The horse’s abnormality was caused by a sugar addiction. But where did the sugar addiction come from? It was the work of the “Equestrian Lao Ai.”
This equestrian club was the largest in City A. People who could afford to play polo or ride horses here were no ordinary individuals. Therefore, even for the position of a horse groom, many people fought tooth and nail to get in.
Xiao Liang was a newcomer who arrived two months ago. He was responsible for assisting the equine care specialists in looking after the horses of several VIP members.
Taxue initially didn’t like this new groom. However, Xiao Liang would secretly give the horses sugar—specifically, he gave Taxue the most. Taxue simply couldn’t resist the temptation of sugar, and its ego was stroked by the newcomer’s recognition of its status as the club’s “Big Brother.”
In just a few days, the “Second Brother” among the horses—the one with the second most noble bloodline—was won over by a newcomer. This naturally caused a small stir and made Su Ye look at the polite young man with newfound respect.
Moreover, Xiao Liang wasn’t just good with horses; he had a deep understanding of equestrianism. He could hold his own in conversations with many members and maintained good relationships. He got along best with Su Ye.
The two became friends through their shared love of horses, frequently discussing how to raise, feed, and interact with them. Before long, they became close friends despite the age gap. The two men and one horse often strolled through the paddocks—it was a picture of perfect leisure.
As their friendship deepened, Xiao Liang would occasionally vent about his career worries. Su Ye felt quite sympathetic and decided to help this talkative junior. He not only recommended him to a well-known financial firm but also introduced him to several influential contacts.
Xiao Liang was incredibly grateful. Even after leaving the club, he would visit the horses every few days to chat with Su Ye and continue secretly feeding them sugar. Naturally, Taxue still received the largest share.
Seeing that Taxue remained enthusiastic even though its time with Xiao Liang had decreased significantly, Su Ye felt even more convinced that this was a good lad and that he hadn’t misjudged him.
However—
“Brother Horse’s owner treated Xiao Liang as a junior and a friend, but Xiao Liang was lusting after his body!” Su Yi shook her head and sighed. “Truly, the world is declining, and people’s hearts are no longer what they used to be.”
She suppressed her laughter so hard her face began to cramp.
Good heavens, my old man actually has some moves left. Old Su is still in his prime with charm to spare~
“And he’s not just lusting after your dad’s body; he’s lusting after others’ bodies too. He’s had ‘deep exchanges’ with many guests. They’ve all helped him quite a bit and maintained contact even after he left the stables. I don’t know if your dad, Miss ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’… oh, sorry.”
Cheng Lele stood there as if petrified, incredulous. “What?!”
【The Caller’s Daddy: Young man, I recommended a good job to you, but you want to get on me?!】
【Hhhhhh, I knew it! I knew there was a melon to be eaten. This young guy is really dishonest. The old man treated him as a friend and helped him so much, and this is how he repays him?】
【It’s not just the old man—didn’t the streamer say there were many! Truly an Equestrian Lao Ai. And now he’s moved into finance? Impressive. In every profession, he manages to be the groom.】
【Just searched it: horses eating too much sugar can lead to tooth wear and gastrointestinal problems. This person is too loathsome—harming animals just to climb the social ladder.】
【The horse is so pitiful, the old man is so pitiful. Expose this villain!】
【Our Brother Horse is pitiful, but is the old man really pitiful? Did he really not notice the other’s intentions? A crusty old man being pined for by a vigorous young man… even if he’s a man, he might actually be enjoying it.】
【I also think the caller’s dad knew all along. Maybe they’ve already achieved ‘great harmony’ together.】
“I pride myself on my status, but in the face of temptation, I am just a common horse. I…” Taxue said remorsefully, its tone full of shame.
The unfinished words were completed by the spokesperson, the little sparrow: “Brother Horse wasn’t the only one being secretly fed sugar, but he’s the only one who developed a sugar addiction. He’s been dying for sugar these past few days. But after these few days, we’ve finally realized that this Xiao Liang guy is a piece of trash! He’s using Brother Horse to achieve his ulterior motives!”
“I’ve failed my master. Because of my greed, I’ve led him into the tiger’s den… Please tell my master’s daughter that he must be careful!” Taxue began kicking its legs and snorting again, looking very agitated.
