Chapter 23: Tang Yu Is Just a Cute Little Ostrich

Lou Xizhou paused, half-turning to scrutinize the young man. His gaze lingered on the younger man's bright, youthful face; he had not forgotten the social media post Lou Huainan had made earlier featuring the back of Tang Yu.

Lou Huainan felt his scalp tingle under that intense stare, feeling an immense sense of pressure, yet he managed to find his voice.

"Uncle?"

"Tell me about that girl."

Lou Xizhou turned and continued walking, pressed the elevator button, and stepped inside. Lou Huainan followed, standing side-by-side with his uncle, his height just half a head shorter.

The mere thought of Tang Yu filled Lou Huainan with irrepressible excitement. "She's beautiful, gentle, and patient."

Tang Yu was just that wonderful!

Aside from the mention of beauty, nothing else Lou Huainan described sounded like Tang Yu to Lou Xizhou, who saw her as nothing more than a cute little ostrich.

Still, he offered a word of warning: "Do not engage in relationships inappropriate for your age. Remember your responsibilities; other than that, you are free to do as you please."

After all, Tang Yu was his aunt-in-law; if the boy dared to harbor thoughts about her, he would see what happened.

"Don't worry, Uncle, I will keep your words in mind."

Tang Yu was only three years older than him; that didn't count as inappropriate. Lou Huainan breathed a silent sigh of relief, though he grumbled inwardly: his uncle was only eight years his senior, so why did he act like he was twenty-eight years older? They couldn't communicate; it was impossible to talk to him!

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. Lou Xizhou and Lou Huainan walked out, one step apart, in perfect unison.

"Take your motorcycle back," Lou Xizhou said abruptly.

Seeing the lobby manager approaching with his off-road helmet, Lou Huainan asked in surprise, "Uncle, did you ride your bike here?"

My god, he hadn't seen his uncle ride in ages!

"What, do you want to race me?" Lou Xizhou didn't look back. "We can consider it when there's time."

Lou Huainan swallowed the words of excitement that had reached his lips. In his disappointment, he watched his uncle step into the Rolls-Royce that had pulled up to the entrance.

"Don't go speeding on the way back," Lou Xizhou reminded him before settling into the car. "I will be there to watch your competition tomorrow on time."

"Understood." Lou Huainan added, "Are you heading home, Uncle, or off to work?"

"I'm going out of town. Get going."

With that, the car door closed, and the vehicle pulled away, disappearing into the distance. Lou Huainan pouted, then thought of Tang Yu and smiled.

I'll bring a milk tea back for Sister Tang Yu!

***

"Young master, what about your car?" the lobby manager asked.

Lou Huainan had arrived by car, as Lou Xizhou usually didn't allow him to play with his motorcycle whenever he pleased.

"I'll have someone pick it up later." He donned his helmet, threw a long leg over the bike, and took off.

With a roar, man and machine merged into the pitch-black night, leaving only the blinking red of the taillights behind.

Tang Yu was in her study, busy with work, when she heard the heavy rumble of a motorcycle outside. She frowned at the noise, and just as she stood up to see what was happening, her phone lit up.

Seeing it was a call from Lou Huainan, she picked it up. The sound of the engine ceased, but she walked out onto the balcony anyway.

"Something up?"

"Sister Tang Yu!" Lou Huainan called out loudly when he saw her on the balcony.

Tang Yu looked toward him. The streetlamp in front of the gate was bright, and Lou Huainan waved at her from his off-road motorcycle.

"Sister Tang Yu, I brought you milk tea, come down quickly!"

Seeing the motorcycle, Tang Yu looked surprised and hurried downstairs.

Once outside, she circled the bike, unable to stop praising it. "Was that you I saw riding earlier? When did you come back and take it out again? I can't believe your family has such a cool bike!"

She had seen this model before—it cost several million. It looked so sharp on the road! Too bad it was too expensive; her pockets weren't deep enough, otherwise she would have bought one herself.

"The one you saw was my uncle," Lou Huainan said, handing her the milk tea. "He rode it to the nightclub to find me, and I rode it back."

What?

Tang Yu took the milk tea and looked at him in astonishment. "Your uncle rides this kind of bike?"

So she hadn't been mistaken; it really was Lou Xizhou.

"Of course!" Lou Huainan said with pride. "My uncle has played with all sorts of vehicles. He's a pro, he just hasn't touched them in recent years, focusing on his work instead. Let me tell you, my uncle is amazing..."

The more Tang Yu heard about Lou Xizhou's history with motorsports, the more she felt that her own racing skills were like a child's play in front of him. How embarrassing! She had been a clown and didn't even know it.

"Stop, don't say any more." She felt mortified. "I know how impressive your uncle is. So why don't you learn from him?"

Based on the way Lou Xizhou played, he was a grandmaster.

When this was mentioned, a trace of melancholy appeared in Lou Huainan's eyes. "It's not just that my uncle won't let me; nobody will. I'm an only child."

Everyone was afraid of him getting into an accident. He wanted to be rebellious for once, but he didn't dare, and he couldn't.

***

Tang Yu understood a bit of his family situation and patted his shoulder to comfort him. "It's alright. It doesn't matter if you don't race; it's just a hobby. You're great at horse riding, too!"

"Let me tell you, my uncle knows how to ride horses, too," Lou Huainan laughed.

Tang Yu: "..."

It seemed this conversation was at a dead end.

"It's getting late. Go inside and get some rest. You have a competition tomorrow, and I have work to finish." She turned to leave, then noticed the milk tea in her hand and held it up to him. "Thanks, classmate Huainan!"

"Goodnight, Sister Tang Yu!" Lou Huainan smiled. "I'll do my best tomorrow!"

Tang Yu, already at the door, turned back and gave him an "OK" gesture with a smile.

Lou Huainan drove the bike into the underground garage. As he went upstairs, he ran into Auntie Liu and happily picked her up for a spin.

"Oh my!" Auntie Liu laughed until her eyes crinkled. "Young Master Huainan, what's gotten into you? Why so happy?"

Lou Huainan set her down gently and ran upstairs with a laugh. "Goodnight, Auntie Liu!"

"This child," Auntie Liu shook her head with indulgence and headed toward the kitchen.

The next day, Tang Yu arrived at the newspaper office, met up with Xiao Wu, and headed toward the Xiqing Equestrian Club.

Xiao Wu sat in the passenger seat, briefing her on how other newspapers had covered the previous International Equestrian Week.

They stopped at a red light. Tang Yu rested her chin on her hand, propped against the door, and interjected coolly, "Some of those reports were inaccurate."

"Inaccurate?" Xiao Wu turned to look at her, puzzled.

Tang Yu turned to look at him, her expression a mix of a smile and something colder. "Meaning they might have plagiarized others' reports, or even worse—stolen scoops from their peers!"

Xiao Wu's expression shifted visibly.

"This sort of thing happens in every industry," Tang Yu continued as the light turned green and she drove on. "It's just done secretly, and no one notices, or if they do, there's nothing they can do about it."

Xiao Wu wiped a bead of cold sweat, nodding repeatedly with a forced smile. "Yes, plenty of that goes on."

Tang Yu added, "If someone gets caught, they'll never be able to work in the journalism circle again."

Xiao Wu glanced at her again, his face paling, but Tang Yu kept her eyes on the road, her expression calm and perfectly normal.

Tang Yu lowered her eyelids, casting a sidelong glance at Xiao Wu.

She had given him a chance. If he remained stubborn and refused to change, he had no one to blame but himself.