Su Ning didn't know.
When she left Nanjing, two, no, three heavyweight plot characters had just arrived in the city. If she had known, she probably would have regretted it so much her intestines would turn green—
If she had known earlier, she would have waited a few more days.
She could have bullied them a bit before leaving.
She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but the return trip was even more comfortable than the journey there. Finally, after sipping some of this year's newly harvested, expensive tea,
Su Ning rested her chin on her hand and ordered,
"Go find out which kind soul arranged all this."
Unexpectedly, in the very next second,
Lin Sen didn't even pause. He spoke without thinking:
"I've already looked into it. It was arranged by the second son—who is actually the de facto eldest son—of the head of Swire Shipping. They are in the shipping and transportation business, so they have countless connections in this area. This carriage was thoroughly cleaned and refurbished before we boarded. Because our people didn't find any hidden dangers, we didn't notice it immediately."
Before leaving, a large amount of complicated work inevitably caused him to pull a few all-nighters again.
His voice sounded different than usual.
It was very low, husky, and magnetic. Those who didn't know better would definitely think it was naturally pleasant to hear... Su Ning quite liked it, so she appreciated it for a second before mulling over the meaning of his words.
She had already found out everything about the messy affairs of Swire Shipping.
For example, why the second son was also the eldest son.
Because the "eldest son" died when he was still an infant. According to the rule that family wealth should not flow out, the eldest son would be established as the heir and cultivated from a young age.
Once established, it basically wouldn't be changed.
Originally, the "second son" was following this model, but unexpectedly, his father suddenly met his true love.
The true love even gave birth to a "crystal of love."
Fatherly love was awakened.
His eldest brother, who had been dead for many years, was brought up, reminisced about, and missed time and time again. Even outsiders knew that the man in power had stated multiple times in public how intelligent his eldest son was, although no one knew how such a quality could be seen in a mere infant.
Anyway, everyone knew.
Swire Shipping had an eldest young master whose father sighed over his untimely death.
As for him?
Just a second son.
Even Su Ning had to admit that this move was a bit despicable. She thought carefully for a long time but couldn't recall any words from the original novel describing this person's fate.
But it didn't matter.
According to the original novel, Antonio wouldn't come to Peiping until next spring.
Then his father only had a few months left to live.
"Tsk."
Su Ning clicked her tongue in displeasure: "This guy has no filial piety at all. His father hasn't been dead for long, and he's already talking about love and romance, not even mentioning him once."
It made it impossible for her to use her "foresight" to judge when to make a move!
"I hate people without filial piety the most."
She added.
System: ...
Heh, a crow landing on a black pig's back—only seeing the blackness of others but not its own.
As if you are such a filial person yourself.
It didn't even want to say anything.
"Host, we really don't need to be in such a hurry. The investment in oil has just begun. Returning to Peiping this time, there are still various things to do, such as presiding over the grain harvest, expanding the fertilizer production line, and forming cliques for selfish purposes."
That's right, Su Ning had exchanged for a fertilizer production line again, preparing to take advantage of the harvest season.
To expand the production scale in one fell swoop.
The system advised earnestly:
"Let's put the Swire Shipping matter aside for now. Be careful not to make mistakes when you're too busy."
"What you say makes a lot of sense."
Su Ning pondered and nodded.
Just then, the magnetic voice rang out again. The system's heart skipped a beat, and sure enough—
"Miss, take a look." Lin Sen pulled out a thick stack of documents like magic. There were slight dark circles under his eyes, but other than that, he didn't look tired:
"This is the information I compiled regarding the current inheritance dispute of Swire Shipping. It's all the latest intelligence. I've marked the names of the minority shareholders we can win over. In addition, the price per share of Swire Shipping's retail stock on the market is..."
Su Ning flipped through the documents and smiled as she listened to the explanation.
Meanwhile, the system felt a deep sense of frustration over his failure to meet expectations!
I'm over here speaking up for you to reduce your workload, and you go ahead and stab yourself in the back.
And you handed over the knife yourself.
Haha.
Hopeless.
He's destined to drop dead from overwork sooner or later.
Lin Sen: As long as the rat race doesn't kill me, I'll keep running in it to the death.
Anyway, as the beneficiary, Su Ning was very supportive of this behavior. Flipping through the documents, she saw that Antonio had a younger sister who was clearly not of mixed race, and a big question mark popped up over her head.
Didn't he meet his true love?