Su Yi relayed the message sincerely. Cheng Lele snapped out of her daze, her face contorting with rage. “Where is this Liang person?!”
How dare such a filthy thing fantasize about my father!
Amidst her anger, an image involuntarily surfaced in her mind: under the setting sun, two men walking a horse and chatting, smiling at each other… She shook her head violently. Impossible. Dad couldn’t have known he was that kind of person. He couldn’t have… Dad must have been deceived!
“Miss Lele, why are you here? Did Professor Su come too?” A joyful voice suddenly came from behind.
Cheng Lele whipped her head around.
Xiao Liang was limping toward them with the help of a crutch. As he drew near, he realized something was wrong. Cheng Lele was glaring at him, while Taxue—who usually reared up excitedly upon seeing him—reared up as usual but let out a high-pitched, piercing cry.
“What’s wrong?” He tucked away his smile and asked cautiously. Was she unhappy that Taxue liked him, an outsider, more than her?
He had been in a minor car accident and couldn’t come for a few days. He was worried Taxue would go crazy from sugar withdrawal and that the stable staff would find out he had been secretly feeding it. He was anxious. He finally found a chance to come, but unfortunately, he ran into an angry Cheng Lele—
“Chirp chirp! I’ll peck you to death, you villain!”
Something screamed and lunged at his face. Terrified, he covered his face and stepped back, losing his balance and falling to the ground. He let out a cry of pain, enduring the agony in his leg while trying to drive away the bird that was frantically pecking at him.
Cheng Lele felt disgusted looking at his face. She wanted to interrogate him immediately, but before she could speak, the sparrow launched its attack.
Seeing the man sprawled miserably on the ground, she felt a wave of relief. She then remembered the livestream was still going and secretly rejoiced that the sparrow had provided a distraction.
“Alright, that’s it for this connection.” She decided to hang up immediately, but her movements were halted by a sudden commotion.
“Sir, you’re not a member, you can’t go in—”
“Get out of the way! I don’t care about memberships; I’m looking for my son!”
A loud, angry voice completely overpowered the staff members trying to block the way.
Hearing the voice, Xiao Liang cried out, “Dad?” He struggled to turn his head while propping himself up on the ground.
“You still know I’m your father! You little animal! You… you actually did such a thing!” Old Liang rushed up to him and delivered a heavy slap across the face. “No wonder you wouldn’t let your mother clean your room. It turns out you were hiding these things in the house!”
With his other hand, he threw a stack of photos and handwritten letters at him, which scattered all over the ground.
“If you like both women and men, we just assumed you were immature and messing around because you’re young. But fine—if you’re messing around, why take it seriously? Do you really want to spend your life with a man? And an old man with a family at that! You’re going to end the Liang family line! How can you face our ancestors?!”
“I didn’t want to believe it at first. I thought you were just confused. But you? You even ran here to find him with a broken leg! Do you have any idea what I was feeling as I followed you?!”
Xiao Liang pleaded desperately, “Dad, Dad, stop hitting me! Let’s go home, let’s talk at home!”
The sounds of cursing, hitting, and pleading for mercy were constant. The audience in the livestream was scratching their heads in excitement.
【A ‘bi-plug’ too?? Based on this, the family knew and expected him to carry on the lineage? Ptui!】
【What’s the situation, ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’? Are you there? Calling ‘Happy-Go-Lucky.’ The family members command you to lift the camera and point it at the crime scene! @Happy-Go-Lucky】
【Wow, Xiao Liang, Old Liang… if I’m not mistaken, the Equestrian Lao Ai has appeared, and his own father caught him messing around??】
【What exactly are ‘these things’? Is there something we ‘melon-eating’ masses aren’t allowed to see? Casting a spell to adjust the camera!】
【Little Su, tell this miss to adjust the camera! AHHH! Don’t you want to see?】
Su Yi: Who doesn’t want to see? Nobody!
But if she spoke up, the now-aware Cheng Lele would definitely hang up instantly. She could only listen to the audio and fill in the blanks in her mind. Su Yi sighed with regret.
A pile of photos and letters lay scattered on the ground. Cheng Lele approached and looked down. She felt like she was going blind—men and women of all types, various… bedroom photos!
