Shuishui had completed the second handgun in just half an hour. At first, it seemed easy, but it wasn't. She injured her finger, and it bled. The pain wasn't a big deal. She applied a tourniquet and continued assembling.
If Shuishui was more proficient, she would have finished assembling in a few minutes. Since it was the first time she did it without her teacher's guidance, it took her longer to finish. For the second gun, Teacher Li would not guide Shuishui as well. He wanted to know how skilled she was. If she had performed poorly, he would not bring her to the shooting range again. He was surprised when he saw that she did well. He decided he could bring her along with him to practice shooting.
Teacher Li instructed Shuishui on what to do next. "All right. You have done well. Now, try it yourself. Put on the earmuffs, load the bullets, and aim at the target."
Shuishui had grown accustomed to Teacher Li's ways. She went forward with the pistol and loaded the bullets.
The pistol sounded as she loaded the bullets. Shuishui was very excited. She could finally get her hands on it.
She put on her earmuffs and the shooting safety glasses. She raised the gun and aimed at the target. She focused on the bullseye and fired.
Bang!
Shuishui was excited and laughed. "Teacher, I hit it."
"What's so funny about that? You only hit the side. You should hit the bullseye." Teacher Li was very surprised. It was the first time Shuishui held a gun, and she had hit the target. Maybe she just got lucky.
Shuishui made another shot. This time, she had hit the bullseye. Shuishui did not know that the target in their room was at least fifteen meters away. The target for most beginners was only around seven to ten meters.
Shuishui frowned. "It's so hard to hit the bullseye."
Teacher Li was speechless. Shuishui is very skilled at this!
What a great talent. It would be a pity if Shuishui wouldn't enter the military academy. She would qualify as a sniper. He continued to observe Shuishui. She was getting better and more accurate.
Teacher Li thought that for a beginner, Shuishui was highly skilled at it. It was what she was made for!
It was a pity that she wasn't interested. She could enter the military academy because she was hot-blooded. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the military academy was suitable for Shuishui. However, he couldn't force her. He knew she had other plans.
From then on, Teacher Li would give Shuishui a magazine about the military after her classes. She didn't understand what the teacher thought. She thought that the teacher wanted her to know more about the military, so she would accept the magazines and read them at home. She didn't think too much about it, and even after she had read several magazines, the thought of joining the military had not crossed her mind.
Teacher Li's plan would not work. Shuishui was so determined to pursue physics that she couldn't be swayed.
At the end of the day, they ate at the cafeteria, which served average food and dishes.
By afternoon, Teacher Li planned to send Shuishui home. Shuishui shook her head and said, "Teacher, just drop me off at the entrance of your residential area. My I borrow your phone so I can call my dad? He will come to pick me up."
"Okay."
Shuishui waited at the entrance of the residential area. Qian An's car soon arrived.
Qian An parked the car in front of Shuishui and waited for her to get into the car. Shuishui then said, "Dad, you're pretty early today."
She often had to wait for her father a few minutes before he arrived.
"Of course. There's nothing much to do today. I have already delegated concerns at the office. At the social gathering tonight, we will only discuss a planned collaboration. When the time comes, you can assess it yourself and advice me on what to do," Qian An said with a smile.
Shuishui also smiled. She didn't really understand business and couldn't give any good advice. She didn't like social gatherings, but she would accompany her father that night.
They headed for the department store. Shuishui had already confirmed that there was a luxury brand area on the seventh floor that sold men's suits. The suits were not very expensive and were of very good quality.
When they got to the seventh floor, Shuishui walked around to look for good suits. The suits were all limited edition. She wanted to choose a suit for her father using the money she had earned.
Her father had provided for her living expenses. Qian An felt that Shuishui lived moderately. She did not spend too much.
When they arrived at the seventh floor, Qian An felt that Shuishui wanted him to buy a suit for someone she admired. However, Shuishui scoured through the racks and said, "This one and this one. Please get those in medium, and give them to my father so he can try them on."
Qian An was stunned. Was she really going to give him a gift?
He fulfilled his daughter's request and tried out the two sets that she had chosen. Shuishui thought that they looked good on Qian An. The gray suit made him look a little serious, while the blue suit made him look more young and vibrant. She preferred the blue one. It had pinstripes and looked very elegant and classy. It also suited her father's personality.
