When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds

Chapter 147: Ji Li, Part 1

Tan You was unconcerned. "It’s not a difficult mission. I’ll just treat it as a trip to clear my head. I haven’t been in a good mood lately."

The Beauty System, knowing the reason for Tan You’s foul mood, fell silent. How could it not know? Wasn’t it because of Tan Ying?

The Beauty System didn’t want to bring up Tan Ying either, so it changed the subject. "This System will now send the Host to the mission world."

Tan You had just come to her senses when she took in the scene before her, slightly stunned. ’What’s going on?’ Just ahead and to the side, a man and a woman stood facing each other. The man was holding a bouquet of flowers, and the woman across from him looked both surprised and hesitant.

Nearby, a crowd was egging them on. "Say yes! Say yes!"

"He’s so handsome! It would be too cruel to turn him down!"

Once she got a clear look at the man and woman’s faces and heard the surrounding chatter, Tan You knew exactly when she had arrived. This was the moment of Wen Zhe’s first confession to Xia Mo.

’She should be rejecting him any second now,’ Tan You thought calmly.

And just as she expected, the woman in the center of the crowd rejected Wen Zhe’s confession. "I’m sorry. I know you’re a good person, but we don’t know each other that well yet. I can’t say yes to you right now."

Wen Zhe stiffened, his expression faltering. He forced a smile. "Alright, then let’s get to know each other for a while longer. You won’t turn me down next time, will you? Hm?"

Xia Mo fiddled with her fingers. "We’ll see when the time comes."

Watching this scene, Tan You’s lips curled into a scornful smile. She turned away from the pair and headed in a different direction. After carefully reviewing the situation, Tan You decided that her arrival time wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either.

For example, at this point, Ji Li and Wen Zhe were just classmates. The bad part, of course, was that Wen Zhe likely knew about Ji Li’s crush on him but simply pretended not to notice.

Wen Zhe had roped Ji Li into helping him plan every detail of today’s confession to Xia Mo. ’Watching Ji Li grow sad and miserable because of him must have made Wen Zhe feel incredibly smug, right?’

Some things are clearer from an outsider’s perspective. Tan You walked at a steady pace. Just as she expected, she soon heard the sound of hurried footsteps behind her, followed by an arm reaching for her shoulder.

Tan You took a step to the right, avoiding Wen Zhe’s familiar gesture. Wen Zhe froze. "What’s wrong?"

Tan You didn’t explain, only saying, "I’m planning to go back to my grandmother’s house tomorrow."

"Huh? Why are you suddenly going back?" Wen Zhe faltered for a moment. Seeing that Ji Li didn’t stop walking, he hurried to catch up.

Tan You said leisurely, "My parents passed away young, I’m not close with my paternal grandparents, and my maternal grandmother is getting old. I’m going back to fulfill my duty as a granddaughter."

"You’re not staying in the city to work?" Wen Zhe sounded a little dejected. "If you leave, what will I do?"

Tan You was expressionless. "You have your life, and I have my responsibilities. You are not my responsibility. I’m just informing you."

"Are you angry? Angry that I confessed to Xia Mo?" Wen Zhe’s eyes darted around. "I was wrong, okay? Don’t be mad. At worst, I just won’t get a girlfriend."

"That’s your business. It has nothing to do with me." Tan You’s voice was perfectly calm. "Don’t be ridiculous. My going back has nothing to do with you."

Wen Zhe was proud and arrogant. Having been rebuffed so bluntly by Tan You, he was naturally in a bad mood. On top of just being rejected by Xia Mo, his temper was even worse. "If you go back this time, then our friendship is over!"

Tan You turned to look at him, then suddenly broke into a wide grin. "Great. A promise is a promise."

She couldn’t wait to cut ties with Wen Zhe completely, so how could she possibly drag things out now? After dropping that line, Tan You turned and walked away without a hint of reluctance, leaving Wen Zhe standing there, his face alternating between shades of green and white.

Tan You returned to Ji Li’s rented room. It wasn’t large, only about twenty square meters. Since Ji Li usually worked various part-time jobs, living in the dormitory was inconvenient.

So, after her sophomore year, Ji Li had moved out and rented a place. After paying rent each month, she was able to save a little, and she had put it all away.

While packing, Tan You came across Ji Li’s diary. Upon seeing the diary about her crush, Tan You’s brow furrowed slightly. The next moment, she unhesitatingly stuffed it into the very bottom of a box.

These were Ji Li’s belongings. Even though she was currently in Ji Li’s "shell," Tan You wouldn’t rashly dispose of her private things. ’Ji Li will wake up eventually, anyway. I’ll just leave this for her to deal with herself.’

Then she saw a desk calendar. A number was circled on it, which Tan You knew was Wen Zhe’s birthday. Ji Li had planned to use the money she’d earned from her part-time jobs to buy Wen Zhe a pair of brand-name sneakers and confess to him at the same time.

But when she showed up with the shoebox, she saw Wen Zhe and Xia Mo holding hands... Shaking off these thoughts, Tan You shook her head slightly. ’As long as I live, no man will ever get a dime out of my pocket!’

Ji Li didn’t own much, as she was exceptionally frugal. While packing, however, Tan You gathered a number of things Wen Zhe had given her. For example, the flowers he gave her on Valentine’s Day, which Ji Li had carefully preserved as dried flowers.

There was also a necklace Wen Zhe had tried to give his ex-girlfriend; when she refused it, he had casually handed it to Ji Li. All in all, there were quite a few items. A quick glance told her that some of the jewelry could probably be sold for a bit of cash.

Tan You thought for a moment, then sorted out all the jewelry. As for the remaining greeting cards, dried flowers, and so on, she set them aside for Ji Li to deal with herself in the future.

Tan You was busy until evening before she finally finished packing all of Ji Li’s things. She also settled things with the landlady. The landlady wasn’t harsh; after all, Ji Li was about to graduate from university, so it was normal for her not to renew the lease.

The landlady was very kind. "Little Ji, what kind of work are you planning to find when you go back? I hear taking the civil service exam is a good option these days."

Tan You’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’The civil service exam?’ It seemed like an option, but Tan You wasn’t interested in the nine-to-five, "salted fish" lifestyle within the system. At her core, she was still very ambitious.

She wanted far too many things. If she passed the exam and "went ashore," by the time she amassed enough wealth, she’d probably be singing the "Iron Window Tears" behind bars.

Outwardly, however, Tan You just smiled. "I’ll go back and see first. If things don’t work out, I’ll just open a bubble tea shop. I wasn’t just wasting my time at the bubble tea shop these past few years. I know everything I need to."

The landlady smiled too. "That’s good as well. Who doesn’t buy a cup of bubble tea when they go out these days? It hasn’t been easy for you. I’ll give you your full security deposit back. You’ve kept the place in great shape."

"I don’t have much to give you as a parting gift, so let me just wish you all the best in the future. I hope you won’t have to work so hard anymore."