"Shocking! Miss Su's Unknown Background!"
"A True Saint, or Harboring Ulterior Motives?"
"A Playful Tale of the Previous Dynasty's Royal Secrets... The Unknown Princess."
Su Ning was eating breakfast. Seeing the headline of the last newspaper, she couldn't help but look closer. Sure enough, from the writing style to the plot, it was excellent, hooking her right in.
Before she knew it, she had finished reading it.
As expected.
You still have to target the readers' psychology—ordinary people couldn't care less about the background of some big shot or their ulterior motives.
But change it to a playful tale of secrets, involve the royal family and princesses, and cast her as a plot-driving supporting character who endures humiliation and harbors wild ambitions, and it makes people gasp!
Making them exclaim, "So that's the kind of person Su Ning is."
She was left wanting more. After finishing it, she wanted to flip back and read it again. It had to be said, the author of this article, despite having a completely messed-up understanding of the imperial court, was definitely a first-rate novelist.
That kind of thrilling, suspenseful plot setup.
And their skill at stirring up readers' emotions and drawing them into the story was purely masterful.
Just then, Lin Sen hurried in. He cast a highly complex look at Su Ning, then quickly lowered his head. With great tact, he didn't ask anything, only saying:
"Many people have come outside wanting to see you... even the Secretary-General from the municipal government is here."
Su Ning raised an eyebrow.
She knew that for Lin Sen to make a special trip, there must be people with significant status among them. It seemed she had underestimated the weight her so-called secret background held in certain people's hearts.
"Follow the rules."
Four simple words.
Lin Sen understood. "Following the rules" meant letting the people outside wait obediently. If Su Ning was in the mood, she might see one or two; if not, she wouldn't see any.
If the people who wanted to see her didn't wait and left, well, too bad.
Permanent blacklist. They could forget about ever seeing Su Ning again in their lifetimes!
Actually, Lin Sen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The young lady's style of doing things was still as tough as ever. Clearly, the exposure of her so-called "background" had no effect on her, and that was enough.
The worst that could happen was her reputation being ruined.
Heh.
Could it get any worse than before?
He didn't disturb Su Ning's breakfast any further—though judging by the time, it should have been lunch. He personally went over to announce the news. As soon as his words fell, many people showed expressions of disbelief, causing an uproar.
"This is where Miss Su is in the wrong."
A middle-aged man stood up and said earnestly:
"What time is it now? It's causing a massive uproar outside, and the common people are talking. Even if Miss Su doesn't step forward to explain things clearly, she shouldn't keep people at arm's length."
"That's right, avoiding it isn't a solution."
"She has to show some sort of attitude..."
Lin Sen's face turned cold. "The young lady does whatever she pleases. Those who want to wait can continue waiting here; those who don't want to wait, please leave immediately!"
These people were intimidated.
The middle-aged man was even more shocked and uncertain—judging the master by the servant, could Su Ning really be completely indifferent to this? Suppressing his unease, he forced an imposing manner:
"What right do you have to drive us out? Can a mere wage-earning servant make decisions for Miss Su?"
As he spoke, he shook his head disdainfully:
"Moreover, I came here to offer Miss Su a tremendous benefit. If you dare to refuse on your master's behalf, aren't you afraid of facing the consequences later?"
He said this with great confidence.
Lin Sen hadn't even reacted yet.
Suddenly.
The middle-aged man was kicked so hard he fell flat on his face. Half-Immortal Su stood with his hands on his hips, triumphantly retracting his leg. He sneered and stroked his beard: "Bullshit tremendous benefit. Looking at the red veins in the whites of your eyes and the dark shadow over your forehead, you look like you're going to die young. A tremendous good thing? More like a tremendous disaster."
"With me, Half-Immortal Su, here, how could I let you harm my good niece!"
"You, you actually dared to kick me!"
The middle-aged man was furious. "A swindling fraud, daring to spout nonsense! I came to find Su Ning because I think highly of her and was prepared to give her a chance to live..."
Before he could finish speaking, he took another punch.
This time it was Su Chen.
"Throw him out already." After hitting him, he didn't even look at the groaning middle-aged man on the floor. He frowned at Lin Sen; sure enough, subordinates weren't as reliable as real family.
