MORIC - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: The Young Miss Plays Ring Toss

By the end of the meal, it was clear they had drunk too much, but the alcohol here had a slow reaction, so it didn't hit them that hard at first.

The first to get drunk was Xi Shuang. She had only been standing at the goose ring toss stall for a moment before she became completely incoherent, shouting "duck" at the honking geese.

A passing child nearly died laughing, but the next second, a glare from Xi Shuang almost scared him to tears.

Ling Xun was the type whose face flushed when she drank, but Chi Yueshan seriously suspected she was blushing out of embarrassment.

This was evidenced by how she kept trying to push away her cousin, who was now slumping against her.

Wen Xinghuo: ...

"Why don't we head back first?"

Xi Zhoumeng said, "Xi Shuang is so useless, and she's an Alpha."

She was back to her indiscriminate attacks, and the corner of Chi Yueshan's mouth twitched.

Ling Xun sighed, called a car with her light-brain, and decided to take Xi Shuang home first.

The group stood by the roadside, watching Xi Shuang get into a hover taxi.

Xi Zhoumeng pointed a finger. "Let's go play ring toss."

Chi Yueshan had been watching for a while. These little creatures were clearly well-trained and didn't look stupid at all.

A ring would fly over, and they could dodge it perfectly. This kind of evasion skill could probably be incorporated into mecha combat training.

Wen Xinghuo said quietly, "I won't play."

Xi Zhoumeng retorted, "You're such a killjoy. Are you short on a few coins? My treat, play as much as you want."

Her face was as beautiful as ever, just slightly flushed, which made the pearlescent blush on her cheeks stand out even more.

Chi Yueshan had a feeling that Xi Zhoumeng was slurring her words a little.

Considering her previous habit of almost exclusively drinking milk, and how she had complained during the meal that the wine was of poor quality, Chi Yueshan boldly speculated that Xi Zhoumeng was drunk.

But she didn't dare to be certain.

She could only glance silently at Wen Xinghuo.

But just as she turned her head, her face was pinched and turned back. Xi Zhoumeng, reeking of alcohol, leaned in close. "What are you looking at Wen Xinghuo for? She's like black rice. Am I not better looking?"

Chi Yueshan was so embarrassed her toes nearly curled into the ground.

Yet Wen Xinghuo's expression didn't change, clearly used to it. Sheng Yangkui, standing to the side, was also emboldened by the alcohol and actually offered a serious rebuttal, "She's not black rice, she's a black gemstone."

Xi Zhoumeng snorted, turned to look at the price list, and said with dismissive contempt, "What black gemstone? There's no such thing. Our Yueshan is a green gemstone, a very expensive one."

That "our Yueshan" was just too smooth; Chi Yueshan didn't even react for a moment.

Sheng Yangkui paused, looked at Chi Yueshan, and asked in a small voice, "Are you two really..."

Chi Yueshan didn't know how to explain. Instead, it was Wen Xinghuo who sighed, "Don't ask such impolite questions."

Wen Xinghuo had clearly guessed, but she assumed it was an Omega-Omega relationship that the two found inconvenient to disclose.

Although, she felt that with Xi Zhoumeng's style, she would never hide something just because it was an OO relationship.

Sheng Yangkui said, "Oh," as Xi Zhoumeng had already gone to get the rings.

She unceremoniously bought all of them, and the owner frantically tapped on his calculator to tally the cost.

The young miss found the beeping sound annoying, feeling it was as irritating as that system in her head.

"Stop calculating!"

She was stunningly beautiful, with an untouchable aura like moonlight. Even in this mixed crowd, no one dared to bump into her.

Chi Yueshan felt she should be more worried about someone getting bullied by the young miss.

The owner was a middle-aged female Beta with a fanny pack, and she was startled by Xi Zhoumeng.

Xi Zhoumeng asked, "One ring is five Star Coins. How many do you have in total?"

The owner replied, "Two hundred."

Xi Zhoumeng exclaimed, "Oh my, that's practically free."

Chi Yueshan: "..."

She hurried over to mediate, pulling the person away. "Let me, let me."

Then she stuffed all the rings into Xi Zhoumeng's arms.

Xi Zhoumeng happily went to the goose enclosure. Seemingly finding the smell too strong, she took out a mask from her light-brain.

The children here had never seen such an advanced light-brain and let out a "wow."

Xi Zhoumeng glared at the little girl who had made the sound. "What are you 'wowing' at!"

The child: ...

Chi Yueshan felt like a butler, now having to help Xi Zhoumeng watch the rings.

Wen Xinghuo helped Chi Yueshan hold some, and Sheng Yangkui asked, "Are you going to play too?"

The tall female Alpha nodded. "It's Zhoumeng's treat. It'd be a waste not to play, though I'm not sure I can get one either."

Sheng Yangkui said, "You're good at everything you do."

Standing to the side, Chi Yueshan thought mournfully: I'm tainted. I can't believe my mind went there.

It was all that scoundrel Xi Zhoumeng's fault.