"Dad, do you feel comfortable?" Shuishui asked.
Qian An thought for a moment and said, "It's quite comfortable."
Shuishui wanted to buy the suit immediately. "Wrap this suit up, please."
Qian An looked at Shuishui and said, "You want to buy this suit for me? It's not cheap."
Shuishui nodded and said, "It's not cheap, but I've been saving for it."
Shuishui looked at the price of the suit. A suit would cost somewhere between ten to twenty thousand yuan. It was really expensive, but she was willing to spend that much for her father. She wanted him to understand that his daughter cared for him. If she ran out of money, she could earn more. She did not want to waste the opportunity to be able to make her father happy.
She then went off to buy a mobile phone for herself. Shuishui actually bought things quickly. She would buy only the things that she needed.
Qian An felt strange. Where did his daughter get so much money? He knew that Li Xue would not give Shuishui pocket money. Even if she had saved what was left from her monthly living expenses, she would be left with only a few thousand. He remembered that in the past, Shuishui carelessly spent her money and did not know how hard it was to actually earn.
He could not figure it out. However, he was greatly moved that Shuishui had even thought of buying him a suit. She even picked it out for him.
Shuishui had gotten her new phone. She only needed to type in her contacts' numbers again.
They still had some free time. Qian An suddenly said, "Shuishui, I want to buy you a present too. You can ask me for anything."
Shuishui felt that she already had what she needed. "I don't need anything right now."
Qian An thought for a while and said, "Then daddy will ask you. Do you like beautiful clothes?"
Shuishui shook her head.
"Jewelry?"
Shuishui shook her head again.
Qian An remembered that Shuishui liked luxury bags. "Do you want a new bag?"
Shuishui shook her head again. She felt that such things were useless. "Dad, I don't need anything right now. If there's anything I really want right now, it's for you to be healthy. If you are healthy, you will be able to pamper me forever."
Qian An laughed happily. "You—why are you so sweet now?" He felt really happy. He was even happier than when she had bought him a gift.
They soon walked into a dessert house to rest and kill time.
While they rested, Shuishui saw people who looked familiar. It was her first uncle's family. They weren't very familiar with each other, so she didn't take the initiative to greet them. Her father also saw them and ignored them.
Qian An and Shuishui ordered a few desserts. They had not paid attention to the people outside.
Shuishui displayed her gluttonous nature and ordered a few desserts. Qian An saw that Shuishui had ordered quite a lot. He didn't order any more because he was afraid that Shuishui wouldn't be able to finish all the desserts.
Shuishui seemed to be the only child in his family who liked to eat a lot. Momo was always worried about her figure and ate less. She often ate outside.
Shuishui, on the other hand, often ate ravenously.
Shuishui was not the type who worried about her figure. She would not be bothered if she gained weight or not. Naturally, when the desserts were served, she immediately tried them.
"This blueberry cheesecake is good, and this baked chocolate bread is so delicious." Shuishui was completely immersed in the desserts. She was happy that they tasted very good.
"Dad, you don't like things that are too sweet. You can eat this." Shuishui pushed a serving of ciba cake towards her father.
Qian An tried the ciba cake. It was boring to let Shuishui eat alone.
After he made a phone call, Qian An brought Shuishui to the social event. Shuishui was dressed casually. She had not changed since she had left the shooting range. She could not have worn a dress there. It would have been inconvenient, and she would have been scolded by the teacher. Teacher Li was such a strict person. He was the type who would scold his student if he felt that the student was not being serious.
The social gathering was a small cocktail party. As Qian An brought Shuishui in, a familiar man stopped to chat with him. Qian An first introduced his daughter. Shuishui politely greeted the man. For a while, Qian An chatted with the man, and Shuishui stood by his side. She was bored, and she wanted to look for a place to sit. However, she did not know anyone at the party, so she patiently waited for her father.
While other people drank red wine, Shuishui had juice. While the other people around her talked about business, her mind started to wander.
Many people would come and talk to Shuishui, and Shuishui would also answer politely.
