Chapter 17 is not as good as Fourth Brother.

Gu Qingxu returned after galloping around like lightning, the dust kicked up by her horse still fresh. She reined in her horse, a smile playing on her lips, finally having had her fill of pleasure.

After the horse stopped, Gu Qingxu looked around but couldn't see Ruan Xingzhu's familiar pink figure.

She didn't think much of it, figuring that Lou Hongyi had probably taken her out to play, so she leisurely ran around for a while before asking around and finding Lou Hongyi's place.

At this moment, Lou Hongyi was intently training the horse he had just bought. The horse was a bit wild, pawing at the ground incessantly, which made Lou Hongyi sweat profusely.

Gu Qingxu walked over and, seeing this, couldn't help but ask, "Where's my little sister?"

Lou Hongyi subconsciously replied, "I'm riding a horse at the horse farm."

After saying that, he looked in the direction he was pointing, but the place where Ruan Xingzhu should have been was now empty; that delicate pink had vanished without a trace.

"Where's the girl I asked you to hold the reins?" Seeing that Ruan Xingzhu wasn't there, he asked one of his underlings.

The younger brother thought for a moment, "I just went to feed the horses..." As he spoke, his voice weakened, "I thought the girl could ride a horse."

Lou Hongyi realized something was wrong after he finished speaking. He slowly turned his gaze to Gu Qingxu and immediately fell silent.

Seeing his guilty look, Gu Qingxu suppressed her impatience and asked, word by word, "So where is he?"

"The person on horseback has disappeared..." Lou Hongyi's voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz, but it clearly reached Gu Qingxu's ears in the vast and spacious horse farm.

"You didn't know she can't ride a horse?" Gu Qingxu blurted out.

Seeing that the man remained unmoved, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, and said with a hint of disappointment, "Hurry up and find someone!"

Lou Hongyi suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly started searching for people everywhere. Gu Qingxu was also momentarily disoriented and became anxious. If something happened to Ruan Xingzhu, Gu Yun'an would be in big trouble if she found out.

In the bamboo forest.

Ruan Xingzhu clung tightly to the horse's neck, not daring to move an inch, as if she would be thrown off if she loosened her grip even slightly. Her face was deathly pale with fright, her lips trembled slightly, and her body was stiff from being tense for so long.

She opened her large, watery eyes helplessly, her gaze filled with fear and confusion, cautiously looking around.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the occasional bird call adding to the sinister atmosphere. She could only silently pray that Gu Qingxu would realize she was missing and come looking for her.

The horses seemed to sense her nervousness and paced restlessly in place. Suddenly, Ruan Xingzhu faintly heard the sound of hooves approaching from afar, and a glimmer of hope welled up in her heart.

She quickly looked up and saw a figure. She thought it was Gu Qingxu coming to find her, and her body unconsciously leaned up a little because of surprise.

She exclaimed excitedly, "Fifth Sister!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the horse beneath him seemed startled by the sound. It neighed and suddenly started moving again, even faster than before.

Ruan Xingzhu was a little relaxed because of her earlier relaxation, and when the horse moved so violently, her body fell backward uncontrollably.

"ah!"

Ruan Xingzhu couldn't help but cry out in alarm. She watched as the ground got closer and closer to her, covered with pebbles of all sizes. She thought it must hurt a lot to fall.

However, the expected pain did not come; instead, she fell into a warm and familiar embrace. Ruan Xingzhu looked up in surprise and delight, and when she saw Gu Yun'an's familiar and handsome face…

Overjoyed, she called out with a hint of excitement, "Fourth Brother!"

Gu Yun held her securely in his arms, and seeing that she was safe and sound, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After her initial joy, Ruan Xingzhu's long-suppressed grievances surged again upon seeing Gu Yun'an, and her eyes filled with mist and tears.

Her voice trembled with sobs as she sobbed, "Fourth brother, you have no idea how scared I was just now... The horse wouldn't listen to me and kept running..."

As she spoke, she gripped Gu Yun'an's sleeve tightly with her small hands, as if afraid he would suddenly disappear.

As Gu Yun'an listened to her intermittent sobs, his brows furrowed with heartache. If he hadn't asked Gu Qingsu about her whereabouts before leaving today, he couldn't imagine how badly Ruan Xingzhu would have fallen.

He gently wiped away the dirt and tears from her face, soothing her softly, "It's alright, Xingzhu, don't be afraid, I'm here."

After wiping away her tears, Ruan Xingzhu gradually stopped sobbing, but she still clung tightly to Gu Yun'an, refusing to let go. In this desolate wilderness, she was truly afraid that some ferocious beast might appear.

Gu Yun'an let her be, gently picking her up and carefully placing her on his horse. Just as he was about to take Ruan Xingzhu back, Lou Hongyi suddenly arrived.

"Sister Ruan." He exclaimed in surprise at the scene before him.

He saw Ruan Xingzhu being held securely in Gu Yun'an's arms, and the intimate way the two looked surprised him.

Gu Yun'an lowered his head slightly, seemingly displeased with the address, without raising his head, and his voice instantly turned cold.