Xi Zhoumeng had already thrown several rings, but unfortunately, the geese in the enclosure were practically spirits. They looked extremely cunning; you'd throw one ring, and they could dodge it twice.

Even if you managed to land one, they could shake it off.

Xi Zhoumeng cursed, "What the hell is this thing!"

Chi Yueshan was also dumbfounded. They could even shake them off.

Could anyone actually win this?

A child standing by and watching said, "I've never seen anyone win either."

Chi Yueshan was tempted. How much money could you make in a day doing this?

Owning a goose farm seemed like a dream.

"That's not true! Someone can win!"

Another child chimed in. Perhaps because Xi Zhoumeng was too beautiful and unapproachable, they all gathered around Chi Yueshan.

Chi Yueshan was completely unaware that her image had become that of a rich sucker paying for everything.

"Really?" Chi Yueshan asked.

The child said, "Sister, if you give me a ring, I'll tell you."

Chi Yueshan replied, "Then you give me five Star Coins."

The child: ...

After throwing several rings in a row without a single hit, Xi Zhoumeng snorted. "You're all asking the wrong person for things. She doesn't look like she has any money."

Chi Yueshan: Her fists clenched.

After saying that, the person laughed again. "But she's my person."

Chi Yueshan: Maybe I shouldn't hit her. Covering her mouth would be better.

The two children got four rings from Xi Zhoumeng and said gleefully, "That person has been coming every Monday for several weeks."

"I know! That weird auntie!"

"The one with the pink piggy mask, right? I know her too!"

"But today is Monday!"

Chi Yueshan was quite interested. After all, even Wen Xinghuo, standing right next to her, hadn't managed to get a single one. Just what kind of person could win this?

Unfortunately, Xi Zhoumeng beside her had already lost her patience. She threw the rings in her hand like she was casting a net.

"All you ugly things, go die."

Chi Yueshan: How old are you? Is it really necessary? This is so embarrassing.

The "ugly things" honked loudly, completely unafraid. Some pattered over and pushed others away, while a few charged straight at the rings, shaking their heads wildly to fling them off.

They even arrogantly stomped on the rings under their feet.

Chi Yueshan: "..."

This is the interstellar age. There are no demons or monsters. We believe in science!

This was probably the most frustrating experience Xi Zhoumeng had had since transmigrating. Even the most expensive wine in the dingiest fly-ridden restaurant was of poor quality.

The person who was allergic to alcohol in her original world but insisted on drinking had, in the world of the book, fallen in love with tasting milk.

Perhaps because she hadn't drunk in so long, even this kind of wine could make her feel intoxicated.

"Did I get one?"

She turned to ask Chi Yueshan. The wind carried a heavy scent of alcohol, and she staggered, nearly falling onto Chi Yueshan.

Chi Yueshan quickly supported her. "Let's stop playing. Let's go."

Xi Zhoumeng insisted, "Did I get one?"

The honking of the geese was incessant. The bustling scene before Xi Zhoumeng's eyes seemed to become unfamiliar again.

She grabbed Chi Yueshan's hand and asked, "Where is this?"

Chi Yueshan said, "You're drunk."

She never thought she'd see the ever-composed Xi Zhoumeng drunk. It was both amusing and fun.

Perhaps because Xi Zhoumeng's eyes were glistening, Chi Yueshan offered a word of comfort, "It's okay, look, Senior Wen didn't get one either."

"The geese here are all trained... I think."

Even Wen Xinghuo was showing a rare competitive streak, or perhaps taking advantage of a freebie knew no bounds.

Sheng Yangkui stood beside her, handing her rings with eyes full of admiration.

The crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed, as a circus was performing on the other side today.

Even the children had lost interest in the goose ring toss.

Xi Zhoumeng seemed to stare at Sheng Yangkui for a long time before looking back at Chi Yueshan. "She's a lot like you."

Chi Yueshan let out a sound of surprise. "Like hell she is."

She grabbed Xi Zhoumeng's hand, which was about to point at Sheng Yangkui. As someone from the Lower World, Chi Yueshan had understood the gap in status from a young age.

Even though they were in the same academy, the differences between people were vast.

Her very presence here felt like a miracle.

Or rather, every day at the academy was something she had never imagined before.

On the short walk from the small, shabby restaurant to here, Xi Zhoumeng had leaned close and asked in a low voice—

"Doesn't it annoy you to see them? She stole your Wen..."

The air in the outer ring was boiling. Chi Yueshan silently squeezed Xi Zhoumeng's hand.

Her heart suddenly softened like a ball of cotton, yet her eyes stung with unshed tears at the pity in Xi Zhoumeng's tone.

"I'm not that kind of person," she said with a slight smile. "I only acknowledge what I can grasp."

You acknowledged me, she thought, so don't even think about escaping.

Fate always comes with a price. Right now, it seemed Sheng Yangkui might not have it easy. At least for the moment, the atmosphere was good, a kind of camaraderie Chi Yueshan had never imagined in the Lower World.

There was no need for her to be the one to spoil the mood.

Then does meeting Xi Zhoumeng require a price?

Is this karma, one fate exchanged for another?

