The order was passed down.
"It's fine, Madame, you go in first. The oil matter is of great importance, and it wasn't easy to make the trip from Nanjing. Don't keep Miss Su waiting," Wu Yi frowned slightly but quickly recovered, speaking with a considerate smile.
Hearing this, Shang Wenyun discreetly shot him another glance.
Was this guy trying to stir up trouble?
Fortunately, Madame Kung was in no mood to overthink it. She nodded hastily and followed along inside. As she walked the short distance, her amazement only grew. Masterpiece paintings, antique artifacts, and luxurious decorations—items from all over the world, both ancient and modern, were all present.
The most remarkable part was how perfectly harmonious everything looked.
There was no tacky, nouveau-riche feeling to it at all.
It had clearly been meticulously designed by a master. In comparison, that mansion in Nanjing which had once stirred up so much envy now seemed cramped and unappealing.
Madame Kung felt somewhat conflicted.
This was simply too extravagant...
The door opened.
Filtered through the glass windows and the architectural design, the gentle sunlight spilled onto the person opening the door, adding a touch of warmth to a face that was usually cold and indifferent. The person opening the door was actually the host herself, Su Ning.
Accustomed to privilege, Madame Kung actually felt a bit flattered at this moment.
"Madame, you came to Peiping, so why didn't you let me know in advance? I could have been a gracious host. Could it be that you don't consider me a friend?"
Her tone carried a hint of reproach.
Yet it was perfectly measured.
It instantly closed the distance between the two of them. Under Su Ning's guidance, Madame Kung walked further inside. Looking at the layout and decor, she knew this was a private living space rather than a formal reception area, and the smile on her lips deepened:
"What are you saying? I came straight to your place the moment I got off the plane. I just didn't have the time to tell you."
"Miss Su is, of course, my friend."
The two sat down.
Madame Kung, who had originally been burning with anxiety, was no longer in a rush to get straight to the point.
It would hurt their rapport too much.
She smoothly found a related topic to bridge the gap:
"Besides, there are so many people who want to be friends with Miss Su. Just look at when I came in earlier—the entrance was packed with people and cars. Add to that the fact that there's been no news from you since you returned to Peiping, I was afraid you had long forgotten me."
How could she possibly forget.
The system grumbled internally.
Su Ning watched videos analyzing you an average of ten times a day and even dragged it into writing analysis reports. She knew exactly how many wrinkles you had on your forehead!
"Even if I forgot everyone else, I wouldn't forget you, Madame."
Su Ning lowered her eyes and sighed softly.
"Nanjing is a land of abundant resources and a wonderful place, but as you know, having one's good intentions betrayed and questioned is truly unpleasant. Besides, before the oil field was definitively and successfully explored, I was too ashamed to contact you much."
These words meant that Su Ning had no intention of abandoning her. Madame Kung felt a surge of joy in her heart; her goal was basically achieved, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at Su Ning became even softer.
She immediately said:
"The world is mostly ignorant and foolish. Please don't be disheartened, Miss Su. The majority of people still hope for your success. During the crude oil exhibition, the streets were empty because everyone went to see it; it was practically a moment of national inspiration."
At this point, she sighed with some emotion.
Born in China, raised in China, even someone as full of ambition for fame and wealth as her.
Could not help but be moved.
"The majority?"
Su Ning chuckled lightly. "Then there is still a small minority who isn't happy." For example, the male lead waiting outside. How should one describe his image in the original novel? A chosen one of heaven? An elitist who appeared unrestrained and bohemian on the surface, supported the idea that people are born unequal, and believed career was paramount.
Such a character design was incredibly romanticized in text, so naturally, his popularity was very high.
Some people had raised questions.
But the comment sections were usually—
"He's a fictional character, don't you think it's ridiculous to demand moral correctness?"
"This is exactly what makes it so good to ship! The arrogant golden boy steps down from his pedestal, begins to reflect and regret after losing his love, and upon regaining her, goes against his core principles, overcoming all obstacles just to be with her. Ahhhh, if only I were Xing Qiu."
"I've seen enough of those plain, nice-guy characters. This type is rare and refreshing, okay?"
"This is what gives it sexual tension."
Su Ning blinked, stopping her reminiscence, because the rest would basically derail into dissatisfaction with Xing Qiu. After all, the male lead had repented and was even willing to marry her; a life of social climbing, wealth, and worry-free living was right in front of her.
Yet she still wasn't satisfied!
If it weren't for her rather special identity, there would probably be even more people cursing her.
