MORIC - Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Who's the Muddle-headed One?

Chi Yueshan hadn't expected to see so much as a shadow of Xi Zhoumeng after giving birth.

She was, quite simply, the Omega with the fastest recovery the midwife had ever seen. But once the midwife heard Chi Yueshan had genes from the M-Galaxy, she no longer found it strange. The midwife asked Chi Yueshan, "Have you chosen a name for your child?"

Hearing it was a campus romance, she assumed they must have picked one out already.

Chi Yueshan fell silent. It seemed she and Xi Zhoumeng had never seriously settled on a name while in the alternate dimension.

Mainly, every time she tried to think about it seriously, Xi Zhoumeng would interrupt. Even though she was trying her best to adapt, she was still terrified.

Xi Zhoumeng harbored extremely negative feelings about her ability to become a responsible adult, even if she gave Chi Yueshan the impression that she had already adjusted.

Nearby, a woman named Xi Yang chimed in, "They must have picked one. The two of them are so close."

Xi Li said, "Exactly! My little sister is a top-tier Alpha who can have a living child just three months after differentiating into an Alpha."

Xi Chun: ...

Big Brother, you've really got some nerve, saying that. It's already outrageous enough! Most people can't even comprehend the concept of a folded space.

This matter had already led to Xi Li and Xi Mingguang being endlessly teased by their colleagues.

Xi Chun had managed to dodge it all perfectly by being on paternity leave. He sighed now, looking at the little baby being held by a woman named Chu Jing. "Mom, stop staring. You used to say that Xi Yang took after Mother when she was a child."

Xi Yang's eyebrows shot up. "What?!"

Chu Jing said, "Her? Like this? How could she possibly resemble me, the epitome of gentleness?"

Xi Mingguang felt her headache worsen, but she didn't dare to argue and could only sigh in silence.

Chi Yueshan had no desire to answer the question. She asked, "Where did Xi Zhoumeng go?"

I told her to get lost, but I didn't tell her to stay lost and not come back now.

The entire room fell silent. Xi Li let out a grunt and looked at Xi Yang.

Xi Yang looked at Xi Mingguang, who pretended her illness was flaring up again.

The others quickly scattered. A woman named Hong Sa said helplessly, "She's receiving treatment in another room."

Chi Yueshan shot up. "What?"

Xi Yang quickly pushed her back down. "We don't know where she came back from, after all. She has a lot of old injuries, and besides…"

When Xi Zhoumeng had fainted, the group hadn't dared to let Chi Yueshan know. They had moved her to the next room and called for a doctor. After a comprehensive examination, the injuries were deemed manageable—scar removal technology was excellent these days. The only thing the doctor diagnosed was…

It was a difficult topic to broach. Xi Li and Xi Chun, the two men in the room, left with a tacit understanding.

Xi Yang, who was usually straightforward, also found it difficult to speak and promptly left as well.

Chu Jing, holding the baby, said she was going to ask if there were new parenting standards, an absurd excuse, and left as well.

Only Xi Mingguang and Hong Sa remained.

Sitting in her wheelchair, Xi Mingguang was suddenly overcome with a sense of utter loneliness. Not only had she not yet held her granddaughter, but now she had to tell Chi Yueshan a cruel truth.

Seeing their reactions, Chi Yueshan's heart sank.

She abruptly tried to get out of bed again, ignoring her IV drip, thinking, So this is the best medical technology has to offer after all this time? I could recover with just a couple of nutrient tubes, but they insist on sticking me with all these messy needles and lines.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

Hong Sa tried to hold Chi Yueshan down, but being elderly, she wasn't as strong as an Omega who had just given birth. Meanwhile, the former First Commander of the Empire, Xi Mingguang, was so beset by old and new injuries that she couldn't even get out of her wheelchair.

The old and the infirm sighed in unison once more.

Chi Yueshan said, "Xi Zhoumeng didn't…"

She took a deep breath, but she felt that girl couldn't possibly be dead.

