Time quietly slipped away.
It seemed as though Su Ning had only just arrived in Portugal when they impatiently announced the funeral. In the eyes of those who didn't know the truth, it inevitably felt somewhat dismissive.
Things in this world were mostly the same everywhere.
Even abroad, prominent and aristocratic families strove for grandeur when holding funerals.
Now, it was happening so fast.
They probably couldn't even notify all their scattered relatives and friends in time. The outside world couldn't help but wonder: were Anna and her children taking revenge on Fernand, their husband and father?
"How is this revenge."
The beautiful Lisbon sunlight filtered through the gorgeous stained glass, casting spots of light that softened the aura around Su Ning, making it as dreamy as a fairy tale.
However, as soon as she opened her mouth.
The mockery, contempt, and similar emotions instantly shattered that atmosphere.
It was gone.
Opposite her, a genuine smile appeared on Anna's pale face. She picked up her teacup and took a gentle sip, the blue veins on the back of her hand, a symbol of her noble blood, shifting with the movement.
"Yes, Fernand was also terrified that the children and I would take revenge."
"So before he died, he went to great lengths to lock down the news and handed all decision-making power to his true love. We didn't have the slightest chance to intervene. Those who ought to know about this situation already know."
Su Ning understood.
So that was it; everything made sense now.
No wonder the news had been sealed so tightly. She had thought Antonio and his mother possessed immense power and influence.
To outsiders, this pair truly seemed like true love.
In widely religious Portugal.
Death meant the soul returning to the embrace of God. The burial of the body was extremely important and was usually entrusted to the most trusted and loved person. Therefore, by doing this, Fernand had effectively humiliated his wife, Anna, in front of everyone.
Clearly, Anna felt the humiliation too.
She hated it so much that she didn't hesitate to tip off her former enemy.
Having figured out the crux of the matter, Su Ning slightly lowered her guard. Recalling Anna's long string of euphemistic, metaphor-filled, aristocratic hints from earlier, it all boiled down to one simple and brutal fact.
She wanted to dilute her shares.
"System, I am actually the Chosen One, right?"
Su Ning said profoundly:
"The kind in novels who seems ordinary, unlucky, and poor, but actually possesses a supreme destiny. As long as the right moment comes, I will soar into the sky, killing gods and buddhas alike if they stand in my way."
"A golden scale is not a thing of the pond; once it meets the wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon!"
System: ...
Some things were too harsh to say out loud, so it kindly replied:
"It's daylight. It's no longer the time for dreaming."
Chosen One, ha.
Mocked, Su Ning endured it for a second but refused to give up, offering examples as proof:
"First of all, out of over a billion people, you specifically picked me to execute this heartless rich mission. This kind of luck is enough for me to win the lottery countless times. That is the first piece of evidence."
"And just like this time, I had just won ships and such from the lottery, and before it was even made public, someone coincidentally tried to use this to scheme against me."
Look, they were practically offering their faces up for her to slap.
It took no effort at all.
Saying this, Su Ning confidently raised her head.
So, she must be the darling of fate, the girl favored by the heavens!
The System remained silent for two seconds.
It also recalled why it had chosen Su Ning; it seemed to have just picked someone at random. Who would have thought its luck was this incredible. It swallowed down a chest full of complex emotions.
It thought about it.
It couldn't say this, otherwise, it went without saying how many times Su Ning would use it to make a fuss.
"The ship thing is just a coincidence. Although the lottery is random, according to data research on the samples, the items are basically beneficial to the mission-taker's current situation. It's just a matter of whether the benefit is big or small."
"This only proves that your luck is pretty good. Besides, Swire Shipping is inherently a shipping company. If Antonio wants to scheme against you, he would naturally start with the ships..."
The System said a lot.
From scientific calculations and logical reasoning all the way to a psychological study of Antonio.
It demonstrated that all of this was a natural progression of events.
"Tell me, as the Chosen One, is it the heavens of the Republican era watching over me, or the heavens of the modern era?"
Su Ning frowned, thinking carefully.
System: ...
It wasted its breath.
It knew it!
