Fleeting Fortune: A Pampered Life

Chapter 680: 426 Riding Horses to Appreciate the Green Plums, Intimacy Without Resentment (2

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As soon as the Huo Family car stopped, Shen Shuci took a special look around and quickly jumped

in. Her manner was nearly indistinguishable from that of a thief. Even as she sat in the back seat

with Huo Qingqi, there was a distance of a whole seat between them, which made them strangers to

each other.

"Where are we going for lunch?" Shen Shuci was prepared to treat her companion, so it made sense

to ask in advance what they would be eating for noon.

Huo Qingi replied expressionlessly, "To my house."

She had deliberately arranged to eat during the daytime, just to avoid him taking her hand

likely inviting trouble, yet...

Had she voluntarily thrown herself into the tiger’s den again?

"You said | could choose the place, didn’t you want to cto my house?" Huo Qingqi turned to look

at her.

"It’s not that." If Shen Shuci said she didn’t want to go to his house, he, with his temperament,

would certainly ask why, and any answer would be awkward.

Shortly after she got into the car, the elders of the Shen Family had called to check if she met with

her colleagues smoothly. Considering the senior Shen’s age, his voice was inevitably raised, afraid

she couldn’t hear him well.

"Um, I’ve met them already." Shen Shuci had lowered her own volume, but the car was so quiet that

the voice from her phone’s speaker intermittently reached Huo Qingi’s ears.

His hearing was too good... so he heard every word Mr. Shen said clearly.

"That's good, get along with your colleagues. They are your seniors; you can learn a lot from them.

They’ll look out for you at the company in the future. Remember to pay the bill..." The old man

babbled on for a while before hanging up.

Shen Shuci turned her head to look at Huo Qinqi, who was staring out the window. His face was out

of sight, and it was impossible to discern his expression at that moment, but the atmosphere in the

car had instantly becsomewhat peculiar.

The Huo family members had all heard that Miss Shen had gone out, still using the pretext of

meeting colleagues.

After all this time, still just a "colleague"? How could it not be heart-wrenching?

Once at the Huo residence, Shen Shuci also felt the atmosphere was awkward. With a good half

hour until mealtand nothing entertaining to do inside the house, upon hearing that Huo Chichi

was sunbathing in the backyard, she went straight there.

The green plum blossoms were in bloom this season. The Huo family members were leading horses

for a walk in the Linzi, with the heavy scent of flowers and the low mist of grass...

A gentle breeze carried the neighs of horses, and the fragrance of green plums pierced through the

branches.

It was Shen Shuci’s first tto see such an abundance of green plum blossoms, white like soft

snow, each petal fragrant.

Huo Chichi was napping under a tree and crunning over when it heard her approach. Shen

Shuci bent down to pick up the kitten, "I didn’t expect you little thing to still remember me."

Last tat her place, Huo Qinqi cto pick it up and the cat had completely ignored her. She had

taken care of it for so long, with no sign of affection in return. The ingratitude seemed to extend

from humans to cats.

"Miss Shen." Since Shen Shuci had been startled the last tshe rode a horse, the Huo family members, seeing

her arrival, prepared to lead the horse back to the stables as they passed by, politely greeting her.

"Is this the shorse as last time?" Shen Shuci knew very well that her fall wasn’t due to her own lack of skills

but rather because of Qi Zeyan wearing perfume.

"Yes, we didn’t expect you to remember it."

"May | ride it again?" Shen Shuci also quite liked horseback riding, but she was usually too busy with work to

have tfor it.

"About last time..." The Huo family members worried she might have lingering fears.

"It’s okay, | can do it."

"Then please wait, we'll saddle the horse for you." They had only been walking the horse and hadn't put the

saddle on yet.

In just that span of time, the Huo family had already informed Huo Qingi that Shen Shuci wanted to ride the

horse. By the the got to the backyard, Shen Shuci was already mounting the horse.

Straddling the saddle and gripping the reins, she reached out to pat the horse and, out of the corner of her eye,

saw Huo Qingi approaching and flashed him a smile.

Her smile was much more relaxed than before, softening like gentle ripples across water, triggering a subtle itch

in the depths of one’s heart.

"Miss Shen, please be careful. Just walk it around slowly for a couple of laps," the Huo family members couldn't

help but fear a repeat of the previous incident.

"I'll be careful." Despite her assuring words, Shen Shuci, still taken aback by her previous surprise, didn’t dare to

ride too fast. She was about to have the horse move forward when Huo Qingi suddenly reached out, grabbed the

reins, and stopped it.

"Mr. Huo?"

"It’s unsafe for you to ride alone," Huo Qingi’s words always carried certainty and dominance.

