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Jin Guohao's words made the two horse trainers who had been responsible for maintaining order and protecting the guests flush bright red. They looked at Jin Guohao awkwardly, but in the end, neither dared say anything.

It had been two horses fighting, yet two high school students had managed to protect their classmates without a scratch. Meanwhile, the two of them—adults, and highly paid professional horse trainers at that—had failed to protect the boss's son, letting him fall flat on his face in front of everyone like an idiot. The trainers asked themselves: if they were the boss, not firing them in a fit of rage would already count as being good-tempered.

So what if he grumbled a little?

Jin Guohao patted Yue Bin and Lu Chi on the shoulders and asked with a smile, "Summer vacation's only a little over a month away. Our club hires some student workers as caddies and waiters every winter and summer break. Would you two be interested in a part-time job? You can earn some spending money, and whenever there aren't any guests, you can use the club facilities however you like."

Although Jin Guohao looked like a creepy uncle luring children with candy, Yue Bin and Lu Chi still politely turned him down. The former was bound by an unequal treaty and had to let his older brother exploit him every winter and summer break; the latter knew his own limits. His horsemanship was nowhere near as good as Jin Guohao seemed to think, and Lu Chi did not want such a dangerous part-time job either.

Jin Guohao did not mind being rejected. He personally led everyone to the restaurant department's supreme private room, where a birthday banquet had long been prepared. There were delicacies from land and sea, along with plenty of sweet-and-sour dishes specially chosen for the teenagers' tastes. A three-tier cream cake sat in the middle of the table.

Still smiling warmly, Jin Guohao apologized again. "You all got quite a scare today. I'll use juice in place of alcohol and offer you my apologies."

As he spoke, Jin Guohao personally twisted open a bottle of juice. Only then did everyone notice that the table was filled with various juices and carbonated drinks, along with several cartons of milk. There was not a single bottle of alcohol.

Everyone hurriedly opened their drinks and joined Jin Guohao for a toast. Jin Guohao, however, was quite bold and drank straight from the bottle. When he was done, he did not forget to pat Yue Bin and Lu Chi on the shoulders, smiling as he said, "To be honest, I really admire you two. If you ever need Uncle's help in the future, come straight to the club and find me."

Yue Bin and Lu Chi were both a little helpless. That line sounded awfully familiar.

Naturally, Jin Guohao had no idea what the two were thinking. After finishing his apology drink, he left.

The previously restrained dinner table immediately erupted. Several girls clutched their chests, their little faces pale as they complained, "Oh my god, that scared me to death! Shi Yu, why did you pick a place like this for your birthday?"

Qiao Shiyu was just as upset. "How was I supposed to know? My dad picked this dump. I only told him I wanted to treat my classmates to horseback riding..."

"No, I have to call him. What kind of place did he find?" As she spoke, Qiao Shiyu called her father.

The first two calls did not go through. When the third one finally connected, all the anger inside Qiao Shiyu exploded. "Why did you take so long to answer? Are you with that mistress again?"

No one knew what the person on the other end said, but Qiao Shiyu's voice immediately rose several octaves as she demanded in the pitch of a soprano, "Oh, I knew it! Why else would you find such a godforsaken place in the middle of nowhere for my birthday? So this place was picked by her. Comrade Qiao, you've really got some nerve. Wasn't it enough that she hurt your daughter once? You're giving her a second chance? Are you hoping she'll get me killed so you can have another kid with her? Aren't you afraid that if she pushes too hard, she'll give birth to a placenta instead..."

Qiao Shiyu immediately put her new knowledge to use, firing off threats in one breath. "...What do you mean I misunderstood? Yes, I said I wanted to take my classmates horseback riding, but I never said I wanted your daughter to be treated like some guy's pickup target. This dump she found is full of little thugs, and even the owner is some gangster. Our classmate nearly got killed because of you, do you know that?"

"...Where am I now? I'm still at this dump! And you've got the nerve to ask... It's your daughter's birthday, and you're still cuddled up with that mistress. No wonder people say that once there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather. That mistress hasn't even entered our family yet, and she's already driven us to the brink of ruin. Do you really only want your little wife and not your daughter anymore..." The more Qiao Shiyu spoke, the angrier she became. With a fling of her arm, she hurled her phone straight at the wall.

With a sharp smack, the pink flip phone shattered into several pieces. The classmates at the table all jumped. Qiao Shiyu's close friends could not help persuading her, "Are you crazy? Why did you smash your phone? That's the newest XX model! You bought it less than two months ago. What if it's broken?"

"So what if it is?" Qiao Shiyu crossed her arms and snorted indifferently. "If it's broken, I'll buy another one. If I don't spend my dad's money, he'll just spend it all on that mistress and the deadweight she brought with her anyway."

After hearing Qiao Shiyu say that, no one else spoke.

Xing Yuan quietly picked up the phone, put the battery and everything else back together, and silently placed it by Qiao Shiyu's hand.

Qiao Shiyu took several deep breaths, poured herself a glass of juice, and stood up. "I'm sorry. It was supposed to be my birthday, and I wanted everyone to have a good day. But not only did we fail to have fun, I almost got everyone hurt..."

At that, Qiao Shiyu looked at Xing Yuan apologetically. "I owe you the biggest apology. You have a basketball game next week. If you'd gotten hurt because of me, I wouldn't even know how to face you."

Xing Yuan hurriedly stood up, raised his glass of juice, and scratched his head sheepishly. "Please don't say that. We've grown up together since we were little. I was willing to do something this small for you."

"Besides, I'm fine, aren't I? Yue Bin and Lu Chi were there."

As he said that, Xing Yuan suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, I haven't thanked you two yet. Yue Bin, Lu Chi, come on. I'll borrow the flowers to offer the Buddha and toast you both. Thank you for saving my life."

Yue Bin and Lu Chi exchanged a smile, then stood and drained their drinks. "We're classmates. Why be so formal?"