Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Saturday, on the outskirts of the city, at the equestrian center.

Friday's fine weather had been completely swept away by Saturday's overcast skies. The drizzling rain brought the temperature down even further. Jiangcheng's rainy season was in September, and the grass at the equestrian center, nourished by the rain, was thriving. The season was just right—everything felt perfect.

Hmm, horse racing... this feels like digging my own grave. My character is about to go completely OOC. This feeling of neither winning nor losing is truly agonizing.

Shen Muyun arrived at the equestrian center early, partly because he disliked being late, and partly to familiarize himself with the grounds.

"Host, this place is actually owned by the Shen family. I must say, they’re a powerful and wealthy family with extensive business holdings."

"Only I have no money. Just shut up, you smooth-talking system..."

"Host, there's no need to be so irritable. It's bad for your health this early in the morning. The actual controlling party here is the Zhou family. So, you... well, how should I put it..."

Shen Muyun smiled bitterly. Great, just great—zero chance of winning.

The cold wind, mixed with light rain, made the temperature feel even lower than before. Shen Muyun tightened his clothes. His nose felt off, stuffy, and his head was foggy and heavy. Could he really be coming down with a fever? This body is truly frail.

"Open the Human Market System."

"Ding!"

Shen Muyun couldn’t help but sneeze. Looking at the system in front of him, he really felt like punching it. He really, really wanted to.

"Host, I have to say, your timing is quite unfortunate. The Human Market System is currently under maintenance. Beep—system maintenance, unable to make purchases. But you can browse in advance."

Item One: Retractable umbrella. With this, you’ll never have to worry about perverts again!

Item Two: Invisibility cloak. Whoosh! Beep!—this is a fantastic item, but I know you can’t afford it.

...

"System, are you tormenting me? I can only look but not buy."

"Not at all, definitely not. Forcing it open... well, it's not impossible. 5,000 tokens! To solve all your worries!"

Crap, isn't this just blatant robbery? I just got 5,000 tokens yesterday—this is like predictive extortion. And today, well, it's just rubbing salt in the wound.

"System, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? I finally got 5,000 tokens, they haven't even warmed up in my pocket yet. The exclusive store doesn't require spending, but this thing sure knows how to rip me off."

The system’s little wings transformed into an umbrella, directly shielding his head.

"This wasn't my doing. It's what the Time-Space Administration said. Not me—I'm pitiful, I... Host, please don't make things difficult for me, okay? ❤️"

Time-Space Administration... Shen Muyun smiled. So there’s a bigger boss behind the scenes. Interesting, but also seemingly more dangerous.

"What is the Time-Space Administration? Does it have criteria for selecting people?"

"Actually, well, it's a bit complicated. I'll send some materials over for you to review yourself."

Shen Muyun’s phone flashed—the materials were successfully transmitted.

Time-Space Administration: Manages dimensional time. Can travel to the past or the future. Once a timeline is determined, it cannot be altered. Seeks destined individuals autonomously. This is the Memory Archives. Welcome, players.

According to this, Shen Muyun suddenly understood something. His arrival here wasn't entirely due to a heart attack—the deeper reason was that he was likely the person that boss was looking for. So, who exactly is this boss?

"It's said that this boss exchanged something of his own for what he desired, but the cost was existence in chaos. I have to say, the boss is truly a hopeless romantic. I hope he can soon meet that destined person. A hundred years of loneliness in exchange for a lifetime together—it should be worth it."

"Beep—low battery warning. Host Master, I'm running out of power, so I'll disappear for a while!"

The system vanished instantly from his sight. Shen Muyun glanced at the empty air. "Not enthusiastic about leaving work? Something's wrong with your brain." Tsk, this system really lives by that phrase—not a minute of delay.

With no one left to help him, Shen Muyun walked around the horse stables. A few cleaners were tidying the stables, and others were preparing hay in the back. The staff weren’t surprised by his arrival—they just smiled and greeted him. Shen Muyun politely waved back.

"Brother Yun, why are you wandering around here alone?"

Shen Muyun heard the voice behind him—it was Lu Huainan. Wait, wasn't this just a horse race with Zhou Shiqing? Why was he here?

Shen Muyun turned around mechanically, forcing an unnatural smile toward Lu Huainan. "Zhou Shiqing invited me, so I thought I'd look around for a horse, see which one suits me or which one I connect with."

Lu Huainan tightened his grip on the umbrella, pressed his lips together, and took a few steps forward. "Brother Yun, Zhou Shiqing probably invited quite a few of Jiangcheng’s high society. He’s doing this on purpose—he wants to see you embarrassed. Do you... feel confident?"

