One Wife and One Concubine, Monogamy is Normal, Okay? (4k)

Mobius finally cried.

She cried buckets.

Three years. How many three years does a person get in their lifetime? Blanca had given Mobius the closest thing to the most precious three years of her life. During these three years, he had diligently performed his duties as an assistant, unquestioningly following Mobius's every arrangement. He even took care of Mobius's daily life, waking her up, reminding her to sleep early, and so on.

But what about Mobius in return?

Aside from the final graduation certificate, she had given Blanca almost nothing. Even at their final parting, she couldn't even produce a decent gift.

Affection and gifts. These were things Mobius had once disdained, but now they had become thorns, piercing her heart.

Her expression was blank, her words unspoken, yet she paced, ran, and rolled around the room restlessly. She kept muttering to herself that it was fine, that she didn't care, but tears streamed down her face, one after another.

Finally, Mobius couldn't hold back any longer. She collapsed onto the bed where Blanca had once lived and wailed, heartbroken like a child.

"Wuwuwu... Ah... Blanca... my good Blanca... why did you just leave like that, ahhhhh... I can't accept it!! Ah, wuwuwu... Hen, you bastard! If I ever find out you bullied Blanca, I, Mobius, swear I'll kill you! Ah... Ah, Blanca... my good Blanca... wuwuwuwu..."

It had to be said, crying really didn't suit Mobius.

How to describe this scene... Have you ever seen someone cry on a bed like... sigh, forget it, that description doesn't suit Mobius either.

In any case, seeing Mobius like this, Elysia and Xu Ziling were wide-eyed.

Elysia had wanted to comfort her, but she also understood that if she stepped forward now, it would likely only have the opposite effect. So, after patting Xu Ziling on the shoulder, she quietly withdrew from the room.

As Xu Ziling felt sad for Mobius, he also seemed to gradually understand something.

So... the daily quest [Perform a tearful act in front of any Valkyrie/Flame-Chaser]... was meant to be performed like this?

This wasn't difficult. After all, Xu Ziling already felt regret over Blanca's departure. Seeing Mobius crying her eyes out now, he hugged her and cried along with her, sharing her emotional burden while also completing the daily quest.

Mobius cried until late into the night before gradually calming down.

Xu Ziling, on the other hand, stayed by her side until the early morning.

[Ding~ Daily quest completed.]

[Daily Quest: Perform a tearful act in front of any Valkyrie/Flame-Chaser.]

[Basic Quest Reward: Stellaron Shards * 150]

[Random Item Reward: Blanca's Notebook.]

[Blanca's Notebook: Proof of an assistant's three years with the Doctor. It records her assistant experience and the Doctor's daily habits over these three years. This is a gift from its owner before parting. Please keep it safe.]

[Host's Stellaron Shards remaining: 450.]

The next day.

[Ding~ Daily quest refreshed.]

[Daily Quest: Maintain an ambiguous pose with any Valkyrie/Flame-Chaser for over thirty minutes.]

[Quest Reward: Stellaron Shards * 150, Random Item Reward * 1]

"Hiss~"

Xu Ziling, who had sat by the bed all night without sleeping, rubbed his slightly sore temples. He looked at the daily quest that appeared in his vision and fell into thought.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Ziling tapped his forehead with his finger and said in his mind:

System, are you sure this daily quest isn't leading me somewhere strange?

[I... I don't know?]

[If you don't like it... I can see if I can change it for you?]

... Then change it and let me see?

[Ding~ Today's daily quest has been changed to a weekly quest.]

[Weekly Quest: Maintain an ambiguous pose with any Valkyrie/Flame-Chaser for over thirty minutes.]

[Quest Reward: Stellaron Shards * 150, Random Item Reward * 1]

[Weekly Quest Notes: Seeing this quest, you might wonder, what's the difference between this weekly quest and the daily quest? No... they are still different, for example... the latter's completion time has been extended to a week, not a day. This is a full seven days, you know?]

Xu Ziling: ...

Fine.

