The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 27

Mu Sui’s gaze swept over the fawning Golden Retriever before he lifted his eyelids to look straight at them.

The brilliant sunlight fell upon his face, making those eyes—usually deep and dark—appear somewhat pale, almost the color of amber. His expression remained as calm as ever, appearing even colder under such light, but Lin Zhiyu felt a sudden, inexplicable sensation of having nowhere to run.

It felt like being a child buying snacks at a street corner shop with rowdy friends, only to tear open the packaging and walk straight into a parent coming home from work. Even so, his heart betrayed him by skipping a few beats.

Lin Zhiyu subtly tugged at the reins. The lively chestnut horse circled in place a few times and tossed its head, not quite understanding why he had suddenly stopped.

Seeing this, Jiang Yubai lightly patted his horse’s back, turned toward Lin Zhiyu, and asked, “Should we go over and say hello?”

Lin Zhiyu thought to himself that the man had already spotted them. This was not a situation that could be solved by just turning around and leaving. Besides, he was practically Jiang Yubai’s boss; even if they wanted to leave, he probably would not be very happy about it.

“Let us go,” he said airily. He then squeezed the horse’s flanks and galloped toward the rest area.

Unlike the previous “old lady stroll,” he managed to ride those few dozen meters with a certain dashing, carefree flair. As he reached the exit of the equestrian field, Lin Zhiyu pulled the reins and mimicked Mu Yunji’s earlier move, performing a very elegant sudden stop right in front of Mu Sui. He did not even realize how much he looked like a teenage boy showing off on a basketball court because he spotted a girl he liked.

“What a coincidence, Mr. Mu.” Lin Zhiyu handed the reins to a staff member. He waited for Jiang Yubai, who followed with a strange expression, before leisurely stepping into the pavilion of the rest area.

Unexpectedly, something else was faster than him. The Golden Retriever that had been circling Mu Sui was a social butterfly. Before Lin Zhiyu could even plant his feet firmly after entering the pavilion, the dog crashed into his arms like a whirlwind. If Jiang Yubai had not caught him from behind just in time, Lin Zhiyu’s head might have had a close encounter with the floor.

Preliminary estimate: this big fat boy must weigh over sixty pounds, Lin Zhiyu thought privately as he rubbed the dog’s fluffy head. Seeing that someone was finally willing to pay attention to it, the Golden Retriever stuck out its tongue and licked Lin Zhiyu’s hand to its heart’s content, leaving behind a palm full of sparkling slobber.

Lin Zhiyu was speechless.

“Mr. Mu,” Jiang Yubai stepped forward to greet him.

Mu Sui nodded in acknowledgment. He glanced at Lin Zhiyu, who was hurriedly pulling his hand away and searching for tissues, then reached for a pack on the nearby table and tossed it accurately into Lin Zhiyu’s lap.

“Oh, thank you.”

The fingers Mu Sui used to tap the armrest of his wheelchair paused. He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, but let no other emotion show.

“I thought you would be with the film crew today. I did not expect you to have the leisure to come out for a ride.” Mu Sui’s speaking pace was neither fast nor slow, and his tone revealed no emotional fluctuations, yet he intentionally paused to emphasize the word “leisure.”

However, the oblivious Lin Zhiyu quickly wiped the saliva from his hands, sat down in a chair, and started pouring tea for himself, even handing a cup to Jiang Yubai.

“Director Zhao wanted the two of us to come out and cultivate our bond, so she specifically gave us a day off. Therefore,” Lin Zhiyu had just taken a sip of water when the Golden Retriever lunged over again, rubbing against his leg. The unexpected warmth startled him so much that his hand holding the cup trembled, spilling most of the tea.

Then he heard Mu Sui ask gloomily, “How is the bond cultivation going?”

Not great; your brother messed it up.

Lin Zhiyu turned to look at Jiang Yubai, wanting to ask what he thought. After all, he did not have any grudges against Jiang Yubai; he was just afraid that Jiang Yubai might feel uncomfortable facing him because of past events.

But Jiang Yubai also acted as if he had not picked up on the hidden meaning, saying with an innocent face, “It is quite good. Teacher Lin’s equestrian skills are also improving very quickly.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Sui’s expression remained indifferent, yet for some reason, a different meaning appeared in his gaze. He leaned forward slightly from his wheelchair, his eyes locking onto Lin Zhiyu’s face like hooks.

“Is that so?” The voice that escaped his lips was very soft.

Lin Zhiyu asked in return, “Did I not ride well just now?” He then muttered in a low voice, “I actually think I am quite talented.”

Jiang Yubai was close to him and accidentally overheard his muffled self-praise. The corners of his mouth curved up, unable to suppress a smile. Hearing the sound, Mu Sui shot him a cold glance and pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

However, Lin Zhiyu did not expect Mu Sui to actually praise him. He used his free left hand to rub the head of the Golden Retriever, which was still causing trouble by his leg, and changed the subject. “Is this dog from the stables? I did not see it when we arrived.”

Mu Sui lowered his eyes. The Golden Retriever, having had its fill of attention from Lin Zhiyu, trotted back to the wheelchair and rubbed affectionately against Mu Sui’s trouser leg.

“No.” Mu Sui looked toward someone standing not far away. “It is Mu Yunji’s dog.”

Lin Zhiyu could not help but remark, “Then it is not like its owner at all.”

