Chapter 19 Bumpy Journey "If you beg me, I'll stop."...

The crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall hung down, like countless eyes coldly watching in the shadows.

Ms. Zhou's birthday party is about to begin.

Qin Man returned to Qu Lan's side.

At that moment, the waiter who had just made a mistake was standing next to Qu Lan, apologizing to her further. Qu Lan outwardly forgave his mistake with magnanimity, but frowned slightly when her gaze fell on Qin Man.

The dark, messy stain on her daughter's dress stood out starkly against the backdrop of perfume and ostentatious wealth at the banquet.

Qu Lan gripped her wrist tightly. "Come out with me for a moment."

She pulled her into a dark corner of the side hall, where the dim light could just cover the stains on Qin Man's skirt.

A dress as expensive as hers can't be washed again; once it's ruined, it's ruined and will eventually have to be thrown away.

"It's only been a short while, how could you be so careless!" Qu Lan lowered her voice, her finger almost touching the stain. "You borrowed this dress, do you know how much you'll have to pay for it?"

Qin Man remained silent.

Her gaze fell on her mother's delicate lips, which opened and closed, uttering words she didn't want to hear.

"Say something!" Qu Lan took a step forward. "What if the school makes you pay for it? We can't afford it!"

Qin Man's tone was so indifferent, as if she were talking about someone else's business: "Not necessarily compensation."

"You make it sound so easy," Qu Lan sneered. "Can't you be a little more mindful in a situation like this? Do you know how many people are watching us today?"

Qin Man was also concerned about other people's opinions, and when Qu Lan reminded her like that, her temper exploded like a balloon.

"Then why didn't you ask that waiter for compensation? At least then we would still have money to pay!"

Her voice rose, and Qu Lan's voice followed suit.

"Aren't you just trying to make me lose face here?!"

“It’s all gone,” Qin Man said, her eyes red, “from the moment you dragged me here.”

"You've learned to be sarcastic now, aren't you? You're really not afraid of what others will say about you."

Qin Man's lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

One second, two seconds, and finally Qin Man closed her eyes helplessly.

"Mom, it's too late for you to be afraid."

She had been struggling with this fear for a long time.

"You're too late to be afraid."

The background noise seemed to be cut off.

After a few seconds of silence, Qu Lan lowered her head, her gaze falling on the stain on the dress. She didn't say another word, gently pushed Qin Man away, and turned to walk into the magnificent banquet hall.

The sound of her high heels on the carpet was very soft, as if the argument had never happened.

The banquet hall was filled with the cheerful "Happy Birthday" song, and the lights were temporarily turned off, leaving only a few spotlights in the center of the hall.

Zhou Yao stood next to Ms. Zhou and cut the cake for her, while Qu Lan stood at the front of several wealthy ladies and sang a blessing song loudly for her former best friend.

Qin Man left the front hall at that moment. She walked through the garden and saw Jiang Xuchi standing under the street lamp, looking equally lonely.

I don't know how long he's been standing there, but he's never been interested in these kinds of gatherings.

It's been like that since I was little.

Qin Man suddenly remembered that when they were children, Jiang Xuchi was always uninterested in such banquets and indifferent to classmate reunions. However, he was always present when Qin Man attended these gatherings.

Looking back now, I think he probably didn't like these kinds of banquets either.

“Jiang Xuchi,” Qin Man walked over, reached out and grabbed his sleeve, her gaze fixed on his eyes, “go take your motorcycle.”

"Want to leave?" Jiang Xuchi asked.

"Um."

Qin Man answered honestly.

"This occasion is not suitable for you."

Qin Man retorted, "Then what do you think suits me? Eating street food?"

Jiang Xuchi smiled and said, "Then I'll take you to eat."

"You dare!" Qin Man glared at him.

In the end, Jiang Xuchi simply drove her home, maintaining a steady speed throughout the journey. Unlike that night, there was no more excitement, and she didn't feel so uncomfortable that she vomited again.

*

The next morning, Qin Man put on some simple makeup and, as agreed, arrived at the hotel downstairs not far away.

Jiang Xuchi asked her to accompany him to his horse riding lesson, which was a terrible idea because she hated riding horses. Even after a hundred lessons, she still hated the smell of horse manure and dry grass at the riding stable.

