The Su family indeed felt there were too many people.
Originally, they had been looking down their noses at this group of misfits that Su Ning had allowed in, but later they started to feel that something was wrong—
Why were there more and more people?
Stepping onto a stool to take a look, good heavens, they were all running over from those damn foreign devils' side!
This wouldn't do.
There were plenty of refugees in Peiping City. Even if his eldest niece wanted to hire thousands of people, it still wouldn't be the turn of these picky guys. Half-Immortal Su rolled up his sleeves, about to step in and drive them away, but Su Zhenzhu stopped him and whispered something in his ear.
His eyes shone with a sharp light, and he nodded incessantly.
They had almost forgotten their mission—to act as foils so their eldest niece could play the good guy. Now, with the right time, the right place, and the right people all present, it was the perfect opportunity!
Hmph, he would let these guys off cheap for now.
…………
"Host, could you please stop sighing?"
The Rich and Heartless System could no longer tolerate it. It would have been one thing if Su Ning just sighed normally, but she only sighed inside her mind. What was the justification for solely torturing a poor system like it?
"Sorrow comes from within, unending and unbroken."
Su Ning melancholically recited a line of poetry, and in the next second, she spoke in a gloomy tone:
"I'm already so miserable. System, it's fine if you don't feel sorry for me, but to actually complain that I sigh too much? You are simply too heartless, too unreasonable, and you make me too sad!"
Over eighty million.
With such a massive number, how was she supposed to spend it all reasonably and logically without breaking character? Oh right, the coming years would get more and more chaotic, so she also had to consider her own safety...
Just thinking about it was enough to drive anyone mad.
System: "..."
Why did it feel like there was something off about those words? They also seemed a bit familiar. Either way, it made the system rather uncomfortable. It tried to hold back but eventually couldn't resist asking.
"Oh, I've been in a bad mood these past two days, so I watched Guan Jixing and Mu Wan's grand romantic drama a few more times. As expected of the male and female leads, it's truly a classic that never gets old; I can find new comedic points every time."
So she was thoroughly marinated in the drama's flavor.
The system rolled its eyes. It was just about to speak when suddenly a commotion broke out among the crowd of job seekers not far away. It hurriedly reminded its host to be careful and not to trip up unexpectedly.
"Don't worry."
Su Ning was also slightly startled. A riot had just occurred on that surnamed Kong's side. Then, seeing the expressions of the three Su family members, she knew they were about to make a move.
A faint smile flickered at the corners of her lips.
"My dear family members are about to push this grand recruitment drama to its climax."
It was indeed just as she said.
Actually, unlike Charles's side, although there were many people here, most of them were refugees. They had tacitly accepted Su Ning's recruitment conditions, so they shouldn't have been able to kick up a fuss in the first place.
But what if their hopes were shattered once again?
"Why won't you hire me?"
A man with thin, sunken cheeks asked in disbelief. His body trembled, and his voice was anxious: "I'm a refugee too, and I also accept all that about deducting wages and not getting paid for a few months. All I need is a full meal and a place to sleep."
After saying that, he pointed to the people who had been hired ahead of him:
"I'm much better than them."
He listed his advantages: he was a man, all alone with no burdens, had all his limbs intact, and suffered from no major illnesses or pains. As long as he got full meals for two or three days, he would be able to work hard.
The people being compared to him were naturally furious, but they had to admit that his conditions were indeed quite good among the refugees.
Not to mention the others.
"Yeah, just looking at the frame of his arms and legs, you can tell he has strength and can work."
"I know him; he's from my hometown. He's a great hand in the fields and can even count to a hundred... Everyone says he's very smart and capable."
"That impressive?"
Hearing this, the man felt even more confident. He even pondered whether he should negotiate the terms, like maybe deducting one less month's salary? That shouldn't be considered excessive, right?
Seeing the crowd growing noisy.
Half-Immortal Su wasn't worried but rather delighted. He raised his eyes and dragged out his voice:
"If you were truly capable, would you be a refugee? You're just here begging for food because you can't survive! If it weren't for my eldest niece having the heart of a bodhisattva and taking pity on you people, you'd all be in a mass grave within ten days!"
