Xu Die felt that her class teacher didn't believe her. "Teacher, what I said is true!"
"How about this? The first class in the afternoon is my class. I'll talk to the class about this matter. What do you think?" The class teacher felt that it was best to let the others comment on the matter as well. After all, the other students were involved. The teacher felt that it was necessary to ask the other students for their opinions. She continued, "If what you said was true, then I will severely punish those who started it." The class teacher felt that it was better for everyone. That way, she would understand where Xu Die's sentiments stemmed from. She would ask the students why they hated Xu Die. If everything was not as Xu Die had claimed, Xu Die would really be ostracized. Hopefully, Xu Die would learn how to apologize so things could go back to normal.
The morning class ended quickly. The students all had to go downstairs to do morning exercises.
Xu Die wanted to continue her rant, but the teacher told her to join the morning exercises and wait until that afternoon. She reluctantly returned to the class and followed everyone downstairs.
Qian Shuishui was already there. She was walking with Mu Qing.
Mu Qing held Shuishui's arm and said, "Shuishui, I think we have a lot of activities this year. The school sports meet will be held next month. It was supposed to be next month, but due to the weather, it was scheduled earlier. Do you want to sign up for it?"
Shuishui turned her head and asked, "Where did you get the news from? The teachers haven't even said anything yet, but you already know everything."
Mu Qing laughed. "Who am I? I'm a gossip expert. Let me tell you—I've joined the student union. Although I'm just a handyman, I've gotten a lot of insider information. Don't worry, I'll tell only you," Mu Qing said softly. She scrunched her eyebrows and looked very serious.
Shuishui couldn't help but laugh. "Okay. I got it. That's great. No wonder you're often absent from class. It turns out that you have other activities."
"I remember that there's a club that suits you very well. I realized that you like reading but don't like to go out. Let's go there," Mu Qing said seriously to Shuishui.
"What club?" Shuishui asked.
"The Book Club. I heard that this club often discusses very strange books. You can go and have a look. It's quite interesting." Mu Qing noticed that Shuishui went to the library every day. That book club wold suit Shuishui very well, and she could get to know more people.
They went downstairs and lined up with the others.
After the morning exercises, the students walked back to their respective classrooms.
Mu Qing pulled Shuishui by the arm again. "How about it? If you go, I'll go with you. I usually don't have anything to do anyway."
Shuishui felt that it was unusual for Mu Qing to pester her about joining something. "That's not right. You give me the feeling that you just want to pull me in. Tell me the truth. What's the situation?"
"Aiyo, why did you expose me? Is it so obvious?" Mu Qing said as she pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction.
Shui Shui did not say anything. She waited for Mu Qing to explain.
When they returned to the classroom, Mu Qing said, "That's right. The president is a cultured second-year student. He is from Class 3. He's quite a nice person. I just got to know him.He mentioned that there weren't enough people in the reading club and that they might have to disband. Our school's music club has received awards, and the reading club has not received any. The reading club has been very quiet, and it doesn't have any outstanding members either. And you're the most amazing person I know. You also love reading, isn't that right? Let's join together. We'll work hard and create a better future together."
Shuishui burst out laughing when she heard the last part of Mu Qing's speech.
"I'm serious. I think it would be good if we can join a club and participate in its activities. After all, I'm looking forward to high school life. It would be great if it could be more exciting," Mu Qing said excitedly. She was looking forward to it. She felt that by joining a club, they could join competitions or join other outreach activities.
Shuishui looked at Mu Qing. She did indeed look like a high school student. She reached out and touched Mu Qing's head. "I don't mind participating. I'm usually not free on weekends, but after school, I'll be free. I live so close to home. It doesn't matter."
"I love you to death," Mu Qing said as she hugged and kissed Shuishui excitedly.
"Disgusting. Don't play with lilies," Mu Zilin said.
Mu Qing glared at him. "Are you envious?"
"Who's envious of you guys? I'm going to rest first. Wake me up when class starts," Mu Zilin said as he quickly lay down. He had played games and stayed up all night. He was so tired when he woke up that morning, but he managed to drag himself to school.
Shuishui reached out and patted Mu Zilin's face. "Rest early today. You look so tired. I don't think you slept when you got home."
"Yeah. I'll take a nap first," Mu Zilin said as he tried to sleep.
Mu Qing looked at Mu Zilin. "It must have been an all-night game last night."
"Maybe," Shuishui answered as she took out her homework and gave it to the class representative.
She usually did her homework in school. She would do whatever she wanted at home.
She would quickly finish her homework on the exercise book.
"Shuishui, it's a deal then. We'll go there at noon. Since we're going, Mu Zilin will definitely go too, right?" She felt that the reading club members would be very happy if three people went and joined at once.
The teacher soon arrived. The class fell quiet, and the students who were napping quickly got up.
