She sent a message to Uncle Jiang: "Uncle Jiang, are you free tonight? My college entrance exam results are out and I did pretty well. I want to discuss it with you."
"En? College entrance exam?" Uncle Jiang was surprised and confused at the same time.
She replied quickly: "Teacher Hu arranged for me to take it. I took the exam a year earlier."
Jiang Yuan replied: "We will talk about it tonight. My secretary will contact you later and inform you of the location. Contact me later." He was still in a meeting and couldn't call.
Shuishui replied: "Okay." She knew that Jiang Yuan was a busy person.
Teacher Hu looked at Shuishui. "Whom are you texting?"
"I'm texting Uncle Jiang. He said that he will choose the restaurant for tonight. He will just send me the address later," Shuishui answered.
When their dishes were served, she picked up food for Teacher Hu. "Here, Teacher, eat more."
"These are lighter," she said as she placed vegetables on Teacher Hu's bowl. Shuishui picked up meat slices for herself.
They also ate quietly and didn't say anything else because there wasn't much to say. Xiao Jie was busy picking up bits and pieces of food. She would randomly pick up food from dishes and put them back if she didn't like them. It was very impolite. It was clear that she did not know basic table manners.
Shuishui opted to ignore Xiao Jie's actions. She only felt that Xiao Jie's behavior reflected her parents and the kind of education she had received from them. She believed that parents were obligated to discipline their own children. She picked up food from dishes that Xiao Jie had not touched.
Elder Hu shook his head and sighed. "This is so bothersome. Your mother clearly didn't teach you proper table manners. It's very impolite to soil other dishes with your saliva!"
He could not help but scold the child when he saw her eating that way.
Qingqing's face turned red. She felt responsible for Xiao Jie's behavior. She quickly reprimanded her daughter. "You can't eat like that."
"Oh." Xiao Jie felt very annoyed. She was being scolded even when they were eating. She felt that she was better off eating at home.
Shuishui looked at Xiao Jie. She turned to her teacher and said, "Teacher Hu, do you want me to order a stew for you?"
"No need. It's enough." He did not have much of an appetite.
Shuishui continued to eat quietly. Her appetite was quite good.
The sweet and sour ridges were delicious. They were very crisp and tender.
Hu Wei directly left with his family after they ate. Shuishui felt like the family had parted on bad terms. Before Hu Wei left, he only greeted them. He did not look too good.
When they had left, Shuishui said, "Teacher, why did you dine with them if you didn't want to?"
"It's not that I didn't want to. It's just that I was in a good mood this noon. They came to see me. I later figured out that they came to ask for money from me. That's why they tried to be in good spirits. I'm already old, and I don't expect much. I just want to see my children every day. They're very busy. My eldest son is useless. I actually worry about him. He found a wife for himself, but she's clearly vain and was already with child. I've let it go already, but I don't know why I'm so angry. They visited me just to ask for money. Is money really that important?" Teacher Hu sounded very sad.
Shuishui knew how complicated large families could get. Her family from her past life wasn't large, but all her relatives had their own ulterior motives. She was young and innocent, and she had been wronged. She endured everything until she had become successful enough to take revenge. She was very motivated and determined to finish her education and be renowned in her field.
"Teacher, I come from a complicated family. Teacher, it's been so long. You don't have to think about it anymore. In fact, you should just enjoy your life. Don't dwell on the things that you can't change. You still have other children, and I'll take good care of you in the future. Don't worry. You still have me." Shuishui smiled at her old teacher. She looked very sincere.
"You child, your words are so nice. I only wish that you continue to do well, so that you will be able to achieve your goals. We know you will do great, and we hope that you'll be able to achieve something significant in the future." Teacher Hu knew that Shuishui was a determined young girl. She had set her eyes on her goals, and she was motivated to achieve them.
Shuishui nodded. "I'll give Ziyu a call."
She called him, and after a while, Ziyu picked up the phone. However, it was the sound of a woman's voice. "Eh?" Shuishui said in surprise.
"Who are you?" Shuishui asked.
Shuishui was confused. She waited for a while. Mu Ziyu took back his phone and said, "Shuishui? Someone took my phone just now. Don't mind it."