After they had walked around for a while, Shuishui felt that her body had already digested all the desserts she had eaten. Only then was the food served. It was a self-service cocktail party. Shuishui saw that her father could not walk away from the conversation, so she told him, "Dad, I'll go get you some food."
"Okay," Qian An said and looked at Shuishui lovingly. He felt that maybe Shuishui had gotten bored of the party. He was surprised that she stayed quiet despite her boredom.
Shuishui walked straight towards the buffet. There were not many children her age at the party, and there were not many women either. The women present were secretaries. Shuishui surveyed the food served and made three rounds around the tables. She picked up the food she wanted to eat and arranged them on her plate and waited for her father to sit down and eat with her.
After a while, her father walked over to their table and sat down. He tugged at his tie. "Shuishui, are you bored?"
"Er, I'm fine, Dad. Let's eat something first." Shuishui handed her father his chopsticks.
Shuishui didn't get too much food because she was worried that they would not taste good. It would have gone to waste. When she tried the beef, however, she was pleasantly surprised. It was flavorful, although it was slightly overcooked.
When Shuishui would eat food that she felt tasted average, she would always say that it was 'okay.' "This is okay too."
Suddenly, a man approached them and said, "CEO Qian, long time no see. This must be your little daughter." He then said to his son, "Little Mu, she also in high school. Chat with her for a while. I want to talk with your Uncle Qian."
Qian An looked at the man and said, "Long time no see, CEO Mu. Sit."
The two newcomers sat down. The young boy looked at Shuishui in an arrogant manner. Shuishui held a knife and fork and was eating a large drumstick. She was an elegant-looking girl, but he thought that it did not look good for a girl to eat so much.
Shuishui looked up at the boy as she ate. She simply gave him a friendly smile and left him to decide how he would respond to it.
She thought the drumstick was delicious.
"You must really like to eat. You've been picking at the drumstick for a while. I feel like you're eating the bones," Xiao Mu said in a bored tone as he tried to strike up a conversation with Shuishui.
"I'm hungry."
"My name is Mu Jie. What's your name?" Mu Jie looked at Shuishui and thought that she was a pretty girl. He noticed her big eyes and beautiful skin. He noticed that she didn't have any makeup on. He found it strange because most girls wore makeup. He looked closer and wondered whether she really did not wear any makeup.
"Qian Shuishui," Shuishui responded.
When she finished her food, Shuishui wiped her mouth with a table napkin and sat quietly.
"Which high school do you go to?" Mu Jie had gotten interested in Shuishui and started to ask a lot of questions.
Shuishui answered, "I go to the third high school. What about you?"
Mu Jie's eyes lit up. "I'm in the fifth high school, which is quite close to your school. I study science. I recently participated in a math competition and did quite well. The first placer is from your high school. It's really quite impressive."
"Yeah, that's right." Shuishui wondered whether he was talking about her, but she did not say anything.
"I think her name is Bing Bing . . . Oh, right. Her surname is also Qian. What a coincidence," Mu Jie said.
"Uh, are you talking about the citywide math championship?" Shuishui asked.
"Yes, yes. That one. Anyway, the first placer won very unexpectedly. I heard that she's only a first-year high school student. Wait . . . Qian Bing Bing—Qian Shuishui? Uh . . . Was it you? Did I get the name wrong?" Mu Jie felt a little strange.
Shuishui laughed dryly and said, "If it's the same math competition, then that was me."
Bang. Mu Jie's eyes widened.
"Little Mu, what is it?" President Mu looked at his son, who looked very surprised.
"No, I'm just a little surprised," Mu Jie said and lowered his head. He was very amazed. She had won the first prize. Mu Jie was already a second-year high school student, and their teachers talked about Qian Shuishui. They were surprised when they were told that the winner was first-year student from the third high school. They felt that they did not stand a chance.
"What's wrong? Why are you surprised?" Qian An asked. He was a little curious.
He wondered what surprised Mu Jie so much.
Shuishui shrugged her shoulders and simply said that she didn't know why he was so surprised. After all, the competition participants were ranked according to their scores.
Mu Jie explained the two older men. "Uncle Qian, it's like this—there was a math competition in the city. I didn't know that Shuishui was the one who won the first prize. She's so amazing." Mu Jie felt that his academic performance was already pretty good. He prioritized science, although he also did well in the other minor subjects.
