Chapter 77: Meeting
Indeed, it did look similar.
Lu Huaiyu watched the girl climb up the horse with his abysmal gaze. From her motility alone, a single glance was all it took to know that she had previously received professional equestrian training.
Gu Tinglan looked at Lu Huaiyu. “Did you teach her that?”
The horse was tall, and it was difficult for a novice to climb up its back, but Ning Li got up easily. Given her background, she should not have had any chance to go near a horse, thus the only explanation would be Lu Huaiyu.
Lu Huaiyu slightly furrowed his brow but did not answer.
Tang Ziqing widened his eyes in shock when he heard Gu Tinglan’s question. “That girl? Second Master Lu, do you know her?”
Gu Tinglan scoffed softly. Not only did Lu Huaiyu know Ning Li, but the special treatment the girl got was also one-of-a-kind in Yunzhou, or even in the entire capital.
He then explained, “She’s Ning Li, the daughter of the Ye family, who was taken in just recently.”
Tang Ziqing did not react when he heard the name Ning Li, but when he found out about her background, he was hit with a sudden epiphany.
The Ye family?
He had heard rumors of Lu Huaiyu beating up some guy at Old Master Cheng’s birthday dinner for some girl. The girl before his eyes must be the infamous one!
Tang Ziqing had another glance at the girl, and the first thought that came into his mind was: no wonder.
Even though he was some distance away, he could see the girl’s beautiful face and slender figure. She was said to come from a poor background but judging from her looks, she had great quality.
He smiled. “I see. Well, why don’t we invite her to come over?”
Lu Huaiyu shook his head. “No.”
While Tang Ziqing felt that his reaction was strange, he saw Lu Huaiyu march forward toward the girl.
…
Cheng Xiangxiang did not expect Ning Li to agree to race.
When she saw how skilled Ning Li was in climbing up the horse, her heart skipped a beat and something told her that this was a mistake.
‘Ning Li knows how to ride a horse? Judging from her movements, she might be better than me! Her standards are comparable to those with many years of riding experience. How on earth did she—’
“What’s wrong? Scared?” Ning Li raised a brow at Cheng Xiangxiang.
Rage gushed up into Cheng Xiangxiang’s head. “Scared? Never!”
She looked at the attendant and said, “No. 15, bring me my brother’s horse.”
Although the Chengs might be rich with her being a regular at the club, she still did not have her own horse. However, Cheng Xiyue had a steed of his own in the stables, and it was a professional racing horse.
The attendant felt troubled because things were getting out of hand, but since she had commanded him so, he could not do anything but try to reason with her.
“Ms. Cheng, I’m sorry. I don’t have the right to bring the horse out. Please confirm with Master Cheng again.”
Stunned, Cheng Xiangxiang pointed at her nose and said, “Don’t you know who I am? Are you saying I can’t even ride my brother’s horse?”
The attendant was clear with the rules, so he stood his ground. “I’m so sorry. This is our policy. Anything related to the horse must have permission from the owner.”
The policy overrode everything else, especially for Cheng Xiyue’s horse.
To outsiders, Cheng Xiyue and Cheng Xiangxiang were cousins, but those who understood the Chengs’ situation better would know that Cheng Xiyue was not close to Cheng Xiangxiang at all.
At least, he had never come to the club with his so-called cousin.
Now that Cheng Xiangxiang was asking to ride her cousin’s horse, it was natural for the attendant to be nervous and cautious about it.
Cheng Xiangxiang was furious, but she dared not ask Cheng Xiyue for permission to use his horse.
On top of that, if Cheng Xiyue knew that she was having a race with Ning Li because of her ego, he would never say yes.
Ning Li glanced at her. “Why the hassle? There are a few more horses that came with this one. Just simply pick one that you like.”
“You!” Cheng Xiangxiang wanted to argue, but when she saw Ning Li’s horse, she shut up.
Since Ning Li had simply picked a new horse in the stable, Cheng Xiangxiang did not have a reason not to do the same. However, the new horses might still be untamed, and if the horses decided to run wild, things would go out of hand fast.
Ning Li said nonchalantly, “If you want to admit defeat, now is the chance.”
“Who’s admitting defeat!?” Cheng Xiangxiang was furious. She spun around and simply pointed at a horse that caught her eye. “That one!”
“Ms. Cheng, are you sure?”
“I’m sure! That one!”
The attendant went over and led the horse out of its section.
This horse was of the same breed as Ning Li’s, and its physique was highly similar. However, when the horse was brought over to her, Cheng Xiangxiang realized that it was bigger than the horse that she usually rode.
The horse dragged its hooves against the ground, appearing to be a little grumpy.
Cheng Xiangxiang felt nervous, and so were the two girls beside her.
“Xiangxiang, can you do this? These are all professional racing horses, and they are not easy to ride!”
“Yeah, do you want to…like…give up?”
They were just here to have some fun and to kill time; no one wanted anything to happen.
Ye Cheng, however, failed to realize the potential problem, so he encouraged her to give it a try, “Sister Xiangxiang! You can do it! She can never beat you!”
Because Ning Li came from a poor background, he assumed that she had never learned any riding techniques.
Cheng Xiangxiang nodded. She took a deep breath and got into the saddle, staring at Ning Li with a scoff.
“Hmph! She isn’t even in full gear yet she wants to race against me?”
“Don’t worry. I’m winning today!” Ning Li had one last glance at Cheng Xiangxiang before she squeezed the horse with her thighs and rode off to the field.
The field had tracks drawn out for racing.
Cheng Xiangxiang frowned, intending to give chase, but the horse did not want to budge from the stables. It kept going around in circles on the spot.
She pulled the reins and squeezed her legs tightly before she managed to get it to move.
The others went after her and settled down at the spectators’ seat.
…
Ning Li was riding forward when she felt a gaze scrutinizing her. With widened eyes, she saw a handsome towering figure walking toward her.
‘Lu Huaiyu? Why is he here?’
Behind him were Gu Tinglan and another unfamiliar man.
The moment Ning Li saw Gu Tinglan, she finally remembered the familiar figure she had seen when she came in with Yu Pingchuan earlier.
The figure she saw earlier was indeed Gu Tinglan. The man beside him should be the owner of the club, Tang Ziqing.
It was not surprising to see Gu Tinglan here. The Gu family had a private horse club at Gangcheng as well, and it was one of the biggest in the country.
It was no surprise to see Lu Huaiyu in the club as well because he was good at riding.
However, the two of them appearing at the same time seemed strange.
She was in deep thought and she did not realize the blank look on her face. She looked like she was fascinated by Gu Tinglan.
Consequently, Lu Huaiyu frowned slightly. Tang Ziqing had a feeling that the atmosphere suddenly felt colder while Gu Tinglan smiled awkwardly and slowed down.
Lu Huaiyu walked to Ning Li and she looked him in the eyes.
This was the first meeting between them ever since she left him in his drunken state.
She stared into those deep eyes of his and could not help but think of the scene that had happened the other day.
Her grip on the reins then tightened.