He was wrong.
Originally, Yan Jiangeng still held onto a final glimmer of hope. After leading everyone off the vehicle, the mansion before them was extravagantly luxurious, exuding the scent of money from its very exterior.
"Hiss—so rich."
Someone's eyes filled with envy. "I've actually been to this mansion before, but it couldn't compare to how it looks now at all."
Indeed.
The others nodded as well.
Although they hadn't been here before, they had eyes; compared to the surrounding mansions and villas, this place was noticeably much more dazzling.
Just as everyone was about to head inside.
Then—
They were stopped by a tall, straight-postured guard at the door. "We were invited by Miss Su," Yan Jiangeng said in astonishment, only to receive a cold reply: "Cut the crap. If you're told to wait, then wait."
The crowd dared to be angry but didn't dare to speak up.
The guard tilted his head to signal, and immediately someone jogged inside to report.
They whispered their complaints.
"This is too much bullying... How can they just leave guests standing around? Even the petty imp at the door is this difficult, let alone the Demon Boss inside."
"Say, is this a hint for us to give them money?"
As soon as this was said.
Everyone exchanged glances, all feeling that this must be the case, and grew even more furious. Not even the government bullied people like this, not to mention they had no money left!
Finally, Yan Jiangeng stepped forward, painfully taking some money from his pocket—this was the money his wife had given him to buy meat when he left the house. Their family was not well-off, and they only ate meat twice a month.
His sons and daughters were eagerly waiting for it.
Now... sigh.
"What are you doing?"
"Just a little token of appreciation, take it to buy some tea." Yan Jiangeng tried to slip the money over with a practiced hand. This method had never failed before, but this time it was dodged.
"Take it away, quickly."
"Take it, just take it. I'm not asking you to do any favors or anything. Don't think it's too little, it's just a token of my regard. Please don't be polite with me."
He spoke politely.
He had seen this kind of situation many times, so he continued to forcefully stuff it into the guard's hands.
"Don't make me say it twice. Take it away."
The guard rolled his eyes.
He said disdainfully:
"Who's being polite with you? This bit of loose change isn't even enough for my daily salary. If I get reported, half a month's pay will be deducted. Is it worth it for me?"
Yan Jiangeng: ...So he really just looks down on it.
He awkwardly took the money back.
For some reason, hearing these words made him feel an unspeakable sourness in his heart. If less than a day's salary was this much, how much would a month's be? Regardless, it was much, much more than he earned.
A tiny hope was planted in his heart.
He hoped Miss Su would show mercy.
It would be great if she gave them this much salary too...
At this time, a young man came out from the door. He clearly had a high status and was dressed very decently. Along the way, everyone lowered their heads. As he approached, his facial features and demeanor became clearer; everything about him was outstanding. The guard at the door called out:
"Assistant Lin, it's them."
Such a person was actually just an assistant?
Yan Jiangeng and the others marveled in their hearts. They saw Assistant Lin cast a clear, cold gaze over the crowd for a few moments, then nod and say:
"Follow the old rules."
What old rules?
The next second—
"What are you standing around for? Come here, body search!"
Boom.
Yan Jiangeng's mind exploded.
...
"I'm so awesome."
Su Ning drank her iced beverage, looking at the continuously rising line graph of civilian rewards before her. She couldn't help but praise herself, her ambition soaring. After conquering Beiping, she was about to conquer the grand prize pool of Nanjing!
"Yes, yes, yes, who could be as awesome as my host? Just a slight move brings in a wave of infamy."
The system's tone was listless.
For no other reason.
It had failed in the argument once again. Those other systems didn't even look at its evidence or listen to it speak, just mindlessly attacking it for not appreciating its good fortune.
It... it couldn't defend itself even with a hundred mouths!
It really wanted to say, if they were offered this good fortune, would they take it?
"I'm not that amazing," Su Ning waved her hand very modestly. "Thanks to the help of noble benefactors along the way, otherwise I wouldn't have achieved what I have now. Of course, my own efforts were indispensable too."
If she hadn't routinely put effort into the details and then fanned the flames during the events.
The benefactors wouldn't have been able to succeed every time.
System: "..."
Give you an inch and you take a mile.
Meanwhile, Su Ning had no time to entertain the system's petty moods because there was a knock on the door. Setting down her teacup, she didn't intend to make things overly difficult—they had already been squeezed dry; making things difficult would just be a waste of energy.
"Come in."
To tell the truth, Yan Jiangeng's first thought upon entering the door was, "It's so cool."
Summer in Nanjing was very hot.
This time, to show their respect, they had all worn quite a few layers. Having stood outside for a good while, they had sweated a lot, so they felt a wave of coolness upon entering the mansion.
By the time they stepped through this door.
It was even a bit cold!
Despite this, at first glance, one couldn't spot the presence of any ice blocks. Perhaps they were hidden inside a jade bonsai, or in an antique vase with exquisite brushwork in the corner, emitting traces of cool air.
This scene made people think of only one phrase—
Boundless wealth.
As he led the others to sit down, he finally dared to steal a quick glance at Su Ning sitting opposite him. For some reason, his heart was pounding.
Perhaps he was infected by this extreme worldly wealth. From the extinguished ashes somewhere deep in his heart, a tiny flame flickered to life again.
Faint, but genuinely there.
"Mr. Yan."
"Yes."
