The Disgraced Heir of the Wealthy Family Has Gone Mad - Chapter 12

Shen Muyun arrived at the horse racing track and realized there were quite a few people in the stands. Although it was raining, and he had assumed there would not be many spectators, they were all people who loved to watch a spectacle.

Shen Muyun looked up. The people watching the race were mostly those he had met over the past few days. Some were whispering, some were smiling, and others had cold, stern expressions. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking. He led Himi toward the track.

Shen Muyun nodded in greeting toward Shen Liuyun, while Lu Huainan gave him a warm smile, waved, and nodded in return.

Tch. Being overly courteous without cause usually implies ulterior motives. This Lu Huainan does not look like he has good intentions.

Suddenly, Shen Muyun felt his shoulder sink as someone slapped it hard, causing him to tremble violently. Seeing that it was Zhou Shiqing, he really wanted to punch him, but since he was still holding Himi’s reins, he could not act out.

“Shen Muyun, it seems you are the type who refuses to turn back even after hitting a wall. Honestly, losing to me is nothing to be ashamed of. This race has stakes, namely the contract between the Shen family and the Zhou family. Can you find other partners in such a short time? I am truly worried. Can Uncle really succeed in securing funding abroad?”

Shen Muyun pulled on the reins. Himi let out a snort, as if deep in thought.

“Do you know anything at all? Save your breath. The Shen family’s business is none of your concern. Besides, even if the funding were difficult to secure, rest assured, the Shen family would never consider cooperating with people like you who engage in such dirty tactics.”

“You! Shen Muyun, I will see how long you can remain so smug!”

Shen Muyun mounted the horse, which went surprisingly smoothly. Himi did not seem as wild and untamable as the staff had described. Perhaps the horse was just timid and had not yet found a suitable owner.

“Respected Host, are you ready? Ding! You have unlocked a new achievement: ‘Race Track Speedster.’ Achievement collection is one percent complete.” The System fluttered its wings in front of him.

Shen Muyun looked around. Although there were not many people, talking to thin air might draw attention, so he replied in a low voice, “Of course. Why? Do you have a better strategy? And what is this achievement collection?”

“Simply put, if you complete fifty percent, you will receive 5,000 tokens. Not bad, right? This is a system I recently developed. I have put a lot of effort into ensuring you can earn tokens faster and obtain items from the shop more quickly. I wonder if you are at least a little bit touched?”

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

“Is that so? Respected Host, are you complimenting me? Unfortunately, I really do not have a better strategy. I am sorry, but you will have to rely on yourself for this race.”

Shen Muyun rolled his eyes in frustration. He had not realized before that this System was so cheeky, and its intelligence seemed questionable.

The starting pistol fired into the sky, and the race began. Shen Muyun focused intently on the path ahead. He had familiarized himself with it earlier, remembering the turns and spots that required deceleration. Relying on the muscle memory from this world, Shen Muyun quickly took the lead.

The people in the stands saw this scene and began to whisper. They really were a bunch of gossips.

“Didn’t they say Zhou Shiqing won the youth group championship before? Why was he left behind just after the start? Can he still catch up? The distance is only getting larger. Could this be another one of his ‘playing hard to get’ tricks?”

“What do you mean catch up or not? That is strategy. He is testing Shen Muyun’s capabilities. You must know yourself and the enemy to win every battle. What do you know? Horse racing is a science. Besides, don’t you know that Zhou Shiqing’s horse is called Black Eagle? It is a one-in-a-million treasure.”

“Oh, if that is the case, then the victory is definitely in the hands of the young master of the Zhou family. We shall see who wins. They say someone made 10 million out of nothing on that cruise ship. Why don’t we set up our own bet? It is only natural for horse racing to have stakes, right?”

Shen Muyun swung his whip with just the right amount of force, which Himi seemed to appreciate. Man and horse worked together perfectly. He looked back at Zhou Shiqing behind him. It might have been his imagination, but he sensed a faint smile on Zhou Shiqing’s lips. This was not right. Given how confident he had been earlier, he should not be giving up this easily.

Shen Liuyun and Lu Huainan stood on the observation deck watching the competition. At first, they were silent, but as the race entered the final stretch, they began to discuss it.

“Liuyun, do you think Muyun or Zhou Shiqing will win? It seems like there is no suspense.”

Shen Liuyun smiled faintly and adjusted his glasses. “Whoever wins, it is all the same. The contract between the Zhou family and the Shen family will not be signed.”

“You are that confident? You know Zhou Shiqing’s temper, yet you still indulge him?”

“Of course. The Shen family will not sign contracts with companies that lack credibility. That is our principle. As for Zhou Shiqing’s temper, I am not familiar with him. Huainan, you have been in the United States for too long; I fear you do not know many things about Jiangcheng. It is nothing, really. You will get used to it gradually. How long do you plan to stay in Jiangcheng?”

“We shall see. Perhaps this time, I will not leave once I return.”

