Chapter 478: SSS-Class Member
Yu Pingchuan did not pay much attention to her reply and handed her a menu.
“Let’s see what you’d like to drink.”
Ning Li took it and flipped it open. On the first page, peach juice was printed at the top line.
She raised her eyebrows.
This was definitely not the most important item on a normal wine list.
She recalled the meal she had in Lincheng previously. Gu Siyang had immediately ordered two cups of peach juice.
At that time, he had said that he was used to it.
Her slender fingers gently tapped on it.
“Let’s have this one then.”
…
Box Number Two.
Old Master Gu, Gu Ci, and Old Madam Gu, Sang Meiqing, took their seats.
These two old people were now close to seventy years old.
Old Master Gu was hale and hearty. Old Madam Gu had a head of white hair, wore a cheongsam, and an emerald bracelet on her wrist. She looked elegant and noble.
It was obvious that she must have been a top-notch beauty when she was young.
Two cups of freshly squeezed peach juice had been placed on the table in advance.
“Grandpa, Grandma!”
Gu Siyang walked over and said with a smile,?“I’m here to watch with you two!”
Old Master Gu could not be bothered to look at him.
“There’s no place for you here.”
Gu Siyang’s face fell, and he looked at Old Madam Gu for help.
“Grandma, look at Grandpa! It’s been a long time since I’ve spent any time with you two. Why are you chasing me away? Aren’t you even going to give me the chance to be filial?”
Old Madam Gu smiled gently.
“Siyang, were you chased out by your father again?”
Gu Siyang, “…”
He pulled over the stool next to him and sat down, sighing in resignation.
“Grandma, I know that there are some things that you know, but why do you always say it out loud?”
Old Master Gu sneered.
“If you want to be filial, go look for your father and give him a list of all the cars that you’ve wrecked in the past six months.”
Gu Siyang’s arrogant attitude immediately withered.
“My uncle must have shown it to him…”
Otherwise, would he have been kicked out?
Old Madam Gu looked at the maid who was accompanying her.
“Bring another cup of peach juice for Siyang.”
This meant that she had agreed to let him stay.
Gu Siyang was happy again.
“Grandma is still the best to me!”
Old Master Gu could not stand his thick skin, so he simply looked at the field without even bothering to give him the slightest glance.
Old Madam Gu thought of something and asked gently,?“By the way, I heard that you lost your temper at the track yesterday, and the two children from the Zhong and Yan families were also there?”
Gu Siyang felt annoyed at the mention of this.
He snorted.
“The horse trainer at the track did something wrong, so I fired him. As for those people… They spoke too harshly and offended my friends, so how could I give them a good look?”
When it came to matters regarding the racecourse, the old couple did not say anything and let Gu Siyang deal with it himself.
However–
“Your friend?”
Old Madam Gu was a little curious and gave a little laugh.
“It’s rare to see Siyang so angry.”
Gu Siyang would usually still give face to those who should be given face.
This time, it was clear that he treated that friend very differently.
The waiter served the peach juice, and Gu Siyang took a sip.
“Yeah! That girl was personally invited by my uncle!”
This time, Old Master Gu finally turned his head and looked at Gu Siyang.
“A girl?”
Gu Siyang was speechless.
“Grandpa, don’t even think about it. That’s Lu Huaiyu’s girlfriend. She’s just friends with me and uncle.”
Old Master Gu did not care that his thoughts had been exposed.
“Lu Qishan’s grandson is only 22, right? So, he already has a girlfriend?”
His words were meant as a comparison to Gu Tinglan.
Gu Tinglan was now 28, yet there was no information about him on this matter.
Gu Siyang thought to himself, if only you knew that his girlfriend was only 18, you would not think that Lu Huaiyu was “only” 22.
Old Madam Gu smiled.
“It’s rare. He has always had high standards.”
Lu Huaiyu did not often come to Hong Kong City, but he constantly attracted the attention of countless socialites.
Some even chased him from Hong Kong City to the Capital.
