Chapter 630: I Want to Try the Competition

"I’m the pillar of the family now. I can earn my own money, so of course, I have a bright future ahead of me. But what about them? They’re still holding out their hands for money, completely clueless about their own futures. That’s the fundamental difference between us."

"I’m already independent, both personally and financially. But they, very clearly, are not. Of course, I won’t deny that I’m only like this today because I met you. That’s what led me to go out and see the world, and meet so many wonderful people."

The Beauty System sounded a little shy. "It’s because you’ve grown so well on your own, Host. Tongtong didn’t really help with much."

"How could you say that?" Tan You was very serious. "You’ve always been with me, and that’s the biggest help of all. In that house, nothing was ever truly mine, not even things I bought with my own allowance. But Tongtong, you’re the only one. The only one who belongs completely to me."

"For that alone, I’m incredibly grateful to you."

The Beauty System pledged, "Host, Tongtong will always, always be with you."

Tan You was serious as well. "Of course. We’ll always, always be together."

Revealing these old scars for the first time, Tan You felt a part of her heart soften. Although she was now strong enough to process these emotions on her own, the feeling of having someone to listen to was truly wonderful.

Even if it was just a little system that didn’t understand anything, Tan You thought it was perfect.

Ultimately, what she valued more was the emotional support.

During holidays, Li Fugui and Teacher Lin would naturally go back to their hometowns, returning just before the evening self-study session. Tan You sat in her dorm for a while, and when she heard the roar of a motorcycle outside, she knew the Li Fugui family was back.

Sure enough, she soon heard the voices of Li Fugui, Teacher Lin, and the little kid, Guoguo.

Li Fugui called out, his voice raised, "Tan You, are you there?"

Tan You answered, "I’m here. Do you need something, Teacher Li?"

Li Fugui chuckled. "Come have some grapes. The kid’s grandpa grew them himself on his own vine."

Tan You raised an eyebrow slightly. "Coming."

As she was heading out, she grabbed a few peaches and oranges on her way.

Outside Li Fugui’s dorm, Teacher Lin was washing grapes with Guoguo. Seeing Tan You approach, Guoguo showed no shyness at all and came over to take her hand. "Big sister."

Tan You patted his soft hair. "Good afternoon, Guoguo. I bought some peaches and oranges this afternoon. Which one do you want?"

Guoguo looked at the two fruits, a little conflicted. "I want both."

Tan You said, "Then I’ll cut the peach into small pieces, and we can share it in a bit."

Watching Tan You and Guoguo talking closely together, Li Fugui shrugged. "You’re quite a hit with kids. Guoguo wouldn’t stop talking about you when we were home."

Tan You smiled. "That’s because Guoguo and I get along so well, right?"

Guoguo nodded. "Right."

Teacher Lin shook her head, smiling. "It’s a well-known fact that Tan You is likable. I mean, who doesn’t like Tan You?"

’Otherwise, why would her husband have eagerly brought grapes all the way from his hometown? Isn’t it because he’s fond of Tan You as a student?’

’A Charisma Value of 55, how could I not be likable?’ Tan You thought. ’But it’s not like I’m trying to be universally adored. I really like this kind of quiet life.’

Taking a bite of the grapes Li Fugui had brought, Tan You’s eyes crinkled. "So sweet."

"Not bad, right?" Li Fugui’s face lit up. "The grapes my old man grows really are something else."

Tan You ate half a bunch of grapes, then looked at Li Fugui. Li Fugui keenly sensed her gaze. He gradually slowed his movements. "Something you want to tell me?"

Tan You didn’t beat around the bush. "Mhm. Studying is too boring, so I’ve been reading books on math competitions again recently. Our school doesn’t have a math competition team, but I want to give it a try."

Li Fugui put down the grapes. "If I remember correctly, back during military training, you stated categorically that with your level of intelligence, you were just doing problems for fun and would absolutely not participate in any math competitions."

"Eating your words now?"

Tan You thought for a moment. "My relationship with Tan Ying isn’t great, and skipping a grade in high school isn’t something you can just do whenever you want anymore. So I was thinking, if I go the math competition route and work hard, maybe I can get a university recommendation."

Li Fugui understood. "You’re worried she’ll also choose the physics and biology track in the future? You want to avoid her?"

"You really get me, Teacher Li," Tan You praised him generously. "Yes. Choosing her subjects is her freedom, but Tan Ying and I really don’t get along, so I was thinking I should keep myself busy."

"That way, I can also avoid her a little."

Li Fugui narrowed his eyes. "We’ll see. I’ll ask around about the math competition at City No. 2 High first. But even if you participate, you won’t be able to attend their classes. You’ll have to rely entirely on yourself."

Tan You knew that. "That’s fine. I just want to give it a shot. It doesn’t matter if I don’t succeed; I just want to keep myself busier. It’s just self-studying and then showing up for the exam when the time comes, right?"

"Such a big talker," Li Fugui remarked. "Go on to the classroom for now. I’ll ask Old Xu. But your timing is perfect. The preliminary round starts right after National Day."

Tan You stood up. "Then I’ll have to trouble Teacher Xu to ask for me. I also want to know just how big the gap is between me and the real geniuses."

’With an Intelligence Value of 75, can I make it past the preliminary round? Even though I do problems whenever I have free time, at the end of the day, math is a subject that relies heavily on natural talent.’

’If you give an ordinary person three years, could they win a gold medal in the math competition? They might not even get one in ten. That’s why Tan You wanted to test the waters of the competition, to see how far an Intelligence Value of 75, combined with her hard work and perseverance, could take her.’

Tan You left. Li Fugui was silent for a few seconds before contacting Old Xu. After a brief conversation, Li Fugui hung up. It was just one entry spot, after all. As for how many rounds Tan You could pass, who could say for sure?

After Li Fugui hung up, Teacher Lin smiled. "Tan You is ambitious, but she’s also too modest. A student who’s infinitely close to a perfect score... her intelligence is undoubtedly exceptional."

Li Fugui frowned. "Then let her give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, she can always take the college entrance exam route. With her current grades, she’s a shoo-in for top scorer."

Teacher Lin teased, "If she really goes the competition route, your ’Outstanding Teacher’ award..."

Li Fugui waved his hand dismissively. "If she finds success in the competition, I’ll get my share of the benefits, too. She’ll still be my student, won’t she? As for the college entrance exam, I personally feel that for someone as brilliant as she is now, just sitting in a classroom and following the standard curriculum is actually a waste of her time."

"I personally support her giving it a try. It’s just that there are academic proficiency tests in the second year of high school; otherwise, I would have definitely tried to convince her to take the college entrance exam next semester."

Teacher Lin laughed. "You have that much faith in her?"

Li Fugui glanced at her. "Don’t you have a high opinion of her, too? She’s a very likable student."