What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 440 - 436: Master Tao’s Benevolence—Tao Gu Side Story (Part 2)

Chapter 440: Chapter 436: Master Tao’s Benevolence—Tao Gu Side Story (Part 2)

If the last encounter on the streets was obviously a chance meeting, this time running into Fifth Miss Gu in the southern part of the city seemed more interesting to Tao Fen.

"Fifth Miss?" Tao Fen greeted with a smile, "What a coincidence!"

Fifth Miss Gu, having just alighted from the carriage, nodded reservedly towards him and gestured as if to continue inside.

Tao Fen smiled and stepped aside to let her pass.

This estate was his property, mainly used for horse breeding, and included a racetrack for renting.

But why would the young ladies of the Gu family come here to buy or ride horses?

Most likely, she came looking for him.

However, the young girl was too shy to admit it directly, so Tao Fen went along with her.

Sure enough, after passing by him, Fifth Miss Gu stopped and turned around, her bright eyes fixed unwaveringly on Tao Fen: "Master Tao also came here to play?"

Tao Fen smiled, "Yes, yes indeed!"

The young girl’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she said, "Why isn’t Miss Zhong with you?"

As expected, she came to talk about Chuchu.

Tao Fen found it amusing and said, "There are just animals here, not places for ladies—" Seeing Fifth Miss Gu’s change of expression, he realized he had misspoken and laughed it off, correcting himself, "But Fifth Miss is also welcome to play!"

Fifth Miss Gu kept a pretty but cold expression and said nothing.

Ah, I’ve upset the young girl...

Tao Fen awkwardly rubbed his nose and smiled, "Chuchu is weak and doesn’t even like riding in a carriage, let alone horseback riding."

Fifth Miss Gu sneered coolly, "Has Master Tao not met Miss Zhong? In the past year or so, my cousin in the Tang Family has spared no expense in seeking treatment and medicine for Miss Zhong. She’s much better now and has even strolled around the entire Capital City when free."

Tao Fen smiled and nodded in agreement, "Yes, thanks to Miss Tang." Inside, he wondered what Chuchu had done to offend this Fifth Miss Gu.

"I’ve run into Miss Zhong quite often outside after she recovered."

Tao Fen continued nodding, "Indeed, after being bedridden for so long, she surely wants to see the world more!"

Fifth Miss Gu paused before saying, "Since Master Tao has returned to the Capital, why not accompany Miss Zhong more on her outings?"

Tao Fen was puzzled, "She has her maidservants, doesn’t she?"

Fifth Miss Gu finally lost her temper, casting a fierce glance at him, "She’s your fiancée, even if you’re busy, but now that you have no obligations, aren’t you afraid something might happen to her?!"

The girl’s angry glare was somewhat endearing, and Tao Fen found it amusing, casually asking, "What could happen?"

Fifth Miss Gu was furious but said nothing more.

Seeing this, Tao Fen laughed, "Fifth Miss came looking for Tao—"

"Who came looking for you?!" Fifth Miss Gu’s face immediately flushed red.

Tao Fen slapped his forehead.

Oh dear, I accidentally let it slip again!

He usually mingles with common folk, and even the women he interacts with frequently, like Chuchu and Junior Sister Tang, have straightforward personalities.

But when faced with this indirect Fifth Miss Gu, he’s often at a loss.

He’s upset the young girl again, oh...

Before he could think of a way to make amends, another carriage stopped at the estate’s entrance.

Its elegant decorations and the fragrant scent indicated it was a lady’s carriage.

Why would a young lady visit a horse-breeding estate?

Feeling perplexed, a beautifully dressed woman alighted from the newly arrived carriage.

"Elder Sister!" Fifth Miss Gu called out.

The tone was respectful, with a hint of coquettishness, vastly different from her previous cold and distant conversation with Tao Fen.

Perhaps due to the closeness, Tao Fen felt a tingling in his ears.

"Since you’re here, why not go in first?" the newly arrived lady asked.

Fifth Miss Gu stepped forward to take the lady’s arm, murmuring vaguely, "I was just about to..."

At this moment, the estate’s steward came out, enthusiastically inviting the two Gu family daughters inside.

