Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Stepping outside, you could feel a different temperature. The spring sunlight was warm and gentle, softly falling on the body, cozy and pleasant.

Jiang Yicen tilted his face up to the light, inhaling the scent of green grass. The air was filled with the smells he loved, and he also loved the sight of a sea of green stretching out before him.

The three of them got into the club's golf cart, which took them to the equestrian field. By the time they arrived, quite a few people were already standing in the stables selecting horses.

The staff member in charge told them that the second race would start in half an hour, with points awarded based on their lap times. Only the top six would receive points.

Money wasn't a big deal to Nan Shuyi; he mainly wanted to see what Jiang Yicen was up to.

The first item was selecting a horse.

The riding coach led them to pick horses and asked Nan Shuyi, "Young Master Nan, do you need me to introduce them?"

Nan Shuyi wasn't in the habit of being a tour guide: "Go ahead, fill them in."

The coach knew these wealthy young masters, though he wasn't sure exactly how many generations of rich kids they were. In short, he remembered the familiar faces, like Nan Shuyi, who occasionally trended online, came to the club to ride from time to time, was tall, handsome, and loaded, gave generous tips, and didn't cause trouble. They were happy to give him VIP treatment.

The coach introduced several good horses, ranging from gentle-tempered ones to those with distinct personalities, going through each one.

Zhou Yi followed behind. He tried to avoid the horses as soon as he saw them. The fiery horses snorted at him when they saw him, and Zhou Yi even yelled right back at them, which cracked Jiang Yicen up.

The coach let Nan Shuyi pick first: "Young Master Nan, will you choose Zhuifeng today?"

But Nan Shuyi looked at Jiang Yicen: "Which one catches your eye?"

He noticed that Jiang Yicen had the same attitude toward every horse, and this attitude made the horses totally chill with him. Even the most spirited horse, named Yoyo, allowed him to gently stroke it.

Jiang Yicen was having a great time spending time with them. This was the most relaxed day he'd had since coming here, as if he were back in the old days, riding with his brothers at their own family's equestrian field.

The Jiang family's own territory was larger, and naturally they kept more horses. His eldest brother loved horses the most and would go to the field to ride whenever he had free time, personally brushing and feeding them. He was a true horse lover.

Jiang Yicen's eldest brother was eighteen years older than him and had always treated him like a son. It was his eldest brother who taught him how to ride.

His eldest brother doted on this younger brother, who had been sent to their maternal grandfather's home to recover from illness as a child. He often sent him nice food and treats. When Jiang Yicen was ten, he received a foal born from his eldest brother's two favorite horses—a treasure that even his second brother had begged for in vain.

Jiang Yicen loved that little horse very much and even gave it a nickname.

Yoyo was a thoroughbred spirited horse, very strong-willed; not everyone could ride it.

Nan Shuyi saw that Jiang Yicen had taken a liking to this one and said, "It's a retired racehorse. After its original owner passed away, its family couldn't keep it and sent it here to retire. It's always been loyal to its owner; few people can ride it. Even if someone forces it, it will buck them off."

Jiang Yicen asked Nan Shuyi, "Can you tame it?"

Nan Shuyi looked a bit proud: "I can handle it."

The coach interjected, "Among our guests, only Young Master Nan can ride Yoyo. Young Master Nan is very skilled."

Jiang Yicen arched an eyebrow. He actually liked challenging things, and Yoyo seemed quite well-behaved around him.

He made his decision: "Then I'll choose it too."

But Nan Shuyi disagreed: "There's a gentler one over there. This one is hard to tame."

Jiang Yicen stood in front of Yoyo: "I don't want to change. I feel like we have a connection. With you here, it will listen to me."

"Alright then," Nan Shuyi thought he could just keep a closer eye on him later; he didn't completely reject Jiang Yicen's choice of Yoyo.

He knew Yoyo had a strong personality and wouldn't let anyone it didn't like ride it: "Try to get on first. If it won't let you, switch to a gentler one, and I'll pick one for you."

Jiang Yicen stroked Yoyo's back as he said, "Okay."

At that moment, Alan and the others were also selecting horses, but they just glanced at Jiang Yicen from afar.

What had happened earlier wasn't honorable of him. As a friend, he hadn't stood up for Jiang Yicen but had hung back. He hadn't expected Jiang Yicen to end up in Nan Shuyi and Zhou Yi's circle.