The ones where they were dressed were especially conspicuous: solo photos of her father…
Cheng Lele’s blood pressure soared. She also wanted to rush up and give the man a slap, but her eyes caught a few words on a letter. Driven by some ghost or god, she picked it up. It was filled with expressions of love for her father and… eye-searing fantasies.
“You disgusting bastard!” She raised her hand and delivered a slap.
“Why are you hitting my son? I’m disciplining my son; what does it have to do with you?” Old Liang, panting from hitting his son, glared at her.
Cheng Lele was livid. She delivered another slap. “Your son actually dared to fantasize about my father! Disgusting!”
“Your father? This old man is your father? Fine! I was worried I couldn’t find you. Go back and tell your dad that at his age, he shouldn’t be out flaunting himself and seducing naive young people.” Old Liang refused to back down.
The hitting stopped, and the old man and the young woman began shouting at each other. The staff members stood there in a daze, acting like wooden posts.
Good heavens, what kind of chaotic drama is this?
Cheng Lele’s words were like a bolt of lightning. Xiao Liang, who was reeling from the blows, suddenly snapped to his senses and blurted out: “I truly love Professor Su! He’s the best, most perfect person I’ve ever met! I… I know he has a happy family, and I never thought I could actually be with him. I just… I just cherish the time I spend with him. He helped me so much, arranged a job for me, introduced me to people. Since I met him, every time I sleep with someone else, I’m thinking of him. I… I treat him as my mentor, as my father—”
He spoke quickly and incoherently, his rambling cut short by two more slaps.
“You treat him as your father? Then what am I?!”
“Get lost! Are you disgusting or what?!”
At this moment, Cheng Lele and Old Liang stopped shouting at each other and joined forces, beginning a tag-team beatdown on Xiao Liang.
Su Yi was doubled over with laughter in her chair, nimbly catching a drop of watermelon juice that was about to run down her chin. Her old man’s charm was certainly something.
【Holy crap, he can make a Lao Ai fall in ‘pure love’? How handsome is the caller’s dad? Is he not an old man, but a ‘DILF’?】
【Give me a break. What ‘pure love’? Talking about ‘true love’ while sleeping with others? What, his heart and his ‘parts’ are separate?】
【Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. The last time I saw such a dramatic scene was… the last time.】
【Sister, don’t shake the camera! We can’t see the people or the photos. If you’re gonna hit him, find a place to fix the phone first!】
【That middle-aged uncle is quite tragic. He thought he found a true friend who understood horses, but it was just because the guy fed the horse sugar to make it compliant. He thought he found a younger friend, but the guy was just lusting after him.】
【The horse is the only truly pitiful one here. It’s addicted. I can’t imagine how much sugar it was fed; there’s definitely damage to its body. As for whether the caller’s dad is pitiful, I’ll reserve judgment. Arranging a job and contacts for a young man he barely knew… just because they ‘got along’? Is he really that kind and generous?】
“Hit him! Hit him hard! Avenge Brother Horse!” The little sparrow was jumping and chirping, cheering them on.
At that moment, Taxue let out a dejected sigh and murmured to itself: “Revealing his true face and giving him a beating might save my master from harm. But I… I’ve developed a sugar addiction. My life is ruined…”
Hearing the horse sound so pessimistic and desperate, Su Yi couldn’t help but speak up: “Don’t worry, Brother Horse. Sugar addiction can be cured. The professional equine care specialists will help you—”
“AH!”
Cheng Lele let out a cry of surprise, and the connection was cut.
Sensing that this “melon” would soon be served on all major platforms and that the Cheng family would definitely move to suppress the heat to avoid being doxxed, Su Yi stuck her spoon into the hollowed-out watermelon and announced she was going to the bathroom.
After confirming the microphone was off, Su Yi ran to a spot out of camera range and sent a recording to Su Ye.
She waited two minutes—no response. Was he playing dead, or had he muted her?
Her fingers flew across the screen as she sent a direct message: 【Dad, you wouldn’t want people to know you’re in close contact with a man who has a crush on you, right?】 Less than half a minute after sending it, a voice call came through.
Su Yi smirked. She accepted the call but hadn’t even spoken before Su Ye started interrogating her: “What nonsense are you talking about? And what is this? Where did you get it?”
“It’s a sincere confession of love for you from your younger friend. Although the voice is changed, you should be able to tell from the content, right? ‘The best, most perfect Professor Su’?”
