Shuishui welcomed the official start of classes. On Tuesday, she packed her books into her bag and rode her bicycle to school. Upon entering the campus, she leisurely enjoyed her ride and looked around to take in the beautiful environment.
A male student nearby holding a camera immediately snapped a shot of Shuishui riding past him on her bicycle. By the time he took the picture, Qian Shuishui was already far away from him.
He opened the high-definition photo. He had caught a side-profile shot of Shuishui, with her hair fluttering in the wind. He thought, 'What a beautiful girl. She looks very charming. It feels like we will have a new candidate in this year's campus belle selection.'
He looked at the time and got up in a hurry when he realized he was going to be late for class.
Shuishui parked her bicycle, locked it, and walked to the building.
She was not very familiar with the place, and it took her about ten minutes to find the classroom. There were not many people inside when she arrived. She sat in the last row, which she preferred in university. The classroom was very big. The bell rang, and people came rushing into the room. The teacher arrived after five minutes, and he walked up to the podium.
The teacher seemed to be in his fifties. He walked very slowly. He turned on the computer and the projector.
Everyone was talking in low voices. When the teacher spoke, they gradually quieted down.
"Good morning. I am your teacher, Lin Yucheng. You can call me Professor Lin in the future. I am responsible for teaching you the basic theoretical knowledge. In my class, if you are noisy, just go out. If you are not interested in listening to what I can teach you, then don't come to my class in the future. Also, I am very strict with class attendance. Points are calculated at the end of every semester. If you raise your hand for an absent classmate, I will mark you absent as well. You will have to retake or change your major," he said seriously.
No one dared to say anything. The teacher was clearly strict. They were instantly intimidated.
School had just started, and they felt like they were already going to fail the class. No one was willing to take the risk.
Shuishui quietly took out her textbook and a notebook. She didn't know anyone yet. The teacher then began to check their attendance. According to their schedule, that class would last for one and half hours.
After checking their attendance, Professor Lin started the class. It was very boring, and the students soon felt very sleepy.
Shuishui, however, was very interested and was busy taking down notes.
In the last twenty minutes of the period, Professor Lin said he will call a few students to answer questions. He took the student roster and randomly called for people. Before that, he said, "If you can't answer, that means you have to pay attention. This class is not easy to pass. It all depends on your attentiveness."
The other students were very nervous and did not want to be called.
"Liu Xueying," the professor called out.
The girl stood up, a little afraid.
Professor Lin said, "Today, we talked about two plants. Each of these two plants have their own beneficial properties, but if you combine them, they can be lethal. What are the possible problems that may arise from combining these two?"
Liu Xueying remembered that the professor had mentioned that, but she couldn't remember the details.
After a moment of silence, Professor Lin asked her to sit down. "Sit down. It's obvious that you didn't listen to the lesson well."
Liu Xueying blushed. She didn't know what to say, and she really hadn't paid attention.
The others became even more nervous.
Professor Lin called out to another person. "Ling Ruo."
Everyone turned to look at Ling Ruo as he stood up. He was a thin and weak little boy.
Professor Lin looked at the boy. He said, "I'll ask you a simple question. What herbs are helpful in treating eczema?"
The boy stared at the professor and couldn't say anything.
After a few seconds of silence, he secretly lowered his head to look at his notes. "Purple grass," he answered.
Professor Lin was not so harsh. "Yes, that's correct. It took you quite a while to answer, but at least you listened to the lecture. Sit down."
Professor Lin was still looking at the roster.
Shuishui didn't think that she would be called out because the class was about to end. She did not expect to hear her own name.
"Qian Shuishui, please answer me. It is a plant that can lower blood pressure and can also dispel heat and stop bleeding. What is it?"
"Lung leaf," Shuishui blurted out.
"Name the plant that can clear away liver infections and reduce blood pressure," Professor Lin said. He was a little surprised by Shuishui's quick reaction, so he asked another question.
"Wutong leaf?" Shuishui was not sure, but she quickly answered the question.
Shuishui was not confident that her answer was correct, but she answered with the first word that came to her mind.
"Not bad. You were able to answer my questions very quickly," Professor Lin said. He was surprised that she actually remembered the names of the herbs when had only casually mentioned them.
The others were also a little surprised that Shuishui was able to answer quickly.
"Last question. There are plants that can promote blood circulation, relieve swelling and pain, and clear heat and remove moisture. Can you name one?" Professor Lin asked curiously. He wanted to confirm how good Shuishui was.
"Banyan leaf? I'm not too sure about that though," Shuishui said. She suddenly felt a little awkward. She felt that her answer was not correct. She felt like she hadn't even heard about it in class. However, she had read a bit about it in the textbook.
