Yan Sheng shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.
"That settles it then," Yan Shenyu shrugged. "Why do you care about him?"
"But he said..."
"Did he threaten you with some conditions to force you to do something with him?" Yan Shenyu guessed. "But we haven't had anything else going on lately, just participating in a variety show recording. Did he say he knows someone on the show wants to harm you and force you to be with him?"
Yan Sheng's eyes widened in surprise, and she said incredulously, "You can even deduce this?"
“Half and half,” Yan Shenyu shook his head. “There were some simple deductions, but we also relied on some luck.”
"luck?"
“I actually had a few guesses prepared,” Yan Shenyu explained. “My first guess was related to variety shows. If that was wrong, I would change to a second one, speculating that it was related to your academics. If that wasn’t the case either, then it might be the family that adopted you. These are all points where you could have a conflict of interest. People cause trouble for others in these kinds of ways. I was just lucky and guessed correctly on my first try.”
Yan Sheng frowned: "But what if someone really wants to harm us, then..."
“Don’t be afraid,” Yan Shenyu shook his head. “Yan Zhengang’s connections weren’t built for nothing. Even if he really wanted someone to deal with us, he would have to think twice before making a move.”
...
"They all rejected you?" In a lounge at the racecourse, Wei Yiming listened to his assistant's report and narrowed his eyes unhappily.
“Yes,” the assistant said, puzzled. “They were fine at first, but as soon as we mentioned dealing with the Yan brothers, they immediately found all sorts of excuses to refuse.”
Wei Yiming narrowed his eyes and said unhappily, "Do you know why?"
"Well..." The assistant swallowed hard before saying, "They said the Yan family is not to be trifled with, and it's not worth offending them to earn this little bit of money."
“What is the Yan family?” Wei Yiming sneered, displeased. “Even if he has some money, Yan Zhengang is just a nouveau riche, a country bumpkin who can’t even attend a horse race. Besides, with real estate companies going bankrupt one after another, he might be the one to be hit one day.”
“Exactly,” the assistant quickly agreed, “These people are just cowards. Why weren’t they humble when they were taking the money? Now they’re so timid and hesitant when asked to do something.”
After thinking for a moment, Wei Yiming shook his head and said, "Forget it, don't bother with them. I'll call Producer Qian myself."
No one in this industry is completely clean. He and Producer Qian each have some dirt on the other, and if he asks, Producer Qian usually won't refuse.
Wei Yiming dialed Producer Qian's number, but this time, the other party was no longer responsive.
"Yiming, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you, it's just that this matter is indeed much more complicated than I imagined."
Wei Yiming: "Aren't they just two newcomers in the entertainment industry and the sons of real estate companies?"
"It's not that simple. Both of them have powerful backers, so they're not easy to touch," Producer Qian shook his head. "Recently, the investors in variety shows have all spoken to me, asking me to take extra care of the Yan brothers on the show."
Wei Yiming's gaze gradually sharpened: "Does that also include the Xie family and the Fu family?"
“That’s right. Those two leaders personally gave you some pointers, otherwise I wouldn’t have stopped you,” Producer Qian said earnestly. “I advise you not to touch them. Anyway, there’s no major conflict. If you offend the people behind them, it will be a loss. Take my advice and don’t narrow your own path.”
Wei Yiming hung up the phone, not expecting the situation to become so complicated.
What surprised him even more was that these two brothers had managed to climb up to such powerful backers...
Despite his long-standing efforts to maintain connections with the Xie and Fu families, he only knew a few distant relatives and couldn't possibly infiltrate their social circles. He even tried to get to know Xie Siyan through an endorsement deal, but Wildfire Technology canceled the deal, making him a laughingstock in the entertainment industry.
After a brief moment of thought, Wei Yiming decided to temporarily abandon these two hot potatoes. He could easily suppress ordinary people, but if it came at a huge cost, it would be a losing proposition.
But he couldn't swallow his anger, and later, Wei Yiming sent a message to Producer Qian.
[Today, all five of us are at the racetrack. There's an amateur jockey race this afternoon. Could the producer please, on behalf of the production team, ensure all the jockeys participate?]
Intrigue may not work, but that doesn't mean open strategies are useless.
Horse racing is a high-risk sport, so if something happens during the race, it's not his fault.
Moreover, Xu Yi, that brainless guy, seems to really dislike Yan Shenyu. He may not be able to do much else, but he should be able to sow discord between Xu Yi and Yan Shenyu.
...
"What? We're going to participate in the competition too?"
This news was relayed to each guest through the assistant director.
"Director," Yan Shenyu said in the dressing room, holding a large glass of watermelon juice, looking aggrieved, "you know, right? I just broke my back and can't do strenuous exercise."
Jiang Xulin: "I'm sorry, this is the program's rule."
"But my back is really bad—" Yan Shenyu exclaimed, "Xu Yi, what are you doing?"
Xu Yi slapped Yan Shenyu on the lower back, then pinched it before withdrawing her hand and saying calmly, "Isn't this great?"
Yan Shenyu glared at him: "Get your filthy hands off me."
Xu Yi removed her hand, but before leaving, she pinched Yan Shenyu's waist hard.
"Holy crap?!" Yan Shenyu cried out in pain, and when she lifted her clothes, she saw two red finger marks.
