The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

If it weren't for the fact that he for some reason never pushed himself to the limit, Megumi Ardan would be practically perfect...

Wait... something seems to be connected...

As soon as Xiu Xingmeng finished speaking, she immediately realized a connection. An extremely terrifying thought sprouted in her mind, leaving her momentarily at a loss. She could only look at Mu Bai Gaofeng with disbelief, hoping that Mu Bai Gaofeng would not reveal what she had just guessed.

But her hopes were ultimately dashed. Faced with Xiu Xingmeng's words, Mu Bai Gaofeng rebuked her sharply.

"Who's lying to you! Everyone in the Meguro family knows that Aldan is fragile; that's why she retired!"

When Meguro Takamine shouted those words, Xiuxing Meng's long-standing doubts were finally resolved.

However, this time was the one time she least wanted to unravel the mystery.

Chapter 210 The Peak of Pressure

Xiu Xingmeng sat silently in the back seat. The atmosphere inside the car was so quiet it sent chills down one's spine. Even the seasoned driver couldn't help but swallow hard, forcibly diverting his attention away from the two people in the rearview mirror.

"What exactly happened with Aldan...?"

Now that things had come to this, Xiu Xingmeng finally understood why Megumi Ardan, who so desperately wanted to return to the arena, didn't try. She had originally thought that he just had a mental problem, but she didn't expect the situation to be much more serious than she had imagined.

Meguro Mineki also dropped his excited demeanor and leaned back in his seat, almost groaning as he spoke.

"Glass feet, that's what we call Aldan."

"She has been frail and sickly since birth and is extremely prone to injury, making her completely unsuitable for the competition."

Xiu Xingmeng's brows remained furrowed, never relaxing from the moment she realized the truth.

Hearing Megumi's words, the furrows between her brows deepened, as if she wanted to etch all her confusion and unease into those deep lines.

"Then why did you still let her become a racehorse girl and participate in the Emperor's Sho? For that so-called Emperor's Sho, the Hakume family has become so ruthless that they don't even care about the lives of their descendants?!"

Hearing the obvious sarcasm in her words, Megumi Takamine wanted to retort angrily, but she swallowed her words before they could come out. In the end, she could only sigh and respond helplessly.

“Since what happened to your mother, the family has stopped forcing its descendants to pursue the Emperor’s reward.”

"Aldan stepped onto the field because of her own strong desire, and there was nothing we could do to stop her."

Seeing that Mubai Gaofeng used his mother as an example, Xiu Xingmeng coldly snorted before speaking.

"You knew the truth all along, didn't you? Now you're finally not going to pretend anymore?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you I only recently managed to get this out of my grandmother, would you..."

During this period, Meguro Takamori not only had to face the overwhelming public opinion, but also had to find a way to find out the truth from the current head of the family, Meguro Asama.

Under such pressure, even Meguro Mineki, who had been groomed to be the heir to the family head since childhood, felt physically and mentally exhausted.

She had actually noticed long ago that Meguro Ardan left home every day, but she simply didn't have the energy to find out more. It wasn't until yesterday, when Meguro Ardan collapsed due to a flare-up of his glass foot, that she finally learned the truth.

The feud between the Northern and Meguro families, the entanglement between Xiuxing Meng herself and her grandmother Meguro Asahi, and Meguro Ardan's sudden hospitalization piled up, making it almost impossible for Meguro Takamine to breathe.

But she was also the designated candidate for head of the family, so no matter how exhausted she was, she had to put on a calm and collected appearance in the eyes of outsiders. Perhaps only in front of Xiu Xingmeng, with whom she had argued countless times, could she vent her pent-up emotions as she had just done.

After releasing the pent-up pressure in his heart through an intense and unreserved conversation with Xiuxingmeng, Megumi felt that he had calmed down a lot.

At the same time, she also believed that the other person felt the same way.

Although they always seemed to clash whenever they met, it was precisely these arguments that allowed Megumi Takamine to understand the person of Hideyuki.

Although she may be affected by her emotions at the moment, she is still able to make a calm judgment in the end.

Therefore, no matter how much she dislikes the Mejiro family or how much she doubts herself, she will definitely listen to and seriously consider and analyze their words.

This time, Megumi Takamine is going to tell Xiuxingmeng everything she knows, and she believes that after thinking it over, Xiuxingmeng will be able to sense the truth in her words.

"My grandmother, Megumi Asama, the current head of the Megumi family, is the one who caused all of this."

