Chapter 168: Earlobes Turned Red

"We'll race through the forest, with the finish line set on the opposite side of the creek; whoever arrives first wins."

After Meng Shutang rode a short lap, he rode his horse over at a leisurely pace and said lightly.

Meng Shutang's face brightened. "Alright, I definitely won't lose."

With a clear shout, the two horses galloped into the forest path together.

Shen Duan saw it and volunteered, "I'll be the judge."

Compared with Gu Yunci, although she hadn't handled a horse for several years, Meng Shutang's horsemanship wasn't rusty; she controlled the first half well, turned smoothly, and even kept overtaking Gu Yunci.

Gu Yunci didn't noticeably slow down, but watching her spirited demeanor, his eyes were full of indulgent affection.

But just as they were about to reach the creek, the black horse suddenly became timid and stopped there.

Meng Shutang saw this, gently pulled the reins, but the black horse paced and refused to go forward.

She lifted her hand to pat it lightly, to no avail.

Looking at the creek right before her eyes, Meng Shutang smiled brightly, turned her gaze toward the approaching Gu Yunci and said, "My horse is afraid of water; it won't cross."

Gu Yunci is completely different from Lu Shenyang and Gu Jin Xing.

Lu Shenyang and Gu Jin Xing would accommodate her, but Gu Yunci not only wouldn't; he might even mock her.

The way he treats her, Meng Shutang thought, is like a leader toward a subordinate.

He hopes she grows; at least once she's away from him, she can live well.

His treatment of her over all these years has never been like keeping a canary.

As his words finished, Gu Yunci had already reached the creek; the white horse didn't easily cross, but stepped up to her side.

Meng Shutang, curious about what he was about to do, wondered if he was going to scold her.

She only heard the man reach out, "Give me your hand."

Meng Shutang froze for a moment, but then trustedly handed her hand over, placing it in his palm.

Gu Yunci gripped her hand tightly, applied a slight force, and pulled her toward his direction.

Meng Shutang was yanked off the black horse, let out a startled cry, and in the next instant landed steadily on the horse's back in front of the man's chest.

Before she could recover, the man clenched his legs around the horse's belly, the white horse leapt into the air, its agile body soaring high, carrying them in a perfect parabola across the sky, over the creek, and landing steadily on the opposite side.

Shen Duan and Huo Yanchen, watching from the side, glanced aside, "He's really changed now, even yielding to others; those four years of hardship weren't in vain."

After crossing, Gu Yunci tightened the reins; the white horse stood steadily, turned, and glanced at the creek and the black horses on the opposite side, as if saying, "Good companion, go back; I'm taking them to play."

Then, it carried the two riders across the boundless plain, leaving the other people and grooms at the edge of the arena behind, and rode off gracefully.

The white horse ran like a gust of wind; on its back, Gu Yunci held the reins with one hand and clasped Meng Shutang with the other, galloping across the plain.

Wind whistled in her ears as Meng Shutang laughed freely, turning her gaze toward Gu Yunci.

Gu Yunci lowered his head to look at her, their foreheads gently touching.

Soon they reached the edge of the riding ground, which sat atop a hill like a movie set; before the towering mountains, the two seemed like characters from a film.

The difference was that there were no cameras, no director—just the two of them.

Gu Yunci tightened the reins, and the white horse slowed to a halt, stepping majestically along the border.

Meng Shutang had never been here before; it was her first time seeing such a grand, magnificent sight.

Especially with the setting sun, the fiery clouds reflected on her face, and the tranquil afterglow spread across the grass.

"I heard them say that Bai Cixian went to see you again?"

Gu Yunci lowered his brows and glanced at her; this should have been said during lunch earlier when Shen Duan mentioned it casually, which lodged in her mind, "Yes, but I didn't speak to her."

"Actually, I've never seriously asked you: if you hadn't met me seven years ago, would you have been with Bai Cixian?"

"No."

He answered very definitively.

"But I heard Shen Duan say that back then you were also taken with Bai Cixian."

"I only love you; I've never liked her."

Gu Yunci spoke very candidly.

Meng Shutang glanced at him, "How many people have you been intimate with, even if only once?"

Gu Yunci sneered, "Only you."

Meng Shutang felt he was brushing her off, "Fine, you don't have to say."

Actually, this question had been bottled up in her heart for years; she wanted to ask after marriage, but at that time she was completely devoted to him and felt it was meaningless to ask once married, so she didn't.

"Besides you, I haven't been with anyone; before you slept with me, I was a chaste virgin."

Meng Shutang, upon hearing that, formally turned her gaze to him.

Would the first time they were together truly be his first?

This clashed greatly with Meng Shutang's perception; after all, the popularity of a top‑tier domineering CEO can't be compared to that of a top male star.

Regardless of his wealth or looks, Gu Yunci isn't the type that nobody wants; rather, he resembles a rakish young master among a sea of blossoms.

So many women coveted him, especially within the Gu Group; many young girls remain single for him, and many strive desperately to climb the ranks, hoping one day to encounter him.

When she was with him, she was twenty‑one; because her family was poor and she had to care for her mother, she hadn't had an early romance, which is understandable.

What was the reason Gu Yunci remained single at twenty‑four back then?

Especially considering his effortless skill in bed, he obviously has a lot of experience.

Meng Shutang lowered her eyes, pondering that first day, wondering if he had any flaw; Gu Yunci's chin brushed her hairline, "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." Meng Shutang lifted her gaze, about to ask whether he had been idle these past years.

Gu Yunci lowered his head and kissed the tip of her ear, "Nothing? Why are your earlobes red?"

Meng Shutang instinctively raised her hand to cover them, "Are they red? So obvious?"

Gu Yunci suddenly turned her face and gave a light peck on her lips, "Out here in the wilderness with no one around, you wouldn't be thinking of pinning me to the grass…"

Meng Shutang was made to laugh, "You're thinking beautifully."

Gu Yunci also laughed, he gripped the reins with both hands, holding the petite Meng Shutang in his arms.

Gazing forward, he faced the wind and explained to Meng Shutang, "I'm not lying to you—apart from you, I've never been with another woman."

The evening wind brushed her cheeks, dispelling the slight doubt in Meng Shutang's heart; she actually still wanted to ask about "tangtang," but she thought it would make her less adorable, so she held her tongue.

But since Gu Yunci said he had been with no other woman, her mood instantly lightened.

On the third floor of the racetrack club, Gu Jin Xing stood at the window; before the sun set, the white horse only then bore the two people back at a leisurely pace.

Gu Yunci didn't know what he had said, provoking Meng Shutang into angry embarrassment; she jabbed him with her elbow, and he didn't evade, laughing as he bore it.

After striking him and returning, Meng Shutang laughed, throwing her head back, even happier.

A pat on the shoulder, Gu Jin Xing turned his head, and saw Lu Shenyang standing behind him.