The two fathers complimented each other's children and chatted away happily.
Shuishui, Zilin, and Auntie Mu soon arrived and began to order the dishes. Shuishui ordered quite a few dishes. "I don't think anyone here is picky," she said.
Uncle Mu looked at Shuishui kindly. "No. Go ahead. Order whatever you like."
Shuishui nodded. "Okay."
Not long after, Mu Ziyu arrived as well. He took off his suit jacket as soon as he walked in. "Sorry I'm a little late."
Qian An smiled and said, "No, you're just in time."
Mu Ziyu sat on the empty seat next to Shuishui. "Did you have fun this afternoon?" he asked Shuishui.
Shuishui nodded. "It was pretty good." Seeing the sweat on his forehead, she took out a tissue and said, "Wipe your sweat. It seems like you came here in a hurry." Ziyu answered, "Yes, because you're here."
Ziyu was talking about Shuishui. Shuishui blushed lightly. Fortunately, no one else heard what Ziyu said.
After a long while, the dishes were served. Everyone chatted happily. After all, there was no business involved and they were all chatting about their daily lives. Mu Zilin helped Shuishui with the sweet and sour soup because it was a little far from Shuishui.
His actions made Mu Ziyu a little unhappy. He felt that even if they were good friends, there was no need for Zilin to be so attentive. Besides, he was sitting beside Shuishui and could get whatever Shuishui wanted to eat. After all, he was Shuishui's real boyfriend.
Shuishui turned to Zilin and said, "Don't get me any more food. I can't eat that much."
Mu Zilin kept putting food in Shuishui's bowl until it piled up like a small hill.
"Don't you love to eat? I'm being so nice. I'm such a good man. Why don't I have a girlfriend?" Mu Zilin began to sigh.
Shuishui covered her mouth and laughed. "Didn't you have a girlfriend before? You quickly broke up with her."
"About that . . . I didn't really like her to begin with. On the surface, she looks very gentle, but in reality, she's very jealous and insecure. In fact, she's very materialistic. She wanted me to buy her things. If I wouldn't buy her the things she wanted, she would be unhappy." Mu Zilin had no good impression of that woman.
Shuishui was puzzled. He didn't seem to have mentioned those things before. "Is she so snobbish?"
"Yes. There were many things about her you didn't know. That woman likes me because I'm rich. Whenever we go out, I spend for everything. It's not too much, and it was to show her that I am a gentleman. Of course, I pay whenever we go out to eat. Occasionally, she would give me a small gift or something. She had such a huge appetite." Mu Zilin shook his head. He avoided women like that.
Shuishui felt that it was not in line with her personality. "Weren't you quite generous with your ex-girlfriend?"
"I think so. I have less pocket money now, and I don't need to spend any money to be with you. You even eat more than they do." Mu Zilin compared Shuishui to the other girls. They were all women, but Shuishui did not like shopping or dressing up. She didn't like buying bags anymore. In the past, whenever he had to give Shuishui a gift, he would give her a bag. Now, it was enough to take her out to eat. Shuishui would even occasionally pay for both of them. She wasn't used to letting other people pay for her. When they would hang out and go out together, paying the bill was not an issue for either of them.
He occasionally went out to eat with Mu Qing as well, and he would take the initiative to pay. Mu Qing's attitude made him dislike her so much. After all, they weren't that familiar with each other yet. Zilin wondered why Mu Qing had such an attitude.
Shuishui didn't care about Mu Qing's attitude, so he opted not to care as well. However, Mu Qing had annoyed him so many times already. She would keep asking him for game coins. If he wouldn't give her coins, she would lose her temper and get angry. He had not bothered sharing such petty concerns with Shuishui until that moment. He explained why he had never completely gotten along with Mu Qing.
Actually, Mu Qing only wanted manipulate Zilin by acting coquettishly. Unfortunately, Mu Zilin had a complicated attitude. He could be both soft and hard towards people. Of course, he was also very realistic. If a girl he liked acted that way, he would have easily given in.
In the past, Shuishui had a bad temper. Zilin noticed that although her temper had improved, she had also become cold and indifferent. She basically didn't know how to act coquettishly anymore.