Lin Sen noticed, but misunderstood:
"This Miss Chrissy is ten years old this year. Although she is very inconspicuous, and the outside world basically doesn't even know of her existence, I found out that she actually holds about three percent of the shares."
"She's an easy target."
This "target," of course, didn't refer to violent means like kidnapping.
However, it was pretty much just as malicious.
The system rolled its eyes.
It almost forgot.
This was also a black-hearted character no less ruthless than the host.
"No need for now."
Su Ning unexpectedly rejected the proposal, much to the system's surprise. She thought for a moment: "The time hasn't come yet. Let's not do anything for now." Thinking of Antonio, who had sneakily followed her to Peiping, she gave a faint smile.
It was really exactly what she wanted.
How much of a reward could she earn this time?
Su Ning, who was about to complete the one-hundred-million spending task, was already fearless. Come on, let the money roll in even harder.
Lin Sen paused for a moment.
He didn't ask any further questions. He nodded, walked to the side, and organized the documents piece by piece. Inside the small space, there was only the rustling sound of paper and the mechanical noise of the moving train.
Finally, he finished organizing them.
He looked up, wanting to ask how to respond to the "second son" this time, but saw Su Ning with her head tilted to the side, her eyes tightly closed—she had fallen asleep at some point...
The sunlight was bright and beautiful, and the scenery outside the window kept moving backward.
Lin Sen stood there for a while.
He blinked, and the exhaustion that had been suppressed for a long time surged up all at once.
He carefully closed the door and instructed the guards at the door not to make a sound or disturb her unless absolutely necessary.
"Understood."
Several guards nodded profusely like pounding garlic. A younger one, not knowing his place, saw the dark circles on Assistant Lin's handsome face up close and offered a word of flattery, telling him not to work too hard and to take good care of his health.
The others turned pale with fright.
"Mhm."
Bloodsucker Lin, the Great Demon King in the eyes of his subordinates, nodded gently.
He decided to go sleep for an hour later... or maybe half an hour. Staying up late too much made his voice noticeably more appealing to the Miss, but his face couldn't be neglected either.
......
Meanwhile.
Nanjing.
"You're saying she really left?" Yu Tai abruptly stood up from his seat. After getting an affirmative answer, an uncontrollable panic welled up in his heart.
He simply couldn't put his mind at ease.
He went to find the Japanese expert... It was quite a coincidence. Not long after he made the bet with Su Ning, an expert came out of admiration to support him.
It showed that his reputation and influence were quite significant.
"Ono-kun, China doesn't have the conditions to discover oil fields, right?"
He asked hurriedly as soon as he walked through the door.
Only after he finished speaking did he realize there were other people in the room. They seemed to be discussing something important, and the Japanese expert, that is, Ono-kun, looked very serious.
"I'm sorry, excuse my manners."
Yu Tai apologized.
"It's nothing. Yutai-san and I are friends, and there's no need to be so formal between friends. Come, let me introduce you to these friends. They are also here for the oil business."
He introduced them one by one.
Their titles were all very impressive.
Professors, research institute section chiefs, scholars who had published important papers... Yutai's eyes shone as he listened, bowing continuously in greeting. The anxiety he had felt upon arriving was long forgotten.
The group sat down again.
"Regarding Yutai-san's earlier question, you are both right and wrong. Theoretically, China has the conditions for discovering oil fields, but it is absolutely impossible to find one at the exploration site pointed out by your country's Miss Su!"
Ono gave him a reassuring answer.
His tone was extremely certain.
The others also spoke up one after another. "That's right. This place called Yumen simply does not meet the requirements of the marine deposition theory."
"It's impossible to find an oil field there."
"We can guarantee it..."
Hearing the words of these experts and scholars, Yutai's heart settled, and he regained his confidence.
He sneered inwardly.
Su Ning, oh Su Ning, no matter what tricks you are playing, it's useless—because what is real cannot be fake, and what is fake cannot become real.
"Thank you all so much," he said with utmost sincerity. "Only a country like Japan could nurture people like you, who uphold the truth and help those in foreign lands without expecting anything in return."
"It is what we ought to do."
Ono said with a smile.
Pausing for a moment, he casually brought up the bet between Yutai and Su Ning, expressing deep concern that even if no oil was found in Yumen, Su Ning was powerful and wealthy.
She could very well turn black into white!
Yutai was shocked.
He felt this was highly possible.
So he said resentfully, "Ono-kun, I really hate that I was born in this undemocratic, corrupt, and backward country, where money can overpower facts and truth, making righteous people suffer."
