Chapter 18: Horseback Riding

As Meng Liang finished recounting his childhood history with Yu Xi, several more exclamations of wonder reached his ears.

“So he’s also really close with Zhang Xingkuo and the Sheng family? Do you know how they met?”

Meng Liang’s expression flattened as he gave a perfunctory reply: “They’re just average, I guess.”

“Hey, hey! Xiao Xi saw us!” The two blonde youths waved enthusiastically toward the other side.

Meng Liang remained standing with his arms crossed, turning his head to look at his horse.

“He’s coming over!”

Meng Liang thought to himself: If Yu Xi runs over to make nice with me, I’ll be the bigger person and overlook the fact that he didn’t recognize me at the banquet yesterday.

Pei Wang was walking over with Yu Xi, as the blonde youth and the other boy were Pei Wang’s friends. Pei Wang offered a greeting first, and Yu Xi followed suit. Having met them the other day, Yu Xi remembered they were all slightly older than him; either they had been coaxed into calling him “little brother” or he had been told to call them “brother” or “sister,” and he hadn’t forgotten.

“I just came over to say a quick hello; there are people waiting over there,” Pei Wang said.

The blonde youth hooked an arm around Pei Wang’s neck and whispered, “When did you start hanging out with that crowd? You didn’t even bring your bros along.”

Pei Wang pushed him off. “I don’t have that kind of influence. I’m just riding on Yu Xi’s coattails. Talk later. Go on, play.”

After a few brief words, Pei Wang led Yu Xi back to their original group. The blonde youth watched them leave, then suddenly remembered something.

“Hey, Meng Liang, didn’t you say you knew Xiao Xi? Why didn’t he even say a word to you just now?”

“Yeah, he completely ignored you. What’s up with that?”

“How should I know!” Meng Liang threw down his riding crop, abandoned his horse, and stomped away from the arena with a dark, furious expression.

The two blonde youths looked at each other in confusion. “Why the sudden temper?”

One shrugged. “Bizarre. Forget it, he’s always had a foul personality. If my mom didn’t want me to stay on good terms with his family, I wouldn’t bother with him. I’m going back to practice. If you want to go soothe his ego, go ahead.”

“If you’re not going, I’m not going either. I’m waiting for Xiao Xi to come out so I can ride with him.”

Yu Xi had no idea his deliberate snub had caused such a scene. When he ran back to Meng Shen’s side, he stood on his tiptoes to get closer and whispered, “Don’t worry, I didn’t acknowledge him at all. I acted like a stranger, just like yesterday.”

Meng Shen gazed at him, his voice also dropping to a low register: “Mhm.”

Zhang Xingkuo, trailing a few steps behind, walked up to Yu Xi’s other side. “Are you close with those other two? You went out of your way to say hello.”

Yu Xi explained earnestly, “Pei Wang is closer to them, but they waved at me. It’s more polite to go say hello.”

“You’re just too polite. You smile at everyone; that’s why it’s easy for people to bully you.” Zhang Xingkuo spoke with a hint of gritted teeth. He extended a forefinger and gave Yu Xi’s cheek—the one with the mole—a little grind, immediately leaving a red mark.

Yu Xi blinked uncomprehendingly. He didn’t show the slightest hint of anger at having his face poked; he just rubbed it with his own hand.

Sheng Yunjuan, walking ahead, turned her head. “Stop making excuses to put your hands on our Xiao Xi. With us watching, would they even have the guts? Just be a little cautious, that’s all.”

She directed the last sentence at Pei Wang, her usually carefree face holding a hint of warning. She didn’t care who Pei Wang befriended, but if it involved Yu Xi, that was a different story.

Meeting Yunjuan’s gaze, Pei Wang’s jaw tightened slightly. “I know them. They only hang around Meng Liang to satisfy their parents’ orders. There won’t be any problems.”

