BL Ch14

In the outskirts of Pingyi City lies a private horse farm spanning 30,000 square meters. As summer approaches, the pasture is lush and green.

Today, the stables, tack room, horse washing area, grooming area, and changing rooms are especially busy. Trainers and riders are ready and waiting for the owners of these expensive horses to come for inspection.

The guests were already in the reception room having tea. Lou Baoguo, waiting outside, looked around for a long time. Finally, a car arrived, and he quickly stepped forward, opening the back door before the driver could get out. “Young master—”

He came face-to-face with Zhao Feihua, who pushed him away. “Whoa! Seeing a ghost in broad daylight, what bad luck!”

Lou Baoguo, angry, snapped back, “Why is it you, this unlucky thing? Where’s the young master?”

“Who are you calling unlucky?”

Zhou Yi got out of the car to intervene. “Stop arguing, both of you. Go and calm the guests. The young master just asked the horse farm manager to check the surveillance and went to find Xiao Bai.”

Lou Baoguo widened his eyes. “The young master went himself? My elder brother must be very important. When I got lost in America with the young master, not knowing the language and wandering for a whole day, he didn’t come looking for me.”

Zhou Yi responded, “How shameless to mention that. Embarrassing!”

Around the obstacle grass slope, there was a pavilion set up for visitors to observe the horses closely. Yu Duqiu climbed up and smiled at the man inside, who looked at him with displeasure. “Even the wildest horse in my farm is easier to tame than you.”

“I told you, I’m not your pet.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Yu Duqiu raised his hands in surrender. “But if you want to continue staying here to investigate clues, you need to show some respect to my fiancée. Let’s go back and apologize.”

“Don’t you want to ask about the reason first?”

“No need to ask. It’s definitely your fault,” Yu Duqiu said bluntly. “Although Lingya is obsessive, she wouldn’t pick a fight with a bodyguard without reason. You must have offended her.”

“I didn’t do anything. I don’t know who told her that I was your new lover. She came to confirm, and I said you were pursuing me but I didn’t accept. She then hit me and called me shameless.”

Yu Duqiu laughed. “No wonder. To her, your words sounded like bragging. She and I grew up together and got engaged just last year, arranged by my parents, not my choice. You, a newcomer, caught my eye. Of course, she feels bad. She can’t vent her anger on me, so she vents on you.”

“That’s not my fault,” Bai Zhao, dressed in a new black suit, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, with long legs, looked more like a mob boss than a bodyguard, his gaze sharp. “It’s your fault for betraying her feelings. You never care but give people hope, making them believe they can have you, only to be disappointed over time. Her obsession is caused by you. You should apologize.”

Yu Duqiu crossed his arms and scrutinized him. “You seem to know me well?”

“Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right. I’m a bastard, a scumbag,” Yu Duqiu took two steps forward, tightened Bai Zhao’s slightly loose tie, and smiled crookedly. “But so what? Don’t you still look at me with that filthy gaze?”

The tie seemed too tight, making Bai Zhao’s breathing stifled. He turned his head. “Narcissist.”

Yu Duqiu grabbed his chin, forcing him to look back, casually pulling open his collar. The blade pendant rested on his pale skin, nestled in the hint of chest muscles, making it hard to know where to look.

“See? No problem. Consider it compensation for getting hit. I won’t gouge out your eyes,” Yu Duqiu said with a smile, moving closer. “If you’ve seen enough, don’t be mad. Be good. Just help me out and apologize. I still need her brother’s help. We can’t have a rift; otherwise, it’ll play right into the hands of those who want to divide us. I’ve never coaxed Lingya like this. Give me some face, hmm?”

Bai Zhao’s lowered gaze shifted back from the depths of Yu Duqiu’s chest. “If you want me to apologize, this compensation isn’t enough.”

Yu Duqiu smiled and gently caressed his slightly red left cheek. “What else do you want? I’ll try to meet your demand.”

Bai Zhao grabbed his hand, staring intently. “I ask you, don’t find other lovers.”

Yu Duqiu’s smile gradually cooled, the fake deep affection fading, turning back into the heartless scumbag in an instant. “You can ‘ask,’ but you can’t ‘demand’ anything from me. Know your place.”

“I’m making this request for Miss Du. At least learn to be faithful.”

“I’ll only marry her. Isn’t that faithful enough?”

“Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean,” Bai Zhao gripped his wrist. “Promise me, or you can forget about the cooperation today.”

