Chapter 2

Chapter 2

July in Guangzhou was sweltering and muggy. A downpour had just ended, leaving the palm trees by the roadside swaying in the wind. Sunlight pierced through the clouds again, streaming through the glass and falling on Su He.

When he returned to the Su residence the night before, he was still covered in red wine stains, his hair damp and clumped together, looking like a mess.

The servants of the Su household only watched from a distance, not lifting a finger to help.

Following scraps of the original owner’s memories, Su He returned to his room only to find most of his belongings dumped like garbage at the door.

After cleaning himself up, he dug out a pillow from the "trash pile" and slept on the bare mattress for the night. Now, he pulled out a suitcase and began packing, stuffing in only a few clothes and the original owner’s essential documents.

Hushed whispers floated in from the doorway.

He glanced into the hallway outside and saw several servants huddled together, gawking at him.

They seemed unable to believe that after seeing his room in such disarray, Su He remained calm instead of throwing a fit—perhaps he was plotting something big.

Su He paused, then hooked his foot around the door and slammed it shut with a loud bang.

Silence swallowed the room.

Squatting on the floor, he pondered the future and saw nothing but a dead end ahead.

Yesterday’s phone call had been from Secretary Chen of the Sheng family, arranging a meeting.

According to the plot, the original owner, lured by power and money, had sold his soul to the major antagonist and was then planted as an assistant beside the protagonist, Sheng Jinyu—becoming Chairman Sheng’s spy in his son’s inner circle.

The original owner was a walking schemer, going to great lengths to commit every misdeed imaginable, and of course, met a gruesome end!

Because the male lead was no saint either. Upon discovering the traitor by his side, he acted without hesitation, his methods swift and ruthless.

Su He touched his still-intact limbs and sighed gloomily. Wouldn’t he be ground to dust?

Well, the original owner’s fate was indeed to be wiped off the map.

After much deliberation, Su He decided to go to the meeting and resign in person.

The renowned Chairman Sheng of the Sheng family in Guangzhou—what kind of person couldn’t he find? Surely, it didn’t have to be him!

As Su He wheeled his suitcase out the door, he passed by a trash bin at the entrance. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a tilted, transparent plastic fish tank inside. Half the water had already leaked out, and two dying goldfish were still struggling—a mirror of his own state.

Knowing their time was limited, yet unwilling to die just yet.

Su He simply took out the fish tank, refilled it with water, and placed it atop his suitcase before leaving.

As he walked into the living room, the sound of the front door opening echoed from the foyer.

A family of four returning home together was chatting and laughing, but the moment they saw him standing in the living room with his suitcase, their smiles froze.

Father Su’s face turned stormy. "Going on another business trip? Don’t rush off—we have something to discuss."

The original owner had never been well-liked in the Su family. Raised by his grandmother from a young age, his bond with the Su couple barely had a connection. After his grandmother’s passing, he was brought back home, only for the family to welcome a younger brother.

The original owner had channeled all his intelligence into underhanded tricks to draw attention, only to drive himself further apart from his parents.

The young man standing beside the couple was likely their biological son, the spitting image of Mother Su.

The woman patted her son’s hand absentmindedly and sent him upstairs. Then, the couple stood sternly before Su He, adopting the posture of an inquisition.

They knew their eldest son was clever and cunning. Seeing his belongings thrown out of his room, he must have understood their stance. With Su He’s temperament, he would never let it go quietly.

He was absolutely going to kick up a storm, clinging to them like chewing gum on their shoe!

Mother Su, anticipating this, preempted him. "Ah He, don’t take this personally. We’ve raised another’s son for so many years without mistreating you."

"Even if you don’t want to leave, there’s no way around it. This matter must be resolved," Father Su added.

The two took turns speaking, as if certain he would argue back, leaving Su He no room to interject.