“Mhm. Better that way.” Yunjuan spoke as if it were just a passing comment. She turned back and continued her light-footed stride, pushing her sister along. “Oh, stop looking at that! We’re finally out to play; can’t you put down that manga for a bit? Once our Xiao Xi puts on his equestrian gear, he’ll look much better than anything in there.”

Sheng Yunshu, who was usually an expert at filtering out her talkative sister’s voice, didn’t hesitate this time. She closed her e-reader—which usually stayed on for sixteen hours a day—and said, “We can walk faster.”

The equestrian club had private equipment rooms reserved for them. Upon their booking, their stored gear and riding suits had been brought to the room, complete with tea and snacks.

Yu Xi was ushered into a changing room and put on the outfit Sheng Yunshu had chosen for him. It was a pure white set made of elastic, form-fitting fabric. The stand-collar, short-sleeved top featured accordion pleats at the chest—a small detail that gave the simple ensemble a touch of sophisticated elegance.

Yu Xi thought he wouldn’t be used to it, but it was comfortable. After pulling on black tall riding boots, he pushed the door open to find the others had already finished changing.

Sheng Yunjuan was the first to rush over, praising his looks and circling him several times.

“You’re going to make me dizzy,” Yu Xi laughed helplessly, pulling her to a stop. “Everyone looks good.”

Except for Meng Shen and Sheng Yunshu, who didn’t care for riding, the other three wore different styles of equestrian gear, looking sharper and more capable than usual. Since Yu Xi was a novice, he was fitted with an extra protective vest and other safety equipment.

Zhang Xingkuo, taking advantage of his height, snatched the chance to put the helmet on Yu Xi from Yunjuan. Because of the height difference, Yu Xi had to tilt his chin up quite high to cooperate.

Yu Xi’s gaze inevitably fell on Zhang Xingkuo’s open collar. A portion of his firm, well-developed chest muscles was visible, and the rest were clearly outlined beneath the elastic fabric. Seeing him shirtless the night before had already made Yu Xi realize that all his friends had grown up to be much taller and broader than him.

If I had always had enough to eat, maybe I could have a physique like that too, he thought.

“There.” Zhang Xingkuo adjusted the buckle and gave Yu Xi’s chin a playful squeeze. “Do you want to feel?”

“Huh?” Yu Xi froze. Realizing what Xingkuo meant by his half-smiling gaze, he shook his head. “No.”

“Then why are you staring? If you want to touch, would I be stingy? Do whatever you want.”

Zhang Xingkuo grabbed Yu Xi’s hand to press it against his chest, but Sheng Yunjuan intercepted them just in time.

“What are you doing! Don’t defile my Xiao Xi’s hand. Try oozing that ‘thirsty’ energy one more time and see if I don’t puke on you.” Yunjuan shielded Yu Xi, sticking her tongue out in a gagging motion.

Zhang Xingkuo’s face darkened. “Sheng. Yun. Juan!”

“He’s sick, let’s stay away from him,” Yunjuan said, pulling Yu Xi away.

Yu Xi didn’t understand how the two had started bickering, but he found it funny.

The five of them left the equipment room and went to a different outdoor arena to avoid running into Meng Liang again. Sheng Yunshu handed the reins of her horse to Yu Xi. “He’s very gentle. You can relax.”

“My sister’s horse is just like her,” Yunjuan added. “Very emotionally stable. Just a bit lazy; he doesn’t like high-intensity training. If he doesn’t want to move, he’ll sit on the ground and won’t get up no matter how you call him.”

It was Yu Xi’s first time being so close to a horse. He inspected it with curious, shining eyes. “Thank you, Yunshu.”

“No need to be polite with me,” she smiled softly. “Practice hard. A-Shen and I will sit outside and watch you, taking pictures.”

“Mhm!”

Yu Xi was understandably nervous for his first time in the saddle, but the coach Zhang Xingkuo had hired was professional and patient. The coach started by letting him bond with the horse. “It’s a process of building trust. Horses are very perceptive; your attitude determines theirs.”

