When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 24: Tingting

President Yang roared with laughter. "You can rest easy. Am I that kind of person? How about this: Tingting, starting today, you’ll be Master Hu’s apprentice. As for your wages, we’ll settle up at the end of your summer break. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re well compensated!"

Tan You replied, "Of course I’m not worried. I’ll be in your care for the time being, President Yang." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Many people said that capitalists were bloodsuckers, but the owner of this clothing factory was an exceptionally good person. In her previous life, Han Tingting had dropped out of school before she was even fifteen. President Yang, knowing full well that hiring her was illegal, had still given her a job at the factory.

He had heard from Aunt Yang that Han Tingting was a young girl with no one to rely on, so he decided to help however he could. Because of that kindness, Han Tingting had stayed at the factory all that time.

If Han Tingting hadn’t later gotten married and had a child, she would never have left the factory. After more than a decade, her feelings for the place were understandably deep.

President Yang smiled. "Master Hu is a very capable man. Learn as much as you can from him, and you’ll do well for yourself in the future."

Tan You replied obediently, "I know. I’ll study hard under Master Hu."

The head of the apparel team came with some people to carry away the sample garments, and the crowd dispersed. Aunt Yang came over and patted Tan You’s shoulder. "Our Tingting is really something else, causing such a big stir just from a summer job."

Aunt Yang was genuinely happy for Tan You. For a girl, if she could be independent, her life wouldn’t be so hard in the future; she wouldn’t have to depend on a man for everything.

Tan You said, "This is all thanks to your help, Auntie. If you hadn’t been looking out for me, how would I have ever gotten the chance to meet Master Hu? And now I even get to learn from him!"

Aunt Yang beamed at Tan You’s words. "Oh, our Tingting, you’re going to be someone incredible one day. So young and already such a sweet talker. Alright, I’m heading back to work. We can talk more at lunchtime."

And just like that, Tan You became Master Hu’s young apprentice. She was a greedy person when it came to knowledge. Whenever she found out someone had a skill, she was eager to master it herself. Her friend Cheng Wenhui had always told her that you could never have too many skills. Now that she had met such an expert, how could Tan You possibly let the opportunity slip by?

Master Hu also had high expectations for Tan You. Seeing as Tan You couldn’t even draw a design sketch, he couldn’t let her rely on just her words forever, could he? Tan You understood that strict demands were born from high hopes.

She now kept a very tight schedule. By day, she studied diligently under Master Hu in the office. By night, she went home to grind through her high school textbooks. In her rare moments of free time, she would practice drawing design sketches.

But her sketches, frankly, were so bad that even Han Cunming couldn’t bear to look at them.

President Yang was a man of swift and decisive action. Soon, the sales team he was leading began to report back with success. Orders came pouring in, one batch after another. The factory became especially busy after the new styles were released.

All other orders had to be put on the back burner. For now, they had to rush to get these new ones out.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, Tan You didn’t even notice that her high school entrance exam scores were out. That morning, after getting ready, she hopped on her bike and sped off toward the factory.

Han Cunming didn’t think much of it either. Both grandfather and granddaughter were so preoccupied they’d completely forgotten the exam scores were due. But others were paying very close attention—namely, the teachers at her school.

Many schools managed to get the exam scores in advance, especially for their top-ranking students. As a strong contender for the city’s top scorer, Tan You had countless people watching her.

Principal Tang knew someone at the Education Bureau and had, of course, asked his contact to keep a close eye on the results.

"Her name’s Han Tingting, right? It’s a real shame about her." The person on the other end had a flair for the dramatic, and that one phrase—"it’s a real shame"—made Principal Tang’s heart leap into his throat. ’Don’t tell me Han Tingting bombed the exam,’ he thought. ’That can’t be right. Hasn’t her performance always been consistent?’

"She placed second in the city. Her raw score was the highest, but the other student got bonus points. His father is a doctor who participated in a medical relief mission back in ’02, so he got a 10-point policy bonus. Because of those points, his final score is one point higher than hers. That’s why I said it’s a shame..." The person was still explaining when Principal Tang burst out in complaint.

"Old Lin, can’t you ever kick that habit of pausing for dramatic effect? You nearly scared me to death! I was sitting here thinking, ’There’s no way our Han Tingting would slip up!’"

Principal Tang wiped the sweat from his brow. "Second in the city, you said? Got it. I’m hanging up!"

To be honest, Principal Tang also felt it was a shame. But the other student had bonus points, and they were awarded for his father’s service. What could he say to that?

The dean of students, who had been listening, jumped to his feet. "Then what are we waiting for? We have to contact Han Tingting immediately! The other schools who’ve gotten the news are probably already trying to reach her. I’ll get in touch with her family right now!"

Principal Tang said, "You’re right. Contact her grandfather immediately."

They didn’t mention her parents. They already knew from Han Cunming that the pair was unreliable—Principal Tang wasn’t about to make such an amateur mistake. Unfortunately, after making several calls, they still couldn’t reach anyone.

Principal Tang made a snap decision. "Stop calling. We’ll go to her house directly. Get Mr. Qin. The three of us will go together."

The dean of students asked, "Should we bring Teacher Shi?"

Principal Tang thought for a moment. "No, let’s not call her. It would put her in an awkward position. This has to be Han Tingting’s own choice. We shouldn’t use her personal feelings to influence her."

The dean of students was silent for a moment. "You’re a man of principle, Principal!"

Principal Tang frowned. "Frankly, it pains me too. But there are lines we just can’t cross."

He wanted Han Tingting to stay and attend their own high school, but he hoped she would make that choice on her own merit, not because she was reluctant to leave a particular teacher. The two were completely different matters.

The dean of students hurried to the ninth-grade teachers’ office. "Mr. Qin, we’re heading out!"

The ninth-grade teachers had been on break since the entrance exams ended. They only returned to campus because the scores were about to be released. Now, they were gathered in the office, laughing and chatting, their conversation naturally centered on the exam results.

Mr. Qin smiled when he saw the dean’s hurried expression. "What’s the rush? Did you get her score?"

The dean of students replied, "750. Second in the city."

The office erupted in an uproar. The English teacher frowned. "That’s the best score Han Tingting has ever gotten, isn’t it? And that’s still only second in the city?"

The dean of students sounded vexed. "Apparently, the first-place student’s father is a doctor who participated in a dangerous relief mission, so he received a 10-point bonus. He ended up beating Han Tingting by a single point. Her raw score is still number one, though."

He, too, thought it was a pity, but there was no arguing with the rules. The other student had the bonus points, so he was the city’s top scorer. That meant that number two, and everyone who followed, would be largely ignored.

"Alright, Mr. Qin, come with me, quick. The principal is waiting downstairs. We can’t get through to Han Tingting’s house by phone, so we need to head over there immediately."

Mr. Qin understood the urgency. "Coming."