Chapter 280 taming the wild

Shuishui laughed dryly. "What else is there to talk about? That's it. Let's order and eat."

She called the waiter over and asked everyone to place their orders.

Everyone in the room was talking about the college entrance examination. The waiter found it very interesting because other guests in other private rooms were also there to celebrate their having passed the same exam. "Sir, would you like to order a set meal?" he asked Teacher Hu.

"No need. Please take our order individually. The children will order what they want to eat." Teacher Hu did not really like set meals. He felt like the children wouldn't appreciate the dishes in set meals. Most of the time, set meal dishes were plain and ordinary.

"Okay. Will everyone order now?" the waiter asked.

"En, let's see what the children want. You guys order yourselves. I won't order anything." Teacher Hu rarely ate outside. Whenever he went out to eat with Shuishui, she would order food for him. She knew what foods he would usually eat.

Jiang Yuan and and the other older guests allowed Shuishui to order for them.

Mu Zilin wasn't pressured because he knew Shuishui would know what he'd want to eat. Since his girlfriend was with him, he said, "Shuishui, please also order dishes that aren't spicy. Huijing doesn't really like spicy food."

Jiang Li and Qian Anzhi were also looking at the menu. They didn't hesitate to order their favorite dishes.

Mu Ziyu looked at Shuishui. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm just choosing what to order. Please remember these dishes for me— garlic heart, stir-fried cabbage, fish-flavored shredded pork, salted fish eggplant, and tofu brisket." She quickly ordered five dishes. She had considered what the elders would want to eat as well.

Mu Zilin accompanied his girlfriend to the bathroom. On their way, they came across their math teacher. "Teacher Hao," they said in unison.

Teacher Hao was also a little surprised. "Why are you two kids here?"

Mu Zilin touched his nose. He looked awkward. "Today, we're celebrating my friend's achievement. She passed the college entrance examination and is the top scorer in science."

"So amazing." Teacher Hao taught math to the first class of Grade 12 students, and he also had a few outstanding students. He was also there to celebrate with some of his students. He said, "I remember that the top scorer in science is a girl named Qian Shuishui. Am I right?"

Mu Zilin nodded. "Yes, she's from Lingcheng High School." Shuishui shined in her classes and outdid everyone else, no matter which school she attended.

"Right. When I saw her, I was also shocked. I didn't expect her to be from Lingcheng High School. I also haven't seen her before." Lingcheng High School was not really a key school, but it had produced very good students.

Mu Zilin felt that Shuishui was indeed progressing fast. "Yes, Lingcheng High School is a normal high school, but Shuishui is very amazing. She also won the citywide math and English competitions last semester. She has been a top student since she was in Grade 12."

Teacher Hao was a little surprised. "I remember now. I heard that one person won both the competitions. I also heard that she is only in her second year of high school. Is it true?"

"Yes. Shuishui took the college entrance exam in advance. She ended up with great results and even topping the exam, so she could go straight to university. I'm so envious." Mu Zilin also wanted to go straight to university. He didn't want to proceed to third year high school. He sighed as he thought about it. Shuishui seemed to be breezing through her academic journey, and he could only dream of experiencing it. There was nothing he could do, however, because he knew how intelligent Shuishui was compared to everyone else.

Wen Huijing was a student with fairly good grades, but she definitely wasn't as smart as Qian Shuishui. She had also participated in the competitions Zilin mentioned, but she did not get any awards. Mu Zilin did worse than her, but he was considered an average student. Occasionally, he would surpass her grades and end up surprising her. She found it difficult to believe that Zilin would play all day long but would end up with scores higher than hers. She initially thought she would be able to guide him in the future. She thought she would do better than him. However, she realized she wouldn't be able to do that because Zilin had a friend like Shuishui. She could not be the star. She wasn't so thick-skinned as to think Zilin would want to learn from her anyway.

"Maybe some people are born to perform better in their studies," Wen Huijing said.

Mu Zilin sighed. "That's true, but Shuishui wasn't as good as that before. She used to get grades worse than mine. However, she is very hardworking. I just can't reach her level. She will work hard to achieve her goals."

"I see. Actually, when it's our time to take the college entrance examination, you can ask Shuishui for help in studying." It would be good to ask help from the exam's top scorer.

Mu Zilin shrugged. "We'll see when the time comes."