She did not deliberately memorize the information mentioned in the chapters she read. She only read through it once. She did read the highlights of the chapters more than once.
Professor Lin's eyes were filled with joy. He had not discussed it in class and was planning to discuss it in the next meeting. He did not expect that she would be able to answer it. He understood then that she had read the textbooks in advance.
"Your answer is correct. You don't have to doubt your answer. Sit down. Very good. I hope that the other students can be like Qian Shuishui, who clearly read her textbooks in advance. If you don't read in advance, then you can at least listen carefully in class. This class of ours is not easy to pass. There are too many bits of information to remember, and the exam will not be too simple. But if you listen carefully in class, you won't find the exam difficult," Professor Lin said. He did not have high expectations of the students, but he hoped that they would at least pay attention during class discussions.
The double-major program was more complicated than the other programs. If a student would fail to learn the basic principles, it would be very difficult to catch up in the later classes, and it might be difficult for the student to graduate.
In the first semester, he hoped that more than one-third of the students would pass. However, he really couldn't go easy on the students. Besides, they have signed up for the double-major program.
In the previous semester, nearly one-third of the students failed the course. The other department heads and the principal were alarmed. It prompted the principal to visit the class several times. The principal found out that there was nothing wrong with the teacher's teaching and learning strategies. It was merely the students who didn't work hard enough. They thought that they had to filter the students who would be admitted to the program because the lessons and subjects were more complicated. It just so happened that the freshmen were simply lazy. Students of their program failed more courses than those in other departments.
Before the class ended, Professor Lin said, "I am reminding all of you who are currently enrolled in this medicine course that this program is said to be one of the top three difficult courses in the entire university. Since you have chosen it, you must treat it seriously. I need a class representative to help me collect homework and do other tasks for me. Qian Shuishui, are you willing to be the class representative?"
Qian Shuishui was called out. She stood up and nodded. "Yes, I'm willing to be the class representative."
She couldn't refuse because she was specifically called out by the professor. Class representatives in college were different from those in high school and junior high. They had very few tasks. At most, they would collect the students' homework for the teacher and do other tasks as requested.
As the class representative had already been chosen, Professor Lin dismissed the class. He slowly gathered his things and left. Some students took the initiative to talk to the teacher, wanting to know more about the class.
Shuishui looked at the class schedule to check her next class. Her next class would also be in that classroom. She did not need to leave.
The next class was about medicinal equipment. It was quite an interesting class. Their professor had demonstrated how to use certain apparatus, but the students could not use them personally. In the second half of the semester, they would have to go to the laboratory.
They were all new students. They all came from different places and had different personalities. The others were going around asking the others about their next classes.
The main class was divided into sub-classes for laboratory work. The laboratory could not accommodate a large group of people at one time, so they had to be divided into groups.
The girls all sat in the back. They were curious about the girl named Qian Shuishui. They were amazed by how she dealt with the recitation earlier. They felt that if they sat next to her, they would have someone to help them when they were called up to answer questions.
Luo Anqi smiled. "My name is Luo Anqi. This is Li Mingming. Our first and second classes are the same. It seems like fate has brought us together."
Shuishui gave her a gentle smile in return and said, "That's good."
"Yes. Can I take a look at your class schedule? I would like to see if we have other similar classes," she said enthusiastically.
Shuishui didn't mind taking out her class schedule. "My subjects are more concentrated."
Luo Anqi said, "Wow. Oh my god. Except for a few classes on Thursday that are different, our classes are pretty much the same." Many of their classes in the pharmacy department were more or less the same. They had a few different elective courses. "I chose physics so I will be able to understand the pharmacy majors easily," Shuishui answered.
Shuishui looked at Li Mingming. "Why? Is there any pressure?"
"Not really. It's really difficult, and there are many things to memorize. Not only that, many of the lessons are very complicated," Li Mingming said. She actually wanted to shift to another degree program, but she wasn't really interested in other degree programs. Her family ran a hospital, and only the pharmacy department seemed suitable for her.
Li Mingming had so many complaints and was obviously pressured. Shuishui understood how she felt.
Luo Anqi couldn't help but laugh. "Mingming, you seem so troubled about it. Why don't you shift to a different program?"
"I can't do anything about my family," Mingming said as she shrugged her shoulders.
Li Mingming suddenly looked at Shuishui. "Can I call you Shuishui?"
"Sure."
Li Mingming scrunched up her nose. Shuishui's name sounded so familiar to her. "You, did you take the college entrance exam in the capital city?" she asked Shuishui.
Shuishui nodded in confusion and said, "I did indeed."