Shuishui and Zilin spoke in a relatively low voice. Only Mu Ziyu heard them. He interrupted their conversation. "Then you should be a gentleman so girls will be more friendly towards you."
"I saw a term for that on the Internet before. They are regarded as proud and haughty boys. They're called 'central air-conditioning' boys. Are those the type that are friendly towards all women?" Shuishui suddenly asked. The term seemed to be quite popular.
"Oh, that kind of boy. If you find a boyfriend like that, you will be jealous every day." Mu Zilin did not agree with Shuishui's choice.
"That's not even my type. I don't plan on finding a boyfriend like that," Shuishui said bluntly.
"That's good. I don't even like those kinds of boys. He flirts with women everywhere and will justify it by saying that the girls are just his friends," Mu Zilin said in a proud tone. Shuishui laughed.
"You're cute too," Shuishui said and continued to eat.
Mu Ziyu looked at Shuishui. "You're going to Beijing tomorrow. Who's going to send you off?"
Ziyu thought that he could drive her to the airport. It would also be a chance for them to be alone and talk.
"My dad will send me. I think there are some things he needs to tell me before I leave." Shuishui felt that Ziyu wanted to send her to the airport. But she had no choice because her dad wanted to send her off.
Everyone was very casual during dinner. Shuishui had to wake up early the next day, and she had not even packed her clothes yet.
Auntie Mu thought of the new clothes she had bought for Shuishui. "Oh, right. There's a 24-hour laundry shop nearby. We can bring your new clothes there later. Before you go to the airport tomorrow, you can pick them up. After all, you've bought eight sets. You can bring them with you and wear each of them beautifully every day. I'll accompany you to the shop later."
Shuishui could only nod. "Yes, that's fine too."
"Just bring all eight sets of clothes. You can just pack your pajamas at home," Mu Zilin suggested.
Shuishui did not like carrying heavy luggage. "Yes. There's no need to bring a lot. It's troublesome to bring heavy luggage."
With Auntie Mu's help, Shuishui had all her new clothes dry cleaned. The next day, her father could pick them up at the shop and then go to the apartment. That night after dinner, Qian An was supposed to send Shuishui home, but Mu Ziyu beat him to it. "Uncle, I'll send Shuishui back. Coincidentally, Zilin and Shuishui also want to go out a bit tonight."
"I see, young man. I understand. However, tomorrow morning, Shuishui, you better not oversleep," Qian An said as he put his hands behind his back. He did not object to their plan. It was already vacation, and he knew children should be allowed to go out and granted freedom. Moreover, he was extremely satisfied with Shuishui's report card and thought she deserved to have fun.
Mu Zilin's parents felt the same. They were also proud and satisfied with his grades. Considering that he was enrolled in a key high school, it was great that he was able to maintain a ranking of around 100 in every exam. Although he couldn't compare to Shuishui, they were very satisfied with his performance. They were happy considering that Mu Zilin used to be a punk who just muddled along.
After they said goodbye to everyone, Shuishui and Mu Zilin got into Mu Ziyu's car. Mu Ziyu then drove home and dropped Mu Zilin off.
Mu Zilin was confused and speechless. He thought he was going with them.
Looking at the dissatisfied Mu Zilin, Shuishui asked, "Aren't we going to bring him along?"
"The two of us are together. There's no need to bring a third wheel like him along," Mu Ziyu said as he drove off. He headed for Yue Xing Amusement Park. He felt that with such good weather, the views on top of the ferris wheel would be breathtaking.
Shuishui did not say anything and sat quietly in the car.
When they reached their destination, Shuishui looked out of the window. She was stunned. "We're at Yue Xing?"
"Yes, this place only opens in the afternoon and closes at three in the morning. Didn't you say that you liked the ferris wheel? Then come." He parked the car and got out with Shuishui.
As Shuishui got off the car, Ziyu wrapped a scarf around her neck. "It's a little cold tonight," he said affectionately.
"Yes." Shuishui lowered her head, and her head shrunk into the scarf. The scarf was still warm and had a faint smell of cologne.
