MORIC - Chapter 72
Chapter 72: I Just Do
News that Sheng Qiuyu had been marked by the Knight Captain, Chu Li, also reached Wen Xinghuo's ears.
She heard it in her own kitchen after returning from her part-time job at night.
Perhaps this was the only area where a fallen noble family was still well-informed.
The Wen family had many children, not to mention those who were married and still lived at home. Wen Xinghuo was tall and sturdy, and even the kitchen fixtures couldn't hide her.
After all these years, her family still maintained the habit of treating her like thin air, chatting as if she weren't there.
"I just heard there's a situation at the royal palace. A serious one."
Her eldest sister-in-law was a petite Omega, and her perfume was so strong that Wen Xinghuo could smell it from a distance.
"What is it?"
"It's the Knight Captain, with the Second Princess—the middle one of the triplets who were brought in over a decade ago."
The sisters-in-law chatted while preparing coconut milk.
"Them?"
"I heard she suddenly went into heat, and when they were discovered, the two of them were…"
The rest was lost in muffled giggles, but even if Wen Xinghuo were a fool, she could understand what they meant.
She thought back to Sheng Qiuyu's imperious expression that evening, how she had looked so certain of victory even as Wen Xinghuo was leaving.
It really didn't seem like she would get together with Chu Li so quickly.
Every year during the holidays, the Queen would hold a banquet at the palace. No matter how dilapidated the Wen family had become, they were still nobles and were on the invitation list.
But Wen Xinghuo had never gone, because their family car couldn't fit that many people.
Only four could go each time.
The siblings would fight over the spots, which eventually led to a rotation system, but it was still never Wen Xinghuo's turn.
Wen Xinghuo didn't particularly want to go anyway. The pay for part-time jobs in the Upper World of the capital planet was very high during the New Year, and it was her chance to make a fortune.
She wouldn't even be able to eat her fill at the Queen's banquet.
The only benefit was the chance to see Sheng Yangkui.
But the little one was naturally timid and had only attended three times.
After all, she was frail, a condition she'd had since the womb. She was so sickly that at first glance, she looked like she wouldn't live long, so she had a reason not to go.
Now, with the holidays approaching, Sheng Yangkui rarely moved about, basically just waiting at the academy for all her coursework to end.
Quite a few noble children treated school like a job, developing a nine-to-five routine.
Why would Sheng Qiuyu suddenly return to the royal palace?
From Wen Xinghuo's impression of her, she was one of the more lively types among Omegas. Even though she was a princess, rules and regulations seemed to have no effect on her, as if due to the Queen's favor and indulgence. That was why many people leaned toward the belief that the next queen would be Sheng Qiuyu.
After all, becoming queen required the removal of one's glands and a life of solitude. To others, Sheng Qiuyu's indulgence was understandable.
As long as no knot was formed and she wasn't marked, it was fine.
Her knight, Chu Li, was an outstanding Knight Captain. Wen Xinghuo had met him once.
The male Alpha had an extraordinary presence, his eyes like a hawk's. She had heard from her ancestors that he had Caucasian blood, giving him incredibly deep-set features.
The relationship between a knight and a princess was ambiguous, but this pair didn't seem to share a bond stronger than gold.
Sheng Qiuyu was mischievous by nature, and Chu Li had great ambition for power.
At most, they were bed partners and companions for a time, far from the point of marking and entrusting their lives to each other.
Why?
Wen Xinghuo stood to the side, ate a plate of cold noodles, and washed her bowl before heading upstairs on her own.
Her part-time job was too far from the academy, and the maglev subway had already stopped running for the night. It was faster for her to go home.
Her body was also telling her it needed rest.
But her mind was still wide awake.
She needed a reason.
Wen Xinghuo opened her light-brain. In her meticulously organized contact list, there was one group with only one person in it.
She clicked on it. It was Sheng Yangkui.
Her profile picture was a wisteria flower, which was gray because she wasn't online.
Wen Xinghuo had reunited with Sheng Yangkui at a court ball.
The illegitimate daughter summoned back to the family was rustic and unsophisticated, carrying a fear of this glamorous occasion.
Even though her face held a calmness beyond her years, her movements still betrayed her restraint.
The princess, who had returned to the palace after the kidnapping incident, carried a small cake to a corner, looked up at Wen Xinghuo, and said a soft, "Hello."
