Chapter 173: The unexpected gift

Mu Ziyu was inexplicably nervous. 'This kind of sparring?' he thought.

He originally thought that it wouldn't be too intense, but he didn't expect to hear the loud sound of their boxing gloves as soon as the match started.

Shuishui had fallen into a defensive state from the start. She had to stabilize her rhythm. She observed Akong's movements. She tried to determine which side was Akong's weaker spot, but Shuishui was unsure how to get to it. Shuishui felt that her actual combat ability, endurance, and stamina had improved. She had learned how to foresee the direction of the opponent's punches.

Actual combat could indeed quickly improve a person's instinctive reaction in a fight.

Akong was also surprised at Shuishui's improvement. She thought that Shuishui would really suit the army.

"Little Sister, although you've improved, it's still not enough to just blindly defend yourself!" Akong increased the strength of her moves.

Shuishui hissed and kept retreating.

She really couldn't help but grimace as she was hit in the arm. It was really painful, but she also felt that she became stronger. She took a deep breath. "Damn it."

She then attacked with punches.

Akong praised Shuishui. "Not bad. Good strength!"

'Not bad, my ass,' Shuishui thought. She felt that Akong was just playing with her. Shuishui increased her speed and used up a lot of her strength.

Mu Ziyu felt his heart ache as he watched. "Teacher Li, this is too ruthless."

"Only through suffering can one improve and get better. Shuishui volunteered to fight. This is the only way for her to determine where her weaknesses lie. This will strengthen her and improve her ability to fight and defend herself. That woman, Akong, is not as ruthless as you think. She wouldn't inflict grave harm on Shuishui," Teacher Li said and assured Ziyu. Teacher Li also felt sorry for Shuishui. He didn't want to schedule another match, but Shuishui had insisted. He had to accept and face it.

He also hoped that Shuishui would put in more effort so she would have a better chance of winning the match.

Mu Ziyu really regretted seeing Shuishui in such a state. His heart started to twist. He saw that she was constantly retreating. It was a relief that she wasn't gravely injured, but she looked like she was having a hard time.

'What kind of actual battle is this? Shuishui is just being beaten up,' he thought.

However, he finally understood why Shuishui was bruised the previous week. This was the reason. However, she was really strong. She persevered and did not cry out that she was tired.

Shuishui persevered. She had been calculating and was waiting for an opportunity to strike.

When Akong was idle, Shuishui launched an attack and threw a punch.

The truth was that Akong wanted to dodge the punch, but Shuishui suddenly withdrew her left fist and threw a punch with her right fist.

Her right fist was not very strong, but the impact was stronger because she turned and swung before she threw the punch. She had punched Akong's face.

Pa!

It was a heavy blow.

Akong raised her head. She held her chin as she grimaced. "You hit me pretty hard. I said that as long as you can hurt me, then you win. You didn't have to attack that hard. You must be tired, but you didn't rest at all and continued. I didn't expect you to succeed." Akong huffed and breathed deeply.

"Coach Akong, you were suddenly behind me and you were idle, so I saw it as a chance to throw a punch. It was the only way." Shuishui did her best. She did not expect that she would be able to do it either.

At that moment, Shuishui felt that she had to dodge, so she did and immediately switched her stance.

Teacher Li clapped. "Not bad! You were able to redeem yourself at the last moment."

Shuishui cracked a smile. "I was lucky."

"That means you're strong. But I'm very curious. Why did you suddenly switch your stance and punch? Did you think about it, or was it a last-minute decision?" Akong asked.

Shuishui told the truth. "I decided at the last minute. I didn't plan it. It was really just luck."

"Not bad. You've improved a little," Akong said. Akong felt that Shuishui was very smart because she carefully thought about her moves. An enemy like her would be threatening.

"I promised you that as long as you can hit me with a punch, I will give you a gift. You will know about this gift when the time comes. Can I have your phone number?" Akong asked as she picked up her backpack and walked towards Shuishui.

Akong was still rubbing her chin. It really hurt. It was a solid punch. She would have to apply medicine, because she didn't want to be mocked and laughed at by her colleagues.

Shuishui gave Akong her phone number and watched as she left.

Teacher Li walked over to Shuishui. "Very good. You've made some progress. Now that Akong has seen and fought you, she has nothing bad to say. It's so interesting."

"What exactly is the gift that Coach Akong mentioned?" Shuishui was a little curious.

Teacher Li shook his head. "Actually, I'm not too sure what she will give you. Anyway, you can keep it when she does."

"Okay." Shuishui was very happy, even though she was the one who received more blows. She stretched parts of her body, and she felt that the pain became worse by the hour. She did not expect it hurt that bad. It was an intense match, in spite of the noontime break.

They had not stopped, and it was a long battle.

Towards the end, they started to get tired. Akong had gotten impatient with the match, so she became idle and unwittingly gave Shuishui an opportunity to punch her.

