Chapter 157's topic

The physics teacher had already expected Shuishui to respond that way, because she had already previously said that she did not like attending remedial classes.

The teacher could not say anything. After all, Shuishui was also a top student in her own class. This made it difficult for them to talk about the results, not to mention that the exam questions were difficult.

Of course, they knew that most of the students were not happy. The students would always show disinterest whenever matters concerning the exams and results were discussed.

Mu Zilin was the first one who expressed his dislike for remedial classes. Other high school students only attended remedial classes in their third year, so he felt it was unnecessary for them as they were only first-year students. Remedial classes would take up their time. Most students felt that they would rather work hardest in the last year of high school.

Shuishui was unhappy. She knew that remedial classes would have no effect on her.

She felt that remedial classes would take up time that she could have otherwise spent on other more important things.

Their teacher soon gave them a few exercises, but most of the students repeatedly expressed their not wanting to attend makeup classes since they already booked other classes and tutorials outside of school.

Their teacher patiently explained his opinion on the matter. "Remedial lessons are meant to help you speed up your learning progress. You will learn more in a shorter span of time. If you all devote more time for study, you will enjoy your academic life after three years. University life is the beginning of your youth."

"Qian Shuishui, what do you think? What is your point of view?" The teacher looked at Shuishui again.

Shuishui thought that this teacher asked too much for her opinion.

Shuishui sighed and stood up, and everyone looked at her. Shuishui said, "I don't have any other thoughts about it. Teacher, it's useless to ask me. After all, everyone's opinions about this matters."

She was annoyed. Why did the teacher keep asking her? She couldn't make decisions for the entire class. Moreover, what she said was only her personal opinion. What was the point of asking her for her opinions?

Everyone looked at Qian Shuishui sympathetically. They thought it was so tragic that many teachers would ask Shuishui to express her opinions when it was obvious that they wanted Shuishui to agree with whatever the teachers wanted. If she agreed, the teachers would be able to pressure the other students into agreeing as well.

Shuishui had to emphasize every single time that her views were not shared by everyone else. She had straightforwardly said that she did not want to attend makeup classes.

The teacher also knew that it was difficult for Qian Shuishui, so she didn't say anything more.

At the end of the day, everyone was persistent. They felt that if some of them would not attend the remedial classes, then they might as well not go too.

The other classes were different. They were not as outspoken as the students in Shuishui's class. They did not have the courage to say they did not want to. Shuishui very tactfully stated that she was not interested in the remedial classes as she would rather study by herself. She simply said that she did not want to waste her time and that she wanted to study at her own pace. The first year of high school was not an ideal time for students to fast-track their learning progress. Rather, it was a time for them to build on their foundations.

Academically, Shuishui had a good solid foundation. She looked at the contents of the last page indifferently. They were all asked to fill out a form and were instructed to show it to their parents. Everyone was speechless, but Shuishui and Mu Zilin directly filled out the form and stated their disagreement. They signed their names and handed it in.

After class, Mu Zilin followed Shuishui. "Are we having dinner together tonight? We haven't gone out to eat together recently," he asked her.

"I guess so," Shuishui answered casually.

However, it was Mu Ziyu who came to pick them up. Shuishui looked at Mu Ziyu and then at Mu Zilin. "Did you call your brother?"

"Yes, it's more convenient if we had a car." Mu Zilin pulled Shuishui into the car.

Shuishui looked at Mu Ziyu and said, "Brother Mu."

"Shuishui, what do you want to eat today?" Mu Ziyu asked as he smiled at Shuihui. He thought that she looked pretty good in her school uniform.

Shuishui shook her head. "I don't mind. It's up to you guys."

Shuishui looked at Mu Zilin and saw that he was still thinking about what to eat.

Shuishui shook her head helplessly. "We can just look for a random place. There will be more people soon. Later, we won't be able to get out of here if it gets too congested."

Ziyu started the car and drove off. Mu Zilin then said, "Let's go eat skewers at the Ming Food Street."

No one objected to Zilin's suggestion.

Mu Zilin was also very surprised that his brother had come. He had to go along with them. He was a little worried that Shuishui would misunderstand him and think that he had called Ziyu over. If Shuishui asked him about it, he would have to explain. Shuishui would definitely understand.

They found a clean shop and walked in.

Mu Ziyu very gentlemanly warmed Shuishui's bowl and chopsticks and poured her some tea.

Shuishui kept thanking Mu Ziyu. "Thank you. I can do it myself."

