“Move aside.”

Sheng Jingyu didn’t bother to explain further and just waited for Su He to comply.

Su He’s prepared speech fell apart. He instinctively looked around and realized he was standing next to a horse’s rear end. A sleek black tail was anxiously swishing back and forth.

This usually meant the horse was anxious or nervous and might attack.

He quickly moved aside, putting more distance between himself and Sheng Jingyu.

Su He secretly observed the man who might decide his fate in the future, holding his breath to see what he’d do next. But Sheng Jingyu didn’t look his way again.

As time passed, Su He relaxed a bit and cautiously craned his neck to see what Sheng Jingyu was doing.

The horse’s hooves were well-maintained, clearly regularly groomed, but the hoof rot was severe, covering almost half of the hoof with a foul-smelling discharge that attracted flies.

As Sheng Jingyu stopped to carefully inspect, the hoof trimmer explained that all the horses at the stable were regularly trimmed and checked, so such recurring issues shouldn’t occur.

Su He squatted down to observe the hoof rot closely, pointing at it with concern.

“If regular checks can’t find the cause, maybe something’s stuck deep inside the hoof that can’t be seen. I once had a foal like that when I was a kid. Due to the trainer’s negligence, it ended up with a lame leg.”

Sheng Jingyu paused.

He finally turned his head to look at Su He, seeing him clearly for the first time.

Dressed in beige casual wear, with slightly long hair tucked behind his ears, his face was delicately handsome. His eyes, a deep brown similar to his eyebrows, resembled ink spilled on white roses.

Was this the person with such an innocent face who would plot against him, trip him up secretly, and betray him at a crucial moment?

Sheng Jingyu sneered.

A few days ago, after a car accident left him in a coma, he seemed to have a long dream. When he woke up, he had vague notions in his mind that he was the protagonist in a business war novel.

And this spy sent by his father would betray him in the future, using his position to make him pay a huge price!

He scrutinized Su He again and scoffed.

Unaware of this, Su He noticed Sheng Jingyu’s cold gaze, seemingly disapproving of his suggestion.

So Su He cautiously added, “It’s just… a suggestion.”

Unfortunately, Sheng Jingyu didn’t appreciate it. Instead, he slightly curled his lips and then turned to speak to the hoof trimmer.

The hoof trimmer’s face changed, glancing at Su He in panic, then hurriedly explaining to Sheng Jingyu, his lips trembling with anxiety.

Su He had minored in French during university and caught bits of the conversation. Sheng Jingyu was questioning the hoof trimmer’s daily work, and the trimmer was desperately explaining to avoid angering the boss.

!!!

What a big blame to shoulder!

Su He explained in his somewhat rusty French that he didn’t mean it that way, and the hoof trimmer, still shaken, looked at Su He with suspicion.

Finally, Sheng Jingyu spoke to him, his tone light and slow, “Did you understand?”

“Hey, I didn’t mean that. You misunderstood.” Su He sighed, nodding seriously.

He didn’t want to cause someone to lose their job, so he kindly said to Sheng Jingyu, “Aren’t we trying to solve the problem? If your goal is to fix the hoof, just try it. If it works, I won’t charge you.”

His expression was earnest, his round eyes blinking with sincerity, a blood-red mole on his nose standing out against his fair skin, like a flower’s stamen.

It made people want to touch it gently with their fingertips to see if it would bloom into a blood-red flower.

Staring at the little red mole for a while, Sheng Jingyu snapped back to reality. He didn’t speak, but his face seemed even colder.

Secretary Chen, on the other hand, was surprised. In the past, Sheng Jingyu never spared his words, and he himself had been a victim many times. Yet, here was someone who left Sheng Jingyu speechless.

This Mr. Su really had something!

But even if he was slow, Su He vaguely sensed that Sheng Jingyu seemed to have an issue with him, even though they had just met.

Could it be that the original owner had offended him before?

However, Su He was right. Sheng Jingyu found a nail head inside the hoof. Judging by its size and shape, it must have embedded when the horse was a foal, causing continuous friction and decay.

Seeing the foreign object removed, Su He was genuinely happy for the horse. It could live well now.

Turning his head, he accidentally met Sheng Jingyu’s scrutinizing gaze.

Su He smiled, his eyes curving, as if to say, “See, I was right!”

To Sheng Jingyu, this smile seemed insincere. He couldn’t be bothered with someone who hid a venomous heart behind a fake smile. He tossed the hoof trimmer’s knife aside, leaving the rest to the trimmer, then moved to the front of the horse, wrapping his arm around its neck and pulling its head into his embrace.

The nail was embedded deep, grown into the flesh, and removing it would be excruciating.

Once the trimmer got to work, he swiftly pulled it out. The horse, in pain, struggled violently.

But Sheng Jingyu held it firmly, prepared for this.

The horse neighed continuously in his arms. He stroked its mane back and forth, as if comforting it, but his face remained expressionless, making the gesture seem strange.

