Chapter 81: Am I Not Kind To You?
Ning Li did not want to answer the question. In fact, she wanted to run away if she could.
She did not expect Gu Tinglan’s unexpected question, and it made the atmosphere thick with tension and awkwardness.
A slight pause later, she said, “Thank you, Master Gu, but no thanks.”
The horse itself was expensive and was not something one could give away like candy. Moreover, Gu Tinglan had gone through a lot to get the horse from another country.
Gu Tinglan found it unfortunate that Ning Li and Yu Pingchuan rejected his present firmly. “Okay, then. But if you have the time, do visit us in Gangcheng, Mr. Yu. You can watch it race, and I’ll be sure to accompany you the whole trip with utmost hospitality..”
Gu Tinglan might have grown up abroad, but the Gus owned a lot of properties in Gangcheng. As a result, in the entire Gangcheng, the man was as good and influential as a local.
Ning Li considered the offer seriously.
However, Lu Huaiyu said, “I remember that the race in Gangcheng is held in March every year. Lili is in her third year of high school this year, so I don’t think she will be able to make it to the race next March.”
Gu Tinglan did not seem to mind Lu Huaiyu’s rejection. “There’s one more race in August. She can visit us then.”
Lu Huaiyu went silent.
Tang Ziqing held his breath nervously, itching to leave right away.
If he had known that Gu Tinglan called Lu Huaiyu out today just to tell the man all those strange things, he would never have agreed to accompany him.
Abruptly, Ning Li broke the awkward silence. “Thank you for your invitation, Master Gu. If we have the time, we’ll be sure to visit.”
She had to show some respect for the kind invitation, after all.
Lu Huaiyu frowned slightly.
Gu Tinglan nodded with a smile. “It’s a deal.’
…
Su Yuan waited for Ye Cheng in the parlor, but the boy had been gone for a long time. Her patience was wearing thin. She thought that the boy was being mischievous and wanted to skip equestrian class.
After some consideration, she decided to go and look for him.
The moment she walked out of the parlor, she saw a few people heading towards her.
It was Cheng Xiangxiang and her friends. Ye Cheng was also there, but the boy looked dispirited like a deflated basketball. The excitement and joy he showed earlier were gone.
Su Yuan wanted to ask the reason why, but she soon noticed that Cheng Xiangxiang was not in the mood as well.
Worried, she walked over, and the two girls told her what had happened earlier.
“Ning Li is here as well?” Su Yuan was astonished. “What’s she doing here?”
Ye Cheng pouted. “I don’t know, but even that Lu dude is here.”
Su Yuan knew that she was referring to Lu Huaiyu. It was not surprising to see Lu Huaiyu in the club, but why would he bring Ning Li along?
Moreover,…
“She knows how to ride a horse, and even defeated Xiangxiang in a race?”
It sounded even more outrageous.
Everyone knew Ning Li’s background before she came to the Ye family, so where and when did she learn how to ride a horse?
…
“Are you talking about her riding skills?”
“I have a friend who runs a horse club at Lincheng, and Lili would visit from time to time. Gradually, she learned how to ride and mastered the techniques,” Yu Pingchuan explained as he paced.
He walked into the parlor with Lu Huaiyu, and the two of them sat down opposite each other.
Tang Ziqing had gone off to handle some private matters whereas Gu Tinglan was checking on his horse. In the meantime, Ning Li went to the bar to get a drink.
As Lu Huaiyu took a glance at the bar, Yu Pingchuan decided to answer honestly since his companion was curious.
“I see. She’s a smart girl.”
Yu Pingchuan was happy to hear praises being sung about Ning Li. “Isn’t she?! She learns very quickly!”
Lu Huaiyu was in deep thought. A moment later, he marched to the bar as well.
Ning Li was waiting for Lu Huaiyu’s coffee when she heard footsteps behind her. She spun around.
Lu Huaiyu said, “I didn’t know you were this close to Mr. Yu.”
“Mm-hmm. Mr. Yu is very kind to me.”
Ning Li did not want to delve into the topic, but since she ran into Lu Huaiyu here, there was no reason for her to hide it anymore.
The attendant then brought the cup of coffee over.
“Sir, your coffee.”
Ning Li ordered a glass of lemon water. She also told the attendant to serve Yu Pingchuan a glass of water.
While the aromatic fragrance of the coffee permeated the air, Lu Huaiyu took a sip and asked nonchalantly, “So, are you saying I am unkind to you?”
Ning Li was speechless.
He then quickly shifted the topic.
“Did you know Gu Tinglan before this?”
Ning Li simply shook her head. “No. The first time I saw him was at Old Master Cheng’s birthday dinner.”
Lu Huaiyu rubbed the edge of the coffee cup softly with his finger. “So, he’s like a stranger to you, right?”
Ning Li took a sip of her lemon water to calm herself down.
The man had always sounded laidback with a hint of arrogance, but his words were not to be disputed.
He then said, “If someone you are not familiar with wanted to invite you to some event, you can always say no if you don’t want to go.”
Ning Li knew what he was trying to imply. From an outsider’s point of view, she had only met Gu Tinglan a few times and they were by no means close.
Lu Huaiyu seemed to think that she only accepted the offer because she was too shy to reject it.
Ning Li shook her head. “No, I actually wanted to go.”
Lu Huaiyu turned to her and propped his elbow on the counter.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I think he’s quite a nice guy.”
Lu Huaiyu took a sip of coffee. His nonchalant look remained as he answered, “Is that so.”
…
Gu Tinglan let out a sneeze in the middle of checking on his horse at the stables.
Annoyed, he sniffed and scratched his nose. Someone must be gossiping about him behind his back.
“Are you hiding here because you don’t want to go back?”
Tang Ziqing came down to the stables after settling his own business. He scoffed and mocked Gu Tinglan when he found the man there, “Why must you step on the tiger’s tail? Are you trying to make him mad?”
Tang Ziqing finally experienced Lu Huaiyu’s overprotection first-hand and found it astounding.
Nevertheless, Gu Tinglan had basically asked for it when he tried to reach out to Lu Huaiyu’s ‘food’.
Gu Tinglan smiled. He had done it because, first of all, he wanted to find out more about Lu Huaiyu’s condition.
Second of all,…
“No, I actually thought Ning Li and I clicked quite well back there.”
…
Ning Li stole a glance at Lu Huaiyu. She actually had limited meetings with Gu Tinglan, even in her past life, but she trusted the man with her heart because he had saved Lu Huaiyu’s life before.