The system suddenly went silent. Finding it dull, Su Ning shifted her attention. On the other side, the American ambassador, after some inner struggle, resolutely decided to invest early.
There is an old Chinese saying that aligned perfectly with his family's philosophy: seek wealth in the midst of danger. He was going to take a gamble this time!
The US dollars that had just changed hands were sent right back into Su Ning's.
"You have made a wise choice."
Accepting the money, Su Ning said half-jokingly, "I made an exception for you, Mr. Ambassador. I originally planned to wait until the oil exploration yielded results before considering outside investments. It wouldn't have been this easy then."
These words were not false.
Regarding this massive cake called "oil," she had already decided who was qualified to sit at the table and share it, and who could only drool on the floor.
If the American ambassador hadn't made a move this time, he really might not have succeeded in the competition.
After all, he wasn't the only foreign power interested.
There were also the German ambassador, the British ambassador...
"I hope this choice will make me rich overnight." Robert's attitude became even more intimate, like a close friend. Charles, who was acting as a wallflower nearby, shifted slightly, entirely unsurprised.
He was just too used to it.
In their family's eyes, there was no link of friendship in the world more unbreakable than mutual financial interest.
We are doing business together.
Great.
Then until the business concludes, I will be your most considerate and friendly companion.
It was getting late. As the meeting drew to a close, Robert casually complimented Su Ning on her thorough preparations, noting that not only was the exploration equipment fully ready, but the exploration personnel had been selected so quickly as well.
She must have been preparing for this for a long time.
"No."
"?"
Su Ning said nonchalantly, "I didn't prepare much. I only started picking people two days before departure."
"Miss Su, you must be joking, right?"
Robert's eyes widened.
"I never joke with people." Well, she seemed to have said this line many times before... Why did people keep asking this kind of question?
"Then, then Miss Su must have many capable subordinates. They must have worked overtime to thoroughly vet and select these people, right? Hahahaha."
"Not that either."
Su Ning ruthlessly cut off his awkward laughter.
"There was no working overtime. They just listed the names of people with exploration experience, and I had my uncle do a reading to see whose luck was the best and most compatible with mine, and I picked them."
It was so quiet.
Charles thought in despair that he was about to suffocate. He glanced at his uncle... seeing that there was someone in even more pain made him feel a lot better.
Hehehe.
...
In the end, Su Ning still returned with the money. Lin Sen personally supervised his subordinates as they stowed suitcase after suitcase of US dollars. However, as she got into the car, he astutely noticed that the young miss's mood didn't seem very pleasant.
What else could it be?
Her little scheme had fallen through.
"I take back what I said earlier. Host, you really should be jealous of this American ambassador. Not only is he a linguistic genius, but he is also a man of great resolve. Once he makes up his mind, he remains entirely unmoved and steadfast, no matter how certain people try to sway him."
The Rich and Heartless System praised him to the high heavens.
Su Ning was speechless.
"Heh heh."
"Certain people" forced a fake laugh.
After calming down in the car for a while, Su Ning cleared away her bad mood and figured it out. It was just a matter of taking a shot in the dark anyway. Although Robert was going to leave his post and couldn't compare to other active foreign ambassadors, the temperament and decisiveness he displayed made him a much better ally than the others she didn't know as well.
With this connection, it would be much more convenient when she went to open up foreign prize pools in the future. After all, foreign industries were concentrated in the UK and the US, so there would still be times when he would be useful.
Su Ning analyzed the situation calmly.
And then, the very next second...
She was still so, so mad.
Scoring a rare victory, the system quickly recorded it. It knew this would happen. With Su Ning's mind being narrower than the tip of a needle, how could she let it go so easily?
The following situation seemed to verify its thoughts once again.
Su Ning unhesitatingly rejected Madame Kung's desire to invest early.
"W-why is that?"
Madame Kung completely did not expect to be rejected.
Although her decision to buy shares was a spur-of-the-moment idea after learning that the American ambassador had invested a large sum, Su Ning had accepted the American ambassador.
Why reject her!
"Regarding the oil business, I've recently given up the idea of partnering with others. Originally, I didn't even want to accept Robert's portion, but since I had brought it up to him on my own initiative before, it was hard to refuse now."
Su Ning spoke as if she were rather troubled.
"As for you, Madame... we hadn't finalized anything before, only saying we would discuss the details later. So let's just drop it."
"How can we just drop it?"
As the saying goes, the more unattainable something is, the more one thinks about it.
Especially when others have it and you don't.
Madame Kung was truly anxious now.
Her mind raced. She steadied herself and said with a smile, "Miss Su, you are annoyed with me, aren't you? You think my absence these past few days was because I was influenced by those jumping clowns. That's really not the case."
As she spoke, she observed Su Ning.
Seeing that although Su Ning didn't speak, her expression softened, Madame Kung breathed a sigh of relief.
Actually, she had been influenced...
Next, Madame Kung spoke with a silver tongue, finding numerous excuses to explain herself. After wasting a lot of breath, she finally managed to move Su Ning and make her relent.