She asked, "Don't tell me Xi Zhoumeng didn't come back alone?"

"She brought someone else back with her?"

Xi Mingguang never expected to hear something like that. She and Hong Sa immediately shook their heads like rattle-drums.

"No, no."

Chi Yueshan asked, "Then what happened to her? As long as she's not dead, it's fine. Is there anything worse than death?"

"I just saw her. She wasn't disfigured or anything."

Xi Mingguang watched her, recalling that even though Chi Yueshan's face was pale, she showed none of the usual weakness of an Omega who had just given birth. Xi Mingguang even felt that a single punch from her could send the wheelchair flying.

As expected of Jiang Zhi's daughter.

In Xi Mingguang's faint memories, Jiang Zhi had always looked gentle, scholarly, and fair-skinned, but she was always number one in close-quarters combat. Even Shen Yu could be beaten to a pulp by her.

"She…"

Xi Mingguang glanced at Hong Sa, a silent plea for help in her eyes.

The old military doctor cleared her throat. "It's like this."

Chi Yueshan nodded, looking earnestly at Hong Sa. "Please, tell me. If you can't bring yourself to say it, I'll just get up and go see her myself. Honestly, that girl…"

The young Omega's words were full of complaints, but she couldn't hide an ounce of her longing and affection.

"Zhoumeng… she may have been exposed to some kind of radiation."

Chi Yueshan asked, "Zerg radiation? Did she contract wasting sickness? That can't be right. She's an Alpha. I've never heard of an Alpha…"

The Omega who had just given birth raised her voice considerably. "She couldn't have gone to a world with the Zerg… right? A-and even if she did! Her mecha is bound to her!"

"She's not the close-combat type like Senior Wen. Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

Hong Sa took a deep breath and said gravely, "Her reproductive abilities have been severely damaged…"

As a military doctor, her tone was much calmer. "You two may not be able to have any more children in the future."

Xi Mingguang quickly tried to comfort Chi Yueshan. "Don't be too upset. In any case, you two already have…"

Unexpectedly, Chi Yueshan's expression was perfectly calm. She even just said, "Oh."

"How is she now? Does she know?"

Xi Mingguang shook her head.

Chi Yueshan sighed. "Don't worry. I'm not upset."

"As for Xi Zhoumeng, she'll be even less upset. She'll be absolutely thrilled to death."

Xi Mingguang couldn't quite grasp the thought processes of today's youth. Normally, a match of over ninety percent meant they were perfectly compatible in that department, completely inseparable from each other's comfort, and very likely to have children. From a reproductive standpoint, they were an ideal pair.

Why were these two reacting so differently from normal people?

Chi Yueshan said, "I'm still going to see her."

Hong Sa started, "Your body…"

Chi Yueshan replied, "I'm fine. The doctor said my M-Galaxy genes are amazing. It's no problem."

She had only been in pain for a little while, and with today's advanced technology, there wasn't any major damage. The nutrient solution had her almost fully recovered. It just felt a little strange… down there.

But it wasn't nearly as intense as the pain of being knotted.

I've been completely ruined by Xi Zhoumeng. She's raised my pain threshold.

---

Xi Zhoumeng was in the next room. Xi Li had hired a professional medical team to be stationed at the house.

The doctors had given Xi Zhoumeng a full-body examination and found some of her organs were failing, as if they had been subjected to some unknown pressure. But the doctors said it wasn't difficult to treat and had just drawn up a specialized plan.

It was just…

They had probably confirmed it several times, comparing the values.

"Miss Xi's… as an Alpha…"

Back then, no one had the heart to hear the rest. Later, after reading the paper report, Xi Li sighed so much that he started to annoy Xi Chun.

Xi Chun said, "What are you so regretful about? Zhoumeng herself probably doesn't think it's a big deal."