Shen Muyun stopped in front of a horse, focusing intently on its condition. Man and horse seemed to communicate through their eyes, as if some understanding passed between them. "This is the one."

"Huh? What did you say? You saw—I was just choosing a horse. My apologies."

Lu Huainan shook his head. "Brother Yun, you must do your best. I’m looking forward to your victory."

Lu Huainan looked at Shen Muyun, feeling that he seemed different. Previous records clearly indicated he was afraid of horses—was this really okay?

"It’s fine. I’ll handle whatever comes. Who does he think he is, anyway?"

"As long as Brother Yun is confident. I just came here to look around—didn’t expect to run into you. It’s getting late; I’ll go grab some breakfast. See you later."

Shen Muyun waved at him. Was this fate? Probably just another plot contrivance.

Lu Huainan put away his umbrella, glanced meaningfully toward the stables, smiled, and turned to leave.

Shen Muyun instructed someone nearby, took the lead rope, and gently patted the horse’s back. The pony seemed to sense his intentions—it neighed and obediently followed his rhythm forward.

"What’s its name?"

The coach nearby smiled. "It’s called Himi. It’s a bit skittish."

Shen Muyun’s right eye twitched inexplicably. He wasn’t a superstitious person—a twitching right eye just meant he hadn’t rested well. But his heart was also beating a bit fast. He wasn’t nervous—what was going on? It must be the debuff from his weak body taking effect.

He led Himi around the stable for a lap. The horse was quite obedient, matching Shen Muyun’s pace whether fast or slow. It was a good horse—though not as good as the one he carefully trained in his previous life, it was still decent.

Shen Muyun set down the lead rope and exited the stable, only to see Zhou Shiqing striding over with a smug look. Originally planning to avoid him—no need for drama before the race—he found himself directly blocked by Zhou Shiqing. He moved left, Zhou Shiqing blocked the left; he moved right, Zhou Shiqing blocked the right. Shen Muyun’s expression gradually darkened. He hadn’t wanted to argue, but this was intentional provocation—how could he tolerate it?

"Get out of my way!"

"Oh, Shen Muyun, here to pick a horse early? There are at least a thousand horses here—think you can choose wisely?"

Shen Muyun was already irritated by the gloomy weather, and Zhou Shiqing was now testing his patience. "If you have nothing better to do, could you keep your mouth shut? Those who know you are the Zhou family’s young master; those who don’t might think you’re some reincarnated street thug. Even if you don’t care about face, you should save some for the Zhou family."

"I didn’t come here to argue with you, Shen Muyun. Don’t forget—horse racing always needs stakes. What should ours be? I’ve invited quite a few of Jiangcheng’s elite. Tsk, maybe you’ve already met some. Let’s make it worth our while—otherwise, what’s the point?"

Shen Muyun now understood why he’d seen Lu Huainan at the stables earlier. This Zhou Shiqing—what connections did he have to invite so many of Jiangcheng’s elite? It seemed he wasn’t a simple person either.

"Fine. Name your stakes. I’ll give you a break—after all, you’re younger than me. Older should go easy on younger, that’s only right. Let's hear it."

Zhou Shiqing didn’t expect Shen Muyun to agree to the stakes so easily. He thought it would take more persuasion—things were progressing more smoothly than he’d anticipated.

"Oh, Second Young Master Shen is quite straightforward. The stakes are actually simple. You know, a few days ago, the contract between the Zhou and Shen families—you were the one who ruined it. You don’t understand business matters, yet you had to interfere."

"Whether I understand these things or not is none of your business. If I see a problem with the contract, I’ll naturally point it out. Still upset about that contract? If you want something, just spit it out."

"Second Young Master Shen is indeed generous. Alright then, if you lose, you'll need to put in a good word with your father about the contract. Our side has almost finished revising it. Zhou Corporation has been working on this project for over half a year, and we certainly don’t want to see it fall apart. Don’t you agree?"

Shen Muyun noticed the several tall, burly bodyguards behind Zhou Shiqing and realized that whether he agreed or not, he had no choice. After all, he was outnumbered, and with no one else around, if a conflict really broke out, there would be no way to reason it out.

Shen Muyun smiled disdainfully, "Zhou Shiqing, you can only resort to these cheap tricks. I accept your condition, but what if you lose?"

Zhou Shiqing replied with full confidence, "Lose? Shen Muyun, perhaps you don’t know—I’m the national youth horse racing champion. You? Do you even stand a chance?"

Shen Muyun raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Fine, then it’s the perfect chance for me to see what this youth champion is made of. If you lose, it’s simple—the Zhou family’s contract will be voided, as if this business negotiation never happened. Fair is fair."