"Boss Dai! They... they didn't just insult me and our fallen dean and teachers... they trampled on Shrek's last remaining glory! I..." He clenched his fists, as though struggling to endure immense pain. "My heart feels like it's being wrung apart! I had no other choice... that's why..."
Tang San looked at Dai Mubai's deathly pale face and the fear in his eyes, then changed tack, his words brimming with "heartfelt sincerity."
"But! Boss Dai! You're still here!" His tone abruptly became "uplifted" and "dependent." "You're the true core of the Shrek Seven Devils! As long as you're still here... our roots are still here!"
Tang San stepped forward and gripped Dai Mubai's icy arm firmly, with "excitement."
"Shrek's flame hasn't gone out!"
As he watched Dai Mubai's forlorn state, his heart filled with cold contempt. Useless trash. One kick off your pedestal, and you've become a homeless cur, so beaten you've even lost your soul.
Yet the words he spoke were the exact opposite.
"I know things are hard for you right now..." Tang San's tone was full of "empathetic" concern. "The Star Luo Empire... that despicable scoundrel Dai Weisi... used every filthy trick in the book! He made you lose everything... and left you carrying a stain on your name..." His voice sank, laden with intense "empathy." "Your wealth and splendor are gone, your power and position are gone... and you've even..." He glanced at Dai Mubai's worn, tattered clothes. "Been reduced to this... It truly hurts me to see you like this, brother!"
Dai Mubai listened to those words.
An indescribable ache suddenly surged into his nose.
He recalled his final humiliation in the Star Luo Imperial Palace.
He recalled the misery of wandering the streets after being stripped of his silken clothes and lavish meals.
He