Su Ning was very irritable.
Like an ordinary corporate slave who couldn't get enough sleep but still had to work overtime—even if she coaxed herself to persevere for the sake of high overtime pay—she didn't want to show a pleasant face to anyone.
Including the person in front of her.
She made no attempt to hide her coldness and impatience. Anyone with eyes could notice it. Miss Soong, one of the banquet's organizers, tucked her hair behind her ear awkwardly, regretting why she had volunteered to be the introducer.
She was afraid she had offended Su Ning this time.
As for Young Master Kong?
He was eventually returning to Nanjing. Moreover, no matter how precious a young master without real power was, he couldn't compare to the practical benefits Su Ning could bring to her and her family!
"...It seems Miss Su doesn't really want to see me."
Young Master Kong's expression was helpless but gentle.
When a handsome, fashionably and exquisitely dressed young man with such a high status mocked himself like this, ordinary people would usually soften their hearts by a few degrees and offer a word or two of defense.
But Su Ning—
"Since you know that, did you come over on purpose to disgust me?"
Everyone who heard this was stunned.
Young Master Kong's face changed drastically.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
"I didn't mean that," he forced a smile and said. "I know that because of the fertilizer plant, your impression of me isn't good, Miss Su, but that can all change..." Saying so, he turned his head and asked Miss Soong to leave first.
Miss Soong subconsciously looked at Su Ning.
She only left after receiving silent permission.
Su Ning had calmed down by now, playfully discussing with the system in her mind, "Tell me, what is this young master putting on such an act in front of me for?"
A person must have self-awareness.
She knew she had some beauty, but she was by no means a peerless beauty who could make someone's heart flutter at first sight. Her outward persona was strong, cold, and aggressive.
Making the young master fall in love after just one or two meetings?
What a joke.
Then he must be after something.
"After your money, your background, your power." On this end, the system was also very cooperative. That's why having something to relieve boredom during busy work was so important.
"It's a pity he's not a main plot character."
Su Ning boredly twitched the corners of her mouth. Shattering his delusions wouldn't give her much of a reward. Forget it, she would just treat him as an appetizer before the main course.
Her indifference.
And even highly contemptuous attitude, made Young Master Kong feel uncomfortable all over. The speech he had drafted in his mind became somewhat difficult to say. "After we met last time, I became very curious about you, Miss Su, and your legendary father."
"So I took the liberty of asking a friend abroad to help me look into some information."
As he spoke, his momentum grew stronger, and he lowered his voice:
"But the strange thing is, whether in Britain, France, or Germany, there is no news of anyone named Su Huaishan... Of course, it's possible he changed his name, but there are no similar wealthy Chinese businessmen either."
"Could Miss Su clear up my confusion?"
After saying that, he expected to see a panicked face.
But the person opposite him remained calm.
Even her blinking frequency didn't change, as if what she heard wasn't a massive loophole exposing her identity, but a question about what to eat today.
His heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Young Master Kong delayed returning to the safety of Nanjing and stayed in Beiping just for this?" Su Ning's lips curled into a mocking arc. "I thought you had messed things up and were afraid of going back to get spanked by your family patriarch, which is why you didn't dare to return."
The people secretly and openly paying attention to this side.
Discovered.
The two seemed to have really sparked... but the kind that would lead to a fight. It was just that Young Master Kong was obviously the one at a disadvantage, flustered and exasperated.
While Miss Su was calm and composed.
The winner was clear at a glance.
Su Ning really wasn't nervous. When she forged this identity, she knew this day would come sooner or later. Most of the patches she had applied to the Su family and the Su clan earlier were precisely to prepare for a rainy day like this.
Moreover, when facing someone trying to threaten you.
The more panicked you are.
The deeper you will fall into the abyss.
"Miss Su always misunderstands my good intentions." Sure enough, although Young Master Kong was angry, he was also confused by her attitude and probed:
"It's just that my family also has many businesses abroad, but when Mr. Su is mentioned, no one knows him. That's why I was curious."
