Location: Capital City, Racetrack.
A gentle spring breeze swayed the willow branches. The waiting playboys were rapidly losing their patience, their faces darkening with annoyance.
“What’s going on? Is she actually coming or not? We agreed on a time, and it’s well past it. She’s not going to flake on us, is she?”
The “Four Young Masters of the Xiushui City” mounted on their horses exchanged glances. They were the ones who had sent the invitation, and Su Yu had explicitly agreed to come. The one fluttering a folding fan stepped up to calm the crowd: “Let’s give her another quarter-hour. If she’s still not here, we’ll start without her.”
With a firm deadline set, the others kept their complaints to themselves. Besides, a day at the racetrack was never quite as exhilarating without Su Yu around.
To pass the time, the crowd began chattering, and men gossiping turned out to be quite a raucous affair. They rattled on about the recent talk of the town, which, as chance would have it, centered around Su Yu.
Even idle playboys had their unspoken rules. No matter how wild or unreasonable a rich young lord might be, there was always someone he feared. Before flying off the handle, anyone with a lick of sense kept a clear mental ledger of who could be crossed and who could not.
The highest-ranking official in the Xiushui City resided at the General’s Manor—General Ning, an official of the Second Rank. Anyone with half an eye knew how to act when encountering someone from the General’s Manor: even in a disagreement, yield where possible and keep the peace.
Yet Ning Zhou had been injured—so severely that he wouldn’t be getting out of bed for at least three months.
The one who had broken into the General’s Manor in the dead of night and battered the General’s legitimate son was none other than Su Yu. Absurdly enough, the cause of this life-and-death clash between friends was a mere cat.
When it came to Su Yu, she was a prodigal daughter capable of squandering a vast fortune without batting an eye—the kind who could make her ancestors roll in their graves. Place a gold or silver cat right in front of her, and she’d hardly deign to give it a second look.
What kind of cat could possibly warrant her drawing her scimitar against her good friend, Ning Zhou? Opinions varied wildly.
After this incident, everyone gained a crystal-clear understanding of Su Yu’s fiery, impulsive temper. A barefoot person fears no one wearing shoes, and when Su Yu went wild, she wouldn’t hesitate to beat up her own people.
Naturally, there were those in the crowd who despised Su Yu’s arrogant and unbridled behavior. A youth clad in white sneered coldly:
“Without Young Lady Ning backing her, where would Su Yu get off putting on such airs? She’s simply riding on the coattails of the General’s Manor. Now look at what happened. I only hope Brother Zhou recovers quickly and realizes that someone as erratic and ruthless as Su Yu isn’t worth befriending.”
As soon as these words left his mouth, the surrounding atmosphere froze.
To have a self-righteous, pretentious scholar pop up in a crowd of playboys made one of the Four Masters twist his lips into a disdainful smirk: “Why do those words sound so foul? Who are you calling out with that round-about insult? Come on, let this young master have a good look at what kind of grand figure you are!”
He nudged his horse forward a couple of steps, feigning a careful look before letting out a sharp gasp of mock surprise:
“Well, if it isn’t Virtuous Brother Yun Que! Instead of studying hard at the academy, what brings you here? You ought to know that when a wild horse goes crazy, it won’t care how many classic verses you’ve stuffed into your belly.”
The soft dagger of sarcasm hit its mark, and the surrounding playboys burst into laughter right on cue.
The youth turned his head away in disgust. “My elder brother asked me to come.”
The implicit meaning was clear: were it not for his brother’s warm invitation, he would be ashamed to associate with a bunch of idle degenerates.
Several playboys clad in matching racing attire were genuinely amused by his sheer audacity: Has he truly studied himself foolish? Offending dozens of people with a single sentence.
Playboys only ever recognized two groups: insiders and outsiders. Setting aside internal squabbles, no matter how much of a fuss Su Yu kicked up, she was still a famous figure among the Xiushui City youth, firmly in their camp.
Since she was one of their own, how could they tolerate an outsider pointing fingers? If Yun Que looked down on Su Yu today, he’d be sipping tea and talking trash about the rest of them tomorrow.