When the time came, Jiang Xuchi came downstairs. The first thing he did upon seeing her was point to her empty hands: "Didn't you prepare anything?"

"What?"

"Equestrian equipment".

"It's been unusable for a long time."

Jiang Xuchi understood immediately, "Let's buy it there."

"I have no money."

Qin Man had lost face in front of him many times before, but she said this sentence without any hindrance.

Jiang Xuchi scoffed at her: "I'll pay."

"I won't pay you back this money," Qin Man continued. "I only went with you this time because of a dress; I don't owe you anything else. So please understand, I don't owe you anything."

Now that we've brought this up, let's settle the accounts clearly.

Jiang Xuchi didn't care: "Whatever you want."

He had completely changed his previous harsh and sharp attitude; these past two days he had actually become quite decent-looking. Qin Man looked at him, originally thinking that Jiang Xuchi would seize the opportunity to embarrass her, or spread the news at school that her family was about to go bankrupt.

But none of these things have happened since he came back, at least not the serious things she had anticipated.

Qin Man followed behind him, lost in thought.

Jiang Xuchi gradually slowed his pace and took out a chocolate candy from his pocket.

"then."

He threw the candy at Qin Man.

"Stop talking so much nonsense, just think of it as candy I gave you."

...

Upon arriving at the club, Qin Man went to the locker room to put on her gear. As she walked out of the locker room carrying her clothes, she bumped into Zhou Yao.

Zhou Yao was quite surprised to run into her here.

At the birthday party last night, Zhou Yao had already asked her mother if Qin Man was Ms. Qu's daughter, and that Ms. Qu and her mother were friends.

Zhou Yao was the kind of obedient daughter who grew up listening to her mother talk about other people's children until she was tired of it, but she had never heard her mother mention Qin Man.

"Hello, we just met for the first time last night, and I didn't have a chance to say hello then." Zhou Yao smiled and spoke gently, "I'm Zhou Yao. I didn't expect you to be here for equestrian lessons. I've never seen you before."

Qin Man was disgusted by her fake smile and replied lazily, "I'm not here for class."

She walked to her cubicle and put the clothes she had changed out of inside.

"I'm here to keep Jiang Xuchi company," Qin Man said before leaving.

Zhou Yao was left standing alone in the empty dressing room.

...

Qin Man arrived at the horse farm, wrinkling her nose as always. She could never get used to the faint smell of horse manure in the air; it was as if someone had brought her here on purpose.

Jiang Xuchi led his horse closer and, seeing her expression, mocked, "What are you doing here, acting like a lapdog?"

Qin Man glared at him.

That look seemed to please Jiang Xuchi, who smiled, looking rather smug.

He reached out and gently patted the horse's neck. "A Dutch Warmblood, the same breed as the one your family bought before."

"Oh." Qin Man almost forgot that her family used to keep a horse at the club.

I've forgotten when it was sold.

Since she didn't like it anyway, she didn't care when it was sold. Many things are only realized after they're gone; they weren't so bad after all.

At this moment, Zhou Yao also led her horse over. She looked past Qin Man at Jiang Xuchi and softly called out, "Brother Xuchi."

Jiang Xuchi merely glanced at him, offering no reply, but instead nodded as a greeting.

Zhou Yao was used to his indifferent attitude. Except for last night when she was genuinely angry for a while, she didn't care at other times.

But she just saw that Jiang Xuchi was not as indifferent as she remembered in front of Qin Man.

Zhou Yao had been watching Jiang Xuchi from a distance at the horse farm. Despite her blatant staring, Jiang Xuchi didn't even glance back, so she had no choice but to walk over and greet him.

She could sense that Jiang Xuchi intentionally or unintentionally revealed his sharp side in front of Qin Man, while in front of others, he was only reserved and composed, like a mask.

There's not a shred of sincerity in them.

So she said one more thing today.

"Brother Xuchi, I'm not very good at horseback riding yet. Could you teach me before the coach arrives?"

The Zhou Yao of the past would never have spoken like this. She was always proper and generous, never asking others for favors or deliberately showing weakness.

Jiang Xuchi said, "I'm busy."

