"Congratulations, Host, on completing the second intermediate mission. This mission has received a Double-S rating. You have obtained 25 basic Energy Points. For a rating of A or higher, you receive an additional reward. The system awards 4 bonus Energy Points."
"The client, Zhu Sha, has given a Double-S review, earning you a 4-point reward from the main system. You have earned a cumulative total of 33 Energy Points from this mission. Your new Energy Point balance is 41."
Tan You heard the system’s mission-completion notification the moment she returned to the real world. Earning 33 Energy Points in a single trip wasn’t half bad; it was as much as she’d get for three beginner-level missions.
Tan You put down her pen. "Show me my status screen."
A flashy, colorful status screen quickly unfolded before her eyes:
Appearance: 90 (Perfect Bone Structure, Jade-like Skin, Limpid Eyes, Inky-Black Hair, Sweet Dimples, Herculean Strength [Beginner])
Spiritual Power: 104 (Not on a 100-point scale)
Intelligence: 70
Constitution: 40
Charm: 50
Energy Points: 41
Beauty Value: 196 (Unavailable in the current world)
’My Constitution went up by 1 point, probably from Herculean Strength. Spiritual Power increased by 2 points, and Charm by 1.’ After reviewing her stats, Tan You had a new question.
"Aren’t the knock-off systems we found factored into the results?"
The Beauty System blinked. "Those have to be turned in. You gave them all to me, Host, and if I don’t submit them, there’s no mission reward."
Tan You didn’t dwell on the minor details. "In that case, I’ll just let you have them so you can grow big and strong."
The little puppy-like system went "ARF!" and hugged Tan You’s finger. "Host, you’re the best!"
A smile played on Tan You’s face. "If you think I’m so great, then help me get some Intelligence Value next time."
"I will! I’ll definitely remember!" The Beauty System wagged its tail frantically. ’My host is the most generous!’ it thought. ’Who could possibly be luckier than me? How many other Beauty Systems get to devour several knock-off systems in a row?’
’None! Only me!’
Seeing the little system puff out its chest, Tan You felt her mood lift. "Go on, go play."
"You got it!" The little system did a flip with its tail and vanished. Tan You, meanwhile, immersed herself in her math textbooks. Having traveled through so many worlds, she had subconsciously formed a goal for herself. ’Before I can become a scientist, I should first work on being a top student.’
Tan You wasn’t planning on skipping any grades. The rules for advancing were getting stricter, and besides, slowing down sometimes gave you more time to strategize and plan ahead.
Tan You was now back from school, and when Tan Desheng saw her, his face wrinkled in disapproval. She had finally gone off to school, only to come back after a single day.
But he couldn’t say anything; he was a guest, after all. Besides, Tan You spent most of her time in her room solving problems, and no one ever bothered her.
She remained absorbed until noon. Knowing Tan You was studying, neither Tan Yue nor Tan Lin disturbed her. When it was time to eat, Tan Lin headed to the kitchen to start cooking on his own accord.
Hearing noises from the kitchen, Tan You closed her workbook. After doing a round of eye-massaging exercises, she went to the kitchen. Tan Lin was in a sleeveless undershirt with a towel draped around his neck, occasionally wiping away sweat. "What are you doing in the kitchen? It’s scorching in here."
Tan You took the spatula from his hand. "Let me cook. You go take a break."
Tan Lin grimaced. "I don’t even feel like going to the living room. Your second grand-uncle is being awfully stingy this time. He didn’t even give Tan Yue any money."
Tan You shot him a look. "So what if he didn’t? We’re not his immediate family anyway."
Tan Lin wasn’t having it. "I just don’t get it. How are my two daughters any worse than those boys? Your second grand-uncle is too biased. We’re clearly more closely related by blood."
Tan You said, "Blood relation or not, it is what it is. Just think about his own kids; you’ll see that blood ties don’t mean much when it comes to affection. Since his own children ignore him, he has no choice but to dote on other people’s kids, right?"
Tan Lin was still displeased. "But in the end, how many of them will actually appreciate his kindness? Aren’t they all just after his money?"
Tan You replied, "At the end of the day, it’s his money. We’re not going to see him much in the future anyway. He can give it to whoever he wants; it has nothing to do with us."
Tan Yue, who was shelling edamame, chimed in, "I don’t want his money. My sister is amazing."
Tan You chuckled. "That’s right. Your sister is amazing, so we don’t need to rely on anyone else."
Tan Lin clarified, "I’m not saying I want his money. I just feel that since you’re all his grandnieces, he treats you two way too poorly. Chen Xiaoqin is in your generation, and she got money. Only you and Tan Yue were left out."
Tan You was a little surprised. "Well, look at you, standing up for us."
Tan Lin laughed and playfully cursed, "Oh, get outta here."
Tan You couldn’t care less about Tan Desheng’s money. "It’s not like I can’t earn my own money. Why would I care about the scraps he hands out? As for whether he’s biased or not, who cares? He’s just a distant relative."
Tan Yue nodded. "Right. We don’t want it."
"You silly girl, what do you know?" Tan Lin patted Tan Yue’s head. "It’s good that you don’t let it bother you. I just think it’s unfair, that’s all."
"Alright, fair or not, it is what it is." Tan You genuinely didn’t mind. "I’m heading back to school today anyway. We won’t be seeing him much after this, so there’s no need to get worked up over something so trivial."
"Besides," she added, "is it because I can’t earn money on my own? Do I look like I need to depend on handouts from others?"
As expected, Tan Lin cracked a smile. "I’m not saying you can’t earn money. I just feel like you and Tan Yue got the short end of the stick. You know what I mean, right?"
"I get it." How could she not? "It’s not the scarcity that’s the problem, but the inequality."
Tan Lin had only finished elementary school, so he had no idea what she was talking about. He frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
Tan You explained, "It means he doesn’t treat everyone equally. The truth is, he just doesn’t like our family. You know how to suck up, but Mom isn’t the type to grovel and flatter. And neither Tan Yue nor I are the type to act cute and curry favor with people."
"He’s never liked any of us."
Tan Lin clapped his hands. "Exactly! That’s what I was trying to say. See, this is why you have to study hard. And hey, who are you calling a suck-up?"
Tan You just smiled, but Tan Yue was brutally honest. "Dad’s a suck-up. At home, he even said he wants to ride sister’s coattails."
Tan Lin’s eyes went wide with anger, which only made Tan You laugh. "It’s fine. There’s no shame in sucking up to your own daughter. Not everyone gets that chance."
"Right, no shame in it," Tan Lin quickly convinced himself. "Anyway, you can make your own money, so your mom and I get to benefit too. But you, Tan Yue, you have to work hard on your own in the future. You can’t just rely on your sister for everything."
’Tan Lin might seem like a good-for-nothing,’ Tan You thought, ’but when it comes down to it, his character isn’t all that bad. He wouldn’t do anything truly evil, and he knows not to be a parasite and leech off of others. That in itself is pretty decent.’
Not wanting to go look for trouble with Tan Desheng, Tan Lin decided to just shell edamame with Tan Yue. "Living in town is nice, but you have to pay for everything. Hey, Tan You, do you think I should ask your grandma to grow some vegetables for me? I could come back and pick them up whenever I have time."
Tan You rolled her eyes. "Tell Grandma yourself."
Tan Lin said, "She only listens to you these days."
"Fine," Tan You conceded. "I’ll mention it to her later. But you’re not getting them for free. You’ll have to bring back some meat or fish every so often."