Lin Sen, receiving this inexplicable look: ...???
The man was indeed thrown out.
However, the cautious Lin Sen sent someone to pry information out of him. Regarding the "tremendous benefit" and "chance to live" the middle-aged man spoke of, although it was most likely just self-importance, what if there was something to it?
...
"This plan is very good."
More than just good, after Su Ning finished reading it, she actually felt a rare sense of guilt. Wasn't this just paying to work? There was actually a probationary period with withheld wages?
Looking again at the final note—
Suggest hiring refugees. Initial costs are high; to prevent losses, contracts of five years or more should be signed.
There were even detailed contract clauses at the end. Su Ning looked at them and was simply amazed... Not to mention anything else, just take one point: if an employee resigned within the contract period, they had to pay a massive "training fee."
She looked at the three members of the Su family in amazement.
Just one day.
To come up with such an inhumane result in just one day, truly worthy of a family of villains!
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle."
Hearing this, Half-Immortal Su smiled so widely his eyes vanished. He waved his hand modestly: "What hard work? We are family. My eldest niece, you giving this to us is a sign of trust. Time was short, so this plan is still a bit crude. I originally planned to polish it a bit more."
Lin Sen couldn't help but look at him.
This is considered crude?
"It's already very good. I don't think it needs polishing; let's just go with this." Going too far is as bad as falling short. If she let the Su family keep developing it, Su Ning was afraid that when she inspected her properties, a knife might suddenly thrust at her...
Hearing this, Half-Immortal Su nodded.
Catching a glimpse of the newspaper on the table out of the corner of his eye, a rush of anxiety went straight to his head, and the words just blurted out—
"I shouldn't have asked this, but, but this matter is just too outrageous. When I first saw it, it gave me a huge scare."
He steeled his heart and closed his eyes:
"Does your mother, my sister-in-law, actually have any connection with the previous dynasty's royal family?"
As his words fell, everyone held their breath. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. For the people present, waiting for Su Ning's answer felt like years passing by in seconds.
Perhaps it was one second.
Or perhaps two seconds, three seconds. In short, Su Ning spoke.
"No connection whatsoever."
After she finished speaking, Su Ning heard Half-Immortal Su let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. She smiled and said, "Such a ridiculous rumor, I thought you wouldn't believe it, Uncle."
She said, almost sighing:
"After all, outsiders don't understand. Although our Su family produced a grand eunuch, we only have hatred for the previous dynasty's royal family. Why would we be willing to be associated with them in the slightest?"
"Ah... I was confused."
Hearing this, Half-Immortal Su thought of how their grandfather had died a violent death, and the family had scattered in the blink of an eye to flee for their lives. All of this was thanks to the previous dynasty's royal family. Don't talk about how the glory was also given by the royal family.
Hmph, he didn't care about that.
He just wanted to hate them!
"Damn it, which thousand-cuts-deserving bastard spread this rumor? It's too disgusting." Half-Immortal Su's expression changed, and he said furiously:
"Eldest niece, quickly tell me who it is?"
"I will use my life's cultivation to cast a spell, and I will curse this despicable villain so they can neither live in peace nor die with ease!"
Su Ning told the truth, saying lightly, "Those two just have a screw loose and are spouting nonsense. There is someone else fanning the flames behind the scenes."
Hmm, it was probably that guy surnamed Kong.
In a way, he had done her a favor.
However, she still didn't understand what good this would do him.
"As for the rumors, there's no need to pay them much mind. Without evidence, ordinary people just view it as entertainment and won't actually believe it." She would spread the word about Guan Jixing and Mu Wan's words and actions, and then have the Guan family cooperate a bit.
Those who still firmly believed it weren't just stupid.
They had ulterior motives.
"That's good."
Seeing that Su Ning didn't want to say more, the three members of the Su family stopped asking. The topic naturally shifted to hiring. After some discussion, they decided to put an ad in the newspaper to recruit people, which would save time and effort.
"I'll leave everything to you, Uncle."
"No problem."
Half-Immortal Su patted his chest and guaranteed that he would never let his eldest niece suffer any losses. He left with his head held high, leading his son and daughter. Once outside, this demeanor fell into the eyes of others.
