Quadruple split.

Chapter 2609 Take the First Step Bravely

“Escape and self-pity are never the solutions to problems.”

Mo Tan looked at Dabus with a serious expression and said, "Although it might seem like meddling, as a friend, I feel it's necessary to remind you, Dabus, that you can't go on like this."

Dabus paused, his face, which was quite different from the one Mo Tan remembered—a face that was usually handsome and somewhat scholarly—looking rather stiff. He said in a dry voice, "Mo, what... what do you mean?"

"Literally, my friend."

Mo Tan sighed and said with a wry smile, "Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm no matchmaking expert... maybe, but even putting aside the objective differences between us in this area, you should understand the saying 'an outsider sees more of the game,' right?"

Dabus nodded, and said with a somewhat awkward expression, "Yes, I understand."

"In that case, I have some thoughts I'd like to share with you."

Mo Tan calmly looked at her friend, whose expression was downcast and whose demeanor was listless, and shrugged, saying, "Of course, that's on the condition that you're willing to listen to me."

"I... I didn't really want to hear it, but this is a rare opportunity..."

Dabus scratched his head and said resignedly, "So let's talk about it, it's just the two of us."

Mo Tan smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Oh, then I won't stand on ceremony."

"Wait a minute!"

Dabus immediately interrupted, saying seriously, "You... could you be a little more polite?"

"Ha, that works too."

Having already sensed that Dabbs was about to 'offend', Mo Tan took a sip of coffee, reorganized his rather impolite words, and said seriously, "I think you have a bit of a problem."

Dabus: "...What happened to being polite???"

"I've been very polite. Believe me, if we talked in a different setting, I could make you jump off a roof."

Dabus: o(TヘTo)
"First, let's talk about the cause of everything."

Mo Tan sighed and went straight to the heart of the matter: "You like a colleague who teaches at a school, that lady named Teacher Chen, right?"

Dabus nodded, his face flushed, and whispered a correction: "I think it should be 'love'."

"..."

To be honest, even Mo Tan, who was practically the epitome of a kind and understanding young man, felt a chill after hearing Dabus's incredibly blunt and unsophisticated expression of his thoughts. It took him a while to recover before he managed to say in a dry voice, "Um, um... okay, that's fine."

At the same time, Dabus, who seemed to be recalling bits and pieces about Teacher Chen, revealed a very, very, very infatuated expression.

"So, based on that, the reason why you dislike that teacher Tian Xingdao becomes quite intriguing."

Mo Tan didn't ask for the other party's opinion, but simply stated in a definitive tone: "From what I understand, Teacher Tian never actively pursued Teacher Chen. Although the two seemed to have some interactions that could easily lead to speculation, such as watching a movie together, they are not actually in a romantic relationship, right?"

Upon hearing the words "watch a movie," Dabus, grinding his teeth in frustration, nodded angrily: "Yes."

"And you, it seems, don't have the experience of watching a movie alone with Teacher Chen."

Mo Tan continued her analysis, asking seriously, "So here's the question: you two haven't had any activities that might have helped to deepen your feelings for each other. Is it because she's resistant to you, or are you worried about this 'unfounded' resistance?"

Dabus, who in most cases possesses first-rate reaction speed and analytical ability: "Huh?"

"Okay, then I'll keep it simple."

Mo Tan sighed and said to Dabus, whose intelligence was clearly deteriorating, "Since you feel resentful that Teacher Tian and Teacher Chen went to the movies together while you didn't go with Teacher Chen, have you invited Teacher Chen to the movies? If not, what's the reason? Is it because you're worried about being rejected by Teacher Chen?"

Dabus opened his mouth: "I...uh..."

"Or did you originally think you could gradually develop a relationship with Teacher Chen, but after Teacher Tian appeared, you suddenly realized that you were completely outshone?"

Mo Tan didn't give the other person much time to think, but continued, "In addition, the fact that they watched a movie together, did it make you think, 'If only I had been more proactive before,' or 'Now that Teacher Tian is there as a comparison, it's no use for me to be proactive,' and thus lead you to the conclusion that 'it's all Teacher Tian's fault'?"

