Gu Wuyou didn’t know what had happened. Everything had been fine earlier, but just as she rounded the third lap and was about to give it her all, squeezing the horse’s sides tightly—an accident occurred—
At first.
She didn’t feel much, only that the horse beneath her suddenly became a little restless, as if it were in pain.
But she didn’t think too much of it. The horse had been running for so many laps today, it was probably just exhausted. She even softened her voice to soothe it, “It’ll be over soon. Once the race is finished, I’ll have someone bring you the best hay!”
But clearly.
Her words of comfort had no effect. Instead, the horse became even more frantic.
Then, the situation worsened. The already agitated horse suddenly reared up and bolted forward as if it had gone mad. If she hadn’t reacted quickly and clung tightly to the horse’s neck, she would have been thrown off by now.
Perhaps because the horse’s speed had increased, the wind against her ears suddenly turned razor-sharp, like countless blades slashing at her body.
Gu Wuyou was terrified.
She could hear many people screaming, could hear many people calling her name. The closest voice was Gu Yu’s—she must have been stunned at first, then realized what was happening belatedly. She immediately raised her whip and rushed over, shouting anxiously, “Gu Wuyou, what’s wrong?”
Gu Wuyou opened her mouth to speak, but the moment she did, the fierce wind surged into her mouth wildly.
She couldn’t say anything.
Her eyes stung from the wind, making them well up with tears.
She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to calm down, to recall the things the Great General had taught her about horseback riding… but under such circumstances, her mind was a mess. She couldn’t remember anything.
The horse had long since passed the third lap and was still charging forward frantically.
Gu Wuyou didn’t know how this would end. If she couldn’t stop the horse, she would undoubtedly be thrown off. She could already feel it—the horse beneath her was becoming more and more frenzied, and her arms wrapped around its neck were growing more and more sore.
The moment she lost her strength and let go, she would fall. And then…
Imagining the terrible outcome, Gu Wuyou’s face turned deathly pale.
She had fought so hard for a second chance. She had finally seen the people around her getting better and better. She had finally found the Great General of her youth.
She still had so many things she hadn’t done.
She didn’t want to die.
And certainly not in such a tragic way…
In her past life, she had gone to her death calmly, because by then, she no longer had the slightest will to live. So even in the face of death, she had never feared it.
But now.
She wanted to live.
To live well.
Her tightly pressed red lips parted slightly, and with a hoarse, choking voice, she murmured, “Great General…”
She missed him.
Clearly, he was right behind her, not far away, yet she couldn’t see him.
Gu Wuyou’s emotions suddenly plummeted. But just then, she heard a voice.
It was a voice she was deeply familiar with.
Gone was its usual leisure and laziness. Instead, it carried three parts urgency, four parts worry, and three parts steady reassurance to soothe her fear.
He said, “Manman, don’t be afraid.”
She turned her head in the direction of the voice.
Amidst the fierce, biting wind, the white-clad youth was desperately chasing after her. The wind whipped his robes and scattered his hair, his forehead and the tip of his nose covered in sweat. Beads of perspiration slipped down from his thick lashes, yet he paid them no mind.
He only looked at her, reaching out his hand.
Then, the moment she turned her head to look at him, he gave her a reassuring smile and spoke to her in the gentlest voice, “Be good, don’t be afraid. Give me your hand.”
As he spoke, his attention remained on Gu Wuyou, while his peripheral vision caught sight of the unfolding danger ahead. The horse had gone completely mad, no longer following the track but instead charging straight towards the fence.
If it really crashed into it, Gu Wuyou would be done for.
Li Qinyuan’s heart tightened in urgency. He ran even faster, his hand still outstretched. His expression was resolute, his voice gentle, as if making a solemn promise to her.
“Trust me, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The howling wind filled Gu Wuyou’s ears, drowning out all other sounds. Yet somehow, Li Qinyuan’s voice pierced through it all, reaching her clearly.
He said, “Give me your hand.”
He said, “Trust me, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She trusted him.
No matter what he asked her to do, she believed him.
So, even in this perilous moment, Gu Wuyou unhesitatingly reached out her hand to him.
The cold wind tangled her hair and blurred her vision. She watched as the white-clad youth ran desperately toward her. She watched as he seized her hand… and finally, with a skillful maneuver, used the force to leap onto the horse.
The young man was now behind her, one hand firmly gripping the reins, the other tightly holding her in his embrace.
She leaned into his chest, her heart, which had been suspended high in terror, finally settling back into place. Her fingers clung tightly to his hand, her face still pale, her lips still trembling, but she was no longer afraid.
Even though the horse was still wildly galloping.
She believed that as long as he was there, all difficulties would disappear.
“Are you scared?” Li Qinyuan had already guided the horse back onto the original track, preventing it from crashing into the fence. However, its speed had not yet slowed. Perhaps to ease her fear, or to distract her from staring straight ahead in terror, he deliberately found something to talk about.
Gu Wuyou shook her head. Though her eyes were still red, she truly wasn’t afraid anymore.
She was completely nestled in his arms. Not knowing if he could see her shaking her head, she softly added, “As long as you’re here, I’m not afraid.”
“Hmm.”
