The smile on Young Master Kong's face froze.
Not only that.
The hospital corridor was not wide, and the two groups could be said to have met on a narrow path. Su Ning walked forward with a haughty air, showing absolutely no intention of humbly stepping aside, and the foreigners opposite her were also stunned in place.
Then Su Yi stepped forward.
Before Young Master Kong could react, his world spun, and he found himself pressed flat against the wall. He barely managed to prop himself up with his arms to avoid eating dirt in front of everyone.
"Young Master!"
"Kong, are you alright?"
Exclamations rang out continuously. The group of foreigners asked after him while silently retreating to the side—it was better to be sensible; giving way was really no big deal.
The path ahead cleared up considerably.
Su Yi's timing was perfect... The next second, Su Ning brushed past them. From beginning to end, she didn't spare them a single glance.
"Alright, I'm fine."
Young Master Kong steadied himself and quickly shot a glare at Su Ning's retreating back, feeling both angry and resentful, but there was nothing he could do. He had originally been certain that Su Ning would reveal a flaw in her identity and come begging to him.
But the arrival of the grain ships shattered that dream.
Ordinary people focused on the grain.
He, however, focused on how Su Ning managed to mobilize so many ships in such a short time to transport the grain all the way from Nanyang into the country. This kind of hidden power was what was truly astonishing—at any rate, he couldn't do it.
He went to great lengths to inquire.
And he obtained a piece of information that, if spread, would eliminate eighty percent of the doubts regarding Su Ning's identity.
She was actually a shareholder of the Taihe Shipping Company!
And not even a minor shareholder. Excluding the shares held by the ruling family, Su Ning ranked among the top of the remaining shareholders.
At this time, China's shipping industry was controlled by foreign capital.
And Taihe Shipping Company was one of the giants among them, possessing immense resources. Sometimes even the Nanjing government had to rely on them to transport supplies and weapons.
So, how could Young Master Kong not be shocked?
After the shock came a deeper greed. Su Ning's value climbed steadily in his eyes, and he naturally wanted to take her into his embrace before anyone else discovered it...
"Kong, who is she?"
Charles, whose hairline was in critical danger, frowned. Although it was his first time in China, he knew quite a bit about the place because he had a father-in-law who was a China hand.
At the very least, he was very clear about Young Master Kong's local status.
"Su Ning... Wait, you don't know?"
Young Master Kong was very surprised.
"Of course, she is obviously Chinese. Did you introduce her to me before? Sorry, I'm not very good at telling your faces apart."
Charles shook his head in confusion.
The other foreigners also sighed. They were a powerful business team, here in China for an inspection tour, and had considered all sorts of situations before coming.
They just hadn't expected that the first hurdle they would face was not being able to distinguish their faces clearly.
"No, we haven't met."
One of the foreigners thought for a moment and expressed in English, "If we had met, we would definitely recognize her. This lady's aura is very powerful and unique."
Her face, ironically, wasn't the important part.
The others also nodded in agreement. Such an arrogant and domineering posture was one of a kind. If they had seen it, they would definitely be deeply impressed.
Young Master Kong's eyes gradually brightened—one person saying they didn't know her might be a coincidence, but a whole group saying they didn't know Su Ning, the only daughter of a super-rich family who grew up abroad...
That was very interesting.
Casually brushing them off with a few perfunctory words, his steps became increasingly brisk. Countless thoughts collided and faded away, each one making his heart race.
Meanwhile.
Behind him, Charles kept feeling that the name Su Ning was both unfamiliar and familiar, as if he had heard or seen it somewhere, but he just couldn't remember.
He shook his head.
Never mind, it was fine not to remember. This Miss Su looked like someone who was not to be trifled with. Based on his experience, chewing people up and spitting out their bones might be putting it lightly. A foreigner's status would be absolutely useless against such a person!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall his wife's instructions before he left.
To look after his late father-in-law's benefactor.
The funny thing was, they said they were deceived before, and the real benefactor hadn't received any benefits at all. Although Charles found it troublesome, lending a helping hand in passing was no big deal.
