"Big brother, little brother, on your marks, get set—"
As soon as Shang Shuchen finished speaking, Shang Shujue gently stroked Stephen's mane, then nimbly flipped over and mounted the horse, pulling the reins to the starting line.
Shang Shunan was not to be outdone, and he also mounted his chosen new horse, named Davis, a dark brown Akhal-Teke, young and powerful, with a handsome appearance.
The horse seemed to really enjoy being close to Shang Shujue's Stephen. Whenever Shang Shunan pulled the reins, it would try to follow Stephen around, but when the reins were pulled again, it would become obedient.
Stephen didn't even glance at Davis, and when it came close, he snorted haughtily to show his displeasure. The horse was very beautiful, just like the handsome white horse ridden by the prince in the fairy tale, and Shang Shujue was the prince at that moment.
"Wow~ Is this the effect of a cluster of high-quality handsome men? Brother Jue is handsome, dashing, beautiful, and elegant, President Shang is just as good-looking. They're so handsome it's outrageous! If I had a face like that, I'd be even more arrogant and domineering than Brother Jue."
Fang Shaoqi looked at the two people in front of him, and couldn't help but turn his gaze to Shang Shujue. His eyes sparkled with appreciation for beautiful things.
"Stop talking! The competition's about to start, I'm so excited! I need to check the drone footage first!"
As soon as Han Ziqi finished speaking, he grabbed Zhao Yuanli and ran over. Fang Shaoqi was pulled behind but wasn't angry. He grumbled and followed. Wen Shaojie and Xia Dongyuan had already taken a liking to them.
"Run--"
"Drive!"
As soon as Shang Shuchen put down the flag, Shang Shujue's demeanor became solemn. With a steady, soft shout, he squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and Stephen galloped off.
Shang Shunan smiled, not intending to let go, and chased after them. The drone hovered above them, recording their spirited galloping on horseback, which was so cool it made one's scalp tingle.
"Ahhh--So handsome! So handsome! Brother Jue is like a prince, no wonder Mr. Song loves him so much! If it were me, I couldn't resist him either!"
"Oh dear! President Shang is about to overtake Brother Jue! Oh no—he didn't! He didn't! Stephen sped up, hahaha..."
"Why do I get the feeling that Stephen doesn't really like President Shang's horse? He even seems a bit disgusted with it, hahaha... Is that why it runs so fast?"
Five people stood in front of the drone's monitoring screen, watching the footage it captured. They were so impressed by its awesomeness that their scalps tingled and their bones felt like they were melting with excitement.
That's so cool! I can't even imagine how handsome he would look if he changed his equestrian outfit into Hanfu (traditional Han Chinese clothing) and rode a horse. I bet if I posted a picture of that online, he'd captivate everyone!
"Take a picture! What are you waiting for?! You can use it as promotional material when the show airs. My little brother is a natural celebrity; why not take advantage of that popularity!"
Seeing that they were only looking at their phones without using them, Shang Shuchen felt a surge of exasperation and reminded them. The five of them paused for a moment before realizing what he meant, but they didn't take any pictures first, still looking at him with some suspicion.
" Brother Chen, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up by Brother Jue or President Shang for doing something like this?"
Han Ziqi couldn't help but ask a probing question, his tone neither too loud nor too soft, as if afraid that Shang Shuchen would misunderstand. He spoke with unwavering conviction, his eyes fixed on Shang Shuchen.
"You brat, what do you know? Your Brother Jue's motto is: use all available resources when you should, and save when you should. I'm his second brother, would I harm him?! Enough nonsense, hurry up and film!"
As soon as Shang Shuchen finished speaking, his gaze fell on the screen, staring intently at his younger brother. He was incredibly excited, his eyes shining brightly, and he muttered to himself.
"Oh my, this feels so perfect! He's so suitable for the role of Yuqing, the human general. Should I ask him later if he'd like to try out for the role?"
The five people didn't hear his mutterings clearly, nor did they care what he was saying. They turned around and started taking pictures. I have to say, Shang Shujue looked really handsome at that moment!
On horseback, Shang Shujue's adrenaline surged, and his dopamine levels soared. He was both excited and happy; he hadn't felt this carefree and joyful in a long time.
" Stephen —half a lap left, our chances of winning today depend on you! Giddy up—"
After Shang Shujue's excited shout, Stephen responded with a neigh, then instantly accelerated, running even faster. Davis fell far behind, but he persisted and did not give up.
" Davis, charge!"
The two rode their horses freely on the track, their faces flushed, whether from the sun or from excitement, they were both very happy at that moment.
After Stephen led Shang Shujue across the finish line, everyone cheered. Shang Shunan followed closely behind and also received applause.
"Big brother, I won! What's the reward?"
Shang Shujue took a deep breath, and after calming down from her excitement, she stroked Stephen's mane, fed it water and hay, then called the zookeeper over and walked to Shang Shunan's side, reaching out her hand to him.
"Take whatever you like from the collection room; I absolutely won't stop you. But once you take them home, you must treat them well."
Shang Shunan smiled and placed the key to the collection room in Shang Shujue's hand. He was clearly a little reluctant when he said this, but he was a man of his word and kept his promise.
"Hehehe... I'm not the kind of person who would steal what someone else loves. I don't want anything from your collection room."
Shang Shujue returned the key to Shang Shunan, picked up a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and took a sip. "But I can't win without a reward, so, big brother, how about exchanging some gossip about yourself or someone close to you with me?"
When Shang Shujue said this, his smile was so utterly despicable that Shang Shunan felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had been seen through. So he averted his gaze.
"What gossip could I possibly have? Nothing... Change it to something else, money or food, you can only choose between these two."
"Wow, so stingy?" Unable to get any gossip from Shang Shunan, Shang Shujue sighed softly, then raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I want the money. Transfer it here."
"Hehe~ How come I never noticed you loved money so much before?"
"The past is the past, the present is the present!"
"... OK."
Shang Shujue looked at the bank notification on her phone with satisfaction, then rushed over to see the highlight reel that Xia Dongyuan and the others had taken of her.
Watching Shang Shujue mingling with the children, Shang Shunan couldn't help but smile. He really was still a child at heart... He glanced up at the clouds and suddenly thought of the Songhui Aristocratic Family, a wave of emotion washing over him...
It would be a bit unreasonable for the proud son of the Song Family not to be moved by Xiao Jue... But can the two of them really be together?
If they really got together, then he and Xiao Zhe... haha, no, I mean Doctor Song, he's probably already forgotten about him completely... never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore.
"Big brother! Second brother said we should have barbecue together. Let's go buy some ingredients and cook it ourselves. I used up a lot of energy just now, and I'm actually a bit hungry..."
"Okay, I'll go with you."
Shang Shunan collected her thoughts, went over and patted her younger brother's head, then led him, Wen Shaojie, Xia Dongyuan to the commercial market outside the horse farm to buy ingredients.
Shang Shujue had a very fulfilling day, but for some reason, he felt an emptiness inside. It wasn't until he got home and sat on the sofa late at night, staring at the unresponsive chat interface, that he realized what was going on...
Oh, so... I was thinking about Song Yanqing...