"Last twas an accident, | should be fine alone..."

Shen Shuci hadn't finished speaking when Huo Qingi unexpectedly grabbed the side of the rein and nimbly

mounted the horse himself. Though the saddle wasn’t small, fitting two people certainly made it cramped.

Her back pressed against a scorching chest, Shen Shuci stiffened all over, even her fingers clenching the reins

unintentionally tightened with force.

What on earth was he doing?

The Huo family members had already been stunned by this assertive move.

Damn.

Sharing one horse, isn't it too crowded? Are they trying to reenact sidol ?

Such a plot happening to anyone wouldn't be strange, except when it involved Huo Qingi, it always felt a bit out

of place.

"I'll take you with me," he said with a raspy, deep voice that seemed as if it were pressing on his chest. When he

spoke, it was as if it hit against his ribcage, and in turn, against her back and her heart.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Shuci felt him take hold of the reins. She hurriedly pulled her fingers back,

and though they tugged at different parts of the reins without touching, what did it matter when their bodies

were so intimately close? Even if their fingers hadn't touched, what difference did it make?

"Don’t tense up so much, relax. The horse can feel it when you're nervous."

His voice was too close, and Shen Shuci could hear his every breath, the hot air brushing past her ear, scorching

her entire ear as if it were about to ignite.

Half of her body was heated up.

With him so close, how was she supposed to relax?

"lI won't let you fall and get hurt, don’t be nervous."

His voice was very cold, yet his breath was scorching hot.

It was enough to take someone's life.

Did he truly not understand, or was he feigning ignorance? It wasn't the fear of falling off the horse that made

her nervous; it was all because of him.

Huo Qingi gently tugged on the reins, and the horse began to slowly circle the woods, while Shen Shuci’s body

remained stiff, not daring to relax for a moment.

She tried to lean forward to avoid his touch, but there was only so much space on the back of a horse, and there

was nowhere to hide.

The scent of pines after snow emanated from him, piercingly crisp, as if penetrating the limbs and bones, and

the distinct fragrance of green plums seemed to carry a cool scent. Everything felt chilling to the bones, yet the

palm of Shen Shuci’s hand was already sweating.

She dared not relax for a moment.

Riding a horse wasn't like being in a car; it was always bumpy. Despite her attempts to avoid it, their bodies

inevitably pressed even closer together.

The man’s arms reached around from behind, pulling on the reins, and this position was as if he were enveloping

her tightly from behind.

She was very aware of the strength in his arms.

This posture made one’s heart flutter with unease.

The wind carried the cool fragrance of the green plums, yet she felt the breeze on her face to be

more sticky than the hot wind of midsummer.

It made her whole body uncomfortably warm.

The Huo Family watched from not too far away, their faces showing contentment, "I really didn’t

expect our lord to have such a side to him."

"Last tthe Fourth Master came, he said the Green Plum Garden was suitable for dates. He

definitely took it to heart."

"Thought the Fourth Master was all fun and games, but it turns out his words carry sweight."

"Before, | wondered if Miss Shen was a good match for our lord or if she was too young, but now

that | see them together, the more I look, the more well-suited they seem."

Meanwhile, Shen Shuci couldn’t take it any longer.

If things continued this way, she wouldn’t die from falling off a horse but from a sudden heart

stoppage. From the beginning till now, her heart rate had never returned to normal.

Deep down, she was well aware that she needed to have a proper talk with Huo Qinqi about their

situation. How could they leave things so unclear? This simply wasn’t her style.

"Mr. Huo."

"Hmm?"

"lI chere actually wanting to talk to you about something," Shen Shuci said, gripping the reins

tightly.

"Go ahead."

"Shall we talk about it down there?" How could they converse like this?

"Okay." Huo Qinqi pulled on the reins, dismounted swiftly and smoothly, then reached out to help

her.

But Shen Shuci was there to clarify their relationship, and given the events just now, she seemed

reluctant to have more contact with him; she held onto the reins and dismounted on her own.

Standing opposite each other deep within the Green Plum Forest, aside from the horse, it was

unlikely anyone else could hear their conversation.

"What did you want to talk toabout?"

Huo Qinqi looked at her seriously, his height and cool voice giving off an overwhelming presence,

even if his tone seemed somewhat gentle.

"1 wanted to talk about the relationship between us."

Shen Shuci was not one to hesitate; once she made up her mind, she was quite direct.

"Okay."

Huo Qinqgi watched her intently, his gaze deep and murky. Shen Shuci, out of politeness, met his

eyes as she spoke, but that direct gaze, coupled with the fervor in his eyes, burned hers...

It was so intense that her heart trembled with restlessness.

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