"If you are unwilling to say, then I can only seek help from my elders to investigate. Whatever they find, I won't be able to stop them. I'm afraid this is something Miss Su wouldn't want to see, right?"
If there was a problem with Su Ning's identity, there must be a huge secret hidden behind it!
If he could grasp it...
"Suit yourself."
These two simple words shattered his fantasy. He looked up in astonishment, only to see Su Ning chuckle in boredom, her expression and movements showing complete indifference.
She turned and walked away, dropping a sentence:
"Tch, wasting my time."
Why wasn't Su Ning afraid?
Young Master Kong, left behind, couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought. Could it be that Su Ning didn't lie about her identity? But the intelligence he found indeed showed no such person as Su Huaishan... What exactly was wrong?
...
Su Ning held up her wine glass.
Emitting an aura that kept strangers away—indeed, those who witnessed her confrontation with Young Master Kong sensibly refrained from coming forward to disturb her.
"Host, are you okay?"
The system popped up, asking while scouring its database to see if there was a way to solve the problem...
"Very good, couldn't be better." Su Ning took a sip of red wine and couldn't help frowning. Sure enough, she couldn't appreciate any kind of alcohol.
System: "???"
"Everything I have now is like a castle in the air, seemingly magnificent and solid, but the foundation underneath is superficial and hollow, liable to collapse at any time. I've been worried for so long, and now I can finally resolve it..."
Under the dazzling crystal lights.
Su Ning's eyes were extremely bright.
"Moreover, the timing is so rare. The one questioning me is the dignified Young Master Kong, which means as long as I handle him, everything will be fine. It saves me so much effort."
She didn't want to go around slapping faces every day to prove she was indeed the only daughter of a wealthy Chinese tycoon.
"So, so what should we do?"
"Did you forget?"
Su Ning walked towards the elderly man in the center of the crowd while answering the system in her mind: "My reward mission! The thirty million in overseas shares and properties are real, the money I've spent recently is real, so Su Huaishan can only be real!"
Sleepy? She wasn't sleepy at all now.
Her entire being was stimulated into action—selling the rice and grain at a high price, putting the money in her private treasury, then shattering the get-rich dreams of the profiteering merchants who hoarded goods, catching a white wolf empty-handed, and obtaining resources to support her people.
Completing the task of enslaving five thousand people.
Interlocking step by step.
Not a single step could go wrong.
On this side, Elder Sun saw Su Ning approaching from afar, ignoring many raised glasses and people greeting her along the way, and quickly arriving in front of him.
He felt an indescribable sense of joy.
He took the initiative to say:
"Is Miss Su looking for me?"
"Yes."
Su Ning got straight to the point: "I have a batch of grain on hand. The amount is not small, and keeping it will just let it mold. I heard you are the largest grain merchant in the city. Are you interested in taking it?"
Joy fell from heaven.
The old man never expected that Su Ning wanted to sell grain—needless to say, this batch of grain must be the confiscated ones. As for how it fell into Su Ning's hands, one could easily guess.
Investments always yield returns, right?
At this moment.
He believed he understood everything. It turned out that Mayor Chen wasn't truly acting as an honest official speaking for the people—going around in such a huge circle, it was all for money!
Confiscating grain from the easy targets and reselling it to people like them—earning both wealth and a good reputation.
She had both the brains and the tactics.
Even he was almost completely fooled.
After the price was settled, Elder Sun had been ruthlessly fleeced. Despite his heartache over the cost, he earnestly invited her and Chen Huaiqian to a private gathering, hinting at a deeper collaboration with guaranteed substantial benefits.
"We shall see."
Su Ning curled her lips and added, "I'm just afraid that when the time comes, you might find Mayor Chen and me distasteful and won't even want to see us."
"Hahahaha, how could that be?"
The two exchanged a knowing smile.
