Chapter 20
Ye Tianhui just stared at him through the misty rain. She saw that just when he crossed the thirteenth obstacle, he tentatively pulled the reins, obviously wanting to slow down.
Ye Tianhui felt a little relieved, it seemed that he remembered it.
Even in this unfamiliar bumpy ride, he clearly counted how many obstacles he had crossed, and he knew he had to slow down after the thirteenth obstacle.
Because he slowed down, a horse next to him passed him, and then another one passed him, and he suddenly became third place.
The staff in the stands were all watching intently, and everyone was obviously on edge. Jessie even watched with her mouth slightly open, not daring to breathe.
At this time, the first horse had reached the fourteenth obstacle. Apparently, because of its extremely fast speed, it had no time to jump!
A horse trainer cursed under his breath: "Stupid!"
The horse fell hopelessly, and the young man on it tumbled off.
The other horse following closely behind naturally noticed this scene, and perhaps because it was too nervous, it actually jumped early!
You have to know that the speed of an excellent racehorse is more than 60 kilometers per hour. Even on the obstacle course, even in this heavy rain, the whole race only takes a few minutes.
In just two or three minutes, a rider has to overcome more than twenty obstacles and face complex terrain. This requires a rider to have advanced foresight, a calmness that is so calm that it is fearful, and a precise grasp of the horse's running rhythm. He must rely on his innate perception to control the horse's and his own body movements precisely to the millimeter.
Facing this one-meter-one obstacle, it is extremely difficult to find the best time to take off. If you fail to do so, you are doomed to fail.
Ye Tianhui then saw that the obstacle tripped the horse's front legs, and the young man was instantly thrown in front of the obstacle.
The successive defeats made the people in the stands look solemn. After all, everyone wanted to select seeded players and hope to find the most qualified bug boy!
Ye Tianhui's eyes never left the black-haired boy.
She knew that in this screening process that determined one's fate and future, some people would inevitably be cruelly eliminated, and might even be injured or even die. This was fate.
Just like so many people came from the raging sea, many of them were buried in the sea, and only a few were able to successfully resist.
The black-haired boy was lying stiffly on the horse, with the wet horse blanket tightly wrapped around his thin body. It was obvious that he was also very nervous, after all, this was an experience he had never had before.
Fortunately, his speed slowed down again.
When Ye Tianhui looked at the black-haired boy like this, everyone else noticed it too. The bald horse trainer who chose him also became excited and whispered "Come on!"
Under the gaze of the crowd, everyone watched him finally reach the turning point, watched his horse lift its front legs high, and then leap forward—
People craned their necks to look—
In the midst of the storm, Ye Tianhui saw Jessie exclaiming, "That's great!"
The bald horse trainer also shouted excitedly: "It's over, it's over!"
The black-haired boy obviously relaxed after crossing that obstacle, and the next nine obstacles were not difficult. He rode his horse over them easily and finally reached the finish line first.
He succeeded.
Ye Tianhui's eyes swept across the track. The riders behind him learned from the lesson of the black-haired boy. Some of them succeeded as well, but some still fell.
So some people laughed and some people wailed.
The bald horse trainer ran over and held the boy up with his hand.
After such intense exercise, it was obvious that the boy had exhausted all his strength. His face was pale and bloodless, his body was soft, he looked like he had no strength at all, and his fingers were trembling.
The bald trainer carried him off the horse and handed him a clean horse blanket to wrap him up.
The boy sat down limply, his hands tightly clutching the blanket, his fingers trembling.
Someone gave him two sips of water, and after he took them, he seemed to feel better.
Afterwards, he turned his head and looked in the direction of Ye Tianhui.
When their eyes met, Ye Tianhui saw that his dark eyes seemed a little dazed.
He was obviously quite frightened.
***********
Just as they ran to the third-floor viewing platform, the third floor was the VIP room. Ye Wenyin and Ye Wenjing sat on the soft sofa in the room, looking at the scene outside the window through the large floor-to-ceiling glass.
This time they came here to take the opportunity to check out potential trainers and jockeys.
Ye Wenyin kept frowning as she watched the scene outside. She naturally saw Ye Tianhui in the rain, and also saw the scene of the selection of those insect boys.
