"Qiao Chuchu?" Ji Yanchuan walked up to Qiao Chuchu, glancing suspiciously at the waitstaff in front of her. "What are you doing?"
Qiao Chuchu, interrupted, responded indifferently, "Nothing much. Where to next?"
"How about horseback riding? I heard you love it," Ji Yanchuan said smugly. "You probably didn’t expect to have researched all your preferences, did you?"
Qiao Chuchu smiled at him. "Yeah, I didn’t."
Her smile was laced with sarcasm.
If Ji Yanchuan had dug a little deeper, he would have discovered that she was an exceptional rider.
She loved thrilling, high-speed competitions.
But to Ji Yanchuan, her smile seed different this ti.
Her eyes sparkled, and the sarcastic edge from earlier was gone.
It almost felt like she approved of him.
Ji Yanchuan stared as Qiao Chuchu brushed past him, his lips twitching upward before he quickly suppressed the smile and walked alongside her.
They were mismatched in height but dressed in similar styles, their silhouettes not clashing as they walked.
Ji Yanchuan kept sneaking glances at Qiao Chuchu, his lips curling slightly despite his efforts to stay composed.
Pei Buxian grabbed a knife from the table, ready to charge!
Pei Youchuan swiftly confiscated it. "Didn’t you hear Qiao Chuchu say that attacking Ji Yanchuan head-on would backfire?! Do you want to cause trouble for her?!"
Pei Buxian narrowed his eyes, picked up a decorative pebble from a potted plant, and hurled it at the back of Ji Yanchuan’s head!
Ji Yanchuan yelped as the pebble struck him. "Ow!"
Qiao Chuchu turned to him in surprise.
He clutched his head and looked around. "Who threw that?!"
Qiao Chuchu paused, glancing toward the corner.
The waitstaff who had been there earlier were gone.
But their faint scent lingered, mingling with the fragrance of her favorite body wash.
Qiao Chuchu thought for a mont, then looked up at the security cara.
The four n in the surveillance room t her gaze, their expressions shifting as they guiltily averted their eyes.
But realizing she couldn’t see them, they turned their attention back to the screen.
She slowly looked away, standing beneath the cara. "Are you bleeding?"
Ji Yanchuan blinked, still holding his head. "No."
She nodded. "Good."
Ji Yanchuan frowned. "Why did you ask if I was bleeding?"
Qiao Chuchu ignored him and walked off.
Ji Yanchuan followed closely behind, unable to hide his excitent. "Were you worried about , you crazy woman?"
She didn’t answer, instead glancing over her shoulder.
Soone was storming out of the corner, only to be yanked back by another person!
Qiao Chuchu: "..."
Suddenly, she felt a headache coming on.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and, once out of the cara’s range, bluntly told Ji Yanchuan, "No, I just wanted to laugh at you."
The light in Ji Yanchuan’s eyes dimd, and he gritted his teeth in frustration. "I hope you stay this arrogant in front of forever!"
Later, when the horse spooked, he’d make her scream his na in panic! Then he’d save her and show her just how amazing he was!
Qiao Chuchu could read Ji Yanchuan like an open book.
It was always the sa old routine—make her panic so he could play the hero.
She wasn’t interested, but she glanced back again.
The group was still tailing her, sneaking around.
Feeling her gaze, they quickly ducked out of sight!
Qiao Chuchu: "..."
A staff mber handed her a small white horse. "Miss Qiao, this is the gentlest horse. Please mount it."
Qiao Chuchu waved him off, walking past to select a black Arabian horse instead. "I’ll take this one."
The staff hesitated. "This horse is too fast. You might not be able to control it."
"This one," she said firmly, patting the horse’s head and shooting Ji Yanchuan a challenging look. "Ji Yanchuan, pick a good horse too. Let’s race—ten laps, first to finish wins."
Ji Yanchuan hesitated. "Uh..."
He could ride, but he wasn’t great at racing.
He glanced at the staff. "He said it’s hard to control. Falling could be fatal."
Plus, if the horse was too fast, it’d be hard to stage a heroic rescue.
Qiao Chuchu saw right through him and led the horse out. "Fine, you can ride the gentle pony. It suits you—won’t make much of a splash."
Ji Yanchuan: "?"
Without hesitation, Ji Yanchuan chose a thoroughbred. "I’ll show you what it ans to soar like an eagle on horseback!"
Qiao Chuchu mounted her horse with ease, leisurely watching him.