However, he always kept a respectful distance from these people and was extremely cold to them.
He did not expect him to actually have a girlfriend now.
Gu Siyang raised his eyebrows proudly.
He was now the boss of Lu Huaiyu’s girlfriend. Just thinking about having this identity felt great!
Just then, the starting gun was fired, and the race officially began!
Old Master Gu and Old Madam Gu looked over.
Gu Siyang also sat up slightly.
…
Gu Tinglan was in box six.
There were also two senior directors of the Jockey Club with him.
Whenever he was not in Hong Kong City, the affairs here were basically left to these two people.
On the field, several horses were racing.
The stands were in an uproar.
“Number 3! Number 3!”
“Number 9! Number 9!”
“Hurry up! Number 5!”
“13!”
Those who had come to watch the race could place their bets. The amount of money depended on the individual’s situation. Therefore, everyone present was very enthusiastic about the race.
The noise filled the entire field.
…
The atmosphere was very lively. Many people stood up. Even Yu Pingchuan could not hold it in any longer. He went to the balcony, held onto the railing, and stared intently.
In comparison, Ning Li was extremely calm.
She sat on the chair, with her phone facing backwards, and lazily looked up.
Yu Pingchuan’s choice, Number 7, had started well. When the race was one-third of the way, he had already rushed to first place.
Moreover, as time passed, the distance between him and the other racehorses behind him gradually widened.
Yu Pingchuan gripped the railing tightly. Amidst his nervousness, there was also an unconcealable excitement.
“Ah Li, look! I told you Number 7 could do it!”
If he could win this round, Number 7’s value would definitely increase.
The corners of Ning Li’s lips curved slightly.
“Mm, it’s pretty good.”
Yu Pingchuan looked at Number 17, which was basically ranked fifth and sixth, and the competition was intense.
When Yu Pingchuan heard her calm tone, he thought that she was worried that Number 17, whom she had bet on, would lose.
He turned around and said, “This is your first time betting on horses. As long as you have fun, it’s fine. Winning or losing isn’t important. If you really lose, I’ll make up for how much you lack.”
Ning Li raised her eyebrows and smiled deeply.
“Okay.”
A burst of enthusiastic cheers suddenly came from the stands.
Yu Pingchuan immediately turned back and looked at the field again. He saw No. 17 suddenly exert his strength and quickly shake off the two horses beside him. He rushed directly to third place.
No wonder everyone had such a big reaction.
He laughed.
“Ah Li, this Number 17 of yours is really good.”
At this moment, the race was already halfway through.
“If you can maintain this trend and stay in the top three–“
Before Yu Pingchuan could finish his sentence, Number 17 actually sped up again and jumped into second place!
Screams and cheers came from the stands.
Yu Pingchuan opened his mouth.
He knew that Ning Li had always been very accurate in judging horses, but now it seemed that… It was even better than he had expected…
This time, he tensed up and stared at the track without blinking.
At the last part of the race, the speed of the other horses was obviously not as fast as before, even his Number 7 was no exception.
However, Number 17 was the only one with great endurance. He had already started to close the distance between him and number 7!
Yu Pingchuan’s hand patted the railing anxiously.
However, this still could not change what was happening on the field.
Finally, at the finish line, accompanied by countless cheers, Number 17 had overtaken Number 7, who was in the lead, and rushed straight through!
First place!
…
In Box Number 6, a staff member hurriedly walked in and whispered a few words to a senior director.
Gu Tinglan withdrew his gaze from the field. “What’s wrong?”
The senior director looked over with a complicated expression. After a long while, he spoke with great difficulty.
“Young Master Tinglan, among the SSS members, someone has bet on number 17 to win alone.”
“Bet amount: 10 million..”
Chapter 479: My Yinyin
The Hong Kong City Jockey Club was a membership system where members of different levels had different privileges.
The SSS was the highest level and the criteria for admission were extremely high. Up until now, there were only thirteen members.
Although the Gu family was responsible for the preparation of the Jockey Club, information about the thirteen members was very limited.