Su Yi didn’t give him a chance to react and let out a cackling laugh: “Give me five million, or I’ll send the unedited version to everyone in the Cheng family, along with a package of Xiao Liang’s handwritten letters of love to you. Don’t ask how I got these things; just know that I’m incredible.”
“You can deny there are unspeakable secrets between you, and you can say you didn’t know he was pining for you, but it’s a fact that you arranged a job and contacts for him, right? Why would you help a young stranger like that? Wouldn’t the Cheng family find that uncomfortable?”
“I’ll give you five seconds to consider. Five million. Countdown starts now. Five, four…”
Su Yi’s combo attack left the other side in silence. Just as she reached “one,” a hurried “100,000” rang out.
That’s a huge lowball.
“Three million,” Su Yi countered.
“300,000,” Su Ye said, gritting his teeth.
“Two million.”
“500,000.”
“One million. That’s my bottom price.”
“700,000 at most.”
As soon as he spoke, Su Yi also gritted her teeth, creating an atmosphere as if he had finally succeeded in haggling. “Fine, 700,000 it is. Send it to me immediately, and I promise not to send anything to the Cheng family.”
At the thought of her father jumping in rage, Su Yi was overjoyed.
It wasn’t easy to squeeze money out of that old bastard. She got 700k from her mom and 700k from him. Fair. She treated them both equally; she was truly a filial daughter.
Su Yi continued her livestream happily, but Su Ye’s face was as black as a pot. After finishing the transfer, he stood up abruptly and paced his office in agitation.
He never expected Xiao Liang to have those kinds of thoughts about him! A wave of nausea rose in his throat; he nearly dry-heaved. He had only looked highly upon the man because he was good with horses. Hearing the man’s worries about his future had reminded him of his own forgotten, difficult years of unrecognized talent, and a hidden thrill had prompted him to show a bit of kindness.
The feeling of making someone eternally grateful with a trivial favor was wonderful. That was the only reason he helped him.
And yet, that Liang kid actually dared!
Su Yi’s blackmail disgusted him, but what made him angrier was that the idiot Xiao Liang was stupid enough to let Su Yi find out—
He suddenly paused and smacked his forehead. He was truly losing it in his old age—he had been so easily tricked by that wretched girl!
Su Ye angrily dialed back, but the call was rejected, making him slam his hand on the desk. I’ll deal with her when I get back!
Su Ye suppressed his anger and refocused on his work, picking up his teaching materials and leaving his office.
The bell rang, marking the start of the lunch break. Students flooded out. He frowned as he pushed through the crowd, hearing some students excitedly discussing something. He didn’t take it seriously until he caught a specific keyword.
“…crush on Professor Su,” “…Equestrian Lao Ai,” “…feeding horses sugar,” “…The King of Hookups doing pure love”…
“This Professor Su must be really handsome, otherwise how could Xiao Liang—who sleeps with everyone and has both male and female clients—be so devoted to him? Tsk tsk.”
“Haha, what a coincidence. Our school has a ‘Professor Su’ who still has some charm too…”
Su Ye had a bad feeling. He turned into a quiet corner and opened Weibo, which he had only downloaded because of the guppy’s reveal of the old man’s mistress.
#EquestrianLaoAi
#AScandalTriggeredBySugarAddiction
#XiaoLiangTheHookupKingLovesOnlyProfessorSu
Su Ye’s vision went dark.
The commotion at the equestrian club was quite large. Seeing that people were already coming to watch the drama, Cheng Lele—who was busy venting her anger—finally snapped to her senses. She issued a warning to keep mouths shut and hurriedly walked out, avoiding people. By accident, she ran straight into someone.
“Don’t you have eyes?!” She didn’t even bother to look up, focused only on making her escape.
As Cheng Lele’s figure—looking as if a ghost were chasing her—disappeared around the corner, Zhou Mingxi looked back. She jogged a few steps to catch up with the person who hadn’t even paused after being bumped into. She ran ahead and stopped, looking him up and down before bursting into laughter: “Brother, it seems your charm has declined after being abroad for six months. Even the eldest Miss Cheng doesn’t care for you anymore.”
“Who?” Zhou Minghuai glanced at her, appearing somewhat distracted, his long legs still moving.