Su He noticed that Sheng Jingyu was a contradictory person. He would personally fix a hoof and comfort a frightened horse, yet his indifferent demeanor suggested he didn’t care about these living beings.

He would even frame others and throw dirt on them…

How excessive!

After everything was done, Sheng Jingyu removed his gloves and glanced at Secretary Chen.

“Report back to your master and tell him I want the person.” His tone was indifferent, with a hint of sarcasm, making Secretary Chen sound like a high-ranking palace eunuch.

What? How come he wants him!

Su He looked around, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, wanting to speak but holding back.

Secretary Chen nodded knowingly, not caring if Sheng Jingyu was serious or not. His task was complete: getting Sheng Jingyu to accept Su He.

He gave Su He, standing a step away, a look, then turned to leave.

Su He frowned slightly, watching Secretary Chen’s departing figure with frustration, unable to voice his anger at this finalized deal.

Their silent exchange was noticed by a third party. Sheng Jingyu’s gaze shifted between Su He and Secretary Chen, letting out a soft snort. How blatant, plotting against him without even trying to hide it.

He pushed away the horse’s head, looking down at Su He with a cold voice, “Assistant Su.”

At first, Su He didn’t realize he was being addressed. Seeing Sheng Jingyu staring at him, he remembered he was now this man’s assistant and looked over.

“My father values you, so you must be quite capable.”

Sheng Jingyu, sparing his words, stood alone before Su He, blocking the sunset and making Su He seem cornered.

Standing close, Su He caught a faint medicinal scent from him, forcing him to step back, his heart starting to race.

As a humanities student, he knew nothing about business management. If he had to deal with financial reports or plans, wouldn’t he be exposed?

Then Sheng Jingyu continued, “Unfortunately, I don’t lack assistants at the company. But I do need someone at home. Can you handle that?”

Sheng Jingyu had already investigated Su He’s background: a business master’s graduate from the top S University, someone who valued fame and face.

Depriving him of work opportunities and making him linger in a man’s house would be more painful than death.

Sheng Jingyu’s lips slightly curled, his expression both amused and oppressive.

But Su He’s eyes lit up. Household work was much simpler, and as long as he didn’t do anything against Sheng Jingyu, he shouldn’t meet a tragic end.

He cheerfully nodded, “Of course, I can. No problem!”

Sheng Jingyu was taken aback.

He hadn’t expected Su He to agree so readily, his brow furrowing subtly.

Worried that Sheng Jingyu might think he couldn’t do it and cut him off in a fit of rage, Su He quickly added, “I’m good at taking care of people. I can cook, clean, do acupuncture, and massage. I’ve also cared for patients, so you don’t have to worry.”

This reminded Sheng Jingyu of what he had said to Secretary Chen yesterday. His comment about Su He warming his bed was just a flippant remark, but this person seemed genuinely interested in being part of his personal life.

This differed from the plot he knew, and Sheng Jingyu narrowed his eyes.

Alright, the opponent had changed strategies. Things were getting interesting.

“Fine.”

He casually dialed his assistant’s number, skipping any pleasantries, “Fang Cheng, come to the stable to pick someone up… Who?”

Su He stood there honestly, watching as Sheng Jingyu glanced at him with a hint of malicious amusement, coldly saying, “Someone to warm my bed.”

After hanging up, Sheng Jingyu tossed out a “Wait here,” then led his horse past Su He, heading inside with the hoof trimmer.

Left behind, Su He watched the man’s back for a couple of seconds, clenched his fist, and angrily mimed punching the air, as if that could knock Sheng Jingyu’s head off.

Then he muttered to himself, “You’re overthinking it. I’m not warming anyone’s bed.”

He didn’t dare wander off, afraid the person coming wouldn’t find him, so he found a chair to sit on. Before anyone arrived, he got a call.

The caller ID showed just the character “Jing,” likely Lin Jing, upset about yesterday and calling to argue. Su He didn’t want to answer but felt he should end things with this person.

When he picked up, Lin Jing’s initial questioning was restrained, but he grew increasingly angry. This ex-boyfriend of the original owner had always presented a gentle and elegant image, but now he couldn’t hold it in, his voice so loud that Su He had to hold the phone away, still hearing the questioning and threats.

He waited for Lin Jing to finish venting, idly picking at things.

Finally, when the other end quieted, Su He seized the chance to say, “Mr. Lin, let’s break up. Don’t call me again.”

Without waiting for a response, he hung up and swiftly blocked Lin Jing, his fingers flying across the screen.

Lin Jing, predictably furious, began bombarding Su He’s WeChat with voice messages.

But Su He didn’t even open them, immediately reporting and blocking Lin Jing’s accounts on all platforms, moving with lightning speed.

After a while, the phone finally quieted, and Su He slowly exhaled.

Cutting ties with his cold-hearted family and scummy ex, his life should be able to start anew… right?