Under guidance, Yu Xi slowly brought his hand near the horse’s muzzle to let it scent him. “It tickles,” he said, feeling the horse’s breath on his palm. He had just started to laugh when his palm felt a warm nudge as the horse bumped him with its nose.

“He likes you,” the coach noted.

“Maybe it’s because I smell like his owner.”

After learning about the horse and the gear, Yu Xi mounted up. The coach taught him the correct posture and how to control the reins. Sitting so high up made him feel insecure; he couldn’t relax his body and was soon covered in sweat.

The other three riders would come by occasionally to check on him and offer personal tips, but they deferred to the coach’s expertise and didn’t want to pressure him, giving him space to try it on his own.

After about an hour and a half, Yu Xi felt tired. “Can I take a break?”

“Of course.”

Yu Xi walked out of the arena to be greeted by Sheng Yunshu and Meng Shen. Meng Shen handed him water and a towel, while Yunshu helped him take off his gloves.

“Tired?”

“A little, but it’s fun.”

Yu Xi eagerly shared his experience of being on the horse. Sheng Yunshu and Meng Shen listened quietly, watching him with soft eyes.

“Xingxing is so good at riding too; he’s so fast,” Yu Xi said, his eyes fixed on Zhang Xingkuo as he cleared obstacles.

“His athletic ability was traded for his brains,” Sheng Yunshu said, pointing to her head. “That’s what Shuhuai-ge says.”

Yu Xi laughed. “Really? I think Xingxing is very smart.”

Yunshu shook her head. “He’s really stupid when he’s being a fool. Well… that’s also what Shuhuai-ge says.” Clearly, she agreed with the sentiment.

Yu Xi thought about it; such a comment was indeed in Lin Shuhuai’s style. As a child, he hadn’t spent as much time with Lin Shuhuai as the others because Shuhuai was the oldest of the group, a year older than Gu Chuanzhou. When Yu Xi was in elementary school, Shuhuai was already in junior high, balancing schoolwork and music even during breaks.

Back then, Yu Xi always had to tilt his head back to look at him, calling him “Big Brother.” Shuhuai would pull him onto his lap and play the piano for him. He was a very gentle brother, though he would occasionally share secrets with Yu Xi.

For example, that the school principal was bald and his head shone like a lightbulb on stage, making it impossible to ignore. Or that the cakes Shuhuai’s mother made tasted like cheese that had fermented in a sewer for three days and been crawled over by rats—but she couldn’t take criticism, so the one time he told the truth, he got a thorough scolding. Or that he hated studying, hated classes, hated exercise, hated music, and hated the “Prince of Music” title—that everything he said in interviews about loving music was a lie, and his true dream was to be a useless person who did nothing but eat and sleep.

Shuhuai would pour out these thoughts while playing the piano. Interestingly, he wouldn’t play romantic or beautiful pieces, but rather various creepy, dark nursery rhymes. After a piece, he would pat Yu Xi’s head with satisfaction: “You’re the best, Xiao Xi. You’re the only one who isn’t scared of these songs.”

It was true; little Yu Xi might not have had a musical bone in his body, but he wasn’t afraid of ghosts or anything intangible. In that regard, he was even stronger than Zhang Xingkuo—Shuhuai had once locked Xingkuo in the piano room and forced him to listen; Xingkuo had ended up having nightmares and a fever, which became a lifelong embarrassment for him.

Yu Xi still liked this brother very much. He asked Sheng Yunshu, “Do you know when he’s coming back?”

“Soon,” she gave a vague answer.

“I see…”

Yu Xi was about to ask more when a familiar figure appeared in his peripheral vision.

It was Gu Chuanzhou on horseback. He was riding a black horse with a long, curly mane. He wasn’t wearing standard practical equestrian gear; instead, he wore a double-breasted black tailcoat with a matching bow tie at his collar. He looked like a knight from the previous century, radiating the elegance and nobility of a British gentleman.

He was exceptionally striking.