HLM -Chapter 1411 Scrambling to Win

The Sunset Group heading to the United States was exactly what Wang Bo had anticipated. The “Heart of the Bar” could elevate people’s moods, and when emotions were high, singers could always create outstanding work.

Apart from recording songs and performing, the four of them spent the rest of their time in Sunset Town, diligently writing songs and composing music. The works they produced were truly classic.

Given this, it was only natural that they would aim for the global stage and strive for a Grammy to expand their influence. The U.S. was their first stop, and also the battlefield they had to conquer.

But Wang Bo hadn’t expected them to march north so quickly. Clearly, he had underestimated the four’s influence.

After the performance ended at 10:30, the first race was about to begin.

The opening event was a mini-horse race. The riders were all children under the third grade. Ten young knights rode ten adorable little ponies onto the track. Once the judges took their positions, someone stepped up with the starting pistol.

The stadium erupted with loud cheers. In the front row were the parents of the young riders, all standing to cheer on their children:

“Wilson, remember to lift your seat, keep your feet in the stirrups, and use the spurs to speed up!”

“Nick, you’re the best! Have fun running today. Control your speed however you want—you’re our family hero!”

“Vincent, look over here—we’re all here! Go go go! Mom made your favorite apple pie!”

It was the children’s first time experiencing such a grand scene, and understandably, they were a little scared.

Wang Bo brought their teachers and classmates to the field and also brought along little Wang, Zhuang Ding, and the other fur kids, letting the children interact freely to ease their stress.

Seeing the kids’ spirits lift, Wang Bo nodded to the judges, signaling that the race could begin.

The young knights mounted their ponies, and at the sound of the starting gun, the children shouted excitedly:

“Lightning, go!”

“Damn it, I’m going to be first!”

“I bet five bucks on myself—I have to win!”

Wang Bo laughed heartily at the children’s words. He regretted not equipping them with headsets—amplifying their voices would have enhanced the atmosphere even more.

The ten short-legged ponies galloped joyfully across the grass. Two of them lost their nerve midway, terrified by the commotion. They ignored commands, ran for a while, then turned back…

Two children were on the verge of tears, but with the ponies uncooperative, there was nothing they could do. Their parents rushed in, lifting them off the ponies and comforting them.

The audience was much more rational than at a betting race track. On a traditional racetrack, someone who had bet on these ponies would surely be swearing in frustration—but here, the only sounds were words of consolation.

Wang Bo patted the two children on the shoulders. “Warren, Deco, you’ve done very well. Look, many people are happy just seeing you on the track. It’s not about finishing the race.”

In fact, the main reason racehorses were so valuable was that they were well-trained. Simply training them not to be scared of the crowd or the noise of the track took enormous effort. Malone could not have conditioned these mini-ponies into real racehorses in just two months.

To prevent the mini-ponies from being affected, he had them wear blinders even during the race, just as they did in training. Unfortunately, the noise was still too much, and the little ponies were frightened.

The second event was a donkey race. Mini-donkeys were less sensitive, and they ran slowly. To make things more interesting, the competition allowed riders to use props.

This made it quite entertaining. Some children used sticks to guide carrots to entice the donkeys; some tied pointy hats on their donkeys’ chests to help them sprint; others, for reasons unknown, dressed their donkeys up as The Flash…

Wang Bo couldn’t help but chuckle. “This is a bit self-deceptive, isn’t it?”

When the starting pistol fired, the donkeys bolted. The carrot-on-a-stick method worked best; wherever the carrot pointed, the donkey happily ran toward it.

Next up was the group with the little girls—the fourth-to-sixth-grade group, still riding mini-ponies. These ponies were a bit bigger.

Wang Bo went over and hugged Dale. “Dale, your sister, your little niece, and I are all right behind you, so don’t be nervous…”

Dale pushed him away angrily. “Who’s nervous? Move! You messed up my hat. So annoying! Step aside. This little scene isn’t a big deal. I’m going to win!”

Wang Bo rolled his eyes helplessly. Nearby, Anliya was nodding obediently to her parents—this seemed to be the proper way to approach the race.

Wang Bo, undeterred, said, “Dale, I’ll tell you how to win. You have to—”

“I’m not listening. Have you ever raced before? No. Last time, you told me to kiss someone to win at sports day. How did that turn out?” Dale rolled her eyes like him.

“I said ‘catch steady,’ not ‘kiss,’” Wang Bo corrected.

“It’s all the same in Chinese,” Dale said stubbornly.

Wang Bo waved his hand helplessly. “Fine, fine, I won’t bother. Go ahead!”

Oakley also participated in this race. He was teaching Ron how to bend down while sprinting to reduce air resistance: “Like if someone throws a straight punch at your face, bend quickly and give your body a forward thrust! Come, do it once for me!”

“Are you teaching Ron how to punch his opponents?” Wang Bo teased.

Oakley laughed. “Impossible. Ron’s boxing skills are decent, but I always tell him that unless he’s on the field, words are the best tool.”

This group of children had much better psychological resilience. Once ready, the stables opened, and the starting pistol fired.

Dale, too eager, made the same mistake as the first-time competitor in gold. She jumped the gun and had to be brought back to restart.

The second run was more cautious. She only started when the gun fired, which inevitably made her slower than the others. The small red pony had no real advantage, so despite her best efforts, Dale didn’t win—not even placing in the top three.

She led her pony back, her chubby face now looking even rounder, eyes brimming with tears.

Eva hugged her and said, “You ran beautifully, Dale. You were the best-looking runner in your group.”

“But I wasn’t first,” Dale said, voice trembling.

Eva comforted her, “It’s okay. You looked amazing. Didn’t you see? The photographers were all following you. Every camera was on you.”

Dale brightened up. “Really? If I had known, I’d have posed better. My butt stuck out a bit just now.”

Wang Bo: “…”