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Chapter 428: 198 Marseille (Second Update)_2

After the recording of the show, Qu Feitai had left the broadcasting room immediately without pausing for even a moment.

Participating in such a show was simply an insult to his intelligence.

“Xiao Fei, have some water.” Huang Chao untwisted a thermos and handed it to Qu Feitai.

“What’s wrong with you today? Are you on a warpath? Going against everyone, do you realize you’ll be criticized once the show airs?” Huang Chao said with serious concern.

“Or did you actually write ‘White Robe’ for Ming Jing?” This question has been plaguing Huang Chao for a long time, and today, he finally couldn’t hold back from asking.

He used to think that Ming Jing was trying to gain publicity by associating herself with Qu Feitai, but now it appeared that he was the one who was wishful thinking.

After all, Ming Jing was from the top echelons of society, beautiful and wealthy. It was rather his protege who had been harboring secret desires.

Ignoring Huang Chao, Qu Feitai instructed the driver, “To the airport.”

Huang Chao was stunned, “Where are you going?”

“Jiangzhou.”

“But I don’t recall you having any schedules in Jiangzhou. Plus, weren’t you supposed to meet with Director Han over the next few days to scout filming locations in Xiang Mountain for the music video?”

“We rescheduled it for tomorrow.”

Huang Chao realized that he was losing control over his artist and was being kept in the dark.

Halfway to the airport, Huang Chao was asked to get out of the car and make his own way back.

Huang Chao was completely bewildered. “What’s happening?”

At that moment, a notification popped up on his phone. The headline left him dumbfounded.

National sweetheart’s stunning appearance at Jiangzhou Equestrian Competition!

The term ‘national sweetheart’ was now especially triggering for Huang Chao.

No wonder Qu Feitai had been in such a hurry to get to Jiangzhou. He was rushing to see Ming Jing’s competition.

Feeling a mix of exasperation and relief, Huang Chao realized that this time, Xiao Fei was serious.

Today was the horse-riding competition in Jiangzhou, it wasn’t that big of a deal in the past and there were countless similar events held domestically that went unnoticed. But this year, it had suddenly become important because a celebrity was taking part in the competition.

The celebrity in question was Ming Jing, who was currently at the height of her popularity as the nation’s sweetheart.

The celebrity effect was evident. As soon as news went out on the internet, it exploded online and the equestrian competition even had to set up a live stream. The competition was scheduled to start at 3 pm, and by 11 am, the live-streaming channels were already congested and had even experienced several crashes, forcing the servers to be changed.

When Qu Feitai got off the plane, it was already half past two. Song Yinzhang was there to pick him up. When he saw Qu Feitai standing before him, he almost burst out laughing.

Qu Feitai had really gone all out with his disguise this time, dressing up as a woman. To hide his physique, he’d even wrapped a piece of clothing around his stomach to give off the impression of a hefty woman. Sporting a wig with floating curls, sunglasses, mask, and hat, even his diehard fans would fail to recognize him.

“Xiao Fei…that’s…kinda hard on the eyes.” Song Yinzhang couldn’t help but comment.

“Let’s go, we don’t have time.” Qu Feitai urged, anxious not to miss a moment.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make it.” Song Yinzhang had arranged for a driver from his home that day to take them to the racecourse.

The racecourse was crowded that day, tickets were hard to come by. Song Yinzhang had pulled some strings to get the tickets as soon as he had heard about the event, otherwise, he might have had to resort to watching the live-stream.

The eastern section of the racetrack had a stand that could accommodate thirty thousand spectators, and right now, it was packed with people.

Never before had a horse-riding competition received such attention, needless to say, everyone was here to see Ming Jing.

Song Yinzhang’s seat was in the VIP section, in the front row with an excellent view. As he and Qu Feitai found their seats, he saw that the girl in the seat ahead had turned around. Her gaze fell on the person next to him and narrowed, “Song Yinzhang, is this your friend?”

Coughing lightly, Song Yinzhang responded, “Yes.”

“You sure do have unusual taste.” Zhao Qin snickered before she turned her head back.

Feeling an unpleasant twitch at the corner of his lips, Song Yinzhang leaned in and told Qu Feitai, “Her name is Zhao Qin. She’s a friend of Ming Jing’s, and she’s got a temper. Try not to get on her bad side.”

Qu Feitai nodded. He had met Zhao Qin before at Qingshu Yinyue Restaurant.

It was a surprise that Zhao Qin didn’t recognize him, Qu Feitai touched his wig, somewhat pleased.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing gaze landed on his face. Qu Feitai looked up and met the dark, intense gaze of a man who smirked as if seeing through his disguise. The man then turned away.

Why was he here? Qu Feitai furrowed his brows.

Noticing that Qu Feitai was still staring at the man who was now walking away, Song Yinzhang explained, “He’s Zhao Qin’s cousin.”

The big electronic screen started displaying the names of the participating contestants, along with their support ratings. The regulation of the horse race was still immature and incorporated certain gambling elements, drawing the attention of those who loved to take risks.

Horse racing was quite popular overseas and several races were held domestically as well, but it was never too well-known.

This year, however, Ming Jing’s participation significantly boosted the influence of the race. Ticket sales were booming, the atmosphere was lively, and the online live stream was overcrowded.

The hidden significant economic interests behind the horse race greatly benefited the local economy. Just the income from ticket sales, gaming, broadcasting rights, hard and soft advertisements was staggering. It was reported that the total betting amount for the horse race had reached 3 billion yuan an hour before the race, a thousandfold increase from the same period last year, contributing greatly to the local GDP. Given the massive promotional efforts by Jiangzhou City this year, it was clear that they intended to promote horse racing as a pillar industry of Jiangzhou, which would also drive the development of related industries, benefitting the development of Jiangzhou City in many ways.

Before the race, the race administration had announced that they would be collaborating with Ming Jing’s Wishful Thinking Charitable Foundation to form the Violent Wind Charitable Foundation. They committed to dedicating 98% of the after-tax profits from this race to charity, earning wide acclaim.

The sport of horse racing was an exhilarating combination of the love for adventure and gambling, making it a haven for passionate men. Ming Jing, on the other hand, had always presented a gentle and elegant image to the public and was viewed as the nation’s goddess. Always dressed in white, she was seen as a delicate and fragile woman. The contrast was stark if she was indeed an equestrian expert.

Many of her fans had initially come with doubts, fearing that the event had merely used her fame to promote the horse race. They didn’t want to get their hopes up only to end up disappointed.

The names of the one hundred and fifty contestants were shown on the big screen, with their support rates. Thanks to her popularity, Ming Jing had secured the highest support rate, but few really had any expectations.

The hot favorite for winning the race was the second-ranked Ma Xiao, who had bagged numerous domestic and international awards. Compared to the delicate and frail Ming Jing, Ma Xiao seemed to be the surefire champion.

In the backstage preparation room, Ming Jing was dressed in a red horse-riding uniform, with a large number ’18’ on a tag on her chest and back.

She donned protective gear, knee pads, and long boots. After putting on her helmet and protective gloves, she stood in front of the mirror with a confident smile.

Walking out of the prep room, Shen Zhou spoke softly, “Take good care of yourself. Your safety is the most important thing, not your performance.”

Horse racing can be extremely dangerous, and any slight mishap could be disastrous. That’s why participants were always asked to sign an accident liability waiver agreement before each race.

Ming Jing smiled and nodded, “Don’t worry, big brother.”

Seeing Ming Jing, Ma Xiao strode out of the room on the other side, sneered “All show, no substance”, and left without looking back.

Shen Zhou narrowed his eyes at the retreating figure of Ma Xiao.