"Hey, hey, hey, I must admit, Auntie, I was mistaken. At first glance, I didn't recognize you. But it's also because you and Luna bear such a striking resemblance!" Kiana confessed, her voice filled with a mix of surprise and embarrassment. As she spoke, she awkwardly placed her right hand behind her head, her fingers nervously twirling a lock of her hair.
"But what brings Luna here?" Kiana asked, her curiosity piqued. She couldn't help but wonder if the boundary between the game world and reality had blurred. Could it be that the characters from the game had somehow crossed over into the real world? Or, as Kiana glanced at Luna, was it the other way around? Were the characters in the game modeled after real people? This idea seemed more plausible, especially considering the uncanny similarities between herself, Mei, and the other girls.
"You'd have to ask him that!" Theresa responded, her tone casual, almost dismissive.
"Could she be, perhaps, the illegitimate daughter of Lord Theresa?" Luo Mo chimed in, stroking his chin in a mock contemplative manner.
"Sh, sh what!" Kiana exclaimed, taken aback by the unexpected revelation. This was a twist she had not anticipated…
In a rush, she turned to Theresa, "Great Aunt, is this true?"
"What ah! What are you babbling about!" Theresa retorted, her petite face flushing with anger. From an angle that Kiana couldn't see, she lifted her foot to stomp on Luo Mo. She was determined to teach him a lesson, to make him understand that he couldn't just tarnish the reputation of the esteemed academy head without consequences.
Caught off guard, Luo Mo couldn't dodge in time and received a hard stomp on the top of his foot. Unsatisfied, Theresa stomped again, harder this time, to express her displeasure. Luo Mo winced in pain and struggled to retract his stomped foot.
Theresa then turned her attention to Kiana, her eyes softening as she began to explain, "I have my own preferences, but no, I don't have a favorite! The idea of having an illegitimate daughter is preposterous. Kiana, don't pay any heed to his words."
Despite the confusion swirling in her mind, Kiana wasn't easily fooled. She had spent a considerable amount of time with her great aunt, and she was certain that she would have sensed it if Theresa had a daughter.
However, she didn't let this unexpected turn of events distract her from the main purpose of her visit. She turned her gaze towards Luo Mo, her eyes cold and questioning, "Boss, how do you justify that plot? Your storyline seems to be deviating more and more from the initial publicity, doesn't it?"
"Kiana, you need to understand," Luo Mo responded, a bitter expression etched on his face. "I'm the boss, not the screenwriter. I merely approved the plot because I thought it was good. What does this have to do with me, don't you think? If you have any issues, you should take it up with the screenwriter, Su Lu. She's the one behind all of this!"
"Okay, that seems somewhat reasonable," Kiana mumbled, her mind still trying to process everything. She found herself surprisingly swayed by her own words.
Luo Mo, on the other hand, was secretly thrilled. However, he managed to keep his expression neutral, not letting his inner joy show.
"Alright then," Kiana said, her voice filled with determination, "I'll settle the score with the screenwriter tomorrow." She turned to her Great Aunt, her eyes wide with surprise. "However, Great Aunt, this Luna really cosies like ah! Her temperament is exactly the same, it's uncanny."
Kiana decided to stop pondering over it. Instead, her interest was piqued by Luna, who was sitting quietly with her head bowed. Kiana watched her, curiosity sparkling in her eyes, as she picked up her cell phone to compare Luna's image with the real person.
"Well-" Luna started, her voice barely audible. She kept her head down, not making a sound. She was a little confused about their conversation, unsure about the meaning of 'cos' and 'great-aunt'. She felt a bit lost.
However, the human had advised her to stay quiet if she couldn't figure out Kyu, reassuring her that he would explain it himself.
"She's my sister now!" Theresa declared proudly, her voice echoing in the room. She didn't provide much explanation about Luna's origin, instead, she shifted the conversation and started lecturing Kiana.
"And stop being so rude and staring at her all the time, Kiana. She's a bit of a scaredy-cat," Theresa said, her tone stern yet caring.
"Oh, that's true," Kiana responded, nodding as if she understood, even though she was still puzzled about why someone would be afraid of life. She then left a comment, her voice filled with excitement, "Well then Auntie, I'll come back to you tomorrow, Mei shouldn't be able to wait any longer, and hey, it's been 8 hours and 54 minutes since I've seen Mei today."
With that, she darted out the door, her energy palpable. In the quiet night, two twisted braids could be vaguely seen swinging from one hop to the next, gradually blurring and disappearing into the darkness, leaving behind a sense of anticipation for the events of the following day.
"Phew, that lively little niece of me," Theresa sighed, her eyes twinkling with affection as she glanced at Luo Mo. Her voice echoed in the room, filled with a mix of exhaustion and amusement.
"Alright, it's time for you to retreat to your room," she instructed Luo Mo, her tone firm yet gentle.