"Whether it was sending me to the Northern family to bring you back, or hinting to my subordinates to take you to Meguro Aldan, it was all her doing behind the scenes. I only found out about that press conference after it was over."

Xiu Xingmeng merely snorted coldly upon hearing this, speaking with a hint of disdain.

"Are you trying to shift all the blame onto one person? Or are you trying to say that you're also a fool who's been manipulated?"

"I don't believe someone like you wouldn't have noticed anything."

Meguro Mineki closed his eyes, leaned his head back on the seat, and said in a tired voice.

"Perhaps, people always tend to embellish their image, whether consciously or unconsciously."

"I can't say I didn't notice anything, but at that time I really didn't know about the past grievances. In my opinion, there wouldn't be any problem bringing you back, who has the bloodline of the Mejiro family."

Xiu Xingmeng didn't relentlessly pursue Mubai Gaofeng, since how much she actually knew back then was no longer the key issue.

Let's just assume that's how it is for now.

"So you mean that all of this trouble was caused by Megumi Asama alone?"

Upon hearing this, Meguro Takamori shook his head and said...

"How could that be? Although she is the head of the family, the Mejiro family is not a one-man show. There are quite a few elders with the same seniority as her. No matter what, the head of the family would not do such a big thing without their knowledge."

"Holding a press conference like this, which puts the Meguro family's reputation at risk, would not have happened without their permission."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Based on my deduction, it's likely that your grandmother concealed your past and then reached some kind of agreement with the other elders, which is why they silently supported the holding of the press conference."

"However, because of what you said after the Spring Emperor's Gift, that subtle understanding has long since disappeared. Grandmother has been subjected to a lot of criticism and harshness from other elders in the family these past few months."

Meguro Takamine directed all the conversation to Meguro Asama's situation, without mentioning himself.

In fact, as the granddaughter of Megumi Asama, her qualifications as the heir to the family head have been questioned countless times.

In the past few months, she has not only faced pressure from the outside world, but also impeachment from within her family. Even Megumi Takamine couldn't help but feel exhausted.

Meguro Takamori's sincerity eased Xiu Xingmeng's anger somewhat. Although he didn't say it, she could tell that Meguro Takamori's situation had been precarious these past few months.

If all of this was done by Megumi Asama without anyone's knowledge, then Megumi Takamori, who suffered an undeserved disaster, was indeed quite unlucky.

Therefore, Xiu Xingmeng's tone softened slightly, and she was no longer so aggressive.

"I'll talk to Megumi Asama myself first."

Meguro Mineko nodded in response.

"I'll take you to see Aldan after you've finished talking. You must have been very worried about her disappearing for a day."

Chapter 211 A Lifetime's Worth of Compensation

Several months later, Xiu Xingmeng came to the Megumi family again. Unlike before, when she was searching for the truth in a daze, this time she had enough information in her hands.

Today, Xiu Xingmeng will make a final decision between the Megumi family and Megumi Asahi.

Following behind Meguro Takamine, Xiuxing Meng arrived at the dark brown door once again. Meguro Takamine opened the door for her but did not go in. Instead, he whispered something to Xiuxing Meng.

"Go ahead, this is between you two."

Xiu Xingmeng didn't respond and walked into the office without looking back.

With a dull thud as the door closed, Megumi Asama, who had been facing away from it, finally turned around. After staring at Xiuxingmeng for a long time, she slowly took off her green beret, revealing her mark as a racehorse girl.

The two remained silent for a long time, so long that it seemed as if time itself had stood still in this small world. The unsettling silence made the air in the office increasingly stuffy, almost suffocating.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiu Xingmeng, who had been gazing at Mu Baiqianjian, finally spoke slowly.

"How does it feel to have a failed plan?"

Clearly, she was referring to Meguro Asama's plan to use a press conference to transform Kita Hoshimu into Meguro Hoshimu.

Megumi touched the brim of the green beret in her hand and responded softly.

“I thought Aldan would give you at least a day to hesitate.”

"If I had been given a little more time to prepare, perhaps things wouldn't have ended up like this today."

Looking into the other person's eyes, which showed no remorse whatsoever, Xiu Xingmeng said coldly and expressionlessly.

"If? How old is he to still say something like that?"

Faced with Xiu Xingmeng's sarcasm, Mu Baiqian was not angry at all. She even chuckled and nodded.

"you're right."

In fact, she had made a backup plan to prevent today's outcome. She had given some information to Kentaro Sugimoto through the form that Xiuxingmeng used to register for the Emperor's Spring Appreciation. Meguro Asama had already investigated this person and felt that, given his character, he would definitely tell Xiuxingmeng.