"...Even so, let's wait until the oil field exploration results are out before talking about the investment," Su Ning raised a hand, stopping Madame Kung from speaking further.
"For one, you have a prominent reputation. If word gets out that you've invested, people will definitely follow suit and flock to my door."
She couldn't help but sneer.
"If I agree to one, there will be a second. But they wouldn't truly believe in it, so they'd inevitably worry about gains and losses. At the slightest sign of trouble, they'd come questioning me. I'm too lazy to deal with such people."
Madame Kung fell silent.
The reasoning was very sound.
"Secondly, it's also for your sake, Madame. Oil exploration doesn't happen overnight. Who knows when there will be results? Wouldn't that tie up your cash flow?"
Su Ning kept a straight face.
She completely forgot her unreasonable demand for Yan Jiangeng and the others to produce results within two months.
"Miss Su is very thoughtful."
As expected, Madame Kung was completely persuaded. Anyway, Su Ning had made a guarantee.
As soon as oil was discovered, she definitely wouldn't be left out.
Therefore, Madame Kung was quite satisfied and took the opportunity to apologize on behalf of her husband.
"It was just a small misunderstanding."
Su Ning indicated that she had long forgotten about it... Yeah, right. When seeing Madame Kung off, she asked her to keep Robert's investment a secret for the time being. "I still want to watch the show a little longer," she said in a disdainful, cold tone.
Madame Kung understood.
She knew exactly what Su Ning was trying to do. With one less person at the table to share the cake, she could eat a bit more. Naturally, she had no reason to disagree.
...
After sending off Madame Kung, Su Ning relaxed, had someone take the tea away, and finally got to drink her long-awaited iced beverage.
"Host."
"Hmm?"
The system didn't know what to say. It wanted to say Su Ning was bad for using Robert's investment to lure Madame Kung into taking the bait, achieving her goals step by step, but saying that out loud sounded like a compliment...
Since it wouldn't speak, Su Ning did.
"I think I really shouldn't be jealous of Robert," Su Ning sighed.
"He might be my lucky charm."
System: "..."
What?
Why were they suddenly on the metaphysics channel again?
It is wrong to be jealous of someone who brings you benefits. Without his investment funds today, I would have had to find another opportunity to stabilize Madame Kung and her sister before leaving Nanjing. I would have needed their firm support without revealing the exact news that would allow them to get on board at a low price.
Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
She rested her chin on her hand and snapped her fingers.
Now the problem is solved all at once, and I can leave Nanjing with peace of mind.
As for why she was leaving Nanjing?
Naturally, it was to clear the stage and let Yu Tai and her group show off. Go for it, she thought, it would be best if they made such a fuss that everyone lost faith in her.
That way, when the news of the oil field discovery came out.
The situation would reverse.
She would have the moral high ground. Those people would be in the wrong and would have to come begging her with their resources, channels, and money, letting her raise prices and pick and choose as she pleased, without being able to utter a word of complaint.
Who told you not to believe me before!
How satisfying.
Su Ning finished the rest of her iced drink in one gulp, feeling that the sunlight outside the window was exceptionally bright.
The next day.
The people of Nanjing once again saw that imposing fleet of black cars heading toward the train station along the same route they had arrived. The uninformed ordinary citizens just gossiped about it like they were watching a spectacle, and that was that.
But when the insiders learned of this.
Their reactions varied.
Most of them were shocked.
She actually left!
When she arrived, Su Ning was just a nobody in Nanjing. People mocked her for her grand entrance, saying Nanjing was not Peiping and no one would give her face, they even doubted she would be able to take those cars back with her!
She had disappointed them.
As soon as she got out of her car, the staff at the Nanjing train station rushed over to greet her. They directed people to help load the motorcade into specially emptied train cars. The person in charge bowed and scraped before Su Ning.
Please board the train first. We will be done here very soon, and we absolutely will not delay your time.
Mhm.
Su Ning nodded.
Surrounded by her subordinates, she boarded the train. Just then, another train arrived. Fearing that mistakes might happen in the rush, the passengers on that train were locked inside and not allowed to disembark, leading to widespread complaints.
This is too much. Nanjing is the capital, how could something like this happen?
Xing Qiu frowned, highly dissatisfied.
Alright, the privileged class exists everywhere. It is precisely because it is the capital that things like this happen so often. I know you cannot stand it, so just do not look.
Wu Yi turned her head away with one hand.
Just look at me.
Get lost!
Xing Qiu rolled her eyes in annoyance. She looked down at her son, only to find him staring intently at a certain spot outside the window. Curious, she asked him what was wrong.
Those cars they are transporting look so familiar.
Wu Xuewen pursed his lips.
Cars all look pretty much the same. What is there to be familiar with?
Wu Yi said, raising an eyebrow.
But, but cars like that were clearly very rare. In his memory, only that woman, Su Ning, had them. Wu Xuewen wanted to argue back, but upon meeting his father's smiling yet secretly impatient gaze, he kept his mouth shut.
Perhaps he really had seen it wrong.
Nanjing was so prosperous.
There were plenty of people richer and more powerful than Su Ning. It was entirely possible that cars like that were everywhere here.
