Chapter 585: 292 Horse Racing Field (First Watch)

On November 17th, the sky was clear and refreshing winds blew.

It was nice weather after the continuous gloom of the past half month.

The Zhus’ residence.

Zhu Xiangxiang came out of Lin Qing’s room with a bowl of medicine. Madam Zhou sighed, “The Madam was fine, but suddenly fell ill.”

Since Elder Theodore Shelby’s banquet, Lin Qing’s health had not been great. Madam Zhou saw it all; it was the Madam who was worrying too much.

“Dr. Wu came to check and said it’s Madam’s old illness. Just give her the prescription that Miss had before. It should be correct.”

Madam Zhou subconsciously looked at Zhu Xiangxiang, seeing her with a calm expression, and couldn’t help but feel relieved.

The “Miss” she referred to was of course Ming Jing. In the past, whenever Ming Jing was mentioned, Zhu Xiangxiang’s mood would worsen.

However, after returning from their trip to Jingzhou, she seemed to be much calmer.

She had been too naive before. Going out and getting some experience had made her more steady.

It was a good change.

Zhu Xiangxiang’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, looking worried.

“I saw the news. Ming Jing went back to Jiangzhou yesterday. Why don’t I go find her and let her come back to see mom? Once mom sees her, her mood will improve and her illness will get better,” she said.

Seeing that she didn’t seem to be faking it, Madam Zhou quickly said, “Then you should hurry.”

Zhu Xiangxiang handed her the bowl. “I’m on my way.”

At this moment, Zhu Shaodan walked in, whistling. Seeing Zhu Xiangxiang about to rush out, he quickly pulled her aside, “Sis, I have some reliable information about Master Xiao. Do you want to hear it?”

Zhu Xiangxiang hesitated for a moment, gripping her bag tightly. “Tell me.”

Zhu Shaodan raised his eyebrows. “Little brother had to go through a lot of trouble to get this information. You see…”

A fair exchange.

Zhu Xiangxiang gave him a glance and took out a card from her bag, waving it in front of him. “There’s twenty thousand yuan in it. Spend it wisely and don’t go causing any trouble.”

Since he wasn’t focusing on his work, Lin Qing had his cards stopped. Zhu Shaodan had a lot of limited edition sneakers, jerseys, and watches before, and selling those made him some money, but he had already squandered all of it.

“Only my sister cares for me.”

“Enough with your flattery. Hurry up and tell me.”

Zhu Shaodan stared at the card and swallowed. “I had my brother inquire. Master Xiao basically goes to the Western Suburbs Horse Race Track every Saturday for inspection. He stays there for about two hours. According to the timing, he should be on his way there now.”

Zhu Xiangxiang glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 9 a.m. now. If she were to find Ming Jing first, she would be too late.

Zhu Xiangxiang gritted her teeth, “Let’s go to the horse track.”

Zhu Shaodan trotted after her, “Sis, my card, give it to me!”

“What card?”

Zhu Shaodan was dumbfounded, “You tricked me?”

“There’s no deception in war. Did I promise you anything?”

“You…well done.” Zhu Shaodan laughed bitterly.

Zhu Xiangxiang shook the bank card in her hand, “If things go well today, I’ll transfer another twenty thousand to it. Do you want this deal?”

Zhu Shaodan’s face broke into a smile again, “Sis, can you ride a horse?”

“When I was younger, my mom signed me up for a lady-like course with horse riding included. I wasn’t very interested, so I only went for a few lessons. I should be able to manage a few turns.”

It wasn’t simply a lack of interest, but rather she hated it.

What normal girl would like horse riding? The smell of sweat and the stench of horses were unbearable.

“By the way, where were you rushing to earlier?”

Zhu Xiangxiang’s expression stiffened, and she said indifferently, “Nothing. Meeting a classmate.”

“A boy or a girl?”

“Are you checking our household registration, asking so many questions?”

——

Since the big fire at last month’s equestrian competition, horse riding had become a popular sport in Jiangzhou.

Especially among the upper class, it replaced golf and afternoon tea, becoming a favorite pastime for socialites and ladies.If you can ride a horse, it would be a very prestigious thing to talk about.

Even some socialites are diligently learning horse riding and preparing to register for next year’s competition, hoping to make a splash.

Everyone seemed to have implicitly agreed on one thing: anything that Ming Jing had touched would eventually become popular, creating a storm in Jiangzhou.

This was the influence of Ming Jing herself, subtly affecting thousands of people.

The reputation of the Western Suburbs Horse Race Track had soared after this incident; where it used to have few visitors, it was now packed with people.