Mu Ziyu brushed Shuishui's hair aside and said, "You're sweating all over. You must be tired."

"I'm quite tired, but I'm also quite happy," Shuishui said in an excited tone. Her victor was enough to make her happy for a day.

Teacher Li looked at the two of them. "Do you want to go back by yourself, or do you need me to send you back?"

Shuishui decided not to bother Teacher Li. "I'll go with him."

Teacher Li glanced at Mu Ziyu and soon left.

Mu Ziyu helped Shuishui on their way out. When they got into the car, Mu Ziyu took a bottle of water and gave it to Shuishui. "Drink some water. It's been hard on you today. Do you often have sparring matches?"

"Not often. This was the second time. Teacher wanted to train me, so he had asked for Coach Akong's help. But she's really ruthless. I couldn't take it anymore," Shuishui said as she touched her arm. It was painful. Her thighs were much better, and she did not get hit on the face. She knew she would get bruises again. People in school would talk about it again. She had been talked about the previous week. She did not want it to happen again.

She picked up the bottle of medicinal wine and applied the medicinal wine on her arm.

Mu Ziyu stopped the car for a while. "You apply the medicine first. We'll move on when you're done."

Shuishui remembered that Anzhi and his few friends were waiting for her at home."No need. You can continue driving so that we won't get stuck in traffic later. It's only four o'clock now—just the right time to go home."

Mu Ziyu drove off. He remembered that Qian Anzhi was in Shuishui's apartment.

"Can you wipe medicine on your back?" Mu Ziyu asked gently.

"Yes, there are only a few on my back. My arm is the most painful. Akong was more ruthless this time." Shuishui did not really like Akong. She was always very heavy-handed. Shuishui's arm was more painful than before, because her bruises from the previous week still had not completely healed.

Mu Ziyu was very distressed, but there were many times when he could not fully express it. Even though they were dating, he knew that it was not easy to invade Shuishui's heart.

Shuishui applied the medicine and sat quietly, looking out the window.

When they reached the apartment, Shuishui called Qian Zhian. "We're here. You can come down now."

"Okay. Right away. I'm going to the bathroom first." Qian Anzhi quickly hung up and ran to the bathroom.

Shuishui and Mu Ziyu waited downstairs for nearly ten minutes before Qian Anzhi appeared. "I'm here."

Shuishui's voice sounded weak. "Let's go eat first."

Qian Anzhi looked at Shuishui and then at her arm. "Oh my god! What happened to you? Did you get into a fight?"

"I didn't get into a fight. How could I get into a fight? I just got injured because I had a sparring match today." Shuishui touched her arm and smiled faintly. Her face was pale. Qian Aznhi felt that something must have happened to Shuishui. "Sis, are you hiding something from me? Last week, your face was bruised. You said that you fell and got injured. What happened now?"

Shuishui was a little embarrassed. "It was really because of my sparring match. My opponent was very strong. I got beaten up. "

Qian Anzhi didn't quite understand. "What do you mean?''

"My self-defense teacher used to work in the special forces. His teachings are naturally a little harsh." Shuishui sighed. She was too weak. She sat lazily on the car seat. There was nothing she could do. After all, she had just got beaten up. The experience, however, was fulfilling for her.

Mu Ziyu asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever. I'm so hungry." Shuishui felt that she could eat a lot.

Mu Ziyu thought for a moment and then remembered a restaurant they could try,

Qian Anzhi sat in the back and started to play with his phone. Deep down, he was worried. 'Sister is studying such a dangerous thing. It's really scary,' he thought.

An image appeared in Qian Anzhi's mind. He pictured Shuishui as a muscular woman. He shook his head and brushed off the image. It was too scary to think about.

Shuishui received a message on her phone. It was from Akong. She was curious about the message and quickly opened it. "Little Sister, you're in your first year of high school now, right? I want to invite you. Next Friday, the army is holding an interesting activity. I'll come pick you up then."

Shuishui was confused. What did an activity organized by the army have to do with her?

She simply replied: "What do you mean?"

Akong quickly responded: "The gift that I promised you is naturally for you. Just wait and see. You'll see it next Friday. I think you'll like it very much." Akong did not reveal what it was exactly and still tried to be mysterious.

Shuishui did not ask any further. She could not force Akong to tell her about it.

Very quickly, she ignored the text message and leaned back. She began to enjoy the dinner to replenish the energy that she had lost.

Mu Ziyu, who sat beside Shuishui, picked out the fish bones for her and put them into her bowl.

Mu Ziyu loved watching Shuishui eat. "Eat slowly. Don't worry."

No matter how stupid Qian Anzhi was, he could still tell that Mu Ziyu treated Shuishui differently. Although Mu Ziyu was Mu Zilin's brother, there was no reason for him to treat his sister so well, right? Something was wrong. Are they dating? It didn't seem like it. The way the two of them got along was indeed strange. Could it be that Mu Ziyu was courting his sister?