As they passed by Tao Fen, Fifth Miss Gu cast an intentional or unintentional glance at him.

There was a hint of pride and provocation in her eyes.

Tao Fen couldn’t help but chuckle.

The eldest daughter of the Gu family had also come; it seems they truly weren’t here for him!

After the steward escorted the Gu sisters inside, he hurriedly returned to see Tao Fen.

"Why do we have ladies coming here to play?" Tao Fen curiously asked.

The steward chuckled, "In the past couple of years, playing ball has become popular in the Capital, so I’ve set up several kicking fields, and occasionally ladies come for entertainment."

Tao Fen held his head and laughed.

Misunderstandings! Misunderstandings!

No wonder the young girl was angry!

"In the future, whenever the Gu family ladies come to play, it’s on me!" Tao Fen instructed, "Make sure they are served with utmost care!"

The steward agreed repeatedly.

Tao Fen pondered and with a wave of his hand said, "Take me to see the kicking field!"

...

The steward there had great business acumen, turning the simple racetrack in Tao Fen’s memory into five separate kicking fields, each enclosed with bamboo and wooden fences, allowing sounds to be heard but keeping people out of sight.

Tao Fen had played kicking before, and upon seeing the equipment, couldn’t help but fiddle with it.

While he was handling it, voices came from the adjacent field, probably some people had gone inside to play.

Initially, he didn’t pay attention, but soon the name "Gu Qinglan" reached his ears.

Qinglan was the maiden name of Fifth Miss Gu.

The Gu family’s young lady’s maiden name wasn’t a secret, but it wasn’t something everyone casually mentioned.

Especially not in such a frivolous tone.

Tao Fen paused his movements, frowning as he listened to the conversation from the neighboring kicking field.

Next door was a group of men, about ten in total.

Some were playing in the distance, some were on horseback, and a few were chatting not far from Tao Fen.

And they were talking about Fifth Miss Gu, Gu Qinglan.

Those men probably knew their words weren’t for public ears, as their voices were hushed.

However, with only a bamboo and wood fence between them, Tao Fen could hear their conversation clearly:

"..."

"Is just this enough?"

"Let this be for now, later at my home, and there’s a way on Lady Zhaoyi’s side too!"

"The young lady of the Gu family isn’t that easy to deal with, is she?"

"Other ladies from the Gu family aren’t easy, but Gu Qinglan..." The man didn’t finish his sentence, replacing it with a string of ambiguous laughter.

Another man echoed the laughter, "No matter what, she’s still a Gu, and with such beauty... I pre-emptively congratulate Brother Yuwen then!"

"..."

Listening, Tao Fen gradually revealed a silent, cold smile.

...

In another kicking field, the ladies had already mounted their horses and were playing with clubs.

Most of them were novices, so they played with giggles and laughter, lively but not fierce.

From a distance, it looked like a colorful bunch, even somewhat pleasing to the eye.

Suddenly, the neigh of a horse shattered the field’s calm.

"Fifth Sister!"

"Qinglan!"

In the ensuing cries, a horse suddenly bolted forward, and the girl on its back was half-hanging off.

Her feet were still in the stirrups, but her body was swaying precariously.

She tightly gripped the reins with one hand, trying to get back on the saddle, but the galloping horse made it impossible to lift her body.

Half her hair had already come loose, and if her entire hairdo unraveled before she regained her seat, she risked being thrown off!

The moment the horse neighed, everyone was alerted.

The horse trainer by the field quickly mounted a horse and rushed over, but an even faster response came from the adjacent kicking field.

The young man in the lead stretched out as he approached, a smile forming on his face.

Just then, from the other side of the bamboo fence, a figure soared into the air, using the top of the fence as leverage to bounce towards the frightened horse.

The person clearly had excellent riding skills and agility, landing accurately on the horse before taking the reins with one hand and scooping up the falling girl with the other. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The startled horse, just about to crash into the bamboo fence, suddenly turned and ran around the kicking field.

After a few laps, the horse gradually slowed and came to a stop.

The rescuer dismounted first, holding the reins, soothingly patted the horse’s head, then turned to face the girl still in shock on horseback with a smile. Under the sunlight, his teeth shone brilliantly white: "Is Fifth Miss alright?"