Yu Duqiu thought for a moment. “If Lingya divorces me, I can’t find another?”

“…You can.”

“Fine. She probably won’t be able to stand me for long anyway.”

Satisfied, Bai Zhao let go of his hand and walked out of the pavilion. “Having self-awareness might be your only merit.”

In the horse farm reception room.

Through the giant glass wall, the outdoor arena could be seen, with a few fine horses performing dressage under riders in blue and white uniforms.

The horses’ sleek, well-groomed manes fluttered in the wind, exuding an extraordinary elegance.

However, Du Shuyan had no mood to appreciate this. His naturally droopy eyes revealed a trace of sadness and helplessness, a look of bitterness on his face.

As the saying goes, “Poor people play with cars, rich people play with watches, and the super-rich play with horses.” He loved equestrianism as a child. In the 1990s, the Du family, having led the “Southern Press,” had reached the ranks of the super-rich, affording him this expensive hobby.

Later, the press industry was nationalized, and his father, Du Yuanzhen, astutely switched to the rapidly rising new media industry, founding Mutu Media Co., Ltd. It should have been a promising venture, but just as they finished financing and were preparing to go public, Du Yuanzhen fell ill, his health deteriorating until he passed away. The family was torn apart by the inheritance dispute, and shareholders were overwhelmed by debt. Eventually, Yu Duqiu’s grandfather, Yu Youhai, stepped in, acquiring part of the Du family’s shares. Combined with the siblings’ holdings, Du Shuyan regained his voice in the board.

At this point, Mutu Media had already missed the golden era of development, lagging far behind the plethora of new media companies that had sprung up like mushrooms after rain. Despite their unwillingness to accept this, they could only watch from behind.

The fragmented family business and members caused the Du family to completely fall out of the ranks of the super-rich. If it weren’t for the connections and prestige accumulated by the older generation and their marriage alliance with the Yu family, they would have been trampled by the new rich.

As the current head of the family, Du Shuyan felt immense pressure to revive the family business, as heavy as Mount Tai. There was no money or energy left to indulge in horse racing. He drank his tea worriedly, unsure of its taste. Seeing his sister with red eyes, he knew she was aggrieved, but could only sigh and pat her hand. “Aya, when Duqiu arrives, don’t act as willfully as you did earlier. After all, he’s his bodyguard. You have no right to interfere, understand?”

Du Lingya stubbornly said, “Why can’t I interfere? I’m his fiancée.”

Despite her words, they all knew that this marriage was only arranged because of the Yu family’s consideration of old ties. Yu Duqiu didn’t care who he married since it was well-known that he didn’t like women, so it couldn’t be considered a deceitful marriage. Besides, Du Lingya was willing, and the Du family urgently needed to rely on a big tree to stabilize their declining position. Yu Duqiu was the perfect candidate and must not be offended.

After speaking, Du Lingya remembered her vulnerable position, where she could be dismissed from the engagement at any time, and her eyes reddened further.

Lou Baoguo and the others could only pretend to be impartial, as these family matters were beyond their control.

The atmosphere was tense when the reception room door opened with a bang, and Yu Duqiu appeared, leading the beaten bodyguard.

The horse farm manager greeted him like a lifesaver, “Mr. Yu, please sit down. It’s been a long time since you last came!”

“Making time to come here is already good enough. I’ve been busy with projects. Thank you for taking care of my treasures, Manager Ma,” Yu Duqiu casually greeted, then smiled at the Du siblings. “Hi! Brother Shuyan!”

Du Shuyan nearly spat out his red tea. His secretary quickly handed him a tissue. Covering his mouth to wipe the tea stains, his eyes almost popped out. “Duqiu, what kind of shock did you suffer? Why is all your hair white…?”

Yu Duqiu sat down nonchalantly, and Manager Ma personally poured tea before discreetly stepping aside.

“Don’t mention it. It’s all my grandfather’s fault for always scolding me for being playful and immature. So, I decided to ‘mature’ for him. White hair should be ‘mature,’ right?”

Du Shuyan had never seen such a ridiculous move. The words “this is too reckless” stuck in his throat for a long time, and he finally swallowed them down with the tea.

Yu Duqiu pulled Bai Zhao closer and gestured towards Du Lingya. “Go apologize to Miss Du. Understand the rules. She is your future mistress.”

Du Lingya felt placated by being called “mistress” and her mood improved, but she still maintained her posture and chided, “Duqiu, are you really pursuing him?”

Yu Duqiu smirked, “Just teasing him. This guy took it seriously.”