"If there is a next life, I want to be reincarnated in Japan. Even if I'm not human, being a tree, a fish, or even a mayfly that lives only for a day would be fine."
A flash of disdain crossed Ono's eyes.
He rebuked him with a smile:
"No, why wait for the next life? This life will do."
"You mean..."
"Exactly." Ono nodded reservedly. "After spending this time together, I believe that even though Yutai-san was born in China, you possess the excellent qualities of a Japanese citizen. I am willing to recommend you for a change of nationality!"
"That's wonderful, simply wonderful."
Fireworks were going off in Yutai's mind, and he was so pleasantly surprised he almost shed tears.
Perhaps heaven was specially looking out for him.
Someone else proposed a solution to the possibility of Su Ning twisting the truth—
"Guide international public opinion?"
"Yes."
Ono's expression was serious.
"Since the 'judges' in your country are very likely to defect for money, we will draw international attention to it, making them too afraid to resort to fraud."
Yutai hesitated.
After all, it was conceivable that the label of China being an oil-poor country would be worn even more firmly. Its already sluggish momentum would suffer another blow, and those forces exporting oil to the country would definitely take advantage of the situation to raise prices...
"Don't hesitate anymore."
"That's right, Yutai-san. If you lose the bet, your reputation will be ruined."
"This is an action taken for the sake of justice."
The others also urged him.
In the end, it was Ono who persuaded him. "I know what Yutai-kun is worried about. Actually, there's no need to worry. There is a way to handle this too."
"What is it?"
Yutai looked up expectantly.
"That Miss Su is not following the marine deposition theory, so her exploration is bound to fail. But it will be different for Yutai-san. By strictly following the theory and with our help, it is very possible to discover an oil field in the Northeast region of China."
"When that time comes, the wind of international public opinion will shift, and Yutai-san will become a great hero of China, no less than Columbus discovering the New World!"
Yutai's breathing quickened.
He said subconsciously:
"But I don't have exploration equipment, nor do I have enough funds to invest." Speaking of this, he looked at Ono and the others. "If you all could help me in this regard as well..."
Ono and the others: ...
Providing manpower and our own provisions to work for you, and in the end, you get all the fame, right?
Who do you think is a giant sucker here?
If it weren't for the fact that this person was still useful to them, they would have turned hostile long ago!
"Yutai-san, have you forgotten the bet you made with Miss Su? After you win, you can make a demand and have her give you the exploration equipment. With righteousness on your side, she won't be able to refuse."
These words awakened the dreamer.
Yutai smiled.
Before he could ask about funds, Ono added, "Although we really want to help you, we haven't saved much money, so we are truly powerless in this matter. Yutai-san could do what Miss Su did and find people to buy shares."
He also casually suggested that he shouldn't look for people in Nanjing to invest, as the variables were too great and it would be easy to alert the enemy.
Yutai nodded in agreement.
In his view, the powerful and wealthy businessmen of Nanjing were greedy, ignorant, and fickle. They had actually been fooled by Su Ning's little tricks and were hesitating.
Hmph, he would make them regret it.
Then who should he look for?
The answer—people from the Northeast. Firstly, a distant authority is not as good as a local one; it would be more convenient to cooperate with them to explore for oil.
Secondly, a group of Northeast dignitaries had just arrived in Nanjing, all of whom were people who could make decisions and afford the money.
All the problems were solved.
Yutai let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that everything in front of him was bright and promising. His whole body was filled with motivation, and of course, he didn't forget to thank Ono and these people.
He subconsciously ignored one question.
That was.
How did they know that dignitaries from the Northeast had come to Nanjing... But why dwell on minor details? It wasn't important anyway. As long as the result was good, that was all that mattered.
Yes, as long as the result was good, that was all that mattered.
Ono thought to himself.
Using China's exploration equipment, Chinese people's money, to discover oil fields on Chinese land, and in the end, all the benefits would belong to the Great Japanese Empire!
"I wish Yutai-san smooth sailing in advance, and that you will eventually make a great name for yourself."
"Thank you for your auspicious words."
Yutai was so excited that his face flushed red.
That very day.
Many letters were sent to foreign newspapers or into private hands. At the same time, under Ono's guidance, Yutai kept a low profile and visited the arrivals from the Northeast, having a very pleasant conversation.
Meanwhile, the American ambassador, Robert, learned of the existence of these letters through his own channels and hurriedly sent a message to Su Ning...
...
When Su Ning received the news.
