Chapter 110: Joining the SBR competition...
Mary thought about her participation in the SBR competition and didn't say anything to Johnny right away.
First, Mary didn't want Johnny to be saddened by the memory. Even though Mary knew he had long since accepted the fact that he would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, that didn't mean Johnny would stop reminiscing about the glorious past and lose his passion for horse racing.
If he couldn't participate in such an amazing world-class horse racing event, he would probably be so upset that he would cry quietly.
Secondly, this matter involved the remains of a saint, and Mary always felt that it was safer to say less than more.
Returning home with a complex feeling, Johnny found himself bored and poring over a book. Perhaps he was so bored that he even picked up an old textbook and tried to study on his own.
Seeing Mary walk home, Johnny was stunned. "What's wrong?" He wheeled his wheelchair over to Mary, who looked glum. "Salary... is there something wrong?"
"That's not the case..." Mary casually tossed the suitcase onto the coffee table and opened it, revealing large-denomination US dollar bills inside. Johnny picked them up in disbelief and shook them. "That's three months' salary?!"
"Yeah." Mary nodded casually, still thinking about Lucy. No matter how she thought about it, she felt that she couldn't let Lucy continue to be married to that middle-aged man.
Who knows what that man will do.
"Oh my God!" Johnny looked at the money, dazzled by its brilliance. Remember, in the past, when he was making the most money, he could only make less than a thousand dollars a month at best!
At that time, he actually claimed to be a rich man, my God.
Thinking of his past behavior of showing off, Johnny's face and neck turned red with embarrassment.
Immersed in the memories of the past, Johnny didn't realize that Mary had just been talking to him until his sleeve was tugged at.
"Um, excuse me Mary, could you please say that again?"
Mary repeated good-naturedly, "I say, don't you think it's problematic for a man in his late 50s to be with a 13-year-old girl?"
"Ah? Where did this groundless news come from? Mary, don't believe some reports too much. Those reporters can make up anything to become famous." Johnny waved his hand, not realizing the seriousness of the matter at all.
Seeing Johnny's nonchalant look, Mary added faintly, "It's a true story. I saw it with my own eyes."
"Ahem" Johnny almost choked on his own saliva: "What?!"
After he finally recovered, he quickly huddled up beside Mary and asked in a somewhat complicated and gossipy tone, "That man wasn't beaten to death? And that girl, is she cute? If she is... I think she's probably done for."
"He was beaten to death! That man is alive and well, and I don't know what kind of magic potion that made that girl stay with him wholeheartedly. If you ask me... no matter how many favors that man gave her, she shouldn't have married him! How can a man who marries a little girl be a good person!" Mary vented her anger before remembering Johnny's words: "Why is it over?"
"What kind of man is it to marry a little girl? He must be a copper smelter!" Johnny replied confidently. "If he's a copper smelter, how could he not lay his hands on that little girl? If she gets pregnant, wouldn't her life be over?"
Hearing this, Mary felt horrified and subconsciously wanted to run out: "No, I have to..."
A pair of strong hands grabbed Mary and pulled her back.
"Calm down, Mary." The owner of the hand gently held her in his arms and kissed her cheek patiently.
"You've already said that the girl doesn't believe you, and you've just met her. How can you possibly persuade her? If you do this, you might just provoke her rebellious psychology." Johnny's well-organized words calmed Mary's mind.
She buried her head in Johnny's neck apologetically, her tone a little muffled: "I'm sorry, I was too impatient. I know it's not good for me to do this, and I will slowly change."
Without saying that what Mary did was good, nor did he say anything else, Johnny hugged Mary quietly, suppressing the words he really wanted to say.
In fact, Johnny's true words were not so gentle.
He wanted to say:
Why do you care so much about strangers? Isn't it better to just focus on me?
Mary, are you staying with me because you like me or because of some inexplicable overflow of sympathy?
Why do you always keep the person you met for the first time in your heart when you go out?
He hated her talking about outsiders and hated her worrying about others.
When he heard those things, he actually felt nothing at all. He didn't care about the life or death of strangers, just as others didn't care about him.
Mary had no idea of the turmoil in the heart of the person leaning against her. She sighed, knowing that this matter could not be rushed.
I hope... I hope nothing will happen.
Two days passed without any appetite, and Mary came to the hotel again. Following the instructions of the front desk to the corresponding room, Mary's tense heartstrings finally relaxed.
Fortunately, each person has a room.
She knocked on Lucy's door first, and soon the door was opened by the beautiful blonde girl.
"Ms. Mary, you're here?" Lucy was delighted to see Mary. "Please come in. Have you had breakfast? If not, I can get you a breakfast voucher. The food in this hotel is very good!"
"I've eaten." Mary knew that building trust was the most important thing right now, so she didn't rush into heavy topics. She just said casually, "Can I rest in your room for a while? I'm pretty tired after all this travel."
