Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Turning the corner of the hallway, the smoking area was just ahead. But Sheng Jinyu suddenly stopped, causing Yan Yichen, who was right behind him, to nearly step on his heels. Yan Yichen asked, bewildered, "Why aren't you going in—"

"Hush," Sheng Jinyu whispered, raising a finger to his lips.

Behind the wall, two men in suits were deep in conversation about business. Their rambling inevitably led to tonight's guest of honor. Taking turns, they launched into a full-blown character assassination of Sheng Jinyu—

They called him idle and irresponsible, mocked him for risking his life racing and deservedly breaking his arm, and claimed the Sheng family would decline once it fell into his hands.

As they grew more animated, they egged each other on, using their belittlement of someone in a higher position to elevate their own status. The entire smoking area was filled with sneers and ridicule.

Their timing couldn't have been worse—they heard everything they shouldn't have. Yan Yichen was speechless. Just as he was about to speak up, Sheng Jinyu grabbed his arm and signaled that the people inside were about to come out.

The door to the smoking area swung open. The two gossiping men froze, their eyes widening in shock. Running into the very person they had just badmouthed sent a cold sweat down their spines.

But they recovered quickly, immediately plastering on warm, ingratiating smiles, like rats with oily grins. They flattered Sheng Jinyu for his talent and virtue, even offering to follow the young master inside and light his cigarette.

"With Young Master Sheng at the helm, the Sheng family has nothing to worry about. But you must take care of your health—after all, health is wealth..."

Sheng Jinyu remained expressionless, his tone indifferent. "Uncle Zhao looks radiant. Could it be that this door has some kind of magic?"

The man addressed as Uncle Zhao stiffened, giving a strained laugh as he waved his hands. "Ah, no such thing. It's just my old face, perhaps..."

Before he could finish, Sheng Jinyu’s open revulsion cut him off. "Otherwise, how could you be one way inside and another way out?"

The two men instantly paled, their tongues tied as they stammered out explanations.

Sheng Jinyu ignored them and turned to enter the smoking area. Yan Yichen, stifling a laugh, followed. Before the door closed, he glanced back at the two men scampering off like scalded rats and found the whole thing laughably pathetic.

Then Sheng Jinyu suddenly looked at him and said, "Weren't you curious about what kind of person he is?"

Yan Yichen knew he was referring to the new assistant and raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

Sheng Jinyu glanced in the direction the two men had disappeared and said flatly, "He's just like the rest of them."

People like this swarmed around Sheng Jinyu like flies. No matter what they truly thought of him or what ulterior motives they harbored, in front of him, they all put on the same act—friendly, warm, and full of flattery.

Su He was no exception. Despite scheming tirelessly to ruin him, he insisted on playing the role of a meek little lamb.

Sycophantic and obsequious, indistinguishable from truth or lies.

·

Su He spent the entire day alone in his guest room in the villa. He had already packed his belongings, though he hadn't brought much to begin with. The room looked almost the same as when he first arrived.

Only the desk was now fully occupied—a small desk lamp with an eye-care setting, a few pens, and some notebooks. In the corner sat a small fish tank with the two goldfish he had brought from the Su family.

If he were to live here long-term, this desk would likely see more use than the bed.

Su He decided to go back to writing, figuring he might even earn some extra cash. Seeing the world before dying didn't sound too bad.

After an afternoon of writing, he looked up to find the sky outside had darkened.

He organized the five thousand words of handwritten draft, took photos with his phone, and used text recognition to transfer them into a document. If not for the host body's weak eyesight, he wouldn't have to go through such a tedious process.

While proofreading, he noted with irony that the protagonist of his story was also a skilled race car driver.

The thought inexplicably led him to Sheng Jinyu.

The man had slipped out quietly that afternoon, as if Su He didn't exist. But that was fine—as long as Sheng Jinyu didn't give him an opportunity, Su He had no way to betray him. He could rest easy.

After finishing the proofreading, he nonchalantly posted the draft to a website. Just as he exited, a notification popped up—his package had been delivered.

Yesterday, the organizers of an event the original owner had participated in called to ask for his address to mail the prize. Su He had no choice but to give them the address of Xiao Xie Yuan.

After all, it was the original owner’s belongings. He already felt guilty for occupying his life—he couldn't just throw them away.

Su He went to the living room and asked S037. Its system processed for a moment before answering, "Don't worry, Su He. Your items were probably stored as inventory items and placed in the warehouse with other deliveries."

"Can I go look for them?" Su He asked.

"Of course. I'll take you there."

S037 led him to the underground warehouse in the backyard. The space was enormous, filled almost entirely with boxes—it looked like a logistics center.

S037 had initially planned to stay and help Su He search, but the housekeeper arrived with the chef, requiring its assistance to confirm the evening’s menu.

Once S037 left, the vast space was empty except for him. His footsteps echoed clearly in the silence.

Following the inventory records S037 had provided, Su He moved row by row. Motion-activated lights blinked on as he passed. Finding a small item in such a massive warehouse was no easy task.

