"As for this whole ’favorable impression’ thing, if our personalities match, I’ll stay a bit longer. If not, I’ll just submit the mission early and get it over with."
Tan You spoke casually. She was no longer fixated on having to stick it out in a mission world until the client passed away. Her trip to the Western Fantasy World had greatly improved her state of mind.
That old sense of urgency had largely dissipated. Tan You had become much more Zen, content to let things take their course.
After drawing a new mission, Tan You didn’t leave right away. There was no rush, anyway. She planned to rest at home for a few days. The thought that her monthly exam scores would be posted right after the holiday made her grin, her eyes narrowing into slits.
When she went to school this time, some people would be celebrating while others would be miserable, but there was no denying she’d be one of the happy ones.
Perhaps having witnessed Tan You’s unquestioned authority in the house, Tan Desheng had started to tuck his tail between his legs. He used to dare criticize Wang Hunv’s cooking, but now he ate whatever Tan You gave him without a single word of complaint.
Although Tan You disliked him, she wouldn’t go out of her way to give him a hard time; she would observe the basic courtesies. But if Tan Desheng tried to pull rank as an elder, Tan You wouldn’t be nearly so accommodating.
Things went on peacefully like this until the third-to-last day of the holiday. Tan You was packing her things for the dorm, with Tan Yue "helping" beside her in her own useless way.
Tan You had been planning to rest at home, but Li Fugui called and asked her to come to the school to help with something. She could come back and continue resting once she was finished.
Seeing Tan You packing her bags, Tan Desheng couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He found it incredibly stressful just being in the same room with her. ’What kind of kid acts like that? Making people too scared to even speak loudly in her presence?’
Tan You ignored him, simply instructing Tan Deming, "Just eat and drink as you normally would at home, Grandpa. If he can’t get used to the food, he can go over to Tan Deji’s house. Our home isn’t a hotel."
Tan Deming let out a low chuckle. "I know. You head to school and don’t worry. It’s only for a day, nothing’s going to happen. You think I don’t know who my real family is?"
Even his own brother couldn’t compare to his own granddaughter. His eldest granddaughter was the one who would support him in his old age—would his brother do that? Tan Deming had done the math, and the answer was crystal clear.
Tan You smiled. "Of course I trust you, Grandpa. Tan Yue, let’s go."
Tan Yue scrambled onto the electric scooter’s footboard. "Coming, Sis! Are we going to school?"
"Mhm. I’ll drop you off at home on my way to school. Say goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma." Tan You nodded, then glanced at Wang Hunv. "Call me if you’re given any trouble. There’s no reason to put up with grief from an outsider in your own home."
Tan Desheng’s face stiffened. Of course he knew Tan You was warning him, but he didn’t dare say a word. That’s just how it was: if you were a guest in someone’s home and gave them grief, it was a reflection of your poor upbringing.
In the past, Tan Deming had always catered to him, so Tan Desheng had grown accustomed to ordering everyone around here. But times had changed. Tan Deming wasn’t the head of the Tan family anymore; Tan You was. And Tan Desheng certainly didn’t dare to cross her.
He believed Tan You would absolutely flip out and kick him out. Though he hadn’t seen it happen, Tan Desheng just had a gut feeling that if he truly pissed her off, she was capable of anything.
In Tan Desheng’s eyes, the Tan You of today was just plain unsettling.
The moment Tan You left, Tan Desheng breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the perfectly composed Tan Deming. "Tan You... how did she end up like this? She has absolutely no manners."
This was a blatant attempt to stir up trouble. Tan Deming was the grandfather, yet everyone in the house listened to Tan You. Wasn’t that completely backwards and disrespectful?
Tan Deming glanced at him, pretending not to understand his brother’s implication. "I listen to whoever pays the bills. My wife and I both rely on Tan You now. We eat her food, wear clothes she buys, and live in her house. It’s only right that we do as she says."
"I’m not one to bite the hand that feeds me."
Tan Desheng was incensed. "But you’re her grandfather! You’re just going to let her... walk all over you like that?"
Wang Hunv was not pleased. "Tan You is wonderful to us! She’s not at all as bad as you make her out to be."
Tan Deming waved her off. "I’ll handle this. Go on and do what you were doing."
Wang Hunv pouted, shot Tan Desheng a glare, and reluctantly went into Tan You’s room. Because Tan You had so unambiguously backed her up, the old woman now found Tan Desheng completely insufferable.
Tan Deming took a sip of ginseng tea. "I know you don’t like Tan You and Tan Yue. They don’t need you to. They’re my granddaughters, not yours."
Tan Desheng flatly denied it. "What do you mean I don’t like them? They’re your granddaughters, after all, big brother..."
"Is that so?" A rare, sharp edge entered Tan Deming’s voice. "Then why did you give money to Tan Deji’s grandson and to Chen Chen, but never a cent to Tan You and Tan Yue? You just don’t like them."
"And if you don’t like them, how can you possibly expect them to respect you?"
Tan Desheng never expected Tan Deming to speak to him like that. In his memory, his older brother had always been gentle and honest. When had he become so blunt and utterly unconcerned with sparing someone’s feelings?
For a moment, Tan Desheng was tongue-tied.
Tan Deming took another, flavorful sip of his ginseng tea. "You’re still welcome in my home. But if you say another bad word about Tan You, I’ll have to ask you to leave."
"I depend on her to get by, after all. I know which side my bread is buttered on. I understand that much."
Tan Desheng sneered. "Just from writing a few manuscripts each month? How much could she possibly be making?"
Tan Deming wasn’t about to reveal his hand. "It’s enough for us to live comfortably. How much money do you have? Are you going to tell me?"
Tan Desheng pointed at Tan Deming. "You’re completely on her side now—"
Tan Deming looked at him as if he were crazy. "She’s my retirement plan. If I don’t side with her, should I side with you? Are you going to be the one supporting me in my old age?"
Tan Desheng was left fuming. When had his own brother become so brutally blunt?
To be honest, Tan Deming had been holding in a lot of anger himself. In his eyes, Tan You was the best. But Tan Desheng had to go and be so blatantly biased, and now he was even trying to drive a wedge between him and Tan You.
Now that he had the confidence to back it up, Tan Deming was not having it. He had never been able to bring himself to say a single harsh word to his eldest granddaughter. Who was Tan Desheng, an outsider, to criticize her?
After Tan Desheng stormed off in a huff, Tan Deming hugged his teapot, noisily slurping the hot tea. Wang Hunv came out of Tan You’s room. "He’s not going to say anything to Tan Deji, is he?"
"Let him say what he wants," Tan Deming said, unconcerned. "Tan You said we can mention that she writes, as long as we don’t say she writes novels."
Wang Hunv chuckled. "Fine by me. If he doesn’t come back for dinner, all the better. Saves me the trouble."
The Beauty System diligently projected the scene unfolding back home for Tan You to see. She simply lowered her gaze and smiled. After dropping Tan Yue off at Tan Lin’s house, she headed to her dorm.
After she finished unpacking, Li Fugui came to get her. "Come to the office and help record the exam scores. The teachers are swamped."
Tan You pushed open the window. "No problem. But you’re just going to have me work for free?"