"Of course!" Although Lucy was very young, she acted just like an adult. She enthusiastically pulled Mary into the house, brought her slippers, and even offered her a towel to wipe her sweat and ice water to cool her down as she sat down.
Looking at the well-behaved Lucy, Mary couldn't tell what she felt in her heart.
Perhaps a little pity? Edie was a few years older than Lucy and spoke with such innocence. What had Lucy gone through to be so mature at such a young age?
While Mary was thinking about this, Lucy was explaining on Mr. Steele's behalf, "I'm sorry, Stephen is still resting. We were wrong not to greet you right away... He's been thinking about the game day and night these past two days, so please forgive his rudeness."
"Oh..." Mary drank the ice water and felt her pores relax. Her mood also improved. "Then why don't you tell me about your plan, Lucy? I think you are articulate and your expression should be no worse than Stiyl's."
Perhaps because she had never been entrusted with an important task, Lucy felt unusually embarrassed.
She sat politely in front of Mary, chuckled and shook her head, "How could I know so much? Let my husband tell you. This is his hard work, no one knows better than him."
Lucy's refusal was so polite and firm that Mary had no choice but to give up.
They chatted casually for a while and made plans to go out and play, when they heard the sound of footsteps next door.
The house had poor sound insulation, and Mary could even hear Steele's yawning clearly.
Lucy happily ran to the next door to call Mr. Steele, asking him to change his clothes and come over quickly. He responded, and within five minutes, he came to Mary with a respectful look.
Without any formalities, Stephen Steele took out another large pile of papers covered with words. Combined with the unkempt stubble on his face, it was obvious that he had put in a lot of effort in the past two days.
"Ms. Mary, do you have a general understanding of this competition?"
"It's just a race across America. Am I right in summing it up that way?"
"That's right." Stiyl nodded. "I've already got a rough plan in mind for how to arrange the stages. To be honest, I've had quite a bit of life experience. I've traveled extensively, practically covering most of the United States, so I have a good understanding of the politics and customs of each state."
Mary sensed the other party's seriousness. He truly wanted to make this competition a success, and wasn't some scammer who'd just run away with the money.
Normally he looks like a good-tempered and somewhat weak man, but when talking about the game, he looks not only serious but also a bit strong.
"I understand why the president values this race so much. It's a race that will boost the national economy, unite the nation, and promote tourism." Mr. Steele, absorbed in selecting a few drafts, handed them to Mary. "This is the race section I've planned. Please review it. Because the purpose of this race is exploration, their course is set in pristine wasteland, which doesn't require significant expense... The key is how to accommodate the spectators..."
Because the competition venue is very dangerous, the audience often can't sit in the audience and watch how they compete. So I decided to borrow, borrow that..."
Mr. Steele suddenly forgot his words, sweating profusely. Lucy quickly stepped aside and added, "We've thought that using a hot air balloon for the broadcast would be a good idea. Firstly, it would allow us to verify that there's no cheating and that it's safe. Secondly, there would be civilian personnel aboard the balloon who could write down the battle situation and read it to the audience."
"Yes, that's right." With Lucy's help, Mr. Steele continued, "If there's space available to accommodate spectators, we could bring part of the race into the city. This would bring fresh blood to the restaurant industry and many other sectors. The riders could also get supplies in time."
After listening to their clear and logical arguments, Mary also became interested.
“So what are the requirements for the rider?”
"There are no requirements other than being sixteen or older... Anyone who can come is showing support for us and showing courage. We accept everyone, regardless of age, illness, or disability. However... they need to make it clear that death will occur, and the consequences are at their own risk."
There are bound to be casualties in the competition, especially in such an extreme challenge. Mary was not surprised to hear such words, but she still couldn't help but sigh in admiration for the courage of mankind.
“There are no restrictions on nationality at all?”
"No restrictions." Stiyl shook his head. "But whether we can promote it well enough and whether they are willing to come is still unknown."
He spread out the remaining paper. "Right now, the most difficult part isn't the race stages, because we don't need to repair the track. We just need to make sure it's passable. Our top priority right now is contacting the world's top horse racers to see if they're willing to participate and help promote our event."
They kept talking back and forth like this until it was almost evening, when they stopped.
Not to mention the passionate Steele, even Mary, who had no interest in horse racing, was excited and her blood was boiling, as if they were doing something groundbreaking.
"I will inform the president of this." Mary put those things away and prepared to hand them over to her old teammate Blackmoya, but she would still tell him orally in a few days.
"Our top priority right now is recruiting, right? Should we start interviews here tomorrow?"
"Don't worry, this is our job. Miss Mary, there's no need to worry." Stiyl took a few gulps of water before speaking hoarsely, "But we very much welcome Miss Mary to be an interviewer and help us select capable assistants."
"Okay." Mary grinned. "It's a deal."
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