"No need for all this trouble."
A slightly eager female voice rang out. Su Ning looked up, raising an eyebrow to show her confusion. Meeting those cold, deep eyes, Madame Kung's heated head, which had been stirred up by the prospect of massive profits, cleared up significantly.
She couldn't be too eager; it would be easy to get her price driven down.
Moreover, when all was said and done, the oil field Su Ning mentioned was still up in the air.
It hadn't actually materialized yet!
So she changed her tune, only saying that she felt a strong affinity with Su Ning. When a friend was in need, she was naturally duty-bound to help. Therefore, if there were any difficulties when extracting and selling the oil, Su Ning could come to her for help.
Truly a famous and shrewd figure.
Su Ning sighed in admiration.
These words allowed her to advance or retreat. In short, she wouldn't lose out. Plus, the person with an even more distinguished status sitting next to her, though silent, was a deterrent just by being there.
It was just too hard for her.
The System was just about to offer some token comfort to its host, but before it could speak, it shuddered and stopped.
Unsurprisingly.
"Good thing I can say bye-bye to this damn dangerous Republican era as soon as I finish my mission, and safely enjoy the wonderful life of a rich woman in the modern world. Everyone else will just have to suffer through it, hahahahaha."
System: ...
Diagnosis: pure scum.
Hearing such words, a trace of displeasure appeared in Su Ning's eyes, and her tone became even colder:
"Being able to make a friend like Madame Kung is the greatest honor of my life. However, it is still too early to talk about help. Let's wait until the oil exploration is clear, and we can discuss it in detail then."
She emphasized the words "greatest honor of my life."
It sounded a bit sarcastic.
But Madame Kung and her sister generously let it slide. A young person having a bit of temper wasn't an issue; or rather, her attitude made them feel even more certain that the oil field did indeed exist.
That was enough.
One person was calculating, thinking about buying shares in the oil business and then taking on the government procurement of oil products. Making money on both ends, how much could she earn?
Just estimating it made her breathing quicken.
The other person thought even deeper.
The war was coming to an end, and it was foreseeable that her husband's prestige was about to surge. At this time, if the country could produce oil independently, it would simply be the best gift... or rather, destiny.
Even the international community would be shaken by this.
All the major powers believed that China had no oil fields. What if they actually discovered one? This would mean that China had fiercely slapped their faces.
And they wouldn't be able to say anything about it!
At this thought, her heart trembled a few times, and even she felt this way.
One could only imagine how inspired and uplifted the common people would be when the news reached their ears.
A smile tugged at the corners of Su Ning's mouth.
Ah, she really was a good person. Certain systems were always slandering her.
An oil business that hadn't even taken shape yet was already making others this happy, making her feel a bit embarrassed. Therefore, she really should have been bound to a Good Samaritan System or a Charitable System instead.
Rich and Heartless System: ...
Heh.
It didn't even bother to say anything more.
After thinking about it, it was still very angry. It got up and went to the system communication forum to post a thread titled "Gossip About Those Hosts Lacking Self-Awareness." Unexpectedly, inspiration flowed like a spring, and after venting, it had already written a long essay.
There were also many comments below.
The System was very proud.
See, the masses have sharp eyes. Then it looked at the first comment:
"Are you humblebragging?! With a host so thick-skinned and logically self-consistent, they will definitely be able to complete the Rich and Heartless missions very quickly. I can't hold back anymore, brothers and sisters, let's go and flame this humblebragging monster to death!"
...
The conversation between the two sides concluded.
The atmosphere fell silent, and there were no more sounds from the banquet side. Presumably, everyone had already left.
At this moment, Lin Sen finished his work and came over to observe the situation. Holding tea in his hands, he quickly glanced at the situation in the room and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After serving the tea, he was about to leave.
"Wait."
Madame Kung looked at Lin Sen with appreciation, the very careful kind. Next to her, Su Ning's heart stirred, and she began to feel conflicted. Assistant Lin was very important, but right now his value could be a bit higher...
Just as she was thinking this.
"What a handsome young man."
"It's one thing that the people around Miss Su are all pleasing to the eye, but their working abilities are also strong. Take your Assistant Lin for example. I dare say that even in the government, he would be top-notch. I don't know how you found him."
How did she find him?