"no!"

Dabus first instinctively retorted, and after a few seconds of silence, he said dryly, "...That's also possible."

"Then, the next question is quite simple."

Looking at Dabus, whose expression was growing increasingly grim, Mo Tan asked, "Putting aside your own prejudices, whether in real life or in the [Innocent Realm], has Teacher Tian ever done anything that was clearly hostile towards you?"

Dabus shook his head in frustration: "No, probably not."

"I think so too."

Mo Tan nodded slightly and then asked, "So, what about your relationship with Teacher Tian? Have you ever deliberately targeted her or acted in a way that was clearly hostile?"

Dabus: "...a lot."

"Isn't something a little off?"

After Dabus readily admitted it, Mo Tan breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "At the same time, have you ever actively expressed your feelings of affection to Teacher Chen?"

Dabus: "...No."

"So can we draw this conclusion?"

Mo Tan shrugged and spread his hands, saying, "You hope to improve your own evaluation by targeting Teacher Tian, ​​and make Teacher Chen 'suddenly realize' and take the initiative to ask you out for dates, meals, movies, and to start a relationship after sensing the feelings you haven't expressed but are hidden in your heart?"

"Ah ha ha……"

Dabus chuckled twice, his expression subtle, and said, "This seems a bit outrageous, doesn't it?"

"This is absolutely outrageous, bro."

Mo Tan leaned back in his chair, laughing and crying at the same time, and said, "Not to mention that your various actions against Teacher Tian will most likely only lower your own reputation, even if you like to cosplay Jiang Ziya and play the game of willing takers, Teacher Chen may not be King Wen of Zhou. What if he is Li Jing, Nezha, or Daji? It's 100% sure to be a no-win situation, okay?"

"Go away, what are you talking about?"

Dabus rolled his eyes and said irritably, "How come you've become so rude? Did you catch that bastard from the turtle in your house?"

"Ha, I'm just saying what I think."

Mo Tan sighed almost imperceptibly, then grinned: "So, do you know where the problem lies now?"

Dabus nodded listlessly, and said dejectedly, "So? You think I should go apologize to Teacher Tian?"

"That's not necessarily true. After all, in my opinion, Teacher Tian didn't take your little temper seriously at all."

Mo Tan shook his head, and after noticing that Dabus's expression had become even more unpleasant, he laughed and said, "Don't take it personally. Actually, when it doesn't involve your... uh... 'love', your magnanimity is no less than Teacher Tian's."

Dabus twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't speak, which was tantamount to acknowledging Mo Tan's implication that "you seem both clear-headed and foolish when it comes to 'love'."

"I want to emphasize again that I am not a love guru, and I don't know what attitude you should take towards that 'love'."

Mo Tan looked intently at the dejected Dabus and said seriously, "But the way you are now, you'll only make yourself look worse and end up with a terrible ending in this relationship." Dabus made a face as if he had just swallowed an ice cube and said shakily, "I know this won't work, but I don't know what to do. I've never been in a relationship before."

"At least act like a normal person."

Mo Tan took another sip of coffee and looked at Dabus calmly: "I'm stopping myself from giving any opinions now. You should think about it carefully, and you'd better use your normal intelligence and emotional intelligence to figure out how you can at least act like a normal person."

Dabus: "..."

For the next ten minutes, neither of them spoke.

While sipping his coffee, Mo Tan lowered his eyes to read the book "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" on his lap, enjoying both the coffee and the book.

Dabus, on the other hand, was deep in thought with his arms crossed and a bitter expression on his face. His complexion changed from green to red to black to white, and anyone who didn't know him would think he had just finished eating mushrooms.

Then--

"Hey, Mo."

Dabus took a deep breath, and said seriously as if he had made up his mind: "I... intend to treat Tian Xingdao as a human being from now on."

"Hey!"

Mo Tan was shocked and asked in bewilderment, "Is it really necessary for you to make such a big decision to say something like this?!"