Discussions immediately broke out.
"Looking at them, could it be that Miss Su's biological mother really has nothing to do with the former royal family?"
"It was a baseless rumor to begin with..."
"You can't say that. The suspicious points listed in the newspaper are indeed questionable. Just that inexhaustible supply of money is hard to fathom. I think it's at least thirty percent credible."
As they talked, they started arguing.
Someone stayed out of it, shaking their head and sighing, "Whether it's true or false, this kind of thing can never be fully clarified. Miss Su's reputation is going to be ruined again."
Various factions would also use this to make a fuss.
Like that middle-aged man from just now.
Wasn't he exactly that?
So, how would Su Ning respond? She had paid such a high price to salvage her reputation; she couldn't just throw it away, could she?
...
On the other side.
Young Master Kong was also thinking about this matter. Knowing that Su Ning's attitude was still so tough, although he felt she was just putting on a front, he inevitably felt a little worried.
After thinking about it, he went to find Guan Jixing and Mu Wan.
"Evidence?"
Mu Wan shook her head with a blank look. Nestling in her lover's arms, she said softly, "There's no need for evidence at all. Su Ning is so cold-blooded and ruthless, which is enough to prove that she inherited the sinful bloodline of the former royal family!"
As she spoke, her tears fell like a string of pearls.
She looked up, her fingertips gently caressing Guan Jixing's gauze-wrapped face like a feather:
"Looking at Jixing's injuries, my heart aches so much. For her to hurt an innocent Jixing, and then hurt an innocent me, and even try to sow discord in our relationship... apart from jealousy, it's because we spoke the truth!"
Young Master Kong: "..."
What kind of nonsense was this?
Besides, saying that Su Ning would be jealous of them was the funniest joke he had heard in a long time. It was as hilarious as saying a king would be jealous of a beggar begging on the side of the road.
"Apart from these, is there any concrete evidence? For example, records left in the palace, or insiders who are still alive."
Looking at the "lovers" in front of him, he held back his frustration and lowered his standards:
"Even a token or something would be fine."
"No, nothing. I already said there's no need for evidence at all. Su Ning's bloodline..."
"Enough!"
Young Master Kong didn't want to hear any more talk about bloodlines or inheritances; it gave him a headache.
"Why are you being so loud?"
Guan Jixing frowned and roared back even louder. He lowered his head and tenderly kissed a frightened-looking Mu Wan. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one can bully Wan'er."
"Mhm, I'm not afraid anymore."
Touched, Mu Wan kissed him back.
Then Guan Jixing reached out and dotingly tapped the tip of her nose:
"Our Wan'er is so brave."
To the side, the ignored Young Master Kong watched the scene unfold before him. His head buzzed, and his stomach felt a bit queasy. He took a deep breath and said wearily:
"Without any evidence, how did you conclude that Su Ning's biological mother is related to the former royal family? ...Excluding that cold-blooded and ruthless bloodline nonsense."
Noticing the shape of Mu Wan's mouth changing.
He decisively added that last part, though this time he deliberately lowered his voice.
Fortunately, his efforts paid off—
"Initially, I heard it from the elders in the family." When she mentioned the word 'family', Mu Wan smiled shyly. Although they hadn't held a wedding, in her heart, she was already a daughter-in-law of the Guan family.
"Hurry up and tell me the details."
Young Master Kong was overjoyed.
When he found out it was Old Madam Guan who said it, he cheered repeatedly. This woman was old and highly experienced, and more importantly, she used to walk the palace grounds frequently. It was highly possible she had caught a glimpse of some secrets.
As long as she could come out and testify, it would be a sure thing!
It would be at least fifty percent credible.
Since he had gotten what he wanted, Young Master Kong immediately took his leave. He didn't want to stay in this place for a single second longer. Even in the middle of summer, he couldn't help but shiver here.
He hadn't walked far after coming out.
When he heard a burst of footsteps—Guan Jixing had followed him out. He hurriedly nodded at Young Master Kong and walked purposefully toward a certain hospital room.
Young Master Kong had spent plenty of time in romantic circles and was well-versed in affairs between men and women. Seeing this, how could he not understand?
However, when he walked past that hospital room.
