The riding grounds were huge. An Juexiao let Little White take her wherever it pleased. The other horses would walk for a while, then get lazy and stop to nibble grass before moving again. Little White, however, was different. It wandered here and there without eating any grass at all, as if it were searching for something.
Suddenly, Little White raised its head and let out several excited cries. Its pace quickened, and it broke into a light trot.
Startled, An Juexiao hurriedly grabbed the saddle tightly to keep from being jolted off. She quickly pulled on the reins. “Whoa, whoa…”
But Little White did not slow down. Instead, it ran with even more enthusiasm.
The rushing wind, carrying the scent of fresh grass, brushed across An Juexiao’s cheeks, but she felt no coolness at all. Instead, she broke out in a cold sweat from fright. She did not dare yank hard on the reins, afraid she might provoke the suddenly excited Little White. If it came to an abrupt stop, she was sure she would not be able to stay seated.
Afraid of falling off, An Juexiao bent low in tension, nearly lying flat against the tall horse’s back. She was being jolted so hard that her vision blurred and even her breathing came out broken. “Help… help…”
She wanted to call the trainer for help, only to realize that, at some point, Little White had already carried her far away from the others. There was not a single person in sight.
As it ran, Little White seemed to get more worked up, snorting over and over.
Its huffing sounded alarmingly forceful.
An Juexiao had no idea what it wanted. She was filled with nothing but panic. Choking up, she said, “Little Horse Bro, Little Horse Bro, do not get excited. We can talk this out. Please stop running.”
The only answer she got was the steady clatter of hooves.
Fortunately, Little White only galloped wildly for a short stretch. After that, perhaps sensing An Juexiao’s fear, it slowed down, though it still maintained a trot.
But horses were the kind of animal that remained frightening even at a trot.
Little White carried An Juexiao over a grassy rise, and before her eyes appeared a lake the size of a football field. The water was a clear blue, shimmering with light.
An Juexiao saw several horses strolling leisurely by the lakeside, among them that curly-haired black horse. Beside it stood a tall figure, brushing its coat.
When the curly-haired black horse spotted Little White, it immediately bobbed its head up and down, swished its tail happily, and whickered. Little White also whickered excitedly in reply, then happily trotted straight over to it.
An Juexiao: “…”
So after all that, Little White had come looking for its sweetheart.
As the distance between them closed, the figure beside the curly-haired black horse became clearer and clearer. Against the golden, rippling light on the lake, he looked like an angel fallen into the mortal world.
That build, that outline, that bearing, all felt deeply familiar to An Juexiao.
Her heart suddenly began pounding hard. It could not be that much of a coincidence, could it?
Noticing someone riding over, the man turned his head slightly, his deep gaze falling quietly upon An Juexiao.
His black eyes were even gentler than the lake water. His dark hair drifted lightly in the breeze, and his handsome, upright figure perfectly embodied the phrase graceful as jade and tree-like in the wind.
Compared with Gu Zhanran’s elegant composure, An Juexiao looked far more bedraggled. Not only was her hair flying in complete disarray, but her eyes were also glistening with tears, half from fright and half from the wind.
Little White ran up beside the curly-haired black horse and affectionately rubbed against it.
An Juexiao could barely bear to look. What a shameless pair, no, not a shameless man and woman, a shameless stallion and mare. Because of this horse couple, she had nearly been scared out of her wits. Even now, her hands were still gripping the saddle tightly, her palms damp with cold sweat.
The fright from moments ago, combined with this sudden meeting, left An Juexiao’s mind in a complete muddle. For a moment, she did not even know what to do.
Then, suddenly, Gu Zhanran’s hand appeared before her with perfect gentlemanly grace. His long, well-proportioned fingers looked like a piece of exquisite art. Faintly, she could see a few thin calluses on them, proof that this was a hand maintained with great care, yet not one pampered by idle luxury.
Following the line of his fingers upward, her gaze met Gu Zhanran’s faint smile.
That slight smile soothed much of An Juexiao’s unease.
She placed her hand in his and used it as support to swing herself down from the horse. After that fright just now, her legs were still weak, so as she dismounted, her body tilted unsteadily.
An Juexiao let out an instinctive cry. “Ah!”
“Careful.”
A strong, steady hand firmly supported her back. It felt to her as though she were leaning against towering mountains, quiet and powerful. The warmth from his palm seeped through her clothes into her body, and her cheeks could not help flushing.