That was a long story, starting from a dark and windy night...
"Other people's food always smells better. I don't think Madame Kung lacks such people by her side. I'm afraid people would squeeze their heads to get a sliver of your favor."
Su Ning smiled faintly.
Forget it, Assistant Lin worked diligently, so she would let him go. Mostly, she was afraid of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. What if he took this opportunity to return to the plot and went to the official circles to slaughter everyone in his path?
Then she would suffer a massive loss.
Everyone likes to hear nice words, and if the person speaking is the usually cold and arrogant Su Ning, the effect is even better.
At least Madame Kung was very pleased.
"What are you saying? When I was young, I also liked beautiful things. Whether it's people or objects, they all have to be beautiful. It just makes you feel comfortable looking at them."
"But you can't keep going on like this forever."
She said earnestly:
"When it comes to major life events, you have to consider all aspects carefully. Looks are the least important thing. Besides, even if the one at home isn't good-looking, as long as the other people around you are good-looking, it's fine. It won't be any different from before."
These words contained quite a bit of information.
Su Ning paused for a moment.
It took her a second to sort it out. First, this lady had beaten around the bush so much, but her ultimate goal was probably to introduce her to a partner.
Second, she was hinting that however freely she lived before marriage, she could continue living freely after marriage... Countless retorts got stuck in her throat, and she didn't know where to start rebutting.
She would rather the woman had taken a fancy to Lin Sen!
Lin Sen: ...
In a corner where no one was paying attention, he stepped back, raised his head extremely quickly to glance at Su Ning, and then lowered it extremely quickly again.
Just like a devoted subordinate.
Which he indeed was.
"Why can't he be good-looking, capable, with a good family background and character? Oh, right, I don't like unpleasant voices, and I don't like being looked down upon, but he can't be too short either, or he won't have any masculinity."
"..."
After a long time, Madame Kung said with difficulty:
"He can't look down on you, but he can't be short. That's simply impossible."
"Of course it's possible."
Su Ning said as a matter of course. "When he meets me, he can squat, sit, whatever. Unless I ask him to, he just can't be taller than me."
"Also, my father only has me as his child. My family has so much money and so many businesses. The bloodline and surname must be passed down, so he has to marry into my family... Oh, sorry, I grew up abroad and misspoke. In this country, it should be called marrying as a live-in son-in-law, right?"
"R-right."
"And one more thing..."
"What, there's more!"
Madame Kung cried out in shock. These conditions were already harsh enough. Just the requirement of being a live-in son-in-law was enough to make most people run away.
"Of course there's more."
Su Ning looked at her disapprovingly. "Marrying into my family isn't that easy. Besides the above conditions, I expect him to stay at home and handle household affairs after marrying in, so that I can focus on my career outside with peace of mind. He shouldn't show his face in public."
"By the way, Madame Kung also knows that I have a large family business, and many people covet my fortune."
"To prevent him from using the marriage to subsidize his own family, after marrying into our family, it's best if he cuts ties with his relatives. Unless it's a matter of life and death, he shouldn't go back."
Su Ning thought for a moment and added generously:
Of course, she would provide a substantial dowry for the groom, enough for him to fulfill his natural duty of providing for his parents.
"Does Madam have any suitable recommendations?"
Silence.
An indescribable silence.
…………
After sitting for a while, the tea was at the perfect temperature.
Su Ning took a few sips to soothe her throat. To maintain her persona, she hadn't spoken this much in a long time, but the effect was quite good. Thinking of the expressions of disbelief and awkwardness on Madame Kung and the others' faces after hearing her words, she couldn't help but want to laugh.
She had laid out her conditions. Let them make introductions; she welcomed everyone to recommend candidates. If they could actually find someone suitable... well, it wouldn't be completely impossible.
Everything had wrapped up perfectly today.
Su Ning felt a bit sleepy.
After managing to wash up, she lay in bed, drowsy, yet a string remained taut in her mind, reminding her that she had forgotten something... How could that be?
Everyone had left. What else could there be?
Just as she was about to drift into dreamland—
A melodious and beautiful violin melody began to play, lingering and tender. The musician was clearly highly skilled, touching the listener's heart and bringing to mind a tragic love story.
Yeah, right!
Woken up, Su Ning gritted her teeth.
She wanted to kill someone!