"Stereotypes are hard to change, especially since I had accumulated quite a bit of prejudice against him."

Dabus chuckled awkwardly, then said seriously, "Also, I... plan to ask Teacher Chen out to dinner."

Mo Tan nodded: "Mhm!"

Dabus blushed slightly: "Then let's see if we can invite her to the movies!"

Mo Tan nodded again: "Mmm!"

Dabus clenched his fist: "Then confess your feelings to her!"

Mo Tan continued nodding: "Hmm...hmm!?"

"what?"

Seeing the other person's expression, as if they'd seen a ghost, Dabus asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Brother, I don't know if you've ever heard this saying..."

Mo Tan pinched the bridge of his nose and said helplessly, "Confessing your feelings is a victory song, not a battle horn."

Dabus blinked twice and hesitated before saying, "I think I've heard of it before."

"So, you've gone from fishing with a straight hook, letting those who are willing take the bait, to a one-stop shop for meals, movies, and confessions..."

Mo Tan sighed and said with a wry smile, "Aren't you afraid of scaring people away?"

Dabus: "Then... I should ask Teacher Chen to have dinner and watch a movie first? So she'll know that I have... have... uh..."

"You can decide for yourself."

Mo Tan swiftly closed the book and stood up, saying decisively, "We should go back and report the situation."

"Uh, aren't we going to chat a little longer?"

"I don't think it's necessary."

"Do you find me troublesome?"

"Kind of."

"silent!"

"Alright, alright, let's go!"

"but I……"

"Don't you already know where the problem lies?"

"Oh……"

……

ten minutes later
Anka Market, South District, [Misty Residential Development Zone] Phase III Villa Area, a large villa
"Your Excellency Mo."

Having changed into a beautiful and elaborate butler's uniform for an important occasion, Spider, with her exquisite makeup and intellectual demeanor, stood at the courtyard gate and bowed to Mo Tan, smiling gently as she said, "Welcome back."

"I just came to take a look, I have no intention of staying long, and I don't want to cause any trouble."

Mo Tan nodded rather coldly to the spider, then looked around at the girls scattered in the beautiful courtyard adorned with several fountains, peeking out at them cautiously, and said softly, "It seems you've taken good care of them."

Spider shook his head and smiled, "You flatter me, Lord Mo. In fact, although I do want to get along with these poor girls, they are still wary of me, perhaps because of their regrettable past experiences. The reason they have been able to gradually emerge from that cold and dark shadow is all thanks to Miss."

"Miss..."

Mo Tan looked up as if she sensed something, and looked at Ji Xiaoge who was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor, and the pretty figure next to her with a pair of exaggerated pigtails who was tiptoeing toward her: "Oh, you mean your Black 2, right?"

The spider nodded, saying with great admiration, "Although she is troublesome, willful, mischievous, lacks self-control, likes to cause trouble, acts on impulse, and is completely unaware of her own abilities, we must admit that our princess does possess a kind of magic, a magic that can touch people's hearts."

"hope so."

Mo Tan, who knew Xue Yin inside and out, nodded noncommittally and didn't say anything more.

"Her Highness the Princess altered the girls' perceptions, using a song to blur their memories of that tragic past. Now, they are all homeless, but as pure as ever, and despite their suffering, they have not lost hope in the world."

Spider chuckled softly, turned to look at the man beside him who inspired an irresistible urge to lean on him, yet was as deadly as fire to someone like him who preferred to cower in the shadows. He said gently, "I wonder if you, the uncrowned king, would approve of the actions of our Black 2."

"It is a remarkable thing to give hope to others, and she does it very well."

Mo Tan shook his head, then his gaze sharpened slightly: "However, please keep the matter of me being the so-called 'uncrowned king' a secret, Ms. Spider."

"That's natural."

"Thank you."

"Speaking of which, it's quite unexpected that our princess and Miss Yege hit it off so well."

"I had expected this."

"So you anticipated that the two of them would agree to go to the black market together later?"

"……Um?"

Chapter 2600: The End