MORIC - Chapter 74

Chapter 74: What is Humiliation

Unfortunately, this "gem" wasn't very cooperative. She was still so inexperienced that a single kiss nearly suffocated her.

"Ugh… It tastes just like milk!"

Chi Yueshan pushed Xi Zhoumeng away, her face flushed a defiant red. Even with her hand covering it, she couldn't hide the trembling that wracked her entire body.

"Why did you kiss me!"

She even took two terrified steps back. "I haven't even… haven't even figured out how to kiss yet!"

Caught off guard by the push, Xi Zhoumeng's lower back slammed into the armrest of the chair. She let out a muffled grunt of pain, one hand propped on the table, and didn't lift her head for a long moment.

Chi Yueshan's mouth was filled with the taste of red wine, a little sour and a little sweet. She pursed her lips. Seeing the Omega across from her still had her head down, she grew apprehensive. Her heart was still pounding at an unnaturally fast rate, causing her voice to tremble when she spoke. "A-are you okay?"

"Where did you hit? Your waist? It's not your kidney, is it!"

She was completely unaware of how different her voice sounded from usual.

It was enough to stir up all of Xi Zhoumeng's inner turmoil. The moment their lips had touched, Xi Zhoumeng had even thought: Maybe I should just be with her.

She was mine to begin with.

She had heard those words countless times.

Including during the first twenty years of her existence in her own world.

She was a sinful spawn, a secret stain on the family.

A burden to her mother, evidence of her father's crime.

A debt and a miracle in her grandmother's words.

In the end, she was the "God's Adjudicator" named ZR2 in the soul chain, born with the power to maintain the planet's operation—a thing that lived entirely for others.

Xi Zhoumeng would rather not be a thing.

She knew all too well what a shackle the word "mine" was.

The person who was both her mother and her sister had said: If it weren't for you, how could he possibly despise me?

The person who was both her father and her brother had said: It would be better if you didn't exist. You're a monster.

Neither of them dared to tell Xi Zhoumeng, "You are my child."

Even though she was, biologically, they had to disown her.

Yet Xi Zhoumeng's existence was the very evidence of their illicit union, and she had to bear the blame from both of them.

Only her grandmother would say, "My child."

The next sentence was, "It's time for you to go," letting the Magnetic Star Meteorite drain Xi Zhoumeng's spiritual power, waiting for this successor to learn to offer herself up willingly through repeated soul extractions. Her gaze was loving, as if she were looking at some cold instrument.

"Mine" inevitably carried some kind of demand.

So if I want Chi Yueshan, what is it that I want to get?

Or what can she give me?

Xi Zhoumeng gasped for air, one hand pressed against the tabletop. Her slender, fair hand, devoid of any calluses, was as beautiful as if carved from the finest jade. Yet her other hand clutched the fabric over her chest, as if trying to dig out her heart to have a look.

Even she didn't know what that "something" she wanted to obtain truly was.

Chi Yueshan was startled.

Even with the music playing from the CD player in the room, to a coarse Omega like her with no ear for music, it was just background noise.

She could feel the intense fluctuations of Xi Zhoumeng's emotions. It was as if every one of her gasps sprayed against her ear, forcing her to share in her pain.

Why was it pain?

Chi Yueshan hurriedly walked around the table. "Hey, what's wrong with you? I didn't bite you, did I? Where does it hurt?"

The Omega from the Lower World was anxious and flustered. She moved to Xi Zhoumeng's side to check her face, but the moment she reached out to pull Xi Zhoumeng's hand away, she was pulled into an embrace.

Xi Zhoumeng leaned back, and Chi Yueshan fell with her into the chair, held tightly in her arms.

The wooden legs of the chair scraped backward with a dull thud from the momentum. Xi Zhoumeng hugged the person in her arms tightly, lowering her head to inhale the scent of this little creature.

Chi Yueshan's hair, which for once wasn't messy due to her stage appearance, was easily pushed aside by Xi Zhoumeng, allowing her chin to rest in the crook of Chi Yueshan's neck.

A shiver ran through Chi Yueshan, and she finally came to her senses. "W-what are you doing!"

"If-if you ate something bad, go get compensation from the restaurant staff. D-don't you dare try to pin it on me!"

She still tried to put on a fierce act, just like that dog Xi Yang used to have, always putting on a brave front.

After a moment, Xi Zhoumeng sighed and nuzzled her again. "Be quiet. I want to rest for a moment."

Her voice carried a rare exhaustion that crashed into Chi Yueshan's ears like a tide.

Only then did Chi Yueshan realize that Xi Zhoumeng had always seemed to have an air of effortless ease and nonchalance about her.

Even when she said she was tired, it seemed like she was just putting on airs, but in reality, she was reliable in everything she did.

