Ch 9: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

“What can’t you ride to perform well?”

“What do you want fetched?”

“Pandas?!”

The always unruly and untamed Xu Shen froze momentarily after hearing Ruan Cha’s words. His expression blanked out completely for a second.

[Bang!]

A sudden noise broke the stunned silence among the onlookers. Xie Chang’an, too distracted to pick up the water bottle he’d just dropped, looked at Ruan Cha with nothing but admiration in his eyes. “Ruan Cha, that was freaking brilliant!”

The girls who had initially been annoyed by Ruan Cha now looked at her with complicated expressions. A new method to make even the school tyrant take notice? That was way too bold.

Sure, they could mimic her words, but who had the guts to actually pull it off?

Xu Shen, rarely stumped by such antics, didn’t know how to respond for a moment. After a long pause, his long, sharp eyes narrowed. Pulling his horse forward, he directed its head to bump against Ruan Cha’s mount, his lips curling into a smirk. “I’ll ask you one more time—are we racing or not?”

Sensing Xu Shen’s growing displeasure, Xie Chang’an stepped in nervously. “Bro, your horse-riding skills are unmatched. Who could possibly compete with you? Besides, class is almost over—don’t make it hard for Ruan Cha.”

Ruan Cha calmly dismounted her horse, showing no fear of Xu Shen’s darkening expression. She tilted her head and whistled nonchalantly. “Sorry, no pandas, no race.”

Hearing this, Xu Shen’s face instantly turned cold, his gaze dark and stormy. “Ruan Cha!”

As the two stared each other down, a sharp, high-pitched whinny pierced the tense atmosphere. Xu Shen’s horse suddenly reared and bolted, kicking up its four hooves uncontrollably as it charged off.

Caught off guard, Xu Shen staggered precariously and repeatedly tried to rein the horse in, but to no avail. He was forced to “perform” an impromptu horse-riding showcase, looping around the arena again and again.

Class 10: “……”

So when she won’t race you, you just decide to show off by yourself?

Ruan Cha’s impressive display earlier had already made her the star of Class 10. Normally, the girls in the class could barely manage a gentle trot, but now they excitedly crowded around her, led by Huang Jiajia.

Huang Jiajia, securing the best spot in the group, looked at Ruan Cha with sparkling eyes. “Ruan Cha, can you take me for a ride? Like, the super thrilling kind!”

“Ahhh, I want to try too! Ruan Cha, you were so cool and gorgeous earlier! You made all our hearts race!”

Ironically, some of these girls had looked down on Ruan Cha just that morning, thinking it beneath them to share a classroom with a girl from a small town.

But after going home the previous night, they had been sternly warned by their parents to get along with Ruan Cha.

Their parents had put it bluntly: “No matter where Ruan Cha is from—even if it’s the most remote village—our family’s position still can’t compare to the Liang family behind her!”

Moreover, Ruan Cha was completely different from the imagined “village girl from a small town.” Not only could she flawlessly complete blackboard spelling drills, but her equestrian skills surpassed more than half the boys in the class. In Class 10, apart from Xu Shen, there was hardly anyone who could rival her in horseback riding!

Song Mengyu watched as Ruan Cha basked in the spotlight, surrounded and praised by others. She nearly bit through her lower lip, her hands clenched tightly at her sides, her eyes brimming with venomous resentment.

Lin Ling, having just adjusted her emotions, glanced sideways at Song Mengyu with a mocking smile. “Song Mengyu, it seems you don’t know much about your cousin. Are those rumors about Ruan Cha being just an average student really true?”

Song Mengyu stared at the smile on Ruan Cha’s face and suddenly realized what she could do.

Meanwhile, Ruan Cha, surrounded by her classmates, pointed to Xu Shen, who was still galloping in endless circles, and looked apologetically at Huang Jiajia. “Class is about to start, and there’s no room left to ride. Next horseback riding lesson, I’ll take you for a spin.”