Shuishui felt very strange. She blinked and was about to walk when Mu Ziyu held her hand and strode towards the entrance.
Shuishui lowered her head and looked at their hands. 'So this is the feeling of being in love. It's not bad,' she thought.
After they bought their tickets, they walked towards the ferris wheel. They waited in line for more than ten minutes before they got on their passenger car. The amusement park's peak time was close to midnight. Since the ferris wheel was famous and a favorite among the park-goers, the line was very long.
As they sat in their passenger car, Shuishui looked straight at Mu Ziyu. "Is today a special day?" she asked earnestly.
"Not really. I just want to go on a date with you tonight." He smiled warmly, and there was a hint of gentleness on his handsome face.
He reached for his pocket, took out a box, opened it, and took out a pair of rings. "This is a pair of rings that I got a friend to customize. It has a simple design."
He picked up Shuishui's right hand and put the ring on her middle finger. "Having a ring on the middle finger of your right hand signifies that your heart belongs to someone."
Then, he kissed the back of Shuishui's hand. He also thought that maybe Shuishui could not wear the ring to school, so he took out a silver chain. "You can wear the ring around your neck normally."
Shuishui looked at the items. "I didn't give you anything, but I always receive gifts from you. I'm a little embarrassed," she said in a melancholic tone.
She felt quite conflicted, but she also felt that it would hurt Ziyu if she rejected his gifts once again.
"You don't have to. Anyway, we'll be going to Beijing in a few days. I'll bring Zilin with me, and we will pick you up." He could not change plans and go to Beijing ahead of schedule just to accompany Shuishui.
"Okay. I am going there to settle a few things. The man I need to see is my father's best friend, so he must be a good person." Since she had not seen or met the man before, she could only guess that he was a good person as well.
"If there's anything you need, just call me. I have friends in Beijing who can help me. Don't handle things yourself, understand?" Ziyu said in a serious tone. He had connections in Beijing and could find a way to help Shuishui, if she needed it.
Shuishui nodded. "Yes, I understand. When you guys arrive, just give me a call."
"You don't have to be so independent all the time. Are there any places that you want to go to tonight?" Mu Ziyu asked. He felt that there must be a few places Shuishui would like to visit.
Shuishui rubbed her chin and thought. "Any place?" she asked.
"Yes."
"I don't know if the museum is still open. I really want to go. Zilin doesn't really like to go to museums, so we never got to go." Shuishui felt that it wasn't possible. She believed that museums were already closed by that time of the night.
However, Mu Ziyu thought of a place. "I know a place that isn't really a museum, but it has a lot of cultural relics. It closes at midnight. When we get down, we can directly go there. We will get there before it closes."
Shuishui was a little surprised. "Really?"
"I won't lie to you," he said as he reached out and rubbed Shuishui's head. He saw the anticipation in her eyes. "You're more artistic. Do you like art exhibitions?" he asked.
"I like them too. I quite like going to such events. They offer a unique and memorable visual and psychological experience." Shuishui liked museums, historical landmarks, and art galleries, and art exhibitions. She wanted to cultivate her interests as well. She had been used to being alone and going to places with only a few people. Such places were her favorite places to go to.
Mu Ziyu still held Shuishui's hand as they got off the passenger car. "Then let's go now."
Shuishui smiled as she walked with Mu Ziyu. They walked faster, worried that they would not make it in time.
As soon as they got into the car, Mu Ziyu headed for the destination. Shuishui did not know where it was, but when he drove towards the university campus, she was a little surprised. "This is the university town, right?" Shuishui asked as she looked around. It was dark, but the cultural atmosphere shone through the lights.
"Yes, this is University A. Have you been here before?" Mu Ziyu navigated the car easily around the area. It was a place very familiar to him.
Shuishui leaned against the back cushion. "I've never been here before, but I know that this place is very big."
"There's a cultural museum here. Although it's relatively small, it has beautiful exhibits and cultural relics. It's connected to the library, and it closes at twelve o'clock." He smiled faintly. Actually, Mi Ziyu rarely went to that place. He liked the library because it was a quiet place, but he visited less because girls would make a fuss and pester him whenever he would go there.