She had just returned from the outskirts and was in a very good mood—the harvest season had arrived, the crops in the fields were ready to be harvested, and she was also welcoming her own harvest.
The field yield had increased by forty-five percent!
A full forty-five percent.
Beside her, Half-Immortal Su was so happy that his beard curled up, chattering non-stop: "Hahahaha, I told you the field I picked was good! In the end, didn't it make those people's jaws drop? And this was harvested early. If we had waited a few more days for the grain to grow fuller, it would definitely be heavier!"
"That's enough, Dad. It was clearly the effect of the chemical fertilizer."
Su Zhenzhu interrupted him in exasperation.
"Well, I still deserve some credit. Let me tell you, don't underestimate me. When I was in Nanjing..."
Damn it, here he goes again.
Nobody wanted to listen.
At least his two children didn't want to listen. Ever since he returned to Peiping, even taking a sip of water would lead him to steer the topic toward how he made a name for himself as a half-immortal in Nanjing, commanding the wind and rain, acting all high and mighty.
Hearing it the first time was okay.
The second time was tolerable.
This was the third time, and their ears were practically growing calluses.
If Su Ning weren't still around, they usually would have hidden away by now.
Fortunately, Lin Sen came in at that moment.
"What is it?"
Su Ning took the initiative to ask. If it wasn't an urgent matter, Lin Sen would be busy dealing with people from all over the country trying to pull strings to buy fertilizer; he could barely keep up with the phone calls.
"It's about the oil..."
Although the Su family was still present, Lin Sen had deeply realized the "emperor's" indulgence toward her "royal relatives," so he spoke without hesitation.
"What!"
Half-Immortal Su was the first to react with shock and anger.
Although he didn't quite understand the ins and outs of the business, even he knew one principle—if you break your arm, you hide it in your sleeve. Win or lose, what was the point of taking the matter abroad?
And it was easy to guess.
The move made by the other side definitely wouldn't have anything good to say about his eldest niece!
Su Zhenzhu and Su Chen also frowned.
Su Ning, on the other hand, was very calm. "Tell Robert not to try and stop it. No, not only should he not stop it, but tell him to add fuel to the fire. The bigger the blaze, the better."
"Eldest niece, this..."
"Dad, just stay out of it."
"Exactly."
Couldn't he see that their older cousin didn't look worried at all? It meant everything was under control. Su Zhenzhu smiled faintly; they just needed to trust their cousin...
Actually, it wasn't under control.
She hadn't expected it either.
She hadn't expected the surprise to come so quickly. Su Ning was very impartial; foreign NPCs could also be squeezed for rewards. She waved her hand:
"Let him jump around for a while. No matter how much he jumps, he can't reach the sky. What's important now is expanding the production of the fertilizer plant. Don't agree to anyone's supply requests for the next few days."
"Yes, that's exactly how it should be."
Half-Immortal Su nodded. "We must raise the prices!"
"..."
The price still couldn't be raised.
She still had a little bit of conscience left, not to mention that with a monopoly business, she had already made more than enough money.
Su Ning just wanted to use the opportunity of adding fertilizer production lines to hold a banquet and thoroughly consolidate her position, and incidentally set a small agreement—
Like a fertilizer loan?
She would lend out fertilizer during the spring planting, and the landlords and farmers would repay her with grain after the autumn harvest. During this period, they could not switch to planting other crops.
If they violated the contract.
Ten times the compensation!
Or if the harvest was bad and they couldn't repay the grain, Su Ning was a good person; they could just repay it next year with interest, only the interest would get heavier year by year.
Right, once everyone signed this contract together, they would be an alliance.
They could no longer use fertilizer from anywhere other than Su's.
Any foreign imported fertilizer should be unanimously rejected.
"When the time comes, it will definitely be very lively," Su Zhenzhu said with a smile.
Fertilizer was related to grain, and grain was related to the people's livelihood.
This was what her cousin deserved.
"Mhm."
Su Ning nodded, looking at the pretty and delicate Su Zhenzhu with her student bob haircut, and suddenly said, "Zhenzhu has grown up quite a bit too. You should invite some friends to this banquet as well."
"The same goes for Su Chen."
Ah!
Su Zhenzhu almost couldn't maintain her smile.
Did she have friends?
It seemed she didn't, but how could she say that out loud to her cousin? Especially after hearing her brother agree so readily, she wanted to say it even less.
She would lose if she did!
"Okay, I will invite a lot of friends."
At worst, she would just invite all those classmates. If anyone dared to refuse, hmph...
