Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Shen Muyun arrived at the racetrack, surprised to find the stands packed. Despite the rain, he had expected a sparse crowd, but it seemed everyone was eager for a spectacle.

He scanned the spectators, recognizing many faces from previous days—some whispering, some smiling, others with unreadable, stern expressions. He led Himi toward the track.

Shen Muyun nodded in Shen Liuyun’s direction. Lu Huainan, in turn, offered a warm smile, waving and nodding back.

Tsk… Unwarranted kindness always hides ulterior motives… This Lu Huainan clearly had something up his sleeve.

Suddenly, Shen Muyun felt a heavy pat on his shoulder, making him jump. Seeing it was Zhou Shiqing, he wished he could punch him then and there, but with Himi’s reins still in his hand, he held back.

“Shen Muyun, it seems you’re the type who won’t give up until you hit a wall. Losing to me isn’t really a disgrace. This race has a stake: the contract between the Shen and Zhou corporations. Do you think you can find another partner in such a short time? I’m *so* worried—will your father succeed in securing funds overseas?”

Shen Muyun tugged lightly on the reins, and Himi let out a low whinny, as if pondering.

“What does it matter to you? Save your breath. The Shen Corporation’s affairs are none of your business. Even if securing funds is difficult, rest assured, the Shen Corporation would never consider partnering with someone with shady dealings like you.”

“You! Shen Muyun, let’s see how long you can maintain this arrogance!”

Shen Muyun mounted the horse smoothly, surprisingly without any issues. Himi didn’t seem as wild and untamable as the staff had described—perhaps just skittish and not yet accustomed to the right rider.

“Host Master, are you ready? Ding! New achievement unlocked: Racetrack Dash. Achievement completion: 1%.” The system fluttered its little wings and appeared before him.

Shen Muyun glanced around. Though there weren’t many people nearby, talking to thin air might draw unwanted attention. He replied softly, “Of course. Do you have a better strategy? And what’s this achievement catalog?”

“Simply put, if you complete fifty percent of the catalog, you’ll get 5,000 tokens. Not bad, right? This is a new system I developed to help you earn tokens faster and unlock items from the shop more quickly. I went to great pains—I hope you’re even a little touched.”

“System, I think you might be better suited for stand-up comedy. Being a system is a waste of your talent.”

“Really, Host Master? Is that a compliment? But I’m afraid I don’t have a better strategy. Sadly, this race is entirely up to you.”

Shen Muyun rolled his eyes in exasperation. He hadn’t noticed before how cheeky and seemingly dim-witted the system was.

The starting gun fired into the sky, and the race began. Shen Muyun focused intently on the path ahead. Having familiarized himself earlier, he remembered the turns and sections where he needed to slow down. Relying on muscle memory from his previous world, he quickly took the lead.

The spectators below began chattering again upon seeing this—what a bunch of gossips.

“Wasn’t Zhou Shiqing once the youth champion? How is he already falling behind so early? Can he catch up? The gap is widening. Maybe this is some kind of strategy to lull Shen Muyun into a false sense of security.”

“What do you know about catching up? That’s called tactics—feeling out Shen Muyun’s capabilities. Knowing yourself and your opponent is key to victory. Horse racing is a science. Besides, haven’t you heard? Zhou Shiqing’s horse, Black Eagle, is one in a million.”

“Well, if you put it that way, the Zhou young master is sure to win. Let’s see who comes out on top. I heard someone made 10 million out of thin air on a cruise ship recently. Why don’t we start a betting pool? It’s only natural for a horse race to have stakes, right?”

Shen Muyun cracked his whip with just the right amount of force, and Himi responded perfectly. The pair worked in perfect sync. He glanced back at Zhou Shiqing and, whether it was his imagination or not, seemed to detect a faint smirk. This wasn’t right—given Zhou’s earlier confidence, he shouldn’t be giving up so easily.

Shen Liuyun and Lu Huainan stood on the viewing platform, silently watching the race. It wasn’t until the latter half that they began discussing.

“Liuyun, who do you think will win—Muyun or Zhou Shiqing? Doesn't seem like there's much suspense, does it?”

Shen Liuyun smiled faintly and adjusted his glasses. “It’s all the same whoever wins. The contract between the Zhou and Shen corporations won’t be signed.”

“So confident? You know Zhou Shiqing’s temper. Why indulge him?”

“Of course. The Shen Corporation doesn’t sign contracts with companies with no credibility. That’s a principle. As for Zhou Shiqing’s temper, I’m not familiar with him. Huainan, you’ve been in the U.S. for too long. There’s probably a lot you don’t know about Jiangcheng. It’s nothing major—you’ll get the hang of it. How long are you planning to stay in Jiangcheng?”