Zilin knew that he would have to study by himself. Shuishui did not like to spoonfeed. She could only guide him on what to study. Shuishui would mock him if she showed signs of laziness. Shuishui wouldn't tease just anyone, especially those who were not close to her. It was a sign of good friendship. However, she was also not the type who would teach someone who wasn't close to her.

Although he liked Wen Huijing very much, he had known Shuishui for a longer time. Shuishui used to have a bad temper, but things had changed when she became much calmer and more charming.

Wen Huijing felt a little uncomfortable. Should she wait and see? What was there to wait and see? She was quite bothered that Shuishui and Zilin were very close. They could basically be considered childhood sweethearts.

"Teacher, we'll go to the bathroom first," Mu Zilin said as he pulled Wen Huijing to the bathroom.

Wen Huijing wanted to say a few more words, but Zilin had dragged her away. "Why are you in such a hurry?" she asked.

"I'm not in a hurry. But that teacher is going to the bathroom too. We'll be seeing him tomorrow in school. It's going to be quite awkward. Besides, it's not good to stay int he bathroom for too long. Hurry up." He pulled Wen Huijing's small hand and brought her to the women's comfort room. "I'll wait for you here."

"Okay." Wen Huijing walked to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. When she first saw Shuishui, she immediately felt insecure and inferior. She calmed herself down and tried to lift her spirits. She washed her hands and went out. Mu Zilin was still standing there. She went forward and hugged Mu Zilin's arm. "Zilin, your friend is celebrating. Shouldn't you buy her a gift?"

"Yes, but my brother will probably be giving her a gift. That would do. I'll give her a gift one of these days. We're very close, so it's okay. They once went to an amusement park, but they left me behind before they went there. I was really embarrassed then. I didn't realize that I was a third wheel. My brother had stopped bringing me along when he visited her. I only knew then that my brother actually hated having me around because he couldn't spend time with Shuishui," Mu Zilin said as he thought of the past.

Wen Huijing covered her mouth and snickered. She said, "Yes.Having a third wheel around is really annoying."

"Fortunately, I have you now. I'm not alone." He looked at Wen Huijing affectionately. He liked her innocence. He felt that she liked him for who he was and not for what his family had.

"But you said that you wanted to enter a military academy." She looked at Mu Zilin. She did not want to go to a military academy, nor did she want to be separated from him.

Mu Zilin shook his head. "Don't worry. For you, I will go to an ordinary university. I won't go to a military academy. I did consider it before."

"Really? Are you sure?" She smiled happily. Mu Zilin was well-off in all aspects. He had a wealthy family, and he was very good to her. Her younger sisters were envious that she found a boyfriend like Zilin. However, Mu Zilin was a little dazed. Unlike other rich boys who would give their girlfriends necklaces and watches, he could only buy her breakfast and give her book cards. She did not really need those things, but Zilin knew that she liked to read. She also liked to go to the library and read books. In fact, she only read books occasionally. She didn't feel the need to buy books because there was a school library. She would use the book card to buy something else other than books.

She couldn't really tell him the truth because that would mean she had pretended to be someone she was not. It would also be quite awkward.

When they returned to the private room, Qian Shuishui turned towards them and said, "You two look really good together."

"Shuishui, you finally said something nice." Mu Zilin nodded.

Shuishui looked at Wen Huijing with a smile. Shuishui thought she was the quiet type, so she understood why Zilin would like her.

In her past life, the quieter and more behaved girls got more attention than the loud and popular ones.

Everyone chatted happily. Everyone was talking about Shuishui. Jiang Li and Qian Anzhi felt pressured. Shuishui was supposed to be one year level ahead of them, but since she was going off to college, she would be two year levels ahead of them.

Shuishui put her arm around Qian Anzhi's shoulder. "You guys work hard," she said.

Qian Anzhi pouted. "Sis, you're so frustrating."

Shuishui laughed and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. I've already taken the exam, and I did my best. You two just have to work hard. You're only in your first year of high school. Although you're not in a hurry to take the college entrance exam, time will fly. Before you know it, your three years of high school have already passed." In her past life, when she reached third year high school, she was in a lot of pain. She was dealing with so many problems then. But that was all in the past. She was doing very well in her new life.

Qian Anzhi and Jiang Li couldn't understand what Shuishui meant. They felt that they had such a long journey ahead of them. Shuishui was so competent that they couldn't be jealous of her achievements anymore. They were simply proud of her.