"I see. Are you free tonight? My college entrance exam results are pretty good. I should be able to go straight to university. My teacher is holding a banquet to celebrate. If you're free, you can come." She felt that Ziyu was also quite busy. She was still curious over who that woman was.
"Of course I'll go. That girl . . . I'm not very familiar with her. She didn't have any manners. Don't mind what she said." Mu Ziyu walked outside. "Baby, I'll call you later. I have something to settle."
"Okay. Go and settle it first," Shuishui said. Although she was a little curious, she didn't ask any further.
"Okay. I'll explain it to you later." He knew Shuishui would be curious about it. He had to tell her.
When the call ended, he looked at the woman in front of him coldly. "Get out. Don't come here again. I don't hit women, but you're the first woman that I want to hit."
"Ziyu." She looked at Ziyu with a wronged expression.
"Get out. Do you want me to ask the security guards to drag you out?" Mu Ziyu said coldly.
She bit her lower lip, stomped her feet, and left.
He accidentally let her in, and she even answered his phone for him. It was a mistake. If he continued to tolerate her behavior, he would be in trouble. He would not let anything affect his relationship with Shuishui. He was afraid that such petty things would make Shuishui resent him. He liked Shuishui very much. He once pictured Shuishui leaving him, and the thought scared him terribly.
He knew very well how much he loved her and was committed to her. Any misunderstanding between them would make him unhappy.
After a while, he called Shuishui again. She picked up the phone and said, "It's good that you called. I was going to tell you where to go tonight. You can bring Zilin with you."
"En, Shuishui, about that girl just now, I think I need to explain to you. She is my uncle's daughter. However, she is not really related to our family. I remember telling you about her before. My uncle wants me to end up with her because it would help their business. I didn't agree to it. I also made it clear that I have a girlfriend. Even when she found out, she has been very persistent and continued to pester me. I will handle it. Don't worry," Ziyu explained. He really didn't care about that woman. He only cared about Shuishui.
Shuishui remembered that Mu Ziyu told her about that girl before. She felt that he didn't really need to explain. "Okay. I got it. Remember to pick up Zilin tonight. I haven't seen him for a while. Maybe he's in love."
"Maybe. I don't know what he's been doing recently. He often comes home late, and he's out during weekends. However, his grades have improved, so I haven't really bothered him." Mu Ziyu had no idea whether Mu Zilin was dating someone. He only noticed that Zilin's behavior seemed to have changed.
"Anyway, I'll call him and tell him about tonight," Ziyu said. He thought he could inform Zilin to go straight to the restaurant after his classes.
Ziyu continued, "Are you going with your teacher tonight?"
"En, I will be at my teacher's house later." Shuishui and Teacher Hu were planning to process her aplpication and university admission papers.
Mu Ziyu replied, "Okay. Be safe. See you tonight."
Shuishui and Teacher Hu went back to the old teacher's house. There, Shuishui opened Teacher Hu's computer and logged on to the university website to fill out the necessary forms.
That night, they went to the restaurant. Teacher Li drove over to Teacher Hu's house and fetched them. In the car, Teacher Li said, "You ended up being the top scorer in science. It was rectified in the records. Why are you so good at your studies?"
"What are you saying? Shuishui has always been good at her studies," Teacher Hu retorted.
Old Li shook his head. "I'm not saying that it's a bad thing. I just feel that it's a pity because she is really talented. She was born to be a soldier."
Teacher Hu was annoyed that Teacher Li would not give it up. "All right. Stop spouting nonsense. Shuishui is still young. Besides, you already asked Shuishui to go attend the military training camp. I was not going to allow it. Fortunately, she's fine. If she had gotten injured, I would have scolded you to death."
Old Li was still shaking his head. "It's all in the past. Shuishui did really well in army training. She earned excellent marks, except in a few minor events. Before she even went there, I asked a friend to look after her so that she wouldn't be injured and nothing dangerous would happen to her. You can see now that Shuishui's physical fitness and reaction ability have improved. Basically, she is much better than ordinary soldiers."