Tell Gu Qingxu to return to the manor immediately.

After saying that, Bianli landed, mounted his horse, held Ruan Xingzhu tightly in his arms, and rode away.

Gu Yun'an's horse was tall and strong. Perhaps because Gu Yun'an was holding her tightly, Ruan Xingzhu no longer felt the fear she had felt before when she was afraid of the little horse. Instead, she felt particularly at ease.

Gu Yun'an was afraid that the horse would go too fast and frighten Ruan Xingzhu, so he deliberately slowed down and moved forward slowly.

His Adam's apple was gently brushed by Ruan Xingzhu's hair, making him feel ticklish. He couldn't help but ask softly, "Why did you come to the horse farm with Xiao Wu?"

He remembered that he had specifically instructed Gu Qingxu that she could take Ruan Xingzhu out to play, but she must never take her to dangerous places.

Hearing Gu Yun'an's slightly questioning voice, Ruan Xingzhu felt a little nervous. Gu Qingsu had come to the horse farm secretly, and this time it was indeed because of her that Gu Qingsu brought her here.

Fearing that Gu Yun'an would take his anger out on Gu Qingsu, she hesitated and said, "It was Fifth Sister who said that she knew a young man and brought me here to meet him."

She didn't dare to speak directly, and tried to evade the question by beating around the bush.

However, Gu Yun'an immediately understood the implication; no wonder Lou Hongyi had called her "Sister Ruan" earlier. Thinking of this, a sense of displeasure welled up within her.

He lowered his head slightly, his lips almost touching her earlobe, and asked softly, "Did you agree to that person calling you 'Sister Ruan'?"

Ruan Xingzhu frowned slightly; she sensed that Gu Yun'an seemed a little unhappy.

For some reason, a voice inside her urged her to quickly refuse: "No..."

Hearing this, Gu Yun'an wasn't particularly pleased. He only felt his lips lightly brush against her earlobe, and casually asked, "So, what did Xingzhu think after seeing it?"

His eyes were fixed on Ruan Xingzhu's profile, not missing a single change in her.

Ruan Xingzhu felt somewhat bewildered, but still sincerely said, "This is bad!"

After speaking, she turned her head slightly and looked at Gu Yun'an with sincere eyes.

"None of them are as good as Fourth Brother."

She wasn't lying; the Lou brothers had promised to take care of her, but they had disappeared without a trace. Gu Yun'an was the best; he always appeared in time whenever she was in danger.

Ruan Xingzhu's soft body leaned almost entirely against Gu Yun'an. Her clear and bright eyes met Gu Yun'an's deep eyes, causing Gu Yun'an's gaze to become somewhat unfocused.

He paused for a moment, then asked softly, "Really?"

"Really?" Ruan Xingzhu's voice was firm and sincere, as if she were making a vow.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yun'an tightened his grip, pulling her close to him and making her lean even closer to him.

Ruan Xingzhu sensed his movement and assumed that he was worried about her falling.

When Gu Qingxu returned to the Gu residence, it was already completely dark. She had deliberately dawdled until so late because she was terrified of facing Gu Yun'an.

If it were Cheng Shi scolding her, she could still argue back a bit with her cleverness, but when Gu Yun'an scolded someone, his serious appearance and icy tone really made it hard to breathe.

But she couldn't not come back. If the Cheng family found out that she hadn't returned all night, the consequences would be unimaginable. Thinking of this, Gu Qingxu couldn't help but shudder.

She tiptoed toward her yard, holding her breath the whole time.

Just when she thought she was about to succeed, a sinister voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Xiao Wu is back quite early." The voice was cold, as if carrying a hint of mockery.

Gu Qingxu inwardly cried out in alarm, but helplessly turned her head to look at Gu Yun'an's face, which seemed to say "I'm going to punish her."

"It's getting late, Fourth Brother," Gu Qingxu said, forcing a smile, his voice tinged with a hint of flattery.

After saying that, she quickly lowered her head before Gu Yun'an could get angry and sincerely admitted her mistake: "It's my fault. I didn't take good care of Xingzhu. Fourth Brother, please punish me. I will accept it."

Gu Qingxu was quick to admit her mistake, after all, she always said that she was a woman who dared to take responsibility for her actions.

Actually, before this, Gu Qingxu's taking Ruan Xingzhu to the horse farm did cross Gu Yun'an's bottom line. But Ruan Xingzhu's dependence on Gu Yun'an upon their return was also indirectly caused by this incident. In that sense, Gu Qingxu had unwittingly helped Gu Yun'an in some ways.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Just remember this for the future." With that, Gu Yun'an turned and left.

Gu Qingxu was stunned. She never expected Gu Yun'an to let her go so easily.

Heaven knows that when Lou Hongyi went back and told her that Ruan Xingzhu had been taken away by Gu Yun'an, her first feeling was not relief, but rather that she was doomed and would definitely be severely punished by Gu Yun'an.

The fact that he escaped so easily must be because Ruan Xingzhu pleaded for him in front of Gu Yun'an.