"It's okay. I'm happy to do it." Mu Ziyu was known to have a pleasant personality and handsome features. He always had a gentle demeanor, but he was not as affectionate and warm towards others as he was towards Shuishui.

Many people believed that Mu Ziyu had an unfeeling and apathetic personality. In reality, he was warm and actually very sensitive. Many girls had professed their feelings and admiration for him, but he never played with their feelings. He never gave them false hopes and never made them believe that he could reciprocate their feelings.

After he had gotten to know Shuishui, he had told his friends that he already had a girlfriend. This information must have reached many other people's ears, as fewer people had been professing their admiration for him.

Shuishui did not know that people had believed that she was Mu Ziyu's girlfriend, and when she had met his friends, many of the girls loathed her and were hostile towards her. Even if she had known about what they thought, however, she would not have cared.

Because Mu Zilin was with them in the car, Shuishui did not mention the gift she received from him the previous day. When Mu Zilin excused himself and went to the bathroom, Shuishui seized the opportunity and talked to Mu Ziyu. "Brother Mu, about your gift . . . It's too expensive. I shouldn't have accepted it. I want to give it back to you."

Shuishui had not brought the watch with her. She had left it in the apartment.

Mu Ziyu took a sip of water before he answered her. "I won't take back what I gave you. Keep it. Don't worry about it."

"Uh," Shuishui said as she looked elsewhere. She felt awkward ever since he had given her the gift. "Brother Mu, you're Zilin's brother. It wouldn't be right if I accepted it."

"Why not? In your eyes, who am I?" Mu Ziyu asked seriously. He really wanted to know what he was to Shuishui.

Shuishui was unsure how to answer him, but when she met Mu Ziyu's eyes, she said seriously, "We are friends. Beyond that, I'm not too sure. After all, we've just gotten to know each other."

"If that's the case, what's the problem with me giving a gift to a friend?" Mu Ziyu said. Shuishui was confused and troubled with the dilemma she faced.

Shuishui was stunned. She did not know what Mu Ziyu intended to do. She said, "No problem. Let's not talk about it."

"Okay. Shuishui, actually—" Mu Ziyu stopped when Mu Zilin suddenly shouted as he walked towards them. "Shuishui, I'm hungry. What did you guys order?"

"We haven't ordered yet. We wanted to wait for you." Shuishui felt that Mu Zilin had returned at the right time. Although she was unsure about what could happen in the future, she wanted to avoid discussing with Mu Ziyu whatever he wanted to talk about with her. She felt that many things in her life would change if their conversation was not interrupted.

Mu Ziyu sat quietly after Zilin had returned.

When they finished, Mu Zilin told them that he was not going home yet because he had to meet up with a friend. He said goodbye to Shuishui and asked his brother to send Shuishui home.

Shuishui declined his offer. "I can go back by myself. Brother Mu, please don't trouble yourself."

"It's no trouble. I'll send you. It's along the way," Mu Ziyu said despite the fact that it was definitely out of the way. He wanted to accompany Shuishui.

Shuishui felt like she had no choice. Even though she felt uncomfortable, Shuishui got into Mu Ziyu's car. Just as Mu Ziyu was about to turn around the bend towards Shuishui's apartment, Shuishui stopped him. "Wait."

Shuishui looked ahead. Wasn't that their family's vehicle?

Qian Momo got out of the car. Shuishui saw that there was someone else in the car—her so-called mother, Li Xue. She wondered what they were doing in the area.

Mu Ziyu looked ahead. He knew where Shuishui was looking, but he didn't quite understand. He had long forgotten who Qian Momo was. "Shuishui, what's wrong? Do you know them?" he asked.

"Yes, but I don't really want to see them," Shuishui said as she untied her seat belt. "I'll get off here. Brother Mu, you go back first."

Shuishui pulled on the door handle. It was locked. Mu Ziyu said, "It's not safe around here. If you don't want to see them, I'll take you for a walk. You don't have to get off."

"If you can, can you tell me who they are to you?" he asked. Mu Ziyu wasn't a nosy person, but he wanted to know everything about Shuishui.

If Shuishui wouldn't say anything, he would stop asking and respect her wishes to keep her private affairs private.

Shuishui felt that there was no need to hide who they were. "The older one is called Li Xue, my mother on my household register. The other one is Qian Momo. She's my sister. We're not on good terms."

She explained that because they had a troubled relationship, she moved out to live alone and that she didn't want to return to that family.

