Chapter 36: Tingting 34

As for Han Tingting's biological mother, she didn't have any children facing the college entrance exams, so why would she care about such things? Even if they did find out, what could they do about it? Han Tingting truly had nothing to ask of them.

Han Guangzhi understood in his heart that from now on, he and Han Tingting would be strangers. Even if Han Tingting became successful in the future, he, as her father, would not benefit from her prosperity at all.

Consequently, after Han Tingting's exam results were released, not a single piece of news from Han Guangzhi ever reached her. In front of the Li family, he didn't mention her at all, a move that clearly made the Li family even happier.

Would Han Tingting be saddened by Han Guangzhi's estrangement and indifference? She had no mental energy to worry about him now. She was already incredibly busy—studying fashion design under Master Hu during the day and battling high school textbooks at home at night.

She couldn't afford to be willfully ignorant; Tan You had already paved the way for her so thoroughly that she couldn't allow herself to tarnish her reputation as a provincial top scorer. It was only that Han Cunming was somewhat puzzled: "You've already graduated high school, yet you're still digging out your old books to read?"

Han Tingting gave a guilty smile. "I... I'm just reviewing. Looking at them again gives me different insights."

Tan You was sitting directly opposite Han Tingting and saw the guilt on her face clearly. Lowering her head with a smile, Tan You didn't say anything; she wasn't the type of person to kick someone while they were down.

However, now that she had become a teacher, Tan You realized she was truly unsuited for the profession. If all her students were like Han Tingting, she felt she would break down before the second class ended.

Han Tingting slumped onto the dining table in frustration. "I'm really bad at science, Youyou. I'm just too stupid."

Tan You sighed. "I'm bad at science too."

Han Tingting rolled her eyes. "You're bad at science but you topped the exams? How humble of you."

Tan You now understood the meaning of "humblebragging." She smiled. "You have no idea how much I envy you. I just can't draw such beautiful design sketches. Every time I see you drawing, I wonder why I'm not good at anything."

"I lack both rich imagination and rigorous logical thinking. It seems I'm not outstanding in any area."

She thought of her own extremely low initial stats. "That's true. I was originally just a very ordinary person."

Han Tingting had a different view. "I'm an ordinary person too. I was just lucky enough to have seen those beautiful clothes once. I'm definitely not as good as you. Look at how you raised your grades to this level through your own hard work—can you still call yourself ordinary?"

Tan You: "That was all thanks to the teachers, and purely through the 'sea of problems' tactic. I'm the quintessential 'small-town problem solver' you once mentioned."

Han Tingting: "Perhaps achieving this much is already quite difficult. Unlike others, you don't have the protection and blessings of parents; you rely entirely on yourself. There's a famous saying that only children without umbrellas run harder toward the future. In my eyes, that's exactly who you are."

Tan You savored the words. "You're right. We are all children without umbrellas, so we have to work harder."

Han Tingting: "Actually, aesthetic sense can be cultivated. You have plenty of time, Youyou. You can go to more exhibitions or read art books. If your horizons are wide enough, inspiration will come naturally."

Tan You held her head. "Then I'll have to work harder. It's a rare opportunity to learn; I can't let it go to waste."

The two had long since reached a consensus: Tan You would tackle the finance major she had chosen, while Han Tingting would study fashion design while Tan You attended her professional classes. They stumbled their way through life together until they graduated from university.

Of course, the "stumbling" was only how they perceived it. In the eyes of their teachers, Han Tingting remained as excellent as ever. She was not only the pride of the finance department but also a hot new rising designer.

"What are your plans?" During the ceremony to collect their diplomas, the headteacher asked Han Tingting about her intentions.

Han Tingting smiled. "I still prefer fashion design."

The headteacher sighed. "You are clearly a student of our finance department, yet after graduation, you're going off to do something completely different like fashion design... Sigh, my feelings are quite complicated."

Han Tingting: "I won't set aside the knowledge I've learned; I will apply it. But fashion design is my passion, and I feel that sticking to my passion is a good thing."

The headteacher: "It is good. It's just that those finance companies that were eyeing you will be disappointed. You truly are a genius student."

Han Tingting accepted the compliment without modesty. "That is also due to the excellent teaching of the professors. Whenever I went to ask questions, they never found me annoying."

"Even the emails I sent, the teachers always replied to."

When it came to being studious, Han Tingting admitted she couldn't compare to Tan You. Tan You was like a wolf; whenever she encountered someone excellent, she wanted to follow them everywhere.

At this moment, Han Tingting selectively "forgot" that when she went to audit classes, she also stayed inseparable from those professors.

The headteacher laughed and handed the diploma to Han Tingting with both hands. "Congratulations on graduating with excellent results. I hope you achieve great things in the future. If you ever hold a fashion show, you must send me an invitation. I can brag to others that our finance major isn't all about purely rational thinking."

Han Tingting took the certificate with both hands. "I will. I'm already preparing for one."

She wasn't bluffing. As a freelance fashion designer, Han Tingting naturally wouldn't think about holding a show abroad right away; she would start domestically first.

In recent years, Yang Kun's clothing company had developed very well, showing a trend of leading the industry. People in the industry knew that Han Tingting was a designer for this company; she just hadn't held a solo show yet.

As she walked out of the teaching building, a figure suddenly appeared beside Han Tingting. Judging by her build, it was a girl. The girl was chubby but quite tall, standing at a full 1.7 meters.

Though she was chubby, it was a well-proportioned kind of weight, and because her skin was so fair, her smile made people want to pinch her cheeks.

Han Tingting wasn't surprised at all by Tan You's appearance. She rubbed her diploma. "You actually made me come here on the day I collect my diploma."

Tan You smiled. "I wanted you to experience it. After all, you didn't get a diploma from the neighboring fashion design academy. This is the only diploma you'll ever get in your life; shouldn't you cherish it?"

She wasn't wrong. Tan You had received her middle school and high school diplomas, but counting them up, Han Tingting didn't even have a single one.

Han Tingting said crossly, "Yes, I'll definitely treasure it. Don't you think the fashion design academy next door is too stingy? My reputation isn't bad; why wouldn't they give me a diploma?"

Tan You: "You don't want to go there for grad school, so how could they be willing to give one?"

Han Tingting: "I've already read all their books and studied their graduate courses. Going there to study would just be a waste of my time. Forget it, it is what it is."