Xi Li replied, "Of course it's a pity! This is a one-hundred-percent match. I could have had several adorable nieces, and now that possibility has been snuffed out."

Xi Chun said coolly, "Are you sure you'd be happy with several more nieces like Zhoumeng?"

Xi Li imagined the scene and felt a chill run down his spine. The memory of being dominated by Xi Zhoumeng in the past made him shudder.

"It'd… it'd be fine."

Xi Chun said, "What's the point of having so many? You Alphas are just obsessed with breeding."

Xi Li retorted, "Why are you yelling at me? This is about the compatibility rate, okay? You didn't talk like this back when you were with your wife."

Xi Chun said, "I wasn't yelling at you. Why are you taking it so personally?"

He didn't forget to play his game, even now. His daughter sat by Xi Zhoumeng's bedside, tirelessly reading a new piece she had written, saying it might awaken her sleeping aunt.

Xi Li thought: Are you sure it's awakening her and not activating something else? That kind of story really suits her.

He really didn't know how Xi Chun and his wife produced such a daughter, but then again, considering Xi Chun was a veteran otaku, it wasn't entirely impossible.

Now the two brothers were bickering back and forth again, disturbing the little child who was reading her story. The adults were given a stern scolding by the little, undifferentiated girl.

Chi Yueshan arrived just in time to see the two of them being kicked out of the room.

The little girl inside turned to look at Chi Yueshan and called out, "Hello, Little Auntie."

She didn't know what to call Chi Yueshan, since Chi Yueshan wasn't a man. Xi Zhoumeng was her "Little Auntie," so she figured Chi Yueshan counted as a "Little Auntie" too.

Chi Yueshan smiled at her and walked into the room.

Xi Zhoumeng lay on the bed, looking like a sleeping beauty.

Chi Yueshan grasped her hand, only then certain that she wasn't dreaming.

She had almost thought she was hallucinating when she'd felt Xi Zhoumeng arrive by her side.

And she had told her to get lost.

Xi Zhoumeng looked no different from when they had parted, but Chi Yueshan felt that something wasn't the same.

It wasn't as if she hadn't seen Xi Zhoumeng lying in this bed before.

The girl loved to sleep. At first, Chi Yueshan had thought she was truly asleep when she lay there in broad daylight, but she later discovered Xi Zhoumeng was just resting with her eyes closed.

Xi Zhoumeng actually had trouble falling asleep; she was just very quick to close her eyes, which meant Chi Yueshan's attempts to steal a kiss always failed, getting her caught red-handed.

Now, her eyes were shut tight, her familiar face still as perfect as a person in a painting.

The little niece came to Chi Yueshan's side and asked in a hushed voice, "Little Auntie, what's your and Auntie's baby's name?"

Chi Yueshan kept staring at Xi Zhoumeng, as if she could will her awake with her gaze.

This liar. She promised she'd stay in touch.

She replied through gritted teeth, "Hunhun."

The little niece let out a small "ah."

Chi Yueshan said, "The 'hun' in 'unconscious.'"

The little girl: ...

She stared at Chi Yueshan's face for a long time, thinking, Auntie said her girlfriend was cute and gentle.

Not really. She's a bit fierce, but she looks like she's about to cry.

The little girl sighed, then trotted out the door to tell the adults the name.

---

Wen Xinghuo had been too busy the past few days to visit Xi Zhoumeng, only managing to send Xi Li a message on her light-brain.

She had been injured yesterday, so Shen Yu forbade her from going on patrol to exterminate Zerg. She urged Wen Xinghuo to rest for a day, giving her a stern lecture. This happened to coincide with Xi Shuang and Ling Xun completing their handover and returning smoothly to the Capital Star.

The two cousins didn't go home first, either, heading straight for the Xi residence. At the entrance, they ran into Wen Xinghuo, who had happened to travel back with Xuan Ping.

It was the first time for both Xuan Ping and Ling Xun, and even with memories of their past lives, they were still curious about the legendary mansion of the top aristocratic family.

