Soon, Chen Yang arrived at Yunxuan Racecourse. He had just been here yesterday, so he was quite familiar with the place.
Just as he entered the main gate, a familiar figure caught his eye—it was none other than Su Ding, Mr. Su.
Su Ding, who had been beaming a moment ago, saw Chen Yang and his face immediately fell. Caught between a grimace and a sob, he had no choice but to walk over meekly. "B-Big Brother, you're here."
Su Ding was on edge, his heart almost leaping out of his throat. Could it be that he wasn't satisfied with yesterday's events?
Chen Yang patted his shoulder. "Don't be nervous. I'm just here with my wife for some fun."
Su Ding let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling as if a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders. He swiftly pulled out a Black Gold Card and offered it over with a fawning expression. "Big Brother, this is our top-tier Black Gold Card. All food, drinks, and entertainment in the entire venue are on the house!"
"Thoughtful of you." Chen Yang took the Black Gold Card and turned to walk into the racecourse.
Staring at Chen Yang's back for a moment, Su Ding turned to the manager beside him. "He is my most honored guest. There must be no negligence in the service, do you hear me?"
"Yes, boss!" The manager firmly committed Chen Yang's face to memory and nodded vigorously.
After meeting up with her friends, Qin Qiu was about to sit down and order something to eat when Chen Yang strolled over, his hands in his pockets and humming a little tune.
"Chen Yang? You—you're stalking me?" Already fuming, Qin Qiu shot to her feet, her anger uncontainable. "Get lost! Disappear from my sight."
"So that's Chen Yang?" A tall girl named Mu Ziyan, dressed in a pale yellow dress, looked at him, a mocking glint appearing in her narrow, triangular eyes. "I heard he's a good-for-nothing who married into your family to live off you?"
Another girl with a round face and a ponytail, named Chen Xiaoyi, studied Chen Yang with curiosity. Going by looks alone, he's not bad. But what's the use of a man being handsome? To sponge off a woman?
PFFT.
At that thought, Chen Xiaoyi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Qin Qiu felt utterly defeated, nearly grinding her teeth to dust. It seemed that wherever she went, the ridicule followed.
"Just go, please. I really don't want to see you anymore," Qin Qiu said, shaking her head in resignation, feeling weary to her core.
Instead of leaving, Chen Yang plopped down on the adjacent sofa, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, and said, "Honey, don't mind me. You all have your fun. Just pretend I'm not here."
Cracking open a seed, he added, "Oh, and go all out. I'll cover the bill."
"You?" Qin Qiu almost laughed out loud. "Do you have any idea how expensive this place is? You loaf around at home all day. You have money to treat us?"
"Now, now, we should at least give him a chance. A grown man like him wouldn't go back on his word, would he?" Mu Ziyan said sarcastically, struggling to suppress a smirk.
"If you're going to be a freeloader, then just be a freeloader. Why are you putting on airs in front of us? Even if you're not embarrassed, our Qin Qiu is!" Chen Xiaoyi rolled her eyes, a disdainful sneer on her lips.
Chen Yang merely smiled at their comments, not taking them to heart at all. He was only here to protect Qin Qiu; everything else was irrelevant.
'Let others laugh at me for being too crazy; I laugh at them for failing to see the truth.' Once you reach a certain level, many things become like passing smoke, unable to leave the slightest ripple in your heart.
Qin Qiu knew his ways, so she decided to ignore him and sat back down. However, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of resentment toward her two friends.
Alas, in the end, it was all because Chen Yang was so pathetic. Besides causing trouble, he was truly good for nothing. If her husband were a little more impressive, her two friends probably wouldn't be reacting this way, right? She had dreamt more than once that her man was a towering, indomitable hero, and under his protection, any place could be the warmest harbor. Unfortunately, a dream is just a dream.
"Ziyan!"
A young man over 1.8 meters tall and dressed in a white suit strode toward them. A Mercedes key hanging from his belt swung back and forth, catching the eye. The green Submariner watch on his left wrist further signaled that he was a man of means.
"This is my husband."
Mu Ziyan puffed up with pride, throwing herself into the young man's arms without a second thought. Then, linking her arm with his, she introduced him grandly, "This is Li Dechao. His family is in the apparel business, and they make millions a year."
As she spoke, she shot a deliberate glance at Chen Yang. Seeing that he paid her no mind, she pouted. Then she looked back at Qin Qiu, her chin lifted slightly. Her expression seemed to say, 'Sure, your family might be better off than mine, but you're blind. You picked a useless husband. Now look at mine—handsome and rich.'
Chen Xiaoyi's face was full of envy. If only she could be so lucky!
"It's just a small business," Li Dechao said humbly, though the pride on his face was about to send him soaring. His eyes scanned Qin Qiu up and down several times.
Wow, this girl is a real stunner! To put it bluntly, Mu Ziyan isn't even in the same league. No wonder she's considered the most beautiful CEO in Lingjin City.
A smirk soon appeared on his face. With a grand wave of his hand, he announced, "Let's pick our horses! Long-legged, short-legged, choose whatever you like. It's all on me."
"YAY!" Chen Xiaoyi raised her hands and cheered.
Mu Ziyan, however, pointed at Chen Yang. "Honey, Qin Qiu's husband said that we can spend as much as we want today and he'll be picking up the tab."
Qin Qiu turned her face away, a bitter feeling swelling in her heart.
"Oh?"
Li Dechao looked over with interest and smiled. "Bro, first time at a place like this? For the five of us to eat and play well, it'll cost 70,000 or 80,000 at a minimum. Are you sure you want to pay?"
He added, "Of course, if you're planning to pay with Qin Qiu's money, then just pretend I didn't say anything."
Spitting out a sunflower seed shell, Chen Yang said nonchalantly, "In a place like this, it's always the walk-ins who pay with cash. The real big shots use a card."
Chen Yang's words made everyone laugh.
After all, even the lowest-tier Platinum Card at Yunxuan Racecourse required a minimum top-up of 500,000, to say nothing of the even more exclusive Purple Gold and Black Gold Cards. What ordinary person had that kind of spare cash, and who would be willing to spend it?
"Trying to play games with me?" Li Dechao sneered. "Since you want to act like a big shot, show us your card. Otherwise, I..."
SLAP.
Chen Yang pulled the Black Gold Card from his pocket and slapped it on the table.
On the card's glossy, jet-black surface, which shone with a metallic luster, were eight horses depicted in various poses. The craftsmanship was so exquisite it was breathtaking.
Li Dechao: "..."
Mu Ziyan: "..."
Even Qin Qiu, who had turned to look into the distance, subconsciously whipped her head back around, her eyes fixated on the Black Gold Card on the table.
Is this... is this really a Black Gold Card?
"..."