Li Qinyuan smiled and reassured her, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
His voice, carried by the harsh wind, was not entirely clear. If one listened carefully, traces of a slight tremor could be detected—born from tension and fear, a barely maintained steadiness.
Yet to Gu Wuyou, it was the most reassuring sound in the world.
She leaned against his chest, listening to the thunderous rhythm of his heartbeat as he tried everything to comfort her.
Then, she lifted her head from his embrace, looked into his eyes, and stubbornly declared, “I want both of us to be safe.”
She didn’t want to be the only one who was fine.
She wanted them both to be safe.
This time, she wanted the two of them to be together. To be together, well and whole.
Li Qinyuan seemed to understand. His eyes lowered as he looked at her.
Right now, Gu Wuyou truly didn’t look good—her small face had been battered by the wind until it was as red as a monkey’s backside, her eyes were rimmed with redness, tear streaks marking her cheeks. Her skin had dried out from the wind, and in her panic earlier, she had bitten her lips so hard that they had cracked.
Yet, he felt incredibly happy.
He liked her.
No matter when, no matter how she looked—he liked Gu Wuyou.
Dressed to the nines, Gu Wuyou made his heart race. Teary-eyed and pitiful, she stirred his compassion. But at this moment—leaning against his chest, looking so delicate that even a gust of wind could topple her, yet still stubbornly holding onto her strength—she made him want to clasp her hand for a lifetime and never let go.
“…Alright.” He tightened the arm wrapped around her waist and agreed to her words.
Gu Wuyou suddenly brightened. Tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, carried by the wind, but those clear apricot eyes were now filled with laughter.
“Li Qinyuan,” she spoke again after a moment.
“Mm.”
“I want to talk to you about Zhao Chengyou…”
At the mere mention of that name, Li Qinyuan’s brows knitted together.
Although he had repeatedly told himself, Don’t be jealous over something like this, Zhao Chengyou is just the past—who hasn’t had a past in their youth? Feeling jealous and angry over this would be foolish.
But a man in love is rarely rational.
Even Li Qinyuan was no exception.
At such a dangerous moment, his lips pressed together as he unhappily muttered, “Talk about it later.”
He didn’t want to hear about that Zhao person. Especially not from her lips.
“No.”
But this time, Gu Wuyou didn’t listen to him.
She stubbornly clutched his lapel, determined to say her piece. “I want to say it now.”
The little girl was unusually persistent. Li Qinyuan had no way to deal with her. He lowered his gaze, took one look at her, and though he was still unhappy, he could only purse his lips and say softly, “Go ahead.”
“I used to like him…”
The moment these words left her lips, the young master who had been holding her turned visibly grim. His entire back stiffened as if frozen in place. He sat rigidly atop the galloping horse, his mouth slightly open, yet unable to utter a single word.
All that echoed in his ears was:
“I used to like him.”
But his mind conveniently erased the word “used to,” leaving behind only:
“I like him.”
His face turned pale in an instant, his breath grew uneven, and though he couldn’t bear to squeeze her waist, his grip on the reins tightened. Veins bulged on the back of his hand, and a deep sourness surged in his chest.
Before he could spit out any jealous, petty remarks, a soft voice reached his ears.
“But that’s all in the past.”
“When I called off the engagement, he became nothing more than a stranger to me.”
Afraid of being misunderstood, Gu Wuyou spoke hurriedly, her tone both anxious and sincere.
When she finished, she peeked up at him cautiously and hesitated. “And also…”
As she reached this point, she suddenly became nervous, completely losing the stubborn decisiveness she had before. It was as if someone had gripped her throat, rendering her voice hoarse and dry.
But she still spoke.
Under his gaze, amid the lingering gasps of onlookers, in the piercing winter wind, she lifted her head from his embrace and looked at him.
With determination, she declared, “Li Qinyuan, I like you. I really, really like you.”
She didn’t ask whether he liked her back.
She only wanted to tell him—right now, her heart and eyes were filled only with him.
There was no one else.
You have to believe me.
Li Qinyuan’s mind exploded.
He looked down at Gu Wuyou, momentarily stunned.
For the first time in his life, he understood what it meant to be one step from heaven, one step from hell.
Just moments ago, he had been stiff with jealousy, his heart sour from hearing Zhao Chengyou’s name. But now, in the wake of her confession, his heart surged with exhilaration.
It was as if fireworks had burst into brilliant splendor above his head.
As his heart pounded like a war drum, he lowered his gaze, his voice husky, “You’re not going to ask… if I like you too?”
His voice was nearly a whisper, so soft that only the girl in his arms could hear it.
Gu Wuyou seemed momentarily stunned.
Then, after a beat, she curled her eyes into a smile and asked, “Then… do you like me?”
The moment her words fell—
A husky voice belonging to the young man rang out by her ear, nearly spilling out in urgency, “I like you.”
It was a deep, magnetic voice, laced with an irresistible warmth that sent a shiver down Gu Wuyou’s spine. His breath, hot and fervent, brushed against her earlobe.
With a gaze filled with unwavering sincerity, he looked at her and said, “Gu Wuyou, I like you.”
“I’ve liked you for a long time.”