Shuishui was in a daze. After a while, she finally returned to her senses. When she got back to the house, she quickly grabbed a set of casual clothes. When she got back in the car, Shuishui regained her smile. "All right. We can set off."
"Hmm. Do you want to go for a drink?" Mu Ziyu reached out to tease Shuishui's hair.
Shuishui looked at the two brothers. Although she did not want to go, she did not say anything. "It's up to you."
Mu Ziyu could feel that Shuishui was not in a good mood. He did not know what had happened. "Then let's go for a drink," he said.
Mu Zilin craned his head towards the front and said, "Shuishui, let's go watch the race tonight. My friend told me that there will be a race at twelve at the Pear Hill highway. The underground race should be interesting."
Shuishui nodded and said, "Sure. It has been a long time since I watched a race."
The previous Shuishui loved to watch races with Mu Zilin. She would gamble with her friends and cheer for her favorite racer. She would curse a lot whenever she lost. There was not much similarity between the previous Shuishui and her personality now.
However, she also liked to have fun. Racing was indeed very exciting.
Mu Ziyu was driving, but he was also listening to their conversation. "Then I'll go with you."
"Brother, if you have something to do, you can go. Shuishui and I will go." Zilin felt that if his brother went with them, he would definitely be in charge. There were many things that they couldn't do with his older brother around. No way. He had to persuade his brother to let them go. He had also invited a few people to watch the race. Although he wasn't very familiar with these people, they would definitely encounter these people in the future. Zilin also didn't want his brother to know about the tricks he and Shuishui often played before. His brother would definitely scold him.
Mu Zilin hurriedly pushed Shuishui's shoulder. Shuishui knew what he meant. She said, "Ziyu, you don't have to follow us. Zilin and I haven't hung out in a long time."
"Shuishui, don't you want me to go with you?" Mu Ziyu looked pitiful as he stared at Shuishui imploringly.
Shuishui pinched Mu Ziyu's little face. "Drive carefully."
Mu Ziyu did not know how Shuishui and Zilin played around, but he felt that their old ways were quite shameful. He started to question why they used to hang out a lot. "What? You want to leave me behind so you could go and watch the race?"
Zilin answered, "What's wrong? I'm just afraid that you'll be embarrassed. Brother, Shuishui and I used to hang out a lot in junior high. We're very close. When you're around, you'll be watching our every move, and you don't like the things we like. We're happy when we go out and have fun." Mu Zilin didn't want his brother to go with them. His brother was quite picky and would often refuse to do certain things, even when they're quite fun.
Shuishui noticed that Mu Ziyu looked unhappy, so she quickly glared at Mu Zilin. Mu Zilin quickly shut up. He felt that he had said something he shouldn't have. He was too anxious and had spewed out random words just to keep his brother away.
When they arrived at the house of the Mu family, Shuishui saw Uncle Mu and Auntie Mu. Auntie Mu pulled Shuishui aside. "Did you have fun here? We arrived just a few days ago. The house is still a mess, but don't worry, we have tidied up a room for you. Zilin has been nagging me about it for the past few days. Also, your hair looks good. It suits you very well. Oh my god. Let's go shopping again one of these days. I want to tell people that you're my daughter."
"Thank you, Auntie. I'm quite embarrassed that I'm here today. I hope I'm not disturbing you. If there's anything I can help you with, please tell me. I'd be happy to help." Shuishui smiled faintly. She was no stranger to them, but she still felt shy because she didn't see them very often. It was inevitable for her to feel a little awkward.
Auntie Mu held Shuishui's hand and said, "It's all right. You should come here more often for dinner. The winter break is quite long anyway, so you can stay here. On the day of your flight back to the city, you can ask Ziyu to send you to the airport."
Shuishui remembered that Jiang Yuan was quite strict with her. "Auntie, thank you, but I'm afraid Uncle Jiang will insist on sending me to the airport. He's my guardian. He wasn't even very willing to let me come here today."
"Uncle Jiang? Do you mean Jiang Yuan?" Auntie Mu asked back.
"Yes, Auntie. Do you know Uncle Jiang?" Shuishui felt that their circle was quite small, and everyone practically knew each other.
"I know. I didn't think you meant him. I know he's very influential, but I'm not very familiar with him, and I've only met him a few times. Next time, if he doesn't allow you to come, tell me so I can call him and ask permission for you. I'm sure he will let you come. It makes me sad thinking about you and Zilin not having enough time to hang out. After all, you're very close with each other, and you also helped him improve his study habit." Auntie Mu was very grateful for Shuishui. She really liked Shuishui. She especially liked that Zilin had changed because he hung out with Shuishui a lot. She felt that they were very suitable for each other. She had already considered having Shuishui as her daughter-in-law.
Shuishui felt that Auntie Mu was looking at her strangely, but she did not think too much about it. She chatted with her about family matters for almost half an hour before Mu Zilin came over. "Mom, let Shuishui go take a shower first. She said her clothes still smell of the food we had for dinner. She can't stand that smell anymore."