She looked at it and murmured, "Why do I feel like that Northern girl just said something to a bug boy? Do they know each other?"
Ye Wenjing was at a loss: "No, why didn't I see it?"
Ye Wenyin looked at Ye Tianhui, then at the victorious Chongzai, and said, "This northern girl is quite thoughtful."
Ye Wenjing agreed with this: "Give this kind of person some paint and she can open a dyeing factory!"
Offstage, the rain stopped and Ye Tianhui followed Jessie back to the stable. They still had a lot of work to do.
Racehorses are precious. After such a rain, they need to bathe the horses and dry them after bathing. They need to be taken care of carefully.
Not to mention anything else, bathing alone is a complicated task. Jessie took Ye Tianhui and led the two horses into the bathing room. The bathing room was warm with air conditioning on, and warm water was supplied 24 hours a day.
The two men diluted the shower gel in a bucket of water, then applied it to the horse with a sponge and wiped it carefully and gently.
While wiping the horse, Jessie couldn't help but complain. He felt that his horse had been greatly wronged, and he also felt that those people were acting recklessly.
Ye Tianhui remembered the black-haired boy: "Those kids have passed the assessment, so they will stay here, right?"
Jessie nodded. "After they pass the assessment, they'll stay and train with the trainer. If the timing is right, they might participate in some internal races."
Ye Tianhui: "Do they make a lot of money?"
By this time, the shower gel had been applied almost completely. Jessie carefully wiped the bottom of the horse's hooves and said casually, "Not much. They work with their trainers, and their wages are not much, less than we do. If they win the race, the bulk of the profits go to the stable, and they don't get much themselves."
He shrugged. "But there's a saying that something is better than nothing. I guess at least I can share something!"
As he spoke, he had already picked up the water pressure gun and was ready to flush the racehorse.
Ye Tianhui stood aside, having prepared clean towels and other things. After the racehorse was rushed through, she would quickly dry it and keep it warm.
She thought of the black-haired boy and figured he must have passed.
If you pass, at least you will have a livelihood.
************
Jessie gave her a high score. Combined with her previous performance, she passed the assessment successfully and was notified that she could come to work the next day. During her internship, her monthly salary was HK$1,800.
It's not much, but it's already very good. In fact, those mainlanders who come to Hong Kong to work only earn HK$2,000 a day by carrying goods at the dock.
After finishing her work, she was in a good mood. After leaving the horse farm, she found a public telephone booth and called Gu Shizhang.
It is a great thing for her to have a job, especially a job that allows her to get close to the horse racing industry.
She felt that she should express her sincere gratitude to Gu Shizhang for helping her find such a job.
She wondered how to repay him.
In fact, she understood that Gu Shizhang was financially well off. He had obtained a jockey certificate in the UK and had participated in competitions in South Africa. It was obvious that he came to Hong Kong this time specifically for the horse "Gathering Light".
Since someone hired him specifically to take care of the light gathering, the price should be very high. In other words, he is a very valuable professional technician.
Besides, he lives in Happy Valley, which is full of luxury houses.
With his conditions, he might not even be interested if I invited him to dinner or gave him any gifts.
As for the rest, there was nothing she could do to help him.
As she thought about this, she listened to the phone ringing on the other end. The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up.
A slightly cold voice came from the other side: "Hello, I'm Gu Shizhang."
Ye Tianhui smiled: "I am Ye Tianhui."
However, compared to her joy and enthusiasm, the other party's reaction was cold: "Oh, Miss Ye, is there something wrong?"
Ye Tianhui was surprised: "Are you busy? Then I'll find you later."
Gu Shizhang: "It's not that busy, just tell me if you have anything to say."
Ye Tianhui had no choice but to say, "It's nothing, actually. I just passed the assessment today. The treatment at this racecourse is quite good, the environment is nice, and it really helps me understand horse racing. I'm quite satisfied."
Gu Shizhang: "As long as you like it."
Ye Tianhui: "So I was thinking, if you're not busy, I'd like to treat you to a meal when I have time?"
After she said this, there was silence on the other end of the phone.
