Chapter 71 Horse Farm

Chapter 71: The Horse Ranch

When the excitement at the ski resort died down, dusk had already crept up from behind the pine forest.

Xie Fengshi sat on a bench, fumbling with the straps of his ski boots, his fingers stiff from the cold. He struggled several times before Kaelen crouched in front of him, gently brushing aside his fumbling fingers, taking hold of the strap ends and pulling them loose with a soft sound. The boots came loose.

Isaac walked over from the other side, skis slung over his shoulder, the collar of his bright orange ski suit wide open, warmth rising from his neck. The boy's hair, wet with sweat and snow, clung to his skin, and this made his gray-blue eyes shine even brighter.

Isaac's competitive fire hadn't completely died out. On the surface you couldn't see sparks, but it was still smoldering inside.

Kaelen held out his hand to Xie Fengshi. "Come on. Before it gets dark, I'll take you somewhere."

Xie Fengshi placed his hand in Kaelen's. As Kaelen pulled him up, his knees still felt weak—he had skied for quite a while, and the muscles in his legs hadn't fully recovered.

Kaelen wrapped an arm around Xie Fengshi's waist, letting him lean against him for support.

Isaac had already started toward the car, but after two steps he stopped and turned back to his brother. "The horse ranch?"

Kaelen nodded.

The horse ranch was on the other side of the ski resort, just a few minutes' drive away.

Xie Fengshi sat in the passenger seat, his legs still a bit weak from the skiing. Kaelen turned up the seat heater by one notch, and Xie Fengshi settled into his seat, cozy and drowsy from the warmth.

Kaelen glanced sideways at Xie Fengshi's lazy look. "Tired?"

Xie Fengshi let out a small yawn. "Not really. Just a bit wobbly in the legs."

"That's normal for your first time skiing. You'll probably feel sore tomorrow."

Up front, the two were flirting without restraint. From the back seat came a grunt that said nothing in particular.

Isaac's hair was still half-wet, fluffed up by the car's heater, making him look like a Golden Retriever just out of a bath. "Can you two not show off all the time?"

Xie Fengshi turned his head with a grin. "Jealous?"

"What's there to be jealous about?!"

Isaac quickly turned his face toward the window. He wasn't jealous. No way. Not at all.

The car pulled up to a black wrought-iron gate, its pillars carved with horse-head motifs. The gate swung open automatically, and as they drove in, the view opened up dramatically.

The horse ranch was huge. The main building was a two-story stone house with beige walls and a thick layer of snow covering the roof. Stables extended from both sides of the house, made of red brick. Beyond that were several paddocks blanketed in snow, their white wooden fences nearly blending into the snow.

Farther still, a dark stretch of forest led into rolling snow-covered slopes, where the last sliver of orange sunset was sinking behind the snow slopes.

Kaelen parked the car in the open space in front of the main building and killed the engine.

Another car was already there—a deep blue SUV, its body still dusted with unmelted snow. Someone had arrived before them.

The three got out, a cold wind hit them.

The moment Xie Fengshi was on his feet, a clear, sharp neigh rang out from the direction of the stables, followed by the muffled thud of hooves on wooden planks.

Isaac's eyes instantly lit up, his joy spilling over without holding back. He strode quickly to the stable.

Kaelen kept an arm around Xie Fengshi's waist and followed unhurriedly.

The stable door was half-open, spilling warm yellow light and the mingled scents of hay, horse, and leather. Isaac pushed the door open. From the furthest stall came an even more urgent whinny, hooves pounding against the stall partition with a rattling clatter.

"What's all the ruckus?" Isaac grumbled, but his steps quickened.

At the far stall, he found a dark brown horse poking its head over the half-door—long neck, thick mane, and a white star on its forehead. Its large, round eyes reflected Isaac's face. It snorted, sending puffs of white breath into the cold air, its damp muzzle nuzzling against Isaac's palm.

Isaac wrapped his arms around the horse's neck and buried his face in its mane. The horse instantly calmed, swishing its tail gently, occasionally nudging Isaac's side with its nose, as if asking why it took him so long.

Xie Fengshi watched from a few steps away. The boy, with his face pressed into the horse's mane, had transformed from a cold, hard-headed person into a child so overjoyed at seeing something he loved that he forgot everything else.

"That's Zhuifeng," Kaelen said. "I gave him to Isaac on his birthday."

Xie Fengshi looked at the well-cared-for horse. Its coat shone like silk under the light, its body sturdy, its muscles flowing smoothly. From hoof to mane, every detail was flawless. "Your brother takes good care of him."