Some people did not want to appear in public, or for other reasons, did not want to disclose their true information, so they submitted fake information.
It was very easy to create a fake identity for someone who had reached this level of membership.
The Gu family followed the rules. They never looked into the details and never crossed the line.
As long as the money was real, it was fine.
In previous years, there had also been SSS members who participated in the horse races, and the amount of money that had been bet was not low.
This was not a rare thing.
However, the key point was that this person had bet on Number 17 to win alone.
This was interesting.
There was a total of three ways to play, respectively a single win, position, and consecutive wins, in the betting system of the Hong Kong City Jockey Club.
The so-called single win was to select a horse for the first placing in the race. The position was to select a horse as the top three. As for consecutive wins, two horses were selected as the top two in the race, regardless of the order.
Among them, the odds of the single win were the highest.
This amount of ten million was an astronomical price for an ordinary person. However, to a member of this level, it was actually nothing.
However, this person had bet on the single win, and he had made the right bet.
That meant that the money he won was very considerable.
Gu Tinglan paused for a moment and laughed.
“It looks like this person has a pretty good eye then.”
...
Box 15.
Yu Pingchuan had a look of regret on his face.
“Just a little bit more! Just a little bit more!”
Number 7 had been in the lead the entire time. Who would have thought that he would actually lose in the end?!
There were also many people who had the same feelings as him.
Previously, not many people had been optimistic about Number 17. Very few people had bet on it either.
Who would have thought that it would be an unexpected upset?
He had bet on number 7 to win alone. Now, he had lost everything.
After calculating how much he had lost, Yu Pingchuan’s eyelids twitched.
When Ning Li saw him like this, she could not help but ask,?“How much did you bet on this?”
Yu Pingchuan was silent for a long while.
“... I’ll have to sell another painting when I go back.”
Ning Li, “...”
Yes, a total of seven figures was not out of the question.
Yu Pingchuan let out a long sigh.
Ning Li comforted him.
“It’s alright. Didn’t I just win? Why don’t I supplement you with more?”
Yu Pingchuan looked at her.
“How much did you bet?”
Ning Li looked at her phone.
“100,000.”
This was the minimum bet for an S-rank member.
Yu Pingchuan, “...”
It was better for him to go back and sell his painting.
Ning Li said,?“There are still a few more matches to go. Would you like to take a look again?”
There would be several rounds of matches on a competition schedule.
That was considered the first round.
However, horses that had participated in a competition would usually not compete again.
Yu Pingchuan sighed.
He had liked Number 7. He was not interested in the rest of the matches and he did not want to bet much.
He just wanted to forget about it.
“Newbies are always the luckiest. You can play more.”
Ning Li nodded and curved her eyes.
“That’s what I plan to do.”
...
The afternoon’s competition ended very quickly.
The SSS member who had bet on Number 17 to win alone did not make any further moves. It was as if he was just playing along.
The two senior directors accompanied Gu Tinglan. As they watched the competition, they explained some of the work at the Jockey Club.
Gu Tinglan had been busy elsewhere, so there were a lot of matters for him to deal with here that had piled up.
He would not be able to get up until all the competitions had ended today.
One of the senior directors looked at his phone and could not help but laugh. He gave the other one a look.
This time, even the other one laughed.
Gu Tinglan looked at them.
“What?”
“Young Master Tinglan, did you personally give a friend a new S-class membership card two days ago?” One of them asked with a smile.
Gu Tinglan thought for a moment and nodded.
That was for Ning Li.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s just that your friend here is quite interesting.”
That person raised his phone and showed it to Gu Tinglan.
“She placed bets on every round and was quite lucky. She won more than she lost. However, she insisted on betting only 100,000 for every bet. She went back and forth quite a few times.”
The minimum bet amount for an s-rank member was 100,000 yuan. Most people would bet more than that amount.
It was really rare for such a real bet to be made with 100,000,000 yuan.
