His palm rested against the back of the saddle without touching her.
A perfectly gentlemanly hand placement.
But it happened to provide just the right amount of support.
Ji Liuyue tried again. This time, the horse didn’t move.
The instant she stepped up, Lu Nanxun lightly supported her ankle.
Once she had swung herself into the saddle, he had already backed away half a step. Without saying a word, he turned and went back to mount his own horse.
Ji Liuyue sat astride her horse and glanced at him.
He was looking down as he adjusted the reins.
Mm. He had that fatherly, guiding-lover vibe—seemingly not much of a talker, yet incredibly reassuring.
And he was the type of deeply devoted romantic who, once he committed himself, would be utterly faithful.
No wonder that even after Liu Qingye and Xu Jinsi became mutually interested in the original storyline, she still couldn’t help softening toward Lu Nanxun.
The two horses walked one after the other along the riding track.
Lu Nanxun was a skilled rider, so he could control his horse’s direction on his own. Ji Liuyue, meanwhile, had a trainer leading her by the reins, walking leisurely ahead.
The awkward part was that any conversation between them would be overheard by a third person.
But who was Ji Liuyue? Awkwardness was impossible for her.
She simply called out, “Lu Nanxun.”
Lu Nanxun turned his head. “What is it?”
Ji Liuyue said bluntly, “Could you slow down a little? I can’t catch up with you.”
Lu Nanxun froze for a moment.
His first thought was that he had been going too fast and she couldn’t keep up. But the word “catch up” seemed to carry a more particular meaning.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the word implied something else.
But afraid of interpreting it incorrectly, he replied, “All right. I’ll slow down and wait for you.”
At last, the two horses were walking side by side.
Ji Liuyue curved her lips into a bright smile. “Do you think I’m very clumsy? I can’t even ride a horse, yet I chose this place for our date.”
Lu Nanxun thought about it seriously before answering with impeccable courtesy, “No. I think it’s wonderful that you’re willing to boldly try new things.”
Ji Liuyue gave a soft little “hmph” and raised her brows, as though she hadn’t taken his words to heart.
Then she suddenly asked, “What did the card you wrote on the first day of the blind selection say?”
Lu Nanxun pressed his lips together, considering whether he should tell her.
Then he heard Ji Liuyue recite it with a knowing smile:
“I don’t know what kind of person I’ll meet, so I haven’t thought about setting any particular standards. I’ll see what happens after I get here. I’ll just go with the flow and see how far things go.”
A flash of surprise and disbelief crossed Lu Nanxun’s gentle face.
“How did you guess that?”
Ji Liuyue extended a finger and made a show of calculating, crossing her thumb and index finger together as she joked, “I figured it out.”
Lu Nanxun blinked slowly.
He seemed to be considering how much truth there was in her words.
Ji Liuyue laughed again. “I’m kidding! Of course I analyzed it. Look, of the four male contestants, you’re the most reserved-looking, and you’re also the quietest.”
Lu Nanxun nodded. “That’s right. I’m slow to warm up.”
But Ji Liuyue shook her head.
“That’s not all. I also read something else into that sentence.”
She paused, then suddenly looked at Lu Nanxun with a serious gaze and said softly, “Lu Nanxun, you’re a pessimist.”
As soon as the words fell, Lu Nanxun froze again.
He hadn’t expected to hear that from her.
The deepest undertone of his personality had been seen through by someone else in less than two days.
And that person was the female contestant he had no interest in—someone he even found slightly off-putting.
The day before, while on a date with Liu Qingye, the two of them had also discussed what was written on their cards.
Liu Qingye had propped up her chin and muttered, “Ah, you really do take things as they come. I envy you for having that kind of mindset.”
At the time, Lu Nanxun had merely smiled warmly as usual.
The two of them had quickly moved on to other shared interests and hobbies.
They hadn’t gone any deeper into the subject.
Lu Nanxun hadn’t expected that the person who understood him would be Ji Liuyue.
Seeing that he had remained silent for so long, Ji Liuyue tilted her head and said confidently, “Looks like I was right! See? I told you my calculations were accurate.”
Lu Nanxun gave her a deep look.
His gaze was somewhat complicated.
He slowly nodded. “Yes. I’m a pessimist.”
But Ji Liuyue’s tone grew lighter as she teased, “So you’ve already prepared yourself for the worst—that you won’t end up holding hands with any of the female contestants in the house?”
After all, this was only their first date.
They could have a heartfelt conversation, but there was no need to lay everything bare on the very first date.
Letting the other person know that you understood them, then stopping just short of going deeper—it was like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey. It made you even more enticing.
Lu Nanxun hadn’t expected the conversation to turn in this direction either.
He nodded with a wry smile. “Yes. That’s right.”
But Ji Liuyue suddenly said to the trainer holding her reins, “Thank you for your hard work, Coach. You can let go of the reins now. I think I’ve gotten used to the rhythm of riding.”
The trainer had been silently enjoying the show all this time. Hearing the female contestant, he seemed a little reluctant to leave.
He reminded her that a beginner could walk the horse, but she absolutely shouldn’t make it run yet. It would be very difficult to control.
“All right, don’t worry.” Ji Liuyue waved him off.
The conversation had been interrupted, but Lu Nanxun’s gaze remained fixed on her.
“Are you curious about me?” she suddenly asked out of nowhere. “Lu Nanxun.”
Every time she called his name, she used all three characters—his full name.
It didn’t sound intimate.
It was more like the way one addressed an ordinary friend.
But Ji Liuyue’s voice was clear and sweet, and her pronunciation precise.
Whenever Lu Nanxun heard her call him by his full name, his heartbeat would suddenly accelerate uncontrollably for a single beat.
While he was still pondering the question, Ji Liuyue smiled again.
“How about you guess which of those four cards was mine?”
At the time, Lu Nanxun had chosen Card One.
The one Liu Qingye had written:
“I’d really like to experience what it feels like to be someone’s definite choice… Even just once would be enough.”
The reason Lu Nanxun had chosen that card was because he had deeply identified with it.
He, too, wanted to be someone’s definite choice.
Ji Liuyue was right. He was a pessimist. When it came to love, he had always maintained a pessimistic outlook.
He didn’t believe in the kind of mutual love where you liked someone and, by coincidence, they happened to like you back—a relationship in which two people moved toward each other with equal certainty.
His family, including his parents, had all entered marriages that were well matched in status and suitable in every way.
Compared with love, their union was based more on responsibility and compatibility.
Although they never gave their child any less love or care because of it, little Lu Nanxun had already been sensitive enough to realize that—
His father didn’t love his mother. He was with her only out of responsibility.
His father and mother loved him for the same reason.
“Are you Card Two?” he guessed.
In truth, the content of Cards Two and Three was both rather laid-back. They conveyed the attitude that finding someone they truly clicked with on a dating show would be nice, but it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t. They could simply treat the experience as a chance to relax and meet new people.
“No.”
“Then Card Three?” he continued.
Ji Liuyue shook her head with an annoyed little huff.
“Lu Nanxun, there are only four cards in total.”
“Excluding the one you chose, there are still three left. How could you possibly get it wrong two more times?”