And heard a crisp female voice coming from inside, he was still somewhat astonished and shook his head in disdain:
"What a piece of work."
...
The Guan family.
Young Master Kong had an extraordinary status, so he was naturally welcomed as an honored guest. He thought the matter was practically in the bag, but just as he finished speaking, he saw the fawning man in front of him change his expression.
"I'm afraid that won't do."
"Why?"
Thinking the conditions weren't good enough, he gritted his teeth and upped the ante, promising the Guan family a few good positions in the government. With a smile, he coaxed in a tempting tone:
"It's just a matter of saying a few words. Although you can make some money following Su Ning, how can that compare to being an official? The Guan family is a noble family; you should understand this logic."
Good my ass!
Second Uncle Guan cursed inwardly. Being an official was good, but it depended on the times.
Right now, there was fighting everywhere outside, and he heard the Nanjing government was losing ground steadily. Who knew when a local warlord would tear down their flag? He didn't want to court death; it was better to steadily make money following Miss Su.
As long as one was human, they liked real gold and silver.
Then Miss Su would never fall!
Therefore—
"Sigh, it's not that we don't want to, it's just that there's no such thing at all. Old Madam Guan is getting on in years; she can't just lie through her teeth. It would be mortifying."
He said sympathetically:
"You must have been deceived by my unfortunate nephew and his fiancée. They have something wrong with their heads." Second Uncle Guan pointed a finger at his own head:
"Right here, yes, there's a problem here. They spout baseless nonsense all day long. Think about it, are the things they say and do something normal people would do?"
Young Master Kong shook his head hesitantly.
"Exactly."
Second Uncle Guan clapped his hands, beaming with excitement, "How can you believe the words of someone who is sick in the head? Only those who are equally sick would firmly believe them..."
At this point, he seemed to realize what he was saying and stopped awkwardly.
"No, I'm not saying you're sick in the head. I could tell at a glance that Young Master Kong is different from my unfortunate nephew. You definitely are sick in the head—pah, I misspoke, you definitely aren't sick!"
"Stop talking."
The more he listened, the more something felt off. Feeling as though he had just been subtly cursed at, Young Master Kong's face turned pitch black.
However, Second Uncle Guan's attitude was exceptionally polite.
This made it impossible for him to vent his anger.
In the end, he left in a huff with a darkened expression, completely unaware that behind him, Second Uncle Guan rolled his eyes, spat at his retreating back, and then immediately sent someone to deliver a message to Su Ning—he had found the main culprit spreading the rumors.
Therefore.
She absolutely must not take her anger out on their Guan family!
"Oh, right, tell Miss Su that as long as she needs it, our entire family can step forward to testify and prove that Guan Jixing and Mu Wan's brains aren't sick."
"Bah, bah, bah, I mean they are sick."
It was all that guy surnamed Kong's fault, making him almost slip up and say the wrong thing.
...
Young Master Kong returned empty-handed.
He was originally fuming, but who knew he would soon receive news that Su Ning had finally made her move. A notice was published in the newspaper that she was hiring, and she was specifically hiring refugees.
He even felt a moment of tension.
Hiring refugees?
It was indeed a good method to salvage her reputation. Once this news spread, perhaps tomorrow's newspapers would be filled with praises for her again.
But the next second, he saw the dense list of hiring conditions. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, reading it back and forth several times before confirming it was real.
After a long while, he gritted his teeth and laughed:
"What a truly wicked person. No matter how much you pretend to be good, you can't cover up that malicious stench. Su Ning, oh Su Ning, do you really think you can salvage everything just by casually tossing the refugees a bite to eat?"
"Keep dreaming!"
He immediately went to find Charles and his group. Without breaking a sweat, he convinced them to also hire refugees for labor. He even earned their favor, because the labor was simply too cheap.
"Kong, thank you."
"We are friends, there's no need to thank me."
Young Master Kong smiled. He even felt that he had done a good deed. As expected of advanced and democratic foreigners, the conditions they offered were much better than Su Ning's.
With the two compared, how could Su Ning have any face left?
Fearing that Chen Huaiqian might interfere and cause trouble.
He even mobilized his connections in the Nanjing government to ensure that nothing could possibly go wrong.
