Chapter 13: Victory or defeat depends on this.

The next day was the weekend. In the morning, after washing up, Ye Tianhui went out to grab breakfast at a nearby shop. On her way down, she noticed that the landlord’s room was packed with people, all fervently watching a horse race.  

She paused by the doorway to take a look. The TV was an old model with a snowy, static-ridden signal, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd.  

Even through the static-filled screen, the lively atmosphere was contagious. The room was packed with people craning their necks to see, and some were whispering about the fleeting figures on the screen, identifying them as well-known individuals rarely seen in person.  

After watching briefly, Ye Tianhui left.  

She wanted a bowl of savory congee to pair with the food Gu Shizhang had given her. She planned to ask the landlord for some hot water later, which would suffice to cover her meals for the day without spending too much money.  

Breakfast options in Hong Kong were diverse, with both Chinese and Western choices. Ye Tianhui wasn’t fond of sandwiches, ham, or macaroni, so she opted for youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks), which they called yau ja guai here.  

Alongside the yau ja guai, she ordered a bowl of savory congee and a serving of tofu pudding (douhua).  

The douhua in Hong Kong was different from the salty version in old Beijing. Here, it was served with ginger syrup and brown sugar, giving it a distinctive sweet, rich, and smooth taste.  

However, Ye Tianhui wasn’t quite accustomed to the sweetness. She found eating sweet foods tiresome after a while and preferred something savory or even spicy to awaken her palate. But there wasn’t much choice now, so she made do.  

Carrying her breakfast back upstairs, she set everything down and started with the douhua and yau ja guai, leaving the savory congee for lunch, planning to reheat it using the landlord’s stove.  

After organizing her food, she headed back downstairs, only to find that the first race had already ended. The crowd was in mixed moods—some sighing with regret, others visibly excited, and a few gearing up for the next round.  

She asked about the results, and someone enthusiastically shared the top three placings. To her relief, the two horses she had bet on came in first and second.  

Hearing this, she let out a small sigh of relief.  

At minimum, she needed to bet correctly on two first-place winners and one second-place winner across three races to secure a consolation prize, which would ensure she at least broke even.  

With the first race results in, half of her eight combinations were already eliminated. However, four combinations were still in play.  

If she could win just one more race in the next two rounds, she’d be in the clear. That made the second race particularly critical for her.  

By this time, the crowd had mostly moved past the emotions of the first race and started discussing the next one.  

“For the next race, I bet on Invincible Warrior. Now I can only hope it takes first place!”  

“Invincible Warrior? That one’s no good! I’m betting on ‘Crazy Dude Rara.’ It’s from Australia and made a stunning debut last year!”  

An older man chimed in mysteriously, “I spent a fortune on a tip. I’m betting on ‘Red Master.’ It’s a new horse, and all your picks will have to give way to it. This is its debut on the track!”  

Ye Tianhui perked up her ears, listening closely. She realized that everyone had different picks, but most went for the favorites, like the previously strong-performing “Invincible Warrior” and the famous European horse “Crazy Dude Rara.”  

As for the horse she had chosen, “Graceful Swallow,” only one bald old man had bet on it.  

The moment he mentioned his pick, he was met with a wave of sympathy from those around him.  

A man who seemed to know a lot about racing frowned and shook his head. “That horse won’t cut it!” 

The bald old man looked dejected. “When you’re unlucky, nothing goes right. I only bet on this horse because someone told me it was good!”  

Ye Tianhui listened silently from the side. After all, she had also bet on “Graceful Swallow.” She didn’t consider herself “unlucky”—she had to win this.  

As they talked, the crowd began to take notice of Ye Tianhui, curiously observing her.  

Perhaps because of the incident where she had beaten up that delinquent, everyone’s gaze toward her was filled with respect and a bit of caution.  

Ye Tianhui, however, took this in stride.  

In truth, Ye Tianhui from her past life was already accustomed to others looking at her with a mix of awe and reverence.  

An older man nearby asked her, “Young lady, do you like horse racing too? Did you place any bets?”  