If he had provided a buffer, Xiu Xingmeng wouldn't have said those irreparable things in front of the reporters, and perhaps Mu Baiqian's plan would have succeeded.

Unfortunately, just as Xiu Xingmeng said, it's a bit ridiculous for someone of her age to use "what ifs" to argue, so Mubai Qianjian didn't refute her.

After placing the green beret in front of him on the table, Asama, with his hands on the table, spoke seriously to Xiuxingmeng.

"But I don't think you came here to mock an old woman."

"Is there anything you want to ask?"

Xiu Xingmeng didn't stand on ceremony and answered her directly.

"everything."

Hearing her brief response, Mubai Qianjian pondered for a moment, as if considering how to begin.

A few seconds later, she nodded to Xiu Xingmeng, gestured for Xiu Xingmeng to sit across from her at the table, and then said.

"You must have heard a lot about your mother from Aldan and the Northern family."

Any comments?

"The greedy Mejiro family disregarded his mother's health and forced her to compete in order to win the Emperor's Prize. What do you think of this assessment?"

To Xiu Xingmeng's surprise, Mu Baiqianjian nodded in agreement after listening.

“I think you’re absolutely right… So, since your mother, although the Mejiro family is still obsessed with the Emperor’s Prize, they will no longer let their descendants pay such a high price for her.”

"That's truly something to celebrate. The lesson learned from abandoning a mother who only had half Mejiro blood is enough to wake the Mejiro family up, without having to pay a price. That's really great."

Faced with Xiu Xingmeng's sarcasm, Mu Baiqianjian shook her head this time.

"You underestimate your mother. Her passing was an extremely painful loss for both the Northern family and the Mejiro family."

"The Northern family lost the best heir of that generation as a result, and the Mejiro family wasted more than a decade because of her departure, until recently it finally began to recover."

"She was supposed to become the next racehorse girl to win the Emperor's Prize after Mejiro Titan, but she lost her life because of my misjudgment..."

At this point, a look of deep regret welled up in Mu Baiqian’s eyes. This old woman, who had been calmly communicating with Xiu Xingmeng since she entered the room, finally couldn’t suppress the emotions she had kept hidden in her heart for many years after recalling the past.

"That's why I'm desperately trying to become the head of the Mejiro family, and then use that power to push for cooperation with the Northern family. Besides me, only a handful of people in the Mejiro family know about the limiter."

"What is this? Atonement?"

"At most, it was just my willfulness. It's too late to atone after everything has already happened."

Mu Baiqian gave a bitter smile as she looked at Xiu Xingmeng in front of her. Memories overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. Looking into those similar, stubborn eyes, she felt as if she had returned to the past before everything had happened.

"The only thing I can do is to do something to prove that she remains in the world."

"That's why I wanted to keep you in the Mejiro family..."

Xiu Xingmeng sneered upon hearing this and retaliated without hesitation.

"Isn't it for the Emperor's reward for consecutive victories?"

Mubai Qianjian shook his head, a mocking smile curving his lips as he spoke softly.

"Perhaps it's the same for my clansmen of the same generation. They are more concerned about your ability to win the Emperor's Prize for the Mejiro family than about you as a person."

"Are you going to shirk responsibility like Megumi Takamine? You two are truly a perfect example of grandfather and grandson."

“I didn’t mean to shirk anything. Your potential to win the Emperor’s Spring and Autumn Period Championship is also my bargaining chip. Without this bargaining chip, I wouldn’t have been able to convince those guys to agree.”

"Is the threshold for the Mejiro family really that high? I really didn't realize it."

"For what I want to do, the threshold needs to be this high."

Mu Baiqian paused for a moment, then looked into Xiu Xingmeng's eyes and said.

"I want you to inherit everything I have."

"……what?"

"Everything literally, my reputation, my property, all the power I have in the Mejiro family. Only if you become the Mejiro family's racehorse girl will those old fogies agree to hand it all over to you."

"According to them... it's probably because they can't hand over this wealth to anyone outside the Mejiro family, right? It's ridiculous. You clearly have Mejiro family blood in you, yet they still have reservations about it."

"..."

“I can do nothing more for your mother. Supporting your grandmother in completing the limiter is just a tiny, immeasurable compensation. I’ve thought about this for many years, and finally I feel that perhaps the only reasonable thing to do is to give you everything I have achieved in my life.”