Xu Ziling was utterly speechless, but at this point, he should be used to it.

Rather than dwelling on these things, Xu Ziling was more curious now. With Mobius having cried herself unconscious and Elysia having withdrawn her words, where was he going to find a Valkyrie or Flame-Chaser in this state to help him complete this "ambiguous" action for the daily quest?

He could only take it one step at a time.

"Mmm..."

During his moment of thought, Mobius on the bedroom bed stirred, her eyelashes fluttering. She was about to wake up.

Xu Ziling quickly collected himself, preparing for Mobius's awakening.

"Hiss~..."

Mobius rubbed her temples, then sat up from the bed, clutching her aching forehead. Her azure rainbow snake eyes scanned the room, confirming that only Xu Ziling and she were present.

"Doctor, you're awake."

Seeing Mobius stir, Xu Ziling leaned in and said, "You look like you could use a cup of hot coffee, Doctor."

Mobius massaged her still sore temples, then glanced around the room before finally settling her gaze on Xu Ziling by the bedside. With a complex expression, she asked, "Little Mouse... you stayed with me all night?"

"Mhm."

Xu Ziling answered truthfully.

"Besides, I used to pull all-nighters frequently. You don't need to feel bad about it, my Doctor."

"..."

Mobius let out a long sigh and leaned back against the headboard. Her usually sharp, intelligent snake eyes showed a rare hint of daze. After a long pause, she murmured, "So... Little Mouse, Blanca, she's really gone?"

Xu Ziling's breath hitched. Mobius had asked a question that required immense emotional intelligence to answer.

Saying yes would make him seem like a heartless brute; saying no would be a blatant lie. Either way, it would ruin any affection he had. The question seemed unanswerable.

However, our Xu Ziling, a genius actor who managed to thrive under the oppressive demands of the "Streetlight Boss," knew that if you couldn't solve the problem, you could solve the person causing it.

In this situation, it was the same. Since he couldn't answer, he'd pass the ball back to Mobius, letting her answer for herself. This would be better for both of them.

With that thought, Xu Ziling, sitting on a chair by the bed, leaned forward slightly, propping his face with his hands. He retorted, "Doctor, before you ask that question, don't you already have the answer in your heart?... Blanca, she has her own life after all. You should learn to accept it."

"Heh..."

Mobius let out a self-deprecating laugh.

She didn't press the topic further, and Xu Ziling's objective was achieved.

A long time passed again. Mobius's dazed snake eyes gradually focused. Xu Ziling, as always, stayed by her side. Just as Blanca had said before she left, Mobius truly needed company now, even if he said nothing to her.

Another half-hour passed before Mobius's stomach rumbled, bringing her back to reality. She intended to glance out the window to check the time but saw that the windows and door were completely covered by thick curtains.

With a helpless smile, Mobius turned her gaze back to Xu Ziling in the room and said, "Little Mouse, setting aside the experiments, can we talk about something else?"

Hearing Mobius's request, Xu Ziling smiled and nodded. "Of course. Dr. Mobius, as the one who aims to win you over, I must always be prepared to listen to your heart. This is the most basic requirement for a boyfriend, isn't it?"

Mobius didn't react much to his words. She merely slumped back against the headboard, her gaze complex as she looked up at the incandescent light on the bedroom ceiling.

Xu Ziling knew she wasn't looking at the light, but at the person who used to sort through research reports under it.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

Mobius tapped her forehead unconsciously with her finger, her eyes still fixed on the research institute's ceiling. She said, "Little Mouse, let me ask you something... What kind of person do you think Blanca is?"

"She's a dedicated assistant and a role model worth learning from."

Xu Ziling replied without hesitation.

"Is that all..."

Mobius murmured, sounding somewhat disappointed. She didn't seem to want to continue the conversation.

Seeing Mobius's expression, Xu Ziling wasn't surprised. After a moment of thought, he spoke again, "Doctor, I don't have many feelings about Blanca. After all, I only met her for three days at most... And in those three days, my most direct impression of her was that she's a good assistant, absolutely dedicated to her work.