Lu Huainan’s mouth twitched. He had heard of Shen Liuyun for a long time; the eldest young master of the Shen family was known for being decisive and somewhat cold. The two families were long-time friends, so they had met a few times, but they were not close. As for Shen Muyun, his impression was still stuck in the past…

The crowd suddenly erupted in shouts, interrupting Lu Huainan’s thoughts.

“Huh? What is happening? Why…”

“Shen Muyun’s horse seems to be startled. Did it step on something it shouldn’t have? Why did it suddenly slow down? If it really stepped on something, I fear someone will be fired and sent home directly.”

“How is that possible? This is the Shen family’s own horse track. Who knows how many times it has been cleaned?”

Shen Muyun gripped the reins tightly. The bump just now almost caused him to fall off the horse. This feeling was not right. Based on Himi’s personality, it should not be this unstable. The only thing he could think of was that someone had tampered with it. Thinking back to his encounter with Zhou Shiqing just moments ago, it was almost certain.

Zhou Shiqing instantly surged to the front, and his original advantage vanished. “Shen Muyun, are you convinced now? I told you that no matter what, you could not beat me. It would be better to just admit defeat. It is better than making a fool of yourself in front of so many people. It is hard to say if this horse can even make it to the finish line, so you might as well quit early to avoid more embarrassment.”

Shen Muyun composed himself. There was no good solution now. The race was in progress, the horse had been tampered with, and he could not catch up. The finish line was just ahead. What should he do?

Shen Muyun could not worry about that anymore and hurriedly summoned the System. “System, come out! Is there any good way to win this race?”

The System remained indifferent. “Respected Host, I told you long ago that your chances of winning this race were very low and that you should not have participated. The data shows that the horse was tampered with; its leg joints were injected with a sedative, which is why it suddenly lost strength and nearly collapsed. Given the current situation, it will likely lose all strength in about ten minutes. Respected Host, why don’t you just pray for yourself?”

Shen Muyun was naturally unwilling to lose the race just like that. Quitting was impossible. Face was one thing, but more importantly, he could not stand Zhou Shiqing’s arrogant attitude.

Seeing Shen Muyun falling further and further behind, Zhou Shiqing became absolutely certain that he would win the race. Although he had tampered with the horse, he could just claim that the debris on the track had not been cleared and shirk the responsibility, making it look as though it had been done seamlessly.

Shen Muyun could not catch up, so Zhou Shiqing lowered his guard, his speed dropped, and he looked at the scenery leisurely.

“Liuyun, it seems the outcome is determined. Zhou Shiqing has even started taking a stroll.”

Shen Liuyun did not see it that way and said softly, “There is still some distance to the finish line. Given Muyun’s personality, he should not give up. Besides, do you want to see him lose?”

Lu Huainan smiled and looked at the racetrack with profound meaning. “I hope he wins, and I also hope he stays safe.”

Shen Liuyun was somewhat startled. In his memory, Lu Huainan had never met Shen Muyun, but the feeling now was very strange, as if it were a reunion of old friends.

“Huainan, have you met my brother?”

“Well, I do not think so. You know I was born in the United States, and this is my first time returning to the country. If he had never been to the United States, I fear we would never have had the chance to meet.”

Shen Liuyun pursed his lips. The behavior of these two was very suspicious. One was his own brother, and the other was the eldest son of a family friend. Suddenly, it was as if they had changed their personalities. No, there was something wrong.

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

Shen Muyun was naturally unwilling to lose the race inexplicably. His free hand gently touched the mane on Himi’s neck, and a bold thought rushed into his mind, though it was cruel, and he wavered.

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

“Respected Host, I will support all of your actions in every way possible, without any blind spots. I hope you can achieve victory.”

“Display the horse’s physiological structure chart.”

The System did not know what he was doing but searched for the horse’s physiological structure chart at lightning speed. “Respected Host, I must say, you truly are the most bizarre host I have ever encountered. You always do things in such an unconventional way.”

“Stop talking nonsense! We are only three hundred meters from the finish line, and this is the only solution I can think of.”

The horse’s physiological structure chart instantly appeared before Shen Muyun’s eyes. Carrying a military knife, he could only take a risk. Three years of life were left either way, so he might as well follow his own will.

Shen Muyun lowered his head and whispered a few words into Himi’s ear, then pulled out the knife he was carrying and plunged it into the horse’s back.

A cry of shock erupted from the stands instantly. “Has Shen Muyun gone mad?”

“He is just a madman. Haven’t you heard about what happened a few days ago?”

“A madman, truly a madman! Not even sparing a horse. This is just an entertainment race; is it really worth risking his life?”

Zhou Shiqing seemed to hear the comments from the stands and turned to look at Shen Muyun, only to see the tip of the knife buried in the back of the horse’s neck, followed by a scream.

A madman. Shen Muyun is simply a madman. Is he trying to kill himself?