Besides, what did they, as playboys, ever do to anyone? The world was vast, and everyone had their own way of living; forcing everyone onto the same rigid path was just unreasonable. If he didn’t like it, couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut?
The way they viewed their own was not unlike a mother-in-law eyeing a prospective son-in-law—the more they looked, the better it got. Su Yu was exceptional; she never disdained them for dragging her down on the field, and she shared her knowledge unreservedly whenever they asked for advice in private.
Her only drawback was her gender. Because she was a woman, they couldn’t throw their arms around her shoulders and go to the “Heavenly Baths” for a scrub and a soak together. Moreover, she was a rose with sharp thorns—beautiful, but prickly.
Seeing one of their own dragged through the mud, the playboys exchanged sly smirks, already plotting how to teach this naive, arrogant youth a lesson on the racetrack later.
Just then, Yun Yi rode over from the other side. “Look, everyone! See who I brought along.”
“Oh? Isn’t that Young Lady Ning?”
Yun Que instantly lost his previous arrogance. Flustered, he stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and cupped his hands: “Greetings, Sister Ning.”
Ning Xi, holding a riding crop and dressed in sleek, tight-fitting riding attire, arrived neither too early nor too late. She had overheard half of the conversation from afar and understood their attitudes completely. She adored Su Yu and detested hearing anyone speak ill of her. Consequently, she didn’t even bother to grant the youth a direct look.
Having his polite attempt at familiarity brutally ignored, Yun Que stood there with a sullen, embarrassed expression while the onlookers gloated. Suppressing the obsessive affection in his eyes, he quietly retreated to his brother’s side.
“Where is Ayu? Didn’t you say she was coming?” Ning Xi asked.
Just as Yun Yi opened his mouth to explain, the Four Masters shouted in unison: “She’s here!”
A striking woman clad in a vibrant crimson robe came riding swiftly on the wind. Ning Xi’s eyes brightened instantly, unable to contain her joy.
The rider approached rapidly, the scene growing clearer by the second. But as soon as Ning Xi saw that Su Yu was holding a young girl in her embrace, the veins on the back of her hand bulged tight against her whip.
The surrounding temperature plummeted, a chilling breeze creeping up everyone’s spines. The playboys shivered involuntarily, and when they noticed the small girl on the horse with a band of white gauze tied over her eyes, they secretly cried out in dismay.
What on earth did Su Yu mean by bringing this little girl to the racetrack? And for Young Lady Ning to catch her right in the act, today is going to be anything but fun.
As for staying to watch the drama unfold?
What a joke. Was Su Yu’s drama really that safe to watch? Besides, Young Lady Ning was no walk in the park either.
Reining in her horse before the crowd, Su Yu skipped the pleasantries, turning around to gently lift the girl down to the ground.
Seeing her tender attentiveness, the playboys’ eyes widened one by one until they were practically bulging. The sun must have risen from the west! Is Su Zibi, who has always been obsessed with play and pleasure, finally succumbing to female charms?
Looking closer, the girl was indeed worthy of Su Yu’s favor—it was no loss to fall for someone like her.
Ning Xi’s expression turned complex. Ayu had just broken into the General’s Manor at night and severely injured her younger brother for the sake of this blind girl. Now, she actually dared to bring her to the racetrack! Was she trying to provoke her? Or was Ayu deliberately trying to spite her?
“What are you all staring at?” Su Yu casually draped a protective arm around the young girl’s slender waist, her gaze sharp and unwelcoming.
Under her fierce glare, the playboys pulled their shoulders back and hurriedly retracted their gazes. This was a person who dared to beat up Ning Zhou; beating them up would be child’s play. Nobody wanted a beating—was horse racing not exciting enough?
The Four Masters subtly exchanged glances out of the corners of their eyes, casting nervous looks toward Young Lady Ning. They could only hope the fun wasn’t ruined, and that the two female overlords wouldn’t end up tearing the place down and turning them into collateral damage.
Young Lady Ning had always been careful to maintain her image in public. She offered Su Yu a gentle nod and a faint smile: “Ayu seems to be in high spirits.”