But, I need to add that while Blanca is dedicated to her work, she's only dedicated to her work. Her entire life can't possibly be just work, can it, Doctor?

Perhaps Blanca did have some special feelings for you, Doctor, but that was mostly the teacher-student relationship between a mentor and a student, Dr. Mobius. Blanca isn't Elysia. She ultimately has her own life to live and her own responsibilities to face. Beyond her identity as your experimental assistant, she is also a wife and a mother to an infant. She has her own unfinished stories waiting for her to continue them... Do you understand what I'm saying, Doctor?"

"..."

Mobius fell silent.

A long time passed again... a very long time, so long that Elysia came to knock on the door, reminding the two in the room that it was lunchtime.

Mobius finally snapped back to attention and looked at Xu Ziling, asking, "Little Mouse... What day is it today?"

"Hm?"

Though he didn't understand why Mobius suddenly asked, Xu Ziling thought about the time he saw on the electronic clock in the small building and replied, "It's Sunday, Doctor."

"Very good..."

Mobius murmured to herself for a moment, then picked up her white lab coat from the bed and put it on, saying, "Little Mouse, get ready. You'll be doing experiments with me for the next few days, and I'll help you overcome your aversion to sunlight as quickly as possible. Then... next Wednesday or Friday, you'll come with me to Chiyu Academy in Changkong City."

"Chiyu Academy?"

Hearing that name, Xu Ziling's breathing hitched.

Good grief, isn't that the high school Kevin, Mei, and Su attended in Changkong City? Why would Mobius suddenly want to go there?

"Heh, don't guess wildly."

As if seeing through Xu Ziling's confusion, Mobius pouted and said, "It's just that Blanca recommended a high school student from Chiyu Academy to me before, someone to take over her role as an experimental assistant. But back then, I saw that the person Blanca recommended was just a high school student, so I refused... But now that Blanca is gone, the Research Institute is indeed lacking an assistant. And more importantly... I want to see what kind of capabilities this high school student, who was appreciated by Blanca, actually possesses."

After saying this, Mobius thought for a moment and added, "Of course, this is just my personal curiosity. It's not like I'm going to verify Blanca's judgment, understand, Little Mouse?"

"Mm."

Xu Ziling nodded, then propped his chin with one hand and began to ponder.

The Doctor's new assistant... it should be that workaholic Klein.

This completely confirms a guess I had before. This world has indeed changed quite a bit because of my arrival.

Otherwise, if things followed the original story, Blanca wouldn't have joined Mobius until after the Sixth Honkai Outbreak. Instead, she's being poached by Mobius halfway through, before the First Honkai even erupts.

But... since Doctor Mobius has invited me to Chiyu Academy to pick up Klein, maybe I can take the opportunity to find Kevin, Mei, and Su there as well?

My years as a Corporate Slave before crossing over tell me that a network of connections, even just a nodding acquaintance, is better than never having met them at all.

Meanwhile, outside the bedroom door.

Elysia, having packed the lunch she made into a thermos, ran over to eavesdrop. Hearing the conversation from inside the bedroom, her pink-blue eyes couldn't help but narrow.

Immediately, Elysia pulled out a photograph from her embrace. If a certain fair-haired, sunny, and cheerful young man saw it, he would probably jump for joy. Because what Elysia was holding at that moment was a peerless beauty shot of Mei, taken unintentionally the day before yesterday.

Looking at the purple-haired figure in the photo, Elysia rubbed her warm cheeks and said happily:

"Hmm~ Hmph?~ I remember there's an old saying in Shenzhou... 'It's better to act than to choose a day.' Oh my~ Miss Mei, since Doctor Mobius is going to your school to pick someone up, then as an Inspector, it's perfectly normal for me to follow along and get acquainted with you, right? ... Hehe?~"

(Recommendation for the winter break: 12,000 words will be updated today. I implore all fellow book lovers to share this book widely. Your encouragement is my motivation to create.)