Zhou Yao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with relief and said, "Okay, then I won't bother you any longer."

She knew she had made a fool of herself, but she couldn't give up so quickly until she heard it with her own ears.

Before leaving, Zhou Yao gave Qin Man a deep look.

Qin Man was still immersed in the fear of riding a horse and paid no attention to what Zhou Yao said. She didn't care about Jiang Xuchi's social media posts; she only cared about whether she would have close contact with a horse later.

However, the truth is that Jiang Xuchi would not let such a good opportunity slip by.

The foal ran in circles in the arena, its crisp rhythm ringing in her ears.

Qin Man gripped the reins, her palms sweating. The chestnut horse was so large it seemed aloof, occasionally tossing its head and letting its breath brush against her head.

"Help me, hold onto the saddle, and get on."

Jiang Xuchi was right next to her, as was the equestrian coach; both of them were watching her.

Qin Man didn't know why she was the one giving the equestrian lesson. She suspected that Jiang Xuchi had gotten tired of this kind of lesson and was dragging her along for some fun.

"Relax, don't be like a block of wood."

Jiang Xuchi's voice rang out beside her, his tone tinged with laughter as he stared intently at her.

Qin Man turned to look at him and said irritably, "None of your business."

She knew how to get on a horse and how to maneuver it counter-clockwise, but she was just afraid of the feeling of riding a horse.

Jiang Xuchi suddenly flipped up using the pedals.

"Hello!"

Qin Man felt a chill run down her spine.

“I don’t call you ‘Hey’,” Jiang Xuchi said.

Qin Man rolled her eyes, not expecting him to come up too, and whispered, "Go down."

"Aren't you very scared?" He pressed close to her, pulling on the reins with her. "I'll stay with you."

The next second, he flicked his finger and squeezed the horse's belly hard with his legs.

The chestnut horse gave a low neigh and suddenly trotted.

Qin Man's body swayed, and she almost fell. She gripped the reins tightly, her legs trembling, and her back as stiff as a board.

The wind whistled past her ears, and she couldn't hear what the coach was shouting from afar.

Jiang Xuchi reached out and steadied her, holding her almost in an embrace, and chuckled lazily.

Qin Man was jostled on horseback, yet trapped in his arms.

"So afraid?"

"Shut up." Qin Man gritted her teeth, her eyes red.

"Qin Man, aren't you someone who never admits defeat?"

Qin Man didn't turn around; tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

Jiang Xuchi increased the force, and the horse ran even faster.

This is absolutely insane!

"I'll stop if you beg me."

Qin Man refused, instead turning her head and biting his arm hard.

It turns out that people can bite when they're desperate.

However, she couldn't open her mouth very wide, and when her teeth brushed against it, it didn't hurt at all; instead, it was quite itchy.

Jiang Xuchi chuckled unkindly, withdrew his hand, and pushed her chin, pulling her head to his chest and forcing her to look straight ahead.

"Horses are animals, and so are you. What, you've unleashed your true nature at the horse farm?"

Qin Man felt only deep regret. "Next time you ask me to do something I don't want to do, I won't agree even if it's embarrassing."

"Aren't you afraid of losing face now?"

Qin Man was so angry that she slammed her head against his chin.

"Damn it." Jiang Xuchi was caught off guard and hit on the head. "Why are you still using the same trick?"

"Stop it right now!" Qin Man gasped for breath, her whole body tense, and she didn't want to continue arguing with Jiang Xuchi.

Jiang Xuchi covered his chin and gradually brought the horse to a stop.

When she dismounted, Qin Man's hands were trembling, but she stood up straight, tilted her head back, and walked to the side to rest as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Xuchi raised his eyelids, his gaze falling on her feigned indifference, and put his hands in his pockets, following behind her.

Qin Man knew he was behind her, but she ignored him.

Zhou Yao, standing in the distance, stared blankly at the interaction between the two.

Qin Chang was handsome and had an arrogant and sharp aura. She was even more unrestrained and spoiled than the average rich young lady. She was clearly spoiled by her family and lived a very self-centered life.

No wonder her mother never compared her to the Qin family's daughter.

After all, in the eyes of their parents, this kind of girl is not considered a well-behaved child.