When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 69: Chi Mo 23

No one was in a hurry, so they took their time enjoying the amusement park. It wasn’t until the children grew tired of walking that Tan You and Zhou Wenwen began taking turns carrying Ningning. Unfortunately, their stamina was what it was, and they were the ones who ended up soaked in sweat.

Lin Meng helped look after Tongtong, while Dashuai had long since been perched on Xiang Zhe’s shoulders. But even so, Gao Jing’s face was etched with fatigue.

"Many people talk about being independent, but there are some things women just can’t do on their own, like taking their kids out to play." She glanced at Dashuai as she spoke. "Whenever we came out to play before, my parents would always come with us because I really couldn’t handle him on my own."

"Dashuai is a sensible kid, too. He knows his grandpa’s back is bad, so he walks by himself most of the time."

Tan You wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Being a single mom isn’t easy. It’s too hard." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

She had absolutely no desire to get married or have children. Perhaps because she had raised Tan Yue since she was young, Tan You had a psychological aversion to child-rearing and wanted no such attachments.

Gao Jing gave a bitter smile. "What choice did I have? If I didn’t take the child, was I supposed to let him live with his father? He’s so busy, how would he have the time? He would just end up sending him to his grandparents."

"And if he remarried, he’d pay even less attention to the child."

Tan You understood what she meant. Why did women choose to take the children in so many divorces? Because in all likelihood, the mother simply loved the child more. Of course, this wasn’t an absolute rule; Tan You had read plenty of news stories about responsible fathers, too.

"It’s better for the child to be with me. At least I can always watch over him. Once he’s grown up, I’ll be able to live my own life." Gao Jing’s voice was soft, but her words weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.

Lin Meng shifted Tongtong’s little body higher in her arms. "So what does marriage really bring to a woman? Other than a body full of scars, it seems like there’s nothing else."

Tan You said, "Maybe. It seems that once you become a mother, you’re no longer yourself, just the ’mom’ role. The thought alone is terrifying to me."

"It would be fine if you had someone to share the burden, but the fear is that your partner not only doesn’t help but actually adds all sorts of new burdens," Zhou Wenwen said, stroking Ningning’s hair. The little girl was leaning against Tan You’s shoulder, and soft little snores were starting to escape her.

"You’ve been carrying her for a long time. Let me take her." Zhou Wenwen felt a little embarrassed. It was her own daughter, after all, but Tan You had been the one carrying her for most of the way back. Who could blame her? Her daughter was just more attached to Tan You.

"No need. We’re almost at the car. Ningning’s sleeping so soundly, let’s not wake her." Tan You rubbed her cheek against Ningning’s soft hair. She didn’t want to raise a child herself, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying being close to other people’s kids.

Zhou Wenwen didn’t try to persuade anyone to get married and have kids, either. In fact, only after becoming a mother did she truly understand that married life was basically a mess of trivialities. Especially an unhappy marriage. Even ordinary families bickered, to say nothing of everything else.

They had all met at the amusement park in the morning, so naturally, they parted ways at the entrance, each heading home. Tan You placed Ningning in the back seat, and only after Zhou Wenwen’s car had driven away did she rub her lower back.

As a dancer, it was inevitable to have aches and injuries, and Chi Mo was no exception. Tan You’s current training intensity was particularly high, so it was only natural that her old back injury flared up.

Tan You had even put on a medicinal patch before leaving the house. As time wore on, she felt a dull ache in her lower back. An injured back couldn’t take much strain, but Tan You was strong-willed and hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.

"My car is over there. Let me give you a ride back to your hotel." Just as Tan You was about to call a rideshare, Xu Jike suddenly appeared, holding a cup of black tea.

Tan You whipped her head around to look at him. "You haven’t left yet?"

’She hadn’t even noticed. Didn’t she just see him leave with Shi Lei and Xiang Zhe? How did he end up back here?’

Xu Jike had finally found a chance to be alone with Chi Mo. "I saw they were selling hot drinks over there, so I bought you a black tea."

Tan You clearly understood Xu Jike’s little trick. She frowned slightly. ’So full of schemes.’ But as they say, you don’t slap a smiling face, so Tan You accepted Xu Jike’s kind gesture. "Thank you."

"Come on, it’s hard to get a ride here." Seeming to know what Tan You was about to say, Xu Jike spoke first.

Tan You shrugged. "I’ll have to trouble you then. I’ll transfer you the money for the tea and the ride later."

Xu Jike sounded resigned. "Alright. But forget the fare. I happen to pass by your hotel on my way."

Tan You narrowed her eyes slightly. "Not on your way, is it? Don’t you live in Galaxy Bay? That’s in the complete opposite direction of the hotel."

Xu Jike was a little surprised. "How did you know I live there?"

’He’d never told anyone that. How could Chi Mo know?’

Tan You knew she had misspoken. "I heard it from someone. Everyone has a few friends, don’t they?"

Xu Jike frowned, now wondering if Chi Mo knew one of his former clients or a friend of one of his colleagues.

Tan You let him guess. Could she possibly say that it was something Chi Mo knew? After all, after the variety show ended, Chi Mo had moved in with Xu Jike. How could she not know where he lived?

However sweet Chi Mo and Xu Jike had been back then, that’s how painful and heartbreaking their breakup was. He had extracted himself from the relationship so cleanly and decisively, while Chi Mo had taken a long time to get over it.

Later, the online comments were all over the place, and Chi Mo was slapped with the label of "dumped by two different men." Honestly, it was a truly awful label. At the very least, Tan You didn’t want to be stuck with it while she was still Chi Mo.

Xu Jike’s car wasn’t cheap; Tan You could tell. Lawyers were high earners, especially a top-tier lawyer like Xu Jike. His annual income was naturally quite substantial.

When Chi Mo first got together with Xu Jike, he had given her a lot of gifts. To be fair, Xu Jike was very generous in that regard. But should you be with someone just because they’re rich? There was no logic in that.

’What matters most is character.’

Taking a sip of the black tea, Tan You’s cheeks puffed out slightly, making her look much more approachable. Xu Jike caught sight of Chi Mo’s expression from the corner of his eye and suddenly felt that the drive back to the hotel was far too short.

"I saw you rubbing your back just now. Is it sore?" Xu Jike found a topic to break the silence at a red light. If he didn’t take the initiative, he believed Chi Mo could remain silent all the way to the hotel.

"Yeah, my back injury is acting up." Tan You shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position. "My training has been a little intense these past few days."

Xu Jike glanced at her from the side. "You shouldn’t strain an injured back, yet you were carrying a child for so long. How about I take you to the hospital to get it checked out?"

"No need. I brought some medicinal patches. I’ll be fine once I put one on." Tan You glanced at him. "Don’t mention this to Wenwen. I don’t want to make her feel bad."

’After all, it wasn’t Zhou Wenwen’s fault. I was the one who hadn’t mentioned my back was injured in the first place.’