Chapter 23: Wait, bro, are you for real?

"Can you close the window? What are you trying to show off for? Aren't you hot?"

In the car, Yuan Meng rolled her eyes at Lin Mo, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

It was late August, the height of summer. The interior of the car was fine thanks to the air conditioning, but Lin Mo's behavior of keeping the window down was truly an eyesore to her.

What was the point of opening the window? Naturally, it was to make the pedestrians on the road take a second look. Plus, with this car, the head-turn rate was quite high.

That's right, Lin Mo was feeling a little bit full of himself. After all, he had been plain-looking for over twenty years, and now that his looks had suddenly improved, he wasn't just a twenty-something college student—even someone in their thirties or forties would probably find it hard to resist showing off a little.

Hearing her words, Lin Mo—who appeared calm on the surface but was feeling a bit pretentious internally—instantly snapped back to reality. That feeling of having one's inner thoughts exposed was somewhat embarrassing.

"Uh, is it that obvious?"

He had always thought that while he was secretly pleased, his outward expression was quite natural.

"Just now, you were like a peacock spreading its feathers. You were pretending to be nonchalant, but you were actually posing so hard your neck must be sore, right? You're just a little paler, stop acting like a big shot!"

Lin Mo:...

That was truly hitting the nail on the head. He had to admit, Yuan Meng's words had calmed him down.

There were plenty of good-looking people out there; he was just a bit paler. If he started acting cocky now, people would laugh at him.

Thinking this way, Lin Mo even felt his recent behavior was quite shameful. To prevent this from happening again, he decided to stop looking in the mirror for a while and just forget what he looked like now.

"Ahem, so, Sister Yuan, why did Auntie suddenly want to invite me to dinner?" Lin Mo changed the subject, asking curiously.

After all, he had only met Ms. Jiang once; they weren't exactly close.

"Did you forget? My mom used your secret formula, and the results are excellent. She was even showing it off to her old friends today. Since we're heading to the outskirts for a trip today and have some free time, she asked me to invite you along to thank you," Yuan Meng said somewhat helplessly.

She didn't mind bringing Lin Mo along, but she found her mother's gossiping a bit annoying—she had already said they were just friends.

The reason she had come to fetch him was simply that she couldn't win an argument with her mother, and she also wanted to keep the "little black dog" by her side; she was a bit worried that Liu Ruyan wouldn't give up her pursuit.

"Thank you for what? Didn't you tell Auntie that this is a transaction? I'm being paid for this!"

To Lin Mo, this was simply a business deal. There was no need for thanks; they were just both getting what they needed.

"I told my mom that your secret formula is very rare and that you had to use a lot of social capital to get it. So, don't even mention the price—I'm afraid my mom will get upset. Just remember not to let it slip."

"Uh, isn't that a bit dishonest?"

"Stop talking nonsense! If you don't say that, what if she asks me for the money? Do you still want to sell the rest of it to her for a good price?" Yuan Meng glared at him threateningly.

Lin Mo decided not to be a hero against the current; he would just do as she said.

Soon, the car drove out of the city.

"Sister Yuan, where are we going?" Lin Mo asked curiously.

"To my mom's friend's ranch, to relax. By the way, do you know how to ride a horse?" Yuan Meng asked casually.

Hearing this, Lin Mo was startled. Riding a horse? Wasn't he walking straight into a trap? Was there some kind of matching mechanism involved?

"What's with that expression? It's fine, if you don't know how, I'll teach you later. I'm super fierce. Have you seen *Uma Musume*? Emperor's stride is incredibly cool."

Seeing his expression, Yuan Meng assumed he didn't know how to ride and immediately began to boast.

"Uh, I know a little bit..." Lin Mo rubbed his nose, speaking somewhat sheepishly.

"A little bit? Stop bragging!"

How should one describe horseback riding? Aside from certain specific groups of people, it was generally an activity for those with good financial means and plenty of free time.

Based on her understanding of Lin Mo, he shouldn't fall into that category.

Lin Mo didn't bother to argue. Soon, the car entered a ranch in the suburbs.

This was Lin Mo's first time in a place like this. If it weren't for Yuan Meng, he wouldn't have even known this ranch existed, even after living here for three years.

"Mom, we're here!"

"Hello, Auntie."

The two walked into an open-air rest area and immediately saw Ms. Jiang, who was dressed in equestrian attire. She had always maintained her appearance well, but today she looked even younger than the last time they met.

It had to be said that Ms. Jiang currently lived up to the phrase "retaining her charm."

"Xiao Lin is here! Come, sit down. You guys are on holiday today; I hope I'm not disturbing you by calling you over?" Ms. Jiang said with a beaming smile as she pulled him down to sit.

Lin Mo shook his head repeatedly. "Not at all, Auntie. You look wonderful today. If I didn't know better, I'd think you and Sister Yuan were sisters."

As the saying goes, flattery works. For a woman, praising her beauty and youth is always a safe bet.

Sure enough, Ms. Jiang's smile widened. "Not at all, I'm old now. It's all thanks to your secret formula, Xiao Lin. Yuan Yuan told me you put in a lot of effort to get that formula. You're very thoughtful."

Lin Mo gave a somewhat guilty laugh, his face turning slightly red from embarrassment.

This was the downside of having fairer skin; even a slight flush was clearly visible.

Seeing this, Ms. Jiang assumed the boy was just young and easily shy, so she quickly said

"Yuan Yuan, take Xiao Lin to change clothes. Play as much as you like. I've already ridden, so I'll rest for a bit."

"Okay, Mom!" Yuan Meng impatiently pulled Lin Mo away to change.

As they walked, Yuan Meng gave him a thumbs-up. "I didn't expect you to be such a smooth talker. No wonder emperors liked eunuchs. Keep it up!"

Lin Mo:...

Under the guidance of the ranch staff, the two quickly changed into equestrian outfits, long boots, and helmets. The clothing was a simple black and white color scheme.

When they emerged, Ms. Jiang nodded with satisfaction. Both of them had quite striking temperaments, and Lin Mo appeared particularly composed, not lagging behind her own well-raised daughter.

"Not bad. Come on, let's pick horses," Yuan Meng remarked, admiring him as she looked him up and down.

With that, the two followed the staff into the arena.

Yuan Meng chose a group of tall, chestnut-colored horses, while Lin Mo, following the staff's suggestion, chose a gentle black horse.

Although he had knowledge of horseback riding in his head, he didn't just jump on and ride off. Instead, he patiently listened to the instructions from the riding instructor.

After all, this wasn't like brewing tea; if he fell off, he might end up dead. He wasn't about to gamble with his life.

Ten minutes later, Lin Mo was already riding his horse leisurely around the arena.

*Clop, clop, clop.*

The sound of hooves approached, and Yuan Meng rode up to stop beside him. "Yo~ isn't this Mr. 'Knows a Little Bit'? Why are you going so slow!"

As she spoke, Yuan Meng pointed a small finger and began to rap

"Don't sleep here, why the long face? Who told you not to realize the difference between you and me? Yo, I'm Superman!"

It was the theme song to *Basketball Fire*. He hadn't expected her to use it to mock him.

Lin Mo gave a cold laugh, applied a little pressure with his legs against the horse's flanks, and the little black horse suddenly bolted forward.

Yuan Meng was startled, but she immediately saw that Lin Mo was riding very steadily, his whole body moving in rhythm with the horse. He clearly looked like an experienced rider.

"Wait, man, are you for real?!"

(End of Chapter)