"Xu Yi, you're too vicious." Yan Shenyu sat down next to Yan Sheng, clutching her waist, looking utterly miserable.
"Serves you right for being so foul-mouthed."
"You're being a nuisance."
"You have a foul mouth."
"roll!"
"Get off Earth!"
"Get out of the Milky Way!"
"Get out of outer space!"
"Get out of the two-dimensional membrane of the universe!"
Xu Yi paused, then asked in confusion, "What is a two-dimensional planar membrane in the universe?"
Yan Shenyu became smug: "I'm not telling you."
"Uh..." Xu Yi was about to reach out and pinch him again, but the director stopped her in time.
"Alright, stop arguing. I'm talking about serious business." The director's voice came from the video. "This competition won't be too difficult. After their competition is over, the five of you can run a lap on your own track."
“That’s no fun,” Wei Yiming shook his head. “If we’re going to run, we should run with everyone and join the overall rankings.”
“I agree,” Fu Shuyu stepped forward, “I want to compete with everyone.”
"And what about you?"
“I can.” Xu Yi was looking forward to a match with Yan Shenyu and agreed without hesitation.
"Three against two, so you guys..."
Before the director could finish speaking, Yan Shenyu interrupted him: "Director, what if we can't ride a horse?"
"It's alright, you can learn to ride a horse if you don't know how. There's still some time before the competition." The director waved his hand and finalized the itinerary.
Knowing that Yan Shenyu had asked on his behalf, Yan Sheng whispered in his ear, "It's okay, I'll take good care of myself."
“I’ll give you Xiaobai,” Yan Shenyu said to Yan Sheng. “It’s slow, so even if you can’t ride a horse, you won’t get hurt easily.”
Yan Sheng hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, I can ride a horse a little bit."
"Can you ride a horse?"
"Yes, I had the opportunity to learn it before."
Yan Shenyu paused for a moment before remembering that keeping a low profile was the protagonist's forte.
Conceal your talents at the beginning, so that you can shine brightly later.
“In that case, I’m not worried anymore.” Yan Shenyu nodded. “I’ll keep Xiaobai for myself.”
Yan Shenyu clearly overestimated Xiaobai's initiative. Let alone running, it got annoyed even walking a few steps.
Yan Shenyu, having barely traveled ten meters on horseback in just a few minutes, began to threaten: "Your ex is still here. If you don't cooperate with me, I'll give you back to him."
The previous seller, standing nearby, laughed heartily, saying, "Don't give it to me, I don't want it!"
Yan Shenyu: "..."
An hour before the race, a large number of horse racing enthusiasts had already gathered next to the racetrack to warm up. Those participating in this competition were mostly wealthy equestrians who only train a few times a month; it was largely for recreational purposes.
Seeing him riding the little white car, and with many people coming over to greet him, they were all surprised and said:
"Why are you using this horse? It can't run!"
"Let's rent another horse from the club!"
"I just heard Old Wang say that he sold the young lady to some unlucky guy, but I never expected that you would buy her, hahaha!"
Yan Shenyu: "..."
It turns out that Xiaobai is actually a famous horse at this horse farm.
Oh well, he bought the salted fish himself, so we'll just have to accept it.
Yan Shenyu had prepared himself to come in last place in the race. However, as more and more horses appeared around him, Xiaobai suddenly became restless, its four hooves pawing the ground alternately, and it suddenly became eager to try.
Yan Shenyu: ?
Is Xiaobai also hiding his true abilities?
When Yan Shenyu heard someone calling him, he looked up and realized that Xie Siyan had also come to participate in the competition riding on the black cloud.
On a sweltering summer afternoon, dust billowed across the horse ranch, accompanied by the constant clatter of hooves. Xie Siyan rode towards him on Black Cloud, his white riding breeches taut against his body, outlining the man's powerful thighs and firm glutes. In that instant, Xie Siyan shed his elegant suit and tie, replaced by an overwhelming sense of aggression and power.
Even though they were all wearing the same riding breeches, Yan Shenyu always felt that Xie Siyan looked much better in them than others.
The taut curve of his thighs, the black leather boots on the stirrups, the hands gripping the reins, the veins bulging on his forearms from the exertion...
Perhaps it was because of the heat of summer, but Yan Shenyu felt a wave of dizziness upon seeing this scene.
It wasn't until his little white dog suddenly barked that Yan Shenyu came to his senses and let the little white dog lead him away from the rogue horse that was sniffing its butt.
"You guys came to compete too?" Fu Jingran followed behind Xie Siyan, his eyes bright and alert, but he wasn't looking at Xie Siyan.
Yan Shenyu smiled and nodded, then added after greeting him, "Yan Sheng is over there."
"Thanks." Fu Jingran immediately spurred his horse over, kicking up a cloud of dust, leaving Yan Shenyu and Xie Siyan behind.
Fu Jingran quickly became friends with Yan Sheng. Xie Siyan's gaze fell on them, and he suddenly said, "They're making really fast progress."
“Yes,” Yan Shenyu was also a little surprised. The speed of this development was beyond his imagination. “Normally, people get to know each other and become friends first. But these two are different; it’s like they fell in love at first sight.”
Xie Siyan looked at him thoughtfully: "Love at first sight is also quite nice."
Yan Shenyu: "Isn't love at first sight just lust at first sight?"