When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 114: Fierce Beasts and Cattle and Sheep

Of course, Tan You knew there was no point in bringing any of this up. Ultimately, the only person to blame was herself. Who else was responsible for her weak self-control?

Hearing Tan You’s reply, Tan Ying let out an "oh," though it was unclear if it was out of regret or disappointment. Tan You glanced at her again. Through her thick glasses, Tan Ying couldn’t discern the meaning in Tan You’s gaze, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Tan You was completely different today.

"Tan Jin, Tan Tao, and Tan Wei are planning to go to town tomorrow to hang out with some junior high classmates. Do you want to come?" In the past, Tan Ying would never have thought to invite Tan You, but now, on a strange whim, she asked.

’Would Tan You get a little excited now that she knows?’ she wondered. ’Didn’t she used to want to tag along with them more than anything?’

Tan You set her book down and looked at Tan Ying searchingly. "Why are you telling me this? You guys always used to hang out together, didn’t you? You never invited me."

Tan Ying’s gaze shifted, but she had always been short-tempered with Tan You. "Just tell me if you’re going or not."

"I’m not going," Tan You said bluntly. "They’re your friends, not mine."

Tan Ying hadn’t expected such a swift refusal and was stunned for a moment. Tan You paid her no mind and went back to her book. She had always been quiet and reserved, so this behavior wasn’t out of character.

Tan Ying sat in the room for about twenty minutes, wanting to say something more. But the Tan You who used to hang on her every word now just gave her perfunctory responses like "mhm," "ah," or "oh." Any other topic of conversation was shut down in just a few words.

Tan Ying already had a short fuse, and this made her temper flare. "Fine, don’t go then! Suit yourself!" she snapped before storming out. Tan You wasn’t angry after she left. These days, it was difficult for anyone to rattle her.

Tan Deming came in. "So you’re really not going tomorrow? Didn’t you and Tan Ying used to get along well?"

Tan You closed the magazine and pushed it aside. "I’m not going. I think I’m fine on my own; I don’t need friends. You might think of someone as a friend, but they might not feel the same way. She’d love nothing more than to see you fall into ruin."

Tan Deming’s graying eyebrows rose slightly. "You actually figured that out?"

Tan You gave a weary sigh. "I’m not actually an idiot. Things I couldn’t figure out before are gradually becoming clear to me now. Let me give you a simple example, Grandpa. You’ll get it right away."

"What example?" Tan Deming asked, curious.

Tan You thought for a moment. "When I was in my second year of junior high, a duck blood vermicelli soup shop and a bakery opened up near the school gate. The bakery also sold things like fried chicken strips, grilled sausages, and other fried skewers."

"My mom only gave me forty yuan a month for my allowance, and I was usually reluctant to spend it. I had to save it for daily necessities..."

"You could buy fried chicken strips for three yuan, or a smaller portion for two yuan. Every week, Tan Ying would ask me how much allowance I had left and then say right in front of me that she was craving chicken strips."

"But she’d say she only had two yuan and ask to borrow one from me, insisting that the three-yuan portion was a much better deal. She promised she’d pay me back the one yuan the next week."

Tan Deming was a little confused by the story. "And then what?"

"The ’and then’ is the most important part," Tan You said, pulling a math competition workbook from her drawer. "It’s normal for friends to share snacks. After I gave the money to Tan Ying, she went and bought the three-yuan portion of chicken strips."

"She gave me three pieces, and I didn’t think much of it at the time. Then Tan Ying said, ’I’m not going to pay you back that one yuan, since you ate some of the chicken strips too.’"

Tan Deming’s eyebrows knitted together. "She really said that?"

"Mhm," Tan You said, her eyes on her solution notes. "Those were the most expensive chicken strips I’ve ever eaten. Three pieces for one yuan. So the next time she asked to borrow money for chicken strips, I refused."

"So what about that duck blood vermicelli soup shop?" Tan Deming asked, mulling over the first story.

"There’s even less to say about that one. Tan Ying knew I don’t like vermicelli, but she’s not a picky eater. The duck blood vermicelli soup was four yuan a bowl, and she definitely wouldn’t want to spend that much on her own."

"So, she suggested we each put in two yuan and share a bowl. I turned her down right away."

"After she refused to pay me back for the chicken strips, I started to see what Tan Ying was really like. She just wants to take advantage of people while still maintaining a good reputation."

"Since I don’t like vermicelli, she would have ended up eating the whole bowl herself. I may be quiet, but I’m not a complete idiot. I barely had enough money for myself, so why would I treat someone else? For all I knew, she would’ve eaten my food and then laughed behind my back about what a huge fool I was."

Tan Deming was silent for a long while. "It’s not too late to see her clearly now. It’s just... she’s the only one your age in the village. If you stop hanging out with her, won’t you be..."

Tan You found this amusing. "Cattle and sheep move in herds; beasts of prey walk alone. Grandpa, do you think I’m a beast of prey, or a sheep?"

Tan Deming gently tapped Tan You’s head with his cattail-leaf fan. "You used to be a sheep, but now you’re starting to look like a beast of prey."

Tan You wasn’t surprised to hear him say that. To be honest, while her grandpa had his own flaws, Tan You was certain that he was the one in the entire family who understood her best. After all, Tan Deming had raised her himself.

Tan Deming glanced at the math competition workbook in front of Tan You. "Holding back, were you? Did you deliberately mislead her just now?"

"Not exactly misleading," Tan You shrugged. "I was just playing along with what she wanted. What Tan Ying wants most is to see my grades be worse than hers, so I might as well grant her wish."

"She scored twenty points higher than me on the high school entrance exam, and her mother, Yang Juan, was insufferably proud of it for a long time. I know all about it." Tan You didn’t feel any resentment about it now. She was the one to blame for her poor performance on the exam, but it would never happen again. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Tan Deming teased, "So you’re doing all this now to prove a point?"

"I’m not studying hard because of her," Tan You said, putting down her book and turning to look at Tan Deming. "I’m not doing this to make anyone see me in a new light. I’m doing it because I’ve truly come to understand the importance of education. I want to have a good life in the future."

"I’ve never cared about what Tan Ying or anyone else says about me. I just want to secure a good future for myself. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

Tan Deming was lost in thought for a long time before he stood up. "It’s like you’ve grown up overnight. Study hard. As for Tan Ying, if you don’t want to associate with her, then don’t. It’s not like many families in this village look up to us anyway."

Tan You replied, "’The poor are ignored in a bustling city, while the rich have distant relatives visit them in the deep mountains.’ I get it. Our family is poor, and your son’s eyesight is poor, so he can’t be the pillar of the family. That’s why everyone looks down on us."

Tan Deming scolded her with a laugh, "What do you mean, ’your son’? That’s your father."

Tan You replied, "I never said he wasn’t. Not everyone feels pity when they see someone else’s hardship. In fact, most people would rather see others suffer even more. It’s obvious that many people in the village think that way."