It took Wen Xinghuo a long moment to recognize her.
The dirty little scruff from her memory had transformed into a glamorous royal lady, her dress magnificent, the hairpin in her hair dazzlingly bright.
So distant it was almost frightening.
"You… don't you remember me?"
Sheng Yangkui wasn't old that year, but she had always given off a trembling, unsteady feeling.
As if she had never been affirmed in her life, stripped of her very existence. Like the shadow of a candle flame blown by the wind, appearing only in the light and silently vanishing into the night.
Wen Xinghuo nodded, then shook her head. Her zigzag-patterned hair ribbon was very long. Her figure hadn't filled out yet, and she wasn't as robust as she would later become.
She just looked like a girl who was taller than her peers. The ribbon was tied in a knot at the back of her head, fluttering in the wind from the skylight in the corner.
Sheng Yangkui carefully reached out and tentatively called, "Sister."
Goosebumps shot up on Wen Xinghuo's skin. The form of address was so soft she was completely unused to it.
After a long pause, she finally said, "What are you doing here?"
Even though the media had reported on the trafficking case, she still didn't understand why a child of such high status would be abducted.
Sheng Yangkui glanced at the bustling banquet, her purple eyes filled with a joy that Wen Xinghuo still couldn't comprehend many years later.
"I got separated from someone before. I waited in the same spot for a long time, and someone said they could help me find my way back. I didn't expect to end up on a transport vehicle."
Her face was pale, but her skin was tender. Her eyes gazed at Wen Xinghuo, her small body seeming to house a soul battered by a thousand wounds, now trembling with uncontrollable excitement over a reunion.
Wen Xinghuo let out an "oh." She took the cake from Sheng Yangkui. "I thought you were a dream I had."
After all, the next day Wen Xinghuo woke up just as the Wen family came to pick her up, and she never saw the other girl again.
The liveliness in the distance felt very foreign to Wen Xinghuo.
Whether it was her Alpha father or her siblings, they were all hostile. She often felt it would have been better if she hadn't come.
The little girl smiled, produced a fork from somewhere, and speared the blueberry from the top of the cake.
She said, "Go on, eat. I'm real, and the cake is real too."
Wen Xinghuo remembered that sweetness to this day.
Their interactions were unknown to anyone, and even their communication signals were locked and hidden.
Wen Xinghuo knew of Sheng Yangkui's hidden worries. She didn't want to become queen, but as a candidate, she always received a lot of attention, making freedom the greatest luxury.
Their exchanges were few and far between. When they met at major events, it was just a nod, a glance, let alone a few extra words.
Wen Xinghuo's own room was too crowded. She went to the top floor of the villa and gazed out at the brilliant lights of the Upper World from the rooftop.
She made a communication call to Sheng Yangkui.
"I thought you had a big appetite."
Xi Zhoumeng looked at the Omega slumped over the table and said mockingly, "This is such a waste."
Chi Yueshan was about to die from anger.
Any trace of self-flattery born from Xi Zhoumeng's words instantly vanished. "You were the one who ordered it all."
Xi Zhoumeng nodded, taking a spoonful of ice cream. "You said you were treating me."
Chi Yueshan scratched her head, suddenly very worried about her wallet and the issue of next year's tuition.
If she couldn't pay the tuition, this year would have been for nothing.
And her progress was too poor. She had only just gotten her hands on a mecha at the end of the term!
She had to find some time to get her hands on Ling Xun's mecha again.
She muttered, chewing on her straw.
Xi Zhoumeng asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Chi Yueshan replied with feigned nonchalance, "Ling Xun."
She stared at the Omega across from her. Xi Zhoumeng was eating her ice cream spoonful by spoonful. Chi Yueshan hadn't noticed before, but even though they were both Omegas, Xi Zhoumeng could actually eat quite a lot.
It was just that she ate very slowly, not taking large bites, and was careful not to smudge her lipstick. Every movement was the epitome of elegance.
She was like a live etiquette tutorial, yet she had tasted most of the dishes on the table.
"You like her that much?"
Xi Zhoumeng put down her spoon. Her lips were still dotted with ice cream, and she casually licked it away.
She stared at Chi Yueshan, who still felt that this person was completely inscrutable.
It was like playing a dating sim and trying to win over an unconquerable character.