Mu Ziyu would go to the library to read in peace and quiet. Whenever he went there, many girls would try to strike up a conversation with him. As a matter of courtesy, he would respond to them and interact with them casually. However, their chatter and boisterousness disgusted him. Because of the commotion his presence caused, he no longer liked going there to read.
Ziyu parked his car outside the campus. They got off the car and walked into the campus through the main entrance. It was late, but there was still quite a number of people going in and out of the campus.
The guard saw Mu Ziyu and said, "Mr. Mu, long time no see. Why are you here today?"
"I want to visit the library," he said with a smile. "Although I'm about to graduate, I'm still a student of this school."
"Of course. The library is quite lively tonight. Many people come to the library at this time. Is today a special day? Why aren't you at home? Isn't it the school break?" The guard was a little confused because there were more students at the library in the past few days.
Mu Ziyu thought of Yang Yu. "Yang Yu has some activities recently. Some areas of the school might be used as the venue. As for other things, I don't know much."
He casually said a few words and brought Shuishui in.
Shuishui looked around curiously. "The environment is really good."
"Indeed, it could be considered one of the top ten schools in the entire country. The library is slightly far from the teaching building, but it's quite close to the main gate," Mu Ziyu said to Shuishui.
"Is it the area with the brighter lights in front?" Shuishui asked.
"Yes. To enter the small Cultural Museum Palace, we have to enter through the library. Th relics here were originally from France, and most of the items on display here were appropriately placed there. The oldest cultural relics are not more than five hundred years old, but they have a rich history." Ziyu had not yet really explored the whole museum, so her found himself at a loss for words.
Shuishui smiled. "It's fine. We just need to see them. They don't have to be very old relics for us to appreciate their value. Besides, I don't really understand these things. I'm just a little curious about them."
"Since we're here in the university, I'll bring you to my old classroom later." He thought that he could tour Shuishui around the campus to see the interesting places. Although there was nothing special about his classroom, he felt that it was a special place for him because it held many memories.
Shuishui nodded her head. "Sure. I'm also quite curious about the classrooms of university students."
What was the difference between these classrooms and the ones from her previous life? She was also curious. Technology in her world was more advanced. Most of their classes were conducted through video conferencing. As students, most of their time was spent on academic papers and research.
When she graduated from university, she had met many more university teachers. She even studied with them.
As she walked into the library, Shuishui was amazed. It was a bright and spacious hall with long and wide tables. There were people sitting in groups of two or three. Some people heard the door creak as they entered. Others looked up to see who arrived, while others continued reading. Those who looked up saw Mu Ziyu and tried to get a closer look when they realized he had brought a girl. It was the first time Mu Ziyu had ever been seen with a girl.
Immediately, people started to talk about them. "No way. That girl is his girlfriend?"
"Maybe she's just his friend."
"Can't you see that they're holding hands? They must be a couple. That woman isn't from our school, right? When she entered, she curiously looked around her. She definitely isn't from here."
"I heard before that Mu Ziyu has a girlfriend, but I didn't believe it. Now that I've seen her, I realize that it's true. That woman is pretty. She's very small and seems very quiet."
"No way. That's Mu Ziyu's type? If I had known earlier, I would have tried harder," some of the girls said.
Shuishui noticed that other people were staring at them, but she didn't pay too much attention to them. "Are we going in?"
Mu Ziyu was worried that Shuishui would think too much, so he couldn't help but implore her to ignore them. "Yes. Ignore them. They are just curious about you."
Shuishui shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Anyway, I don't know them, and they don't know me."
They went deep into the library and walked into the small museum. Shuishui was attracted by a painting on the door.
Shuishui looked around as they walked in. "This stone is so strange," she said then laughed.
Mu Ziyu was holding on to Shuishui's hand. Wherever she went, he would follow. He smiled as he looked at Shuishui.
Some of the students who heard about it rushed over to where they were to see. They were just curious. When they saw Ziyu with Shuishui, they were instantly heartbroken.
For them, it was a painful sight. When had Mu Ziyu ever treated a girl so lovingly that he would hold her hand the entire time?