Chapter 928: The Competition Begins
After her rebirth, she would sometimes head to the racecourse that Xu Zhenyu used to take her to secretly, to ride a horse when she was upset. However, she kept her past with Xu Zhenyu to herself. She would never let anyone know about it, not even Si Yiyan!
She could not explain to Si Yiyan about her past in her previous lifetime and hence, decided to simply not tell him about it.
With a sullen expression on her face, Liu Yanhua said, “Miss Bella…”
Horseback riding was an extremely dangerous sport, and she had once witnessed someone falling off the back of a horse and ended up breaking his neck, which resulted in instant death. There were also several reports of horseback riders suffering limb fractures because of a fall during horseback riding. Hence, Liu Yanhua was truly worried.
Although they spoke softly, everyone could hear their conversation just by paying a bit more attention. Haughtier than ever, Avrora snapped. “Hey… Miss Bella, are you still going to compete with me or not!!?! I’ve already brought the document that you asked for. Are you just fooling me because you don’t want to compete!?!”
Indeed, I guessed correctly. This Bella can’t ride a horse at all and she doesn’t even have the guts to compete with me. She was just making a fuss on purpose.
The wealthy heiresses chimed in. “Exactly! Just tell us whether you want to compete or not. What’s the point in being so wishy-washy? You’re really petty and narrow-minded, unlike Miss Avrora who’s so straightforward.”
“Yeah! If you can’t ride a horse, just admit it, lest you fall and hurt yourself. Don’t implicate our dear Miss Avrora.”
It was a well-known fact that Avrora’s equestrian skills were impeccable. Hence, they were confident that she could win against Wen Xinya. The fence-sitters who were just gossiping about Avrora waited to see a good show.
Wen Xinya took a deep breath and asked, “What are the rules?”
She was bent on winning the competition today, just so she could get her hands on the document that had been sealed by Duke Moville’s stamp. The document was far too important to Si Yiyan. With it, he would be able to rise to a higher power and status in Russia.
Avrora sneered. “Simple. We’ll go two rounds around the 500-meter racecourse. Whoever reaches first is the winner. Of course… to make things clear beforehand, I will not be responsible or held liable if you fall and injure yourself. The Moville Family will have nothing to do with it, either.”
Wen Xinya answered, “Same to you!”
Knowing that she could not persuade Wen Xinya, Liu Yanhua panicked and scurried away to look for Gu Yuehan.
Wen Xinya immediately headed to the dressing room to change into a silver horseback riding attire. The silver threads on the apparel glistened lightly, yet were full of splendor and beauty. After putting on a helmet, knee and elbow guards, she picked out a brown and tall horse. She then made her debut.
Upon sight of the horse that Wen Xinya had picked, Avrora sneered in her head. One look and I can tell that she’s a newbie who can’t ride a horse.
The brown horse that Wen Xinya picked was named “Blaze” because of its temperament, not its color. Just like burning flames, it was hot-headed and angst. Not many people in the Duke Moville Residence could control or subdue it.
Bella probably just picked the horse because of its beautiful appearance without considering if Blaze wanted to be ridden by her.
However, Avrora was not planning to give her any reminders and instead hoped that Wen Xinya would embarrass herself. It would be best if Wen Xinya fell and broke her limbs or got disfigured.
Blaze was rather angst, fidgety, excited and hyperactive, making Wen Xinya feel a little infuriated. She placed her chest near the horse’s ear while stroking its brown coat and talking to it softly.
Wen Xinya knew a thing or two about training horses and was rather good at it as well. Back then, Xu Zhenyu gave her an intensive lesson about training horses and made her realize that it took heart to tame a horse. In order to tame it, she spent an entire week trying to subdue it, only to have it shrug her off its back several times, causing her to end up suffering many injuries. She finally managed to tame it in the end.
Although Blaze was wile, it paled in comparison to Red Rabbit, the horse that Wen Xinya had to tame back then.
While Wen Xinya communicated with the horse, Avrora had already picked hers.
The horse that she had selected was named “Snow White”, a gift from Duke Moville for her 18th birthday. It was a gentle and well-tempered horse that she rode often.
Avrora climbed onto the horse swiftly in a fluid motion. She looked graceful and confident in her red horseback riding attire. “Miss Bella, there’s still time for you to back out now.”
She was just trying to insult and demoralize her.
Wen Xinya said calmly, “Since I’ve already agreed to compete with you, I won’t go back on my word.”
Avrora sneered. “Seems like you won’t give up until you’ve been taught a lesson.” She then looked into the distance before continuing, “By the way, where’s your little bodyguard? Why has she abandoned you even before the competition has begun? Are you sure you can get onto such a high horse without any help?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she and the other heiresses and aristocrats began laughing while covering their mouths.
Just as they started laughing, Wen Xinya climbed onto the horse in a swift and fluid motion with a commanding aura and finesse. She was shining brightly like a fallen shooting star, appearing suave and ravishing while sitting on the horse quietly.
Avrora’s pupils constricted and she thought to herself, She was so skillful in getting onto the horse’s back. How can she be a newbie at horse riding?
She began to feel ill at ease.
However, she thought about the skillful way that Wen Xinya had defended herself against the assaulter during the banquet earlier on and accredited Wen Xinya’s ability to climb onto the horse to her agility and reflexes.
Even her bodyguard said that she couldn’t ride a horse. How could she possibly be able to?
Both of them were done getting ready.
One of the ladies exclaimed, “One, two, three!”
The sharp and high-pitched sound of the whistle agitated the two horses, after which they dashed out.
Due to the fact that she was familiar with the horse that she was riding, Avrora got a headstart.
On the other hand, Wen Xinya lagged behind even though she had already communicated with the horse and comforted it. Since she had never rode on it before, she was not familiar with it. Besides, Blaze was wild and untamed. After galloping for a short while, it began defying Wen Xinya and letting out angry neighs. It continuously kicked its back limb and tried to shrug Wen Xinya off its back.
Several times, Wen Xinya almost fell off the horse’s back. She gripped the rope tightly and pressed her legs tightly together around its stomach while murmuring softly to comfort it.