Pei Buxian and the others sneaked over to the edge of the track, pretending to chat with the staff. "You know it’s going to rain tomorrow?"
The confused staff mber: "Huh?"
Pei Buxian, keeping an eye on Qiao Chuchu and Ji Yanchuan, added, "Great weather today, right?"
Staff: "Huh??"
Ji Yanchuan leapt onto his horse, glaring at Qiao Chuchu. "Qiao Chuchu, let’s make a bet."
Qiao Chuchu raised an eyebrow. "What bet?"
Ji Yanchuan gripped the reins, lifting his chin proudly like a noble prince. "If I win today, you have to agree to another date with , and you can’t hit anymore."
She nodded. "Deal."
Pei Buxian: "!"
She agreed?!
She actually agreed?!
Ji Yanchuan: "!"
She agreed!
She actually agreed!!
He puffed up with confidence. "You won’t beat , Qiao Chuchu. I’ve been riding since I was a kid, and I’m a strong man. There’s no way you can outrun ."
Qiao Chuchu smirked. "It’s not like you’re running on four legs."
Ji Yanchuan: "?"
She gently urged her horse forward, lining up at the starting point.
Ji Yanchuan rode up beside her. "You haven’t said what you want if you win."
Qiao Chuchu tied her hair back, revealing her delicate face, and said simply, "If I win, you stop asking out."
Ji Yanchuan froze.
She gave him a confident smile. "If we et again, treat as an enemy. No more pestering. Use whatever ans you want against , and I’ll do the sa to you."
Ji Yanchuan was baffled, growing more confused. "Why do you insist on making us enemies?"
Qiao Chuchu: "Because you once hired n to assault ."
Ji Yanchuan: "?!"
Her smile turned dark. "I was almost violated by a group of n, and you were behind it. You covered your tracks so well that even if I tried to sue you, there’s no evidence."
She had foolishly forgotten to record the conversation earlier.
But it didn’t matter. As the chosen one favored by fate, even with evidence, she’d likely face backlash and die.
Ji Yanchuan’s face drained of color.
Twenty ters away, Pei Buxian strained to hear but couldn’t make out Qiao Chuchu’s words. He stomped his foot in frustration. "Why aren’t I a horse? Then I could be ridden by her!"
The others stayed silent, watching the confrontation from a distance.
Qiao Chuchu said sothing.
Ji Yanchuan seed to turn to stone.
He gripped the reins, shaking his head unconsciously as worry crept into his expression. "It wasn’t —"
Qiao Chuchu cut him off, uninterested in lies. "I don’t understand why you think being nice to , apologizing, or bending over backward for would make forgive you."
She gave him a mocking smile. "You’re a despicable man who deserves to rot in hell."
Ji Yanchuan’s chest heaved as he stared at her in disbelief, trying to explain. "Qiao Chuchu, I—"
Qiao Chuchu interrupted again. "Ten laps. First to finish wins. Get ready."
Ji Yanchuan frowned, his concern deepening. "If I win, will you give a chance to explain?"
"Sure," Qiao Chuchu said with a bright smile under the sun. "But only if you can win."
Ji Yanchuan’s expression hardened, as if he’d made a decision, and he signaled for the staff to start counting laps.
The whistle blew!
Ji Yanchuan shot forward!
Qiao Chuchu followed closely, watching him push ahead with a cold smile before speeding past him.
Ji Yanchuan stayed calm, his palms sweating, not daring to slack off or panic!
She grew faster, nearing the end of the first lap, even waving casually at Pei Buxian and the others.
They didn’t know what she was up to but, as if entranced, stepped forward and lined up.
Qiao Chuchu leaned sideways from her horse, approaching them in a daring and precarious manner.
They stared at her in stunned silence.
Pei Buxian stood in the center, watching as Qiao Chuchu slowly reached out—
and removed his glasses and hat!
His platinum hair cascaded down in an instant!
He panicked, quickly covering his head with his hands!
The other n were even more astonished, their eyes wide with shock and admiration as they gazed at Qiao Chuchu, their expressions filled with awe.
Qiao Chuchu, still on her horse, flashed a triumphant smile and tossed the glasses back to Pei Buxian. "I'll co back to settle the score with you after I win!"
Pei Buxian caught the glasses, his gaze fixed on Qiao Chuchu's flowing hair. His expression gradually turned dazed. "She's so cool..."
She really, really is so cool!!!
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