Chapter 99 The Slap Can’t Be Avoided

Chapter 99: No Getting Out of That Slap

Qiu Heng rode ahead, with Cheng Susu chasing close behind.

From her position behind, Cheng Susu could clearly see Qiu Heng's movements as she snatched the flags—so swift, so composed.

This liar!

Fury boiled up inside her. Cheng Susu gritted her teeth and spurred her horse on desperately to catch up, yet she found herself unable to close the gap. What infuriated her even more was that the horse ahead didn't pull too far away; it remained just within sight, taunting her, making her want to kill.

A soft *thud* reached Cheng Susu's ears like a thunderclap.

Her face instantly turned deathly pale, her hands and feet turning icy cold.

In that moment of distraction, she hadn't gripped the flag firmly enough, and it had fallen to the ground.

Meanwhile, the cherry-red figure ahead pulled even farther away.

No, she absolutely could not lose!

Cheng Susu raised her hand and flung a pointed stone.

This stone had been prepared in advance.

She hadn't expected to lose, but she felt that two slaps were too light a punishment for Qiu Liu. She had been eager to see what would happen when Qiu Liu, who supposedly couldn't ride, encountered a horse startled by sudden pain.

Using it now would serve the same purpose—let everyone see how to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Winning by unfair means? Hah, Qiu Liu deceived her first; she had no one to blame.

These thoughts flashed through Cheng Susu's mind rapidly, her eyes turning cold.

Ahead on the right was the final flag. Feng Caixing excitedly shook the arms of Feng Caiyue and County Princess Jiayi. "Sister, Cousin, did you see? A Heng is about to win! A Heng—"

Her excited voice turned into a scream of terror, joined by more cries of alarm.

Just as Qiu Heng leaned sideways, reaching for that blue flag, the horse beneath her suddenly reared up, throwing her off.

"A Heng!" Ling Yun, who had been standing quietly, rushed toward Qiu Heng.

But Xue Han was even faster.

Yet, at such a distance, they were too far away to be of any help.

Everyone watched helplessly as the girl thrown from the horse somehow twisted back, clinging to the side of the horse, bouncing up and down with the panicked animal.

The perilous scene drew continuous screams, with many noble ladies covering their eyes in fear.

Though it takes long to tell, it all happened in an instant. Before the crowd's shock could subside, and before Xue Han and Ling Yun could reach her, the girl hanging precariously from the horse's side twisted her body and miraculously returned to the saddle.

After all, a stone was no throwing dart or hidden arrow. The horse, startled by the sudden pain, had now calmed down and carried the girl on its back past Xue Han, past Ling Yun, all the way to the finish line.

Qiu Heng dismounted, and soon a guard led the horse aside for a thorough inspection.

Cheng Susu followed closely behind, riding up.

Qiu Heng watched calmly as Cheng Susu dismounted, her gaze cold.

It was merely a petty quarrel among young people, but she hadn't expected Miss Cheng to be so vicious and ruthless.

"A Heng, are you all right?"

Qiu Heng was quickly surrounded by County Princess Jiayi and the others.

"I'm fine."

"Just now, it looked like you were thrown off. How did you manage to twist back like some kind of magic trick?" Feng Caixing asked, her face still pale with fear.

This was also the question on the minds of everyone who had witnessed the dangerous moment.

"My foot was still hooked in the stirrup. In the heat of the moment, I seemed much more agile than usual and somehow managed to twist back."

Feng Caiyue shook her head, her heart still pounding. "That was far too dangerous."

County Princess Jiayi held Qiu Heng's arm. "A Heng, let's not have contests like this anymore."

Xue Han's voice rang out not far away. "What happened to this horse?"

The guard who had inspected the horse replied, "No issues were found."

Hearing this, a smirk tugged at the corner of Cheng Susu's mouth.

Stones were everywhere, and with her strength, it wouldn't leave any marks on the horse. What could they possibly find?

It was just a pity that Qiu Liu had such good luck and didn't fall off the horse.

"Miss Cheng, I've come to collect my winnings," a cool, clear voice spoke up.

Cheng Susu whipped around to face Qiu Heng. "Winnings? I recall the rule was that whoever retrieves the most flags by the end wins, not whoever is fastest."

Given what had just happened, Qiu Liu's flags must have scattered all over the ground. Meanwhile, she held eight pink flags. How could Qiu Liu possibly win against her?

The girl opposite frowned deeply. "Miss Cheng, are you blind?"

"What did you say?"

"I said you must be blind. I retrieved ten flags and returned faster than you. Is there still any doubt about the outcome?"