Mu Ziyu quickly understood that the family had unsettled conflicts. Every family had its own problems. From his younger brother, he knew a lot about Shuishui's family. He knew that her mother had treated her harshly. Zilin told him how she had slapped Shuishui in front of her classmates when they were in junior high. He said that had no idea what had happened at home, but he saw how Shuishui's mother had physically hurt her. Her mother immediately left after she yelled at Shuishui.

It was no wonder that Shuishui didn't like them. However, he also knew that other people would not understood and would view it differently, as Li Xue was still her mother in spite of everything.

Shuishui took a deep breath and said, "Do you think it's strange? I'm not even an ***** yet, and I already have a bad relationship with my mother."

Mu Ziyu wasn't afraid to show her how he felt about it. "A little."

Shuishui explained further. "I'll let you in on a little secret. She's not my biological mother." She paused for a while to laugh a little. She continued, "All right. Let's not talk about her anymore. You don't have to take it seriously." Shuishui smiled at Ziyu. It was hard to tell if what she said was true or not, but Mu Ziyu felt that it was true. She spoke coldly about her mother. It was clear that she did not like her. He had never heard of such an unfortunate situation.

Shuishui was suddenly quiet. It was obvious that she wanted to stop talking about it. Mu Ziyu stayed silent and drove off somewhere else to keep Shuishui away for a while. He would send her home later.

Qian Momo had brought her mother along so she could get more information from Shuishui. Qian Momo had not gotten anywhere in her search for Mu Ziyu's contact number. She was anxious. Her mother had tried to set her up on dates so she could meet other men, but Momo did not want to go. She implored her mother to go with her to pester Shuishui. Although Shuishui was her younger sister, she knew how stubborn Shuishui could be, especially because she was almost eighteen years old.

They wanted to bring Shuishui along so they could arrange a marriage alliance.

Li Xue thought that they could forge a marriage alliance with their two daughters. Shuishui was young, but time passed very quickly. She could take Shuishui out to meet other noblewomen. She hoped that Shuishui could leave a good impression. They could not contact Qian An through his phone, so they also went to him to talk about it. Qian An told them not to disturb Shuishui and to let Shuishui study in peace.

Qian An knew that Li Xue wasn't Shuishui's biological mother and that Li Xue didn't treat Shuishui well. He sympathized with Shuishui. He didn't want Li Xue to have any contact with Shuishui because Shuishui had already endured so much.

Li Xue didn't get any support from Qian An about the matter. That was why she went straight to Shuishui's place with Momo.

Ziyu and Shuishui had planned to take a walk in the mountains. Shuishui opened the car window and gazed at the scenery outside.

"You're still young," Mu Ziyu blurted out.

Shuishui smiled. "Yes, I'm still young. Brother Mu, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead." Mu Ziyu parked the car under a pavilion. He opened the window and leaned against it.

It was pitch black outside and only a few cars passed by.

The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of insects could be heard. Shuishui broke the silence in the car. "Do you like me?"

Although she had low EQ, Shuishui was not a fool. Mu Ziyu was too curious about her behavior. He felt that if she did not like him, she would not have asked the question.

Mu Ziyu really did not know how to answer her. He saw that Shuishui was serious. She wanted to confirm it. He was slightly worried that he professed his feelings, things between them would change if Shuishui did not feel the same way. He did not want to lie about how he felt.

Di da, di da.

"I like you."

Di da, di da.

There were no words to describe it. He was straightforward. He liked her.

Shuishui looked at the dark forest in front of her. She still felt cold and indifferent in spite of what he said. She was calm and did not feel surprised or happy.

"In what way?" she asked.

"As a lover." Mu Ziyu's answer was very simple. Shuishui was not an ordinary girl. She was very mature and wise beyond her years. She was also very good at reading people's expressions, so he decided not to conceal his emotions. He did not know how the day would end. Would she reject him? He did not want to think about the future if that happened. His heart would ache terribly.

Di da, di da.

The car was unusually quiet. Shuishui did not even look at Mu Ziyu. She stared ahead.

Shuishui was actually a little surprised. Her mind was spinning.

Shuishui did not speak for a while. Mu Ziyu was quiet as well.

Shuishui turned to look at Mu Ziyu. "I'm still young," she said. She was only fifteen years old.

"I know. I can wait." Mu Ziyu sounded very determined.

"How long can you wait? Until I become an *****?" Shuishui could not help but answer sarcastically. She was mocking love and her attitude towards it.

"I can do it," Ziyu answered. His four words answered many questions. Mu Ziyu was determined that he would wait for her. His feelings and decision would not change. It was the first time he had ever felt that way.

