When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 22: Tingting 20

Tan You flipped open the workbook on top. "If you spend a bit more time on them, you can figure them out."

The girl sighed in admiration. "You’re really something else. Can I take a look at these workbooks?"

Tan You was a bit reluctant, but her actions were generous. "You can borrow them, but don’t damage them."

The girl gave Tan You a bear hug. "Tingting, you’re so generous! Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t damage them. I’ll take good care of them."

Tan You smiled. "Okay. Just tell me which ones you’re interested in. You can borrow any that I have."

Although Tan You was a girl of few words, she was exceptionally generous with things like her workbooks. Some students would carefully hide any new workbook they got, afraid other students might see it.

Tan You wasn’t like that. She would lend out anything she wasn’t currently using to anyone who asked. Plus, she never gossiped, so her popularity had been pretty good lately.

While they weren’t close enough to link arms and go to the bathroom together, several more classmates were now talking to her. In one’s student years, people didn’t have that many ulterior motives. The competition was mostly about grades and who the teachers favored.

After getting the workbooks from Teacher Shi, Tan You’s academic workload suddenly increased. She’d also figured out a shortcut: for problems where she could see the answer at a glance, she would just skim over them.

She condensed her problem-solving methods as much as possible, only writing out the few key steps.

That evening was the math self-study session, and Mr. Qin came to supervise. He sat down right next to Tan You, primarily to check on her progress with the workbooks she’d been doing.

Tan You said, "A little less than a third. There’s a lot of regular homework, too."

Mr. Qin replied, "That’s already quite a bit. Keep up the good work. Your Teacher Shi has collected a bunch of new practice tests. Come by my office later to pick them up."

Tan You was instantly fired up. "Okay! I’ll do two more practice tests tonight when I get home!"

Mr. Qin shook his head. "If Teacher Shi gave you a blade of foxtail grass, you’d probably treat it like a precious treasure."

Tan You just smiled. ’Why did the teacher have to say exactly what I was thinking?’

With a continuous supply of practice tests from Teacher Shi and the dedicated guidance of all her teachers, Tan You sailed smoothly through the rest of her middle school years. Now, the time had come to see the results.

Stepping into the high school entrance exam hall again, Tan You felt a stir of excitement, even though the venue was completely different from the one she remembered. In her past life, she had been completely clueless about these moments, but now she was starting to understand that life is just one turning point after another.

The high school entrance exam was one; the college entrance exam was another. This time, she had to do well—not just for Han Tingting, but also to make up for her own regrets.

Mr. Qin stopped Tan You. "Once you get the test, read the questions carefully. And don’t skip steps in your answers. Don’t you dare use the same shortcuts you use for practice problems at school on the actual exam."

As soon as he said this, the other teachers who had come on the bus to see the students off all laughed. Clearly, the fact that Han Tingting’s work was brief was common knowledge.

Tan You replied very seriously, "Don’t worry, Mr. Qin. I will definitely do well."

Mr. Qin seemed only slightly reassured. "And one more thing. After you’re done, don’t compare answers with anyone. You don’t want to ruin your mindset..."

Listening to Mr. Qin’s rambling, Tan You’s gaze softened. The classes had been reshuffled for the third year of middle school, and most of Tan You’s former teachers had been assigned to other classes. Her math teacher, however, was still Mr. Qin. He had taught her for a year and a half, and their bond had grown considerably stronger.

Of course, in her heart, her favorite teacher was still Teacher Shi. She had heard that the senior class Teacher Shi was leading had finished their college entrance exams, and that Teacher Shi would be teaching a freshman high school class next. ’If I’m lucky enough,’ she thought, ’maybe I can be Teacher Shi’s student again.’

’If I’m unlucky and don’t get placed in their class freshman year, I’ll just have to work harder when they re-sort the classes later. No matter what, I have to be taught by Teacher Shi again!’

Fueled by this hope, Tan You tackled her second high school entrance exam with the utmost seriousness. Of course, over the past couple of years, Han Tingting’s reputation had grown considerably; the names of top students naturally become more widely known.

After the high school entrance exam ended, all the students went home. Tan You had already moved all her textbooks and school materials back to the house. As usual, only Han Cunming was home. Despite an event as significant as Han Tingting’s exam, neither of her parents had made an appearance.

Han Cunming waved his cattail fan. "How did it go? Are you confident?"

Tan You washed a peach. "I performed as usual."

"Good, then you’re set!" Han Cunming was instantly relieved. "Which high school are you planning to attend? City High is the best in the city, but No. 2 and No. 3 High are good too. There are also private high schools. I’ve already asked around about them."

Ever since his granddaughter’s grades had improved, Han Cunming had started paying much more attention to her academics. He had even gone out of his way to research the pros and cons of the various schools.

"Based on your recent grades, you could get into any school you want. What are you thinking?"

Tan You didn’t hesitate. "I’m just going to the high school affiliated with our current school."

"Huh? But your school is just a township school. Their college admission rate isn’t very high each year." Han Cunming sat up in surprise. "Why don’t you think it over again?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Tan You said, "I’ve thought it over carefully. If I go to another school, will the teachers value me as much? Will they tutor me individually? You can study anywhere. The key is to be self-disciplined."

Her words resonated perfectly with Han Cunming. The older generation thought that way, placing more importance on personal effort than on the quality of one’s environment. In their view, even the best environment was useless if you didn’t work hard yourself.

Han Cunming said, "That’s true. Your teachers are all especially good to you. If you attend high school here, with teachers who value you, you certainly won’t be any worse off than other students. I mean, aren’t you doing great right now?"

"That’s the idea," Han Tingting said, continuing to fan him. "Besides, I have my own reasons. The dean of students told me that if my exam scores don’t drag me down, the school will waive my tuition and fees for all three years of high school and even give me a living allowance."

"I can use the money I save to go to college. It’ll make things easier in the future."

Han Cunming thought about it and agreed. "Alright, you can make your own decision then. What about your parents? Are you really not going to contact them?"

"There’s no need," Tan You said coldly. "I’m busy. It took a lot of persuading to get Aunt Yang to agree to let me work at the factory. I’m even working under her niece’s name. I’m busy making money."

"Alright, you little money-grubber." Han Cunming took the fan and gently tapped Tan You on the head. "Then go work hard. Saving up more now will make your life easier later."

"Don’t worry. I’ll deposit it into your account," Tan You said. She wasn’t worried about Han Cunming spending it recklessly. The old man was incredibly frugal and never wasted a penny. He even bummed cigarettes off others, rarely buying his own.