Su Yu had good eyesight and had spotted her early on. She ignored her simply because she still felt uncomfortable inside. She detested Ning Xi’s tendency to treat her as personal property, and she hated how Ning Xi persisted in her ways even after explicit warnings.
Beating up Ning Zhou was merely a stern warning born out of anger. If Ning Xi were smart, she ought to know better than to cross the line again.
Su Yu merely let out a casual grunt in response. No matter how much Ning Xi doted on her, she maintained her graceful composure even after being snubbed in public.
Not expecting the young girl to follow, Ning Xi detached a jade pendant from her waist and offered it as a peace offering: “A-Zhou was reckless. I apologize to you on his behalf.”
The jade was thrust into Lingmiao’s palm with an unyielding firmness that felt uncomfortable.
Knowing that Lingmiao turned timid as a mouse whenever she encountered Ning Xi—despite being a thoroughly sweet, timid little cat herself—Su Yu was amused by the thought. She gently reminded her: “If you don’t want to accept it, you can return it.”
“She should apologize.” Lingmiao lifted her small, stubborn face. “I will accept the jade pendant. However, let there not be a next time.”
Her tone was overly solemn, carrying a faint hint of admonition if one listened closely. Ning Xi swallowed her annoyance for the moment, but Yun Que, standing by his brother’s side, could not contain himself.
He sneered cold-heartedly: “A mere blind girl dares to act so brazenly toward Sister Ning?”
“Fourth Brother, mind your manners!” Fearing Su Yu’s wrath, Yun Yi intentionally stepped in front of his foolish younger brother.
The youth refused to back down: “Third Brother, you heard her just now! It was this little girl who was rude to Sister Ning first!”
Though she could not see the people around her or their subtle, assessing looks, the vulnerable girl refused to let her fiancée lose face. Clasping Su Yu’s little finger, she squared her shoulders, raised her head, and said with quiet dignity: “You are mistaken. It was Ning Xi who acted brazenly toward me first.”
“A sincere apology needs to be made only once.” Ning Xi looked toward Su Yu, who had remained silent the entire time, and smiled with effortless calm. “I have always been brazen. But for Ayu’s sake, I am willing to change.”
The young girl, who had yet to learn the ways of jealousy, knew when to yield gracefully after making her point, choosing to remain quiet.
Young Lady Ning, possessed of formidable combat strength, felt as though her powerful punch had landed on a ball of cotton. Unbothered and unhurt, the girl simply linked her arm through Su Yu’s with a sweet smile, causing a surge of bitter jealousy to churn within Ning Xi’s heart.
The onlookers, well-versed in the subtle power struggles of noble households, watched the young girl preoccupied with playing with Su Yu’s fingers, almost bursting into laughter. Where did this little sweetheart come from? Does she not realize that Young Lady Ning across from her is ready to tear her apart?
“Alright, are we going to race or not?” Su Yu closed her fingers, gently putting an end to the girl’s idle distraction.
A major reason she disliked hanging around Ning Xi was that Ning Xi always managed to ruin the mood single-handedly. How could anyone enjoy themselves without the right mood? Over time, she had preferred hanging out with Ning Zhou instead.
Young Lady Ning was well aware of this, so she refrained from saying anything further and mounted her horse alongside the others.
“Ayu, bringing Miss Xue along, can you still win?”
“No need for you to worry, A-Xi.” Su Yu’s voice was cool and indifferent. She turned her full attention back to the girl in her arms, reassuring her softly: “It’s just a horse race. Don’t be afraid, I’ll hold you tight. With me here, you won’t fall.”
“I trust you, Ayu.”
The girl felt curiosity toward the unknown, but also fear. Facing it alone would surely leave her pale with fright, but embarking on an adventure with Ayu was fine—even if they fell, it didn’t matter. She knew there would be someone there to pull her back up.
Not just for this race, but on the long journey of life ahead, they would support each other. If she were afraid now, what would she do in the future?
With everything ready, the young faces on the racetrack radiated the brightest competitive spirit of their youth. The young girl bowed her head timidly, relaxing into her fiancée’s warm embrace.
Just before the official gave the starting signal, she whispered gently: “Ayu, charge forward with all you’ve got.”