Chapter Fifty-Two: Someone Not to Be Provoked (Second Update)

The situation was escalating rapidly, on the verge of turning into a vicious brawl. At that moment, staff members rushed out to separate the two sides, and Jiang Zhengye, Tang Yiliu, and others arrived just in time.

“What’s going on here?” Tang Yiliu immediately scolded his own son, Tang Chengli.

“That little bastard set me up!” Tang Chengli replied.

Tang Yiliu’s expression turned sour—not because Qin Tian outwitted Tang Chengli, but because his own son, the son of Tang Yiliu, had fallen into someone else’s trap. Was this not a disgrace to his reputation?

“Useless!” Tang Yiliu slapped Tang Chengli hard across the face.

Tang Chengli was stunned. He hadn’t expected his father to hit him over such a matter, but he dared not utter a word in protest. For all his bravado, Tang Chengli had no courage to defy his father.

As for Tang Yiliu, he knew when to indulge his son and when to discipline him, never hesitating when correction was due.

“My son is not someone you can bully!” After chastising Tang Chengli, Tang Yiliu turned his gaze to Qin Tian.

At that moment, he froze for a split second. Wasn’t this the very target the man in black robes had described?

Tang Yiliu had seen Qin Tian’s portrait and memorized his features, so he recognized him at once.

But so what if he was the one sought by the black-robed man? If he lost a hand or a leg, what did it matter?

Tang Yiliu could discipline his own son, but no one else could lay a hand on him!

Qin Tian noticed a cryptic glint flash through Tang Yiliu’s eyes, making him frown slightly. He could not decipher its meaning.

“You should know exactly what kind of person your son is. I wouldn’t provoke a fool without good reason.”

Qin Tian thought to himself that it was fortunate he’d recently picked up so many internet expressions—otherwise, he wouldn’t even know how to retort.

Back at the Celestial Horse Circus, Qin Tian had spent his days playing with Big Tiger, Big Wolf, and Big Monkey, rarely touching the internet. Only after entering the Jiang family did he begin to use a phone, immersing himself in the online world and picking up many amusing new phrases.

“You arrogant brat! You’ll pay for your insolence!” Tang Yiliu said coldly.

“With so many people here, I’d like to see how you plan to make me pay. Or do you intend to take action in secret, some other time?” Qin Tian asked calmly.

“To deal with you, I don’t need to make such a spectacle,” Tang Yiliu whispered into his ear.

“Guards! This man has taken banned substances, a serious violation. Detain him and revoke his eligibility to compete!” Tang Yiliu shouted.

At once, a group of staff members surged forward, reaching for Qin Tian with many hands.

Qin Tian frowned. He hadn’t expected Tang Yiliu, that old fox, to resort to such shameless yet effective tactics.

If he were disqualified, the Jiang family would be finished!

“It’s the horses that compete, not the riders. Even if Qin Tian had taken banned substances, just change the jockey. Besides, Qin Tian never took anything illegal!”

“President Tang, is it really appropriate for you to fabricate such baseless accusations?” At this moment, Jiang Yingying stepped forward, her words ringing with righteous indignation.

The onlookers pondered her words and realized they made perfect sense. It was a horse race, after all—as long as there was nothing wrong with the horses, what did the jockey matter?

Tang Yiliu’s face darkened. He hadn’t anticipated that his own words would be so easily refuted, and he was quite annoyed.

“President Tang, you’d best save your energy. The race is about to begin—don’t stir up more trouble,” Jiang Yingying added.

Qin Tian looked admiringly at Jiang Yingying’s commanding presence, nodding again and again. He hadn’t expected this side of her—a true iron-willed woman, clearly the daughter of Jiang Tianxiang; a tiger father breeds no cowardly child!

“What a sharp-tongued girl!” Tang Yiliu realized that any further attempt to target Qin Tian was now impossible.

This matter had to end quickly, lest it interfere with the competition. If the race was disrupted, the losses would outweigh any gains.

To the black-robed man, Qin Tian was the target. But for Tang Yiliu and his peers, their priority was to win over Wade Griffin, the lucrative patron.

As for the black-robed man and his mysterious organization, they were far too dangerous and taboo for Tang Yiliu and his associates to provoke.

Cooperating with the Griffin family was much more practical.

“Disperse—everyone, disperse! The race is about to start!” Tang Yiliu announced.

The crowd glanced at the large clock nearby and realized it was already 2:20 PM—less than ten minutes before the race began!

“Qin Tian, get ready,” Jiang Yingying urged.

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing I need to prepare,” Qin Tian replied with an easy smile.

Still, to avoid further nagging, he put his hands behind his head and strolled leisurely toward the track.

“Kid, now that you’ve caught the eye of that mysterious organization, death is not far off. I won’t even need to lift a finger!” Tang Yiliu sneered, watching Qin Tian walk away as if gazing at a corpse.

Arriving at the waiting area, Qin Tian saw that the other jockeys were already there, fully suited in their gear.

Compared to them, Qin Tian, dressed in casual clothes, looked rather out of place.

“Young man, aren’t you going to wear protective gear?” one jockey asked kindly.

“It’s fine. I won’t get hurt,” Qin Tian replied with a smile.

But the well-meaning jockey’s face fell, thinking Qin Tian was being far too arrogant.

Throughout history, many had fallen from horseback and been injured, crippled, or even killed—horse racing was no trivial matter.

“A snot-nosed kid with a big mouth,” someone muttered, unable to bear Qin Tian’s “arrogance.”

Qin Tian shrugged, not bothering to argue with them. Instead, a mischievous grin tugged at his lips; he was planning a little prank.

He grinned from ear to ear: Whether or not I fall off my horse remains to be seen, but you lot will definitely fall!

This way, it would be less shocking than having all the horses refuse to run at once. It would look like a collective rider fall, as if the horses had gone mad.

“Please pardon the commotion, Mr. Griffin—just a minor dispute,” Tang Yiliu said apologetically from the VIP box.

“You know that young man from earlier?” Wade Griffin inquired.

Tang Yiliu paused, suspicions rising. Why did Wade Griffin seem interested in Qin Tian?

“I wouldn’t say I know him. We’ve had a few minor disagreements,” Tang Yiliu replied.

“Don’t trouble him again. That young man is not someone you can afford to offend,” Wade Griffin said.

Boom.

Tang Yiliu’s mind reeled. Wade Griffin actually claimed that even he could not afford to cross Qin Tian?

Just what kind of background was Qin Tian hiding?