"Yeah." Kaelen led Xie Fengshi farther along. "When it comes to Zhuifeng, he never cuts corners."

The stable was long, with a dozen stalls on each side. Most were empty, but each had been cleaned thoroughly. When they reached the end, Kaelen stopped.

This stall was twice the size of the others. Inside stood a horse that was pitch black, except for a small silver-white tuft on its forehead—like a sliver of moonlight that had accidentally fallen onto black velvet. Its body was powerful, muscles rising and falling gently with each breath under its coat.

"This is Mo Ying." Kaelen opened the stall door. The black horse turned its head, revealing unusually bright eyes, its dark brown pupils nearly black in the light. Kaelen placed a hand on the bridge of the horse's nose, stroking slowly along its graceful curve, his palm pressing against the warm muzzle. "He's nine years old. When I first started at the company, the pressure was intense. Sometimes I couldn't sleep, so I'd come here and ride a couple of laps."

Xie Fengshi stood at the entrance, watching the silent bond between Kaelen and Mo Ying. The black horse rested its head on Kaelen's shoulder, its tail swishing lazily side to side.

"Do you want to ride?" Kaelen asked.

Xie Fengshi shook his head. "I don't know how to ride."

"I'll take you."

Kaelen pulled a saddle and a saddle blanket from the wall, moving with practiced ease. He spread the blanket over the horse's back and fastened the saddle. The horse didn't flinch. It even held its breath momentarily as the girth was tightened, then exhaled slowly. Kaelen then attached the reins, fitting them gently. Mo Ying remained exceptionally cooperative.

From the other end came some commotion. Isaac led his horse out of its stall. The boy had already saddled up; Zhuifeng stepped out with a lively gait, hooves clicking on the floor, occasionally flicking its tail, its mane flowing with the motion.

Seeing Kaelen also preparing a horse, Isaac asked, "You're riding too?"

"I'm taking Feng Shi for a stroll," Kaelen said, leading Mo Ying out of the stall.

"Just a stroll?" The challenge in Isaac's voice was obvious.

Kaelen pretended not to hear his brother's provocation, turning instead to Xie Fengshi. "Let me help you up first."

With that, he walked over to Xie Fengshi, wrapped one arm around his waist, and with his other hand gently lifting under his arm, he hoisted him up. Xie Fengshi's feet left the ground, his view suddenly elevated, and he was settled securely into the saddle. Mo Ying's back was broad; once seated, his legs hung naturally, his toes just brushing the stirrups.

His heartbeat quickened. Kaelen took hold of his ankle to adjust the stirrup length, then smoothed out the reins. "Just hold onto the pommel. No need to be scared."

Xie Fengshi looked down at Kaelen. From this angle, Kaelen's features seemed even more defined. He stroked Mo Ying's neck—the coat was smooth and warm, the muscles beneath firm and solid. "He's so good."

"He knows you're one of us," Kaelen said, then effortlessly swung himself up onto the horse, sitting firmly behind Xie Fengshi.

His chest pressed against Xie Fengshi's back, his long legs hugging the horse's flanks, closing the space between them. Taking the reins from Xie Fengshi, he gave them a light shake, and Mo Ying started walking, slowly making its way out of the stable.

Isaac was already mounted on Zhuifeng, waiting at the door. The boy's posture in the saddle was completely different from his usual self.

"You two are way too slow." With that, Isaac gently squeezed his legs, and Zhuifeng broke into a trot toward the paddock.

Kaelen didn't follow. He led Xie Fengshi, keeping a slow pace behind.

Mo Ying's steps were long and steady, the rise and fall of the saddle carrying a soothing rhythm. Xie Fengshi leaned back against Kaelen's chest, his head resting on Kaelen's shoulder, his breath puffing out in white clouds into the twilight.

The paddock was large, white fences stretching across the snow, enclosing several areas. On the distant snow slope, Isaac had already completed two laps on Zhuifeng. The boy's figure against the dusk was like a flowing, dark silhouette, with the horse's mane streaming in the wind.

"You're really just going for a walk?" Isaac, having finished his two laps, returned with pure disdain in his gray-blue eyes—disdain that was aimed only at his brother. The moment his gaze shifted to Xie Fengshi, it changed.

Kaelen said, "I told you, I'm taking Fengshi for a walk."

Isaac's expression flickered. "Fine, take your time. I'll do two more laps."