Shuishui did not expect his answers. She looked at Mu Ziyu. Every word that he said actually moved her a little. Their age gap was not really a big deal. There were many couples who had a ten-year gap. After she had spent quite a significant amount of time with him, she realized that he was indeed an outstanding man. He was smart and very sympathetic. In the beginning, she simply thought he was a sly person.

How would she end this topic now? For a moment, she had a headache. Why did she always find trouble for herself?

"I know you're concerned. I understand that you only want to study hard. But can you give me a chance? Even if it's very small." He didn't want much. He just wanted to know if there was a chance they could be together in the future.

It was amazing that Shuishui didn't directly reject him. She had a good impression of him. She didn't think it would be that way. It was no wonder, since Shuishui had felt a certain degree of attraction towards him since he first appeared in front of her.

"It's hard to say. No one knows what will happen in the future. It's undeniable that I have a good impression of you too," Shuishui said. She did not beat around the bush, nor did she try to hide how she felt. She was straightforward. Other girls would have hesitated. To Shuishui, she was simply stating a fact about her inner feelings.

Her answer made Mu Ziyu a little happy. "Since you have a good impression of me, you can consider establishing a relationship with me. I will only touch you when you are eighteen years old."

He had to establish a relationship with Shuishui first. That way, he could do a lot of things legitimately. It would also help them feel more comfortable towards each other.

Shuishui was nervous about establishing a relationship. It felt too fast. She knew that love could sometimes be fickle. They might not be together for long, but the thought of agreeing grew in her heart.

Mu Ziyu saw that Shuishui was somehow hesitant. He had already seen through the problem. "There's no need to think so much about it. Just follow your heart. What do you think?"

Shuishui could not help but giggle. "Follow my heart? Why do I feel like I have been tricked by you?"

"I'm more willing to be tricked by you," Mu Ziyu said as he looked at Shuishui affectionately. He wasn't joking at all. He reached out and held Shuishui's little hand. "I'll wait for you."

At that moment, Shuishui gazed at Mu Ziyu.

She looked at his forehead and his chin. He had exquisite facial features and flawless white skin. It was really rare for a young man to have such good skin.

For some reason, Mu Ziyu had gotten closer and closer. Shuishui gradually leaned back. She laughed a little and said, "Let me think about it for a few days. I don't have an answer right now."

"Okay," Mu Ziyu said as he saw Shuishui's embarrassed look. He reached out to poke Shuishui's nose. "Don't be nervous. It's getting late. I'll send you back. But if you're hungry, I'll take you out to eat something first." Mu Ziyu was in a good mood because he did not expect that something he was very conflicted about had developed in a good way.

He was happy that Shuishui also had a good impression of him, instead of not feeling anything at all.

Shuishui looked at Mu Ziyu's smile. He looked really good when he smiled.

Although she did not trust love, she would not completely stop it. She believed that it would not go too far. She viewed love very rationally. She had long decided that she would not be that girl who cried every day because of a man. For her, she was more important than any man.

For a man, she could not let herself lead a life of misery.

Ziyu started the car and they drove back.

When they arrived at the apartment complex, Ziyu got out of the car and walked with Shuishui to her apartment. They were quiet. Mu Ziyu had insisted on walking up with Shuishui. It was useless to say anything.

When they reached Shuishui's unit, Shuishui took out her keys and opened the door.

She walked in, turned around, and held the doorknob. "You can go back. I've already entered the house. There's nothing to worry about, right?"

Mu Ziyu did not want to leave yet. "You're not letting me in for a while?"

Shuishui opened the door. "Have a glass of water. You should go home soon."

"Okay." Mu Ziyu entered the apartment and closed the door.

Shuishui felt that she was stupid and that she had dug a hole for herself. After pouring Ziyu a glass of water, she took it out and gave it to him. "After you drink it, you can go home."

"Okay," Mu Ziyu said as he looked at the wheelchair. "Is it finished?"

Shuishui looked at her work and was filled with joy. "Yes. I'll give it to my teacher this weekend."

"Then I'll come and pick you up this weekend. It will be hard for you to get it there. I'll bring a larger car so we can bring your stuff." Mu Ziyu nodded as he spoke. "You have class at nine o'clock. I'll pick you up at eight. We can have breakfast first, and I'll send you to class."

Ziyu had already made up his mind. He didn't even wait for Shuishui to say anything.

Shuishui thought about it. She had told him earlier that she needed to think about his proposal for a few days. She was surprised that he already wanted to pick her up that weekend.

