When i i arrived at the Jun family stables on the royal courts horse racing track, she jumped up and down with the sa childish enthusiasm as Mingzhu, rushing to hug her father. Behind him were a dozen people at least, holding gift bags that were ant for her.
It was a scene that she was familiar with. Whenever she wanted sothing, he would buy the best from everywhere and give it to her. She said she wanted pretty skirts so no doubt, he had bought every pretty skirt in every high end shop in the city and had it delivered.
"So I called your mom...." he started as she backed out of the hug.
i i could see it on his face that he had lost the battle. He had lost every battle the mont he fell in love and married her mom. "Did she scold you?"
He nodded.
She hugged him again. "Thank you for trying anyway."
Muyang laughed and patted her back. He understood that i i was a mother now and she had a baby. But that did not change the fact that she was his baby. If she was wanted nice things, he would give her all the nice things in the world.
He wanted to make up for all the things that he had not given her while she was away.
"Co and take a look at what I brought you." He told her. "I bought you short skirts, long skirts, leather skirts. So white dresses, because you used to like dressing in white the most when you were young."
i i went in for a third hug. "Dad, mom has not bought any skirt in a very long ti. She only buys them for Mingzhu now."
"Actually she bought you all the riding clothes and jeans you have. But she did not say anything and simply mixed them in with your old ones." He answered.
"She bought hair accessories for Mingzhu two days ago. I broke one by accident and Mingzhu told her about it. She ca ho when I was sleeping and hovered with an angry look on her face." i i continued. "She accused of being jealous of Mingzhu’s nice hair pins because I didn’t get one."
"Actually she sneaked three pearl style hair clips in your accessory box...." Muyang had stopped but stopped because i i was shooting him a displeased look.
"Dad, on whose side are you?" She huffed and stomped her foot.
Muyang was quick with his response. "Yours, of course. My baby girl, whose side would I be on if not yours?"
"Your wife." She answered.
Muyang shrugged. "You have said it dear, your mother is my wife. I t her before we had you and your brother. I made her promises that I cannot break. And most importantly, I love her. I have to defend her when the wrong information about her is spreading. Your mother has a tough mouth but soft heart. It is what I love the most about her."
i i was touched and yet she still felt like her parents were disgustingly sweet and they had a love that was enviable. But now that she had her own love, she did not have to envy anyone else again.
Muyang had the gifts sent ho and they walked to the stables together, slowly.
"How ready are you for the Australian race?" he asked her.
"I cannot say that I am one hundred percent ready but I can boldly declare that I am confident that I will co in first or second." She replied.
Muyang grimaced. "You hate second."
"I know." She groaned.
He laughed. "When you were young, you always found a way to lag behind and co in last if there was a possibility of coming in second."
She laughed. "Because second sucks. Everyone talks to you like you are a big loser while giving you pitiful looks. And the winner ntions you in their speech, telling everyone that you were just as aweso as they were. But everyone knows that this is a lie because nobody is as aweso as the winner.
I would rather co last in an amusing or disastrous way and have everyone rember for that than have them say "she almost made it but she was not good enough."
Muyang was reminded of her childhood when she said those exact words. She stopped her horse close to the finish line because she was clearly going to co in second place at a race in Hong Kong. All the other racers passed her. In the end, she ca in last and yet she was holding her head high proudly.
Muyang chuckled.
He could not help himself because he recalled the looks of befuddlent on the faces of the other racers and the crowd.
In the end, the person that was talked about the most after the race was not the winner but his eleven year old daughter.
Soon, the horse racing world ca to know that for Jun ilin, every important race was all or nothing. The only tis when she allowed herself to co in second place was at the Vermillion Derby.
This was because she never wanted her family to be in the bottom.
"Third place....." i i groaned. "You might as well fake an injury and drop out of the race for dical reasons. At least then, everyone will have so rcy on you."
This was not new to Muyang’s ears as well, she loathed coming in third, but the solution to coming third was new.
"You are close enough to greatness but you are not good enough." She groaned again. "And then they reward you with bronze!!! Bronze dad!! It is the tal no Emperor in history has ever wanted. Everyone pays top price for gold and silver jewels. And if they cannot get that, they search for green, red, blue and black gems."
"Or pearls." He pitched in.
"Exactly." i i said passionately. As they stopped outside the stable where Thunder Muyang was being fed his daily dose of sliced apples she said, "Nobody wants bronze. It is the third sibling who is forgotten because the parents have done and seen it all so there is nothing new to learn about parenting.
At least second place gets sympathy and words like "you will get them next ti" but third place!!! Nobody even rebers you."
"Unless you throw a tantrum." Muyang smirked.
i i gasped sharply and stomped her foot. "Dad, you promised never to bring up that mory. How could you?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)