As i i dismounted, she was sward by reporters that loudly shouted questions at her.
"Why did you decide to start racing again?"
"What happened between you and Xu Ren?"
"What are the origins of Thunder Muyang?"
"Why was your horse nad after your father? Is there a special significance?"
She did not answer any of them and moved to the Phoenix tv reporters that were quietly waiting at the side, confident that they would speak to her.
Their confidence paid off.
Reporter Wu Shenxing asked her a question after smirking at the reporters from other dias. "How do you feel right now?"
i i was emotional, torn between screaming and crying. "Grateful, I am feeling grateful."
"Any words for your fans?" Shenxing asked.
She looked into the cara and said with a smile, "Ti does not erase champions."
Trumpets were sounded, alerting them to the approach of the Emperor as it was ti to begin the crowning session of the champion.
i i and Thunder Muyang walked to the stage. She stood with her head held high. He stood tall, ears pricked, tail flicking from side to side.
Emperor Junjie approached and the first thing he did was hug her.
Reporters loved this of course. The stories and pictures of the friendship and mischief of the two best friends had been spreading steadily for a while now, carefully crafted by the Empress Mother.
Junjie stepped away and placed a championship crown on her head. He handed a riding crop and riding gear with the logo of the royal family. And lastly, he gave her the trophy and a briefcase with her cash prize.
He moved to Thunder Muyang and placed a crown on the head of the horse. He stood between i i and the stallion and their pictures were taken.
Overti, noble houses had adopted flags for their families which would be raised high during the crowning of the champion.
House Jun flag was raised.
As trumpets were sounded, the crowd erupted once again and this ti, they were chanting her na.
i i soaked in the glory, with a single tear rolling from her left eye.
Xu Ren, the second place winner watched with clenched fists. Jealousy burned through her heart.
She was two ti winner but the Emperor had not hugged her when she won. She never got any royal gear or riding crop.
The crowd never chanted her na!!
Why? Why did they love Jun ilin so much? What made her more special than other winners of the derby? Why did she have to co out of retirent?
Hatred and jealousy combined. The emotions threatened to overwhelm her.
While other riders went over to congratulate ilin, she did not. She buried her head in hands and sobbed.
****
There was a championship party on the fields which was thrown by the royal family every year after the race end. During that ti, the rider was supposed to mingle with the nobles and make connections.
Jun ilin did not need to make connections. She also did not want to mingle. All she wanted to do was take a hot bath, eat and sleep.
So, after taking a lot of photos and signing as many autographs as she could, she asked Jingzhe to tell everyone that she had gone ho.
i i mounted Thunder Muyang and they rode out of the royal courts. She rode the horse through the city, a thing that amused those who saw them.
Everywhere she passed, pictures of them were taken or videos were recorded. She did not stop, not even at red lights and finally reached ho.
To her surprise, her mother had beaten there and she was waiting outside the door with a cup of Juan tea’s White chocolate raspberry heaven.
"Mom!’
Chi Lian raised the cup and smiled at her gently. "I figured that you would not remain for the party so I told your little boyfriend and Mingzhu to mingle for you. Your siblings and dad too, they are representing you."
i i rushed into her mother’s hands and hugged her. "Mom...." She cried coquettishly.
Chi Lian smiled. She would hug her daughter back but her hands were full. "What’s this? Aren’t you a little too old to be acting like this?"
i i suddenly cried--loudly and energetically. Her upper body shook as she sobbed.
"What’s this? Are you actually crying?" Chi Lian asked her.
i i responded with more sobbing.
Behind them, Thunder Muyang was being moved to the backyard by the butler and two trained horse care takers. They treated the horse with care because he was a champion. A prize horse. His value was now millions or hundred of millions, depending on who wanted to buy him the most.
The butler returned and found them in the doorway still. So, she took the drinks from Chi Lian’s hands.
She decided to just carry her daughter inside. i i did not struggle, allowing her mother to carry her as if she was a child.
Chi Lian carried her to her bedroom, helped her undress and gave her a bath. All the while, i i was crying. After the bath, she dried her hair, helped her change into pajama and injected her with a sleeping serum.
Then, she put her bed and covered her.
But she did not leave. She got in beside i i and read her a story just as she used to do when her daughter was young.
As she read the story, she patted i i’s head gently until when she realized that she was sleeping. So, she closed the book, kissed her goodnight on the forehead and slipped out of the bedroom.
Downstairs, she discovered that the people that were supposed to be representing i i at the party had all co ho. So were in the living room, others in the dining room.
Many were in the new fridge!!
Others were in the kitchen, gardens, Mingzhu’s play house and others were next door, peeking and ow ow and her babies. They were still in that cute phase with large floppy ears that looked bigger than their pinkish bodies.
Half the ti, they were swaddled in knitted hats with ear holes and finger sized socks that kept slipping off their toes.
ow ow was a dotting mother. She was never too far from her babies. She also complained a lot about the slipping socks and clothes not the humans understood.
If they could, they would hear her say that when she was a child, she hung upside down, naked and proud.
Chi Lian’s eyes road over the pictures on the door of the fridge. ow ow and babies, Mingzhu and Mingzhe in cosplay. Mingzhu and Madam Feng draped in diamonds. i i leaning over a horrified Jingzhe in a clown outfit.
There were so many family pictures, with different family mbers, all telling stories about good days.
A Polaroid of i i and Thunder Muyang had already been added.
Muyang leaned against the door of the refrigerator, holding a plate of Jingzhe’s new Dark truffle and blackcurrant cheesecake with edible gold dust. "How is she? Did the fire freak her out? Is she hiding under the bed? Should we call Dr. Shen Yang?
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