Inside the car.
The system chimed in again to notify Su Ning of a new reward. Ignoring the meager payouts from a few irrelevant background characters, Su Ning fixed her eyes on the name: Old Man Zhao.
A tier-three plot character, rewarding ten thousand dollars.
That was actually quite a lot.
Just what on earth had the Su family done to deal him such a heavy blow?
Su Ning searched her memories of the original novel.
Even though this Old Man Zhao was a neighbor to the Su family, he was a righteous character who stood firmly on the protagonist's side.
His primary purpose in the story was to serve as a mouthpiece to denounce the Su family's various misdeeds, thereby reinforcing the justification for Fang Lin breaking off the engagement.
Furthermore, as the Su family's neighbor, he was supposed to step up and back the Fang family—though it only took a couple of rounds before he became just another notch on the Su family villains' belts...
Conclusion: his combat power was too weak to warrant any further attention.
"Host, a friendly reminder: your balance has already accumulated to two million. For the sake of your future missions, please find a way to empty it as soon as possible."
The system piped up out of nowhere.
A headache began to throb at Su Ning's temples. She squeezed her eyes shut and slumped back against her seat, refusing to face reality. When she first bound to this system, she never would have imagined this.
The hardest part wasn't playing the role of a heartless, wealthy tyrant against the plot characters.
It was spending money!
Should she buy houses, or perhaps land? Or maybe she should just open a factory or a company outright. Across all times and nations, the golden rule remained the same: starting a business was the fastest way to burn through cash...
Her restless movements drew the attention of the others in the car.
"Are you tired, Miss Su?"
Jian Ren's deliberately soft and gentle voice drifted back from the driver's seat. Although he hadn't spent much time with the Su family, he could already tell that aside from their good looks, none of them were decent, respectable people.
Simply put, they were hardly a fitting match for the fabulously wealthy Miss Su.
"You'll have a lot of guests to entertain at the funeral in a couple of days. I'm afraid you might not have much time to look after Mr. Su and the others. Why not let me handle them for you? It would save you the trouble."
The implication was clear.
He could keep Half-Immortal Su and the rest of the family occupied, ensuring they wouldn't embarrass Su Ning at the funeral.
Su Ning was speechless. Was she supposed to praise him for working so hard and constantly trying to ease his patron's burdens?
Well, if he wasn't so adaptable, Jian Ren wouldn't have managed to sit securely in the police chief's chair for over a decade in the original novel, outlasting several of his superiors who died mysteriously while he remained standing tall.
Without such masterful sycophancy, he never would have been able to convince every new boss to accept him as one of their own.
Su Ning was absolutely certain that Jian Ren acted this way toward anyone with exploitable value—anticipating their needs and resolving their worries. Unfortunately for him, she didn't need it.
In fact, her heart gave a sudden thump.
She suddenly realized that she might have become a bit too dependent on Jian Ren...
"You don't need to concern yourself with my uncle and the others."
Su Ning replied coolly. Then, feeling her tone wasn't forceful enough, she issued a stern warning: "...And one more thing. We are not that close. It is enough for Chief Jian to simply do his job."
A moment later, a response drifted from the driver's seat:
"My deepest apologies, Miss Su."
The atmosphere inside the car grew somewhat awkward, but Su Ning didn't regret her words. While she couldn't blindly trust everything in the original novel, certain things—like the sheer danger posed by a major villain like Jian Ren—warranted her utmost caution.
It was never wrong to nip potential trouble in the bud.
Besides, if Jian Ren was truly as smart as he seemed, he wouldn't hold a grudge over such a trivial matter.
She was right.
Chief Jian quickly adjusted his mindset, silently elevating the Su family's importance a few notches higher. From then on, he became far more circumspect when speaking to Su Ning.
It was abundantly clear that she was someone with a very strong sense of personal boundaries.
She called a spade a spade and drew a clear line between work and personal life. She simply wasn't the type to let her subordinates handle her private affairs.
What a pity, Jian Ren thought with regret. Doing official business well meant nothing; it was only when you were trusted to handle a superior's private matters that you were truly considered one of their own.
............
Just then, a blindingly bright light suddenly flashed across their path. The lead car slammed on its brakes, setting off a chain reaction that forced the second and third cars to brake violently as well.
Su Ning felt a massive jolt of inertia and was nearly thrown from the back seat. Still shaken after steadying herself, she asked,
"What's going on?"
Before anyone could answer, someone began violently pounding on the car window, followed by a fierce, barking voice:
"Police! Roll down the window, we need to conduct an inspection!"