“You’re so heartless. She’d be heartbroken if she heard that,” Zhou Mingxi continued. “You’ve forgotten the eldest Miss Cheng? All those years she spent liking you went to waste. But surely you remember her sister? Back when you came to pick me up from school, you were sent flying by a girl—”
“Zhou Mingxi.”
“Sumimasen. I’m muting.”
Zhou Mingxi looked solemn, making a zipping motion over her mouth, but she was giggling behind his back.
That scene back then was simply too shocking and hilarious. At the end of the school day, her tall, handsome, and imposing brother had actually been knocked flying by a thin, weak girl. He had flown through the air while clutching a pink Mickey Mouse backpack, right in front of everyone.
And the girl hadn’t even helped him up. She just kept apologizing frantically with her head down, stuffed a crumpled love letter into the Mickey backpack—her backpack—and ran away.
This was likely the one memory her brother wanted to delete most in his life; it was too embarrassing. Just thinking of that image made her burst out laughing. It had probably left a shadow on his heart, too—his face turned black every time it was mentioned.
Zhou Minghuai closed his eyes, barely suppressing the memory of that “failure in the gutter.” It was replaced by another matter.
“What’s Caesar throwing a fit about?” he asked the club’s general manager, who hurried to meet him.
The manager gave a fawning smile. “President Zhou, you’re finally back. Since about two months ago, he’s always trying to rush out to pick a fight with Taxue. Oh, Taxue is the horse belonging to Mr. Su of the Cheng family.”
“Did that horse named Taxue offend him?”
“Uh, about that,” the manager said, choosing his words carefully as he shared his guess. “I only just found out. A new groom was bold enough to secretly feed several of the horses excessive amounts of sugar to get close to them. He fed Taxue the most. Caesar… Caesar wasn’t under his care.”
Zhou Minghuai paused, tilting his head slightly to look down at him.
The manager’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly explained: “I’m just guessing. It shouldn’t be the reason. How could Caesar be jealous of Taxue getting the most sugar just because he didn’t get any…”
Seeing the other’s expression, he cursed himself for being a fool. How could he say that? Wasn’t that a slap in the boss’s face?
Zhou Minghuai looked away, expressionless, and walked toward the stables. His concern for Caesar had turned into annoyance. Is sugar really that delicious? You disgraceful creature.
Just as he reached the gate and before he could open the latch, the tall, muscular pure-black horse reared its front hooves high and let out a loud neigh. The horses in the other stalls lowered their heads, quiet as mice.
“You heartless old man! You were gone for six months and didn’t even give me a video call. Just you wait—if there’s a next time, don’t expect me, Caesar, to recognize you as my father!”
An angry horse cry came from the screen. Su Yi understood the content and wanted to laugh, but the caller’s expression was quite serious, so she felt it was inappropriate to laugh. She asked a casual question to shift the focus: “Mr. Peepishrimp, are you at the stables?”
Peepishrimp let out a gasp, hesitated, and shook his head. “No. It might be my colleague watching a movie.”
“Oh, I see. Please describe the specific situation.”
“Streamer, it’s like this…”
Peepishrimp gave himself a mental thumbs-up. Good thing I reacted quickly; I almost exposed that I’m at the very club where that Equestrian Lao Ai worked!
He had seen the scene personally. Miss Cheng had given the word: if any news leaked out letting people know that ‘Professor Su’ was Mr. Su, the blame would fall entirely on the staff near the stables at the time. He had too many bills to pay; he absolutely couldn’t lose his job…
“Alright, I understand the situation. Mr. Peepishrimp, where is the squirrel now?” Su Yi asked.
Peepishrimp stood up and soon returned with a small blanket. Inside was a squirrel on its last breath. If its stomach wasn’t slightly rising and falling, she would have thought it had already passed away.
“Streamer, I want you to help me ask it if it has anything it wants to say before it goes? Any last wishes?”
Su Yi nodded and relayed the question to the squirrel.
After a long while, the squirrel let out a series of broken cries: “Save… save me! I was thrown off a horse… and have internal injuries. I’m not dying of old age… I can still… be rescued… save me!”
Su Yi was surprised. This was a traffic accident?
“It says it was injured by a horse, not dying of old age. It wants you to try and save it.”
“Huh?” Peepishrimp was dazed for a moment. “Really? Then… what should I do? Should I take it to a pet hospital?”
