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Lu Chi said calmly, "I found her wallet and returned it to her."

"Over something so trivial?" Was that worth making such a huge fuss over?

"So I'm saying that classmate Qiao Shiyu is a very kind-hearted girl." Lu Chi smiled and praised her sincerely.

Yue Bin and Zhang Yang stared wide-eyed at Lu Chi, who was clearly lying without even blinking, and felt thoroughly impressed.

The other boys also brightened up. Now that they knew the truth, they looked at Lu Chi again and felt that his qualifications were really only so-so—at most, he was a tiny bit more handsome than them, a tiny bit better at studying, a tiny bit nicer in personality, and knew how to braid bracelets. If they competed fairly, they definitely had a chance!

More importantly, through Lu Chi's description, they gained an even deeper appreciation for Qiao Shiyu's inner beauty. A girl who was beautiful, kind, and had such a good personality was absolutely worth pursuing with all their might.

Watching the male creatures in the changing room suddenly perk up, Yue Bin and Zhang Yang, the two fellow sufferers, slapped their hands over their faces, unable to bear the sight.

The equestrian club's riding gear included helmets, gloves, riding jackets, breeches, chaps, and protective vests. The dozen or so boys quickly changed. Lu Chi stood where he was and stretched a little, only then realizing that although the outfit looked snug and fitted, it was actually very comfortable. The elbows and hips moved freely, and the fabric was light and breathable, without the slightest feeling of heaviness or stuffiness.

The other boys in the changing room watched Lu Chi casually roll his wrists, and a flash of amazement involuntarily passed through their eyes.

Compared with most boys their age, who were either tall and burly or skinny as rails, Lu Chi had a remarkably good physique. Having grown up in a rural village in the Northeast, he had previously attended the county high school because of his excellent grades. Every weekend, he had to hike dozens of kilometers over mountains and ridges back to Lu Family Village, and during the busy farming season, he helped with chores at home. His muscles were not so exaggerated that they bulged visibly through his thin clothes, but his shoulders were level, his back straight, his legs long, and his waist slim. His upright bearing made him look as though he had undergone military training. Paired with the club's specially tailored indigo European-style riding jacket with double rows of metal buttons, white breeches, and black chaps wrapped around his long, well-proportioned calves, he looked at first glance like an elegant young nobleman.

The dozen boys looked at one another. The grand ambitions of "male courtship" that had just begun to stir in them were like tiny flames struggling desperately in a fierce wind—

The girls would definitely clutch their faces and scream when they saw Lu Chi like this, wouldn't they?

Lu Chi, who had been lowering his head to move his wrists and ankles, turned around and saw the boys drowning in a cloud of gloom. He was startled—he had only zoned out for a moment. What was wrong with these kids again?

With the air of someone who had been there before, Yue Bin patted Lu Chi on the shoulder and sighed. "We wanted to spread our tails like peacocks, but you nearly made us look like hopeless narcissists. You have to understand how they feel. If it were me, I'd want to punch someone too."

Although Yue Bin's words rhymed nicely and were so empathetic they nearly brought tears to one's eyes—the dozen boys whose feelings had been laid bare were looking at him with teary eyes—Lu Chi remained expressionless and unmoved. After all, Brother Lu Chi had long decided to devote his limited energy to endless studying. He was already someone who had risen above such lowbrow interests!

Of course, Lu Chi would never say something so punchable out loud. The dozen boys present were all tall and strong. If it came down to a fight, he definitely could not beat them.

Unlike the boys, who took only a little over ten minutes to change and return to the riding grounds, the girls dawdled for nearly an hour before finally arriving, laughing and chatting.

Unlike the indigo men's riding outfits, the girls mostly wore red riding clothes. The styles were similar, all in a European aristocratic fashion. A group of youthful, pretty high school girls, most of them above average in looks, appeared chirping away on the sunlit, lush green riding grounds, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Some more frivolous guests whistled in their direction, while others who fancied their riding skills galloped their horses around or jumped hurdles, trying to catch the girls' attention.

The boys who had waited at the riding grounds for so long immediately transformed into lions guarding their territory. They surrounded the girls tightly and gave wary stares to any guests trying to sidle closer, afraid that someone might deliberately provoke them or come over to flatter the girls.

Seeing this, the others understood that the kids had come as a group. Noticing their numbers, they gave up their ideas, unwilling to cause trouble on impulse. Some adults who had come to discuss business smiled kindly at the sight, as if it reminded them of their own reckless youth.

Amid all the varied scenes of human life, Lu Chi's attention was focused solely on Lu Miaomiao.

Only seven years old and barely one meter twenty tall, Lu Miaomiao was not at all conspicuous among the high school girls surrounding her.

Yet Lu Chi spotted his little sister at once. Lu Miaomiao was also wearing a red riding outfit, a children's version. The black helmet on her head made her look two inches taller than usual. Lu Chi watched his sister, who was acting unusually awkward because she was wearing new clothes, and smiled knowingly.

He walked over to Lu Miaomiao, crouched halfway down, and carefully checked her outfit, especially around her wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. Finally, he adjusted her helmet and said with a smile, "Your outfit is great. You look especially pretty in it."

The usually bold and forthright Lu Miaomiao tugged at the hem of her clothes somewhat stiffly and said shyly, "Sister Shiyu helped me put it on."

"Then did you thank Sister Shiyu?" Lu Chi asked gently with a smile.

"Of course I did." Lu Miaomiao turned to glance at Qiao Shiyu and answered loudly.

Lu Chi also smiled and thanked Qiao Shiyu. Then, still crouching, he chatted with Lu Miaomiao for a while. Once he saw that she had relaxed, he stood up, took her hand, and patiently reminded her, "When we ride later, you have to stay by my side the whole time, understand?"

Contrary to what most of their classmates imagined, the three Lu siblings, who had grown up in the Northeast countryside, knew how to ride horses. Though their living conditions were not as good as those in the city, rural children's childhood games were far more colorful and exciting than city kids could imagine. Take the Lu Family, for example. Under the guidance of their veteran father, the three siblings could not only ride horses, but also cows, donkeys, and even pigs. Their father had even done the embarrassing thing of putting on riding demonstrations for the children in the fields after the crops had been harvested.