Chapter 8

"You young girls only know how to go shopping, how would you understand equestrianism, a noble sport?"

Coach Wang arrogantly raised his head, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, played with it for a while as if showing it off, and then slowly took out one and lit it.

As the crisp sound of the lighter rang out, the unpleasant smell of cigarette oil immediately filled the air.

Coach Wang took a deep breath and provocatively exhaled a cloud of white mist at Zhu Yu: "The most taboo thing for upper-class people is using things that others have used. If you wear it and then don't buy it, then we'll be stuck with this set of protective gear."

"How much?"

"The helmet is 1888, and the rest of the set will be 20% off, making it 5888 in total."

There's no limit to how ridiculous this can get; Zhu Yu squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

"Okay." Zhu Yu didn't hesitate for long after hearing this. "Give me the payment code."

She can only report it once the deal is done and she leaves.

Seemingly surprised by Zhu Yu's straightforwardness, Coach Wang's eyes first flashed with delight, but then, as if thinking of something, his gaze on Zhu Yu became even more lewd.

He took out his phone and displayed the payment code.

"I've paid. Can I start the class now?" Zhu Yu didn't care whether he gave her his own QR code or the store's QR code.

She needs to gather enough evidence of wrongdoing during this time; trash should stay in the garbage dump, not wantonly pollute the environment for human activities.

*

"[Location] Help!"

Shi Ru received the message while in class, and he always keeps his phone on silent mode during class.

After class, I saw a message from Zhu Yu that I had sent half an hour earlier.

Before opening the message, he had a somewhat subtle feeling in his heart—

Since he and Zhu Yu became friends, apart from playing games, Zhu Yu has never sent him any messages on her own initiative.

He had always treated others with indifference, so it felt strange to suddenly find someone treating him the same way.

So after Zhu Yu shattered this novel feeling, Shi Ru couldn't quite describe how he felt, but he was quite disappointed.

In layman's terms, it means—there's a slight downward trend?

But since it was rare for someone to reply to his messages, out of politeness and his own upbringing, Shi Ru clicked to read them.

"Help!"

"..." Holy crap, what is this? Is this for real... or a prank?

Shi Ru's pupils dilated in disbelief.

University classes typically last all afternoon, and Shi Ru was looking at her phone during the break in the middle of the first half of the class.

Many students who hadn't taken a nap were resting on their desks when Shi Ru suddenly sprang into action.

"What's wrong? Need to pee?"

"I don't know, I've never seen him in such a hurry before. Has something happened?"

"Who is he? What could possibly make him so anxious?"

"I don't know."

After a brief period of noise due to Shi Ru's sudden departure, the classroom quickly quieted down again.

Most finance students come from families with relevant backgrounds, so there's no situation where anyone deliberately tries to curry favor with anyone else. Therefore, everyone simply expresses polite interest in the whereabouts of their classmates.

Although Shi Ruren had already rushed into a taxi at the school gate, he still had doubts about the truth of the matter.

What kind of society is this now? We need something that ensures long-term stability and peace.

Besides, in broad daylight, under the clear sky, what danger could possibly be so great that someone would cry for help?

Robbery? Kidnapping?

However, considering Zhu Yu's appearance, it's possible she was abducted.

But if it really is a human trafficking case, is it too late for him to go there now?

Why would you send him a message about something like this? Shouldn't you just call the police?

Or he should call back to confirm if it's a prank.

But if it really is a kidnapping, and the kidnappers overhear his call, they might kill him!

For over twenty years, Shi Ru had lived a peaceful and uneventful life. His family was very strict, and he had never even set off firecrackers himself. It was rare for him to experience such a breakdown.

This was the first time he had received a distress message from someone, and for a moment he was unsure whether he should call the police.

He didn't even understand why he would rush out without thinking after seeing such a nonsensical message from Zhu Yufa.

If Zhu Yu is really in danger, what good can he do by going alone?

By the time Shi Ru realized this, he was already in the car on his way there, and it was too late to change his mind...

Never mind, we'll talk about it when we get there.

When Shi Ru arrived, Zhu Yu had just mounted his horse, and Coach Wang was pulling on the reins, looking like he was about to get on as well.

The scene was unsettling even from a distance. Shi Ru frowned and approached, asking, "Zhu Yu?"

Her eyes questioned the current situation, after all, there was a dark, short, and ugly man who seemed to want to ride the same horse as Zhu Yu.

Shi Ruyi was unsure whether Zhu Yu herself agreed, and since there seemed to be no danger, he began to wonder if he had been deceived.

"Shi Ru!" Seeing that Zhu Yu's friend had arrived, Coach Wang reluctantly put down his leg that was stepping on the pedal and stepped aside.

"Why did you suddenly decide to ride a horse?" Shi Ru approached, took over Coach Wang's position, and took the reins in his hand.

Judging from Zhu Yu's movements just now, he was clearly not someone who knew how to ride a horse.

It wasn't until he met Zhu Yu's slightly reddened eyes that Shi Ru paused for a moment before belatedly realizing the source of the distress message.

"Want to get off?" Shi Ru stretched out a hand. For someone who can't ride a horse, mounting and dismounting are both difficult things.

Zhu Yu was also waiting for these words. She hadn't originally wanted to mount her horse, thinking that going out now might just lead her to the reinforcements they had found.

But Coach Wang actually stopped pretending and insisted on riding with her.

After being brought up, Zhu Yu wanted to get down, but seeing Coach Wang's lewd eyes and the filthy bulge in his penis, she hesitated.

Zhu Yu was afraid that the person might do something shady during the descent, which is why she remained still and didn't go down.

"Okay, help me up." Zhu Yu placed her hand in Shi Ru's palm.

