Chapter 101 A Slap Cannot Be Avoided
Qiu Heng rode ahead on horseback, with Cheng Susu following behind.
Because she was behind, Cheng Susu was able to see Qiu Heng's actions of riding a horse to retrieve the flag more clearly.
So efficient, so composed.
What a scammer!
Rage surged within her, and Cheng Susu gritted her teeth and desperately chased after the horse, only to find that she couldn't catch up no matter what she did. What angered her even more was that the horse in front of her hadn't pulled away much, just swaying right in front of her, making her want to kill someone.
The soft clatter of hooves, so gentle, sounded like a thunderclap to Cheng Susu's ears.
Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and her hands and feet became ice-cold.
I was distracted just now, and I lost my grip on the flag, which fell to the ground.
The cherry-red figure ahead had grown even further away.
No, she absolutely cannot lose!
Cheng Susu raised her hand and threw a sharp pebble.
She had prepared these pebbles beforehand.
She hadn't expected to lose, but felt that two slaps were too lenient on Qiu Liu. She was eager to see what would happen when Qiu Liu, who couldn't ride a horse, encountered a horse startled by pain.
The same principle applies now; let's show everyone what it means to turn defeat into victory.
Is it an unfair victory? Ha, Qiu Liu deceived me first, so I can't blame her.
These thoughts flashed through Cheng Susu's mind quickly, her eyes cold.
The last flag was on the right ahead. Feng Caixing excitedly shook Feng Caiyue and Princess Jiayi's arms: "Sister, cousin, did you see that? Aheng is going to win! Aheng—"
The excited voices turned to terror, and more screams followed.
Just as Qiu Heng leaned to the side and reached for the blue flag, the horse beneath her suddenly reared up and threw her off.
"Aheng!" Lingyun, who had been standing quietly, ran towards Qiuheng.
Xue Han was even faster than him.
But at such a distance, it's simply beyond our reach.
Everyone watched as the girl, who had been thrown off the horse, somehow turned back and hung on the side of the horse, bouncing up and down with the frightened horse.
The thrilling scene elicited screams, and many noble ladies covered their eyes in fright.
These events, though seemingly lengthy, actually happened in the blink of an eye. Before the crowd's shock had subsided and before Xue Han and Ling Yun could reach them, the girl, who had been hanging on the side of the horse as if she might fall at any moment, twisted her body and returned to the horse's back.
The pebbles were not darts or arrows. The horse, which had been startled by the sudden pain, had recovered and carried the girl on its back past Xue Han and Ling Yun, heading towards the finish line.
Qiu Heng dismounted, and soon a guard led the horse aside for a careful inspection.
Cheng Susu followed closely behind, riding up on horseback.
Qiu Heng watched Cheng Susu dismount quietly, her eyes cold.
It was just a minor squabble between young people, but she never expected that this Miss Cheng would be so ruthless.
"Ah Heng, are you alright?"
Qiu Heng was quickly surrounded by the Jiayi County Princess and several others.
"fine."
"I saw you fly away then, how did you magically return?" Feng Caixing asked with lingering fear.
This is also the question that everyone who witnessed that thrilling scene is curious about.
"My feet were still hooked on the pedals, but in the heat of the moment, they seemed to be much more agile than usual, and I somehow managed to turn back."
Feng Caiyue shook her head, still shaken: "That was too dangerous."
Princess Jiayi supported Qiuheng's arm: "Aheng, it's best not to compete in these things anymore."
Xue Han's voice rang out from not far away: "What's wrong with this horse?"
The guard who had inspected the horse replied, "No problem was found."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Susu curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
Pebbles were everywhere, and with her strength, she wouldn't have caused any damage to the horse, so it would be strange if she could find anything out.
Unfortunately, Qiu Liu was too lucky and didn't fall off his horse.
"Miss Cheng, I've come to collect the winnings." A cold, clear voice rang out.
Cheng Susu suddenly turned to Qiu Heng: "The prize? I remember the rule was that whoever gets the most flags at the end wins, not who is the fastest."
In that situation, all the flags Qiu Liu had taken would have fallen to the ground, while she held eight pink flags. How could Qiu Liu possibly win against her?
The girl opposite him frowned deeply: "Is Miss Cheng blind?"
"What did you say?"
"You say your eyesight is bad. I took ten flags and returned faster than you. Is there any doubt about the outcome?"
"Ten flags? Where did you get ten flags from?"
"In my hand," Qiu Heng said, waving the blue flag in her hand. "Miss Cheng, why don't you count them?"