After all, among the three people present, the person Mu Yunji hated most was Lin Zhiyu, and the second was Mu Sui. Yet this dog kept hovering around the two of them. To his surprise, Mu Sui actually responded with an “Mhm.”

Lin Zhiyu looked over in astonishment.

The dog, having had its “warm face pressed against a cold butt” for too long and realizing it would not get the desired petting, simply made its home at Mu Sui’s feet. It lay down with a dejected roll and looked up pitifully, its round eyes staring straight at Mu Sui.

Although the man in the wheelchair remained expressionless, Lin Zhiyu instinctively felt that his fingers had relaxed slightly. It was as if he wanted to lift his hand, but eventually allowed his self-restraint to suppress the impulse.

Lin Zhiyu could not help but become curious. “Mr. Mu, why do you not keep a dog?”

If it were Mu Sui, a Doberman or a German Shepherd would suit him, standing majestically by his side. Just thinking about it felt like a scene of a powerful boss on an inspection tour.

“Too much trouble,” Mu Sui responded coldly.

Lin Zhiyu wanted to say more, but he suddenly heard the rapid sound of hoofbeats outside the pavilion. Without turning around, he could guess who had made a sudden return.

Great, it really is going to be a four-person Shura Field!

Mu Yunji dismounted aggressively. When he saw them, the anger surrounding him surged significantly.

“I really should not have gone out today,” he said sarcastically. He frowned and looked coldly at the Golden Retriever by Mu Sui’s feet, shouting crossly, “Dabing, get over here! Do you not know how much people dislike you? Why do you keep rushing to his side every day?”

Hearing the name, Lin Zhiyu could not help but let out a snicker. Mu Yunji glared at him fiercely. But perhaps due to the pressure from Mu Sui, he surprisingly did not lose his temper. After calling the dog over, he added through gritted teeth, “Trying to disgust me? You are exactly the same.”

Then he grabbed the leash and walked away without looking back. Lin Zhiyu did not expect him to leave so easily. His eyes were full of disbelief as he watched Mu Yunji’s retreating back.

“What are you looking at?” Mu Sui asked.

“Checking out the dog?” Lin Zhiyu paused, then added, “Actually, I was thinking that when we came up earlier, I saw other facilities around here.”

He wanted to see what rich people did every day.

“Besides, it is almost time for lunch.” Lin Zhiyu looked at Jiang Yubai. “Let us find a place to eat first. Mr. Mu, would you like to join us?”

Mu Sui lifted his eyelids and looked at him intensely.

Lin Zhiyu said tentatively, “Then, shall we go together?”

Mu Sui withdrew his gaze.

The Mid-Mountain Equestrian Center was an asset under the Yujing Estate. The estate included hotels, golf courses, and other supporting facilities.

As it happened, the Mu family was the largest shareholder of Yujing Estate. No wonder Lin Zhiyu always felt that Mu Yunji’s horse looked much smarter and more obedient than his own; it turned out to be a dedicated mount carefully selected for the young master.

The hotel waiter immediately approached respectfully upon seeing Mu Sui and led them into the restaurant. Today, for some reason, several groups of idle rich kids from City A had decided to join the fun. On the way there alone, Lin Zhiyu ran into several young men wearing high-end brand clothing. They seemed to recognize Mu Sui but only stopped to watch from a distance, not daring to approach.

Taking advantage of Jiang Yubai’s lack of attention, Lin Zhiyu stepped forward a few paces and asked as if casually, “Mr. Mu, did you receive my gift?”

Mu Sui looked up at him and said indifferently, “I received it.”

“Do you like it, Mr. Mu?” Lin Zhiyu looked at him expectantly. “Although it might not be very expensive, I spent a long time picking it out. I wanted to thank you for helping me at the banquet and for resolving the issue with Wen Lu.”

Mu Sui was silent for a while. Lin Zhiyu glanced at Jiang Yubai, who was already looking toward them, and his palms began to sweat involuntarily.

Finally, Mu Sui said, “It is acceptable.”

Lin Zhiyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“That means you like it,” Lin Zhiyu said lazily. “This is the first time I have picked out such an expensive gift; I was terrified of being cheated or ripped off.”

Mu Sui gave a light chuckle.

The waiter brought them to a window seat. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see the distant mountains and the vast meadows. However, sitting not far away was Mu Yunji, who had just left, along with his rowdy friends. Hearing a companion’s reminder, Mu Yunji looked back once, then shifted his gaze as if nothing had happened, ignoring them.

Lin Zhiyu did not mind. After sitting down, he secretly lifted a corner of the menu to take a look. Although the prices were within his acceptable range, he had never heard of the strange names listed. He quietly moved the menu toward Jiang Yubai, deciding that no matter what they ordered, he would just agree.

However, before Mu Sui could even open the menu after flipping through a few pages, the melodious violin music in the restaurant suddenly changed to a lyrical song. Moreover, the singer’s voice sounded somewhat familiar.

The hands of Mu Sui and Jiang Yubai stopped as they were about to flip the menu pages. Jiang Yubai turned his head to look at Lin Zhiyu.

Before Lin Zhiyu could realize, what the look meant, he heard someone from the group sitting at the table next to Mu Yunji say, “I remember Young Master Mu was boasting a few years ago that his original intention for entering the industry was to write the classical music he wanted. Why is he starting to cater to the market now, singing this kind of mindless pop ballad?”

The speaker sat up straight, as if intentionally wanting them to hear, and suddenly raised his volume. “No wonder even someone like Lin Zhiyu has moved on.”