Coach Wang, who was standing nearby, stared wide-eyed and immediately caught up, trying to push Shi Ru's hand away: "Xiao Zhu, it's dangerous to dismount. Your friend doesn't know any better and might startle the horse again. Let me help you."

Shi Ru looked him up and down and immediately felt that his eyes were dirty.

Stepping forward and blocking Coach Wang's path with his back, Shi Ru, without further ado, used both hands to lift Zhu Yu off the horse.

The sudden physical contact almost made Zhu Yu cry out in surprise. After landing safely, she patted her chest and finally remembered that she should tell Shi Ru what the situation was.

"Thanks for coming..."

After Shi Ru arrived, Coach Wang's actions became much more restrained, so Zhu Yu no longer hid and told Shi Ru everything that had happened to her.

"I understand, you were right to call me here." When a girl encounters this kind of situation, even if she has the ability to fight back, it's best to prioritize her own safety.

Although Zhu Yu encountered sexual harassment and attempted molestation by an employee, there was no evidence, even if there was, because the other party did not succeed.

Since the women were not physically harmed, the handling of the situation relied entirely on the conscience of the officials.

However, there is ample evidence of the venue charging exorbitant fees, and the authorities are investigating the matter very strictly.

"Let's go, I'll take you back." Without lingering, Shi Ru gestured for Zhu Yu to send him a copy of the evidence he had kept, and the two took a taxi back to school.

"You want to learn to ride a horse?"

Inside the taxi, Shi Ru and Zhu Yu sat side by side, their knees occasionally bumping together as they swayed.

Even with the air conditioning on in the car during the summer, Shi Ru still felt the air was extremely thick, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He was so close; the tip of his nose was filled with the soft scent of a girl.

Shi Ru felt that the atmosphere was too quiet, making him uneasy. He felt he had to say something to ease the tension.

"Thank you for today." Unexpectedly, Zhu Yu and Shi Ru spoke at the same time.

Shi Ru was tall and had long legs; even sitting down, he was a head taller than Zhu Yu. When their words collided, he subconsciously turned his head to look at Zhu Yu.

The girl's cheeks were slightly pink, her hands were clasped together on her knees, and she unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

"Hey, you're welcome. Next time something like this happens, just call me."

After saying that, he realized that there seemed to be something wrong with what he said.

There will never be a next time for something like this!

"No, what I mean is, if you want to learn to ride a horse, I can teach you."

Zhu Yu's heart skipped a beat; this might be a good way to build a closer relationship!

"Really? But if you tell me, which horse farm should we go to?"

"This horse farm had the highest rating I saw on the app... and yet this happened."

"Don't worry, I know a reputable horse farm where all the equipment is professional and the horses are all medal-winning pedigree horses."

"Okay, is the weekend okay? I'm starting filming next month, so time is tight."

Meeting Zhu Yu's eyes, Shi Ru couldn't say anything more and just nodded blankly.

"By the way," Shi Ru suddenly had a flash of inspiration before they parted ways after seeing Zhu Yu to the school gate, "Besides horseback riding, have you signed up for any other courses?"

"Huh?" Zhu Yu turned her head, puzzled. "I also booked a trial lesson at a martial arts dojo. Is something wrong?"

Shi Ru shook his head: "It's not safe for you to travel alone. It's best if you find a friend to accompany you."

"I don't have any friends," Zhu Yu said with a smile, tilting her head. "If you think about it, you're already my closest friend!"

Shi Ru was taken aback, unsure how to respond, and could only awkwardly change the subject: "I'll have someone handle this matter today, you don't need to worry."

"Shi Ru? You've got time to ride horses today?"

After teaching the basics to Zhu Yu, Shi Ru let Zhu Yu practice and consolidate his skills on his own, while he sat down on the sidelines to watch the performance and cool off with a drink.

I had only been sitting down for a short while when I heard the sound of a group of people walking over from behind.

Shi Ru stood up and looked back. They were all regulars here, the daughters and sons of various families in the circle.

"Yeah, no classes today." Shi Ru has never gotten along with these rich kids who only know how to have fun.

Normally, if Shi Ru bumped into them, he would probably turn around and leave without hesitation, but not today.

Glancing at Zhu Yu, who was slowly swaying on his horse, Shi Ru could only stand up and think about how to get rid of him.

Zhou Ye was also in the crowd. Fortunately, Zhu Yu was wearing a helmet, and since they were far away, they wouldn't attract much attention for the time being.

"Brother Shi Ru, wanna go racing at Huangye Mountain tonight? Brother Ye just got a nice new car!"

A boy standing at the back of the crowd rolled his eyes and said something inexplicable.

Shi Ru glanced at it and saw that it was the youngest son of the second branch of the Zhou family, Zhou Ye's lackey.

Before Shi Ru could refuse, a girl wearing a sun hat next to the boy nudged him with her elbow: "What nonsense are you talking about? Shi Ru is the sole heir of the Shi Shu Group, unlike us who are so idle."

The words sounded somewhat sarcastic, but Shi Ru didn't care. The speaker was the granddaughter of a director of Qicheng Pharmaceutical, with whom they had some business dealings.

"I won't go... By the way, you guys are also riding horses, how about we have a race?"

As he spoke, Shi Ru bent down to pick up the helmet that was on the table.

Shi Ru was always the "other people's child" in their circle of rich kids since he was a child.

While they still relied on their family's allowance to live, he had already earned his first pot of gold at a very young age.

Not only did Shi Ru dislike playing with them, but actually, few of these people genuinely liked Shi Ru either.

"No, no, no, we were just about to head back when we saw you, so we came over to say hello."

Being able to speak on behalf of this large group of young masters and ladies naturally indicates a relatively high status within this small circle.

Shi Ru looked over upon hearing the sound, and sure enough, it was true.