From casting to the final performance, Yellow Rose would never have received so much applause without Xi Zhoumeng. Chi Yueshan's guilt, remorse, and gratitude washed over her in waves.

Looking back on this semester, Xi Zhoumeng had helped out a lot.

Am I being a bit of an ungrateful brat? She's actually a really good person.

We said we didn't owe each other anything, but her sister's company even paid me. A lot, too.

She also taught me flower arranging. At market price, a lesson from her should probably be charged by the second…

Damn it, she's completely out of my league, sob sob sob.

Oh, whatever. I'll let her hug me.

Anyway…

Anyway, I quite like her.

Well, it's not just "quite"…

Just kissing her made me dizzy.

It was my first kiss.

Though it was childish, Chi Yueshan couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth lift into a smile.

I've already done that kind of thing with this girl, but we'd never even kissed. Does that make any sense?

She suddenly grew bold and reached out to stroke Xi Zhoumeng's hair.

"Then I'll reluctantly let you hug me for a bit. Thank you for your help."

They had never had a peaceful moment when they were together, which caused this instant of solitude to blossom with the same ambiguity as her sudden heat.

Chi Yueshan found it hard to ignore Xi Zhoumeng's breathing against her neck.

Especially when Xi Zhoumeng spoke.

Her words were like murmurs in a dream, yet the force of her embrace was strong, as if she wanted to merge into one with her.

Growing up, Chi Yueshan had rarely had much physical contact with people.

Her master would never hug her. It was just a hand gesture while giving instructions, or perhaps a pat on the shoulder or head—the strictness and affection of an elder.

When she was little, Wen Xinghuo had pulled her up and thrown her aside with great force. That was a life-or-death moment, a rescue.

After all, the little hooligan had a knife. If it weren't for Wen Xinghuo's searing pull, Chi Yueshan might have been disfigured.

But that knife had ended up slashing Wen Xinghuo's face, making her already less-than-perfect appearance in others' eyes even worse.

Before that, perhaps she had been held by her Omega father as a toddler.

But Chi Yueshan couldn't remember it clearly anymore.

In this moment, she suddenly felt a sense of being desperately needed, as if she were being filled up from the inside out.

Her heart began to pound violently again. She was ashamed and excited, afraid that Xi Zhoumeng would notice, and afraid that she wouldn't.

"So you know how to thank me now?"

Xi Zhoumeng seemed to chuckle. "When did you make this pinky ring? Hmm?"

That last syllable was like a wildfire stretching for hundreds of miles across a barren plain, instantly burning away all of Chi Yueshan's composure.

It unearthed all the shyness of an ordinary young girl from deep within her.

She stammered, "It's not really a r-ring, just a… an accessory."

"The m-material is very common, didn't cost much. I saw you had… had a scorpion tattoo before, and I happened to see a picture in a library encyclopedia, so I just casually m-made one… that's all."

Even Chi Yueshan could feel that something was off with her. Feeling frustrated with herself for not living up to her own expectations, she tried to make her tone sound more normal.

Xi Zhoumeng seemed uncharacteristically careless, and Chi Yueshan was a little disappointed. "So it's not a ring."

Chi Yueshan said, "You have plenty of rings. You don't need one from me."

It wasn't like she hadn't seen it before. A single drawer of the young lady's vanity could be pulled open to reveal expensive jewelry that Chi Yueshan couldn't afford even if she sold herself.

She couldn't afford the expensive ones, but she could make one.

She suddenly felt so useless. When would she ever be able to afford the gems in the shop windows?

Xi Zhoumeng suddenly let out a laugh. "Gems are just stones that people have hyped up to be valuable. They're nothing special."

She shifted Chi Yueshan slightly, turning to the side. This hug had gone on for a while; any longer and she might give herself away.

But suddenly, Xi Zhoumeng was reluctant to let go.

A precious gem was now in her arms, yet for once, she was troubled by how to possess it.

"Is there anything you want?"

Xi Zhoumeng toyed with Chi Yueshan's hand. The scorpion tail ring Chi Yueshan had given her was still on her little finger, and Chi Yueshan could see it just by looking down.

It looked so good. A person like Xi Zhoumeng could wear a burlap sack and make the sack increase in value.

The pinky ring she had made from scrap metal seemed countless times more expensive on this person's finger.

"Me?"

"You're not thinking of giving me something in return, are you?"

Chi Yueshan suddenly became sharp. "You don't have to. I already owe you a lot. This isn't worth anything. If you don't like it, I just won't make another one next time…"

"Besides, I really can't afford the things you like. I still have to earn my own tuition, and I also have to…"

Before she could finish her sentence, that little finger touched her lower lip.

"I like it."

So annoying. Why do you have to lean in and whisper in my ear when you say you like it.

Is this woman trying to seduce me on purpose?

Chi Yueshan didn't know where the anger came from, but she huffed, "You don't have to pity me."