Cheng Susu subconsciously started counting, and when she reached the end, she looked at Qiu Heng as if she had seen a ghost: "Impossible, absolutely impossible."
Qiu Heng stuffed all the blue flags in her hand into Cheng Susu's hands: "Then Miss Cheng, count them again."
"This is wrong!" Cheng Susu raised the flag sharply, her voice stern. "You cheated!"
As she spoke, she looked around at everyone and said, "Everyone saw it, right? Miss Qiu Liu almost fell off her horse just now. The horse was jumping up and down, so how come not a single flag fell out of her bag?"
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.
Everything happened so fast that their attention was focused on Qiu Liu falling off her horse and they didn't notice anything about the flag.
But Cheng Susu has a point. With the horse jumping like that, it's impossible that not a single flag fell.
"A few flags did fall out, but I caught them before they hit the ground. That doesn't count as breaking the rules, right?"
"Impossible!" Cheng Susu couldn't believe such an outrageous thing. "You were about to fall off your horse, how did you catch the flag?"
Qiu Heng smiled slightly and patiently explained, "When I was thrown out and then turned back, several flags were thrown out of my bag, and I instinctively grabbed a handful."
Cheng Susu raised an eyebrow: "You think you can just grab them all with a casual grab? Only a fool would believe that!"
"Then tell me, Miss Cheng, where did I get these ten blue flags? I remember that Miss Cheng prepared all the rules and required items for this competition. Did I somehow foresee the future and hide the exact same flags on my person?"
Cheng Susu was stumped by the question, yet unwilling to give up: "How could it be such a coincidence?"
"As the saying goes, nothing is possible without coincidences." Qiu Heng smiled. "If this saying still can't convince Miss Cheng, then there's only one explanation."
"You say it." Cheng Susu clenched her fist.
She refused to believe there could be any reasonable explanation!
Qiu Heng tilted her head slightly, with a kind of self-righteous innocence: "It's because God favors me."
Cheng Susu trembled with anger: "You—"
"I saw it." A male voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone looked at the person who had spoken and were all taken aback.
It was that imperial envoy.
Xue Han walked over and said, "When I was about to stop the runaway horse to save Qiu, I saw her catch the flag that had been thrown out before she got back on the horse."
Cheng Susu's arrogance subsided slightly: "Lord Xue, you can't be mistaken, can you?"
Xue Han's face turned cold: "Miss Cheng, are you saying that I, Xue Han, the Imperial Envoy, am not discerning enough?"
Cheng Susu's expression changed several times, and she gritted her teeth: "Fine, you win. But you cheated first, so this competition doesn't count!"
"Did I deceive you first?"
"You said you've only ever ridden a donkey, and you can't ride a horse."
Qiu Heng shook her head: "I didn't say I couldn't ride a horse."
"The people who heard this yesterday are still here, and you're still lying in public!"
"It seems Miss Cheng not only has poor eyesight, but also poor judgment. Yesterday I said I had only ever ridden a donkey, and the county princess and the others didn't want me to compete with you, which also meant I had never ridden a horse. Neither I nor my friends have ever said I couldn't ride a horse. Miss Cheng, think about it carefully, isn't that right?"
Upon hearing this, those who were present yesterday subconsciously recalled what had happened.
"It seems that's really the case..." someone whispered, their words particularly clear at this moment when everyone was keeping quiet to watch the excitement.
Cheng Susu's face turned ashen as she glared at the calm-faced girl: "You set me up?"
Qiu Heng sighed: "From beginning to end, it was Miss Cheng who forced me to agree. Now that there are so many people here, I'll ask her: Miss Cheng, since you think I can't ride a horse but still insist on competing with me, did you have the intention of deceiving me from the start?"
Many people came to watch the competition today, and immediately many asked about the details of yesterday's bet, whispering among themselves after hearing them.
A few casual remarks drifted into Cheng Susu's ears, making her face even more unpleasant.
"Is Miss Cheng willing to accept defeat in a bet?" Qiu Heng asked loudly.
"I—" Cheng Susu's face turned pale, then red, then pale again, and she bit her lip hard. "Fine, I admit I was careless this time!"
She wanted to see if a wild girl from a poor family would dare to slap her.
Before Cheng Susu could even finish the thought, Qiu Heng had already raised her hand and slapped her twice without hesitation.
The slap was crisp and loud, stunning not only Cheng Susu but also everyone else.
(End of this chapter)
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