And more explicitly, too.
Of course, this didn't stop a certain genre of fanfiction where the protagonist transmigrated as Xing Qiu from exploding in popularity. The plot usually involved accepting Wu Yi, lying flat to enjoy a life of luxury and dissipation, and conveniently changing Wu Yi's ending along the way.
Most of them involved fleeing abroad before the war started.
And then living a peaceful, quiet life.
On this side, Madame Kung misunderstood her words and showed a look of disgust:
"That Yu Tai has been jumping around, mixing with a bunch of Japanese people. Word is he's even planning to take Japanese citizenship. Hmph, no one gets up early without the promise of profit. If you ask me, those Japanese definitely have some ulterior motive."
Su Ning merely smiled.
She didn't ask why, if that were the case, they didn't just arrest and interrogate him.
Instead, Madame Kung started explaining it herself:
"But I feel that you, Miss Su, will definitely succeed in exploring the oil field. No matter how many schemes they have, it will all be for nothing. With his calculations falling through, Yu Tai is going to be in a miserable state."
She paused deliberately here.
And said disdainfully:
"I only found out later that he wanted to use the bet to get his hands on your exploration equipment, so he could go to the Northeast with the Japanese to explore for oil. He invested his entire net worth and even took out high-interest loans... Now, of course, it's all gone down the drain, and he has become a rat crossing the street."
"But there's an upside to this. With his creditors keeping a close eye on him, he can't leave Nanjing."
Which meant he couldn't run away.
Speaking of this, Madame Kung noticed that Su Ning remained perfectly calm, without the slightest look of gratification.
Her heart stirred.
No wonder some people in Nanjing secretly said she was made of ice, never showing her joy or anger. To have such deep shrewdness at such a young age was truly baffling.
As a result, the words she had drafted in her mind suddenly got stuck.
She thought for a moment.
And finally said it as if it were a joke:
"So Miss Su should hurry to Nanjing to collect your winning bet. Otherwise, who knows when Yu Tai might be hounded to death on the streets by debt collectors. Plus, there are other people looking forward to your visit."
"He's not worth me making a special trip."
Su Ning chuckled lightly, careless and unbothered:
"If you hadn't mentioned him, Madame, I would have forgotten about this person. The bet has already been settled. Even if he dies, it doesn't matter; the apology can still be published in the newspapers as planned."
Of course, before she collected her debt, that guy couldn't die even if he wanted to!
There would naturally be people keeping an eye on him.
On the other hand, Madame Kung didn't care about Yu Tai either. She was pondering whether Su Ning was just playing hard to get, or if she genuinely didn't want to deal with those people in Nanjing.
Before coming, she had been quite confident she could invite her over.
Now, she wasn't so sure.
Ultimately, it was Su Ning who had extended the olive branch first, but those people had hesitated time and again. Now that the dust had settled, they shamelessly wanted a piece of the pie.
It was completely normal that she didn't want to engage with them.
She found it a bit tricky.
Taking advantage of the time spent drinking tea, Madame Kung decided to stay a few more days to persuade her slowly—she had to put on a show at least, so when she returned, she could show that she hadn't failed for lack of trying.
Her mind relaxed a bit.
Then she remembered Wu Yi waiting outside. Since she had accepted his favors, she had to do the job.
She casually mentioned to Su Ning that there was someone who wanted to see her:
"...He came over from the Northeast. He isn't much himself, but his old man holds some status over there. Miss Su, you know how critical the current situation is. When he came to me with a request, it was hard to refuse. Still, he's not exactly an important figure. If you're interested, Miss Su, you can meet him just for amusement."
"If you're not interested, just send him away."
She revealed everything about Wu Yi's background, including his failed matchmaking attempt and the reason he was so eager to see Su Ning.
After all, when comparing Su Ning and Wu Yi.
Madame Kung didn't even have to think about who was more important.
One was in the heavens.
The other was in the dirt.
"His name is Wu Yi?"
Su Ning deliberately revealed a look of surprise. Madame Kung nodded in confusion, but before she could ask, the expression on Su Ning's face turned cold:
"No wonder Zhao Xuewen—no, he should be called Wu Xuewen now—acts this way. It turns out the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It's bad enough not to repay a favor, but to actually bite the hand that feeds you."
Madame Kung was completely baffled.
???
She recognized every single word, but put together, why couldn't she understand them at all? While she was still trying to figure it out, Su Ning had already given the order to let Wu Yi in.
Well, there was one thing she did understand.
Wu Yi was in deep trouble.
