Chapter 35, Unexpected Expression

luck?

Gu Zhaoqian's statement is not wrong.

He Peiru only possessed the most basic knowledge of horse racing, yet she chose the most radical approach without any prior experience.

It's destined that we can only rely on luck.

After entering the VIP box, people came up to Jiang Yici to exchange pleasantries. He finally had a moment to himself and said to Gu Zhaoqian, "If number 9 doesn't make it into the top three, let's see how you plan to make up for it."

“That makes sense.” Gu Zhaoqian didn’t try to argue his point, but agreed, “There are indeed many possibilities before the final result is in.”

Jiang Yici smiled, turned around, and walked out to chat with the others.

Only she and Gu Zhaoqian remained in the private room.

Although He Peiru knew that even if they lost, the amount of money they bet would be gone and wouldn't really matter to them, she would still feel bad.

At this point, there's no point in her making any other choice.

All things considered, her luck visibly improved after she was recognized by the Jiang family, so she couldn't help but have expectations for the outcome.

If horse number 9 wins first place, it will precisely confirm Gu Zhaoqian's statement.

“Then…” He Peiru swallowed, as if making up her mind, and said, “How about number 9 that I chose?”

Gu Zhaoqian chuckled.

The faint laughter made her ears burn, and once again she dared not turn her head to look at him.

The countdown on the small screen reminded her that the first round of horse racing would start in three minutes, so He Peiru simply walked towards the stands outside the VIP box.

As soon as she breathed in the fresh air, she immediately noticed that the VIP room was much quieter.

She looked down at the public area below.

The view was of a bustling crowd; you could feel the lively atmosphere even without going down.

He Peiru looked curiously at the crowd and found that many people were drawing with newspapers and pens, or staring intently at their phones.

Most likely, they are preparing for the upcoming matches.

Gu Zhaoqian stood beside her and asked, "Is this the first time you've seen something like this?"

“Not really.” She shook her head and told him, “When I lived in public housing, I would occasionally see elderly people downstairs discussing which horse to support, but I haven’t seen that scene in a long time.”

She added, "I just feel... a bit sentimental."

“That’s true.” Gu Zhaoqian didn’t seem surprised by her statement and replied, “Repulse Bay is much quieter than other residential areas, except for the beach area which is relatively lively.”

He Peiru nodded and said, "That's right, it's a completely different feeling."

Wealthy neighborhoods often prioritize tranquility, but other residential areas also have their own hustle and bustle, and there's no need to compare the two.

She was lost in her own thoughts, but the normal discussion in the audience instantly turned into shouts of encouragement.

After regaining her senses, she held her breath as the horses galloped across the track, so fast that she felt dizzy.

Before she could react, all the horses had already crossed the finish line.

He Peiru was taken aback, then turned to Gu Zhaoqian and asked, "Which horse came in first?"

He opened his mouth and replied, "Number 9."

She was somewhat surprised and asked incredulously, "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"No." Gu Zhaoqian smiled helplessly, finding her appearance adorable. He gestured towards the large screen beside the track, "Take a look and you'll know whether I'm lying to you or not."

He had barely finished speaking when the announcement of the results began—

"First place: number 9; second place: number 11; and third place: number 3..."

He Peiru looked at the man again in astonishment: "He really is number one..."

“I was right, wasn’t I?” He wasn’t smug about the fact that this statement was true; he just wanted to tease He Peiru. “There are still many rounds of matches to come, and the important events are all later. If you’re interested, you can place your bets according to your preferences.”

It's as if it's simply to prove this claim.

"good."

He Peiru turned her head slightly and glanced at Gu Zhaoqian out of the corner of her eye.

Even though it's based on probability theory, and there might be some novice advantage, Gu Zhaoqian still handles it with ease.

That alone was enough for her to experience that racing heartbeat again.

The victory filled her with joy, but she couldn't muster the courage to look Gu Zhaoqian in the eye.

He Peiru suppressed her excitement and leaned against the railing of the stands, looking down at the audience. The results of the first round were in, and some were dejected while others cheered with joy—a stark contrast between the two.

Only by standing here can one have the opportunity to observe from God's perspective.

Gu Zhaoqian followed her gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head habitually and replied, "It's nothing, I just found that it's very clear here whether someone wins or loses."

The VIP rooms are located upstairs because they offer a panoramic view of the diverse lives of people.

Besides, who wouldn't like the feeling of being in control?

Gu Zhaoqian didn't say these things aloud; he had seen too many different reactions to match results here over the years.

So he calmly explained to He Peiru, "Some people bet almost all of their liquid assets, and may even choose the horse with the highest odds, hoping to get rich overnight."

She could understand the dream from the other person's perspective, but she couldn't comprehend this risky approach. She frowned and said, "This is too risky."

But she only gave a brief comment, turning her head to ask, "Who do you think will win the next round?"

Gu Zhaoqian did not answer immediately, but instead asked, "Curious?"

She nodded gently and answered obediently, "I want to know which horse you'll bet on."

