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

Tan You was a little surprised. "Does this mean that from now on, any bootleg systems we find will have to be turned in? I won’t be able to give them to you anymore?"

The Beauty System sounded a bit listless. "Mhm, but joining the Scavenger Group has its benefits... You can meet a lot of powerful mission-takers..."

"Then we won’t join," Tan You said casually. She was someone who knew how to provide emotional support. "You’re *my* little system. Any bootleg systems or other things I collect are meant to nurture you."

"I’m not willing to let other systems take a cut of your benefits. After all, nurturing you takes a lot of effort. One system is enough for me. It’s easy to play favorites when you have more than one, and I’ve had enough of the pain that causes. I certainly don’t want you to feel sad or heartbroken later on."

The Beauty System tapped its two front paws together. "Systems are just a bundle of data. We don’t get sad or heartbroken."

Tan You glanced at the large tail wagging furiously behind it and just smiled. "Even if you don’t have human emotions, I would never treat you that way. I can’t justify my actions just because you don’t have feelings. That’s not how it works."

The Beauty System pounced in front of Tan You, wrapping its front paws around her hand. "Host, you’re the best!"

In the distant void, watching the Beauty System act affectionately with Tan You, the other systems all fell silent.

System #1 of the Scavenger Group couldn’t hide its jealousy. "We all have hosts, but the difference is just so huge."

When was its host ever this warm? Look at someone else’s host, then look at its own. Why was the difference so vast?

System #1: "No wonder that little system defied the pressure to fight for her."

System #2: "If it were me, I’d fight for her too."

The systems all sighed in unison. "That little system is so lucky! To actually find a host like that."

Tan You had no idea these high-end systems were observing her. After her conversation with the Beauty System, she was covered in sweat, so she boiled a kettle of water and took a bath.

The teacher’s dorm was certainly more convenient than the student dorms, but it wasn’t so convenient as to have a shower installed. Tan You usually took sponge baths in her room with a basin, but once the weather cooled, she had to go to the school’s communal bathhouse to wash up.

After washing up, Tan You sat down at her desk, her hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. After seeing her dad off, Tan Ying had been getting ready to go to the school bathhouse. After a moment’s thought, she picked up her basin of toiletries and headed over to find Tan You.

Tan You’s dorm room had a window that faced a small path, and people passing by would often glance inside subconsciously. Since it was summer, Tan You had opened it to let a bit of a breeze into the room.

Of course, her dorm was in a remote corner, so aside from Tan Lin and Cheng Wenhui, hardly anyone ever came by.

Tan Ying was already mentally rehearsing what she would say to Tan You. But as she approached with her basin, she saw Tan You sitting at her desk, staring thoughtfully at the book before her.

She couldn’t tell what book Tan You was reading, but it didn’t look like a textbook. Perhaps because she had just washed up, Tan You’s long, jet-black hair spilled over her shoulders and back like a waterfall.

The sunlight, the desk, the girl—the scene was incredibly serene. Tan Ying stared blankly at Tan You’s face, her fingernails digging unconsciously into her palm.

It was still the same person, but Tan Ying felt that Tan You was completely different. She had always been fair-skinned, but now she was so fair she was almost dazzling. Before, Tan Ying could comfort herself with the fact that Tan You’s face was covered in acne. But now, her skin was as smooth and clear as a freshly peeled egg.

Compared to before, Tan You’s looks had changed dramatically. Tan Ying hadn’t heard of the concept of plastic surgery yet, but she knew what it meant for someone to "blossom" into their looks. Had Tan You blossomed overnight?

Even though Tan Ying was reluctant to admit it, the Tan You of today could truly be called beautiful. She wouldn’t lose out in the slightest, even when compared to the female celebrities Tan Ying knew of.

But what’s the use of being pretty? Don’t her eyes still suck? Tan Ying curled her lip as a secret sliver of smugness welled up inside her. Her eyesight was perfect; she wasn’t like Tan You, unable to see clearly from a few meters away.

With that thought, the jealousy that had been stirring within Tan Ying quickly subsided. She turned around with her basin and gave up on the idea of asking Tan You to go with her.

The very moment Tan Ying turned, Tan You happened to look up. She glanced at Tan Ying’s retreating back, then calmly lowered her head and went back to her math competition problems.

She had known Tan Ying was there for a while—after all, she had her little informant. But so what? Did she have to greet Tan Ying just because she showed up? They walked different paths.

Tan Ying leaving on her own was the most dignified outcome for both of them.

"Host," the Beauty System asked, "is your relationship with Tan Ying not very good?"

Tan You put down her pen. "How should I put this... You might see her as a friend, but she doesn’t think that way. Looking back now, I think Tan Ying must have hated me."

"She might have even despised me. She would call me fat, say my singing was off-key, and share my private secrets with almost everyone without a second thought. Whenever I made a new friend, I’d proactively introduce them to her."

"But Tan Ying was different. She never introduced me to any of her new friends. On the contrary, all of my friends were eventually won over by her, and they would gradually grow distant from me."

"And from what I heard from Tan Ying’s friends, I was a very unpleasant person. I never heard how Tan Ying introduced me to them, but they would usually give me dirty looks."

Seeing the Beauty System blinking, Tan You felt like indulging in a bit of gossip. She tossed her pen onto the desk. "I went to the elementary school in our village, so all my classmates were from the surrounding area."

"I used to be very shy and introverted, and I rarely initiated conversations. But Tan Ying wasn’t like that. She could get along with anyone, and I did admire that about her."

"Our village was Production Brigade Four, and Tan Ying had a few good friends who were from Production Brigade One. Unfortunately, when classes and dorms were reassigned in the second year of middle school, I ended up in the same dorm as several of Tan Ying’s friends."

Thinking back on those bleak days in the dorm during her second year, Tan You couldn’t help but clench her fists. "Have you heard of bullying by cliques? They’d scowl at you right to your face. Even if they never laid a hand on you, they would use every verbal and non-verbal means possible to taunt and ridicule you."

"The better my grades got, the more snide their remarks became. And that was just to my face. Behind my back, they’d get together and gossip about me, picking apart everything from my hair and clothes to every other little thing about me."

"But Tan Ying... she would just listen. She never once said a single word in my defense. So after that, by the time of the high school entrance exams, we basically stopped speaking to each other."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!