Xi Shuang stood with Wen Xinghuo, sighing dramatically as she stared at the new wound on her face. "What will you do if this leaves a scar? It'll be adding insult to injury for your already struggling good looks."

Hearing this, Ling Xun, who was behind them, kicked Xi Shuang hard. Then she smiled and explained to Wen Xinghuo, "I'm sorry, Senior. My cousin injured her brain last week. The military doctor said she'd experience temporary bouts of running her mouth. Please don't mind her."

Wen Xinghuo just said, "Oh," as if she were used to it. "When is her mouth not running?"

Xuan Ping almost laughed out loud. The people around her were all influential figures at Guyun Academy now, talents being cultivated by the military.

The early arrival of the Zerg Tide, along with the resurfacing of all their memories, had made her seem much more mature. Standing together, they didn't even look like they were in the same grade.

Li Rong personally guided the group of classmates, explaining, "Miss Zhoumeng hasn't woken up yet. Miss Yueshan is with her now."

Xuan Ping said, "I know. Yueshan just told me."

Xi Shuang said, "It's fine. I came to see the daughter Xi Zhoumeng had. This feels so weird. I'm not that old myself, why is she getting married and having kids so early… oh, right, they're not married yet."

Ling Xun: "Ahem."

Wen Xinghuo said, "You don't even have a girlfriend."

Xi Shuang grew angry. "Oh, you're so great, dating a princess! It's a shame this isn't a feudal society, otherwise you, Wen Xinghuo, would be a female prince consort!"

Wen Xinghuo sounded like a broken record. "You don't even have a girlfriend."

In truth, the atmosphere outside was still heavy, but with this group finally reunited, all the somberness dissipated in an instant.

In Xuan Ping's eyes, that tragic past life had turned a new page. She watched her bickering classmates with a smile, filled with the hopeful feeling that the gloom was finally lifting.

They were led into the castle. A maid pushed the door open, and Chi Yueshan, who was sitting by the bed, turned and smiled at them.

The young Omega hadn't changed much. Her green eyes were filled with surprise, and she still possessed a boundless vitality.

Xi Shuang let out a wail. "The practical training was only a little over three months, wasn't it? Why do I feel like lifetimes have passed? Wuwuwu."

She was prone to dramatic emotional swings. Now, on the verge of tears, she leaned on Ling Xun's shoulder to sob, only to be pushed away.

Wen Xinghuo greeted Chi Yueshan. As she stepped forward, she saw Xi Zhoumeng on the bed and the human cub in the baby carriage.

Wen Xinghuo took a step back. The thought that this was Xi Zhoumeng's child made her feel a little frightened.

Xuan Ping stepped forward and asked Chi Yueshan with a smile, "Yueshan, what's your and Senior Xi's baby's name?"

Chi Yueshan glanced at the still-unconscious Xi Zhoumeng and sneered. "Her name is Hunhun."

Xuan Ping asked, "What? Which 'hun'?"

Chi Yueshan replied, "The 'hun' in 'muddle-headed.'"

The emotion in her voice sent a shiver down Xi Shuang's spine.

Wen Xinghuo silently backed away, glancing at the still-unconscious Xi Zhoumeng and thinking, Having a wife and child before even getting married… such a breach of Alpha ethics.

At that moment, she actually felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect of watching Xi Zhoumeng's drama unfold.

Xuan Ping was also stunned. "Why?"

Chi Yueshan asked, "You don't know?"

She gave a gentle smile that made one's hair stand on end, looking for a moment just like the old, mischief-making Xi Zhoumeng.

"The moment she heard I was going into labor, she fainted. It's an occasion well worth commemorating."

Xi Shuang whispered to Ling Xun, "Is this marriage?"

Ling Xun replied, "Yep. You should just join me in embracing singlehood."

Xi Shuang said, "I'll think about it."

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