Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"You really should make a proper gesture."

Guan Muyao also took out his phone and transferred 100,000 yuan (approximately $14,000) to Shen Ju.

He had initially intended to transfer more, but a warning glance from Qin Suxi stopped him from exceeding that amount.

Two dings.

A text notification confirmed the deposit of 300,000 yuan (about $42,000).

The medical expenses had cost less than 1,000 yuan.

In fact, the money Shen Ju had saved up earlier would have been more than enough.

And... if one were to show consideration for injuring someone, shouldn’t the money be given to the injured person?

Shen Ju gripped his phone, looking confusedly at Pei Yan, who was right there on the scene.

bro 996: Why continue at all now?!

It had been so excited just moments ago, saying so much, but now it felt like someone had grabbed it by the throat—left hanging uncomfortably.

"Forget it..."

But then, feeling unwilling to give up: "Alright, host, you can still flash a provocative smile at Guan Mulin."

"Oh, okay."

As it happened, Guan Mulin was right in front of him.

Shen Ju looked up and smiled at Guan Mulin.

Guan Mulin: He's smiling sweetly at me.

Is this what it's like to have a younger brother?!

Guan Mulin reached out and patted Shen Ju’s head.

bro 996: "............"

Something’s off, something’s off.

What exactly is wrong here?!

Pei Yan secretly smirked, once again confirming that the Guans could indeed hear Shen Ju and the system’s conversations. It seemed they didn’t want Shen Ju to be manipulated by the system.

But...

Considering the "mission" Shen Ju and the system had mentioned earlier—it was clear that Shen Ju and this system called bro 996 weren’t actually being forced. Instead, it seemed to be because of some required objective—so even if Shen Ju didn’t like it, he might have to act against his principles to complete it... The real reason just wasn’t clear yet.

"Come here, I’ll teach you how to mount the horse first."

But after calling Shen Ju over, Pei Yan first took the helmet from Shen Ju’s hand and put it on Shen Ju.

Guan Mulin had prepared riding attire for Shen Ju in advance—a brown top and white pants, paired with a dark brown helmet and boots. With the helmet on, Shen Ju looked like a monkey head mushroom.

The little monkey head mushroom looked up at Pei Yan, smiling ingratiatingly, and said, "Thank you."

His smile really was sweet.

Pei Yan thought.

"This is your first time riding, so you must wear a helmet. The most important rule is to never approach a horse from directly behind."

Pei Yan led Shen Ju over to Chasing Shadow, patting the horse’s neck. "Directly behind is the horse’s blind spot. It’s easy to get kicked. You should approach from the side or front."

Chasing Shadow shook its head and snorted at Pei Yan.

It was a rare fine horse—with a streamlined body, strong muscles, and abundant energy. Even if Pei Yan didn’t come, it needed to be let out daily to burn off its vigor.

Right now, Chasing Shadow was growing impatient, pawing the ground with its hooves, signaling Pei Yan to take it for a run.

Pei Yan smiled slightly and added, "Actually, for a beginner, having you ride Chasing Shadow isn't really suitable. Chasing Shadow has a fiery temperament."

bro 996: "Host! Great opportunity!"

"You can ask Brother Pei to personally take you riding. If he suggests switching horses, don't agree—"

"So I’ll take you for a ride myself."

bro 996 sputtered: "............"

Pei Yan: "After all, I promised you could ride Chasing Shadow. I can't break my promise."

bro 996 was confused.

bro 996 went silent.

bro 996 felt like everything was going wrong today.

It was like punching cotton—no impact at all.

Shen Ju comforted, "It’s okay, bro 996. We’ll try again next time. Keep at it."

bro 996: ...That wasn't very comforting!

—It seemed that this kind of spontaneous role-playing didn't result in punishment even if left unfinished.

Pei Yan thought to himself. Otherwise, after all these times, Shen Ju would have already faced plenty of penalties.

The key still was Guan Mulin.

After all, Guan Mulin was the so-called "protagonist."

And Shen Ju was merely a "cog." Whether this cog turned smoothly or not, as long as it fulfilled its function and the end result remained unchanged, it was probably within tolerable bounds.

So what exactly was the "mission" that needed to be completed regarding Guan Mulin?

Pei Yan gave a mental cold laugh.

This feeling of being propelled forward was as if fate had predetermined everything.

It was... particularly revolting.

Pei Yan taught Shen Ju the mounting technique. Once Shen Ju had the basics down, he let him try mounting the horse to experience it.

............

Shen Ju thought it was novel.

The horse was so tall; sitting on it gave a higher view, and with nothing blocking the view all around, everything was wide open.

At first, Shen Ju felt a bit scared.

But after getting on the horse and being led by Pei Yan for a few steps, he thought the view was great—a totally new experience.

So when Pei Yan looked over and asked how he felt, Shen Ju couldn't help smiling at him.

“I think I get what you mean about liking horseback riding,” Shen Ju said, laughing.

It was a smile different from all his previous ones.

His little white teeth slightly showing.

Pei Yan glanced and said, “Looks like you still don't quite get it.”

“Huh?” he said.

The next second, Pei Yan grabbed the pommel—the raised front part of the saddle, like a handle—with one hand, and in one smooth motion, before Shen Ju could react, he swung up onto the horse without using the stirrups! In an instant, he was seated behind Shen Ju, his chest pressed against Shen Ju’s back.

“Hold on tight, I’ll give you a real taste.”

Pei Yan gave a whistle.

The next moment, Chasing Shadow, as if receiving a signal, immediately took off running.