Bai Zhao, who had approached Du Lingya, stopped and turned to look at him.

Yu Duqiu responded openly, “I’m not pursuing you. I was just joking.”

Du Lingya finally smiled. She knew Yu Duqiu liked men, but she believed that with their childhood friendship and future close interactions, they could develop feelings. She didn’t care about Yu Duqiu’s past flings; now that the engagement was set, she wouldn’t allow anyone to threaten her position.

Bai Zhao retracted his gaze, bowed expressionlessly, and said, “I’m sorry, Miss Du. It was my mistake.”

Du Lingya snorted, “For Duqiu’s sake, I’ll forgive you this time. If you dare lie to me again, I’ll fire you immediately.” She perfectly played the role of the mistress.

Bai Zhao didn’t react or speak further, retreating to Zhao Feihua’s side. Zhao Feihua called his name softly, signaling him to respond, but Bai Zhao remained indifferent as if apologizing was already a significant effort.

Du Lingya’s anger flared up again, but before she could speak, Du Shuyan interrupted, “Duqiu, you’ve become quite impressive these past years. I often hear your name even here in the country. I wanted to meet you for a drink immediately upon hearing you were back, but as you know, my family’s situation is such that the board keeps a close watch on me, leaving me no leisure time. This time, it’s thanks to Xiao Zhao saying you had business with me that I could steal some time to see you.”

Zhao Feihua quickly responded, “Not at all, thank you, Mr. Du, for giving me the honor.”

Indeed, a fallen phoenix is inferior to a chicken. A legitimate chairman at the prime age of thirty-two, who should be full of ambition and talent, was living a restricted life, having to be respectful to a small PR manager. It was a pitiful sight.

Yu Duqiu replied politely, “I do have business with you today, but before we get to that, let’s relax a bit. There’s no need to be so formal between our families. Manager Ma, let’s start the performance.”

Manager Ma immediately nodded and instructed his subordinates. Soon, riders on fine horses entered the arena, facing the glass wall and bowing before performing dressage movements like side steps, high leg lifts, and on-the-spot trotting, all executed to a high standard.

“That white one, I bought from Tattersalls last year. An Andalusian horse, it’s progressing well and will be sent home once it’s fully trained. Isn’t it beautiful?” Yu Duqiu asked with interest.

Du Shuyan had no mood to watch the performance, but he smiled and agreed, “Beautiful. I remember you were always good at equestrianism, even winning the U25 Grand Prix in high school.”

Yu Duqiu was surprised, “You remember that?”

“Aya praised you all the time, saying you were amazing and outstanding, her white knight. Hard to forget,” Du Shuyan replied.

Du Lingya lowered her head shyly, “Brother, that was years ago. Stop bringing it up.”

As she lowered her head, something flashed, like a bright flame. Yu Duqiu keenly noticed the source of the flash, focusing his gaze. “New earrings?”

Du Lingya was taken aback, “Ah, yes… Since you haven’t been spending time with me lately, I went shopping with my friends. How do they look?”

“Beautiful, they suit you perfectly,” Yu Duqiu said, his gaze unwavering.

Du Lingya smiled happily, touching her earrings adorned with a circle of small diamonds and blood-red stones. “It’s rare for you to compliment my jewelry. Since you like them, I’ll wear them often.”

Outside, the riders began a performance-based obstacle course, maneuvering their horses over ditches, low walls, and multiple hurdles with impressive agility.

Yu Duqiu leisurely sipped his tea while Zhao Feihua, anxious, kept giving him meaningful looks: Are you going to talk business or not?

Du Shuyan’s anxiety was also evident on his face. Despite Du Lingya being the Yu family’s daughter-in-law and the close relationship between the two families, Yu Duqiu was much younger and had gone abroad early, so they had rarely interacted alone.

Du Shuyan could roughly guess the purpose of this meeting, but since the Du family had long lost its dominant voice in the news media industry, this matter would be difficult to handle. If things went wrong, would Yu Duqiu cancel the engagement in anger?

Du Shuyan frequently drank tea, and when his cup was empty, his secretary refilled it.

Yu Duqiu glanced at the man pouring the tea and suddenly asked, “Fei Zheng, how long have you been with Brother Shuyan?”

The man straightened up after setting down the teacup. He was very tall, nearly 1.9 meters, towering over the 1.75-meter Du Shuyan like a giant. With his sharp features and a hawk-like nose, he had some Northwest Chinese traits.

