Chapter 43: I Guess I Should Carry You Over?
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"Let's go to the stable first and pick a suitable horse for you." Xi Mo led Ruan Yesheng to the stable.
The horse stable is spacious and wide, mainly designed in natural wood and light brown color, emitting a subtle luxury. The lighting is excellent as many dedicated individuals take care of it daily. It's spotlessly clean inside, unlike some other stables that might have more noticeable odors.
On both sides, it's divided into individual horse stables, with a wide aisle in the middle. Ruan Yesheng glanced along the aisle, and during the daytime, the gates of the stables were open. Many horses peek out from their stalls. These are all meticulously selected fine horses. Each stable has the name of the horse hanging on it. Some horses even have their manes braided into various beautiful plaits, with creative markings trimmed into their fur.
The horses here live better lives than people.
This was Ruan Yesheng's first impression after looking around.
"What color of horse do you like?" Xi Mo asked her from the side.
"I'm fine with any," replied Ruan Yesheng as she walked, occasionally chatting intimately with Xi Mo, in a relaxed and cheerful manner. In the past, whenever Ruan Yesheng got this close, Xi Mo would instinctively maintain some distance. But this time, she cooperated well. Sometimes Ruan Yesheng almost touched her body, and Xi Mo didn't avoid it.
It wasn't until Ruan Yesheng spotted a black horse that she stopped in her tracks.
This black horse stood out remarkably, majestic and powerful, resembling a black war god. Its entire body was glossy black, smooth as silk and satin, without a single stray hair. Even its stable was much more spacious than the others, indicating its prominent status in the stable.
"It's really beautiful," Ruan Yesheng couldn't help but whisper in admiration at the sight of this beautiful creature.
The black horse extended its head from the stable door, continuously staring at Ruan Yesheng, unmoving, like a frozen black shadow.
Ruan Yesheng had often been stared at intensely by many people, but this was the first time in her life that she was stared at unblinkingly by a horse. Besides finding it intriguing, she felt a bit unnerved by the continuous gaze.
"Is it always looking at me?" Ruan Yesheng whispered, "Does it have an issue with me?"
"Of course, it's looking at you," Xi Mo replied without much concern, "This is my horse, it's been with me for a long time. In its eyes, it thinks you're me."
"...That's not what I meant," Ruan Yesheng said, "I meant it's not looking at you; it's looking at me."
Her words seemed vague, and Xi Mo furrowed her brow, perhaps contemplating something and staying silent.
Ruan Yesheng, sensing her previous statement might have been confusing, fell silent as well. Yet, the thought lingered in her mind.
It seemed the horse might not be looking at Xi Mo's appearance; it appeared as if it was gazing at the soul concealed within Xi Mo's body—her own.
After staring at Ruan Yesheng for a while, the black horse then turned its head toward Xi Mo. The intense and oppressive atmosphere it had when staring at Ruan Yesheng vanished instantly, replaced by what seemed like a relaxed exhale through its nostrils.
Ruan Yesheng walked up to the black horse and glanced at the wooden nameplate beside it. Written on it was “Xie Zhui."
"Can I touch it?" she asked Xi Mo.
Xi Mo nodded: "Of course, it's originally my horse, and listens well to me. Normally, others can't touch it. But now you're in my image, so feel free to touch."
Ruan Yesheng thought for a moment, walked forward, and slowly extended her hand, tentatively reaching out to touch Xie Zhui.
Suddenly, Xie Zhui neighed wildly. The stable's height amplified the sound as if it were tearing through the air. Xie Zhui's hooves began thrashing around erratically, in a state of agitation.
Despite her earlier suspicions, even though Ruan Yesheng was somewhat mentally prepared for such a situation, she couldn't help but be startled. Horses inherently possess a certain level of danger, especially fiery ones; in a fit of rage, they could easily kick someone to death. Even though Xie Zhui was confined within the stable, ensuring no real harm, such a sudden frenzy could instantly evoke fear deep within.