When he realized that he got the name wrong and that the first placer's name was Qian Shuishui and not Qian Bingbing, he felt a little awkward and embarrassed.
Qian An looked at Shuishui. "You won the math competition? Why didn't I hear about it?"
Shuishui giggled and explained further. "After the competition, when it was announced that I won, I took my classmates out for dinner that day. I lost my phone on the way home, so I didn't say anything." Shuishui felt embarrassed. She wasn't the type who liked to show off. In fact, she had also forgotten about the math competition.
President Mu looked at Shuishui and said to Qian An, "I didn't expect your daughter to be very good at science. I couldn't tell."
"Yeah. Most girls are good at science. I also thought that Shuishui was good at literature." Qian An wasn't sure either. Shuishui's grades had improved by leaps and bounds. He was proud that she had gotten into the third high school, but he had never asked her about her academic performance.
Mu Jie revealed a smile. He found Shuishui beautiful and intelligent. She was much better than other pretentious girls. Qian Shuishui gave him the impression that she was a gentle and quiet girl.
The two men continued to talk about their business affairs. Shuishui and Mu Jie only sat and waited and talked occasionally.
Mu Jie saw Shuishui in a different light. "What would you like to drink? I'll go get it for you," he asked her.
He decided to act more gentlemanly. He was quite confident with girls. His family background was similar to Qian Shuishui's, so he knew that his family wouldn't object if they decided to match up in the future.
"Uh, no need. Thank you," Shuishui answered.
"You're welcome. Anyway, I''ll get you another glass on my way back."
"I haven't finished my juice yet."
"Oh, all right then."
Shuishui's was relatively cold towards him. She really didn't want to have much to do with Mu Jie. They weren't familiar with each other to begin with, and their conversations were quite awkward.
At the banquet, not only were President Mu and Qian An sitting together, but the other businessman also gathered together. Shuishui had noticed that her father was talking about working with President Mu. President Mu had high expectations and talked eagerly. She didn't pay too much attention to the specifics.
Mu Jie took another drink and continued to strike up a conversation with Shuishui. He even wanted to get her phone number. Shuishui cleverly rejected him when she said, "En, I don't usually use my phone."
At the banquet, Shuishui had not taken out her phone. Hence, she did not feel guilty when she rejected Mu Jie.
"I see. It's all right. There's no rush," Mu Jie said. He was a little unhappy. He didn't expect his plan to fail. Did Qian Shuishui want to give it to him or not? He wanted to know if she had a boyfriend. He wanted to find out because if she was already in a relationship, it would be impossible to woo her.
He wasn't the kind of person who would snatch another man's partner.
"Qian Shuishui, what do you usually like to do? Do you go out with your boyfriend?" He deliberately tried to trick Shuishui by asking the question. He waited eagerly for her response.
Shuishui could tell that he was interested in her when he asked if she liked to go out with her boyfriend. Shuishui smiled a little and said, "I usually like to go out with my guy friend, and we occasionally have dinner together. We are in the same school and we have been friends for a long time. It's very convenient."
This guy friend—she was referring to the playful Mu Zilin, with whom her relationship was actually platonic. She simply implied that he was her boyfriend to escape his questioning.
Mu Jie didn't expect Shuishui to be so direct. He realized that he had no chance since she already had a boyfriend. Fortunately, he asked the question tactfully. He was relieved as the thought that Qian Shuishui probably wouldn't think too much of it.
Qian An turned his head in surprise. "Boyfriend?"
"Mu Zilin," Shuishui replied to her father.
Upon hearing thename, Qian An nodded and said, "Ah, that young man."
Knowing that it was Mu Zilin, Qian An didn't ask much and didn't mind. Mu Zilin, from his point of view, was quite a good young man. He believed that Zilin and Shuishui were only very good friends and were not actually together. He thought that if he had Zilin for a son-in-law, it wouldn't be so bad. He felt that he could accept it. What was important to him was Shuishui's happiness. He brushed away his thoughts, because he knew that Shuishui was not someone whose choices he could dictate. If she didn't like something, he could not force her. If she liked something, he couldn't discourage her either.
By the way Qian An had reacted, Mu Jie misunderstood that Shuishui's parents knew about it.