"Go ask around all of Peiping. Who else can spare three or four thousand job openings? Only my eldest niece can! She even specifically passed over the locals of Peiping whom we know inside out, explicitly instructing us to hire refugees."
"And for what?"
"Isn't it just to give you a way to survive!"
Hearing these words, the crowd didn't dare to object openly, but privately, everyone couldn't stop twitching their mouths in disdain—
With those unheard-of, unprecedentedly harsh conditions, even if you tried to hire locals, would they come?
Only they would endure it just to stay alive.
A good person? The heart of a bodhisattva?
Only a fool would believe that!
However, circumstances forced their hand, and they could only go against their conscience and agree: "Miss Su's great kindness and virtue, we will never forget it for the rest of our lives."
"That's right, that's right."
"Not only will we never forget, but our descendants will also remember that it was Miss Su who gave their ancestors a way to survive. She truly deserves to be remembered for generations."
Some people looked over at Su Ning, who was sitting upright.
Being flattered so much, there wasn't a trace of joy on her face. Her expression was calm and indifferent, as if this was merely how things should be. While disappointing, it also instilled an inexplicable sense of awe.
Half-Immortal Su praised her in secret.
His eldest niece was a natural-born noble! Look at that shrewdness of not showing joy or anger, and that deeply dignified attitude—could ordinary people compare?
Those damn rumors weren't spreading without reason.
Pah, pah, pah.
Stop that thought. Half-Immortal Su quickly let out a cold laugh and addressed the expectant crowd, especially the man in front of him: "Stop putting on an act. If you truly understood my eldest niece's good intentions, why did you go to the foreign devils first?"
The man opened his mouth but couldn't speak. He couldn't exactly say that there was nothing wrong with his brain, so of course he wanted to go to the side with better conditions.
"Hmph, these people's conditions might be worse, but it's enough that they know gratitude and virtue better than you do. For servants, the most important things are loyalty and being grateful."
The people being pointed at had been standing there perfectly fine.
Suddenly, they were praised.
Thousands of complex gazes swept over them... They felt a bit embarrassed. Actually, they had consciously realized they couldn't compete with the others, which was why they had come to Su Ning's side to be exploited. But at this moment, a sense of superiority sprouted in their hearts.
No matter what.
The fact remained—they were the ones who had abandoned the foreign devils to choose Miss Su!
"I... My mind was clouded before. From now on, I will definitely be absolutely loyal to Miss Su."
"There's no need."
Half-Immortal Su interrupted him, his imposing manner astonishing:
"Not just you; we won't hire anyone who went to the foreign devils first. All of you, have some self-awareness and scram to the side! Don't delay our recruitment."
Upon hearing this, the crowd instantly exploded.
This was cutting off their last route to survival! They all began to speak up at once. Some begged bitterly and played the victim, some knelt and kowtowed, and some explained that the foreign devils weren't human and had deceived them. However, Half-Immortal Su didn't waver in the slightest.
The crowd gradually became somewhat desperate.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd:
"Everyone, don't beg him! He doesn't have the right to make this decision at all. This old thing is just Miss Su's uncle. He used to be a street fortune-telling swindler. He has a black heart and no shame; all those cutthroat conditions about deducting wages were proposed by him! Miss Su hasn't even looked into this matter."
What, is it actually like that?
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"Who said that? If you have the guts, step forward!" Half-Immortal Su feigned panic, his eyes darting around as he shouted with false bravado:
"How dare you spout nonsense here and sow discord between me and my eldest niece! I'll skin you alive and feed your bones to the dogs!"
That voice spoke again:
"You know very well whether I'm spouting nonsense. You're just bullying the refugees because they don't know your true colors. The old man is a fortune-telling fraud, the son is a street thug, and the daughter is a fickle snob who despises the poor and curries favor with the rich."
The crowd whispered among themselves, and some locals excitedly filled them in on the details, spit flying as they spoke.