If she hadn't been able to faintly hear his regular breathing coming from the receiver, she would have thought he had hung up.
She was puzzled: "What's wrong? You are very busy, right? If you are too busy, then forget it."
Gu Shizhang spoke at this moment, his voice very calm: "Did you make money from the last horse racing ticket?"
Mentioning this, Ye Tianhui smiled: "Yes, I earned it!"
She lowered her voice and said, "I got back four thousand Hong Kong dollars in one go. I now have over six thousand Hong Kong dollars. I feel like I've made a fortune!"
Gu Shizhang listened to her uncontrollable joyful tone: "So happy?"
Ye Tianhui: "Of course, I see you don't seem to be short of money, so you naturally don't understand the pain of being broke, let alone the pain of being hungry!"
Gu Shizhang: "Oh, really? Have you ever been hungry?"
Ye Tianhui: "I've been hungry..."
Gu Shizhang: "When?"
Ye Tianhui became vague: "I've been hungry many times."
Gu Shizhang pressed on: "Tell me in detail."
Ye Tianhui felt bitter: "Why are you asking this?"
Gu Shizhang: "I've been very busy recently, I'm in a bad mood, and my appetite is also poor."
Ye Tianhui: “?”
Gu Shizhang: "Listening to other people's stories about hunger can improve your mood and perhaps your appetite."
Ye Tianhui: “???”
She frowned and murmured in disbelief: "Why are you like this!"
Gu Shizhang's voice was cold: "Why, is it not possible? Then forget it."
Ye Tianhui listened to his voice, which was very dull and completely different from before, as if he had become a different person, or as if she had offended him.
She suddenly had an indescribable feeling.
I suddenly remembered a lot of things, such as the saint's cold gaze in the imperial study.
Some people are just like this, moody and unpredictable. You never know how you offended them, but you can't ask them. Who can blame them for being so unpredictable?
She took a deep breath and finally said, "Since you are busy, forget it. I will come to you later when you have time or an appetite."
Gu Shizhang: "You——"
Before he could finish speaking, Ye Tianhui hung up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Ye Tianhui was still a little angry: "I wanted to treat him to a meal and thank him, but why did he do that? It's as if I owed him 800 yuan!"
"Although I owe him a favor, I'm not ungrateful. Why is he so cold to me? Why should I be so humble? Have I offended him?"
Ye Tianhui thought of the emperor of the past whose grace was unpredictable, and snorted coldly: "You are not him! I am not afraid of you!"
At this time, the public phone rang, obviously someone was calling.
This kind of public phone can be called by anyone on the street. Usually, this kind of call is made after an agreement. No one would call a public phone that they don't know what it is, so it can be basically confirmed that the person who called back was Gu Shizhang.
However, Ye Tianhui was still a little annoyed.
This anger was not directed only at Gu Shizhang in front of her, but also at the emperor who made her fear and submit to him.
In front of the saint, she would always bow her head. The family teachings she received since childhood made her loyalty to the emperor engraved in her bones, making her submit to the majesty of the royal family and willingly endure the emperor's capricious moods.
However, her tolerance was limited to the emperor, the supreme ruler, and did not include anyone else.
Even if Gu Shizhang looks so much like him, so what? It’s not him, it’s not him!
Ye Tianhui was very annoyed. After hearing the phone ringing, she turned around and left.
Don't answer his call!
She walked for a while and stopped only when the phone ringing could no longer be heard.
She was standing on the street. There was a fruit vendor on the roadside. He had a table covered with a red checkered tablecloth. On it were glowing red grapes. There was a sign that read "Pearl Grapes, ten yuan per pound."
She stared at the pearl bag for a long time.
Actually, it's not about looking at the pearls, it's just quite boring and you need something to stare at.
After looking at it for a while, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked back.
When I returned to the public phone, it was naturally very quiet and there was no ringing sound.
She looked at the phone, took a deep breath, and told herself, "He really helped me a lot, taught me this and that, and even found me a job. I'm a person who knows how to repay kindness. I don't hold grudges. With a cheerful and generous personality like me, why should I bother with a petty man like him?"
After comforting herself, she reached out to dial the phone.