She turned her head to look out the window. A single corner of the Upper World's prosperity was enough to make her shrink back in awe—awe at how she was supposed to find her footing here.

Everything here was completely different from the Lower World. The towering neon-lit buildings, the dishes she had never eaten before, the wine that was ridiculously expensive for a single sip…

And the noble Omega woman holding her.

It was all a chasm, all Chi Yueshan's ambition and desire.

A fighting spirit inexplicably ignited within her. She wanted money, she wanted fame, and she wanted this Xi Zhoumeng.

She's quite expensive, but if I don't try, how will I know it's impossible?

Zhou Fengqin had said that Chi Yueshan was naturally competitive. The fact that she could wander from E-District to D-District at such a young age and remain unscathed was proof of her vitality.

"Whatever you want, go fight for it."

"If you fight for it and don't get it, it's not regret. It's just more ambition to keep moving forward."

When Chi Yueshan thought she liked Wen Xinghuo, she had also thought about fighting for her.

To make Wen Xinghuo see her.

So now that she liked Xi Zhoumeng, how was she supposed to fight for her?

The difficulty was much higher.

"Pity you?"

Xi Zhoumeng rested her chin on Chi Yueshan's slender shoulder. In the past, this pampered young lady would have definitely complained that this spot wasn't soft enough, not as good as a pillow.

She inhaled the pheromones emanating from the other's glands and said softly, "I'm not that kind-hearted."

"I'm just curious about your plans for the future."

This person isn't mine yet.

"Do you still want to marry Wen Xinghuo?"

If she says yes, what should I do? Kill Wen Xinghuo?

I can tolerate the system electrocuting me, but there's nothing I can do about it. How do you kill that thing?

"Or do you want to become the number one mecha master in the galaxy?"

She asked it so casually, and the last sentence was recited straight from Chi Yueshan's StarNet ID, which gave Chi Yueshan a strange sense of shame.

"Marry who? What fangirl doesn't say things like that!"

"Compared to getting married, I'd still rather become the galaxy's number one…"

Chi Yueshan could talk big in front of Xuan Ping, but she couldn't bring herself to say it in front of Xi Zhoumeng.

The abilities Xi Zhoumeng displayed were effortless. Not to mention anything else, her spiritual power was also top-tier.

That was just reality. High spiritual power naturally allowed one to master more skills.

Chi Yueshan was envious, but she didn't have time to feel helpless. She had always preferred to create her own opportunities.

But liking someone was the most uncontrollable thing in the world.

Once good feelings escalated, once they crossed a line, it was inevitable that one's mind would wander.

One would imagine what-ifs, imagine the future, imagine some ethereal "if onlys."

"Then do it."

Xi Zhoumeng took Chi Yueshan's right hand, removed the real ring from her own left index finger, and placed it in Chi Yueshan's palm.

Chi Yueshan asked unhappily, "What are you doing! Humiliating me with a ring?"

Xi Zhoumeng: "To buy you for a night."

Chi Yueshan let out an "ah," not reacting for a moment.

"Th-that's not right, is it? W-we used to be like that… but-but it's different now, I…"

Xi Zhoumeng laughed out loud. "What are you thinking? Are you in heat again?"

Chi Yueshan: "No!"

Xi Zhoumeng: "I really like the pinky ring. This is a gift for you. Not for any other reason, just because I want to give it to you."

Chi Yueshan said, "Oh." Then, "It's still humiliating me with money."

Xi Zhoumeng: "Do you know what humiliation is?"

She unceremoniously pinched Chi Yueshan.

Chi Yueshan shot out of her embrace like a carp leaping from a pond, clutching herself down there and shouting in shame and anger, "You pervert!"

The young lady leaned crookedly against the back of the chair, the fabric on her chest wrinkled and torn.

It had been pierced by Chi Yueshan's tail ring.

Such an expensive dress! Ruined just like that! You beast!

Chi Yueshan's eyes were accusatory, her face flushed crimson. Xi Zhoumeng touched the scorpion tail ring and said, "I really do like it. Thank you."

Chi Yueshan: "I don't believe you!"

Xi Zhoumeng: "Then let's go to my house now."

Chi Yueshan crossed her arms, wary. "What are you planning to do?"

Xi Zhoumeng slowly stood up and said from above, "Why is your head filled with such filthy things?"

"To go to my house and see the mecha, of course."

Without waiting for Chi Yueshan to react, she walked straight out.

Chi Yueshan froze for a few seconds. "Holy crap!! Wait for me!!"

The attendant at the door timely presented the bill. "Miss, you can pay by scanning the code directly."

Chi Yueshan stared at the outrageous number, then glanced at the beautiful Omega waiting for her by the elevator.

She thought: No wonder she gave me the ring! She must have known I'd freak out!! Does she think she can control me just like that?

Get instant access to all chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next