However, the class was too boring for Mu Zilin. He just wanted to sleep. His drowsiness made the teacher sigh. "Why are you all lying down and sleeping? Get up and pay attention," she said sternly.
"Your class is really the most difficult one I've ever taught this year," the teacher said. Someone snickered at the back.
One of the students in the fourth year said that the teacher had said the same thing to them. It was such a cliche.
Shuishui was also sleepy, but she was able to keep her eyes open during the class.
That noon, they walked to the canteen. Shuishui went to get food while Mu Zilin looked for an available table.
Mu Qing followed behind Shuishui and looked around in boredom. "The dishes today look ordinary," said Mu Qing.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you get to eat," Shuishui said indifferently. She had never had high expectations of the school cafeteria.
They soon returned to the table. Mu Zilin took his food and started eating.
"Staying up late is really tiring. If I do it again, I feel like my brain is going to explode." Mu Zilin felt that he couldn't stay up late the next day because he had to go to class. Staying up late made him feel physically and mentally exhausted.
Shuishui looked at Mu Zilin. "Then hurry up and go rest after you finish eating." If he had his way, he would still play for as long as he wanted. He had brought it upon himself.
Mu Zilin responded and buried his head in his food.
Mu Qing could only say, "Then Shuishui and I will go check out the reading club later. You should go back to the classroom first."
"Yes. I plan to." When Mu Zilin finished eating, he went to get a bowl of soup. He sipped few mouthfuls and went straight back to the classroom.
Mu Qing and Shuishui ate slowly. When they finished eating, they left to look for the club's headquarters.
The Book Club used a relatively remote classroom. Shuishui and Mu Qing casually walked in. It was filled with bookshelves. Shuishui approached the bookshelves to skim through the books. They were dusty, but Shuishui saw that they were uncommon books.
They walked inside. In the middle was a large table comprised of a few tables. It looked like a very simple club. The room was quite dirty and unkempt. Shuishui had her own standards when it came to books. She did not like to hold dirty and dusty books, unless it was the last copy of the book she wanted to read or unless she was really curious about it.
There was no one around. They stood in the middle as they waited. After a while, they heard footsteps and faint voices. Three people, two men and a woman, appeared. They all had books in their hands. They glanced at Shuishui and Mu Qing. They were surprised to see unfamiliar faces.
Mu Qing took the initiative to greet them. "President, this is my friend, Qian Shuishui. We want to join the club."
The boy with glasses came forward and smiled. "Mu Qing, I didn't really expect you to come." He looked at Shuishui. "Hello. I'm the president of the Book Club, Gao Haiming."
"Hello. Qian Shuishui," Shuishui answered in a cold tone.
"You guys can fill out the application form. Also, you guys came just in time. There's an upcoming competition. Five people are required to participate," Gao Haiming said in an excited tone. He was relieved that there was finally no shortage of people.
The other two club members also welcomed them. The girl said, "Hello. My name is Meng Xiaoli, and this is Zhong Longsheng. We are both sophomores. Coincidentally, we are also in the same class."
Mu Qing nodded. "My friend and I are also in the same class. We have another friend who would join as well."
Gao Haiming took out two yellowed sheets of paper and gave a copy to each of them. "Come and fill the application form first."
Shuishui casually took a pen and filled it out. She finished very quickly. She was asked to list down five of her favorite books. She didn't even think about it.
These people all loved reading. They handed in their forms. Shuishui saw that Mu Qing had listed books that were quite famous. Shuishui giggled a little. Mu Qing was adorable.
Mu Qing glanced at Shuishui's list. She thought, 'Huh? Mechanics and Aesthetics? The Structure of the Physical World? What the hell!'
Gao Haiming looked at Shuishui. "What are the categories of these books?"
Shuishui wasn't too sure. "They're technical books."
"Uh, it's fine. Please sit down. Let's talk. Although you just joined, I'm considering you for the large-scale idiom competition. It's basically open to university students, but members of our club can also participate to gain some experience. The minimum number of people required to join as a team is at least five people."
"Does that mean that you have to scramble up the members who will compete? Is it even allowed?" Shuishui asked in a confused tone. She felt that it was a little troublesome to join a competition when they had just joined the club.
Mu Qing pulled Shuishui aside. "Shuishui, it's fine. If we're lucky, we can even win glory for the school."
She liked the leader of the club. If she could help the club, she would definitely take the lead.
Shuishui was so embarrassed that she almost forgot how Mu Qing's youthful heart was stirred. She sighed and said, "Do whatever you want."
"With Shuishui around, I feel more at ease. However, we might not be good at idioms." Mu Qing remembered that Shuishui was good in science, while she herself was not very proficient. She couldn't contribute much, but she wanted to.
Shuishui looked at Mu Qing. She didn't know what Mu Qing was up to. She felt that Mu Qing was dragging her down.
However, she didn't want to embarrass Mu Qing. Since it was her first time joining a club, she decided to play along.