Or is this person, as distant as a visitor from another world, someone I can truly hold in the palm of my hand?

At this moment, Xi Zhoumeng's gaze fell upon the hand Chi Yueshan was holding. "It's true."

"You both like Wen Xinghuo so much."

A cheer erupted from the other side; it seemed some small animal had come out.

Even the children standing nearby had all run off.

Chi Yueshan almost didn't catch that sentence. "My 'like' is different from hers."

Xi Zhoumeng lowered her head. The geese were still honking loudly, and there were still many rings left.

Perhaps it was a rare moment of relaxation, as Wen Xinghuo had even started teaching Sheng Yangkui how to play.

The little princess, in her two lifetimes, had never experienced what it meant to "have fun." Just having her hand held by Wen Xinghuo was enough to make her blush to the ears, leaving her no mind for anything else.

The person before her seemed to be thinking. Chi Yueshan reached out and tucked a strand of Xi Zhoumeng's hair behind her ear.

She used to have no concept of magnificence, always equating it with being expensive.

Xi Zhoumeng's very soul seemed magnificent. No matter how noisy she usually was, Chi Yueshan could sense the loneliness beneath her pride.

It was as if she had been placed on such a high pedestal that she had never truly immersed herself in the mortal world.

It was a different feeling from the one Sheng Yangkui gave off.

Sheng Yangkui was timid; her sorrow could drown a person, requiring someone to unhesitatingly sail into her sea of suffering and save her.

Xi Zhoumeng didn't need saving. She had powerful self-control.

The worst consequence would probably be making anyone who tried to persuade her defect, willingly recruited by her.

Why, though?

The Xi family was so good. Xi Li was great, a big brother who was a bit motherly but very easy to talk to.

Xi Chun's words were also full of concern for Xi Zhoumeng, and Xi Yang, needless to say, was especially attentive to Xi Zhoumeng when they were together.

Could it be her Omega mother's illness?

It didn't seem like it.

Xi Mingguang also seemed very easygoing, and Xi Zhoumeng's interactions with her weren't as tense as Chi Yueshan had previously imagined.

Then why was Xi Zhoumeng like this?

Her eyes were filled with an emotion I couldn't understand, as if her past was pitch black, steeped in despair and devoid of any hope.

"Your gaze on me isn't as scorching as when you look at Wen Xinghuo."

Xi Zhoumeng hadn't had a drink in a long time. As the spawn of sin, she had been forced to learn so many things, and this was one of the required skills.

No one cared if drinking too much would kill her. The chosen savior would always have a chance of survival, so it didn't matter how they used her.

Everyone detested her, yet they needed her.

Liking someone was too pure an emotion; unfortunately, she had never been liked unconditionally.

Xi Zhoumeng paused again, not quite wanting to admit it.

In a way, Sheng Yangkui's rebirth had even benefited her. At least in this life, Chi Yueshan was her person.

To put it bluntly, she had also stolen Chi Yueshan away.

In a sense, she and Sheng Yangkui were co-conspirators.

If Sheng Yangkui had started it by stealing the first meeting that belonged to Chi Yueshan and Wen Xinghuo...

Then Xi Zhoumeng had stolen Chi Yueshan's chance to stand by Wen Xinghuo's side.

She wasn't usually one to be indecisive, but this spontaneous person now seemed to have reservations.

It was terrifying, yet novel.

On this night, saturated with the smell of alcohol, in this unfamiliar place, the noisy sounds of poultry mixed with human voices.

Xi Zhoumeng was unabashedly, singularly jealous.

Chi Yueshan chuckled and patted Xi Zhoumeng's hand. "Are you jealous?"

Xi Zhoumeng nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "It hurts here."

Because of her drunkenness, her movements were a bit clumsy, and the natural nobility in her every gesture had dissipated.

She grabbed Chi Yueshan's hand and placed it over her own chest.

Her heart was beating so fast.

Chi Yueshan's heart also suddenly accelerated.

The next second, Chi Yueshan whipped her head around. Xi Zhoumeng, having gotten a new ring from who-knows-where, was trying to toss it onto Chi Yueshan's head.

Caught in the act, Xi Zhoumeng showed not a hint of embarrassment and even muttered righteously, "Your head is too big."

Chi Yueshan was so angry she laughed. "Nonsense, could you even get it on?"

Xi Zhoumeng held out her hand. "I'll reluctantly let you toss one on me."

She extended a wrist of pearly white, adorned with an exquisite silver bracelet that was completely incomparable to this large, chipped plastic ring.

Of course, Chi Yueshan couldn't bear to defile it and just snorted.

Suddenly, a voice cut in. "I heard you bought out the stall? Could you sell me a ring?"

The female voice was slightly aged but had a low, pleasant quality, tinged with a smile.

Chi Yueshan looked at the newcomer. The person was wearing a comical pink pig mask, and their eyes were clear and gentle.

Chi Yueshan didn't mind. Just as she was about to reach out and give the person a ring, Xi Zhoumeng stopped her. "Wait a second."

"We can't just give it away for free, can we?"

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