She felt that he was being so hard on her. She didn't expect him to be so black-bellied. Shuidsui didn't reject him because her wheelchair needed to be properly transported to her teacher's place. She knew it would be difficult if she hired a random car to bring it there.

Shuishui didn't reject him, and Mu Ziyu was very satisfied. After he had finished his glass of water, he obediently left.

Shuishui sent him off and let out a long sigh. "It's easy to fall into a trap when you're with a smart person," she said.

The sad thing was that it was her own carelessness that led her into the trap.

Shuishui pondered on it. So what if they were dating? They could try their best to get along.

Shuishui's view of love was definitely rare.

If Mu Zilin and the rest knew about it, they would definitely ridicule her.

Shuishui took the glass to the kitchen. She realized how dry her mouth was, so she poured herself a cup of water and drank it in large gulps. She then realized that she had used the cup that Mu Ziyu had used earlier. 'D*mn it.' She quickly washed the glass. She then wrote to calm her heart.

Mu Zilin was at home eating a big pear, his gaze fixed on the computer. He had actually peeked at the door several times. He wondered why his brother was not home yet. Where did they go? He thought about it. Could something have happened?

He craned his neck to listen if the car had arrived, but there was no sound at all.

After a while, he heard the sound of the door opening. He hurriedly closed the computer and pretended like he was about to go upstairs. "Hey, elder brother, why are you back so late?"

"You should review your homework and then rest, not play on the computer," Mu Ziyu said coldly. Zilin was his younger brother, and he could not hide his thoughts from him. However, he was relieved that Zilin had tactfully left earlier. At least he did one thing right.

"Okay. I'll go back to my room first." Mu Zilin quickly went back to his room and took out his phone. He was conflicted and could not ask Ziyu directly. He wanted to ask Shuishui. She might beat him up the next day. Ever since she had enrolled in boxing classes, she had become less feminine in his eyes.

The thought scared him. He put his phone away and decided not to ask.

It was soon the weekend. It was decided that there would be no more makeup classes. It meant that they would only attend remedial class in their third year or during the second half of that school year.

The school administration couldn't force the students because they strongly opposed the conduct of the remedial classes.

However, there were other classes that attended the remedial classes, mainly because of what the teacher had done. The teacher was very ruthless and directly communicated with the parents of the students. The parents naturally supported it. They all wanted their children to enter good universities, so they supported the conduct of the makeup classes. The students had nothing to say. Only Classes 12 and 13 were excluded.

Students from Shuishui's class made all kinds of excuses to their parents about the matter. They told their parents that if the pressure on them was too great, they would fail because they would not be able to bear it.

Shuishui, the top student, was not anxious. Why were they anxious?

For important matters, the class would pay attention to Shuishui. They would follow whatever she chose. They had never before opposed a teacher. However, since one person among them had taken the lead, they found that it was easier to express their opinions.

A major factor considered in the exclusion of their class from the remedial classes was that Shuishui was the top student. Her opinions were greatly valued.

It was something the other students took pride in. They told their parents about Shuishui to prove to them that their class was good. They explained that their qualifications were greater because the top student was among them. They explained that Shuishui was not just lucky and that she was a hardworking and diligent student who won the first prize in the city-level mathematics competition.

When the parents found out about it, they told their children to learn more from the good students. They encouraged their children to learn from Shuishui and befriend her. They could even go to the library with her.

Shuishui was very busy. Many of her classmates had asked her out, but Shuishui just couldn't because she always had commitments.

Later, many students found out through Mu Zilin that Shuishui was also enrolled in calligraphy and erhu classes. Those were very elegant hobbies. Other people would choose modern musical instruments, such as the piano and violin.

Shuishui gave Mu Ziyu the answer on Friday, and she agreed. She was helpless because Mu Ziyu came to pick her up every night for dinner. She didn't hate him. So what if she gave it a try?

On Saturday morning, Shuishui got up early to prepare. She waited for Mu Ziyu.

Ding ding ding.

Shuishui opened the door and saw Mu Ziyu dressed casually. "Come in. We'll carry one each. It's not heavy."

"Okay." Mu Ziyu walked in to help her carry.

Downstairs, Mu Ziyu led the way and stopped in front of a large car. Shuishui didn't really know cars, but she could recognize a vehicle's brand and maker. Mu Ziyu had brought a BMW. They placed the wheelchairs in the spacious trunk. Shuishui then got into the car and fastened her seat belt.

Teacher Hu and the rest did not know that Shuishui had been preparing gifts for them. Shuishui wanted to surprise her teachers.