“It depends. Maybe I won’t leave after this trip.”

Lu Huainan’s lips twitched. He had heard about Shen Liuyun before—the eldest son of the Shen family was decisive and somewhat aloof. Their families were old acquaintances, and they had met a few times, but they weren’t close. As for Shen Muyun, his impression of him was still stuck in…

Suddenly, the crowd erupted into shouts, interrupting Lu Huainan’s thoughts.

“Huh? What’s going on? Why…”

“Shen Muyun’s horse seems spooked. Did it step on something? Why did it suddenly slow down? If it really stepped on something, someone might be packing up and going home for good.”

“How is that possible? This is the Shen family’s own racetrack. Surely they’ve inspected it multiple times.”

Shen Muyun gripped the reins tightly. The sudden jolt nearly threw him off the horse. Something felt wrong—Himi wasn’t usually this unstable. The only explanation was that someone had tampered with the horse. Recalling his earlier encounter with Zhou Shiqing, it all but confirmed his suspicion.

Zhou Shiqing surged ahead instantly, erasing Shen Muyun’s lead in mere moments. “Shen Muyun, you have to admit defeat now. I told you there was no way you could win. Wouldn’t it have been better to concede gracefully rather than embarrass yourself in front of all these people? I’m not even sure if that horse can make it to the finish line. Why not quit now and save yourself the humiliation?”

Shen Muyun steadied himself. There was no easy way out now. The race was still ongoing, his horse had been tampered with, and he was falling behind. The finish line was right ahead—what should he do?

Without overthinking, Shen Muyun called out to the system, “System, come out. Is there any way to win this race?”

The system remained nonchalant. “Host Master, I already told you—your chances of winning are slim. You shouldn’t have participated. According to the data, your horse has been injected with an anesthetic in its leg joint, which is why it suddenly lost strength and nearly fell. In about ten minutes, it will be completely incapacitated. Host Master, maybe you should just pray for luck?”

Shen Muyun refused to accept defeat. Giving up was out of the question—not just for pride, but also because he couldn’t stand Zhou Shiqing’s arrogance.

Seeing Shen Muyun fall further behind, Zhou Shiqing grew more confident. He was certain he would win, even if he’d resorted to underhanded methods. He could always blame it on something left on the track—no one would ever know.

With Shen Muyun unable to catch up, Zhou Shiqing relaxed his guard and slowed down, leisurely taking in the scenery.

“Liuyun, it seems the outcome is decided. Zhou Shiqing is practically strolling now.”

Shen Liuyun didn’t see it that way. “There’s still some distance to the finish line. Given Muyun’s personality, he won’t give up. Besides, do you want to see him lose?”

Lu Huainan smiled meaningfully and glanced at the racetrack. “I hope he wins, and comes out of it safely.”

Shen Liuyun was taken aback. As far as he could remember, Lu Huainan had never met Shen Muyun. Yet, something felt strange, as if they were old friends reuniting.

“Huainan, have you met my brother before?”

“Well… I don’t believe so? You know I was born in the U.S.—this is my first time back. Unless he’s been to the U.S., we couldn’t have met.”

Shen Liuyun pressed his lips together. Both of them were acting suspiciously—one was his own brother, the other the eldest son of a family friend. Suddenly, it felt like their personalities had shifted. Something wasn’t right.

“Liuyun, look! Muyun seems to be catching up!”

Shen Muyun refused to let the race end in an inexplicable loss. With his free hand, he gently stroked Himi’s mane near the neck, and a bold yet cruel idea crossed his mind. He hesitated.

“System, I have an idea, but it might go wrong.”

“Respected Host Master, I provide full support for all your actions. I hope you achieve victory.”

“Show me the horse’s anatomical diagram.”

The system, puzzled, quickly pulled up the diagram. “Host Master, I must say, you are the most unconventional host I’ve ever encountered—always taking the road less traveled.”

“Enough talk. There are only 300 meters left. This is the only idea I have.”

The horse’s anatomical diagram instantly appeared before Shen Muyun’s eyes. He carried a dagger and decided to take the risk. Whatever happens, he’d rather go down fighting.

Shen Muyun leaned close to Himi’s ear and whispered a few words. Then, he took out his knife and plunged it into the horse’s back.

Instantly, a wave of gasps and shouts erupted from the stands. “Is Shen Muyun insane?!”

“He’s a madman! Haven’t you heard about what he did a few days ago?”

“A lunatic! He’s even taking it out on the horse? This is just an entertainment race—is it worth going this far?”

Zhou Shiqing seemed to hear the commotion from the stands and turned to look at Shen Muyun. He saw the knife plunged into the horse’s neck, followed by a piercing whinny. Madman—Shen Muyun was a madman! Was he trying to get himself killed?