Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Liu Xiang was overjoyed. Good heavens, after all this trouble, he finally managed to tame the last horse here! Suppressing his excitement, he smiled at Zhao Dequan: "Mr. Zhao, this horse is spirited and a bit shy, but I was able to tame it completely. Your Hong Kong horse trainer was too impatient. You need patience when dealing with horses."

Zhao Dequan stared in disbelief, then suddenly exclaimed, "Amazing! Mr. Liu, your skills are truly incredible! My horse trainer in Hong Kong earns five hundred dollars a day, and after half a month of struggling, even his ancestors wouldn't let him work. But you, you've got it all sorted out in just a few words! I'm completely impressed!"

For the next two hours, Liu Xiang was invited by Zhao Dequan to the club's VIP lounge. This lounge was outrageously luxurious, with Persian carpets on the floor so thick that you could sink half your foot in. The leather sofas were large and soft, so comfortable you could sink right in. Posters of European equestrian competitions hung on the walls, showing riders in English tailcoats and top hats, looking dashing and dashing.

The servant brought over a tea set made of Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain, and poured in Longjing tea. The tea soup was emerald green and had a wonderful aroma.

Zhao Dequan kept urging Liu Xiang to drink tea and have some snacks, saying, "Mr. Liu, your horse-training skills are simply divine! I see you're filming on set, working so hard and tired, how much do you earn in a month? Why not come to my club as a technical consultant? I'll give you a monthly salary of ten thousand, plus a villa from the club. What do you think?"

A monthly salary of ten thousand yuan! Liu Xiang's heart skipped a beat. In the 1990s, the average worker's monthly salary was only about three hundred yuan. Ten thousand yuan was almost equivalent to three years' salary for an average worker.

And a villa! This is practically a windfall. Liu Xiang's heart skipped a beat, but she still shook her head: "Mr. Zhao, thank you for your kindness, but I still have to film 'Water Margin'. I need to play the role of Wu Song well. We can work together again after filming is finished."

When Zhao Dequan saw Liu Xiang refuse, his smile faded slightly, but quickly returned. He picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Very well, then I'll wait for Mr. Liu's good news. I'll come pick you up personally after you finish filming."

Liu Xiang understood perfectly well that Zhao Dequan was a typical businessman. One second he would fawn over you, and the next second, if he didn't need you anymore, he would forget you completely. His polite words were just for show.

As we were talking, a series of arrogant footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.

Then came a sarcastic voice: "Isn't this our great hero Liu Xiang? What are you doing here, freeloading?"

Liu Xiang looked up and almost burst out laughing. It was none other than Wang Bo, the man who had slunk away from the banquet the night before. He was dressed in a white equestrian outfit, the material clearly expensive, with a gold logo embroidered on the collar. His hair was styled even shinier, the hairspray so thick it could probably trap flies. He was also holding a riding crop with an ivory handle that gleamed under the lights.

Today, he was followed by two bodyguards in black suits. One of them was tall, about 1.9 meters, with broad shoulders like mountains and a sinister look in his eyes. He walked with a swift and silent gait, clearly not a good person.

Zhao Dequan's face changed instantly. His previous high spirits vanished, and he looked like a wilted eggplant. He quickly stood up and said with a forced smile, "Young Master Wang, what brings you here? You didn't even give me a heads-up so I could have greeted you at the door."

Wang Bo's father was a big shot in Wuxi's real estate industry and one of the club's major shareholders; Zhao Dequan simply couldn't afford to offend him. Wang Bo glanced at Zhao Dequan, snorted, and his disdain was as if he were looking at an ant: "Mr. Zhao, do I need to report to you when I come to the club for training? Who do you think you are?"

Zhao Dequan's face flushed red and then turned pale. He lowered his head, not daring to speak. His previous enthusiasm had vanished completely, replaced by a blatant sycophant. Liu Xiang sneered inwardly. This was the so-called high society—saying one thing to one person and another to another. Just now he was praising himself like a god, but now that Wang Bo was here, he'd become a coward.

Wang Bo turned his gaze to Liu Xiang, his eyes filled with venom, as if he wanted to devour her alive: "Liu Xiang, you were lucky at the banquet last night, having that old bastard Han Lei back you up. But don't get cocky. You're only good at taming horses in a few crooked ways; when it comes to real horsemanship, you're not even fit to carry my shoes!"

Liu Xiang picked up her teacup, took a sip of Longjing tea, and said calmly, "Young Master Wang, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. What business is it of yours if Mr. Zhao and I are talking about horseback riding?"

Wang Bo, as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, suddenly raised his voice, shrill and piercing, "This club is mine! You, a peasant, dare to talk about equestrianism here? Do you deserve to sit on this leather sofa? Let me tell you, today I'm going to have an equestrian contest with you! The loser will not only get out of this club, but will also have to lick my toes!"

Liu Xiang raised an eyebrow. He hadn't wanted to lower himself to the level of this spoiled brat, but the other guy was already pushing his luck and kept insisting on a bet. If he didn't take the challenge, he'd seem like a coward: "Fine, let's bet then. What will you do if you lose this time?"

Seeing that Liu Xiang agreed, Wang Bo smirked and said, "You can choose any of these horses!"

He had already made his plans. He had been practicing equestrianism at the club for two years and considered himself to be highly skilled. Moreover, his horse, "Sprite," was the most agile in the club, and he didn't believe that Liu Xiang could beat him.

"Alright!" Wang Bo cracked his whip. "President Zhao, bring out my little darling! And pick out a horse for Liu Xiang too, so no one can say I'm bullying him!"

Zhao Dequan dared not disobey and quickly ordered the stable boy to fetch the horses. A short while later, the two fine horses were led to the training ground. Wang Bo's horse, Elf, was a thoroughbred, entirely black, with long limbs and smooth muscle lines—clearly a nimble and agile breed.

The horse brought to Liu Xiang was a light-colored, fast chestnut-colored horse, which was the same Hanoverian Warmblood he had just tamed.

The two mounted their horses, and Wang Bo looked down at Liu Xiang with a smug expression: "Liu Xiang, don't cry if you lose later!"

Liu Xiang ignored him, gently patted the chestnut horse's neck, and whispered, "Watch my signal later." The chestnut horse seemed to understand, snorted, and flicked its tail.

Zhao Dequan, acting as referee, stood at the edge of the training field, holding a starting pistol, and shouted: "Two men, two horses, run three laps around the equestrian arena. The one who touches the fewest poles wins! On your marks—get set—"

"Bang!" The starting gun fired, its crisp sound piercing the sky.

Wang Bo spurred his horse forward, and the elf charged off like a dancer, its hooves clattering on the grass. Wang Bo glanced back at Liu Xiang, who was still leisurely following behind, and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Liu Xiang, are you out of your mind? Hurry up and jump the pole!"

Liu Xiang's lips curled into a slight smile; he had no intention of exerting himself from the start. This equestrian competition wasn't about speed, but about control over the horse's leg movements. He gently pulled on the reins, and the chestnut horse followed the elf at a leisurely pace, its steps steady and light.