Shuishui mainly joined the combat and self-defense training sessions. Shuishui would have lost if she was asked to participate in a real match. The people Teacher Li had called to teach Shuishui combat skills were top-notch army personnel. He was very proud of her, even though she did not choose to go to military school. He was proud that even during military training, she was able to maintain her ranking in school. She was truly a unique child.
Shuishui blinked. "Teacher Li, about the person you called to look after me . . . is he not on good terms with you?"
"What do you mean?" Teacher Li did not quite understand.
"At that time, Instructor Ma kept grabbing onto me and wouldn't let me go. I just leaned against the wall because I was tired. I was also told that I could only rest if there was something wrong." She noticed that the instructor was especially strict with her. Instructor Ma had left a deep impression on her. Before she left, Instructor Ma had talked to her for an hour. However, she had forgotten what they talked about.
"Are you sure? Why didn't you tell me before?" Teacher Li was a little surprised. He quickly glanced at Shuishui and then looked ahead because he was driving.
"I just didn't. Besides, I was already finished with training. I didn't think I had to tell you. Now that I think about it, I think Instructor Ma bears a grudge against you, Teacher." Shuishui remembered that Instructor Ma had once expressed his dissatisfaction with Teacher Li.
"Your instructor is Instructor Ma? Is his full name Ma Quan?" Old Li asked.
Shuishui thought for a moment and said, "No, it's Ma Lin."
"D*mn it. Ma Quan and I are friends, and we are not on good terms with Ma Lin. No wonder they told me it was Ma Quan. That's why I sent you to the camp. I even called Ma Quan, but he didn't say that he wasn't the instructor." Old Li felt a little angry. Ma Lin resented him, and that explained why he didn't really treat Shuishui fairly. Shuishui was young, so he must have enjoyed punishing her to get back at him.
Teacher Hu looked at Old Li and said, "What are you angry about now? It's been so long, and you still haven't figured out such a small matter. Let Shuishui vent her anger. Fortunately, Shuishui is a girl. If she were a boy, Ma Lin would have gone even further."
Old Li also knew those people. Ma Lin and Ma Quan were cousins, but Ma Lin and Old Li had never really become close. Their grudges seemed to have been formed in the army. Shuishui did not really know what happened. Perhaps only the two of them knew.
Shuishui remembered how Instructor Ma glared at her. Shuishui had always been generally good-tempered, but she almost got into a fight with that instructor. Instructor Ma simply wanted her to have a difficult time at the training camp. However, she still endured it. She wouldn't be joining the military academy anyway.
When they arrived at the hotel, they walked into a private room. Jiang Yuan was already there, and he brought his secretary with him. When he saw Shuishui's teachers, he said, "Mr. Hu, Mr. Li, thank you for letting Shuishui trouble you."
Elder Hu chuckled. "It's no trouble. Besides, we like to be troubled by her."
Elder Li sat down. "Mr. Jiang, you don't have to be so polite."
Shuishui sat on the other side of the table. "Uncle Jiang, I passed the college entrance exam and did fairly well. I want to go straight to university, and I don't plan on attending my high school classes anymore. May I trouble you to go to school with me tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to deal with it?"
"What's your score?" Jiang Yuan asked. He guessed that Shuishui had taken the college entrance examination because Mr. Hu had advised her to do so.
"This year, she is the top scorer in science in the capital," Teacher Hu said.
It had been confirmed that Qian Shuishui was the top scorer. Upon hearing the news, Jiang Yuan felt very happy. Shuishui was really an amazing young lady. She had been visiting their house and had time for extra-curricular activities and such, but her grades never dropped.
"Top scorer in science? That's very impressive—Wait, you're talking about the top scorer in science? The highest score?" Jiang Yuan finally realized what the big deal was about.
Elder Hu nodded heavily. "It's confirmed. The second highest earned 711 points, while Shuishui earned 720 points, pulling away from the second place by nine points."
Jiang Yuan looked at Shuishui in shock. He stood up, walked over to Shuishui, and rubbed her head vigorously. "You child, you didn't even tell me anything about this. I am really happy. No, this dinner tonight is not enough to celebrate your achievement."