Mingming's eyes widened. "Wow. Impressive. I've been wondering where I've heard your name before. My uncle mentioned before that the top scorer in science was a student named Qian Shuishui from Lingcheng High School. My uncle said that apart from Chinese and English, you got full marks in the other subjects. How did you do it?" Mingming was amazed that it was Shuishui all along.
Luo Anqi stared at Shuishui and said, "No way! You're that good?"
Shuishui laughed dryly. "It's okay. I was also incredibly lucky."
"Not really. No one can get full marks just because of luck. The college entrance exam is very difficult. My uncle also told me that you're not even a third-year student yet." Mingming was getting more amazed.
Luo Anqi blinked her eyes. She herself was from another province, and it was very difficult for her to get into university. Her academic performance was average, but she struggled to get a higher score than the local examinees just to secure her admission into university.
There were only a few top scorers, but she didn't expect to meet one of them.
This made Shuishui feel embarrassed. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Anyway, it seems like class is about to start."
Li Mingming felt that Qian Shuishui had a good character. She felt that it would be wise to befriend the top students. She found it unbelievable that Shuishui was both smart and beautiful. Most smart students were not as good-looking.
The three of them sat together in class. The teacher didn't ask any questions during the class, but the pace of the lecture was very fast. Students had to pay attention to remember the important parts of the lesson.
Shuishui kept taking notes throughout the lesson. There were some important points that weren't in the book. She wrote them down carefully so she could review everything later on.
When the class ended, Li Mingming turned to Luo Anqi and Shuishui and said, "I haven't eaten at the school cafeteria yet. I heard that the food there is pretty good and that the menu changes every week."
"Could they have cinnamon apples or sir-fried watermelons?" Qian Shuishui asked.
Li Mingming couldn't help but laugh. "Probably not as weird as those stuff."
The three of them walked to the cafeteria together.
Luo Anqi had a charming personality, while Li Mingming had a ladylike temperament about her. Qian Shuishui gave off a smart aura. They caught other people's attention while they walked along the school corridors.
Li Mingming gave people the impression that she was simply a quiet petite young lady. In fact, she was like a parrot. She was usually very talkative whenever she was excited.
They were able to find so many common interests that it wasn't hard to find something to talk about. However, Shuishui didn't know much about cosmetics. She simply listened as the other two talked about makeup brands.
Li Mingming looked at Shuishui's skin. "No wonder you don't know much about these cosmetics. You probably don't use them much. Look at your face. There's basically nothing on it. I'm so envious. You see, every time I go out, I have to apply foundation to hide the dark spots."
Shuishui didn't know what exactly to say. After a while, she said, "Actually, using foundation also has benefits. It can keep your face from getting oily. However, you should use less to avoid clogging up your pores. Sometimes, I use honey or aloe to wash my face. It's quite beneficial." The previous Shuishui was fond of using makeup. Shuishui had to rid her skin of the buildup on her face and kept her skin clean and moisturized. She had become very satisfied with the condition of her skin.
Luo Anqi touched her face. "Well, I still have to work on my face."
The three of them attended their afternoon classes together. One of their afternoon classes was handled by Professor Lin. Li Mingming didn't like it. "It's so boring. I couldn't pay attention. Shuishui, how did you endure it? Teach me how you pay attention to such boring lectures."
"I don't know either. Actually, it's easy for me to get distracted, but I consistently take notes. As long as you write it down, you'll remember it. When the teacher asked me questions, I wasn't sure about many of my answers, but I was able to answer because I write down notes while I study." Clearly, Shuishui also had a good memory.
"But wouldn't it be awkward if I said something wrong?" Mingming asked.
Shuishui blinked and bluntly said, "Just do your best. No one can help you with memorizing and studying except yourself."
Truly, one would have to rely on one's diligence and commitment to learning to gain more knowledge.
During the break, they walked around the school a few times to see if there were any clubs that they could join. Luo Anqi actually had an idea. She wanted to join a club, but she didn't want to go alone, so she asked, "Shuishui, Mingming, are there any clubs that you want to join? Have you considered joining the student union?"
Shuishui felt that it would be troublesome to join such organizations. "I don't want to join. I'm not very interested in such things."
"I'm actually not interested. We should just focus on our majors." Li Mingming also didn't want to join any club. She believed that if she joined a club, her other activities would be compromised. She believed she had to devote all her time to studying because their majors were difficult enough.
Luo Anqi wore a bitter expression on her face. "Really? If you guys aren't joining the club, I'm joining the club alone. I live on campus anyway. If I don't find something to do for myself, I'll definitely be bored."
"Indeed. You'll have plenty of time since you live on campus. It is actually a good idea to join the student union. It'll help you find a job in the future," Li Mingming said.
Luo Anqi was still a little conflicted. "It's not so easy to get into the student union, right? If I don't get in, I'll join a different club."
