The little girl was here for a horse racing competition after all. It seemed the fight from yesterday had no effect on her whatsoever. The craziness in her bones was unstoppable.
Jiang Xiaoxiao didn’t care about Fang Yu’s surprised and astonished looks, taking the lead and walking with her head held high towards the inside.
Before long, rows of fine horses appeared ahead, with groups of handsome men and beautiful women chatting by their steeds.
The horses varied in color; black, white, and brown, all on standby. Dandy lads in riding boots were animatedly boasting to the ladies in front of them about their glorious feats.
"Riding is such an elegant sport. Back when I started, I just looked and learned how to ride instantly. Among my peers, only a few could outride me. It’s way more thrilling than driving, and good horses are hard to come by nowadays—like this Black Rose, my personal exclusive, which my dad had someone buy from abroad. Unlike the second-rate horses you all got from the stable." A young man in a blue riding vest spoke with pride, continually stroking the mane of the black horse beside him.
"Zhou Chao, keep boasting. My horse here is the real deal. It may come from the stable, but it’s strong and sturdy. It’s not just about looks; it’s about speed," another young man retorted, unconvinced.
Across from them, two girls showed envious glances as they looked at the horses in their hands, somewhat disdainful.
Apart from this group, some young men and women were standing nearby, seemingly plotting something.
"Brother-in-law, do you see that guy with the black horse?" Jiang Xiaoxiao pointed at Zhou Chao from a distance.
"Mm, he seems wealthy and rather arrogant. He quite reminds me of my younger self," Fang Yu commented.
"Brother-in-law, I’m serious... Later, you have to pretend to be my boyfriend," said Jiang Xiaoxiao.
"What?" Fang Yu was startled, "Pretend to be your boyfriend?"
"Yeah, I can’t stand Zhou Chao."
Looking at the bragging Zhou Chao, Fang Yu pondered for a moment, seemingly guessing something, then smiled and said, "Understood."
The two headed towards the stable.
The Tian Lan Stable was extremely spacious. It took quite a while before they reached the stable area.
"This horse is good; I’ll take this one." Fang Yu had barely arrived when he saw a horse lying on the ground, grazing, looking forlorn.
"Brother-in-law, although you’re skilled in martial arts, you really have no talent for choosing horses. You should pick one that’s tall and strong so it can really run. Look at this one I’ve found..." Jiang Xiaoxiao walked up to a tall white horse, touching its forehead.
Fang Yu just smiled faintly, saying nothing.
A staff member walked up and said with a smile, "Please head to the track to get ready. Once we’ve registered here, we’ll lead the horses over."
"Mm."
The two made their way toward the track, where the cluster of handsome men and beautiful women had gathered.
Two hundred meters from their destination, Jiang Xiaoxiao stopped and said to Fang Yu, "Brother-in-law, hold my hand."
"Isn’t it you who should be holding me?" Fang Yu asked.
"It’s all the same. Anyway, you’re pretending to be my boyfriend."
After all, she was a young girl with no romantic experience. She took Fang Yu’s hand and locked wrists.
At that moment, a rich second-generation young man, Zhou Chao, who was leading a black steed, turned his head to look over. When he saw Jiang Xiaoxiao with a rustic, mature fellow by her side, his facial expression became rich and colorful.
Zhou Chao secretly thought, Who is this man?
According to Xiaoxiao’s taste, he shouldn’t be her boyfriend...
But at that moment...
"Wrap your arm around my waist," Jiang Xiaoxiao whispered to Fang Yu.
"Oh."
Fang Yu considered himself a normal man. Faced with such a petite girl, although he felt compassion, he had no perverted thoughts of intrusion. In his mature eyes, Qingqing was nothing more than an unripe child. He hesitated slightly at Qingqing’s invitation.
Zhou Chao’s mouth began to drop open, his pupils dilating.
"Brother-in-law, kiss me quickly," Jiang Xiaoxiao further demanded.
"What?" Fang Yu hesitated, embarrassed.
Jiang Xiaoxiao tugged firmly, signaling him to hurry.
So Fang Yu leaned in...
Pop!
Fang Yu kissed Jiang Xiaoxiao’s red lips... At that moment, Fang Yu swore to heaven that there wasn’t a single improper thought, it was all in the spirit of helping, and if he lied even in the least, may thunder strike him down.
Jiang Xiaoxiao’s face turned red.
Whimpering... there went her first kiss. Jiang Xiaoxiao’s heart bled, but it couldn’t be helped. To cut off Zhou Chao’s ideas, she had to play hard.
They went all-in on their act, and it worked surprisingly well.
Zhou Chao clenched his teeth in irritation.
Isn’t this a boyfriend then?
Jiang Xiaoxiao, oh Jiang Xiaoxiao, I’ve pursued you, and you were unwilling, so you found this trash instead? How ruthless!
The gaze of the enraged Zhou Chao turned fiery as he threw down the reins and approached.
"Xiaoxiao, you’re late. Who is this young master? Aren’t you going to introduce us?"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the good-looking men and women behind him turned their eyes.
With a smile, Jiang Xiaoxiao said, "This is the person I mentioned to you before... my boyfriend, Fang Yu."
"Fang Yu?" Zhou Chao directed his searing gaze at Fang Yu—dressed in the poorest of tastes, with a weak hairstyle, and the key point, slightly worn shoes... Hehe, this guy is the boyfriend of Jiang Xiaoxiao?
"May I inquire, brother, what is your esteemed occupation?" Zhou Chao asked Fang Yu.
Fang Yu casually replied with hands clasped, "I dare not deem myself distinguished, just working for others, nothing noteworthy."
"I bet, by your outfit, you must be a doctor..." Zhou Chao started to mock, immediately provoking laughter from the crowd behind him.
"——"
This guy, such a sharp eye, can tell I’m a doctor even out of uniform? That’s unscientific.
"Appearances can be misleading. My boyfriend Fang Yu is quite capable. Aren’t we having a horse race today? Bet you don’t have the guts to wager," Jiang Xiaoxiao retorted angrily.
Zhou Chao laughed, "Of course, we’ll wager. The stable manager will be here soon... Have you chosen your horse? I’m afraid my Black Rose will scare all your horses into wetting themselves."
"We’ve chosen. Anyone can talk a big game, but riding takes real skill," Jiang Xiaoxiao clamored.
After a short while, the staff led two horses over.
One red, one white.
The white one was tall and majestic.
The red one, frail and short.
When the staff handed the shabby red horse to Fang Yu, Zhou Chao and his friends paused for a moment, then burst into a great guffaw.
"Ah, I can’t... Uncle, this is your horse? I must say, this horse is championship material! Hahaha..."
"Hahahaha..."
Another round of roaring laughter filled the room.
The source of the mockery was the lackluster horse Fang Yu had chosen, which indeed appeared frail and unimpressive.