Su Yi nodded. Seeing him looking lost and hesitant, her tone became more insistent: “It looks very seriously injured. It needs to go to the hospital immediately.”
“…The, the cost will probably be very expensive.” Panic and anxiety were in Peepishrimp’s eyes, but he didn’t move, murmuring to himself.
This surprised Su Yi. Someone who spent 9,900 to grab a connection just to ask a dying squirrel about its last wishes should be a very loving owner who isn’t short on money, right? How could he suddenly worry about medical bills upon learning there was a chance to save his pet’s life?
【Seriously, bro? You’re willing to pay 9,900 for a consultation fee but not for the hospital? No matter how expensive it is, can it be more than 9,900?】
【Not necessarily. Treating pets is expensive. My Golden Retriever just had gastroenteritis and it cost me thousands. And that’s a common pet with a common illness. Few people keep squirrels, so hospitals have less experience, and since it was thrown by a horse, the injuries must be severe. The cost will be endless.】
【No matter the cost, he has to treat it. He’s already spent nearly ten thousand on it. Standing by and watching it die is the same as being a murderer. Can your conscience be at peace?】
【Agreed. If we didn’t know its thoughts, fine, but knowing it wants to live, how can we just watch it die? Its cries are so tragic; it hurts just to watch. I can’t imagine its physical pain.】
【Stop being preachy, okay? To put it bluntly, with such severe injuries, going to the hospital is just wasting money and making it suffer more. It’s better to give it a good send-off.】
The audience began a heated debate over “to save or not to save.” Peepishrimp looked at the split comments, then down at the squirrel that was exhaling more than it was inhaling, and fell into a dilemma.
When he was a newcomer and still unskilled, he was accompanying a guest on a jog through a shaded path but failed to control the horse, frightening the guest. Just as he was being berated and felt certain he’d be fired, this little squirrel climbed down from a tree and made a series of gestures and squeaks. Its adorable appearance successfully calmed the guest, who stopped pursuing the matter.
He was incredibly grateful and wanted to adopt it, but it refused, preferring to live in the trees. However, from then on, the man and squirrel became best partners and friends.
Now it was dying. He was as devastated as if a relative were leaving. Knowing there was a chance to save it, he wanted to more than anyone. But he had just sent money home to pay off debts, and the money for the connection was an advance on next month’s salary. He truly couldn’t afford it.
“I… I might not be able to afford the medical bills…” Peepishrimp said with great difficulty.
Su Yi saw his struggle, and the squirrel—which had been fighting to live—seemed to feel his predicament, letting out a few weak cries.
“Forget it. I was just saying. The injury is too severe; there’s no cure. Miss, please tell my friend I was joking. Don’t waste money. I’m not afraid of death, really. In eighteen years, I’ll be another hero…”
It spoke lightly, and its cries weren’t as broken as before. Su Yi, however, had a bad feeling. Was this the final breath of life giving way to a ‘terminal lucidity’ flash?
Su Yi didn’t relay the message. Instead, she asked, “Do you remember which horse threw you?”
At this question, the squirrel’s spirit surged, and it even cursed: “Dammit! How could I forget? I’d remember it even if I were reincarnated eighteen times. Caesar! It was that poser, Caesar!”
“I just accidentally slipped from a tree and happened to land on its back. I hadn’t even said anything before it jumped and threw me off. Was it because I grabbed two of its hairs to keep from falling? So petty! I won’t let it go even as a ghost!”
Caesar?
Su Yi was stunned. Wasn’t the horse that was just throwing a fit and cursing its owner called Caesar?
If she found the horse responsible, it would be easy. She immediately told Peepishrimp: “It’s Caesar. The horse that threw it is named Caesar. Go find the horse’s owner immediately and demand compensation for medical expenses.”
She then realized—Caesar, the horse?
So it wasn’t a movie; it was a real horse crying. Didn’t Peepishrimp say he wasn’t at the stables? This guy was quite good at “double-censoring.”
“Caesar?” Peepishrimp repeated, eyes wide. “How could it be Caesar? Demand compensation… no, no, that won’t work.”
Su Yi was getting anxious and pressed him for the reason.
“That’s the big boss’s horse. It’s the most precious horse in our club. Forget hurting a squirrel, even if it hurt a person… anyway, it’s impossible,” Peepishrimp said despairingly.