"Just choose the one you're interested in." Li Mingming felt that such choices weren't easy to make.
Luo Anqi was so unsure of what to do. She then said she wanted to join a sports club. She quickly changed her mind and said she wanted to join a literature club to educate herself. Because of her wavering attitude, Shuishui and Li Mingming didn't offer any advice. They thought that they should just let her think about it.
Luo Anqi thought that maybe she was becoming a little annoying, so she kept quiet and didn't say anything else.
They walked into a shop to buy some snacks and then walked back to the classroom.
They suddenly heard a woman yell from behind them. "Mingming!"
Li Mingming turned her head to see who called her. Her face instantly darkened when she saw who it was. "What does this green tea want?" Mingming murmured.
Luo Anqi didn't understand what Mingming meant. "Green tea?"
"That woman is a b*tch. She is so pretentious. I was on good terms with her before, but we fell out later because she stole my boyfriend. They later broke up, and she even tried to be friends with me again. She gave me a lot of excuses. She apologized that she had let me down, and then she asked for my forgiveness. I forgave her, but she started acting like a b*tch again. She then tried to ask for my next boyfriend's Penguin profile name and added him up. She even took the initiative to ask my boyfriend out. At that time, I was playing with my boyfriend's phone. I had no idea that she was such a b*tch," Li Mingming explained in a low voice. She hated the girl very much. She said, "I'm not close to you. Don't call me Mingming."
"Mingming, are you still angry? It's been so long," the girl said as she walked over towards them.
Qian Shuishui saw the girl clearly. She was about 155 centimeters tall and wore high heels. Her wavy hair made her look even shorter. She had heavy makeup on her face and made herself look very beautiful. However, Qian Shuishui felt that her makeup was too thick, and it actually made her look scary. She clearly had a thick layer of foundation on her skin.
Mingming directly called the woman by her nickname. "Chu Zuozuo, don't disgust me. What do you mean by it's been so long? I will always remember what you did before."
Shuishui felt how deeply Mingming resented the girl. Shuishui said, "Let's go to class. We might end up losing our seats."
Li Mingming nodded. "Okay." She didn't want to be associated with the girl anymore.
Chu Mei chased after her. "Mingming, can't you help me? Everything in the past was my fault."
She looked at Li Mingming pitifully and blocked the path in front of them.
Luo Anqi was being a little gossipy. "She's quite pitiful. She's crying."
"You can't judge a person by their appearance. Didn't I tell you just now? She's a green tea girl," Mingming answered. She hated people like that the most.
Shuishui also didn't like green tea bitches because they were very pretentious. She believed that they were backstabbers, and it was useless to be associated with them. She thought of Xu Die. Xu Die was the type of person who would try to cause trouble for other people even when they did nothing wrong to her. Li Mingming was very angry. It was clear to Shuishui that Chu Mei had an ulterior motive for suddenly trying to befriend Mingming.
"Obviously, Mingming doesn't want to talk to you. Why do you keep pestering her? It will make her hate you even more," Shuishui said.
Chu Mei's tears fell. "I know what I did was wrong, but I really didn't have any bad intentions. At that time, I only added him as a friend because he was your boyfriend. Why would I have any other reasons to get close to him?"
"Because he was my boyfriend of course. What has it got to do with you?" Li Mingming couldn't help but swear. Looking at Chu Mei trying to act pitiful, Mingming felt disgusted.
Seeing that Chu Mei still didn't intend to get away from her, Li Mingming turned her head and said to Shuishui and Anqi, "This person's name is Chu Mei. She was called Chu Zuozuo in high school because she was very pretentious. She was lucky enough to pass the college entrance exam and was granted admission to the Beijing Institute of Science and Technology. She started showing off. Do you know how she showed off? She would go around and say, 'Aiya, I actually didn't want to go to Beijing Institute of Science and Technology. I didn't expect to pass.' She's such a show-off."
"Zuozuo." Luo Anqi nodded in agreement.
Then, Li Mingming said, "She likes to snatch other people's boyfriends. Making other people's boyfriends treat her well gives her a sense of accomplishment. She was ostracized by all the girls in class, but she was persistent and went on with her ways. Now, she suddenly wants to be friends with me. There must be something she needs from me, such as money."
Chu Mei lowered her head to hide her twinkling eyes. "No. Why would I come to borrow money from you?"
"That's great. Even if you kneel down and beg me to lend you money, I won't lend you anything. People need to be self-aware. I have money and I have a good family environment. I don't look down on others, but I look down on you. Shuishui, Anqi, let's go. Let's not be late for class because of her." Li Mingming made her sentiments clear.
Shuishui didn't know what else had happened between them, but it was clear to her that Chu Mei was not a good person to be associated with.