What do I like about her?
Chi Yueshan didn't want to probe anymore. She shook her head directly. "I want to get my hands on her mecha again."
She propped up her face with one hand and rubbed her stomach with the other. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window was the city's nightscape. Occasionally, a maglev car would pass by on the sky-track, like a shooting star.
Xi Zhoumeng asked, "Is it her mecha, or will any mecha do?"
Her tone sounded nonchalant, but her eyes were locked on Chi Yueshan.
A thought inexplicably crossed Chi Yueshan's mind—their compatibility issue.
One hundred percent.
A perfect match, the kind that should get married on the spot.
So, are my "feelings" for Xi Zhoumeng right now because of this match?
Chi Yueshan asked, "What do you think?"
Xi Zhoumeng had ordered everything on the table, including the drinks. The young miss wouldn't touch cheap stuff, not even looking at alcoholic beverages.
She ordered expensive wine but didn't drink it herself, remaining a milk fiend.
Chi Yueshan wasn't a stranger to alcohol. Her master used to buy cheap dark beer all the time.
A tipsy haze clouded her face, but Chi Yueshan didn't flush when she drank. The intoxication only pooled in her eyes, like raindrops on a gemstone.
Making them all the more translucent.
In that instant, Xi Zhoumeng felt that sense of being struck again.
Like the muffled thud of a stone thrown into a deep pool in an empty valley, echoing through the mountains, along with the startled flutter of birds.
"What do I think?"
Xi Zhoumeng swirled the wine in her glass, her long lashes lowered. "Of course, it's about getting your hands on my mecha."
Chi Yueshan burst out laughing.
"Where would an Omega like you get a mecha?"
The absolute limit for an Omega was designing mecha.
The body's limits were hard to surpass. Chi Yueshan never thought about breaking through them; what she wanted was to reach the limits of her own interests.
Being able to do what you love is a very happy thing.
Her master always had this phrase on her lips, and she was even smiling when she died.
Chi Yueshan wanted that too—to find the Alpha mother her Omega father had entrusted her to, to see what the person who was the source of her genes looked like.
Just a look would be enough; she didn't care if the other person already had a family.
She wanted to work with mecha her whole life, to master every aspect of mechanical equipment.
How wonderful would that be?
Xi Zhoumeng just said calmly, "I just do."
A hint of willfulness emerged only at the end of the sentence, a pride that fit her personality perfectly.
Chi Yueshan was no longer jealous. In that moment, she actually found Xi Zhoumeng's personality a little cute.
Like a difficult child showing off her new toy.
What was this person like as a child?
Would she show off her new dresses to her friends, or her new perfumes, or the honors she received?
But Xi Zhoumeng found showing off to be boring.
Chi Yueshan stared at her, gazing into those smoky gray eyes as if looking into a boundless, deep space.
"Even if you have one, you wouldn't let me touch it."
The words tumbled out of her mouth.
Xi Zhoumeng hadn't been drinking, so she was sober. The more sober she was, the more she felt like she was losing control.
Not because of her body, not because of this damn world's settings.
Not because of a heat, not because their hundred-percent match allowed her to smell Chi Yueshan's scent.
She just wanted to touch Chi Yueshan.
To rub that face, to touch those eyes.
The eyes I chose.
I casually threw some money around, casually became number one on the leaderboard, and I said I wanted a green-eyed female side character.
Chi Yueshan was tailor-made for me.
My person.
"I never said I wouldn't let you touch it."
Xi Zhoumeng tilted her head back and drained her wine. Her lips were moist, and when they parted, it was like a silent invitation.
But Chi Yueshan stood up, abruptly grabbed Xi Zhoumeng's hand, and quickly slipped something onto her pinky finger.
A mechanical, scorpion-shaped pinky ring.
It had a cold, beautiful texture and looked incredibly exquisite.
Chi Yueshan didn't let go. She admired it for a long moment and sighed, "It's so beautiful."
It was unclear whether she was talking about the person or the pinky ring.
"Here, a thank-you gift for you. You're not allowed to refuse it, even if you don't like it."
Chi Yueshan chuckled. Just as she was about to let go and sit down, she was grabbed by the collar and yanked forward.
The taste of wine crashed against her lips and teeth. Chi Yueshan had no time to react before she was dragged into an endless, plundering abyss.
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