Pampered by Short-Lived Bigshot

Her smile was much more relaxed than before, softening like gentle ripples across water, triggering a subtle itch in the depths of one’s heart.

”Miss Shen, please be careful. Just walk it around slowly for a couple of laps,” the Huo family members couldn’t help but fear a repeat of the previous incident.

”I’ll be careful.” Despite her assuring words, Shen Shuci, still taken aback by her previous surprise, didn’t dare to ride too fast. She was about to have the horse move forward when Huo Qinqi suddenly reached out, grabbed the reins, and stopped it.

”Mr. Huo?”

”It’s unsafe for you to ride alone,” Huo Qinqi’s words always carried certainty and dominance.

”Last time was an accident, I should be fine alone...”

Shen Shuci hadn’t finished speaking when Huo Qinqi unexpectedly grabbed the side of the rein and nimbly mounted the horse himself. Though the saddle wasn’t small, fitting two people certainly made it cramped.

Her back pressed against a scorching chest, Shen Shuci stiffened all over, even her fingers clenching the reins unintentionally tightened with force.

What on earth was he doing?

The Huo family members had already been stunned by this assertive move.

Damn.

Sharing one horse, isn’t it too crowded? Are they trying to reenact some idol drama?

Such a plot happening to anyone wouldn’t be strange, except when it involved Huo Qinqi, it always felt a bit out of place.

”I’ll take you with me,” he said with a raspy, deep voice that seemed as if it were pressing on his chest. When he spoke, it was as if it hit against his ribcage, and in turn, against her back and her heart.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Shuci felt him take hold of the reins. She hurriedly pulled her fingers back, and though they tugged at different parts of the reins without touching, what did it matter when their bodies were so intimately close? Even if their fingers hadn’t touched, what difference did it make?

”Don’t tense up so much, relax. The horse can feel it when you’re nervous.”

His voice was too close, and Shen Shuci could hear his every breath, the hot air brushing past her ear, scorching her entire ear as if it were about to ignite.

Half of her body was heated up.

With him so close, how was she supposed to relax?

”I won’t let you fall and get hurt, don’t be nervous.”

His voice was very cold, yet his breath was scorching hot.

It was enough to take someone’s life.

Did he truly not understand, or was he feigning ignorance? It wasn’t the fear of falling off the horse that made her nervous; it was all because of him.

Huo Qinqi gently tugged on the reins, and the horse began to slowly circle the woods, while Shen Shuci’s body remained stiff, not daring to relax for a moment.

She tried to lean forward to avoid his touch, but there was only so much space on the back of a horse, and there was nowhere to hide.

The scent of pines after snow emanated from him, piercingly crisp, as if penetrating the limbs and bones, and the distinct fragrance of green plums seemed to carry a cool scent. Everything felt chilling to the bones, yet the palm of Shen Shuci’s hand was already sweating.

She dared not relax for a moment.

Riding a horse wasn’t like being in a car; it was always bumpy. Despite her attempts to avoid it, their bodies inevitably pressed even closer together.

The man’s arms reached around from behind, pulling on the reins, and this position was as if he were enveloping her tightly from behind.

She was very aware of the strength in his arms.

This posture made one’s heart flutter with unease.

The wind carried the cool fragrance of the green plums, yet she felt the breeze on her face to be more sticky than the hot wind of midsummer.

It made her whole body uncomfortably warm.

The Huo Family watched from not too far away, their faces showing contentment, ”I really didn’t expect our lord to have such a side to him.”

”Last time the Fourth Master came, he said the Green Plum Garden was suitable for dates. He definitely took it to heart.”

”Thought the Fourth Master was all fun and games, but it turns out his words carry some weight.”

”Before, I wondered if Miss Shen was a good match for our lord or if she was too young, but now that I see them together, the more I look, the more well-suited they seem.”

...

Meanwhile, Shen Shuci couldn’t take it any longer.

If things continued this way, she wouldn’t die from falling off a horse but from a sudden heart stoppage. From the beginning till now, her heart rate had never returned to normal.