"Huh?" Luo Mo blinked in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. The sudden change in topic had caught him off guard. "Why so?" he asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"I'm about to take Luna downstairs for her bath. Unless, of course, you'd like to join us?" Theresa teased, her voice light and playful. She then turned her attention to Luna, who was engrossed in the television.
Upon hearing Theresa's call, Luna obediently rose from her seat, her red eyes flickering with anticipation. She followed Theresa, her small steps echoing softly in the room. "Well then, human, I'll be taking my bath now," she announced softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Why are you still standing there?" Theresa questioned, her gaze falling on Luo Mo who was still rooted to his spot, seemingly lost in thought.
"I was just wondering… what should Luna wear after her bath?" Luo Mo replied, his forehead creased in deep thought.
"She can wear my clothes! It's not a big deal." Theresa responded, her voice filled with confusion. She couldn't understand why Luo Mo was overthinking such a simple matter.
"But you're older, I'm afraid she won't fit into your clothes," Luo Mo retorted, his tone innocent.
"???"
Theresa's petite face turned pale with anger, her lips pressed into a thin line. She was at a loss for words for a moment.
What kind of words were these? How could someone utter such harsh words so casually? And since when did body size become a reflection of one's age?
She was only forty, for heaven's sake! She was still young and vibrant!
Overwhelmed with anger, Theresa gave Luo Mo a swift kick, instructing him to return to his room and reflect on his words. Her voice was stern, a clear indication that she was not to be trifled with.
---------------------
The bathroom door creaked open, releasing a cloud of warm, steamy air into the cooler surroundings. Following the mist, two pairs of delicate, white calves, as smooth and lustrous as polished jade, stepped out onto the tiled floor.
Leading the way was Luna, her steps light and graceful. Trailing behind her was Theresa, a towel in her hands, diligently wiping Luna's hair. The towel, soft and absorbent, gently soaked up the moisture from Luna's hair. Luna responded by nuzzling her head against the towel, a content hum escaping her lips, filling the room with a sense of tranquility.
Luo Mo watched the pair emerge from the bathroom, their identical outfits and similar hairstyles making them look like mirror images of each other. Overwhelmed by the poetic beauty of the scene, Luo Mo found himself reciting a line from an old Chinese ballad,
"Two fools mixing the ground to walk, can you recognize which one I am?"
( the original teks is "二傻拌地走,安能辨我是哪只?" reference from ballad-of-mulan from china, with one of the famous quotes : "When a pair of rabbits run side by side, who can distinguish male from female?" but I'm not paid to explain it to you all, you can search the internet about this)
At this moment, Luna and Theresa were indeed very similar. They were dressed in the same clothes, their hair spread out and falling to the same length. If one didn't look closely at their eyes, it would be quite challenging for Luo Mo to tell them apart.
Suddenly, a distinct '#' symbol appeared above Theresa's head, a common visual cue used to express confusion or surprise.
"Do you think I haven't read the Mulan lyric from China?" Theresa retorted, her voice laced with a hint of amusement. In a playful gesture, she flung the towel she had been using to dry Luna's hair towards Luo Mo. As the towel sailed through the air, droplets of water scattered, falling onto Luo Mo's clothes like a light drizzle.
"And it should be 'shǎ', right? How come, did you pronounce it wrong?" Theresa added, correcting Luo Mo's pronunciation with a teasing smile on her face.
With a swift motion, Luo Mo caught the towel in his hand. He brought it closer, inhaling deeply. A sigh of admiration escaped his lips as he took in the scent. The towel was slightly damp, but it carried a creamy, milky fragrance that was quite pleasant.
He tried to discern the source of the aroma. It could have been the fresh scent of Theresa's hair, or perhaps it was the lingering fragrance of the shampoo she had recently used. However, Luo Mo was not one to invade personal boundaries. He couldn't just approach Theresa and Luna to compare their hair scents with that of the towel.
A pang of regret washed over Luo Mo. He wished he could identify the origin of the towel's delightful aroma, but it remained a mystery.
"Hey! Luo Mo, what on earth are you doing?" Theresa's voice cut through his thoughts. Her face had turned stern as she stepped forward to reclaim the towel. She was visibly upset. After all, she had used that towel herself!
Once she had the towel back in her possession, Theresa was in a dilemma. She wasn't sure if she should continue using it. If she did, it would feel a bit odd; if she didn't, it would be a waste.
Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. "I've got it. I'll use it to wipe my feet. The towel's a bit worn out anyway." She seemed quite pleased with her solution.
"Luo Mo, it's time for your bath. Your room has a bathroom too. Tonight, Luna will sleep with me. I'll teach her some basic life skills as well!" Theresa announced, assuming the role of a responsible elder sister. Her words effectively halted Luo Mo's steps towards the bathroom.
"Oh." Luo Mo responded in a flat tone, his disappointment evident. He wasn't particularly thrilled about having to use a separate bathroom.