The Civil Servant's Job is to Raise The Furries!-Chapter 215 - 214: First Day on Set

"Are you saying... that fall from the horse might not have been an accident?"

Xu Ying’s voice unconsciously lowered, her fingers lightly tapping the table.

The butterfly pastries Jiang Mo brought emitted a sweet aroma, but she had no appetite to taste them now.

Jiang Mo’s gaze drifted to the desert outside the window.

"The young lady from the prop team mentioned that Zhang Chenyi went to the stables early that morning, and he kept looking around. She had lost a bracelet at the stables the previous night and went looking for it early in the morning before the crew started filming."

"But a few days later, she left the crew midway for personal reasons."

Jiang Mo let out a bitter laugh, "The crew was in a rush to stay on schedule. No one wanted to waste time over an ’accident.’"

"That political intrigue drama, Zhang Chenyi’s uncle also invested in it."

He lowered his eyes, sighed lightly, his expression a bit desolate, "Maybe I’m just being conspiratorial, different coincidences colliding together."

"In this ’Desert Blade,’ Zhang Chenyi is the second male lead again?"

Xu Ying squinted her eyes, an image of that actor, known as the "ancient costume male god," appeared in her mind—always with a gentle smile, fans called him "the most affectionate second male lead in the entertainment circle," practically a professional second male lead.

Previously, there had been articles online saying that Zhang Chenyi was a young master from the Beijing Circle, with family assets exceeding a billion, and acting was just a hobby for him.

As for Jiang Mo, Xu Ying wasn’t a fan, nor did she understand the project’s background. She only found out after searching that Jiang Mo started acting to pay off debts, his parents were bankrupt entrepreneurs.

Jiang Mo nodded, "The producers think our ’arch-rival’ dynamic is interesting."

"He plays the adopted son of the big antagonist, and I’m the amnesiac desert rogue."

He paused for a moment, "Before filming started, I specifically inquired about it. The horses used this time are purebreds from the northwest, very temperamental."

"So you want me to..." Xu Ying dragged her tone.

"Help me keep an eye on those horses," Jiang Mo stared into her eyes, a hint of pleading flashing in his dark pupils, "Just make sure they don’t suddenly go crazy. If there’s any abnormality, you can detect it early."

"If Zhang Chenyi approaches those horses, you can find out."

Xu Ying frowned, "Disguising as an assistant is simple, but with so many people on set, if I’m discovered..."

"I’ll take care of all the formalities," Jiang Mo immediately said, "You just need to follow me every day, stand on the sidelines during horse-riding scenes. I can have the director arrange for you to be a life assistant, no one will notice."

Dawn broke, the night owl Little Sand Cat finally tired from playing, ready to catch up on sleep. It slipped through the small door of the rescue shelter, stretched, shook its fur, then headed straight for Xu Ying’s leg.

A light leap, perfect landing!

It circled twice on Xu Ying’s leg, found the most comfortable spot, then suddenly flopped down, belly up, half-closed eyes, looking like "pet me, or I’ll fall asleep."

Xu Ying petted its belly. After a moment, she looked up and smiled, "Half of the salary donated to the animal rescue shelter?"

Jiang Mo visibly relaxed, a slight smile on his lips, "I’ve already drafted the contract."

He handed the part-time contract to Xu Ying.

"Deal!"

After scrutinizing the contract, Xu Ying pressed Little Sand Cat’s paw onto it.

Three days later, Xu Ying appeared at the filming stable of ’Desert Blade’ as "Jiang Mo’s new life assistant."

This was a private stable in Yisha City, very large, rented by the production team.

The stable covered a vast area, fresh hoofprints dotted the sand-covered track, and distant dunes merged with the horizon.

Twelve white-fenced stalls were neatly aligned.

Under a temporary canopy at the edge, the prop team was counting leather saddles while three Akhal-Teke horses paced restlessly in the pen, their manes creating golden waves in the dry wind.

The door to the feed storage in the northwest corner was ajar, a pungent herbal scent wafting out.

Xu Ying, wearing a sun-protection mask like a Middle Eastern bandit, revealed only a pair of eyes and wore black-rimmed, plain glasses.

She was dressed in a loose, fleece-lined hoodie and jeans, looking like an ordinary staff member.

"That’s ’Chasing Cloud,’ my mount."

Jiang Mo said in a low voice, pointing to a tall black horse with snow-white hooves at the center of the stable. The horse was tossing its head impatiently, and the trainer was trying to calm it with the reins.

"[Don’t bother me! Go away!]"

Xu Ying squinted.

Even from over twenty meters away, she could sense the horse’s agitated mood. "It’s angry."

Jiang Mo glanced at her in surprise, "You can tell?"

"Kind of," Xu Ying replied vaguely, already walking towards the stable. The trainer frowned warily as she approached.

In the local dialect, she said, "I’m Mr. Jiang Mo’s new life assistant, a local."

Xu Ying showed an innocuous smile, "Mr. Jiang had me come to check the horses planned for tomorrow’s shoot."

The trainer was skeptical, but seeing Jiang Mo following her, he released the reins. "Be careful, this guy’s got quite the temper."

Xu Ying slowly approached "Chasing Cloud," her palm facing upwards.

The horse snorted, took a step back, but didn’t show aggression.

"[Don’t touch me!]"

"Chasing Cloud, why are you so irritable? What’s bothering you?"

Xu Ying whispered near its ear, gently stroking the horse’s neck with her fingers.

"[There’s a fire in my throat...]"

"Has it been eating normally lately?" Xu Ying suddenly turned to ask the trainer.

"Huh?" The trainer was momentarily stunned, "It’s been eating well, sleeping well, pooping a lot, everything’s normal."

Just as Xu Ying was about to ask more, a gentle male voice spoke from behind, "Mr. Jiang, is this your new assistant?"

Jiang Mo’s body tensed noticeably for a moment. Xu Ying turned to see Zhang Chenyi, dressed in a moon-white costume, smiling as he approached. Up close, his features were even more refined than on screen, his skin fair.

Notably, he wore a string of Buddha beads on his wrist.

Xu Ying’s mouth twitched slightly, pretending to be a Beijing Circle monk.

"Mr. Zhang." Jiang Mo nodded in greeting, his voice so calm that no emotion could be detected.

Zhang Chenyi’s gaze lingered on Xu Ying for a brief moment, out of courteous curiosity, "And this is?"

Jiang Mo naturally stepped slightly aside, standing in front of Xu Ying, "My new assistant, Xu Mumu."

Xu Ying lowered her head slightly, speaking quietly, "Hello, Mr. Zhang."

"Hmm." Zhang Chenyi nodded slightly, a standard professional smile on his face, but his eyes already shifting away, clearly uninterested in the "assistant."

Xu Ying quietly sighed in relief but then tensed again—although Zhang Chenyi didn’t recognize her, there were many people in the crew, and who knew when someone might discover her true identity.

Zhang Chenyi patted Jiang Mo heavily on the shoulder, "I remember a few years back, you were injured quite badly filming a horse-riding scene. Be careful this time."