Shuishui knew that they would understand what she meant in the future. They had to experience what Shuishui had experienced for them to understand.

For Shuishui, her new life was moving fast. There were so many challenges, but she was able to surpass them.

Mu Ziyu looked at Shuishui. He was actually worried. He knew that there were so many good-looking students in university. He wanted to get a hold of Shuishui's class schedule. He planned to go to her school and be visible just so others would know that Shuishui had a boyfriend. That way, Shuishui's admirers would stay away from her. He felt like it was the best way.

Shuidhui had not even gone to university yet, but Ziyu was already worried about what would happen next.

He wanted it to be known that Shuishui was in a relationship. That way, those interested in her would shy away.

Shuishui had no idea what Mu Ziyu was thinking. She sat beside Mu Ziyu and continued to chatter about her plans.

"What are your plans for this summer vacation?" Mu Ziyu asked. He did not know where Shuishui wanted to go.

Shuishui thought for a while and said, "Actually, I want to go and visit ancient and historical sites this summer."

"I can drive. We can take a road trip to the places you want to go," Ziyu said. He felt that it would be more convenient if he brought a car.

The two of them could travel around without having to worry about other people.

Shuishui suddenly leaned forward and said, "Actually, that would be good too. There are many places of interest around here. It is indeed much more convenient if we go in your car. But are you allowed to leave anytime? If it affects your work, then let's not go first."

Mu Ziyu pinched Shuishui's cheek and said, "Why would it not be okay? With you, I would do anything. You have just passed the exam and earned the top scorer award, so I should take you on a good trip as a reward."

"Sure." Shuishui was excited. She really wanted to go and visit historical sites.

"Then let me know if you there's any news about the university. I'll confirm our schedule. High school and junior students aren't on vacation yet, so there won't be too many people when we go out of town. We can avoid the rush hour," Ziyu said.

Shuishui nodded in agreement. "I think so too. Tomorrow, Uncle Jiang and I will go to school to deal with my papers. I'll update you then."

"Hmm. If our parents find out that you topped the college entrance exam, Zilin will probably be forced to attend more remedial classes." Shuishui knew that Zilin's parents would find out about it soon.

Shuishui laughed and said, "Encourage him to study more often. After all, he will be in his third year of high school next semester." Shuishui knew that Auntie Mu had always compared Zilin to her. Whenever she went out shopping with Auntie Mu, she would talk about the benefits of diligence. She always said, "It's good to work hard."

Jiang Yuan and Shuishui's two teachers were talking. Jiang Yuan also wanted to enroll his children in martial arts classes. "Teacher Li, are you still taking in students?"

"I may not have the energy to teach more students. If you really want your son to learn some self-defense skills, I suggest that you enroll them in tae kwon do or judo classes. Those are more suitable for boys. Anzhi trained with me for a short period. He didn't last too long. In such classes, one has to persevere like Shuishui," Teacher Li said. He already didn't want to take in more students. Shuishui alone was more than enough. He felt that it would be difficult for other students to meet his requirements. He had very high standards because of Shuishui, who had shown to be obedient, hardworking, respectful, and talented.

Jiang Yuan was not sure if his child would last long with training under Teacher Li. "I think that tae kwon do is good for him, but since he is already quite older and doesn't have any experience at all in the sport, I'm afraid that he will be training with younger boys. That would really embarrass him."

"There's no other way. But if you really want him to undergo training, I can arrange for him to go to the army camp for training. They don't usually do high-intensity training. They do everything step by step." They were different from Shuishui, who had always been training according to her own method. She often jogged and was physically fit. Jiang Li was not physically fit. He often lounged lazily at home and didn't exercise. He would find it difficult to keep up in the army camp. However, Jiang Yuan knew it would ignite a major change in Jiang Li. Many recruits would enter the camp without experience, and they would leave the camp like fully trained men.

Jiang Yuan felt that it was necessary and that Jiang Li would be able to survive it. "Then I will let him join the training this summer vacation. It is important to study, but health and fitness are as important," Jiang Yuan said.

"Of course." Teacher Li was willing to help.

Jiang Yuan heaved a sigh of relief. He felt grateful that Teacher Li was willing to extend a helping hand. The decision was not up to Jiang Li. Jiang Yuan had already made the decision. He felt that the army camp would tame Jiang Li's wild nature and would make him more responsible.