opened on the forum that even included student discussion comments.
Without exception, they were all praising how cool Wen Xinghuo was.
Chi Yueshan let out an "ah" and said, "Are you calling me?"
Xi Zhoumeng: "Who else?"
Chi Yueshan: "Why haven't you zipped up your dress?"
She was startled when she turned her head. Xi Zhoumeng was supposed to change into a dark red dress, but she hadn't zipped it up properly. Her back was wide open, and the view from the front was also faintly visible.
"I can't reach it," Xi Zhoumeng said flatly.
Chi Yueshan: "Well, that's what you get for not bringing an assistant. Look at Sheng Yangkui, she has a lady-in-waiting to help."
"Where's your family's makeup artist?"
As she spoke, she zipped up Xi Zhoumeng's dress. This dress was particularly cinched at the waist, and the bottom of the zipper rested on her tailbone. Xi Zhoumeng had only managed to pull it up a little, and Chi Yueshan could even see her full curves.
"She's one of my third sister's people. She left already."
Xi Zhoumeng admired her nails while feeling the force of Chi Yueshan pulling the zipper. "Sheng Yangkui is a princess. How can we be the same?"
Her tone held none of the malice or jealousy towards Sheng Yangkui that others might have guessed.
It was as if she was completely indifferent to being told her girlfriend was being stolen away.
Chi Yueshan: "Why do I get the feeling that not only are you not dating Senior Wen, but you actually want her to get together with the princess?"
The sound of the zipper was very light, but in that instant, Chi Yueshan felt an inexplicable sense that she was closing Xi Zhoumeng up, making her whole.
A strange possessiveness washed over her, a desire to claim this person as her own.
That's not good, we're both OOs.
Not only would we be discriminated against, but finding a job would be very difficult.
How much money would I have to earn to support this spendthrift?
Xi Zhoumeng nodded, a natural teasing quality in her voice. "You're only just realizing?"
Chi Yueshan let out an "oh." "Aren't you madly in love with Senior Wen?"
The zipper reached the top. Chi Yueshan stood on her tiptoes to arrange Xi Zhoumeng's hair.
Xi Zhoumeng turned around. Startled, Chi Yueshan took a few steps back, only to be pulled forward again.
Xi Zhoumeng's face suddenly drew close. "Weren't you the one madly in love with her, clamoring to marry Wen Xinghuo?"
It was too close.
Especially with the sounds from the stage drifting in. Wen Xinghuo was still in a scene with Sheng Yangkui, her voice deep and resonant, yet carrying the scoundrel-like flavor of her character.
Chi Yueshan felt as if she had been cornered by a ball of fire, scorching her from head to toe.
She clumsily tried to push Xi Zhoumeng away, not daring to look at her. "I-I never said that! Someone l-like me, how could I possibly get..."
She was rarely so dejected, but once her feelings were pushed to the brink, it triggered an endless well of vexation within her heart.
And a sense of frustration with herself.
She had no idea where her flailing hands had landed.
Just then, Jiang Xian called for them to get ready. "You should... holy crap!"
Chi Yueshan only felt something soft.
She turned her head to find her hand resting squarely on Xi Zhoumeng's chest.
The velvet square collar revealed a large expanse of creamy white skin. The sensation under her palm was like cotton. Chi Yueshan froze for a few seconds.
Xi Zhoumeng suddenly stepped back, her face red as she said, "How could you do that?"
Jiang Xian let out an "uh," looking at Chi Yueshan with a reproachful expression.
Chi Yueshan: ...
What is she pretending for? She's the one who leaned in.
Instantly, she shot a fierce glare at this self-directing drama queen!
What on earth does this person want! She's even pushing Senior Wen towards Sheng Yangkui. Has she set her sights on some other Alpha?
The problem is, Senior Wen is already a great Alpha! What more could she possibly want?
Chi Yueshan was both angry and sour.
She was angry that Wen Xinghuo was in such a miserable situation, being framed by this green-tea Omega! And even having a wife foisted upon her.
The key point was that it even included after-sales service; their time together was being ruthlessly manipulated, constantly creating opportunities for them.
This woman Xi Zhoumeng is so scheming!
Wouldn't she get whatever she wants with ease?
From Jiang Xian's perspective, it was simply one Omega groping another.
That wasn't a big deal. Same gender, same primary gender, a little touching was nothing.
The problem was!! The one being touched was Xi Zhoumeng!!
Jiang Xian didn't know if she was jealous or angry.
In this scene, Chi Yueshan, in her proper costume, was glaring with wide eyes, while Xi Zhoumeng clutched her chest and looked over shyly.
Oh no, am I getting too into the play?
I actually think it looks like the stepmother and stepdaughter are flirting and bickering...
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