Yunman Club was a frequent haunt for the wealthy young masters of Lincheng. Ordinary people found it hard to enter, as it required not only personal spending power but also family background. Membership couldn't be bought with money alone; it required a recommendation from an existing member.

Alan had been playing outside for a while and wasn't aware of the marriage alliance between the Jiang and Nan families. His sources had gotten surprisingly bad.

He knew Jiang Yicen was a high-profile person, but since he had married Nan Shuyi, why didn't he post about it on social media like he used to? Nan Shuyi's wedding had trended, but why wasn't Jiang Yicen's face shown? The guy who used to flex when he got a limited-edition hat on social media—why had he become like he'd fallen off the face of the earth lately?

Alan had originally looked down on Jiang Yicen, but after all, the Jiang family was still there, and he had Jiang Yiting and Jiang Yifeng above him. He wanted to get to know those two through Jiang Yicen. Jiang Yicen only held the title of a son of the Jiang family, but those two brothers also had their maternal family's support.

But who knew that this guy would turn around and marry Nan Shuyi?

Now, he had to swallow his pride and suck it up, continuing to contact someone he once looked down on.

He led his chosen horse toward Jiang Yicen and the others, acting like they were best buds.

Alan: "Daniel, let's have a good competition later and see who can get first place."

Jiang Yicen gave a cool nod: "Sure, let's see who comes out on top."

Alan stood next to Jiang Yicen, refusing to leave. He thought Jiang Yicen wouldn't ask him to leave to save face.

At that moment, Zhou Yi led a horse that looked reluctant out of the stable. It was the horse he always chose every time he came—the most docile one. But he was like kryptonite to animals; cats and dogs didn't like him. He liked them a lot, but they either avoided him or became very irritable.

Zhou Yi: "You better behave today. If you throw me off or bail on me halfway, I'll feed you the grossest steamed buns ever!"

The horse he was leading was named Tiantian, which snorted at him, looking unwilling.

Jiang Yicen reached out and stroked it, and it did a complete 180. Its big head leaned toward him, and just as it was about to touch Jiang Yicen's face, Nan Shuyi shoved its head away.

Zhou Yi muttered indignantly: "Seriously, why is it such a sellout? It's so well-behaved with you!"

Jiang Yicen: "Maybe I pet it more gently?"

Zhou Yi: "Am I not gentle enough? I didn't even touch it."

Nan Shuyi was likewise speechless about Zhou Yi's animal repellent problem. He went to pick a horse himself and had the coach lead it out.

In that short moment he wasn't paying attention, when Nan Shuyi turned around, Jiang Yicen had already mounted Yoyo. Holding the reins in one hand and a whip in the other, he took off at a gallop.

Nan Shuyi patted the horse he had chosen, Zhuoyue, stepped into the stirrup, mounted, and chased after Jiang Yicen.

Zhou Yi: "Damn, you're running so fast! Tiantian, let me get on, quick! Wait for me!"

Alan looked from one to the other and finally decided to stay where he was.

Not everyone could ride horses. Those who couldn't ride went to sit in the observation stands.

The rich young men and women who had been playing with Alan also mounted their horses and chased after them, thinking the race had started.

Jiang Yicen didn't force Yoyo to run on the track but galloped across the large lawn. Ahead was a patch of woods, and Yoyo, feeling free, ran straight into the woods.

He loved Yoyo's speed. Riding got his adrenaline pumping, blending joy

Nan Shuyi squeezed his horse's flanks and chased after him.

Zhou Yi finally managed to climb onto Sweetie's back with the coach's help, but the next thing he knew, his buddy and Jiang Yicen were gone.

Zhou Yi: "Hey, where'd they go?"

Coach: "Into the woods."

Zhou Yi grimaced: "No way, I'm not going into the woods. Following a couple into the woods? He'd be crazy to do that."

Alan and the others didn't go either; they went to the racetrack instead.

Getting bored while waiting, Zhou Yi asked Alan: "Lan Yan, how long have you known Jiang Yicen? How good is he at riding?"

Lan Yan hadn't known him that long—they only ever met at parties.

He shrugged: "Not long, maybe a year or two. I didn't know he could ride."

Zhou Yi felt like he was seeing this Fourth Master Jiang in a whole new light today: "What about boxing? You've never seen him spar?"

Lan Yan could only give an awkward smile: "No."

Zhou Yi sighed: "How come you don't know anything about him? You guys weren't that close in the States, were you?"