He was so disheartened that he forgot to hide his workplace.
“How do you know if you don’t try?” Su Yi frowned, patiently advising him. Seeing him shake his head repeatedly, she knew he couldn’t be persuaded. She thought about whether she should just contact him privately to advance the money and have him pay her back after the squirrel was saved.
Then she heard the squirrel cry out excitedly: “I can get compensation? Yes! He did this to me; of course he has to pay medical bills!” It then paused, its tone becoming as dejected as Peepishrimp’s. “I know that big boss. He’s like a super-enhanced version of Caesar—the ‘King of Posers.’ No one dares provoke him.”
That arrogant? It seemed the hope for medical compensation was slim.
Su Yi sighed. Forget it, she’d do it. Who told her she was a kind-hearted girl?
“Family members, today is my birthday. Every year on my birthday, I do a good deed. Mr. Peepishrimp, take the squirrel to the hospital right now. I’ll cover the medical bills.”
Peepishrimp was stunned. The squirrel reacted faster than he did, firmly refusing: “No. One should not receive rewards without merit. Miss, I am a squirrel of principle. We are not related; I cannot let you pay. I want to be self-reliant!”
Su Yi: “…”
What a squirrel with backbone. But backbone doesn’t pay the bills.
She looked at Peepishrimp: “Go, now.”
“No! Don’t move, or I’ll bite my tongue and kill myself right now!”
Su Yi rubbed her forehead.
“Streamer?” Peepishrimp couldn’t understand what the squirrel said, but he felt its refusal.
At this point, the squirrel’s tone became excited again: “Miss, let me ask: according to your human rules, if someone hides things from the boss and intentionally picks fights, and under the guise of saving money for the boss, finds every way to deduct employees’ wages—what crime is that?”
Su Yi: “…Crime? To a boss, that sounds like a ‘merit’?”
“Huh??” The squirrel’s worldview was shaken. It thought for a bit, unwilling to give up, and asked: “Then, if the person responsible for preparing horse feed hides it from the boss and intentionally feeds the horses inferior food, what crime is that?”
Su Yi processed this. The procurement department was substituting inferior goods for high quality? Embezzlement?
“That’s a major crime.”
“Good! Let’s go find the big boss. I’ve found a villain for him; surely he’ll pay my medical bills now?” By the end, its confidence wavered again. “But will he believe me? I’m just a squirrel…”
Su Yi raised an eyebrow. Not bad, little squirrel! She couldn’t help but marvel at the resilience of life.
However, they couldn’t go straight to the big boss. Seeing how much the squirrel and Peepishrimp feared him, she knew that was a poor move. For someone that high up, hearing a squirrel was reporting his subordinate, he’d probably just tell the kitchen to make “Squirrel-Style Mandarin Fish.”
“Is the procurement manager in his office right now?”
“Probably not. I think he went out for a lunch meeting. Why, streamer?” Peepishrimp was confused.
“Let’s go to the procurement department.”
【What’s the situation? Are they going to borrow money from a colleague?】
【Procurement department… probably to ask for some good food so the squirrel can eat before it passes away. Sigh.】
【How cruel. How can they not save it? If it were my baby, I’d borrow money to treat it as long as there was a shred of hope.】
【Fine, even if this Peepishrimp owner is out of money after spending 9,900 on the connection, what about the streamer? The streamer made so much money from animals; seeing one about to die, can’t she show a little compassion?】
【You ‘moral kidnappers’ should stop watching. Go to Leshan and tell the Giant Buddha to stand up so you can take his seat. Stop acting—if you really care about the squirrel, donate some money instead of being a ‘keyboard warrior’ and being generous with someone else’s money.】
Peepishrimp, feeling muddled, took the squirrel, the phone, and the streamer along with thousands of viewers to the procurement department.
“What… are we doing here?” He was nervous and confused, only feeling at ease after re-confirming his virtual background was on.
“Collecting ‘charitable donations.’ We’re going to ask the kind procurement manager to show a little compassion and save a squirrel whose life is on the line,” Su Yi said.
“Huh?” Peepishrimp was even more confused. Didn’t the streamer know the manager was out… wait, ‘kind,’ ‘procurement manager,’ and ‘compassion’—could those words even be used together?
