Chapter 485 - 484: Striking Up a Conversation

"Of course. One moment, please. I’ll arrange it right away."

As he spoke, Ren Yao took back the menu and used his walkie-talkie to order a glass of mango juice for Table 1.

As the manager of the equestrian center, Ren Yao was a familiar face to just about everyone who came here to ride.

Normally, when dealing with guests, Ren Yao was polite and courteous. He wasn’t aloof, but he certainly never acted obsequiously.

In fact, much of the time, it was the guests who had to stay on his good side.

After all, as the old saying goes, even the doorman of a powerful official has clout. Since Ren Yao was the manager of the center, he surely had the ear of its four owners, including Lu Yunque.

Here at the center, you could get on the wrong side of anyone, but you absolutely could not afford to offend Ren Yao.

Quite a few people recognized Lu Yunque, and upon seeing him arrive with Yun Zijin, they guessed she must be President Xiao Lu’s rumored girlfriend.

Ren Yao’s deference toward Yun Zijin was crystal clear to those observing discreetly from afar.

"What do you guys think? Should we go over and say hello?"

This was a golden opportunity. Even if they couldn’t score a business deal, just getting Lu Yunque to recognize their faces would be worth it.

"We don’t know what Mr. Lu’s girlfriend is like. What if..."

If she’s hard to get along with, our whole group could be shot down in flames on the spot.

"Judging by her interaction with Ren Yao, she doesn’t seem difficult."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"You talk a big game. Why don’t I see any of you making a move?"

"Hey! We just figured you girls would have more to talk about amongst yourselves.

You girls go first and feel things out. We’ll be right behind you as backup."

The girls gave him a massive eye-roll. His selfish intentions were practically smacking them in the face.

"I think Zhang Er has a point. It’ll be easier for you to strike up a conversation, girl to girl.

If a bunch of us guys were to just walk over, her bodyguards would probably toss us out before we even got close."

Although the girls suspected the guys were just using them to test the waters, they had to admit the men had a point.

"Fine, we’ll go first. Just make sure you follow us."

Arm in arm, the girls walked purposefully toward Yun Zijin.

Yun Zijin had noticed the group a while ago. But since Lu Yunque hadn’t acknowledged them and she didn’t know them herself, she had paid them no mind.

However, when she saw the girls walking together, getting closer and closer, something suddenly clicked for Yun Zijin.

’They aren’t coming for me, are they?’

Yun Zijin glanced at Ren Yao, who was sitting beside her.

Lu Yunque had already ridden off to who-knows-where; at any rate, Yun Zijin couldn’t see him anymore.

’If they’re looking for trouble, I won’t know how to handle them. I have no idea who they are.’

"Most likely."

Ren Yao had anticipated this might happen the moment Lu Yunque walked in with Yun Zijin. As long as he was here, he wouldn’t let things get too out of hand.

"Hi! We saw you arrive with Mr. Lu. Since you’re by yourself now, we thought you might be bored and came over to keep you company."

Ren Yao: ’So, what am I, chopped liver?’

"Oh, hello! The waiter just brought this fruit platter. Would you like some?"

Even though Yun Zijin had only asked for mango juice, the waiter had also brought a fruit platter and an assortment of small desserts.

She couldn’t possibly finish it all by herself, so she didn’t mind sharing.

"Oh, yes! Thank you!"

The girls took the opportunity to sit down beside Yun Zijin. After a few bites, they looked at her again.

"What is it?"

Their stares were making Yun Zijin’s skin crawl a little.

"Are you... really President Xiao Lu’s girlfriend? We saw you two interacting earlier!"

As she spoke, the girl’s eyes lit up, just like someone shipping a favorite couple from a TV drama.

"Were we... not being obvious enough?"

What kind of "just friends" share a horse? Even childhood sweethearts who aren’t a couple would maintain a proper distance when it comes to that.

"Oh, it was obvious, very obvious! It’s just so incredible. When we first heard President Xiao Lu had a girlfriend, we all tried to guess which prominent family’s daughter she would be.

We never expected... that instead of being an heiress from some well-known family, you’d be a dark horse who came out of nowhere..."

Before the girl could finish, her friend tugged on her arm, and she realized what she’d said was a bit off.

She laughed awkwardly. "Haha, um... I didn’t mean it like that."

Of course, Yun Zijin knew the girl wasn’t looking down on her. She hadn’t sensed any malice in her words; it was just something said in the heat of the moment.

"It’s fine, you didn’t mean anything by it." Yun Zijin waved a hand, indicating she didn’t mind.

But even though Yun Zijin said she didn’t mind, the girls were still embarrassed and on edge.

The Lu Family was a behemoth compared to their own families. If Yun Zijin held a grudge, who knew when their family businesses might go bankrupt.

Yun Zijin had no idea so much was going through their minds. She just found it a little strange that the once-chatty group had suddenly fallen silent.

CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP...

As the sound of hoofbeats drew nearer, Yun Zijin instinctively looked toward the track and, sure enough, saw Lu Yunque riding back.

The moment she saw Lu Yunque, Yun Zijin’s eyes seemed to fill with stars, sparkling brightly.

Lu Yunque smiled back at her, but he quickly noticed that there were other people sitting beside her.

His cool gaze swept over them before he reined his horse to a stop a short distance away and dismounted.

"Zijin."

Yun Zijin jumped up from her seat and threw herself into Lu Yunque’s arms.

"Where did you ride off to? I couldn’t find you."

"I just did a lap. The grounds here are pretty big, so you probably lost sight of me once I got farther out."

Lu Yunque hugged her back, but his gaze fell on the unfamiliar girls again after he finished speaking.

"Who are they?"

’What did they want, approaching Zijin while I was away?’

"Oh, they just came over to chat. Their friends are over there."

Yun Zijin pointed to a few guys not far away who were watching them intently.

Lu Yunque glanced over, completely uninterested in them.

"Want to ride a bit more? I can take you for a lap. See how you like it."

Ignoring everyone else, Lu Yunque turned to look at Yun Zijin.

Hearing his offer, Yun Zijin was eager to try.

"Come on. Gale has a very gentle temperament. You don’t need to be afraid with me here."

Lu Yunque assumed she was hesitating because she’d been frightened earlier when the horse suddenly took off while she was holding the reins.

"Then you have to ride slowly. You can’t go flying like you were just now."

"Don’t worry. When you’re on the horse with me, I’ll be even more careful than when I ride alone."

"Then let’s go!"

Yun Zijin took Lu Yunque’s arm, ready to go riding with him. Halfway there, she remembered the others were still there and turned back to say to the group,

"I’m going for a ride now. Please, make yourselves at home!"