He almost bounced up from the sofa. Su Ning chuckled lightly, "No need to be so nervous. I don't like talking nonsense. Since you all came at my invitation, you must know the purpose of me seeking you out, right?"
Anyone familiar with her could hear it.
Her tone was gentler than usual.
Those who chose to accept her olive branch when public opinion generally looked unfavorably upon her deserved a bit of special treatment. She also became more convinced of her dear uncle's phrase, "compatible destinies."
"We know."
Yan Jiangeng nodded hesitantly.
Then he wanted to explain how difficult oil exploration was, to make Su Ning lower her expectations, and then self-deprecate a bit, ideally making her give up on hiring them for the job...
"That's good. This is the location data of the oil field. Take a look. You will set off in the next couple of days. Two months should be enough time for you and your team, right?"
What?
Two months!
Yan Jiangeng almost thought he was hallucinating. The documents he had just taken dropped onto the table with a smack. Ignoring that, he exclaimed:
"Impossible! Miss Su, you might not understand, but oil exploration is a long-term endeavor. It takes a year or two at the minimum, and up to eight or nine years at the most. And that's under the condition of having complete exploration equipment and highly experienced personnel."
Right now, they had nothing!
The others were also shocked.
"In my dictionary, the word 'impossible' does not exist." Su Ning's expression was cold.
A domineering and unreasonable command:
"You must get it done within two months."
It's over.
In his moment of despair, a thought suddenly popped into Yan Jiangeng's mind... Could it be that Su Ning deliberately set this impossible deadline just to use them as scapegoats to shut the mouths of everyone else waiting to laugh at her?
But what could he do?
He couldn't resist at all.
"Read the documents carefully. The exploration equipment will set out with you when the time comes. It's all the newest and most advanced machinery, but there might be some omissions. Bring them up early, otherwise it will be very troublesome."
Like a drowning man getting a breath of oxygen.
Yan Jiangeng hurriedly looked at the documents.
The others also gathered around. Upon seeing the long, dazzling list of equipment names, they could not help but gasp.
"Steam-powered percussion drills, rotary drills, even a magnetometer!"
"Where? Let me see."
"Right here."
After the minute hand completed three revolutions, Su Ning tapped the table and asked casually, "Is there any equipment missing?"
Yan Jiangeng was the first to calm down, his tone now noticeably more eager:
"The various exploration equipment is very comprehensive, but two months is still a bit too short. To be honest, domestic oil exploration is a complete blank slate. Starting from scratch is not that easy..."
"I do not want to hear that."
Su Ning interrupted.
"Besides, who said anything about starting from scratch?" She raised her chin haughtily and pointed at the documents. "Flip back a bit. The approximate location has already been marked. I just need you to find the exact location of the oil field within this area."
"It is a very simple matter."
Yes.
Very simple.
Yan Jiangeng's eyes were fixed dead on the dense print on the documents, reading it over and over until every word twisted and deformed in his eyes.
He could not make out the meaning.
"So, two months. Can it be done?"
Su Ning asked.
After a brief moment.
A dozen voices of varying pitches rang out simultaneously:
"Yes!"
......
"You are back."
A plainly dressed woman came to greet him, asking in confusion, "Why are you just standing there? Oh right, where is the meat I asked you to bring? The other dishes are all prepped and just waiting for it to go in the wok..."
She only got halfway through her sentence.
Because her husband suddenly lunged forward and hugged her.
Her face flushed red.
"There are people in the house, what are you doing? Did you give your money away to help someone else again? Honestly, the children are going to complain about you again..."
"No."
Yan Jiangeng let go, pulled a box from his pocket, and pressed it into his wife's hands. "I forgot to buy the meat. We are not eating at home today, we are going out to a restaurant. Look at what this is."
"Why on earth would we go to a restaurant?"
His wife chided gently, though her eyes brimmed with joy. Opening the box, she continued:
"Did the money the government owed finally come through? Even if we have money, we cannot spend it recklessly. The family needs money for everything. And whatever this is, we should return it later... A bracelet!"
A gleaming, sparkling gold bracelet.
Exquisite and beautiful.
"Is... is this my dowry bracelet?" Seeing a familiar scratch in a hidden spot, his wife's eyes welled with tears, utterly overjoyed.
"Yes, I redeemed it for you."
"Hurry and put it on."
Seeing his wife so happy, Yan Jiangeng felt a pang of guilt and heartache. He was always out exploring across the country, rarely home, and the family relied entirely on his wife to keep things running, to the point that she had even pawned her dowry bracelet.
"Wait, where did you get so much money?"
His wife asked in confusion.
Gold in times of chaos, antiques in times of peace.
The price of a gold bracelet was not low right now. At this thought, she grew anxious. Had he spent the entire government exploration fee?
"Look at this."
Yan Jiangeng pulled a bank deposit slip from his pocket and handed it to his wife. The number on it almost made her scream. "I found a good patron. Our family will not have to live so tightly anymore."
He said this with exceptional high spirits.
Say what you will about Miss Su.
She was truly generous!
"Come on, let us go eat out."
"Okay."
......
The winds of the market changed quickly.
By the time the exploration equipment and Yan Jiangeng's team boarded the train to Yumen, the people in Nanjing were hesitating again. It looked like Su Ning was actually serious.
It did not seem like she was lying.
Consequently, Su Ning received an endless stream of invitations, including a small afternoon tea gathering hosted by Madame Kung.
Unexpectedly.
She refused them all and announced to the public—
She was returning to Peiping!