Lan Yan nodded: "Not really close. I'd invite him to parties sometimes, but that's about it."

Zhou Yi thought Jiang Yicen was a real mystery. The Jiang family had sent him to the US for years; he didn't have many friends back home, and few people really knew him.

Lan Yan knew that Zhou Yi and Nan Shuyi were tight—getting close to Zhou Yi was basically getting close to Nan Shuyi. Either way, he'd come out ahead. So he racked his brain for every bit of info he had on Jiang Yicen and spilled it all.

"He had a few close classmates in the US, but I think they were from a different crowd. Still, he used to hang out with them."

"So that means Jiang Yicen's degree is for real—he actually earned it himself?"

"The university he went to is easy to get into but tough to graduate from. He probably got his diploma on his own."

"That's what I figured." Zhou Yi figured that since the Jiang family was ruthless enough to send him abroad, they probably wouldn't donate a building for him. Jiang Gongming was way too stingy for that.

While Zhou Yi and Lan Yan were shooting the breeze, Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi had already ridden into the woods and taken a loop around.

Despite being a retired racehorse, Yoyo still needed a certain amount of daily exercise—otherwise the club members wouldn't pick him.

Jiang Yicen's riding form was textbook perfect. Nan Shuyi chased after him, the two horses running one behind the other, stirring up leaves and dust, adding a spark of excitement to the otherwise quiet woods.

He hadn't ridden with such abandon in a long time. The last time was four years ago, after something happened to his family—he'd not only lost the chance to ride but even sold the horse farm.

He loved the feel of the free wind and wanted to shout out loud. But when he thought of his family, a wave of grievance, reluctance, and above all, longing surged in his chest.

The wind swept across Jiang Yicen's cheeks, carrying away his tears and leaving streaks behind.

He heard the sound of another horse approaching from behind—Nan Shuyi was catching up.

Ahead lay the mountain forest. Yoyo came to a stop, and Jiang Yicen wiped his tears. He couldn't let Nan Shuyi see he'd been crying.

Sure enough, Nan Shuyi halted: "Why'd you run off like that?"

Jiang Yicen pointed at Yoyo, putting on a casual tone: "He wanted to run. Probably hasn't had a chance to stretch his legs in a while." His voice was a little choked and muffled.

Nan Shuyi knew something was up. He noticed Jiang Yicen's reddened eyes: "Why are your eyes so red?"

Jiang Yicen rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand: "Some sand got in them earlier. I'm fine now."

Nan Shuyi didn't think much of it. He asked with concern: "There's gravel in the woods—the ground isn't as smooth as the grass. How are you now? Does it still hurt? And why didn't you pull on Yoyo's reins? You let him run wild."

Yoyo snorted in protest and turned around impatiently.

Feeling a bit guilty, Jiang Yicen said: "I'm fine. Don't blame him. We can't go any further—let's head back? There's still the race later."

Nan Shuyi saw that his eyes were still very red. He pulled on his reins and moved his horse closer.

The horse he had chosen, Zhuyue, was gentle and well-tempered. Yoyo got along well with it, and when Zhuyue moved closer, Yoyo calmed down considerably.

Nan Shuyi leaned closer: "Let me take a look at your eyes."

Jiang Yicen: "I'm fine."

Maybe the wind had irritated his eyes, and he'd choked back tears, making them especially red.

At that moment, in Nan Shuyi's eyes, Jiang Yicen had rubbed his eyes until the rims were red, looking pitiful—a sight that couldn't help but stir a sense of tenderness.

Seeing Jiang Yicen wasn't cooperating, Nan Shuyi reached out and firmly cupped his chin, insisting on checking for himself before he'd feel at ease. There was something dominating about the gesture, showing a bit of his true nature.

He didn't let go and said firmly: "Stop pretending."

Jiang Yicen's body went stiff. Nan Shuyi's fingers were practically locked around his chin, making it impossible for him to move. Today, Nan Shuyi had been much closer to him than usual. They were inches apart, and he could see the deep sockets of Nan Shuyi's eyes, which were intently examining his. The two had never been this close before.

Jiang Yicen blinked. He knew the other man was showing concern.

Apart from Uncle Yuan, he hadn't received such straightforward care in a long time. He really missed his family.

But Nan Shuyi's fingers broke that train of thought. A bit annoyed, he shook his head, trying to free his chin from the vise-like grip.

He grumbled: "Nan Shuyi, you're hurting my chin."