All those words boiled down to one simple truth:
It was true!
"I really can't hold it in anymore. A lot of those deducted wages went straight into your family's pockets, didn't they? Miss Su treats you so well, giving you money and support, yet you're still not satisfied. You even have to embezzle this money."
"You didn't even think about whether it would ruin Miss Su's reputation."
The voice grew even more impassioned:
"You are going too far!"
............
Guided by these words, the crowd also became filled with righteous indignation. Especially when they saw Half-Immortal Su's face darken, they believed more than half of it. So, they were the ones causing trouble behind the scenes.
They had almost wronged Miss Su.
"Nonsense, it's all nonsense! Don't believe him!"
Half-Immortal Su trembled with anger. He seemed to steal a fearful glance in Su Ning's direction, which was immediately caught by a sharp-eyed person who shouted:
"Look, he has a guilty conscience!"
"Are you still trying to deceive Miss Su? We are all here, and we will never let a black-hearted piece of trash like you succeed. Isn't that right, everyone?"
The crowd roared in agreement.
At this point, all fingers were pointed at the black-hearted family of Half-Immortal Su. As for Su Ning, her image took a sharp turn. She went from being a ruthless and greedy capitalist to a great person who had been deceived by her family and misunderstood by the refugees!
The atmosphere was pushed to its peak.
As long as Su Ning stood up and bitterly denounced what Half-Immortal Su and his family had done... She wouldn't even need to go that far. She just needed to state that she was unaware of the situation and continue the recruitment.
By raising the compensation just a tiny bit, it would be enough to make them genuinely grateful.
She would then gain a good reputation.
And she would have a group of useful and loyal subordinates. It was a fantastic deal, wasn't it?
This was exactly what Half-Immortal Su was thinking.
He was incredibly proud of himself. The situation was progressing so smoothly. Although it couldn't have been done without Su Zhenzhu's clever brain, his acting skills also deserved a lot of credit. Everything was ready.
Only the final step remained.
He didn't look at Su Ning.
However, he was absolutely certain that his smart eldest niece already knew what to do. She would definitely be moved. Half-Immortal Su fantasized about waving his hand aggressively after it was all over and saying:
"It's nothing, it's what we should do."
He was thrilled just thinking about it.
Su Chen, who was bundled up tightly in the crowd, and Su Zhenzhu, who was preparing to back up her own father later, were all thinking the same thing.
A few smart people also saw through it. Although they were disgusted, they knew it was the general trend. Even though this was a show to clear her name, it at least gave the refugees a way to survive.
These were the more rational and gentle-natured ones.
Those who hated Su Ning, such as Young Master Kong who was peeping from a hidden spot, gnashed their teeth.
He suddenly came to a realization.
Su Ning had factored him and Charles into her scheme as well!
That overwhelming propaganda. And the deliberately omitted number of recruits...
Young Master Kong excitedly grabbed Charles, who had come with him, and told him everything. When you are in the middle of it, you might not see clearly, but once it is exposed, it is very easy to understand.
"A devil, she is a devil!"
Charles sighed. He glanced at the calm-looking Su Ning in the distance and was horrified to find that he had firmly memorized this Chinese face. He hurriedly closed his eyes and crossed himself.
"Yes, she is a devil."
Young Master Kong strongly agreed. "Not only that, she might also be a fraud."
He recounted Su Ning's apparent background and then sneered, "The money she has spent so far is at least five million. Converted into US dollars or British pounds, it is still a massive figure."
"But is she really the only daughter of a self-made tycoon abroad?"
"Impossible."
Charles cried out in shock.
It was true that some wealthy people kept a low profile and preferred an unknown life, but someone this rich simply couldn't hide it, especially an Asian.
It was impossible for him not to have heard of them!
"So she is an audacious fraud. What was exposed before wasn't a rumor at all." Speaking up to this point, Young Master Kong paused. For some reason, he felt a dull ache in his stomach.
He quickly skipped over this part.