As he walked, Su He suddenly froze, pausing to listen.

Faint, odd, sporadic tapping sounds reached his ears. In the dead silence of the warehouse, the noise instantly lent an immediate creepiness.

Hadn't S037 said no one was here? Could it be...

Su He shrank back. He tried not to focus on the strange sound, but the more he avoided it, the clearer it became. Countless scenes from suspense and horror stories flooded his mind—if he didn't figure out the source, he probably wouldn't sleep tonight.

Clutching a folder in his hand, Su He cautiously moved toward the sound.

Rounding a shelf, he came upon a separate compartment. The source of the noise lifted his head and coldly glanced at the unwelcome visitor.

Some tension left his shoulders at the sight of him, and Su He slowly lowered the folder.

At least it was a person—though facing Mr. Sheng might be its own kind of terror.

Su He took a few steps forward and asked with concern, "Mr. Sheng, do you need help?"

The dim warehouse light cast sharp shadows across Mr. Sheng’s face, accentuating his sharp features.

He sat casually on a cardboard box, tinkering with a machine component as if trying to repair it. But with his injured right hand too weak to grip properly, he had been wrestling with it in frustrated silence.

Mr. Sheng scarcely spared him a look before ignoring him entirely, returning to his task.

"Alright then," Su He said under his breath. Without lingering, he turned and continued his search.

Now there were two people in the warehouse.

The intermittent tapping sounds paradoxically soothed Su He.

He soon found what he was looking for. Using a box cutter, he opened the package to reveal a crystal trophy and a certificate of award.

Su He crouched on the ground, holding the trophy up to the light. The beam passed through the crystal, casting starburst patterns onto the floor. As he turned the trophy, the stars shifted, dancing like a river of stars.

He smiled, collected his prize, and started back. The relentless tapping persisted, growing fainter with distance.

Hesitating briefly, he retraced his steps.

Su He stood beside Sheng Jinyu and didn't ask again if he needed help. Instead, he simply said, "Could you move over a bit? I'd like to sit down too."

Sheng Jinyu didn’t even look up. "There’s so much space here, and you insist on sitting right here?"

"Then I’ll just squat." Su He set the things in his hands aside and casually squatted down next to Sheng Jinyu, resting his hands on his knees and craning his neck curiously.

What Sheng Jinyu was holding looked like a car engine, though judging by its size, it was probably a model car engine, about the length of half a forearm.

Su He stared at it intently, completely unaware that Sheng Jinyu was also watching him. Sheng Jinyu narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing at this overly familiar stranger with a cold glare—though all he could see was the top of Su He’s head.

His cold glare had absolutely no effect on its target.

Su He just kept watching quietly, making no further moves. Sheng Jinyu, too annoyed to engage with him further, returned to his work.

The accident had broken his right forearm and caused bruised muscles. Shattered windshield glass had pierced his palm, damaging tendons and bones, leaving Sheng Jinyu not only with weakened arm strength but also reduced finger dexterity.

Despite his efforts to minimize errors caused by his fingers, he still failed to align properly nine times out of ten.

A thin layer of sweat had formed on Sheng Jinyu’s forehead, and a sudden irritation flared in his chest—especially because Su He was watching so intently… at the object in his hands, as if completely engrossed.

After a long silence, Sheng Jinyu lifted his head expressionlessly. "Don’t you have anything better to do?"

Su He nodded honestly. "Yeah, I don’t have anything to do."

Sheng Jinyu gave a cold, mirthless chuckle.

The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, the movement almost imperceptible, but the chill in his tone was unmistakable. "Sheng Zonglan really is paying you too easily. Go to the collection room and clean every single model. If you don’t finish, no dinner for you."

His words were clearly meant to provoke, and anyone could tell he was trying to provoke.

Right now, Sheng Jinyu just wanted to make him leave—he didn’t want to see those eyes for even a second longer.

"Okay."

Without a single complaint, Su He immediately stood up and walked around him, pushing open the door to the collection room.

Sheng Jinyu watched him from the corner of his eye.

He knew exactly how many items were in his collection room, and he was fully aware of how impossible the task he’d just given was. The cleaning staff had once complained behind his back that he had too much money to burn—unfortunately for them, he’d overheard.

He just wanted to see how long Su He would keep pretending before finally snapping.

Su He’s gaze swept across the vast space, his eyes going wide with awe at the sight of display cases covering all four walls.

He couldn’t help but let out an appreciative murmur, his tone tinged with envy. "So many racing car models—they’re beautiful. I’ve heard that many competitions award custom models based on the actual cars the drivers raced. Are there any models here of cars you’ve driven, Mr. Sheng?"

He looked left and right, fascinated. When it came to racing cars, Su He had only ever experienced them through a screen—those roaring beasts of adrenaline. He’d always hoped to one day attend a race in person.

But before he could hear Sheng's answer—

*Bang!*

The sharp slam of the door cut him short.