Gu Tinglan looked at the 100,000 yuan that went back and forth on the screen and smiled.
“She’s young, so she’s probably just treating this as a game.”
He just didn’t know how Lu Huaiyu would react if he had seen this.
...
By the afternoon, all the matches ended and the audience left the venue one after another.
Ning Li followed Yu Pingchuan to the stables under the lead of a special person.
Gu Siyang must have given prior instructions. When they arrived, the horse trainer had already made preparations.
Yu Pingchuan asked Ning Li to change into her riding attire first. He and the horse trainer led the cyan horse to the horse racing area first.
Ning Li nodded.
After about 15 minutes, Ning Li had changed into her riding clothes, pushed open the door, and walked over.
At this moment, there were still several people in the horse racing area.
When Ning Li appeared, everyone’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to her.
The girl in the red riding clothes was tall and slender. Her belt was tied up, and she was wearing leather boots, which made her look even more slender.
Her long wavy hair was held behind her shoulders by the helmet. When the wind blew, it caused ripples.
The evening sun shone down, casting a shadow on the helmet, covering her eyes and brows.
Looking from afar, the bridge of her nose was slender, her lips were full and bright red, and her skin was fair and clear.
Yu Pingchuan had actually rarely seen Ning Li wear such formal riding attire, especially now that she had grown up. She had lost some of her previous youthfulness and appeared even more valiant.
He sighed.
“Ah Li really looks the best in this.”
Ning Li came to the horse trainer and stretched out her white-gloved hand.
Perhaps because her aura was very commanding, the horse trainer obediently handed the reins to her.
When he saw that Ning Li was ready to mount, he came back to his senses.
“Miss Ning, please be careful–”
Ning Li stepped on the stirrups and quickly got on the horse!
Outside the horse race area, a group of people was escorting Old Master Gu and Old Madam Gu on their way back.
Old Madam Gu unintentionally looked in that direction and suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She looked at the red figure with straight shoulders in the distance, and the gentle smile on her face suddenly disappeared.
Her eyes reddened. She could not help but take a step forward and mutter softly, “My Yinyin?”
Chapter 480: You Must Have Mistaken Me For Someone Else
Her voice was very soft, as if it would disappear with the wind in the next moment.
However, the people standing beside her had all heard it.
Old Master Gu’s expression was shocked, and he subconsciously asked, “Ah Qing, who are you calling?”
His voice was trembling slightly.
Gu Siyang was standing on her right. He was momentarily stunned when he heard it, and his eyes immediately followed her line of sight.
In the horse racing area, a figure dressed in a red riding suit was particularly eye-catching.
She held the reins with one hand and swung the whip with the other. Her slender legs clamped down on the horse’s belly, and the vigorous cyan-colored horse began to gallop rapidly.
Her posture was straight as she sat on the horse’s back. She was slender and lean, and she exuded a valiant aura all over her body.
“That is–”
Gu Tingfeng also appeared to be momentarily lost in his thoughts when he saw that figure.
Gu Siyang came back to his senses and supported Old Madam Gu. With a complicated expression on his face, he said, “Grandma, you’re mistaken. That’s not Fourth Aunt.”
His words made Old Master Gu and Gu Tingfeng sober up.
That’s right. How could it be her?
However, Old Madam Gu was very stubborn.
Her eyes were red as she said, “It’s my Yinyin. Look, she’s riding a horse again. My Yinyin, how could I be mistaken?”
As she spoke, she walked toward the stairs at the side, intending on going down to the horse racing area.
“Yinyin is back. Why didn’t any of you tell me?”
She muttered, her originally graceful and slow steps gradually becoming more hurried.
Gu Siyang went over to stop her.
“Grandma, it’s not easy to walk down there. Please don’t go over.”
They were now in the grandstand area and down the stairs was the horse racing area.
Dust flew everywhere as the horses galloped.
Old Madam Gu was wearing a qipao and was getting on in years. How could she walk down such a path?
However, Old Madam Gu, who had always been gentle and delicate, was now being exceptionally stubborn.