This former great power of the Far East was plagued by endless wars, chaotic and poor.
He could just give them some money.
That should be enough to change the fate of his father-in-law's so-called "benefactor's" family.
If they were smart, Charles thought, he could give them a job. How did the Chinese saying go? Right, give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime—although both involved "fish," the meanings were different.
Charles smiled at his own erudition and kindness.
Therefore, when Young Master Kong stopped again to watch the commotion, even squeezing into the crowd to gather information, he gracefully chose to wait.
After all, as the more civilized and advanced party.
He should be tolerant.
...
Finally getting into the car.
Su Ning chose to close her eyes and rest, but the vehicle showed no sign of moving for a long time.
"What's wrong?"
The female voice was low but carried a hint of impatience.
Lin Sen replied helplessly, "The hospital is driving away the people gathered at the entrance. A conflict broke out and it's too chaotic, so it's hard to drive the car out right now... but it should be clear soon."
That was indeed the case.
Su Ning opened her eyes and thought to herself.
Outside the car window, it could be clearly seen that the hospital guards were using sticks and fists to violently drive away the crowd lying or sitting at the entrance. The people being driven away were greater in number, but they couldn't resist at all.
Because although they looked different, their physiques were almost identically frail and emaciated, looking as if a gust of wind could blow them over.
There were also many sick people among them.
Some were paralyzed on the ground, unable to even move.
Soon.
The hospital entrance was cleared. The head guard wiped his sweat and trotted over quickly, bowing and scraping as he sensibly spoke to the passenger seat:
"Apologies, there are more and more of these refugees. We just drove them away once this morning, and didn't expect them to gather again in the mid-afternoon. I'm truly sorry for delaying your business."
There was absolutely no response from inside the car.
The car started.
Accompanied by the dust kicked up by the tires, two silver dollars clinked to the ground. The head guard picked them up gleefully, blew on them, and listened to the sound by his ear.
"Boss, you're really something!"
His subordinates gathered around, enviously giving a thumbs up.
"You guys still have a lot to learn," the head guard proudly raised his head. "I've memorized the license plate numbers of all the cars in this city. I know exactly which masters have money to spare and which don't!"
There was another round of flattery.
The head guard was in a good mood from the praise, so he was happy to share a little secret with them:
"Like just now, I didn't even need to look at the license plate. It was definitely that Miss Su. Only she has that kind of ostentation and aura. Although her temper isn't great, she is absolutely generous with her money!"
"Generous she may be, but why doesn't she seem quite like the rumors?"
A younger guard asked.
"Didn't they say she was a great philanthropist? But just now when we were driving people away... those refugees looked so pitiful, and she didn't say a word."
"What do you expect Miss Su to say?"
The captain sneered and slapped the young guard hard on the head. "Pay for all these paupers' medical bills, you say? Sure, she's a good person, but she's no fool. Besides, these refugees are like an endless plague of locusts. Even if she takes care of the ones at the hospital gates, can she take care of the thousands upon thousands out there?"
"Furthermore, they aren't even from Peiping."
The captain lit a cigarette, speaking with the air of a self-appointed expert:
"You actually pity them?"
"These outsiders came to Peiping fleeing disaster, just looking for a way to survive. They'll do anything for a bite to eat. If we aren't careful, they'll snatch our livelihoods right out from under us!"
Having said his piece, his cigarette was just about finished. He cast a sidelong glance at the stunned young guard and scoffed:
"If you really want to play the saint, go ahead and give your job to a refugee. I'm sure they'd kneel down and kowtow to you as if you were a living Buddha."
"Well? Are you willing?"
The young guard's face flushed red as he shook his head.
"Hmph. It's only because Miss Su distributed cheap grain and filled your belly that you have the luxury to entertain such thoughts."
Despite his harsh words, the captain sighed inwardly. In times like these... it was every man for himself. He could only look after himself and his own little family; he couldn't afford to care about much else.
Perhaps only an important figure like Miss Su.
Only she had the spare resources to care for others.
But taking care of the refugees... how could that be possible? It was a thankless task with no benefit whatsoever.
