Chapter 108: Dismissal

Qiao Lan has been in a daze for quite some time.

There is sadness, there is anger, but otherwise, there is nothing else.

Not even a disappointment.

After thinking for a long time about why she was even disappointed, Qiao Lan realised that for Tan Mo, there were some emotions she was not born to feel.

She thought long and hard about why Tan Mo had lied to her, why he had lied to her alone, when she could have gone to Tan Mo and confronted him directly, but Qiao Lan gave up as soon as she thought about that scene.

She couldn't let go.

I couldn't bear to see Tan Mo pretending to be calm when she questioned him, and I couldn't bear to see him feeling worse because of his emotions.

She clearly only wanted him to be happy and cheerful.

In fact, it is not difficult to guess the reason for this: he can remain the most original and real person in front of others, but pretend to be a different person in front of her.

Because he didn't care about other people, didn't care what they thought or what was in their minds, he didn't need to hide it, even if they disliked it, he didn't care at all; but because he cared about her, he always suppressed himself to hide some of the truest things, pretending to look as if he thought she would like it.

Yes, he thought Qiao Lan would like it.

For example, hiding his terrible possessiveness and pretending to be light-hearted in front of her, or not wanting her to think too much and pretending to be happy without any gloom.

Does Qiao Lan like this Tan Mo?

Dislike.

Qiao Lan never cared about the behaviour that seemed 'strange' and 'sick' to others. She felt sorry for him because of his tragic past and his low self-esteem, which was born out of his difference from others.

Having known Tan Mo since he was at his lowest point, Qiao Lan has seen his darkest side; having known him for over a thousand days and nights, Qiao Lan loves him for who he is.

From the very beginning when he fell in love with Tan Mo, he was a different person, he still had Asperger syndrome, he couldn't even stand up, he was moody and suspicious, sometimes he couldn't communicate at all, but Qiao Lan just liked him more and more.

Tan Mo is a name that has long been engraved into her flesh and blood, his good and his bad, she will accept them all, if it is true.

So why would Tan Mo think that this perfection he was pretending to be was what made her like him more?

Because that's what Qiao Lan wants.

Tan Mo doesn't pretend in front of others because he doesn't care, but he stays in school and maintains a normal appearance, all because Qiao Lan is there.

Because she had put him in school, exposed him to his classmates, let him meet friends, let him be what she called "normal", and because of her smart-ass ideas, Tan Mo thought she wanted him to be that perfect person.

He wanted to become what she preferred so that he could keep her with him forever.

You knew he had Asperger's syndrome, didn't you, and you knew it would never be cured, so why did you push him to change? She wanted other people to like Tan Mo and identify with him, she wanted them to know that he was good, but she was going about it the wrong way, and what was even more wrong was that this was not what Tan Mo wanted at all.

The source of all the evil that made Tan Mo what she is is just her.

At the moment when all the sources were sorted out, Qiao Lan's heart ached so much that she could hardly breathe.

Qiao Lan, do you have any idea what you've done?

Qiao Lan took out her phone and clicked on Tan Mo's WeChat box, most likely to say something, but then saw the chat on the top and simply scrolled up.

As she turns the pages, Qiao Lan's hand stops.

On Wednesday, the 9th, Xie Hongyi said that Tan Mo had become very angry after that day, and the reason was so obvious.

She and Tan Mo happened to talk a lot that day, and it was a text message, and they had been discussing how to give Tan Mo a perfect 18th birthday, and afterwards there was silence from Tan Mo for a long time because she received a message from the group and told Tan Mo about her going to the club party on the 18th.

There was a gap of almost ten minutes before Tan Mo wrote back to say that he had just been discussing a problem with his flatmate and had taken a moment to tell her to have fun on the 18th.

Why had she not noticed something so obviously wrong at the time?

And with a simple explanation from Tan Mo and the words "let her have fun", she actually believed it, which Qiao Lan would have found out in the past.

Is Tan Mo getting better at acting, or has she become dull?

Both, I guess, but perhaps the latter is more of a reason.

She had a vague recollection of a few nights ago, during a kiss with Tan Mo, when she realised at that moment that it had been a long time since they had kissed, and now that she thought about it again, how long it had been since she had said to him I like you so much, as she used to do every day in high school.

She has indeed become dull, whereas Tan Mo is such a sensitive person.

Qiao Lan said she was sorry, but she couldn't make it to the dinner that day.

Club meals are not official club work, so it's not a big deal if you don't come, but if it's Qiao Lan bar ......

After all, this kind of school beauty is still a great motivator for everyone, even though they all know that they have boyfriends.