She had always enjoyed riding with others—it was so comfortable to hold someone while riding a horse.

Another classmate squeezed past Huang Jiajia, her expression full of anticipation. “Ruan Cha, did your high school offer horseback riding? Was the teaching method similar to here at Second High? Could you teach us?”

The students of Class 10 weren’t very enthusiastic about academics, but when it came to extracurricular activities, they were all in. Seeing how stunningly cool and skillful Ruan Cha looked on horseback, some of the more playful girls were naturally tempted.

“We didn’t have horseback riding classes at my high school. Our PE teacher was always sick, so gym was pretty much self-study.” Ruan Cha removed her helmet and smiled. “Mainly, my family’s mountain is so big that it would go to waste. My dad decided to fence off a part of it as a stable.”

She had been around horses since she was little and had learned one whistle command after another. It was a stroke of luck she’d overheard a few of the riding instructor’s commands before class; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to shake off Xu Shen.

She lightly flicked her helmet with a curled finger, clearly in a great mood. “If you’re free during winter or summer break, you can come visit our stable. I guarantee a horse for everyone, and I’ll teach you myself.”

A stable???

Huang Jiajia and the others exchanged glances. They suddenly felt a gut instinct that Ruan Cha’s “small-town life” was nothing like they’d imagined.

After all, what kind of “small-town family” casually owned a stable worth hundreds of thousands?

---

That evening, when Ruan Cha returned to the Liang family villa on the school bus, she saw Liang Qianling again.

Sweeping her gaze across the room, she noticed Song Mengyu sitting quietly behind Liang Qianling in a simple white dress, bare-faced and exuding an air of pure docility. Having arrived by private car, Song Mengyu had reached the villa faster than Ruan Cha.

“Cha Cha, you’re back!” Wei Jiao’s face lit up when she saw her daughter. She quickly reached out to take Ruan Cha’s backpack and asked with concern, “Did you have fun at school? Did you make any new friends?”

Sitting in the main seat, Grandfather Liang also turned his gaze toward Ruan Cha, clearly very interested in her response.

Ruan Cha hugged Wei Jiao and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek. “I had so much fun, made new friends, and even added them on WeChat! Oh, and we had horseback riding for PE today—our teacher even praised me!”

No matter how independent Ruan Cha might appear outside, at home, she was still a child who liked to act spoiled and ask her mom for rewards.

After speaking, Ruan Cha noticed Grandfather Liang’s intense gaze and sheepishly rubbed her nose. She then stepped forward and embraced him warmly, calling out, “Grandpa!”

“Yes!” Grandfather Liang responded, his face lighting up as he reached out to lovingly pat her on the head.

Having already faced multiple cold shoulders from Grandfather Liang due to her frequent requests for the family’s help with her husband’s troubles, Liang Qianling couldn’t stand the heartwarming scene before her. She put on a half-smiling expression and remarked, “Cha Cha, don’t take this the wrong way. But horseback riding takes at least a year or two of practice to master. Even if you want to impress your family, you shouldn’t make up stories about being praised by your teacher.”

Seeing Grandfather Liang’s expression darken, Song Mengyu quickly tugged at Liang Qianling’s sleeve, whispering awkwardly, “Mom, please stop.”

The events of the horseback riding lesson were still vivid in Song Mengyu’s mind, and she had no desire to relive them.

But Liang Qianling wasn’t going to stop. She had been interrupted by Ruan Cha’s return just as she was trying to persuade Grandfather Liang to invest in her husband’s company, and she was fuming.

She patted Song Mengyu’s arm and said with haughty pride, “Mengyu, tell us, how did Cha Cha perform at school? In our circle, character is highly valued. You can’t use your youth as an excuse to tell tall tales—it will make people look down on you. Cha Cha, we’re family, so there’s no need to be embarrassed about the truth.”

