Lu Huaiyu looked in the direction Yu Pingchuan was pointing and then raised a brow.
Yu Pingchuan was pointing at the horse that Ning Li was riding.
The man was a VIP of the club, and since the horse caught his attention in the first place, he would not simply let someone else ride it on the track.
In other words…
“Ning Li came here with you?”
It was Yu Pingchuan’s turn to be shocked. “You know Lili?”
Judging from Lu Huaiyu’s tone, the two seemed close as well. He would not have called the girl’s name otherwise.
Lu Huaiyu nodded. “We ran into each other just now, and I was wondering who brought her here. I did not expect it to be you.”
He had thought of many possibilities but did not consider Yu Pingchuan at all.
After all, Yu Pingchuan was a national-level painter who was famous and reputable in his field, a respectable figure, to say the least. A lot of people wanted to lick his boots for a favor but were always denied. Who would have thought that the man would know Ning Li?
If Yu Pingchuan could bring Ning Li to the club, it would mean that the two of them were close as family.
Yu Pingchuan smiled. “That’s right. I have some free time today, so I thought of bringing her along.” His love for the girl was overflowing in between his lines.
Lu Huaiyu looked at the girl and chuckled. ‘This little girl knows someone this influential. That’s some connection…’
“Is she having a race with someone?” Yu Pingchuan asked. He had just gone away to answer a phone call, and a lot seemed to have happened.
Lu Huaiyu briefly explained the situation, “That girl is her classmate. They ran into each other, and she asked for tips about riding a horse.”
Gu Tinglan and Tang Ziqing heard what Lu Huaiyu said as they walked closer. Both of them were stunned for a moment.
Gu Tinglan was able to recover quickly, but Tang Ziqing had been stunned more than once today, and he had yet to recover from his astonishment. He really wanted to clap his hands out loud.
It was only a few words, but Lu Huaiyu had turned the situation around. If Cheng Xiangxiang heard what he said, the girl would erupt like a volcano.
‘This man is really…’
Yu Pingchuan nodded but was surprised. “Her eyes are quite sharp.”
The other men were surprised at his words. Judging from Yu Pingchuan’s tone, Ning Li should have outstanding riding skills. Even though it was already obvious, they were still quite surprised.
“Mr. Yu, you seem to be quite close with Ning Li. Why haven’t I heard you talk about her before?” Lu Huaiyu asked nonchalantly.
“I remember you were in Lincheng for quite some time, am I right?” Yu Pingchuan smiled.
“I have to give it to your memories,” the man admitted indirectly that he knew Ning Li back in Lincheng. Lu Huaiyu stopped asking any more questions after that.
“Hmm? Where did she get her helmet and knee guards?” Yu Pingchuan asked curiously when he spotted the extra protective gears on the girl.
Lu Huaiyu said, “They are mine.”
“You bought them?”
“No. They are my personal gear.”
Yu Pingchuan finally realized what Lu Huaiyu meant. A slight surprise later, he said, “I thought you bought them at the front.”
The club was huge, to begin with. There were racing tracks behind and a grand parlor at the front; there was also a shop specializing in horse-riding gear such as saddles, whips, and boots.
“Really? I’m not a regular here, so I’m not that familiar with all this,” Lu Huaiyu said nonchalantly.
Tang Ziqing reacted to his words in disbelief. ‘If you are not a regular here, why would we have a special rest room just for you?’
‘Why would you have custom-made gear? Are you so rich that you decided to spend money on things that you are going to throw away after one use?’
Yu Pingchuan found Lu Huaiyu’s words strange as well. Given his understanding of Lu Huaiyu, the man would never take the initiative to lend someone his belongings.
As though he sensed Yu Pingchuan’s doubts and suspicion, Lu Huaiyu explained, “It’s better to keep the girl safe.”
Yu Pingchuan nodded in realization.
Safety first, indeed.
Everything aside, Lu Huaiyu’s own protective gears were of good quality and they fit Ning Li nicely.
“Good, good protection.”
Lu Huaiyu smiled. “Mm-hmm, it’s what I should do.”
…
A while after the race started, Cheng Xiangxiang started to regret her choice. She realized that Ning Li’s skills were better than hers but not overpoweringly so.
After Ning Li seized a head start, Cheng Xiangxiang had to play catch up. She was able to shorten the distance but the track was huge and she still could not catch up or overtake Ning Li after half a lap.
Soon, the distance between the horses shortened to less than 5 meters.
Cheng Xiangxiang got excited. She accelerated and shouted at Ning Li, “Is that all you’ve got?”
Ning Li looked asquint at her. Cheng Xiangxiang did not know what her narrowed eyes meant, but it made her uncomfortable.
In the next moment, Ning Li shook her reins and her horse accelerated, so the distance between them widened again.
Cheng Xiangxiang was immensely frustrated—she was so close to overtaking Ning Li!
She tried to chase after Ning Li again. She could lose to anyone but Ning Li; she would not be able to sleep well otherwise.
In the spectators’ seat, Ye Cheng was also cheering excitedly, “Sister Xiangxiang, go, go! Overtake her!”
Cheng Xiangxiang’s years of experience allowed her to adjust her posture for another acceleration.
The distance between them shortened gradually.
She clenched her teeth. ‘I have to overtake her this time no matter what!’
However, right when she tried to overtake Ning Li from the outside track, Ning Li’s horse accelerated again.
This time, Ning Li was faster than before.
Cheng Xiangxiang was stunned. She soon realized that Ning Li had done it on purpose.
Ning Li intentionally slowed down and waited for Cheng Xiangxiang to catch up before she accelerated again to draw the distance. She repeated the taunt over and over again as if it was child’s play to her.
Cheng Xiangxiang was enraged when she realized she was being insulted. The angrier she was, the more she could not afford to lose!
She accelerated without saying anything.
However, Ning Li had the race under control. The result was in the bag before the race even started.
Ning Li purposely slowed down so that Cheng Xiangxiang could play catch up, or else the latter would never be able to get close to her.
Evidently, their skills were on both different levels.
Therefore, Cheng Xiangxiang was already panting heavily when she was just halfway through the lap. She was already fatigued. If it were just a normal sprint around the track, she would not have exhausted herself.
It was Ning Li’s taunting with her carefully controlled speed that infuriated Cheng Xiangxiang.
Cheng Xiangxiang messed up her breath after the first gibe, and she did not bother to adjust it anymore.
As the vicious cycle continued, it got worse for Cheng Xiangxiang. She was on the verge of giving up.
It was then that Ning Li slowed down and turned around to Cheng Xiangxiang for a mocking glance. “It seems like this is the best you can do.”
Her words destroyed Cheng Xiangxiang’s intention of giving up.
If she simply allowed Ning Li to insult her like this, she would not be able to face the girl in the future.
Right before she could say a word, Ning Li sprinted away. Clouds of dust were left behind in the wake of the horse’s gallops.
Mad with rage, Cheng Xiangxiang gave chase without a second thought.
This time around, Ning Li did not hold back anymore. Her explosive sprint widened the distance between the two horses.
Just when she was about to reach the finish line, she slowed down and pulled the reins. The horse stopped right in front of the finish line, so she was literally one step away from crossing it.
Then, she turned her horse around to face Cheng Xiangxiang while slightly lifting her chin and curving her lips into a grin.
She put her right hand out and beckoned Cheng Xiangxiang with her finger.
