They said they could understand it.
In reality, not a few people privately scoffed at Su Ning's choice. It wasn't that the title of American Ambassador wasn't prestigious, but rather that this man was notoriously slick; apart from raking in money, he rarely got involved in China's domestic affairs.
—Therefore, when he previously acted as a witness, many people felt Su Ning was doomed to lose.
Who knows how many people had tried to build a connection with him.
Very few succeeded.
Su Ning?
Probably impossible as well.
Some sighed, thinking Su Ning was simply too inexperienced, which led to her making the wrong choice. Having unexpectedly cleared the rumors, she was at the peak of her reputation and the center of everyone's curiosity. A first banquet invitation is always special, and the host would feel valued, naturally generating a lot of goodwill.
What a pity she chose the American Ambassador instead.
It was hard to say whether this was short-sightedness or just letting success get to her head.
...
The Ambassador's residence.
It was not far from the mansion Su Ning had purchased, located within the same block. The residence had a European style, beautiful and elegant. Because the ambassador himself preferred quietness, people who came here for business spoke in hushed tones.
Today, there was no ball being held here.
Yet, a burst of hearty laughter echoed from within the mansion, surprising those who were unaware of the situation.
"Hahahaha."
The owner of the laugh sat opposite Su Ning. With a well-trimmed, curled beard, blue eyes, curly brown hair, and a slightly plump figure perfectly disguised by his tailored clothes, he very much looked the part of a national ambassador.
He bore some resemblance to Charles.
They were probably closely related by blood.
Su Ning thought absentmindedly as she scooped a bite of the afternoon tea dessert with her bone china spoon... Upon tasting it, her composure nearly cracked. It was way too sweet. She quickly took a sip of black tea to wash it down.
Why did foreigners in the Republican era like things so sweet?
"Isn't it authentic?"
Thinking she liked it, the ambassador said enthusiastically, "These afternoon tea pastries were all made by the chef I brought with me. While Chinese pastries are not bad, they are too bland. Miss Su, you have been back from abroad for so long, you must have missed these lovely little desserts."
After speaking, he introduced them.
Scones could be paired with clotted cream and jam; for macarons, he preferred dipping them in chocolate sauce; and fruit tarts were perfect on their own.
He even asked Su Ning how she liked to eat them.
Hehe, by not eating them.
In reality, Su Ning smiled and shook her head, as if reminiscing about something. "These desserts do remind me of the past. My father loved them when he was alive. Every afternoon tea, the table would be filled with all sorts of sweets... I haven't eaten them in a long time."
When in doubt, blame it on the dear old dad!
Sure enough.
A look of guilt appeared on the American ambassador's face. He apologized repeatedly and even had the servants take the desserts away. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have cared—since they were the ones begging him for favors, they would just have to grin and bear it.
But right now, he was the one asking Su Ning for a favor.
"There's no need for that."
"It's just that I don't eat them myself. In fact, I am very willing to watch others eat them in front of me. It helps me recall the time I spent with my father, accompanied by the aroma of sweets, cream, and cinnamon."
Su Ning spun her lies without batting an eyelid.
"You two had such a wonderful relationship."
The ambassador sighed, mentioning that he also had several children in America. The oldest was about Su Ning's age. They were so cute when they were little, but the older they got, the less willing they were to talk to him.
"Perhaps it's because my father only had me."
Su Ning said lightly.
"Sometimes, this love also troubled me. Because he was afraid I would be in danger, my father always stayed by my side and didn't let me go out freely. You know, an overly wealthy Asian can easily become the target of discrimination and covetousness."
The ambassador nodded in agreement.
Exactly. One must know that in this era, the allure of wealth had been infinitely magnified. Everyone chased after money and yearned for it.
A wealthy, young heiress from a foreign land?
It would drive everyone crazy.
Things like kidnapping for marriage were not impossible, especially since they were Asians, naturally in a vulnerable position.
This way.
It was easy to understand why this father and daughter were virtually unknown in high society—this was a great father who willingly walked away from flowers, applause, and flattery for the sake of his daughter.
"Originally, when I came of age, my father planned to introduce me to the social circles, but his health deteriorated shortly after."
Naturally, that plan fell through.
As a filial daughter, she took care of him while receiving inheritance training, preparing to take over the family fortune and become a qualified helmsman for the family. Then her father died, and she followed his dying wish to return to her home country to find her relatives.
The logic was flawless.
As Su Ning spoke, she observed the ambassador's expression. Not only did she observe it herself, but she also had the system record it, preparing for a frame-by-frame analysis—
If the results were good.
Then this would become her official story!
Whether the ambassador believed it or not was another matter, but Half-Immortal Su, who had been acting as a background accessory nearby, believed it completely. He listened with tears in his eyes, thinking about how hard things had been for his eldest niece.
Outside, monsters and demons glared like tigers watching their prey.
At such a young age, she had to care for her sick father, stabilize the situation, and take over the family estate... Back then, when the Su family lost their grandfather, Eunuch Su, even with so many masters from the various branches, they couldn't stabilize the situation and let the Su family vanish like smoke.
One could easily imagine how difficult this task was.
He also felt a bit proud.
Although he wasn't that capable back then, his eldest niece had done it.
What was the saying again—
Right, sharing in the glory!
"Although due to a twist of fate I couldn't meet Miss Su sooner, a precious gem will always shine." The ambassador cast a strange glance at the giggling Half-Immortal Su. He had heard this man was a wizard, so acting a bit crazy and foolish was normal.
Retracting his gaze, he continued:
"Just like now, I still got to know you. When I return to my country, I will proudly tell the others exactly what they missed out on."
"You flatter me too much."
Su Ning smiled.
That's right, returning to his country. This American ambassador was preparing to leave his post and return home. For this, he needed to exchange the money he had raked in over the years into his national currency. It wasn't that there were no channels for exchange.
But the amount of money was simply too massive.
If he wanted to exchange it all.
The simplest and most cost-effective way would be to go to a bank and use the official exchange rate. But even as the American ambassador, he didn't have enough face to take such a huge advantage.
Private channels, on the other hand, were time-consuming, labor-intensive, and lacked security. Moreover, they couldn't exchange such a large sum. How could the ambassador accept seeing the wealth he had worked so hard to accumulate shrink?
He had been worried sick over this.
Just at this moment.
Su Ning solved his urgent problem, saying she could help with the exchange. Although the rate was significantly lower than the official one, it was much more favorable than private channels.
He was overjoyed.
At the same time, this demonstrated Su Ning's immense power abroad. The ambassador was very happy to make this young friend, and his words subtly flattered her.
Hearing this, she quickly shook her head.
"You are truly too modest. If you had appeared in the social circles back then, all the ladies would have paled in comparison to your brilliance."
His tone was very firm.
"You mean they would pale in comparison to my wealth, right?"
Su Ning responded humorously.
