When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 125: Yi Ru 9

This didn’t mean Yi Ru was a bad person; on the contrary, she was actually quite kind-hearted. But because their life experiences were so different, Tan You and Yi Ru had very little to talk about.

As Zhao Zhao’s former wife, Yi Ru had undoubtedly excelled at playing the socialite, a role she was perfectly suited for. She was particularly skilled at the art of feigning civility and presenting a different face to everyone she met.

This clashed with Tan You’s personality. Tan You was a straight-shooter who hated beating around the bush. She had actually wanted to get along with Yi Ru, but after a few conversations, it was clear they just didn’t click.

As a result, Tan You no longer cared about getting any kind of bonus review from Yi Ru. She didn’t even want to give her the remaining beauty value. Even though the beauty value was useless to her, Tan You would rather let it sit there than give it to Yi Ru.

’System, I bet some task-doers don’t want to spend too much time with their clients, do they?’ Tan You didn’t judge Yi Ru’s personality. If they couldn’t get along, she would simply keep her distance. The woman hadn’t done anything heinous, so it wasn’t her place to criticize.

"Of course. Many task-doers submit the mission and leave as soon as the client awakens. It saves a lot of time." The Beauty System sounded a little excited. "Host, are you going to submit the mission and leave?"

"Of course... not," Tan You answered without hesitation. "There’s still so much time left. Going back now would be a waste. If I can’t get along with Yi Ru, then so be it. I’ll just go do my own thing."

She was quite interested in the intangible cultural heritage projects here. ’Spending all this time not expanding my knowledge, but instead submitting the mission and going back? The very thought is painful, you know?’

Yi Ru herself had noticed that she didn’t get along with Tan You. She gave a wry smile. ’So my old life really had that much of an effect on me. It’s true, who would like a fake person? If I want to change, I should start with my personality.’

’I wasn’t always like this,’ she thought. It was just that as Zhao Zhao’s business grew, she inevitably had to go out and socialize. In the world of the rich and famous, who really opens their heart to anyone? Everyone just puts on a pleasant, evasive front.

’Forget it. I have nothing to do with Zhao Zhao now anyway. I have a career, I have money, and I’m still young. Why should I tie myself down to a man?’

At this thought, Yi Ru patted her cheeks. She wasn’t feeling very sleepy, so she switched on her desk lamp and sat down to familiarize herself with the career Tan You had forged for her.

"Yiyi, I feel like you’ve changed a bit recently," the store manager said suddenly after watching a customer leave.

Yi Ru paused. "What change?"

The manager thought for a moment. "You smile more now, but the smile rarely reaches your eyes. Before, I could always tell whether you were happy or not just by looking at them."

Yi Ru understood. That was the biggest difference between her and Tan You. Tan You was usually expressionless and rarely showed any emotional fluctuation. But when she did smile, it always started in her eyes. Yi Ru’s smiles did not.

After wearing the mask of a high-society wife for so many years, Yi Ru had long grown accustomed to a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. But now she understood that she couldn’t just throw off those shackles all at once. She was, after all, still influenced by her past.

Tan You happened to be in the store and glanced at Yi Ru. "If you don’t want to smile, then don’t. No one’s forcing you. Your own happiness is what’s most important. You don’t have to walk on eggshells for anyone anymore."

Yi Ru understood. Perhaps because she had always lived a life dependent on Zhao Zhao, she had unconsciously put him on a pedestal. She always had to read his expressions and carefully weigh every word she spoke.

But things were different now. Yi Ru’s thoughts began to drift. Just as Tan You had said, her own happiness was what mattered most. Whether she wanted to smile was entirely up to her.

"I get it." The smile vanished completely from Yi Ru’s face. To be honest, wearing a mask for so long was exhausting. Now that she’d cast it aside, she felt a wave of relief.

Tan You muttered, "You look better this way."

Yi Ru heard her and looked at Tan You with an almost motherly fondness. "Such cheek. In terms of age, I’m probably older than your mother, you know?"

Tan You suddenly smiled. "In terms of age, I’m older than your great-grandmother."

Yi Ru was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly felt that this kind of bickering with Tan You wasn’t so bad. "Alright, fine, I won’t argue with you about that. But speaking of which, you handed everything back to me as soon as I returned, and I don’t know the first thing about managing finances. You have to keep helping me."

Tan You was nonchalant. "Fine by me. To be honest, I really didn’t want to deal with you when you were acting like that before."

Yi Ru was exasperated. "Yes, yes, you little taskmaster. I’ll definitely change from now on! But I’ve been this way for so many years. It’s not like I can change overnight, you know?"

"Then just change slowly. It’s better to live life honestly. Being fake all the time is pointless." Tan You offered this bit of advice but had no intention of saying more. She wasn’t Yi Ru’s parent; she felt she had already overstepped her bounds.

Her years as a high-society wife weren’t for nothing. Having been immersed in that world for so long, Yi Ru had developed her own sense of style and aesthetics. She had always liked hanfu and used to consult with designers herself.

Now, with a ready-made designer like Tan You right there, inspiration sparked the moment they put their heads together. As a result, their brand, Mo Ran, began releasing new items more frequently and in a wider variety of styles.

"Lower your waist!" In the dance studio, Tan You’s face was stern, her standards incredibly high.

Yi Ru struggled to press her upper body closer to the floor, wincing. "Youzi, you’re too strict! My poor old back..."

"You’re only twenty-four. What old back?" Tan You was merciless. "No pain, no gain. I used to practice every single day. You’ve been back a month now, how many times have you practiced?"

"Three times!" Yi Ru gasped. "Haven’t I been busy?"

"Don’t give me that," Tan You scoffed. "My standards for dance are very high. If you can’t meet them, I won’t let you perform my choreography."

By now, Yi Ru had figured out Tan You’s personality. She was the type who wouldn’t tolerate a single flaw—a true perfectionist. On a normal day, Yi Ru could do as she pleased. But if she wanted to perform one of Tan You’s dances, just going through the motions was not an option.

"Are these the standards of a principal dancer? It’s not like I’m trying to get on the Spring Festival Gala..." Though she joked, Yi Ru gritted her teeth and pushed through. She understood that a personality like Tan You’s might not be likable at first, but once you got used to it, you realized how precious it was.

Tan You’s face remained stern. "Either don’t do it, or do it to the best of your ability."

"Yes, to the best of my ability," Yi Ru sighed, forcing her body into the required positions.

"I can’t... I can’t go on, Youzi. I’m completely exhausted." After barely completing the final movement, Yi Ru collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. It felt like her body no longer belonged to her.

"Serves you right for slacking off," Tan You said, squatting beside her. "If you practiced every day, you wouldn’t be in so much pain today."