His question drew everyone’s attention to Ye Tianhui.  

She admitted, “I placed a bet.”  

This immediately piqued the crowd’s interest, and they eagerly asked what she had bet on.  

Ye Tianhui replied, “I bet on Graceful Swallow.”  

The bald old man immediately grew excited. “See, the young lady also bet on Graceful Swallow! I told you it’s a good pick. The young lady knows her stuff!”  

But his words only provoked laughter from the crowd.  

“She doesn’t know anything!”  

A more experienced older man enthusiastically explained to Ye Tianhui why her chosen horse wasn’t a good pick. “Even with a weight allowance, Graceful Swallow can’t compare to Crazy Dude Rara, let alone the fact that Crazy Dude Rara is ridden by a famous British jockey. Meanwhile, Graceful Swallow’s rider is a young local jockey from Hong Kong, lacking experience. This race is just to give Graceful Swallow some exposure.”  

A middle-aged man in his forties shook his head. “Young people waste money like this. You should’ve asked us for advice! We could’ve helped analyze things for you and made sure you didn’t bet on Graceful Swallow!”  

Someone else chuckled. “Young lady, you just don’t get it. Did you think this horse was being ridden by Ko Chi-Ming?”  

Amid the lively discussions, the second race began, and the room fell silent as everyone focused on the TV screen.  

The starting gun fired, and the gates opened. The ten racehorses surged forward almost instantaneously, darting out like arrows loosed from a bow.  

Leading the charge was the British champion Crazy Dude Rara, displaying a level of explosive power unmatched by the others.  

Ye Tianhui squinted slightly, focusing on Crazy Dude Rara’s strong, agile form.  

She suddenly realized something she had overlooked—this was a short-distance race, which placed a higher emphasis on reflexes and explosive power. After all, the race lasted barely over a minute.  

If the race were longer, she would have had much more confidence in Graceful Swallow.  

But with only this brief duration, Crazy Dude Rara’s greater experience gave it an early advantage, putting significant psychological pressure on the other horses.  

The ten horses galloped fiercely, their hooves pounding the ground with powerful rhythm. The competition was intense, sparking cheers from the crowd. Even those gathered around the TV were flushed with excitement, fists clenched as they fervently cheered for their bets.  

“Go! Go, Crazy Dude Rara!”  

“Invincible Warrior, come on! Push! Push harder!”  

At this point, Invincible Warrior made a sudden surge forward, managing to pull half a length ahead of Crazy Dude Rara. One older man who had bet on Invincible Warrior leapt from his seat, punching the air and shouting hoarsely, “Invincible Warrior! Invincible Warrior!!”  

The other men were equally tense.  

“Crazy Dude Rara! Come on, Crazy Dude Rara! Go!”  

Ye Tianhui’s eyes remained fixed on the TV screen.  

She was too broke to afford losing. The 300 Hong Kong dollars she had staked was a significant amount for her—money she couldn’t afford to lose.  

Deep down, she felt she might be in for a harsh lesson.  

Horse racing wasn’t as simple as it seemed. It involved jockeys, horses, complicated rules, and countless unpredictable factors. While she knew how to judge a horse’s qualities, that alone wasn’t enough to guarantee success. Horse racing was far from a reliable way to make money.  

She needed to think of other options—perhaps asking Gu Shizhang for help or finding a job as a stable hand at a horse farm might be more practical.  

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the horses reached a narrow curve on the track. The sharp turn required high speed and precision, testing both the horses and their jockeys.  

Ye Tianhui’s eyes remained glued to the screen. Amid the deafening cheers and shouts, she saw her horse, Graceful Swallow, make a bold leap forward.  

Her heart leapt into her throat!  

The maneuver was within the rules but risky.  

If it succeeded, Graceful Swallow could overtake on the curve, but if it failed, the horse might crash off the track entirely!  

Right and wrong, success or failure, she, Ye Tianhui’s, red snapper fish and delicious fine food all depended o this movement.