After handing out the in-class quiz, Tan You walked a lap around the classroom, finally stopping beside a few of the struggling students. She glanced at their worksheets and couldn’t help but shake her head. ’Their foundations are just too weak.’

So, for these few students, she needed to come up with a good plan. Just as Teacher Shi had guided her back then, Tan You wanted to be a light for others, too.

As the end of class approached, Tan You called out the names of a few struggling students. "You few, stay behind for a moment."

The six students whose names were called looked at each other, but ultimately stayed put obediently, even though they were itching to bolt home just to play on their phones for a few minutes.

Once all the other students had left, Tan You got straight to the point. "I’ve noticed your attitudes have improved recently, and you seem to want to study hard. It’s not too late to start trying. If you’re interested, you can come to me for tutoring. I won’t charge you."

"For free? Teacher, you’re that kind-hearted?" a noticeably mischievous boy spoke up first, his tone filled with disbelief.

Tan You raised an eyebrow. "Teachers aren’t allowed to run private tutoring classes. I’m only offering because I’ve seen your good attitudes lately. If you don’t want to, it just saves me the trouble."

"If you’re willing, I’ll speak with the dean of students later and find a small classroom at school. From now on, you’ll spend your evening self-study sessions with me in that classroom."

"I’ll do it!" the most mischievous boy said immediately. He’d long had enough of the dull, tedious evening study sessions. If he could have class with Teacher Xu, how much more interesting would that be?

With him taking the lead, the other five students followed suit. The students Tan You had chosen were all ones who genuinely wanted to study hard; they would do anything that would help them learn.

Besides, how expensive were outside tutoring centers? Their families didn’t have that kind of money for tutoring. Now that Teacher Xu was willing to tutor them, they couldn’t be more grateful.

After all, not everyone in the world failed to appreciate a kind gesture.

So, Tan You took the students to see the dean of students. After she explained her idea, the dean gave her a strange look but still agreed.

In the dean’s eyes, Tan You’s actions were simply foolish. Dedicating her own time and energy to do something with no personal gain clearly didn’t align with the values of a society that put profit first. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

But Tan You didn’t care what others thought of her. She just wanted to pay forward the kindness Teacher Shi had once shown her, which would also fulfill a long-held wish of hers.

In any case, Tan You’s tutoring class was finally up and running, with an initial group of six students. Knowing their foundations were weak, she deliberately started with the first-year high school curriculum. No matter the subject, Tan You handled it with ease.

While tutoring these students, Tan You also found the time to buy an apartment and meet with Xu Yanxi’s father, Xu Jinwu. When he heard that Jin Taiyuan had cheated, Xu Jinwu was absolutely furious, wishing he could go teach Jin Taiyuan a lesson right then and there.

Tan You stopped him. "Why get so angry? He cheated, so he cheated. We’re not together anymore. It’s been a while since it happened. If you go looking for him now, people will think I’m still hung up on him. It’s best we just part ways amicably."

Xu Jinwu was still indignant. "I just never thought he’d be that kind of person. How did we, father and daughter, both end up with people like that? Is there no one left in this world who takes relationships seriously?"

Tan You replied, "Maybe there are, we just haven’t met them. Anyway, let’s not talk about him. I’m doing pretty well now, right? I have an apartment and a job. I have a mortgage to pay off, but as long as I keep working at the school, I don’t have to worry at all."

Xu Jinwu’s attention was quickly diverted. "It’s good that you broke up now. It would only be more painful to find out after getting married, and you’d end up with the stigma of a divorce."

He sighed and took out a bank card. "I was originally planning to give you this money when you got married, but I’ll give it to you now. Pay off some more of your mortgage so you won’t be under so much pressure. There’s eighty million in there."

Tan You’s heart skipped a beat. ’Eighty million... that’s almost 420,000 yuan. Xu Jinwu is just a local police officer. It couldn’t have been easy for him to save up this much money, right?’

She didn’t stand on ceremony with Xu Jinwu. "Okay. I’ll pay off a portion of the mortgage right away."

’If I don’t take this money, Xu Jinwu will probably worry even more. I’ll just accept it for now and use it to buy him things later. With my abilities, is there any doubt I can support Xu Yanxi’s father?’

Xu Jinwu finally smiled. "It’s good that you bought your own place. You have a home of your own now and won’t have to keep moving. And having an apartment will make it easier to find a partner. My daughter is a real catch."

Tan You smiled. She had met several fathers over time. For example, Chi Mo’s father had a mischievous and humorous personality, while Yi Ru’s father was the classic silent and steady type.

And Xu Jinwu was the type who was unconditionally on his daughter’s side. Thinking about it, Tan You felt quite emotional. Not every father was like Tan Lin, who would resort to beatings and curses at the slightest displeasure, always taking his anger out on others.

Tan You remembered the year Cheng Wenhui gave birth to Tan Yue; that was the year she was beaten the most at home.

Tan Lin was so emotionally unstable that he would explode at the drop of a hat. Honestly, Tan You never wanted to be around Tan Lin in the past. It felt like being with a ticking time bomb, because you never knew when he would fly into a rage again.

Yes, Tan Lin and Cheng Wenhui had worked hard to provide for her education, and they had sacrificed a lot. Tan You knew that. But that wasn’t a reason for her to endure their emotional and physical abuse. Her bleak childhood was a time Tan You didn’t want to recall, because the beatings really, really hurt.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Tan You changed the subject with Xu Jinwu. "When I called you last time, your voice sounded off. Are you feeling better recently?"

Xu Jinwu replied, "I’ve been fine for a while. I just caught a cold and got an IV drip, and I was all better. The station arranged for a physical last month—perfectly healthy, not a single thing wrong."

Tan You was relieved. "That’s good. I’m working now and can support the family, so you don’t have to work so hard all the time. You’re not young anymore. You should retire when it’s time."

Xu Jinwu’s tanned, weathered face crinkled. "I’ve still got another year. No rush. The work at the police station is just a bit tedious, not dangerous. Staying busy like this is actually good for my health."

"You see a lot of people who have nothing to do after they retire, and they end up not living very long."

Tan You chuckled. "As long as you have a plan in mind."

As the father and daughter talked, Xu Jinwu helped Tan You organize and decorate her new home. The more he looked around, the more he liked the apartment she had bought. "This is great. It has three rooms. It’ll be convenient for me to visit you in the future."

Tan You smiled. "That’s exactly what I was thinking when I bought it. You have to come visit often in the future. I’ve been busy tutoring students recently, so I don’t have much time to go back. I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip here more often."