"But as things stand..." he still didn't give an answer, "you seem to be luckier."

He Peiru bit her lip and couldn't help but press on, "I just wanted to take a look."

“Then…” Gu Zhaoqian paused, “number 7.”

Whether it was luck or the goddess of victory smiling upon them, despite the fierce competition in the second round, horse number 7 easily won first place.

However, after three rounds, He Peiru lost interest.

Later on, I realized that the lively audience below was more interesting.

While each round of the competition was intense, He Peiru had no expectations for the outcome and did not think about gaining anything from it, which naturally made her less interested in the game.

She leaned against the railing listlessly, watching the audience come and go in a daze.

Gu Zhaoqian easily saw the reason and asked, "Are you bored?"

He Peiru nodded, nonchalantly revealing her true feelings: "The size of the bet is irrelevant to me, so winning or losing becomes less important, which may have caused me to lose a lot of fun..."

“That’s how it is.” Gu Zhaoqian turned to look at her, his expression showing no sign of confusion. “In the end, it’s still a social occasion. Secondly, if my own horse is participating in a competition, I will definitely be there to support it.”

“I knew it.” He Peiru was not surprised and replied, “No wonder my uncle was called away by others as soon as he came up.”

He continued, "After two more rounds of competition, your uncle and I will be the award presenters. The process is quite quick. If you're worried about getting bored, you can come down with us later."

She pondered for a moment and asked, "So, you mean there's a major event today, which is why you were invited?"

“Yes,” Gu Zhaoqian replied, “In fact, we have such events quite often.”

He glanced at his watch again and suggested, "It's still early, how about we go for a walk?"

“Okay.” He Peiru couldn’t be happier. Staying cooped up here would only make her more bored, so she might as well go outside and experience the lively atmosphere.

She followed Gu Zhaoqian out, where a staff member responsible for the VIP area approached them and asked, "How can you two possibly need any assistance?"

He replied, "No need, and you don't need to follow us."

"clear."

The staff simply retreated to their original positions; their professionalism was evident, and it was impossible to investigate what they were actually doing.

After getting off the elevator, He Peiru clearly felt that the surroundings were much more open, especially compared to the feeling of being in the VIP room.

In the VIP room, everyone seemed to consciously suppress their conversations and speak in hushed tones, making the public area downstairs feel like a second world.

She looked around with curiosity, as if she had found a new source of enjoyment.

It's clear that some people are simply doing it for entertainment, but quite a few are frowning because of the results.

Only in places like this can one see such a drastically distorted scene.

He Peiru thought that she and Gu Zhaoqian were just casually strolling around until the awards ceremony started, little did she know that the man had already thought of something to pass the time.

Since the ongoing event had nothing to do with them, he naturally didn't bother to consider anything else and led He Peiru in the opposite direction from the crowd.

She could sense that it wasn't just a casual stroll.

But since it was her first time at the horse farm, and she didn't want to follow Gu Zhaoqian blindly, she asked, "Where are we going now?"

Gu Zhaoqian didn't choose to hide it, but instead asked, "Want to try your luck at the claw machine?"

This question stunned He Peiru. She hadn't expected to be able to play claw machines at a horse farm, but she asked incredulously, "You can play claw machines here?"

"Of course." After answering, he then kept everyone in suspense, "You'll find out in a moment."

After walking a short distance further, He Peiru saw a claw machine filled with pony plush toys.

The staff member standing nearby clearly recognized Gu Zhaoqian and stepped forward to ask, "Which game or activity would you two like to experience?"

He replied, "We want to play the claw machine."

Although there was still some distance between them, He Peiru's breath caught in her throat when he said "we," but she quickly concealed her discomfort.

The staff member then handed over three coins and said, "If you need more, please feel free to call me anytime."

Gu Zhaoqian nodded, took the coin, and handed one to He Peiru, asking, "Want to try?"

She knew that the claws on those claw machines outside were often loose, and wondered if this claw machine was the same.

But since she was already standing in front of the claw machine, there was no reason for her to back down, so she nodded and said, "Okay."

After looking at which pony he wanted to grab, he inserted the coin into the coin slot.

Gu Zhaoqian added, "Don't worry too much about which one to pick first; you can take all of these home with you."

He Peiru didn't speak, but after adjusting the position of the clamp, she nervously pressed the button on the claw.

Her claws gripped the little pony she had chosen firmly until they reached the top of the hole, where they finally released her grip.

The ease with which it was so easy caused her to turn around and look at Gu Zhaoqian in surprise, asking, "How could it be so easy?"

"It's just to experience the claw machine game." Gu Zhaoqian helped her take the toy horse out of the opening. "That's why I said that."

He Peiru took the pony and muttered softly, "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

He chuckled and said, "If I had told you beforehand, I wouldn't have seen that surprised look on your face just now."

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Author's Note: I've actually been writing for a while, but my condition hasn't been very good, which has made the writing very, very, very slow... I've been trying to adjust, and I apologize again to all the readers who have been following my updates and those who are willing to wait for me TvT