The towering officer's heart sank when he saw James approaching, and now seeing him acquainted with Wang Xiaoqiang, even seemingly on good terms, he felt utterly panicked.

"Let go, release him quickly..." The towering officer, who happened to be Pike's uncle, knew to act according to the situation, and immediately instructed his two subordinates to free Wang Xiaoqiang.

Upon hearing the order, the two police officers immediately let go of Wang Xiaoqiang and stood with their hands tied.

"Which police department are you from?" James, seeing the tall policeman taking charge, immediately turned his gaze on him and interrogated.

"Governor, my apologies, this, this is actually a misunderstanding..." The tall officer wasn't willing to disclose his department, knowing that if it were to be verified, he might lose his rank, so he tried to stall.

"Show me your badge..." James extended his hand towards the tall officer.

The tall officer's badge was hanging in front of his chest, always a source of his pride, but now it became a stumbling block. Hearing the command, he tried to panic and stash his badge, but James didn't give him the chance. In one swift step, he reached the officer, snatched the badge, and examined it closely, "Hmm, Lossev Feyn, Chief of Police, very impressive, very good..."

Listening to James, Lossev's anxiety grew. He felt annoyed and shot Pike a glance—it was all this troublemaker's fault! He gave Pike a look, signaling him to leave quickly.

Pike had already pulled up his pants, but now, in his panic, he felt even smaller, like a quail. Hearing that the man before him was the governor, he became extremely nervous. Seeing his uncle signal him with a glance, he wanted to sneak away.

But unexpectedly, as soon as he tried to move, Wang Xiaoqiang blocked his path with a swift step, smiling, "Want to leave? No way, explain things clearly before you go..."

Pike knew of Wang Xiaoqiang's prowess and didn't dare resist any further, even without knowing the details.

"I was wrong, sir, please forgive me! Slap~" Finding himself in a difficult position, Pike instantly slapped his own mouth as he pleaded for mercy.

The five hoodlums with goatees were extremely frustrated. They were used to bullying others, but now they were the ones being bullied, and not allowed to leave—it seems some people shouldn't be offended.

The horse race was about to begin, and Wang Xiaoqiang, eager to participate, opted to downplay the situation. Seeing the other party willing to admit their mistakes, he did not press further, saying, "Okay, I'll let you off this time, but tell me, what did you do wrong?..."

Pike confessed earnestly, "I, I shouldn't have provoked you... and, I, I shouldn't have been eyeing your girlfriend..."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaoqiang subconsciously turned his gaze to James and said, "That's roughly what happened, perhaps we can let him off this time..."

James nodded, "Hmm, okay, but Wang, are you hurt?"

It seemed James meant that if Wang Xiaoqiang had been physically harmed, the issue couldn't be let go so easily.

"I'm fine!" Wang Xiaoqiang spread his hands,

Seeing this, Pike quickly slunk away, and Lossev, following suit, apologized to Wang Xiaoqiang, "Sir, I am sorry, please forgive me this once..."

Wang Xiaoqiang appeared indifferent and turned his gaze to James, who said, "Alright, I'll let you off this once..."

Lossev sighed quietly in relief when he heard this but wasn't completely at ease; he hesitantly asked James, "Governor, my badge?..."

"Hmm, I shall hold onto this badge for now; have your immediate superior come to me for it..." James said lightly.

Upon hearing this, Lossev nearly cried. Was this pardon? It was the sternest punishment! He might lose his uniform! Nevertheless, he had no recourse. Pleading further might only lead to more trouble. So, with no other option, he sadly left with his two subordinates in tow.

"Dear Wang, it's so good to see you again, but I never expected such an unpleasant event..." Jenny came up, taking Wang Xiaoqiang's arm affectionately.

Jenny was graceful and dignified, her attire and demeanor indicating she came from a family of high standing, while Xia was petite and pretty, with a more delicate charm. The two women were striking in their own ways.

Xia, despite feeling a tinge of jealousy seeing the governor's daughter so close to Wang Xiaoqiang, didn't make a show of it. If she were the jealous type, knowing about Xu Xiaoya, she probably wouldn't have gotten involved with Wang Xiaoqiang. All in all, Xia was reasonable and understanding.

Jenny, on the other hand, noticed the lovely girl by Wang Xiaoqiang and surmised she might be his girlfriend, which made her pout and nudge Xia, questioning, "Why didn't you tell me when you got a new girlfriend..."

"Err, let me introduce you, this is Xia, and Xia, this is Jenny," Wang Xiaoqiang found the encounter between the two women slightly awkward but maintained his composure and introduced them generously.

Indeed, Western girls were more open and not as strictly monogamous as Eastern ones. Though Xia and Jenny showed a hint of rivalry, they didn't make a scene; instead, they exchanged a brief handshake.