"Ten flags? Where did you get ten flags?"

"In my hands," Qiu Heng waved the blue flags she held. "Would Miss Cheng like to count them?"

Cheng Susu instinctively began counting, and by the end, she stared at Qiu Heng as if she'd seen a ghost. "Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Qiu Heng shoved all the blue flags into Cheng Susu's hands. "Then Miss Cheng can count them again."

"This isn't right!" Cheng Susu threw the flags aside, her voice sharp and severe. "You cheated!"

She glanced around at the crowd. "Everyone saw it, didn't they? Sixth Miss Qiu nearly fell off her horse just now, and the horse was jumping around wildly. How could none of the flags in the pouch have fallen out?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd nodded in agreement.

Everything had happened too quickly. Their attention had been entirely focused on Sixth Miss Qiu's near-fall, and they hadn't noticed what happened to the flags.

But Cheng Susu had a point. With the horse jumping like that, how could none of the flags have fallen?

"A few flags did fall out, but I caught them before they hit the ground. That doesn't break the rules, does it?"

"Impossible!" Cheng Susu couldn't believe something so ridiculous. "You were about to fall off the horse! How could you have caught the flags?"

Qiu Heng smiled faintly and patiently explained, "When I was thrown off and then swung back, a few flags just flew out of the pouch, so I instinctively grabbed them."

Cheng Susu raised her eyebrows sharply. "You just snatched them all like that? Only a fool would believe that!"

"Then tell me, Miss Cheng, where did I get these ten blue flags? I recall the rules and all the necessary items for this contest were prepared by you. Could it be that I foresaw this and had identical flags hidden on me?"

Cheng Susu was stumped but refused to back down. "How could it be such a coincidence?"

"As the saying goes, 'Without coincidence, there would be no story,'" Qiu Heng's lips curved into a smile. "If this old saying still doesn't convince you, Miss Cheng, then there's only one explanation left."

"Go on," Cheng Susu clenched her fist.

She refused to believe there could be any other reasonable explanation!

Qiu Heng tilted her head slightly, with an air of innocent confidence. "Heaven favors me, that's all."

Cheng Susu trembled with anger. "You—"

"I saw it," a male voice suddenly interjected.

Everyone turned to look at the speaker and was startled.

It was the Imperial City Commissioner.

Xue Han walked over. "When I was about to stop the runaway horse to rescue Miss Qiu, I saw with my own eyes that she grabbed the flags that were flung out before she got back in the saddle."

Some of Cheng Susu's bluster faded. "Are you sure you saw correctly, Official Xue?"

Xue Han's face hardened. "Are you saying that I, Xue Han, Imperial City Commissioner, lack keen eyesight?"

Cheng Susu's expression shifted several times before she gritted her teeth. "Fine, even if you won. But you deceived us first, so this contest doesn't count!"

"I deceived you first?"

"You said you had only ridden a donkey and couldn't ride a horse."

Qiu Heng shook her head. "I never said I couldn't ride a horse."

"Those who heard it yesterday are still here. Are you lying in front of everyone now?"

"It seems Miss Cheng not only has poor eyesight but also a poor memory. Yesterday, I said I had only ridden a donkey. The County Princess and the others were reluctant to let me compete with you, saying I had never ridden a horse. Neither I nor my friends ever said I couldn't ride a horse. Think carefully, Miss Cheng. Isn't that the case?"

Upon hearing this, those present yesterday began to recall the events.

"It really does seem that way..." someone whispered softly, the remark particularly clear in the hushed anticipation of the crowd.

Cheng Susu's face turned ashen as she glared at the calm-faced girl. "Did you set me up?"

Qiu Heng sighed. "From start to finish, it was you, Miss Cheng, who forced me to agree. So, in front of all these people, let me ask you this: Did you insist on competing with me, believing I couldn't ride a horse, because you intended to deceive me from the very beginning?"

Many had come to watch the contest today, and immediately, several began asking about the details of yesterday's bet. After hearing the story, they whispered among themselves.

A few stray comments drifted into Cheng Susu's ears, making her expression even uglier.

"Will Miss Cheng honor the bet?" Qiu Heng asked loudly.

"I—" Cheng Susu's face turned pale, then flushed red, and she bit her lip hard. "Fine, this time I was careless!"

She wanted to see if this wild girl from a fallen family would dare to slap her.

No sooner had this thought crossed Cheng Susu's mind than Qiu Heng raised her hand and, without hesitation, slapped her twice.

The slaps were crisp and loud, stunning Cheng Susu and shocking the onlookers.