Su Yi smiled: “Or rather, we’re going to act for justice and reveal the procurement manager’s crime of substituting inferior feed and feeding the horses low-quality grain.”
What?!
Peepishrimp felt like his skin was about to burst. He stuttered, “S-Streamer, you’re joking, right?”
” I’m serious, and the squirrel is serious too. We’re going to work together to expose this manager and let your big boss know what he’s done. This is a great service; he’ll definitely reward you, and then you’ll have money for the medical bills. He’s also deducting your wages, right? It’s time to fight back and take back what belongs to you.”
“…How could it be that simple?” Peepishrimp gave a bitter smile. How could it be that easy?
Everyone vaguely knew something was fishy, but no one ever thought of reporting it. Taking kickbacks isn’t something a manager can do alone; does the higher-up really not know?
At the thought that this was a livestream, he felt like needles were in his back. If this reached the manager’s ears and he was recognized, his job would be 100% gone…
Peepishrimp immediately turned to leave. However, at that moment, the procurement manager just happened to return. He instinctively stuffed the phone into his pocket.
“Little Pi? What are you doing here?” Yang Quan asked, patting his beer belly.
A strong smell of alcohol wafted over, but Peepishrimp didn’t dare dodge, saying with difficulty, “Manager Yang, I… I…”
【Holy crap, a livestream of reporting embezzlement and kickbacks? This is getting intense!】
【Did the squirrel reveal the inside story? Little squirrel, clearing out the pests, a great service!】
【Little Su, the Light of Justice.】
【I really can’t help it at this point. The streamer really doesn’t care about the lives of workers just for traffic. You’re getting rich from the traffic, but what about Peepishrimp? Even if there’s evidence, have you considered the background of someone who can hold the lucrative position of procurement manager? Okay, even if he successfully takes the guy down, this internal scandal is being livestreamed. Once the boss finds out, he’ll fire the manager first and him second.】
Su Yi cursed inwardly. She had planned to sneak in and find evidence, but they had run into the guy before even touching the door. She should have discussed it privately with Peepishrimp first; she had miscalculated.
“Retreat, quickly!” If Peepishrimp really lost his job, she’d find a way to get him into the Mo family’s company.
“Hmm? Who’s speaking?” Yang Quan heard the noise and looked suspiciously at the person opposite him. “What are you holding? A squirrel? President Zhou!”
Peepishrimp was sweating from tension when he saw the manager bypass him. From a distance, the manager bowed slightly and jogged with hands outstretched, trying to shake hands with the man leading the group of people.
President Zhou? The big boss!
A foul cloud of alcohol-scented air rushed toward him. Zhou Minghuai shifted aside to avoid it, frowning as he looked down at his drunken subordinate.
“Old Yang, why are you drinking in the middle of the day!” the general manager chided in a low voice, gauging the boss’s expression.
Yang Quan jolted, sobering up slightly. He gave a fawning explanation: “I had a meal with a few suppliers to discuss next quarter’s supply plan.”
“Is that so? What’s the situation here?” the general manager said, looking a few steps away at the employee holding a listless squirrel.
“Oh? Him? He—”
“I’m here to report Procurement Manager Yang for taking kickbacks from suppliers, substituting inferior feed for premium feed, and feeding the horses a mix of real and fake grain!”
This world-shaking shout caused the scene to go so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
“What are you farting about!” Yang Quan was fully sober now. He cursed, then hurriedly turned. “President Zhou, President Hu, he… this… he’s lying! Because he’s lazy, I deducted his wages, and now he’s seeking revenge—”
“Evidence,” Zhou Minghuai said, raising a hand to stop Yang Quan’s rambling. His voice wasn’t loud, but it made everyone hold their breath. “If you want to report him, show me evidence.”
Peepishrimp was nearly fainting. He didn’t know how he had suddenly become so brave; in a moment of heated blood, he had shouted it out. But he didn’t have evidence…
“The evidence is the secret ledger he kept. It’s hidden in the Oxford English Dictionary in the third drawer on the right side of his desk.”
In the deathly silence, a female voice suddenly appeared.
This time, the general manager roared: “Who’s speaking? Come out!”
Under everyone’s gaze, Peepishrimp tremulously pulled the phone—a phone that was currently livestreaming—out of his pocket.