"Okay, okay, okay. Shuishui, go and take a bath. If you need anything, tell me. Meanwhile, I will make you a cup of flower tea." Auntie Mu knew that Zilin wanted her to stop talking to Shuishui. She felt that Zilin was protective of Shuishui. She liked Shuishui so much that she wanted Shuishui to feel comfortable in their home.
Shuishui nodded to Auntie Mu. "Auntie, I'm going to take a bath first."
"Go, go, go."
Mu Zilin pulled Shuishui's arm. "My mother is very talkative, and she clearly likes you because she keeps chatting with you."
"Hmm?"
"Do you remember that time you went shopping with her? She really likes to bring people with her when she shops, and she thinks that you have good taste. My father really likes the set of clothes that you chose for her. My mother often wears them. It's quite amusing." Zilin remembered how helpless he and Ziyu felt during those days. Zilin felt that their mother had been pretentious.
"It's good that she liked the clothes." Shuishui hooked her arm around Mu Zilin's and let him take her upstairs.
Mu Zilin found it difficult to drag someone upstairs. "Do I have to carry you upstairs?"
"Sure," Shuishui replied shamelessly.
"Forget it. Just pretend I didn't say that." Mu Zilin brought Shuishui to the door of the room they had prepared for her. He remembered that his brother had planned it beforehand. Ziyu had chosen the room next to his for Shuishui. Zilin was stunned. His brother was really scheming.
Shuishui entered the room and locked the door. Then, she opened the bathroom door. She saw that there was another door inside. She was speechless. Her room and the room next to her shared a common bathroom. She approached the door and turned the knob to check what was on the other side. When she opened the door, the corner of her mouth twitched. "Mu Ziyu," she said.
"Shuishui, are you ready to take a shower? Go into the small changing room in the bathroom. I've prepared a few daily necessities for you. I hope you like them." Mu Ziyu smiled gently. It was clear why he had chosen the room next to his as Shuishui's room.
Shuishui looked at the door. "This bathroom isn't very convenient."
"What's not convenient about it? Go and take a look. We just share a common bathroom. If you don't want me to use it, you can lock it from your end." Mu Ziyu was still smiling.
Shuishui pouted. "I'm going to take a shower first."
She closed the bathroom door and locked it.
Then, she walked into the small cubicle in the bathroom. There were a few men's clothes hanging inside. She pulled open the cabinet and saw that there were two sets of brand new lady pajamas. One had a black and yellow print, and the other was a cute pair with lion prints. The corner of her mouth twitched. She pulled open the other drawer. There were lots of underwear. She looked away and quickly closed the drawer. It was clear the Ziyu had prepared everything.
After she showered, she folded her clothes, put them in a bag, and hung them in the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. She felt comfortable because she no longer smelled of braised pig's trotters.
The shower gel smelled pretty good. It was the kind of gel she would use herself. She walked out of the bathroom, changed into clean clothes, and opened the other bathroom door. "Ziyu, I'm done."
"Okay." Mu Ziyu stood up from the table and walked over to Shuishui's room.
As he was entering Shuishui's room, he said, "I put some clean towels and toothbrushes in the bedside cabinet. I also placed a book there. You can read it when you have nothing to do."
'How considerate,' Shuishui thought. "Thank you," she said.
Mu Ziyu walked over and hugged Shuishui. Shuishui looked up at Mu Ziyu's chin in confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing. I just want to hug you. I can go with you to watch the race." He lowered his head and sniffed Shuishui's hair, and he breathed in the fragrance of the shampoo. "Let me help you blow-dry your hair," he said.
"Uh." Shuishui did not refuse. Mu Ziyu took out a hairdryer from the bathroom and started to blow-dry her hair.
"But Zilin and I are used to watching races. We are worried that you won't enjoy yourself." That was not how a good child would behave.
"I can accompany you. Besides, it's already late. How can I trust that you and Zilin will be safe at this hour?" He was worried about their safety. Ziyu knew that Zilin would not be able to protect Shuishui if something bad would happen.
Shuishui raised her head and patted Mu Ziyu's face "I don't think so. You should just stay here at home. Zilin and I will go. Don't worry. We've gone out around this time in the past and nothing bad had happened. Also, I know how to protect myself. Don't worry. I was trained by a retired special forces soldier."
Mu Ziyu looked at Shuishui with dissatisfaction. "Then call me after the event tonight. I will pick you up. You can't disagree."
"I know. I won't. Don't look so bitter. Give me a kiss." Shuishui pouted and pretended to beg for a kiss. She didn't expect Mu Ziyu to lower his head and kiss her. Shuishui was shocked. She stared at Mu Ziyu.
Mu Ziyu also planted a kiss on her forehead and said, "What? Wasn't that enough?"
"No." Shuishui lowered her head. She was the one who had asked for it.
Mu Ziyu combed Shuishui's hair. "All right. You look very beautiful."
He felt even happier when he saw the necklace on Shuishui's neck.