"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Evangeline asked Steven calmly. His heart trembled. He gulped, suppressing his shock. "Okay," he said. "I'll contact the racing venue now, but you must promise to get Queen Jade here! I'll pay the registration fee upfront. If Queen Jade comes, you don't owe me anything—it's my treat. If she doesn't come, you owe me the registration fee plus liquidated damages! Failure to participate after registration results in ten times the liquidated damages and a three-year suspension."
Evangeline nodded. "I know."
Steven said nothing more and left to make the call. After arranging everything, they went to the Amusement Villa. It was a large place with many recreational facilities: golf courses, an equestrian club, shooting ranges, and various extreme sports facilities.
Evangeline was interested in horseback riding. She toured the stables and was disappointed with the horses. They were well-bred, but not racehorses, making them uninteresting to ride. She chose a horse casually, intending to ride two laps.
"Choose another horse," Steven persuaded. "This one is too fierce and difficult to tame. It's injured people before."
Evangeline looked at him in confusion. "Fierce?"
Steven smiled wryly. "Yes. I bought it—over 200,000 dollars—because it looked tall and strong, thinking customers would like it. But after I brought it home, several trainers failed to tame it; others were kicked and haven't recovered. Even Arthur tried, but even he couldn't tame it, so it's just a trophy horse."
As he finished, the supposedly fierce horse knelt before Evangeline and neighed. She climbed on. The horse stood and began to walk slowly. Evangeline patted its rump, and it broke into a run. Everyone was dumbfounded.
After a moment, Steven shook his head in confusion. "Evangeline didn't do anything! Why did the horse submit to her? Arthur chuckled. "Animals are spiritual, especially horses. A spiritual horse chooses its owner. In ancient times, during frequent wars, these horses would carry their fallen masters home. If the master fell before dying, the horse would kneel to let them remount. If the master was immobile, some horses would nudge the body onto their backs and carry them home."
Hugo, watching Evangeline ride away, exclaimed, "Someone who earns an animal's adoration must be a good person."
Finnegan agreed. "Yes, children and animals rely on intuition to gauge their liking for someone. They sense a person's aura. The purer the aura, the more appealing it is, because being near that person is comfortable."
Evangeline rode for a while, then lost interest; the horse wasn't fast enough. At 10:32 AM, she returned. The horse knelt attentively to allow her to dismount easily.
Steven smiled. "This horse seems to like you. I'll give it to you. No one else can ride it anyway. Keep it here; ride it whenever you like." The horse neighed twice, its lips flapping.
Evangeline shook her head. "This horse is average. I don't want it."
Steven's smile froze. It was the best horse in his club, yet she called it average. "If you don't like this horse," he said stubbornly, "have you ever seen a better one?"
Evangeline smiled and didn't answer. "I'm going to do something else. Lock this horse up." She handed the reins to Steven and left.
The moment Steven took the reins, the horse kicked angrily. Arthur pulled Steven away, preventing a potentially fatal or disabling injury.
Steven was furious. He glared at the horse. "I provide food and shelter! How dare you treat me like this? You're obedient to Evangeline, yet she scorns you, and you're malicious to me who treats you well?"
Arthur's mouth twitched. "Why are you arguing with a horse? I'll accompany Evangeline. Have fun." He strode toward her.
He found her already speeding on a tandem bike with another girl, reaching 30 miles per hour just using her feet. Arthur was speechless. Isn't this an activity for couples? he thought. Why is Evangeline with a girl? She didn't know that girl, did she? How did they meet? Is she that good at socializing? The girl screamed excitedly.
Arthur felt a pang of jealousy. Evangeline seemed to enjoy herself, playing for over an hour and knocking over all the bikes. Those hit weren't angry; they excitedly took photos. When she stopped, people swarmed her for photos and autographs. Evangeline smiled and signed for them. Several teenagers crawled excitedly, shouting, "Evangeline, do you think I'm doing it right? Many in our class are your fans. We had a crawling competition, and I was fastest, but my classmate said I'm far below your skill. Could you give me advice?"
Arthur's lips twitched; he chuckled. He didn't think she could feel embarrassed.
They left the Amusement Villa at 5 PM. After dinner, they headed to the racing venue.
Steven asked, "Evangeline, where's your friend? The competition starts at seven. If you don't call her now, it'll be too late."
Evangeline said, "Don't worry. She won't be late. Can I borrow a car for the race?" Many racers had teams and used team cars. She didn't, and it was too late to find a suitable car meeting the competition's standards.
Steven said, "Of course. I own several, but the seats are adjusted to my body. I don't know if they'll fit Queen Jade." Evangeline said, "It doesn't matter, as long as it meets the standards."
Steven nodded. "Okay. If she competes, I'll lend it to her for free. It doesn't matter if it's damaged! Even if it's scrapped, it's a treasured artwork!"
Evangeline's mouth twitched. That's a little exaggerated! she thought.
They arrived at the venue. Evangeline signed "Jade" in the register. Steven and others assumed she was signing for her friend. Evangeline had Steven show her the car; she adjusted the seat and drove a lap. After confirming there were no problems, she had him send the vehicle for inspection.
Once at the venue, many people were already there. The competitors' names and groups were on the big screen. Someone saw Jade's name. The venue erupted. Excitement mingled with doubt.
"Did I see that right? Jade is here?" someone asked. Another wondered, "Why would Queen Jade participate in such a small competition? She hasn't competed in a long time. Why now?" Sponsors varied; prizes varied; even global competitions were tiered. This competition didn't have a high prize.
"A fake? Is someone pretending to be Queen Jade?" someone asked. Another agreed. "In the past, Queen Jade always competed with Ewan. She's alone this time, so it must be a fake!" Jade and Ewan were an inseparable pair; they always took first and second place. Jade was superior, so she was better known; but anyone in the circle knew Ewan. Only casual viewers would only recognize Jade.
Someone who knew Steven asked him. At 10:32 AM, Steven said, "If nothing goes wrong, she should be the real one." He wasn't sure, but Evangeline's calmness made him trust her. However, with less than half an hour until the race, and Jade still hadn't appeared, his confidence wavered.
Jasper arrived, excited. "Steven, is Queen Jade really competing? Where is she?"
Steven was curt. "Just prepare for the competition. The rest is none of your business." Jasper saw Evangeline and his face darkened. "Evangeline, what are you doing here? This isn't a place for you to run wild!"