Wei Jiao, hands on her hips, laughed in exasperation. “Second Sister, what are you implying? Just because my husband isn’t here, you think you can pick on the two of us? Let me tell you, Cha Cha has been riding horses since she was little. Who are you accusing of lying?”

“Second daughter!” Grandfather Liang’s brows furrowed deeply, and he banged his cane against the floor, his voice cold and stern. “Watch your words and remember your place!”

Liang Qianling, having failed to secure the family’s investment, was already fuming. Seeing even Grandfather Liang take the side of Wei Jiao’s family nearly made her lose her temper entirely. She slapped Song Mengyu’s back heavily and snapped sharply, “Mengyu, answer me! You saw how Ruan Cha did during horseback riding class, didn’t you?!”

Some people could maintain a facade of politeness outside but would vent their frustrations on family at home. Liang Qianling, being the last daughter of the Liang family and with a love-blinded temperament, reserved all her worst tempers for her relatives.

Now, with Wei Jiao in the picture, Liang Qianling was no longer the sole center of attention. Especially when she saw how much Grandfather Liang valued the third household, her anxiety surfaced—she felt she had to drag them back into the mud to reclaim her standing.

Song Mengyu harbored similar resentment toward Ruan Cha, who had stolen half of Grandfather’s attention. The memory of Ruan Cha’s dazzling performance in horseback riding class, her classmates’ admiration, and even Xu Shen taking the initiative to talk to her made jealousy grow wildly in her heart, like untamed weeds on a barren field.

Hesitating, Song Mengyu seemed to defend Ruan Cha as she muttered, “Just… an average performance.”

“An average performance? Mengyu, if your horseback riding skills are the standard for ‘average,’ then Cha Cha has a lot to catch up on.”

Before Wei Jiao could retort, Ruan Cha gently pulled her back, feigning surprise as she turned to Liang Qianling and Song Mengyu. “Oh, so Sister Mengyu’s skills are really good? That’s perfect! There are a few moves I’m still shaky on from class. Auntie, could you ask Sister Mengyu to give me some guidance?”

“Guidance is no problem, but—”

Liang Qianling’s words froze in her throat as her gaze locked onto the phone in Ruan Cha’s hand. The screen displayed a video recording of the horseback riding class, and her face turned alternately pale and livid. She tightened her grip on Song Mengyu’s hand.

In the video, Ruan Cha, wearing a helmet and a sleek riding outfit, exuded confidence and flair. On a galloping horse, she flawlessly executed a series of high-difficulty balance moves, supports, and spins—it was like watching a professional equestrian performance.

Liang Qianling opened her mouth, but the words about having Song Mengyu guide Ruan Cha simply wouldn’t come out.

As for Song Mengyu, she hadn’t anticipated anyone recording a video. The blow to her face was searing, leaving her trembling and at a complete loss. When she caught sight of Grandfather Liang’s disappointed gaze, the emotions surging in her chest erupted, shattering her composure.

Red-eyed, she shoved Liang Qianling aside and ran out of the room, crying bitterly.

Wei Jiao, who had been admiring her daughter’s prowess on the screen, quickly called out to the household staff when she saw Song Mengyu fleeing. “It’s late! Everyone, please help look for her. A young girl running out like this—it could be dangerous!”

“Mengyu, Mengyu!” Liang Qianling called out, frustrated at the embarrassment her daughter had caused her. She took a step toward the door but turned back to Grandfather Liang. “Dad, about the investment…”

Grandfather Liang slammed his cane against the floor, an uncharacteristic burst of anger escaping him. “Investment, my foot! Go find your daughter! A perfectly fine young girl, ruined by your terrible parenting!”

He looked as though he might beat his chest in frustration. Despite having nine children in the family, it was his daughter who had turned out to be a narrow-minded romantic fool.

Ruan Cha and Wei Jiao exchanged a glance, both shrugging helplessly. Of all things to question, they just had to challenge her horseback riding skills. Was the family’s horse farm not good enough for them?