It's just that they have money.

After riding horses, the two changed their clothes and relaxed on the sofa in the rest area.

The club's lounge area is quite spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the training ground, where members can see who are still practicing.

The sofa was made of genuine leather, and when you sat on it, you sank in. Zhao Xiaole lay there half-reclined, with her legs propped up on the footstool, like a soft rice cake.

"I've lost my legs," he said.

"You've only been riding for an hour."

"Even an hour is riding. If you ride for two hours, won't your legs get sore?"

Fang Chen didn't speak.

His legs were also sore.

But this is pretentious.

The staff brought over two glasses of lemon water, and Fang Chen thanked them.

Zhao Xiaole didn't drink. He took out his phone, swiped it a couple of times, and then looked up and around.

The young receptionist wasn't there; an older woman was behind the computer, typing away.

He looked at the training field again, and there were only two people practicing there, neither of whom were the girl from before.

"Gone?" he muttered to himself.

Fang Chen glanced at him, then at the receptionist: "You're still thinking about it?"

"It's not that I'm eyeing it, I just think it's really nice," Zhao Xiaole said matter-of-factly. "Who doesn't like something nice? Look at that nice horse, you rode it, didn't you?"

"That horse is not the same as the girl you were talking about."

"How can they not be the same thing? They're both beautiful things."

Fang Chen was too lazy to argue with him.

Zhao Xiaole sat up, picked up his glass of lemonade, and took a big gulp. The coldness made him squint. He put down the glass, and his eyes suddenly froze.

"Brother Chen."

"Um?"

"Look over there."

Fang Chen followed his gaze.

The girl with the ponytail who was riding a horse just now walked in from the exit of the training ground.

She had dismounted and changed back into her own clothes.

A loose-fitting linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, paired with dark straight-leg trousers and white flat shoes.

Her hair was still tied in a low ponytail, and she wasn't wearing makeup; her skin looked very clean in the afternoon light.

Holding a bottle of water, she walked to the sofa on the other side of the lounge area, sat down, unscrewed the cap, and quietly drank. Her gaze was fixed on the window, seemingly lost in thought.

Zhao Xiaole stared at her for two seconds, then turned to look at Fang Chen, her eyes holding a light that Fang Chen had seen before.

He's gotten carried away again.

"Brother Chen, do you want that girl?"

Fang Chen put down his water glass: "What do you mean by 'want or not'?"

"It's just to get to know them," Zhao Xiaole leaned forward and lowered her voice, "If you're not going, I will."

"Didn't you just flirt with the receptionist?"

"That one won't work, but this one looks promising."

Fang Chen glanced at him, then at the girl.

She was still drinking water, her gaze still fixed on the window, seemingly unaware that two pairs of eyes were fixed on her.

"Go ahead," Fang Chen said.

This is exactly what Zhao Xiaole was waiting for.

He stood up, straightened his collar, pulled the hood of his sweatshirt out from behind his neck, smoothed his hair, and strode over with his signature smile on his face.

Fang Chen didn't follow; he leaned back on the sofa and continued drinking his lemonade.

He saw Zhao Xiaole walk up to the girl, bend down, and say something.

The girl looked up at him, shook her head, and said two words.

Zhao Xiaole said a few more words, but the girl's expression did not change; it remained a polite but indifferent one.

The whole process took less than half a minute.

Zhao Xiaole returned, her smile still on her face, but her eyes had lost their sparkle.

He slumped onto the sofa, sinking into it, and let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"They said they don't add strangers, why don't you give it a try?"

"I'm not going."

Why?

"I have social anxiety," Fang Chen said seriously.

Fang Chen did not go.

It's not that I'm socially anxious, it's just that I feel it's unnecessary.

What good is it to add a stranger on WeChat after you meet her at a horse farm?

Will we chat for a bit and then just sit in the list gathering dust?

He'd done this kind of thing countless times before. After adding someone, he'd be too lazy to even change the nickname, and two months later, when he looked through his contacts, he couldn't remember who they were.

Besides, some girls don't like being approached, and even if they give out their WeChat ID, it's just a form of self-protection to avoid being harassed.

Once she's sure it's safe, she'll delete you immediately.

Zhao Xiaole was unwilling to give up and glanced at the girl a couple more times, but in the end he didn't go over again and lay sprawled in the rest area for another half hour.

Fang Chen glanced at his phone and saw a private message dialog box on the screen. Zhao Xiaole sent a long message, and the other side replied with a few words. He then sent another long message.

"Who are you talking to?"

"I was bored last night anyway, so I browsed Xiaohongshu and saw someone from the same city, so I tried to chat with them." Zhao Xiaole said without looking up.

"What did you say?"

"I told her I was in Jiangcheng and asked her out for dinner." Zhao Xiaole handed over his phone. On the screen was a girl's profile, verified as a beauty blogger with just over two thousand followers.

The girl in the homepage notes has long curly hair, big eyes, and exquisite makeup; every picture is professionally retouched.

Fang Chen looked at the homepage suspiciously and asked, "Aren't you afraid of getting shot by that old man?"

"Go away, I'm not an old man."

Fang Chen stood up: "Let's go, I'm going back to take a shower and change my clothes."

"Is this outfit not suitable for you?" Zhao Xiaole looked him up and down.

Fang Chen pointed to the sweat stains on his body: "These clothes smell of sweat from riding a horse."

"Too."

The two drove away from the horse farm.

Zhao Xiaole continued chatting in the passenger seat, her fingers flying across the keyboard, occasionally letting out a laugh.

"She said she would bring a friend, which is perfect, so four people won't be awkward."

"Four people?"

"Yeah, brother, you're the host, you have to go."

Fang Chen focused on driving and didn't say anything.

Back at his place, Fang Chen took a shower, stood in front of the wardrobe for a moment, and then took out a dark gray thin sweater and a pair of black casual trousers.

It wasn't formal, but I looked much more energetic than I did this afternoon.

He looked at himself in the mirror, then rolled up his sweater sleeves to his elbows, revealing a section of his forearm.

Fang Chen's fitness efforts during this period have yielded remarkable results. His previously somewhat overweight physique has transformed into one with broad shoulders and a slim waist, and he has completely transformed into a fit man.

In addition, apart from those clothes that have sentimental value, there are no affordable clothes left in his wardrobe.

The outfit he just casually pulled out is worth over 50,000 yuan in total, based solely on its purchase price.

Fang Chen arrived at the restaurant at 7 o'clock sharp.

Zhao Xiaole was waiting in the living room. When he saw Fang Chen come out, he looked him up and down and clicked his tongue.

Are you going out for dinner or a blind date?

"Speak properly."

"I'm honestly, you dressing like that puts a lot of pressure on me."

Zhao Xiaole was dressed casually, and the brand wasn't particularly high-end.

He was afraid that Fang Chen would steal away the girl he had finally managed to talk to.

Fang Chen laughed and said, "You insisted that I come."

At 7:10, the girl Zhao Xiaole had arranged to meet arrived.

She looks much the same in person as in the photos, with long curly hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a cream-colored knitted cardigan over a floral dress. Her makeup is lighter than in the photos, but still exquisite.

Her eyes crinkle when she smiles, making her even cuter than she is online.

"Sorry, there's a traffic jam." The girl walked over, her tone natural, as if she were meeting an old friend.

"It's alright, it's alright, we just arrived too." Zhao Xiaole stood up, pulled out a chair, and smiled like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

Then Fang Chen saw the person following behind her.

The girl I met at the horse farm.