“Thank you.” An Juexiao steadied herself, then said, “What a coincidence, running into you here.”
“It is not a coincidence. I came to see him.” Gu Zhanran patted the curly-haired black horse on the face.
Although Little Curly Black was busy fawning over the white horse, it still gave its owner some face. In response to Gu Zhanran’s touch, it rubbed its head against him.
An Juexiao blinked, then suddenly understood. “Pfft, do not tell me you are that unlucky owner whose hair Little Curly chewed on and sprayed with fodder.”
Gu Zhanran’s hand paused for a moment, then he said lightly, “The one I praised back then was Little White. And now this fool is all over Little White, that is what you call eating your words.”
An Juexiao laughed as she watched Little Curly attentively trailing behind Little White. “So the one it originally bullied was Little White. Then now it is a proper wife guy, huh?”
As she smiled, her brows and eyes relaxed fully. Her eyes curved like crescents, sparkling like stars. Hanging in the night sky, they could light up an entire city.
Gu Zhanran looked at her steadily, feeling that when An Juexiao smiled, she was like a melted fruit candy, beneath the hard shell was a heart full of sweetness.
“Little White trotted all the way over just now. Did it scare you?” Gu Zhanran’s fingers lightly brushed across her hair, gently smoothing it for her.
The fingers moving before her eyes seemed to carry the scent of sunlight, as refreshing as the blue sky and green grass around them. Even after Gu Zhanran’s hand withdrew, An Juexiao still felt a little reluctant.
“A, a little.” Even now, just thinking about it left An Juexiao a bit shaken. Falling off a horse was no joke. She took a deep breath and said, “But Little White seemed pretty intelligent. When I clung to it for dear life just now, I felt like it slowed down a little.”
“An animal is still an animal. No matter how smart or sensitive it is, accidents can still happen. Why did you not have the trainer stay with you?”
The moment Gu Zhanran finished speaking, Little Curly snorted a gust of air at him. The smell coming from its mouth was hard to put into words. Even someone with a face as cold and composed as Gu Zhanran’s could not help changing expression.
Pretending to be annoyed, Gu Zhanran patted its head. “You stink.”
Little Curly’s wet, bright eyes shifted cleverly, and it let out a few stubborn cries.
“Haha, it is protesting you for speaking badly about it.” An Juexiao laughed. “It really is pretty smart.”
Little Curly bobbed its head up and down, then nuzzled An Juexiao in a fawning manner. She had taken a liking to this emo-looking horse at first sight. Before, she had not had the chance to get close to it, but now that it had主动地 approached her, she was overjoyed and happily stroked it for quite a while.
Horsehair was not as soft as cat or dog fur. It was even a little prickly, but it had its own unique texture.
Seeing how harmoniously and happily the girl and horse were getting along, Gu Zhanran muttered under his breath, “Little flatterer.”
An Juexiao did not hear his complaint. After she had petted it to her heart’s content, she eagerly asked, “President Gu, can I ride it?”
She looked at Gu Zhanran with wide, hopeful eyes. Between her spirited brows there was now a touch of innocence and cuteness.
Gu Zhanran quietly turned his gaze aside. “You can.”
An Juexiao cheered and eagerly walked over to Little Curly.
As expected of a champion’s descendant, Little Curly had strong, agile legs and stood a good deal taller than Little White.
“It is taller than Little White, so use more strength when you get on,” Gu Zhanran said, lightly patting An Juexiao on the back. “Use your legs and your waist.”
An Juexiao nodded. “The trainer taught me that just now.”
Full of confidence, she stepped onto the stirrup. But not until she actually did it did she truly feel just how tall Little Curly was.
An Juexiao used all her strength and pushed herself upward. Her body lifted smoothly enough, but then Little Curly moved. Thrown off balance by the motion, An Juexiao toppled sideways like a blade of grass in the wind.
Standing at one side, Gu Zhanran reacted swiftly and caught the falling An Juexiao in his arms.
The woman’s soft, sweet fragrance collided with the man’s mature, crisp scent, and in that instant, the air between them crackled with a subtle intimacy.
Watching the two stunned people, Little Curly let out a smug snort.
Author’s note:
Little Curly Black: Hiding my merit and fame deep and well. Master, remember to give me extra fodder!
President Gu says he came to see the horse, but everyone knows what is really going on.
I really think animals are incredibly perceptive. Back then, a friend’s cat would glare at you if you called it ugly, then turn its butt toward you, hahaha.