Only the younger brother, still a child, seemed to realize the brother who had grown up with him was being driven away. Clinging to Mother Su’s waist, he threw a tantrum, trying to use his tears to make his parents keep Su He.

This only deepened the couple’s misunderstanding. They assumed Su He was leveraging his younger brother’s affection, coaxing him to plead on his behalf while shedding a few tears to play the victim—naively thinking he could guilt-trip them into relenting. Their anger flared.

"Su He, don’t be so ungrateful. You’ll only embarrass everyone," Father Su said, adopting his usual lecturing tone.

"We’ve already bent over backwards for you. Are you afraid no one will give you money once you leave the Su family? Fine, here—"

Father Su’s hand was already in his pocket, ready to pull out the card he had prepared to buy Su He out, when Su He shook his head and smiled gently. "You’ve misunderstood. I don’t want money. My luggage is already packed."

He checked his phone—the taxi he had booked had arrived at the gate. Looking up, he said, "I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving."

"What!?"

Father and Mother Su exchanged bewildered glances. Their troublesome eldest son wasn’t demanding money and was willingly leaving without a fuss?

The couple froze, exchanging uncertain looks. Was this another one of Su He’s delaying tactics?

"You’re right. I should be thanking you for your care all these years. Oh, and I didn’t take much—just some documents and a change of clothes. Would you like me to open the suitcase for inspection?"

Su He smiled, his eyes curving, not a shred of nostalgia left.

He quickly pushed the suitcase forward and crouched to unlock it.

Father Su sputtered, the "thank you" sounding anything but sincere. Mother Su, floundering, waved her hand and stammered, "No, no need."

Before leaving, Su He bowed deeply to them. Though he hadn’t grown up in this broken home, it had still raised this body to adulthood.

Watching Su He’s retreating figure, Mother Su’s face fell with guilt. She glanced at her husband, her face troubled. "...Did we go too far?"

Father Su snorted, folding his arms with certainty. "This is just an act. He’s playing the victim. He definitely has another trick up his sleeve—we’d better keep our guards up."

Su He, who had barely made it to the taxi on time, let out a sigh of relief. The Su family’s villa district was so large that outside cars weren’t allowed in, forcing him to run all the way out.

Two hours later, standing in a study within the Sheng family estate, Su He came to a cold realization: this major antagonist truly had no one else but him.

The moment Su He expressed his refusal to continue their collaboration, the middle-aged man behind the pearwood desk looked up, his smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Mr. Su, do you find the pay not good enough?"

Seeing that eerie smile, Su He immediately imagined the countless expendable lackeys who had been offed by the antagonist for saying the wrong thing. He suddenly felt his days might be numbered.

He gave a wry smile. Well, good—the sooner it’s over, the better.

At this point, anything he said would be wrong anyway!

Chairman Sheng observed Su He’s calm, confident smile and exchanged a glance with Secretary Chen, who stood nearby. Even Secretary Chen was impressed—this man truly was something else, having the guts to haggle in front of Chairman Sheng. He definitely had potential.

Secretary Chen chuckled. "Mr. Su, you truly are a smart man. We don’t employ those we doubt—we sought you out because we believe in your capabilities. As long as the job is done well, money’s no object."

Su He blinked: O.O? Wait, you trust me?

"But if Mr. Su still insists on backing out midway, this matter won’t be easy to discuss," Secretary Chen said with a gentle smile.

Anyone could hear the underlying threat in those words. The Sheng Group, the dominant corporate empire in the entire novel, though transplanted from outside, had already established itself as a near-untouchable presence in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou, flanked by the sea on two sides, was dotted with ports and faced the high-value Jinsha Island across the water. Thirty years ago, the Sheng family had relocated from the island to Guangzhou, putting down roots and dominating commerce between the two regions.

Originally, Jialai Tech under the Su family could be considered a leading enterprise in Guangzhou, but compared to the century-old Sheng family, they were not even comparable.

Squashing a bug like him would be all too easy.