Who knew that after I dialed the number, there was a busy tone on the other end, saying that they were on the phone.
She felt helpless and sighed, thinking that this seemed to be God's will.
Then just ignore him!
She hung up the phone and walked away.
But just when she took seven or eight steps, she heard the phone ringing again.
Without hesitation, she rushed back and picked up the phone.
The call was connected, but there was no sound on the other end. She only heard the man's breathing in the faint electromagnetic sound, even and steady, one after another, as if following the telephone line and spraying on her face.
She felt as if there was something strange in her heart, and everything became subtle.
Even my face felt a little hot.
She bit her lip, looked at the street in the distance, and said unhappily, "Why would someone deliberately shake the phone? If no one speaks, I'll hang up!"
After saying this, he pretended to hang up.
A man's deep voice came from the other end: "Don't hang up."
Ye Tianhui: "Oh, who are you, who?"
Gu Shizhang's voice was very low, with a hint of grinding his teeth: "Stop pretending! You just said you would treat me to a meal, why don't you treat me now?"
Ye Tianhui looked at the sky, with a bit of disapproval in her tone: "That's because you don't have much appetite, my benefactor. I will naturally wait until you have an appetite before talking to you."
Benefactor...
Gu Shizhang was speechless, then said in a tone that was a bit amusing but also a bit helpless: "What do you mean by 'benefactor'? What kind of word is that?"
Ye Tianhui said lazily and nonchalantly, "Isn't it true? You helped me a lot. I will always remember this kindness and want to repay you."
Gu Shizhang's voice became serious: "Did I ask you to repay me?"
Ye Tianhui: "You didn't ask for it, but you should be grateful and repay the kindness you have shown me!"
Gu Shizhang: "I am willing to help you because I consider you a friend. If you insist on calling me a benefactor, then you don't need to come to me if you have any problems in the future."
Ye Tianhui: "Okay... I was just joking with you!"
Gu Shizhang: "Just call me by my name, don't call me Mr. Gu."
Ye Tianhui thought about it and said, "That's fine."
Gu Shizhang: "Call me out, I'll listen."
Ye Tianhui: "Gu Shizhang."
Gu Shizhang: "Do you have any manners at all? How can you call your friend by his full name?"
Ye Tianhui: “…”
She thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Shi Zhang?"
When she called out these two words, she actually felt her mouth was a little hot.
It seemed like we became very close all of a sudden.
On the other end of the phone, Gu Shizhang paused for a moment before saying, "Okay, just call me by my name."
I don’t know if it was Ye Tianhui’s illusion, but his voice was very low, heavy and tense.
Ye Tianhui was puzzled, but Gu Shizhang had already changed the subject: "What did you want to treat me to dinner?"
Ye Tianhui said: "Let's just eat at the street stalls."
Gu Shizhang: "Oh, you want to eat this?"
Ye Tianhui: "This is my consumption level."
She should have treated him to a good meal. Ye Tianhui even thought about going to the seafood restaurant she liked last time, the high-end one that looked very expensive.
But now that there is such a commotion, I will just invite him to eat at roadside stalls or food stalls. There is definitely no more!
Gu Shizhang's voice was slightly cold: "Really? It seems that my value has dropped again."
Ye Tianhui: "Yes! Do you want to eat it? If not, then we'll have it next time."
Gu Shizhang said in a stern voice, "I don't want to eat anymore."
Ye Tianhui snorted: "I knew you must be rich and have very high standards. You must feel very wronged to eat at a food stall with me! It's really hard for you. You must feel very wronged to condescend to make friends with someone like me!"
Gu Shizhang: "Did I ever say such a thing?"
Ye Tianhui: "You didn't say it, but I can feel it!"
Gu Shizhang: "You're just overthinking it."
Ye Tianhui: "Then just eat Big Partner. Since you don't want to eat, I'm lucky enough to treat you to a meal, and you actually despise it!"
Gu Shizhang: "Address."
Ye Tianhui didn't understand: "What?"
Gu Shizhang: "The location of this public telephone."
Ye Tianhui looked at the nearby streets and reported them to him.
Gu Shizhang: "Hang up first, wait for me."