The question was rather tricky, mostly because there was no reference answer. She decided to shelve it for now. Her thoughts returning to reality, she said carelessly:
"Since it's a rumor, it's better to clarify it quickly. Don't waste any time. Otherwise, taking the blame for your enemy would be absolutely sickening."
Anna froze.
She didn't understand what she meant by this.
Blame?
What blame? Taking a step back, even if the outside world misunderstood and thought she was hosting the funeral, so what? Fernand knew what that woman's capabilities were, and before he died, he had basically arranged the entire funeral process.
It was a bit rushed, yes.
But as long as there were no accidents, it wouldn't become a joke to others.
Suddenly.
She thought of Antonio's massive ship purchases, his frequent networking, and his bribery of Swire Shipping's management. Their private assets were simply not enough for all that.
And as everyone knew.
Besides being a shipping magnate, Fernand was also a famous collector.
Could it be... Impossible, absolutely impossible.
It sounded ridiculous.
But aside from Fernand and that woman, the person most firmly convinced that their relationship was true love was Anna, the victim!
In the beginning, it wasn't that she hadn't tried to win him back, using their past affection, their children, public opinion, and the opposition of both their families.
But none of it worked.
That kind of reckless, crazy love.
Like a raging fire.
Or a flood.
It broke through all secular obstacles, and it also burned away her pride and reason.
Years later, Anna thought she could peacefully accept it, considering Fernand had gone straight to hell.
She didn't expect that thinking back on it would still leave her unable to stay calm.
Her breathing grew slightly rapid.
Behind her, the butler, silent as a Greek statue, keenly noticed and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. But Anna couldn't care less about that; she abruptly looked up at Su Ning, losing her aristocratic grace as she spoke urgently:
"Su, explain clearly what blame you are talking about. What exactly do you mean!"
"Exactly what you are thinking."
Su Ning chuckled softly.
She raised her eyes, looking at Lady Anna, who was agitatedly murmuring that it was impossible, and the handsome butler behind her whose eyes revealed a look of pity. She felt a momentary flash of surprise.
This... the romantic entanglements were truly a tangled mess.
She couldn't understand it.
With a wave of her hand, an exquisite enamel box was pushed in front of Anna. "Open it and take a look. Perhaps, Madam, you will see something unexpected."
Click.
The brass clasp was opened. On the red velvet cushion, a gold and silver gem-inlaid conch cup looked even more dazzling. Anna picked it up, her hands trembling slightly, and stubbornly examined it inch by inch under the light.
Finally, she despairingly admitted it.
It was real.
It was indeed one of Fernand's favorite collectibles.
"This item actually isn't worth much," Anna's voice was incredibly soft.
"Fernand was very young at the time. He was deceived by a peddler's sweet talk, thinking it was an item once collected by the King of Prussia, and bought it for a huge sum. Only later did he realize it wasn't at all."
"Even the gemstones on it are fake."
"Afraid of being laughed at, he secretly replaced them with real gemstones, one by one."
"Then he took it out with absolute confidence, claiming it was an antique conch cup. Everyone else was actually fooled. He found it highly amusing and told me that when the time came, he would take it into his grave to play a trick on everyone."
"What a pity. Mr. Fernand almost succeeded."
Su Ning chimed in with a smile.
At the same time, she frantically pinged the system: Look, if I am not the Child of Destiny, who is?
Just randomly picking out an acquired burial object brought out such a rich backstory.
System: ...
Coincidence.
It was absolutely just a coincidence.
"Indeed."
Anna lowered her gaze to the conch cup. Her expression grew incredibly complex, a mixture of amusement, mockery, and sorrow all blended together. A few tears slipped down her cheeks as the butler's worried calls echoed in her ears.
"I am fine."
Not only was she fine, but she even felt a profound sense of relief, as if a heavy boulder had been lifted from her shoulders.
It was an unprecedented sense of liberation.
This emotion prompted her to speak with a biting edge:
"It does not matter if he has no burial objects. Fernand has the love he pursued his entire life to accompany him in death. He will surely be very happy in hell..."
Before she could finish her sentence.
Su Ning interrupted her with a look of disapproval, "How can he go without his burial object? This was Mr. Fernand's dying wish, and we should be the ones to help him fulfill it—"