She had made up her mind to go over. So even though Gu Siyang was attempting to stop her, he was not successful.
“Grandma!”
Gu Siyang was afraid that she would fall, so he quickly caught up with her.
He held Old Madam Gu tightly again. He looked back worriedly as he watched over her carefully.
Old Master Gu closed his eyes and suppressed the bitterness in his heart.
Gu Tingfeng said, “Dad, I’ll go and take a look.”
Old Master Gu opened his eyes. His expression seemed to have become much more haggard.
“Let me go too.”
As he spoke, he followed.
Gu Tingfeng frowned. He did not think this was a good decision.
However, since Old Madam Gu had already gone over, there was really nothing he could do.
He could only follow along.
...
Ning Li ran a lap.
At first, this cyan-colored horse was indeed not very cooperative. However, the more she rode it, the more obedient it became.
It was not as hard to train as the horse trainer had said.
Yu Pingchuan watched from the side and could not help but give Ning Li a thumbs up.
“Ah Li, beautiful!”
The horse trainer beside him was a little stunned.
This horse... ? When did its temper become so good?
Before this, it was not that no one had taken a fancy to it. However, no one had been able to get on its back.
It would always start making a ruckus as soon as it was touched, trying its best to throw people off.
Even the horse trainer who had been feeding it for a long time could only lead it most of the time, without being able to get on its back.
Ning Li was about to run another lap when she suddenly heard a voice filled with anticipation and joy from behind her:
“... Yinyin?”
Ning Li hesitated for a moment.
This voice seemed to be... shouting at her?
She turned her head back to look.
...
A young girl dressed in red riding clothes sat on the horse, holding the reins in her hands. She turned her head back to look.
That beautiful, clean, and extremely young face entered her sight.
Old Madam Gu was suddenly stunned.
At this moment, it was as if thousands of words had gathered in her chest, but she did not know where to begin. She only felt stifled and uncomfortable.
Her qipao was stained with dust, and her neatly combed hair was somewhat disheveled. She looked like she was in a hurry.
However, she could not care about these things. All that was left in her eyes was the person in front of her, this face.
Her lips moved, and the light in the bottom of her eyes gradually disappeared.
It was very similar, it was clearly very similar!
The back was so similar, the nose, the corners of her lips were so similar, and the pointy chin was so similar...
Especially when she was riding on the horse, it was exactly the same as the picture in her memory!
However...
Ning Li, who was sitting on the horse, was a little stunned when she saw this scene.
Of course, she knew Gu Siyang, but the Old Madam he was supporting... was very unfamiliar.
However, judging from her exquisite qipao and the jade bracelet on her wrist, it was not difficult to guess her identity.
This had to be Old Madam of the Gu family.
Sure enough, the horse trainer next to her stepped forward and asked respectfully,
“Old Madam Gu, Why are you here?”
He was a little fearful.
Although Old Madam Gu also came to the horse races, she rarely appeared over here.
Now, not only did she come, but she also looked very anxious. He really didn’t know why...
However, Old Madam Gu merely stared at Ning Li in a daze, as if she had lost her soul.
Ning Li got off the horse.
She pulled the reins and took a step forward. She met Old Madam Gu’s gaze and asked tentatively,?“You... Were you calling me just now?”
The young girl’s voice was clear and melodious, but it was not as soft and sweet as she remembered.
Old Madam Gu looked at her as if she wanted to say something. There were many emotions hidden in her eyes that Ning Li could not understand.
Ning Li frowned slightly.
The cyan-colored horse next to her raised its leg as if it wanted to throw a tantrum.
Ning Li turned her head to look at it, stroked its head, and then rubbed its furry ears.
“Be good.”
The cyan-colored horse’s temper was restrained, and it gently bumped into her shoulder, acting coquettishly.
Ning Li could not help but laugh.
She then looked at Old Madam Gu and asked, “You must have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Ning Li, not Yinyin.”
Old Madam Gu’s tears instantly fell.