“Nine years, Mr. Yu. I’m honored you remember my name,” Fei Zheng replied respectfully, smiling and softening his tough-guy aura, becoming a friendly-looking handsome man.

Zhou Yi and Lou Baoguo exchanged glances, understanding each other: The young master probably had a thing for this guy too.

“Nine years, huh? That’s a long time. You’ve been with Brother Shuyan through his hardest times. You’re very loyal,” Yu Duqiu praised him for some reason. “I like loyal people, and animals too, like the horses here, my black cat, my sergeant, oh, and Old Zhou and Baoguo.”

Lou Baoguo’s mouth twitched. “So I’m ranked after two dogs…”

Zhao Feihua said, “You should be grateful. I don’t even have a name; I’m worse than a dog.”

Bai Zhao’s expression changed slightly, his eyes looking at Yu Duqiu with a complex mix of emotions.

Zhou Yi comforted him, “Don’t mind it. You just started. It’s normal for the young master not to mention you.”

Bai Zhao, however, was concerned about something else. “Those two Dobermans… they’re called Black Cat and Sergeant?”

Zhou Yi covered his face. “Yes, probably because the young master watched too much ‘Black Cat Detective’ when he was a kid. Whatever you do, don’t question his naming sense in front of him. He’ll get angry.”

Bai Zhao suddenly smiled—the most genuine and soft smile he had shown since joining. “I like those names.”

“…?”

Yu Duqiu finished praising Fei Zheng and then asked Du Shuyan, “Am I right?”

“Yes, yes…” Du Shuyan couldn’t grasp his point but knew it was always safe to show loyalty. “I helped him before, so he’s devoted to me, just like Uncle Yu helped me a lot. I’ll do everything I can to help you, Duqiu. I heard about what happened at your welcome banquet. Public opinion is quite unfavorable towards you now. If you need my help, just say the word.”

Zhao Feihua exhaled in relief. Finally, they were getting to the main topic.

Yu Duqiu didn’t hesitate. “To be honest, Brother Shuyan, I do need your help. As a local, you should know that the government previously approved similar tech innovation projects. However, due to an incident twenty years ago, all brain-machine interface projects were shut down under public pressure. Now that the situation has eased a bit, this incident happened. If I let public opinion continue to ferment, this project might be canceled. I need your help, and funding is not an issue.”

Du Shuyan had mentally prepared himself. He couldn’t refuse, so he agreed reluctantly, “Of course, you’re my brother-in-law, and I’ll help you. But you’ll need to explain the details to me; otherwise, I can’t operate effectively.”

“Sure.” Yu Duqiu turned to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi understood and immediately led the unrelated people out of the reception room, leaving only the Du siblings, Yu Duqiu, and Zhao Feihua to discuss their strategy.

The equestrian performance ended, and the riders led the horses back to the stables. The manager warmly invited them to visit. Fei Zheng, popping a fruit candy incongruous with his tough image into his mouth, smiled and said, “This place’s environment reminds me of my hometown. I’d like to stay here and enjoy the scenery.”

So Lou Baoguo enthusiastically dragged Zhou Yi and Bai Zhao to the stables. Inside, they marveled at the luxurious accommodations for the horses.

“This place is more luxurious than human residences,” Lou Baoguo said in amazement.

Zhou Yi replied, “Of course, each horse costs millions.”

“I arrived late and never saw the young master ride. Have you?”

“Yes, he started learning equestrianism at ten. I think it was because he found the White Dragon Horse in ‘Journey to the West’ cartoon cool.”

Lou Baoguo was surprised. “The young master liked cartoons so much as a kid? I thought with his intelligence, he’d disdain such childish things.”

Zhou Yi shrugged. “He was still a child then.”

“Thinking about it… the young master might have been pretty cute as a kid.”

“But he wasn’t cute for long. In high school, during his first equestrian class, while the teacher was explaining the basics to other students, he mounted the horse, jumped over the fence, and galloped around the teaching building twice. You should have seen it—the teacher was terrified, the girls were smitten, and his heroic presence shocked the whole school. He even got a nickname…”

Zhou Yi stopped suddenly.

Lou Baoguo was curious, “What nickname?”

Zhou Yi looked around, saw the manager was far away, and Bai Zhao was engrossed in watching the water trough, then continued, “It’s not really a secret. Young Master Pei and Miss Du know, but no one dares mention it in front of our young master. It’s the nickname he most wants to erase: ‘Yu Beauty’!”