Almost in an instant, Xi Mo reacted, instinctively pulling Ruan Yesheng backward. With her left hand gesturing as if in horse training, Xi Mo shielded Ruan Yesheng behind her with her right arm.
Ruan Yesheng huddled behind Xi Mo, cautiously peering out half of her face, closely observing the situation in front of her.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xi Mo moved forward, taking steps, and Ruan Yesheng stuck to her like a piece of sticky dough, matching her footsteps closely.
Feeling as though she had an unshakeable piece of sticky dough trailing behind her, Xi Mo felt a bit helpless. However, given the urgent situation, she didn't have time to think about it. She quickly reached out, placing her hand on Xie Zhui's head, soothing it gently as usual, "Shh... it's okay, it's okay."
Xie Zhui sensed Xi Mo's familiar technique and lowered its head, quickly calming down.
Xi Mo's initially tense body relaxed, but the next moment, she felt Ruan Yesheng tightly embracing her waist from behind, almost coiling around her like a snake, pressing her cheek against Xi Mo's, causing her to tense up again.
Xi Mo made a slight movement, but Ruan Yesheng didn't budge.
"Let go," Xi Mo struggled a bit, unable to shake her off. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and gently touched Ruan Yesheng, reminding her to release her grip, "It's okay now."
Ruan Yesheng just didn't let go: "I'm so scared."
Xi Mo: "..."
"Someone's coming," Xi Mo said.
Ruan Yesheng immediately let go, walking around from behind and casually running her hand through her hair as if nothing had happened.
"Weren't you scared just now?" Xi Mo stared at her.
Ruan Yesheng blinked: "Someone's coming. When there are more people around, I'm not scared anymore."
She glanced around the area, realizing that there were actually no other people present at the moment. She was well aware that Xi Mo was trying to get her to let go by mentioning someone's arrival. However, with the loud commotion caused by the horse earlier, someone would likely arrive soon. She understood the situation.
"Now you understand what I meant earlier, right?" Ruan Yesheng spoke again.
Xi Mo nodded, noticing the concern on Ruan Yesheng's face.
Even though her suspicions were confirmed, Ruan Yesheng was still somewhat surprised by the situation, "It actually recognized me. It knew that I was not you."
Xi Mo fell silent for a moment before saying, "I've spent a long time with Xie Zhui, so it's especially familiar with me. I guess when you were talking to me in the aisle just now, you didn't act like the usual me, and Xie Zhui noticed that. It's quite perceptive."
Animals differ from humans; they possess keen instincts, easily noticing when things seem out of the ordinary to them.
Especially dogs and horses, they're exceptionally intelligent and exceedingly loyal to their masters. They know their master's usual behavior inside out; once there's any deviation, they display a heightened vigilance. In ancient times, many generals had their favorite horses. Once, a general was assassinated by an enemy spy, who disguised himself as the general in an attempt to take his place. However, when the imposter rode the horse, the general's beloved horse recognized him. The horse quietly waited until the imposter mounted, then suddenly went wild halfway, throwing the spy off the horse and kicking him to death.
"Just now, when I saw how you touched it, it must have confirmed that you're its true master," Ruan Yesheng chuckled. "I actually quite like it, but I didn't have the fortune to choose it. It doesn't like me and won't let me get close."
Seeing a slight trace of regret in her smile, Xi Mo couldn't help but comfort her, "Xie Zhui is wary of strangers. As you spend more time with it, it will eventually agree."
Ruan Yesheng smiled at her, "I see. So, spending more time together will lead to fondness?"
Xi Mo: "..."
...you understand what you understand.
...why are you looking at me when saying that?
The staff responsible for this area hurried over upon hearing the horse's noise. Ruan Yesheng calmly explained the situation to them, stating that it was her friend's first visit and the horse got startled accidentally. As Xie Zhui had a somewhat difficult temperament and tended to have strong emotional fluctuations when encountering strangers, the staff naturally believed her explanation. Seeing the situation resolved, they followed Ruan Yesheng's instructions and left.