"Mr. Charles should be clear by now what a cunning, selfish, greedy, and shameless existence Su Ning is. To achieve her goals, she would even use an innocent person like you."
"May God forgive her."
Charles sighed and crossed himself again.
Although he was an American, in order to please his father-in-law, a British aristocratic priest, he resolutely became a follower of the Church of England. The price was that he deviated from the main faith of his family members and was marginalized, doing worse than his peers.
Oh, right.
The American ambassador was his uncle.
This was exactly what Young Master Kong was aiming for. It was impossible now to get Charles to put in a good word for him, but dealing with Su Ning was worth a try.
So he struck while the iron was hot.
He told Charles to persuade his American ambassador uncle. He didn't need to do anything else, just testify and prove that Su Ning's identity and background were questionable.
"Alright."
Charles hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and agreed. "I will talk to my uncle, but only about this."
The implication was that he would not put in a good word for Young Master Kong.
He was a little disappointed.
But he quickly cheered up again. As long as Su Ning's background was proven to be fake, he would then mobilize all his connections in the southern government. Even if she didn't die, she would be skinned alive.
Getting the benefits in his heart was just the same.
Without further delay.
Young Master Kong couldn't be bothered to watch Su Ning's hypocritical show of restoring her reputation. He pulled Charles away in a hurry. Before leaving, he glanced at Su Ning and noticed that she had stood up.
He disdainfully withdrew his gaze.
Enjoy it while you can.
Soon, I will make you cry until you have no tears left!
Su Ning felt absolutely nothing. It was the same old saying: NPCs didn't even have the value to hate her... Of course, their massive numbers could make up for all that.
Seeing her stand up.
The noise of the crowd gradually lowered until it disappeared, and countless pairs of eyes fell upon her.
"Eldest niece, you absolutely must not believe them... I am your own blood uncle, how could I possibly harm you? In short, you have to believe me."
Half-Immortal Su stammered.
Beside him, Su Zhenzhu also joined the fray, acting spoiled as she grabbed Su Ning's hand and shook it.
"Cousin, we are your closest flesh and blood. Even if we did something wrong, it was all for your sake. This bunch of damned refugees is not worth trusting at all. If you ask me, let them starve to death on the roadside, so they won't be here sowing discord between us."
As soon as these words came out, the refugees couldn't hold back anymore.
"How can a little girl have such vicious thoughts?"
"Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice beget mice that know how to dig holes. Of course, it's the roots passed down by her father."
"How can you even say the words 'closest flesh and blood'? You're the ones who harmed Miss Su. Who knows how many bad things you've done in private! Bah!"
"Right, could it be that Miss Su's bad reputation from before was also because of them?"
"I think it's possible."
Su Ning looked at Su Zhenzhu, marveling inwardly. To be able to use such a pure and pretty face to convey shame, resentment, ruthlessness, and even a slight trace of guilt—she truly lived up to her role as the major villain of the original story.
She patted Zhenzhu's hand, looked toward the crowd, and said calmly with icy eyes:
"You are too noisy."
As soon as she spoke, the subordinates who had been standing silently to the side sprang into action. Anyone who made even the slightest sound was met with punches and kicks. Very quickly, the scene fell completely silent.
Half-Immortal Su almost lost control of his expression.
Oh, my dear niece.
If we just hold back a little, it will only be a few minutes to get through this. Once that is over, we can torment them however we want behind closed doors, and no one will be the wiser!
But Su Ning had no intention of holding back:
"Is it your place to make irresponsible remarks about my family's affairs? My uncle and Zhenzhu are right. You really are a bunch of ungrateful wretches who reject the face you are given."
The crowd was completely dumbfounded.
Unexpectedly, the verbal blows kept coming.
"I gave the task of hiring people to my uncle just to help him pass the time. He can do whatever he wants. Deducting salaries, withholding pay, or imposing any other conditions—how could I possibly not know about it?"
"Making my uncle happy is where your true value lies."
She spoke with absolute nonchalance.
That deep contempt flowed through every single one of her movements and words, making it impossible to ignore.
"Do you understand?"