After saying that, he added: "Don't run around."
Ye Tianhui frowned and muttered softly: "I'm not a child!"
She was halfway through her words when the other party hung up the phone.
She stood at the foot of the wall and waited. It was already late, the lights were on, and the streets were bustling with cars and people.
She recalled everything that happened on the phone just now, and the tone of his voice when he spoke to her. She had the illusion that the person on the other end of the phone was not Gu Shizhang, but a saint.
That is clearly the texture of a saint's voice.
Ye Tianhui leaned lightly against a golden rambutan tree, closed her eyes slightly, examined her own thoughts, and recalled the ripples that had just arisen in her heart.
She knew that this illusion came from the phone. She couldn't see the other person's face, so based on the voice, she imagined him to be what she thought he was.
Thinking about what she was thinking, she regretted it and felt that she shouldn't indulge herself in front of a man she didn't really know, but she would do it subconsciously.
why is that?
Is she very familiar with him? This person is not someone she is very close to.
Then she saw a fact that she had never realized before.
I subconsciously trust and feel close to him because he looks like a saint.
Because he looks like a saint.
This is what Ye Tianhui couldn't believe.
That was clearly the person she was most wary of and afraid of.
While she was thinking about this, she heard a voice: "Why are you standing here?"
The voice was clear and pleasant, and when it fell into Ye Tianhui's ears, she felt as if she had returned to her previous life, to the Imperial Stables.
She liked horses, and the sage also liked horses. The sage's Imperial Horse Garden had a collection of various famous horses. After she returned to Beijing and other important matters were dealt with, the sage would summon her to the Imperial Horse Garden to accompany him to appreciate those famous horses.
Even after such a reincarnation, she could still see what he looked like at that time.
Her long satin hair was tied up with a golden jade crown, and she stood tall and graceful, dignified and calm, with unparalleled grace and brilliance, as dazzling as the stars in the sky.
Even his warm and tolerant manner and cheerful conversation could not conceal the majesty that came from his long-standing high position.
She opened her eyes and slowly looked at the man in front of her.
The illusion of the saint disappeared, and what she saw was Gu Shizhang.
He was wearing a well-tailored suit, with his hands in his trouser pockets, giving off a somewhat casual and lazy vibe.
He didn't smile, his dark pupils were cold, and he looked at her with some inquiry.
Ye Tianhui felt that strange feeling in her chest again. She pursed her lips slightly and looked away.
Gu Shizhang stepped forward, approached, and stopped when he was only a few inches away from her.
He was very tall, and his slender figure stood in front of her, like a lonely mountain, blocking the setting sun in the distance.
Ye Tianhui could feel that his eyes were fixed on her face and never left her face.
Afterwards, he finally lowered his head slightly: "You were clearly looking at me just now, but I felt like you were looking at someone else."
Ye Tianhui said stubbornly: "No..."
Gu Shizhang smiled: "You seem to be blushing."
Ye Tianhui: “No!”
She touched her face and said, "It must be the sunset."
In fact, she herself felt her face burning.
Seeing this, Gu Shizhang let her go and asked with a low smile, "What do you want to eat?"
Ye Tianhui bit her lip and said deliberately, "Wonton noodles, please."
It’s cheap and you can find it anywhere on the street.
Gu Shizhang just looked at her silently for a long time, and finally a smile appeared in his dark eyes.
He said in a very low voice, helplessly: "Why are you so stingy to me?"
Ye Tianhui: "What's wrong with me being stingy?"
Gu Shizhang saw her expression of being a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water and said, "Tianhui, you are just mean and deliberately bullying me."
He called her name.
The tone was lazy and nonchalant, yet with a hint of intimacy.
Although it wasn't the more intimate word Huihui, Ye Tianhui's heart still beat faster when she heard it.
She pursed her lips, suppressed her feelings, and deliberately said in a righteous tone: "I am just like this. If you don't like it, then don't be friends with me."
Gu Shizhang chuckled lightly, his smile as calm and relaxed as the clouds and breeze.
She felt that he saw through her thoughts: "You——"
Gu Shizhang smiled and said, "Let's go eat wonton noodles."
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