With that, he squeezed his legs against the horse's flanks, and Zhuifeng shot off like an arrow, kicking up a spray of snow that splattered Kaelen.

Kaelen: ...

Xie Fengshi laughed, dodging and only getting a little snow on him. "Isaac did that on purpose."

Isaac ran another lap and stopped in the distance. Zhuifeng was panting heavily. The young man straightened up on the horse's back and looked their way. Even from that far, Xie Fengshi could sense the fighting spirit burning in those gray-blue eyes.

"He still wants to race," Xie Fengshi said.

"You noticed?"

"It's written all over his face."

Kaelen let out a low chuckle. "Should I say yes?"

"Are you afraid of losing?"

"I'm not afraid of losing. I'm afraid he'll be too upset if I win."

Isaac, growing impatient in the distance, rode Zhuifeng back and stopped a few steps away from them. "What are you two talking about? What's there to talk about? Race or not?"

Kaelen raised an eyebrow. "Race."

Isaac's eyes lit up instantly. "Same rules?"

"Same rules," Kaelen said. He dismounted, helped Xie Fengshi down by the waist, then swung back onto the horse. With a squeeze of his legs, the horse's hooves churned up snow as he charged forward.

Isaac spurred Zhuifeng almost simultaneously. The two horses galloped side by side, neither giving an inch.

Xie Fengshi leaned on the railing, chin resting on his crossed arms, watching the two figures race.

Riding horses was different from skiing. Skiing was a dialogue between a person and the snow trail, a balance of skill and courage. But riding was a dance between a person and another living creature.

Xie Fengshi could see the unspoken understanding between them.

When both horses crossed the finish line at the same time, Xie Fengshi couldn't tell who came first. He only saw an explosion of snow as Moyer and Zhuifeng ran a long stretch past the line before gradually slowing down. The snow kicked up by their hooves drifted like crushed diamonds, landing on the horses and on the riders.

Kaelen sat up, his blonde hair a mess, stray strands fell over his eyes. He casually pushed it back, revealing a face lit up by the snow's reflection. His breathing was quick, but he still looked composed. The black horse's chest heaved, puffs of white breath dissipating in the cold air.

Isaac's cheeks were flushed red from the wind, his gray-blue eyes exceptionally bright, as if a lamp had been lit in his eyes. Isaac dismounted, his legs wobbling as he landed. The young man wrapped his arms around his beloved horse's neck, the two of them standing together, slowly calming in the twilight.

Kaelen led Moyer to the railing. Only when he got closer did Xie Fengshi notice his gloves were frayed at the edges, with shallow red scratches on the back of his hand. Before Xie Fengshi could speak, Kaelen leaned in, pressing his forehead to Xie Fengshi's, his breath hot against Xie Fengshi's lips.

Xie Fengshi reached up and cupped Kaelen's wind-chilled, reddened face, rubbing his thumb along the cheekbone. "What happened to your hand?"

"Nothing, just a scratch."

"Does it hurt?"

Kaelen's lips curved. He leaned down and brushed his lips against Xie Fengshi's. "It won't hurt anymore if you kiss me."

Xie Fengshi gave him a mock glare, but still pecked Kaelen's lips once, twice, three times. On the third, Kaelen didn't let him move away. His tongue slipped in and he gently sucked.

Xie Fengshi was breathless from the kiss. He pushed at Kaelen's shoulder. "You haven't said who won yet."

Kaelen pulled back a little, nuzzling Xie Fengshi's nose affectionately. "Take a guess."

Just then, Isaac walked past them, leading his horse, his face still flushed from the run. "I won."

Kaelen murmured in agreement. "You won."

Isaac's lips curled up high, a young man's undisguised pride all over his face.

Before the twilight fully faded, Kaelen took Xie Fengshi on two more laps.

The first lap was still slow and easy. The rhythm of the horse's gait nearly lulled Xie Fengshi to sleep. Kaelen let out a low laugh, gave the reins a gentle flick, and Moyer understood, shifting from a walk to a lively trot.

The change in pace changed the movement of the horse's back. Xie Fengshi suddenly snapped awake. "What are you up to?"

"Just picking up the pace a bit," Kaelen said, his voice amused.

The wind whistled in their ears. Though the wind was cold, Kaelen's body blocked most of it, leaving only the slightest chill to sneak into his collar. Xie Fengshi pressed deeper into Kaelen's embrace, letting himself be completely wrapped in his presence.

The last bit of twilight was fading. Only a thin line of orange light remained at the horizon where sky met the earth.