Shen Ju’s eyes went wide.

He was entirely pulled into Pei Yan’s arms, his body instinctively pressing closer against Pei Yan’s chest. His hands held the reins together with Pei Yan’s, too nervous to grip firmly, just resting them lightly. Later, as Chasing Shadow gained speed, he instinctively grabbed Pei Yan’s arm. His head, round like a little mushroom, trying to avoid blocking Pei Yan’s view, pressed against Pei Yan’s shoulder.

Through the whistling wind past his ears, Shen Ju seemed to hear Pei Yan give a soft chuckle.

“You can relax a bit; I won’t let you fall.”

“Just enjoy the ride.”

They left the small practice area and led to the open riding field.

Chasing Shadow was familiar with this track and almost immediately reached full speed.

The horse’s hooves pounded against the soft turf, and he could almost smell the earthy scent of kicked-up soil. The scenery on both sides whipped past as if someone was gradually increasing the speed. Though the bouncing sensation was still new to him, this rare experience—the thrill of racing ahead without a care—made Shen Ju start smiling.

He gradually relaxed, his eyes shining.

“How is it?” Pei Yan asked in Shen Ju’s ear.

Unexpectedly, after he asked, Shen Ju turned his head, eyes sparkling as he looked at Pei Yan, a smile still on his lips, and shouted, “Fun!”

So Pei Yan took Shen Ju around three full laps.

Worried Shen Ju’s thighs and backside couldn’t take much more, he finally slowed down and returned to the practice area.

By then, Pei Haochuan and Han Chengfeng should have warmed up and gotten ready.

But when Shen Ju and Pei Yan returned, they heard Pei Haochuan and Han Chengfeng arguing about something, with Guan Mulin also nearby.

Pei Yan dismounted first and reached out a hand to Shen Ju.

996: “Host, go check it out quickly.”

“Yeah.”

No need to say—Shen Ju also wanted to go see.

Pei Yan glanced over there, one hand supporting Shen Ju’s waist as he helped him down, and said, “I’m going to give Chasing Shadow an apple; he always wants a snack after running.”

“You can stretch your legs for now.”

Shen Ju was eager: “Okay, I’ll go see what’s happening over there.”

“Mm.”

“Host, no matter the reason, remember to take Han Chengfeng’s side—but try not to confront Pei Haochuan directly. Work on redirecting some hostility toward Guan Mulin.”

“This time we have to succeed! Think about the mission progress!”

Shen Ju grunted in response.

As he got closer, he heard that Han Chengfeng’s horse had an upset stomach and couldn’t run. Han Chengfeng wanted to change horses and demanded that Pei Haochuan do the same to keep things fair.

The two had initially chosen horses of similar level and had already gotten familiar with them. But then Han Chengfeng’s horse, maybe from overeating or something, started having diarrhea and clearly couldn’t run. All their preparation went to waste, and Han Chengfeng wasn’t happy about being the only one whose efforts were wasted.

But Pei Haochuan wasn’t pleased either—why should he?

Han Chengfeng was just unlucky; why should Pei Haochuan go along with it?

If Han Chengfeng didn’t want to compete, fine, consider it a forfeit.

Then the two started going at it, arguing.

Shen Ju understood and cut in, “Pei Haochuan, aren’t you with Guan Mulin? How come you’re the only one talking?”

Pei Haochuan shot back, “None of your business.”

“But you—I’ve been meaning to ask, even if you’re not on Mu Lin’s side, should you be hanging out with Han Chengfeng?”

Han Chengfeng protested, “What do you mean ‘shouldn’t be showing up with me’? What’s wrong with that? Don’t forget, your uncle is here with me too.”

“My uncle isn’t involved in this!”

“Shen Ju isn’t involved either!”

“That’s because he can’t ride!”

Pei Haochuan was convinced Shen Ju had bad intentions toward Guan Mulin—otherwise, why would he hang out with Han Chengfeng after knowing Han Chengfeng had said those harsh things to Guan Mulin?

And yet Guan Mulin still showed kindness to Shen Ju in this situation.

But would Shen Ju even accept it?!

And what about Auntie Qin and Brother Guan—couldn’t they see how Shen Ju treated Mu Lin?!

Pei Haochuan felt he was the only one thinking clearly.

This made him dislike Shen Ju even more.

After snapping at Han Chengfeng, he turned to Shen Ju: "What are you doing here? Just watching the show?"

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Pei Haochuan snorted sarcastically: "He is, after all, your brother in name only."

Shen Ju: "You said it—'in name only'."

Pei Haochuan’s face immediately tightened, and he couldn’t help but glance at Guan Mulin.

Sure enough, Guan Mulin was clearly upset.

Pei Haochuan immediately spoke up: "Mu Lin, I didn’t mean it like that—"

Before he could finish, a shadow abruptly loomed behind him.

Along with a horse's whinny.

A rush of air seemed to whip past his ears.

But it didn’t seem aimed at him.

From across the way, Pei Haochuan saw Guan Mulin’s pupils constrict sharply—

Han Chengfeng’s horse, which hadn’t been taken away yet, seemed to have suddenly spooked again after doing its business. It took several steps backward, paying no attention to anyone, and headed straight toward their direction. Guan Mulin happened to be standing right behind the horse. By the time he noticed, the horse suddenly lifted its powerful hind legs—

Guan Mulin couldn't react in time.

Pei Haochuan didn’t even register what was happening.

By the time he realized the danger, a figure had already sprung forward—

Author's Note:

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