Chapter 395: Chapter 395: Yanxi 3
Jin Taiyuan looked up at Tan You. "You... How do you know? How do you know about my past?"
Tan You stood up. "I can find out anything if I put my mind to it. Let’s just have an amicable breakup and not make things undignified for either of us in the end. That’s all I have to say. I’m moving out tonight."
"I won’t come looking for you again, and you should have some sense of boundaries and not come looking for me at school. I’ve already told my colleagues that we’ve broken up and will have nothing to do with each other from now on."
She let out a small laugh. "It’s quite ironic, really. A relationship built over ten years, defeated by a two-month fling. She swayed you so easily. I’m actually glad I found out now. At least I can still cut my losses."
Seeing Jin Taiyuan about to object, Tan You held up a hand. "You know me. I have zero tolerance for betrayal. Just one instance of infidelity, and there’s no turning back. That was the line we drew in the sand when we first got together."
"But as it turns out, I’m the only one who abided by that principle. You didn’t." Tan You stirred her coffee. "Let’s just leave it at that. We’re both adults; let’s be dignified about this. Don’t let it get so messy that you end up humiliated."
Jin Taiyuan’s shoulders slumped further. "Yanxi... I’m so sorry. Please take care of yourself from now on."
"Of course you’re the one who wronged me," Tan You said, lifting her gaze. "I’m not going to tell you it’s okay. The only reason I’m still sitting here so calmly is that I want to bring our ten-year relationship to a conclusive end, not let it devolve into a chaotic mess."
"Frankly, I’m surprised. You so clearly despised what you came from, yet here you are, doing the exact same thing. I thought we were cut from the same cloth, but it seems we’re not."
Tan You shook her head as she spoke. "I’m going back to pack my things. We shouldn’t see each other again."
With those words, Tan You swept out, leaving Jin Taiyuan sitting alone in the coffee shop for a long, long time. When he finally left, his stride grew increasingly firm. He had already lost the one; now, he had to hold on even tighter to what was left.
Tan You didn’t care what Jin Taiyuan thought. The task of breaking up with him was complete, so the next thing on the list was to move. Housing prices in Country H were exorbitant. With the original Xu Yanxi’s salary, she could probably afford a house if she saved for fifty years without eating or drinking.
Therefore, the most important thing now was to make money. ’I need to make money.’ Due to Xu Yanxi’s status as a civil servant, many jobs were off-limits. Plus, Xu Yanxi herself had been very fond of her teaching career; after all, she had put in a tremendous amount of effort to land the position.
This meant Tan You couldn’t just casually quit Xu Yanxi’s job. She would have to think long and hard about how to earn more money.
Country H had a highly developed entertainment industry, and its pop culture was sweeping the globe. For that reason, Tan You didn’t want to get involved. ’After all, a cultural invasion is still an invasion,’ she thought, ’and I have no desire to be the one pushing it.’
She might have accepted a commission from a foreigner, but that didn’t mean she had completely thrown in her lot with them. Tan You still had her own principles and bottom line. As for which side-hustle to choose, she would have to consider her options carefully.
Lost in thought as she walked, an idea began to take shape. Just then, she arrived at the apartment Xu Yanxi and Jin Taiyuan had rented together. The original Xu Yanxi, blissfully unaware that Jin Taiyuan’s heart had strayed, had been here, still dreaming of their future married life.
Entering from the foyer, one could see that nearly everything in the house came in pairs. Tan You walked through the apartment once, then began to pack without a moment’s hesitation.
Finding an apartment wasn’t that easy, but Tan You was in no hurry. She wheeled her two large suitcases to a hotel. She would live there for the time being, and she had to use this period to work hard and earn money.
She didn’t idle around after reaching the hotel. Instead, she opened the original owner Xu Yanxi’s laptop and easily found a particular online forum. After browsing for a while, Tan You accepted a gig.
In Tang Li’s world, Tan You used to write screenplays and lyrics in her spare time, but she spent most of her time on computers. Although she wouldn’t dare compare herself to a top-tier hacker, she was capable of completing some of the tasks on the forum.
For the next month, Tan You lived a double life: teaching at school during the day and writing code in her hotel room at night. Watching the balance in her bank account grow day by day put Tan You in an excellent mood.
In reality, she had a deep-seated sense of insecurity. When she was broke, she desperately wanted lots of money. Only by seeing her funds grow steadily could Tan You feel even a little bit at ease.
"Teacher Xu, you seem awfully happy today. Did something good happen?" Perhaps because a payment had just been deposited, the corners of Tan You’s lips were slightly upturned, and by sheer coincidence, Teacher Wang, sitting opposite her, noticed.
Tan You switched off her phone’s screen. "Oh, I was just thinking about how I’ll be able to buy a house soon. It put me in a good mood."
"Buying a house? Where are you planning to buy, Teacher Xu? The Jiangnan District?" At the mention of buying property, everyone else in the office tuned in. After all, it was incredibly difficult for young people to afford a house.
Tan You waved her hand dismissively. "How could I afford a place there? I’m just thinking of buying something closer to the school to make my commute easier. My dad is actually helping out a lot, and I’ve saved up a bit from working these past few years. It’s enough for a down payment, and I’ll pay off the rest over time."
Teacher Wang thought for a moment. "That makes sense. You’re a civil servant with a stable job, so the bank won’t worry about your ability to make payments. Still, the complexes near the school aren’t cheap..."
Tan You just smiled. Homes in a good school district are never cheap, no matter where you are. But to put down roots here, she had to buy one, no matter how expensive. At her current earning rate, she figured she could probably make enough to pay for the whole place within a year.
Of course, for truly fast money, there was always the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, the entertainment scene in Country H was too filthy, and Tan You had no desire to wade into those murky waters. It was overrun by all sorts of powerful conglomerates, and news of actresses committing suicide seemed to pop up constantly. The mere thought of it made her skin crawl.
Once the topic shifted to housing, few people in the office were paying attention to Tan You anymore, and she was glad for the peace and quiet. Seeing it was almost time for class, she picked up her lesson plan and went to the classroom.
Over the past month, Tan You had developed a decent rapport with the students in her class. Her lectures were quite engaging, and even the few troublemakers sat quietly and behaved themselves in her classroom.
Even if they didn’t understand, they would furrow their brows and listen. After all, Tan You had not only pulled them aside for a talk but had even made home visits. To be honest, her move had caught them completely off guard and had given them a stark look at the hardships of surviving in the real world.
Now, they were scrambling to catch up, but having already wasted a year, their progress was limited. Tan You glanced at the few students with their furrowed, anxious brows and couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
