When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 35: Tingting

Han Tingting didn’t say it out loud, but only little kids insist to others that they aren’t kids. ’Actually,’ she thought, ’when you think about it, Tan You is about the same age as my son from my past life.’

It was just that her son couldn’t compare to Tan You at all. Han Tingting fell silent at the thought of that child.

She was already on a completely different path from her previous life, which meant that child was fated never to be born. Han Tingting didn’t feel much pain at giving him up. She had suffered enough in her past life; now, she just wanted to live for herself.

She wanted to live a more relaxed life. As for things like family and children, Han Tingting truly had no interest.

If married women were given a choice, perhaps ninety percent of them wouldn’t choose to get married. It was just too hard. Thinking of the hardships in her past life, Han Tingting’s eyes reddened involuntarily.

Tan You felt a little awkward. She’d read plenty of romance novels, but those were just stories. How many people in real life had a life like a romance novel? Besides, she was terrible at comforting people.

With red eyes, Han Tingting said, "I’ll only cry this one time, Youyou. When you grow up, don’t be in a rush to get married and have kids."

Tan You quickly waved her hands. "I don’t want to get married. There’s nothing good about it. Especially when the man is useless, the woman has to shoulder even more. So there’s really nothing good about marriage. I don’t want to get married or have children in the future."

"If having a child just means they’ll suffer, why would I add that burden to my life? It’s already hard enough just to support myself."

Han Tingting smiled. "You’re so young, yet you have so many deep thoughts. If I had your mindset back then, my life wouldn’t have been so miserable." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"It’s just as you said, there’s nothing good about marriage. And once you have kids, life becomes a complete mess."

The two chatted intermittently until Han Tingting’s breathing grew long and steady. Tan You breathed a sigh of relief. ’She’s finally asleep.’

Han Tingting’s return didn’t attract much attention from those around her. Compared to Tan You, Han Tingting was undoubtedly more extroverted. She was also finding her work at the clothing factory to be very smooth. Especially during her discussions with Master Hu, she even earned a comment from him about having a "natural spark."

Tan You was a little jealous. "Don’t tell me I’m really a blockhead? How come I’ve never gotten a comment like that?"

Han Tingting quickly consoled her. "Not at all! You have no idea how much I envy you. Look at your grades, they’re so good. If you asked me to do those problems, I definitely couldn’t handle it. I’ve just seen more of the world, that’s all."

"I just love looking at beautiful clothes and watching models on the runway." Perhaps this was Han Tingting’s only hobby in life, and she clearly wanted to turn this hobby into a profession.

Tan You was noncommittal about Han Tingting’s choice. The reason she was studying design with Master Hu wasn’t because she liked it, but because she wanted to learn more skills. Deep down, her motives were somewhat utilitarian; she couldn’t muster the same passion as Han Tingting.

’So what do I truly love?’ Tan You felt a little lost.

The Beauty System spoke up: "Host, you have a long time ahead of you. You can take your time to think about it."

Tan You thought about it and agreed. She had a long life ahead of her; one day, she would find something she was truly passionate about. Maybe one day she, too, would love something with the same burning passion as Han Tingting.

"System, have you noticed that Yang Kun has been hanging around Tingting a lot lately? I don’t remember seeing him this often when I was in school."

Pushing aside this slight annoyance, Tan You stared at Yang Kun for a good while. She was always by Han Tingting’s side, and it felt like she had seen more of Yang Kun in the past few days than in the previous three years combined.

The Beauty System: "Perhaps he’s not busy lately?"

Tan You: "Maybe."

Han Tingting also found it a little strange. She seemed to be running into Yang Kun a lot recently. ’Isn’t he usually very busy?’ For the past few years, Director Yang had been in charge of production at the factory, while Yang Kun handled brand operations and sales. The father and son worked together seamlessly.

Normally, Yang Kun didn’t spend much time at the factory. But over the last month, Han Tingting felt like she was constantly running into him. Sometimes he would be looking for Master Hu, other times they would meet during lunch.

And the conversation always seemed to circle back to her. After this happened a few times, Han Tingting gradually began to have her suspicions. But she didn’t ask anything. If he really had feelings for her, he would eventually show it through his actions.

Besides, she was only nineteen. What was the rush? If he really was interested, would he be willing to wait until she graduated from college? There were no guarantees, so why should she let it trouble her?

At first, Tan You couldn’t quite understand Han Tingting’s way of thinking, but she gradually came to. Someone having a crush on you is their business; it has nothing to do with you. It only becomes a two-person matter when the feelings are mutual.

Han Tingting took to her work at the clothing factory like a fish to water. She had long since thrown all thoughts of her biological parents in Yun City to the back of her mind. But after her interview was published, the people who were bound to find out, did.

Take the Li family, for instance. Li Xiaomei and her mother’s faces were so dark they looked like they were about to drip water.

Her mother gritted her teeth. "What an eyesore. To think a golden phoenix could actually fly out of a chicken coop."

Li Xiaomei also stared at Han Tingting’s photo in the newspaper, feeling a fire of resentment rise within her. ’How great would it be if this were my own child?’ But no, it just had to be her stepdaughter.

Her father said, "She has nothing to do with us. Why are the two of you getting so angry? She hasn’t contacted us at all these past few years. She’s just a stranger."

Li Xiaomei: "I’m just worried that Guangzhi will start to value her..."

Her father scoffed. "Even if he does, that girl won’t pay him any mind. Didn’t you two go back to see them last time? You saw what happened, didn’t you? Even if Han Guangzhi wants to value her, she won’t accept it."

"That little girl has a lot of pride. The person she values most is her grandfather. As for her biological parents, she couldn’t care less about them."

Li Xiaomei’s mother slammed her fist on the sofa. "You have to raise our Xiaobao well. He has to be more successful than her in the future. I don’t want people saying our own child can’t even compare to the previous one. How embarrassing would that be?"

Li Xiaomei gritted her teeth. "I will raise him well."

Her father lit a cigarette, not bothering to shatter the mother-daughter duo’s delusions. He didn’t have high hopes for his grandson. But there was no need to say that out loud. Why diminish their own family’s morale?

Han Guangzhi, of course, also saw the news. When he saw the photo of Han Tingting with her radiant smile, he was silent for a long time. ’Was he happy?’ A little, perhaps, but not overly so.

In any case, it was an indescribably complex feeling. Because she hadn’t grown up before his eyes, and he hadn’t been a major part of her life, he couldn’t bring himself to proudly declare "This is my daughter," even though he knew she was.