Fortunately, many other horses weren't as alert as Xie Zhui. They mistook Ruan Yesheng for Xi Mo and behaved very amiably. Eventually, the two of them picked out a chestnut-colored horse.
Xi Mo said, "Someone will take it to saddle up later. Let's go change clothes first, then head straight to Training Ground No. 3."
"Okay," Ruan Yesheng agreed happily.
Xi Mo walked a few steps and noticed Ruan Yesheng wasn't keeping up. She turned back and asked, "Why aren't you coming?"
"My legs are weak," Ruan Yesheng slightly bent over, rubbing her legs, and said, "I was really scared earlier, so scared that I couldn't move. If you could just lend me a hand..."
Xi Mo: "..."
Xi Mo stared into Ruan Yesheng's eyes and said, "You already had a feeling. You guessed that Xie Zhui might recognize you're not me and react strongly. You deliberately went to verify by touching it, weren't you brave then? And now your legs are weak?"
"I didn't expect it to be so intense at that time, of course, I'm not scared now, it's just that I got scared afterward, and my legs went weak."
"I won't help you anymore." Xi Mo sneered, "I guess I should carry you over?"
“Okay," Ruan Yesheng straightened up, looking even more eager.
Anyway, she understood Xi Mo, and from this tone, she knew Xi Mo wouldn't actually come over.
Xi Mo walked straight towards her, glanced at her, bent down, and was about to hug her.
From this posture, it seems like she intends to hug around the waist.
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
She instantly froze, feeling Xi Mo's hand touch her waist, and she felt like the pores there were about to explode. She enjoyed Xi Mo's touch immensely. When Xi Mo shielded her and protected her earlier, their hands touched, and also from the previous friendly hugs, every physical contact made her feel happy.
However, this time it was too sudden. She wasn't prepared for it at all, didn't expect it, and instinctively grasped Xi Mo's hand, saying, "Stop..."
Xi Mo stopped, her expression somewhat uncertain. "Didn't you just say, 'okay'? Why 'stop' now?"
Ruan Yesheng remained silent.
Xi Mo continued, "It seems like your legs aren't weak, and you're not that scared anymore."
Ruan Yesheng, no stranger to quick thinking, was initially just surprised. But now, after regaining her composure, she smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to actually come over so I paused for a moment, but now let's continue."
"I give chances only once. If it stops, it's gone." Xi Mo still wore a serious expression, but there was a slight curve at the corner of her lips, which quickly disappeared.
"Okay, then I can only try to create another opportunity next time." Ruan Yesheng said with a feigned regretful smile.
She thought she already knew Xi Mo very well.
Now she feels that she might not actually understand. Sometimes, her understanding of Xi Mo's thoughts is uncertain, mostly based on guesswork. However, she also fears she might guess wrong.
She thought this was just Xi Mo's retort to her remarks about having weak legs, as usual. But now she's a bit doubtful; did Xi Mo really intend to embrace her for that brief moment?
Or is it just her own wishful thinking?
She hopes it's true, so when she listens to Xi Mo's words or observes her actions, she inevitably adds this expectation, coloring and embellishing it, leading to speculation?
Xi Mo glanced at her, indicating that it was time to leave.
Ruan Yesheng gathered her thoughts and followed her to another building. This building was used for resting and typically served as a reception area. There was a separate area on the second floor designated for changing clothes, divided for hosts and guests.
The staff served them tea and snacks and then left.
Xi Mo led Ruan Yesheng into her dedicated changing room. Opening the wardrobe, rows of riding attire in different colors and styles, all custom-made for Xi Mo, dazzled the eyes. On the other side were matching riding hats, boots, and gloves, all neatly organized in separate cabinets.
"Choose what you like," Xi Mo said.
Ruan Yesheng glanced around, then looked back at Xi Mo's face and said in a light tone, "You asked me to pick what I like. If I choose something, will the chosen riding outfit definitely like me?"
Xi Mo: "..."
…what's wrong with you?
...why are you looking at me when saying this?