If he refused, they might not let him leave alive. Su He simply nodded without saying a word.

Whatever.

If this path didn’t work, he could just find a way to make the protagonist reject him later!

Su He psyched himself up before following Secretary Chen out of the study. The secretary doled out instructions in pieces, which Su He listened to attentively, like a student cramming for exams.

"Young Master just returned from abroad yesterday. He injured his arm in a racing accident recently, so he's likely to be testy. If you can successfully stay by his side, that’ll be the first step to success."

Secretary Chen led the way while speaking.

Su He barely remembered the protagonist—his attention had been focused on the side character sharing his name, and he’d skimmed through much of the plot.

His only impression of the protagonist was that this young master had once been a celebrity racer before being called back by his villainous father to inherit the family business, derailing his racing career.

His temper was notoriously bad, and…

In the future, this man might even hang him up and break his limbs!

"So, where are we going now…?" Su He asked quietly.

Secretary Chen smiled. "To meet the young master."

Su He couldn’t help but touch his own hand again.

This wasn’t meeting a young master—this was meeting the actual Devil incarnate!

Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of an estate.

Su He stepped out and was greeted by an expansive equestrian grounds. The orange glow of dusk reflected in his eyes as he watched the sun sink unobstructed below the horizon.

Following Secretary Chen into the stables, he was hit by a mix of air freshener and the faint scent of livestock, making his nose crinkle. Most of the horses were solid black or white, their forms sleek and coats glossy, lined up as they were fed by the grooms.

In one of the stalls stood a tall, long-legged man who seemed to be… doing farrier work?

That had to be the protagonist—Sheng Jinyu, Chairman Sheng’s only son.

Su He was certain because Sheng Jinyu’s appearance and aura were far too striking, lavishly described by the original author—you couldn't miss him.

Having likely just finished riding, the man still wore the lower half of his riding attire, his straight, long legs tucked into tall boots. His upper body was wearing nothing but a black fitted shirt, pulled tight by well-defined muscles.

His movements were slow, likely because his right forearm was braced, robbing him of strength. The coordination between his hands was out of sync.

An injury requiring that level of support had to be no less than a fracture—yet here he was, openly engaging in such activities?

What a hardass!

Su He stayed silent as Secretary Chen took a deferential position near Sheng Jinyu. "Young Master, this is the assistant Chairman Sheng has selected for you—Mr. Su."

"Hello, Mr. Sheng. My name is Su He," Su He followed up politely.

But after he spoke, the man gave no reaction, merely raising his eyes to glance at him—if he even registered his presence at all.

His crouching motion tugged his collar downward, revealing a glimpse of a black tattoo. Though the full design wasn’t visible, combined with Sheng Jinyu’s sharp features and cropped hair, the tattoo just made him look even less like a decent person.

Sheng Jinyu’s injured hand steadied the horse’s leg while his good one held a hoof knife, painstakingly scraping off overgrown keratin. Occasionally, he exchanged a few words in French with the farrier behind him.

Basically snubbing the two living people standing there.

Just as bad-tempered as the book described…

Su He thought to himself and averted his gaze.

Secretary Chen had probably expected this. He took a step back and glanced at Su He, the look clearly saying, *Now it’s your turn.*

Su He blinked, his hands unconsciously fidgeting as he searched for an opening to speak.

Sheng Jinyu and the farrier chatted intermittently, though it was mostly the farrier talking while Sheng Jinyu only occasionally responded, as if his words were metered out like gold and each one had to be weighed carefully.

So Su He watched those veined hands as they worked on the horse’s hooves.

Sheng Jinyu seemed to have OCD—every cut was calculated to the degree, his technique clean and precise. Filmed and posted online, it might even go viral as ASMR material.

Time ticked by until Su He was almost nodding off—only for the light before him to be blocked by a tall shadow.

He looked up to find Sheng Jinyu standing two steps away, staring coldly at him.