"Wang, are you here to bet on the horse race?" James asked Wang Xiaoqiang.

"Uh, no, I'm here to participate in the race..." Wang Xiaoqiang responded.

"Really?" Jenny exclaimed with surprise before James could respond, "Then, Wang, I'll place my bet on you to win—you have to give it your all..."

"Don't worry, feel free to raise your bet..." Wang Xiaoqiang said.

During the conversation, people continuously flocked to the racecourse: Australians, Chinese, Japanese, Americans...

Whites, blacks, those with yellow skin...

Old folks, children, handsome men, and pretty women...

Nobility, tycoons, celebrities...

Some were locals, others had come from thousands of miles away. All faces were filled with anticipation and joy. In fact, most people were there to enjoy the spectacle.

When a man is poor, he lives by his words;

When a man is rich, he lives by his eyes!

At this moment, there was a ceremony before the event, where the organizers displayed the trophy for the audience. The golden trophy was a lifelike carving of a horse – incredibly beautiful and seemingly very expensive.

Then the music started, and stars hired for the occasion began to sing. Australian dancers started to perform sensual belly dances.

The enthusiasm of the crowd gradually rose to a fever pitch.

While the program was ongoing, betting was quietly taking place. Xia put most of her personal funds into it, having her eye on Wang Xiaoqiang from the beginning and preparing her money accordingly.

Jenny, coming from a much wealthier family than Xia, casually placed a substantial bet just for fun. In Jenny's view, she was just playing around, yet her wager amounted to almost as much as Xia's. One bet three hundred thousand Australian Dollars, the other three hundred and fifty thousand.

Both of them backed Wang Xiaoqiang.

Except for these two women, not many others bet on Wang Xiaoqiang to win. Most participants in the horse race were professional jockeys, esteemed elderly, or those who had performed exceptionally well at the last race meeting. These were the ones worth anticipating and the focus of bettors. A newcomer like Wang Xiaoqiang naturally wasn't popular, and those betting on him could truly be described as few and far between.

Not only did the bettors have little confidence in Wang Xiaoqiang, but the organizers also didn't have much faith in this Chinese youth. Because in the history of their racing festivals, they'd never seen a Chinese participant before, they were unclear about, and even less optimistic about, the horse racing abilities of Chinese people.

After the betting ended, the race began.

"Wang, come on!"

"Go for it! Wang..."

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang in his racing suit, Jenny and Xia, one on either side, leaned in and gave Wang Xiaoqiang two encouraging kisses.

With the lingering taste of the kisses, Wang Xiaoqiang entered the track and mounted Black Whirlwind.

Now, all eyes and expectations on the racetrack were on the riders and their horses, although some had higher expectations than others. Like for Wang Xiaoqiang, at the moment, only Jenny's family and Xia's gaze were intensely focused on him. Of course, there were also a few bettors unfamiliar with horse racing who had haphazardly placed their money on Wang Xiaoqiang; naturally, their attention was on him now, silently cheering him on.

While the other riders waved to their supporters cheering from the stands, Wang Xiaoqiang secretly placed his hands on Black Whirlwind, using his willpower to control and channel Spiritual Energy into the horse's body, then spreading it into its four legs. He whispered into its long ears, "Black Whirlwind, go all out when you run; we need to be at the front... We have to win this race..."

Black Whirlwind tossed its head up and down as if nodding in understanding to Wang Xiaoqiang's words.

Wang Xiaoqiang patted Black Whirlwind's head as encouragement.

As the starting whistle sounded, Wang Xiaoqiang squeezed his legs and didn't shout loudly like the other riders.

Black Whirlwind immediately darted off, like a fierce wind, and getting a good start was crucial. As the saying goes, you can't lose at the starting line, and that's the exact reason. When you fall behind at the start and see others far ahead of you, you begin to feel powerless, defeated, and inclined to give up, which ultimately leads to losing the race.

Wang Xiaoqiang was full of confidence in Black Whirlwind because of the horse's evident strength. Furthermore, with the nourishment of his Spiritual Energy, lagging behind the other horses would seem unreasonable. The only weak point was Wang Xiaoqiang's riding skills, which weren't as good as the other riders.

Fortunately, this was not a foot race but a horse race.

Black Whirlwind didn't disappoint Wang Xiaoqiang. After a burst of speed, the horse accelerated even faster, leaving all the other horses trailing far behind.

"Damn, what's going on? How can this horse be so fast?..." The trailing jockeys stared at Black Whirlwind in the distance and sighed in admiration.

"Can't believe it—could this unknown black horse really turn out to be the dark horse of the event? If only I had bet on it!" someone outside the track lamented as they watched Black Whirlwind. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

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