So she tried to persuade Qiao Lan, but Qiao Lan said it was a very important matter, so she couldn't go.

After talking to Qiao Lan for a few more minutes, she went to Ji Su and told her that there had been a change in the number of students that had been confirmed, and that one of them would not be able to come.

There was no need to talk to Ji Su about this kind of thing, but Ji Su was almost treating him to a meal, so Pei Beijia talked to Ji Su about it anyway.

It took a long time for Ji Su to write back, [which]

[ Qiao Lan ], Pei Beijia said, and was afraid that Ji Su, whoever it was, had described it again, [as that particularly beautiful schoolgirl]

Ji Su was quick to reply this time.

[reason].

[didn't say, just that he couldn't make it]

[Go and ask for clarification]

Pei Beijia stared at the line for a long time.

The club is just having dinner together, people have said that they have something to do, and it's not like they have to ask for leave with the teacher, but they have to ask for the root of the problem.

If it were anyone else, they would have listened to Ji Su and asked questions, but not Pei Beijia, and knowing Ji Su, this is another thing that is not normal.

The last time she was out of sorts was when Ji Su inexplicably dragged her along to see the fresher's interview, and this time she was asked to ask why the young girl didn't come.

Pei Beijia's expression changed slightly when they made contact, and he hesitated for a moment before sending a message to Ji Su.

[You have your eye on this primary school girl?]

Ji Su didn't expect to hide these irregularities from Pei Beijia when she dared to show them to her, and now that Pei Beijia finally asks, Ji Su answers simply that this is true.

Pei Beijia typed after a moment of silence, [People have boyfriends, Ji Su I don't believe you don't know that].

[I know], Ji Su said, [I'm not getting Luo Man in here].

Pei Beijia didn't think for a second that Qiao Lan had a boyfriend and Luo Man had anything to do with it, and when she figured it all out, she broke out in a cold sweat.

Ji Su knew of course that Qiao Lan had a boyfriend, and not only did she have one, but he was an exceptionally good guy, and some seniors had expressed interest in Qiao Lan before, so Qiao Lan told everyone she met that she had a boyfriend, and distanced herself from the boys who were thinking of her.

That's why Ji Su got Luo Man into the Psychology Club.

No one would have discovered his feelings for Qiao Lan if they had not been treated differently, and she would not have thought of this dimension if Ji Su had not deliberately let her know.

If everyone can't find out, then naturally Qiao Lan won't find out either, and if Qiao Lan won't find out, then she won't be distant.

Pei Beijia felt her hands shake a little as she typed one by one, [ Ji Su , don't act like a lunatic, okay?]

[Why get so excited], Ji Su is comfortable, [I don't want to do anything yet].

Pei Beijia, looking at this man's calmness, was really angry, [ Ji Su, I advise you not to be so confident, Tan Mo is not inferior to you, be careful of the gutter one day.]

She wanted to say that I think you're just as mentally ill as your parents, but the words didn't come out.

She still can't do things like poke people's scars.

On the other hand, Qiao Lan, after rebuffing her schoolmate, re-planned the weekend.

With an extra day to spare, Qiao Lan instantly felt that she had more time and realised, as an afterthought, that going out to dinner with her fellow alumni was not as attractive as going out with Tan Mo at the weekend.

What to play?

Qiao Lan opened the date mecca saved in her last memo... House of Horrors, wanted to go, amusement park, also wanted to go, oceanarium, well, still wanted to go.

If you want to go, then go all the way!

Two days, that's a lot of time to visit several places.

Qiao Lan spent more than an hour checking when these places had the highest traffic and avoiding the most crowded times to finally put together a date plan.

Satisfied, Qiao Lan read the plan back and forth twice before pulling out his little notebook in the afternoon after the two had finished their dinner.

Tan Mo looked at Qiao Lan for a moment and took the small book.

Although Qiao Lan didn't say what it was, Tan Mo could tell, and Tan Mo stared at the 6pm Saturday slot for a long time, "Didn't they say they were having a get-together?"

Tan Mo swore that he had tried to control the tone of his voice so that he didn't look too happy.

"I thought about where sitting down for a get-together with a group of people I don't know very well would be as fun as dating my boyfriend."

Tan Mo couldn't hold back this time, no one knew how happy he was to hear those words after so many days of mourning.

Qiao Lan looked at the smile on Tan Mo's lips and reached out to squeeze Tan Mo's handsome face.

She should have done this a long time ago, smiling when she was happy and not smiling when she wasn't. Such a realistic and full-hearted teenager who only cared about her really made her too happy.