A flurry of question marks practically popped out of Su Ning's head. She glanced at Jian Ren, only to find him looking equally bewildered.
When there was no response from inside the vehicle after a long bout of knocking, Qiao Laosi started to feel a twinge of uncertainty. Had they bumped into someone they shouldn't mess with? Still, he had plenty of nerve.
Anyone who rode in a motorcar was a person of wealth and status.
But it was exactly these important people who were the most cowardly and afraid of trouble. Driving around in the dead of night on a road leading straight to the slums—they had to be up to something shady.
Once frightened by police officers like them...
...they would usually just obediently cough up some cash to settle the matter quietly. Even if they realized something was off later on, they almost never came looking for trouble—it was too embarrassing!
They had pulled this scam seven or eight times already, and it had never failed them.
At the thought of shiny silver dollars practically jumping into his pockets once again, Qiao Laosi pounded on the window with increasing vigor.
"Chief Jian, it seems your subordinates are quite dedicated to their duties. Working this late into the night... it's truly an eye-opening experience for me."
A woman's amused voice suddenly rang out.
A Chief? That's no small official.
Qiao Laosi's brain hadn't quite processed the implication before the car window slowly rolled down. The young man in the driver's seat fixed him with a chilling glare, looking at him as if he were a steaming pile of dog shit.
Most importantly, the uniform the man was wearing looked strikingly similar to his own—except it was of a much higher rank and tailored from far superior fabric...
............
The amusing little interlude quickly passed.
They arrived at the Beiping Grand Hotel.
The manager exclusively assigned to serve her floor was waiting by the entrance. Upon catching sight of Su Ning and her entourage, his face lit up with relief, and he hurriedly rushed over to greet them.
"Miss Su, all the clothing you ordered has arrived. However, there are simply too many items and nowhere to put them all. I had no choice but to have the delivery men wait downstairs for now. What do you think we should do..."
He couldn't even begin to hide the sheer astonishment in his voice.
It couldn't be helped. Anyone would be just as dumbfounded to see a literal mountain of exorbitantly priced, exquisitely crafted clothes, shoes, and belts.
"At least they're punctual," Su Ning said, raising an eyebrow. She waved her hand dismissively and instructed the manager to book out all the rooms on the floor below them as well, dedicating them entirely to storing her clothes.
As for the guests who were already staying there?
For ten times the usual price, the Beiping Grand Hotel was more than happy to do her this little favor.
Su Ning went to inspect the finished garments.
Under the glow of the crystal chandeliers, the magnificent clothing radiated a breathtaking beauty. There were lustrous silks, supple furs, intricate gold-thread embroidery, and accents of inlaid crushed gemstones.
The ultimate display of luxury delivered an extraordinary visual shock.
Su Ning marveled at the sight.
Clearly, no matter the era, the wealthy could always obtain the very best of everything.
After admiring her haul for a moment, another thought crossed her mind. She ordered her subordinates to go out and buy some clothes and jewelry for the Su family as well—she had almost forgotten about them.
If the Su family walked around in rags,
it wouldn't just make people doubt her financial prowess as a tycoon; it would also lead them to question her sincerity toward her family. That simply wouldn't do.
............
Early the next morning.
The young masters and socialite misses of Beiping City were stunned to discover that the finest recent arrivals at their favorite tailor and jewelry shops had been completely bought out.
Once they found out who the buyer was, however, their surprise evaporated.
After all, their elders had spent the last few days constantly talking about Miss Su—the powerful dragon crossing the river who had just returned from abroad.
Many of them were out shopping today with funds specifically provided by their families, all for the sake of making a good impression on Miss Su at the funeral the day after next.
Since they were all around the same age, it was the perfect opportunity to make friends.
Meanwhile, Fang Qingqing was absolutely fuming. She had finally coaxed her mother into giving her the money for the coat she had been longing for, only to arrive at the shop and find the item was already gone.
She stormed back home in a huff.
To her surprise, she found the house filled with a joyful atmosphere. She was instantly bewildered. Ever since they learned they could not purchase the new machinery, the household had been shrouded in gloom, and the servants had not even dared to crack a smile.
Yet right now, both her parents were grinning from ear to ear.
What was going on?
Fang Qingqing voiced her thoughts aloud. The smile on Mrs. Fang's face immediately deepened. She murmured a soft prayer of Amitabha before announcing in a bright, crisp voice:
"Wonderful news! Miss Su has sent our family an invitation." She pursed her lips, unable to hold back her emphasis as she added:
"An invitation to the exclusive inner reception for distinguished guests!"
