Chapter 60: Mating Season

When Hang Yishao issued the challenge, his tone was casual, but his gaze was compelling and impossible to refuse. Through Pello’s glasses, Su Ziceng couldn’t discern his true intentions at that moment. The hands that had been resting on the horse’s head were lowered, and Pello did not immediately agree but instead intently observed the changes on Su Ziceng’s face. She was somewhat anxious; Hang Yishao seemed to be getting angry. Whenever he got angry at others, it was always like this—his tone mocking, a smile that hid daggers. Her hand first touched her face, then slowly slid to the delicate chain on her neck, grabbing the ’Red Love’ pendant, still holding on to the lingering sweetness of cube sugar. This was a sign of Su Ziceng’s anxiousness. Before her rebirth, due to plastic surgery, her facial expressions were stiff, and she occasionally had to support her stiff face with her hand. Only when she felt the softness of her cheeks did she realize that she no longer had to act according to Hang Yishao’s expressions. "How about adding a bit of spice?" Pello replied unhurriedly, "The winner gets a kiss from the most outstanding female student here." All the students’ eyes fell undoubtedly on Deng Jiani, the tall and beautiful one who was indeed the best choice. Pello’s proposal matched exactly what Hang Yishao had in mind. He had been pursuing Deng Jiani for almost a month, which had already broken his record of chasing a girl without even a hug yet, turning it into a laughing stock among Fei Qing’s group. However, this teacher from Kelly Women’s School was really clueless, previously trying to pull Su Ziceng into it and now targeting Deng Jiani. Today, Hang Yishao was determined to teach him a lesson, to make him realize that others’ belongings are not to be touched. Hang Yishao glanced at the sequence of wooden barriers in the front row, thinking that since Pello is an equestrian teacher, his riding skills must be superior. For a moment, he dared not agree right away. Deng Jiani initially hesitated, then after a moment, nodded quickly. "Yishao, say yes," Fei Qing began to tease, "Jiani has agreed." "It’s not a peck of friendship; it must be a French kiss!" Fei Qing teased with a wink, and after Deng Jiani looked at Pello and Hang Yishao and stamped her foot, she seemed to agree. "What do you think?" Pello asked, turning to Su Ziceng, whose face was pale as snow, with a humorous expression. "Agreed then, huh, all shameless," Su Ziceng clenched her teeth; her reply came out through her clenched nostrils. "I have a slightly longer riding experience than Hang; you pick the horse first, and I’ll give you a two-barrier advantage," Pello escalated the challenge. "Okay," given everything Pello had put forth, and initially it was Hang who made the proposal, he agreed without hesitation. The equestrian arena was a circular red clay ground, surrounded by a green grass lawn, allowing space for ten horses side by side. For this teacher-student competition, other students brought the horses back. With a total of ten barriers back and forth, Hang Yishao’s track had one barrier removed, totaling eight in round trips. Initially, the agreement was for Hang Yishao to pick the horse. Among all the horses, he chose one with robust muscles, a mature stallion nearly two meters tall. Although the batch of horses raised carefully by Kelly Women’s College could not compare with the purebred horses from Wen Maixue’s family in terms of speed and stamina, they were top-notch in endurance and coat quality, especially Hang Yishao’s horse, gleaming black, lithe, and powerful, definitely a fine steed. Compared to Hang Yishao’s meticulous selection, Pello appeared more casual. He searched around the horses, and instead of choosing a large and robust stallion, he borrowed a just-year-old small mare from the smallest girl in the crowd. The mare had a pair of affectionate, bright eyes, although she was a bit short in stature, only around 1.6 or 1.7 meters. A patch of white fur on its forehead, making it look like a miniature horse next to Pello’s tall frame. Seeing Pello’s choice, both Su Ziceng and Chang Chi gasped in shock. If it hadn’t been for the mismatch between Hang Yishao and Pello, they would have almost thought that Hang Yishao had hired Pello as a stooge. The others thought similarly. Deng Jiani had a hint of joy in her eyebrows. Looking again at the tall and sturdy Hang Yishao, her heart seemed to be tied to the constantly swinging ponytail. The horses took their positions. At the sound of a whistle, Hang Yishao took the lead; his stallion moved swiftly and steadily and, with one less hurdle, quickly pulled ahead. The mare following him seemed unaccustomed to the heavy load on its back. Its first few strides were shaky until it passed a hurdle and seemed spirited, but sadly, its hooves were still unsteady. Running with Pello was like riding a farm tractor—very bumpy. Hang Yishao completed the first leg smoothly. Just as he was about to quickly turn back, the energetic stallion suddenly neighed, stopped in its tracks, and started swatting away flies with its fluffy tail. Among the crowd, first, a murmur of curiosity, then Fei Qing and Yan Wuxu cheerily cheered him on. Su Ziceng and Chang Chi rarely reached a "consensus" on their expressions, both showing delight. After the mare jumped over four hurdles and reached the stallion’s side, it snorted briefly, twisted its haunches, and started off again. The stallion finally snapped out of it, surged forward, and began sprinting. One moment fast, the next slow, Hang Yishao, jostled so much, felt a churning in his stomach. But watching hurdle after hurdle being crossed, and seeing Deng Jiani’s shy and smiling face among the crowd, he subdued his discomfort. After crossing four more hurdles, on the other side, the little mare was still painfully clearing the third hurdle. Pello, not hurried, occasionally patted the tuft of white hair on the mare’s forehead. Victory was within a hundred meters, fifty meters, and Hang Yishao spurred again. This kick was like hitting an emergency brake; the horse stopped abruptly. Luckily, Hang Yishao reacted quickly, embraced the horse’s neck with both arms, and pulled himself together, stabilizing his body that was nearly thrown off. "Ah," even the bold Fei Qing couldn’t help but cry out in astonishment. Su Ziceng covered her mouth in fright. It was during this unexpected turn of events that the little white-haired mare reached the finish line. Sounds of amazement came from Kelly Women’s College’s side, while the people from Daoquan University looked at each other incredulously, still in disbelief at what Hang Yishao’s show was about. He was on the brink of victory, and in the blink of an eye, he lost. Something was not right, and Hang Yishao felt something amiss as well. Below him, the stallion, already cheerfully running towards the little mare, cozied up to the other side affectionately, while the little mare, unappreciative, lifted its hoofs, its gleaming eyes showing disdain. This scene was strikingly reminiscent of Hang Yishao’s pursuit of Deng Jiani. Everyone fell silent, then realized, it turned out, "a stallion has a hard time getting over a mare." "So, that stallion was pursuing the mare?" Fei Qing couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore; he hugged Yan Wuxu, whispering in her ear. Hang Yishao also figured out the clue, unwittingly falling into Pello’s trap. But he indeed lost; no matter what tricks Pello used, his facade was fully maintained, first letting Hang Yishao choose the horse and then letting go of two hurdles. Watching Pello dismount and walk towards the crowd of girls, Hang Yishao, furious, threw his riding crop down to the ground. Deng Jiani blinked her eyes, feeling both shy and annoyed, not knowing whether to dodge or stay, as the male professor approached closer and closer. The girls erupted in envious murmurs. Since Pello had joined the college, many girls pursued him, and even some young female teachers had thrown him olive branches. He was usually approachable but never really showed excessive affection to anyone. Today, it seems, an outsider girl got the benefit. Pello walked straightforwardly through the crowd. He passed by Deng Jiani and searched among the crowd, then suddenly stepped forward briskly.