She had only managed to save up a tenth of the cost for the villa she’d promised Tan Deming. On top of that, she had her own daily expenses. All things considered, Tan You felt that money disappeared far too quickly.
What’s more, she also had to pay Tan Lin a salary, so earning more money had become a pressing matter.
Li Fugui had no idea Tan You was mulling over a side hustle. After she returned to the classroom, he hesitated for a moment before looking up a former classmate’s number and making the call. "Old Xu? It’s me, Fugui..."
After the placement test, Tan You firmly established her status as the top student among the first-years. Of course, the buzz was only temporary; soon, hardly anyone came to peek at her from outside the classroom anymore.
Then again, it might have just been that everyone now recognized her face. After all, she was the prettiest girl in the first year. And though she was still chubby, that was precisely what made her seem more down-to-earth and approachable to everyone.
Yin Xiu linked her arm with Tan You’s. "You know, I used to think girls only looked good if they were skinny. But after meeting you, I realized that beauty really has nothing to do with weight. You’re just gorgeous."
Gu Qiuxia chimed in, "Have you guys ever seen Tan You without her glasses? Now *that* is true beauty. She glanced at me once, and I swear my heart almost stopped."
Cao Haiyan nodded. "I saw her too. Just imagine how beautiful you would be if you didn’t wear glasses."
Tan You said, exasperated, "You’re all exaggerating more and more. But you guys are really something else. If you needed to use the restroom, why’d you have to drag me along with you?"
Yin Xiu giggled. "I was just dragging you out for a walk, so you wouldn’t be cooped up at your desk all day."
Tan You rolled her eyes. "Wow, thanks so much."
On their way back from the restroom, they passed the main faculty office. Huang Ruixiang opened a window and waved to Tan You. "Tan You, come over here a second."
Tan You raised an eyebrow. ’Mr. Huang is looking for me? What could it be? Don’t tell me Editor Chen already replied? Come to think of it, I already sent him the outline and the first hundred thousand characters. It’s about time I heard back.’
Sure enough, the moment she stepped into the office, Huang Ruixiang handed her an EMS mailer. "I saw this in the mailroom. There was a huge stack of books next to it, so I went ahead and brought them up to the office for you. Here, it’s all here."
Tan You was truly grateful. "Thank you, Mr. Huang! You’ve been a huge help."
Huang Ruixiang raised an eyebrow. "Looks like it’s from a magazine publisher. Are you submitting your work?"
Tan You raised an eyebrow in return. "That’s a secret, Mr. Huang."
Huang Ruixiang’s eyes crinkled. "Fine, your secret is safe with me. But on one condition: three breakfasts. Those stuffed eggplant fritters the other day were amazing."
Tan You got the message. "No problem. I’ll treat you to something different tomorrow."
She held up the mailer. "I’m going to take this back with me. I’ll take this stack of books to the classroom, too."
Huang Ruixiang beat her to it, picking up the stack of books. "Coincidentally, I have the next class. I’ll carry these over for you."
It was a massive stack of books. And even though Tan You was on the chubbier side, Huang Ruixiang could tell she lacked energy and didn’t have a particularly robust constitution.
He knew just from seeing her panting and out of breath whenever she climbed the stairs or went for a run; she was weaker than she looked.
And so the scene became one of Tan You holding Huang Ruixiang’s lesson plans while he carried her stack of books. It looked as if their roles were reversed, making the other teachers who saw them chuckle in amusement.
Huang Ruixiang didn’t mind at all. Tan You lived in the same block as the teacher dormitories. He himself lived next door to Li Fugui; one room past Li Fugui’s was another female high school teacher’s, and the room after that was Tan You’s.
Whenever Tan You cooked something, the aroma would inevitably wake him. Unfortunately, Huang Ruixiang wasn’t as thick-skinned as Li Fugui; he was too embarrassed to just show up and ask for food.
Tan You’s books naturally piqued her classmates’ curiosity, but one look at the titles had everyone recoiling in horror. *Linear Algebra*, *Advanced Mathematics*, *Mathematical Olympiad Strategies*, and the like. They might have understood each word on its own, but put together, the titles were complete gibberish to them.
Tan You, on the other hand, treasured the books as if she’d found a priceless treasure. By now, she had already worked her way through the math competition book she had bought for herself, and she was more or less finished with the practice tests Li Fugui had found for her.
The arrival of these specialized books was exactly what Tan You needed. She herself found it a bit incredible. ’A former science failure like me is now daring to tackle the Math Olympiad. It’s a strange feeling.’
Hai City truly lived up to its reputation as a major metropolis; its selection of specialized resources was incredibly comprehensive. Editor Chen had been very thorough. Of course, the materials he gathered also served to show Tan You just how high the bar was.
Tan You didn’t let it get her down. It was just an extracurricular pursuit, after all; she wasn’t aiming for a gold medal. Her bruised confidence quickly mended. She spent her days doing practice problems and working on her manuscript, and as for her most important duty as a high schooler—her actual schoolwork—Tan You never let that slide, either.
And it was true. After topping the charts for three consecutive weekly exams with near-perfect scores, her teachers stopped minding what Tan You did during class time.
’With grades like that, she’s practically a shoo-in for the top score on the college entrance exams. Making her listen to our lectures would be a pure waste of her time. Besides, what if we make a mistake while teaching and she points it out? Who’s the one who’s going to lose face then?’
When the monthly exam results were posted, the students who had been jealous of Tan You finally fell silent. Not that Tan You had any time to notice. She was in her dorm room, packing to go home. In the blink of an eye, a whole month had passed since she’d last been back.
’I wonder how Tan Deming and Wang Hunv are doing at home. I promised I’d take them out for the National Day holiday...’
While pushing her bicycle out of the dorm, Tan You ran into Tan Ying. Tan Ying smiled. "Heading back together?"
Tan You glanced at the luggage on her bicycle. "No, thanks. I’m stopping by my dad’s place first to borrow his electric scooter for the ride home."
Tan Ying acted as if she hadn’t heard the refusal. "I’ve never been to your parents’ house. Let’s go together."
Tan You gave her a look. "It’s out of the way. I have to make a trip into the city later, so I’m not going straight home."
She wasn’t just making an excuse; she really did have to go into the city. She needed to check on Tan Tao and Tan Qin’s little food stall. The two of them had come to learn how to make mala-tang and mala-ban, and she had no idea how their business was faring.
Besides, Tan You genuinely had no desire to associate with Tan Ying anymore. Once a friendship was broken, it was broken. There was no point in trying to go back to the way things were.
With Tan You having said so much, Tan Ying could only watch as she pedaled her bicycle into the distance. As Tan Ying herself rode past a small alleyway, she saw Tan You emerge from it on a black electric scooter.
Tan You didn’t say anything upon seeing Tan Ying again. She simply gave her a nod, then turned her scooter and headed in the direction of the city. Tan Ying lowered her gaze and pedaled her own bicycle back toward her hometown.
In a rented apartment in the city, Tan Tao’s family had been busy prepping ingredients since early in the morning, knowing Tan You was coming over. It was her first time visiting them since they’d started their business in the city, so they were naturally eager to be the best possible hosts.