The horse club urgently expanded the site and selected a location in the eastern suburbs to build another large racecourse.

“What? One hundred thousand?” Zhu Xiangxiang didn’t expect the horse track to be so ruthless. Only members were allowed in, but the monthly membership fee was as high as one hundred thousand. That’s 1.2 million a year. It was like daylight robbery.

The staff behind the counter maintained a smile and said, “I’m sorry, those are our club rules. As a member, you would enjoy first-class services like one-on-one lessons from gold-medal equestrians and guaranteed safety….”

“We’ve also opened a new class for students here, charging by the hour. That might be more suitable for you.”

Although the staff member was smiling, Zhu Xiangxiang felt a trace of mockery in it.

Zhu Xiangxiang’s face burned, and she didn’t know what to do.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford the hundred thousand yuan, but this expense was a bit too… Every penny she spent now was the Zhu family’s money. She had a feeling that Lin Qing held a grudge against her for Ming Jing’s departure. What would Lin Qing think of her if she knew she had spent so much money at the horse club?

Zhu Shaodan grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the fruit plate for guests and, while cracking them, said, “If you hesitate, you’ll miss the opportunity. It’s not like you can’t afford it. Didn’t mom set aside a fund for you?”

“Some people are just ridiculous— if they don’t have the money, they shouldn’t try to show off. It’s just embarrassing.” A sharp, mocking voice sounded from behind them.

Zhu Xiangxiang stiffened and turned around subconsciously, only to see Li Jiaojiao and Zhao Qin approaching, with Li Jiaojiao being the one who spoke.

“Get out of my way and don’t block my way, bitch.”

“You better watch your fucking mouth…!” Zhu Shaodan threatened with raised fists.

“Shaodan, don’t be impulsive,” Zhu Xiangxiang quickly intervened.

Li Jiaojiao crossed her arms. “Zhu Xiangxiang, is this your brother? Ming Jing’s biological brother?”

Li Jiaojiao looked Zhu Shaodan up and down, sneering, “He doesn’t look anything like her—are you sure you two are siblings? Kiddo, maybe you should go to the hospital for a DNA test. Just in case. Your family has some experience with this kind of thing.”

“Can you talk like a normal human being?” Zhu Shaodan cursed, pointing at her nose.

Li Jiaojiao rolled her eyes. “You little brat, point at me one more time, and I’ll cut your finger off.”

“Shaodan, shut up,” Zhu Xiangxiang said sternly.

She turned to Li Jiaojiao with a pleasant expression. “Miss Li, my brother is young and ignorant. As adults, please don’t hold it against him. I’ll make sure to discipline him later.”

“Keep your mad dog on a leash so it doesn’t go around biting people.”

Just as Zhu Shaodan was about to lose his temper, Zhu Xiangxiang hurriedly pulled him aside and whispered, “Behave. That girl next to her is Ran Tengxiao’s cousin.”

Zhu Shaodan finally calmed down.

He had seen Zhao Qin a few times at Jin Bolai’s, but it was at night, with dim lighting, and she looked different today, so he hadn’t recognized her.

Li Jiaojiao hummed a tune and walked up to the counter. The staff, having gotten the message, greeted them very politely, “Miss Zhao, Miss Li, why didn’t you let us know you were coming in advance? We would have arranged for someone to pick you up at the gate.”

Li Jiaojiao waved her hand. “Save the chit-chat. Let’s go in.”

She glanced at Zhu Xiangxiang sideways, and sure enough, Zhu Xiangxiang’s face fell. She hooked her lip. “Manager Li, don’t let just anyone in from now on.”

Manager Li glanced at Zhu Xiangxiang, having heard their earlier argument. He understood what Li Jiaojiao meant.

“Miss Li, don’t worry.”

He knew who the bigger client was and who was more important.

Zhu Xiangxiang’s face darkened, and her hand balled into a tight fist inside her sleeve.

Zhao Qin had not said a word the entire time, having long since lost interest in Zhu Xiangxiang. Whatever happened to her was none of her business.

Just as the two were about to enter, the sound of footsteps came from the entrance.

Li Jiaojiao and Zhao Qin subconsciously turned their heads to look and both laughed at the same time.

What kind of day was today? It was really lively.

Zhu Xiangxiang looked up at the entrance. When she saw who it was, her pupils constricted, and her nails dug tightly into her palms.

Ming Jing had recently changed her style and started wearing black clothes. She’d lost some of her celestial air and gained an unfathomable mysteriousness.

Next to her was a petite, exquisite, and elegant young girl dressed in a bright, multicolored skirt, like the most dazzling sunset glow in the sky.