"I know."
Su Ning nodded.
"In the original novel, this guy is supposedly the male lead, but in reality, he's just there to add some twists and turns to Ye Tang's life. His ecological niche is similar to the emperor in a palace drama or the patriarch in a family feud novel. If it weren't for the angst surrounding his name that drew in a wave of fans, fan creations for this arc wouldn't even include him."
Most chose to just butterfly away this entire Nanyang storyline.
You can imagine.
Just how undeserving of the "male lead" title he is, and how much readers dislike him.
If I remember correctly.
In the original work, not even all the concubines in his own backyard liked him.
And now he's suddenly turned into a "heartthrob."
It's just completely wrong.
"It seems this guy is the target. Great! To think he's actually a male lead. Even if he's a letdown, he's at least a tier-one plot character."
The system was thrilled.
"Hahahahaha, we didn't even have to look for him. He walked right into our trap and even stuck his face out for us to slap. Honestly, Host, I'm starting to believe you really are the chosen daughter of destiny..."
Seeing it so happy.
The kind-hearted Su Ning actually couldn't bear to remind the system.
Sigh, let's wait a bit longer.
Three seconds later.
"He should be the target, yes, but maybe you missed something..." Su Ning revealed all her doubts, the anomalies with her previous excellent partner, and her own speculations.
A dead silence fell inside her mind.
"System, are you okay?"
"I'm perfectly fine." The system's voice was very calm, making Su Ning sigh in relief. But then, a tearful scream erupted:
"Why can't I find the complaint portal? It was definitely there before!"
"..."
"Alright, alright. Aren't higher-ups always like this? When nothing's wrong, they humbly accept complaints and welcome everyone's supervision. But the moment something happens, they change their tune. Look on the bright side: at least they hid the complaint channel, which means they know they're in the wrong. Didn't they give us our rewards in advance because of that?"
Su Ning comforted it perfunctorily.
Having been beaten down by life for so many years, she had learned one thing—
And that was to lie flat and accept it.
What's the point of agonizing over things you can't change? It doesn't hurt anyone else.
It only hurts yourself.
If you really can't get over it, just write it down. As long as you don't die, there will always be a chance to exact revenge.
"But they can't just act first and report later! You have no idea how dangerous our situation is right now."
The system spoke between sobs:
"Foreign forces invading a world use various methods, but their core objective is roughly the same: to drain the essence of this world, such as its luck. Their methods are incredibly dirty. Unlike us proper systems, they have no restrictions. As long as their bound host offers up luck, they dare to exchange anything. Someone like Huo Xiang definitely used unconventional means, like an affection aura or a good luck charm."
Speaking of this, it felt even more devastated:
"So, how can this be the same? Before, I thought that foreign force was completely dead with nothing left, but now..."
Now it realized they still had a massive weapon.
Su Ning finished its thought.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
The system thought that upon hearing this bad news, Su Ning would pale in shock and join it in cursing the higher-ups for being inhuman.
But it found that not only did she not do that.
Her expression remained perfectly calm, as if she had merely heard what was for dinner today.
"Because there's nothing to say."
It sounded terrifying, but if you calmed down and thought about it carefully, you'd realize that even if the higher-ups made a mistake, it couldn't be that massive.
That foreign force was definitely dead.
Even if they left behind a minor exchange channel, it definitely had huge flaws and demanded a steeper price—
Otherwise, Huo Xiang would have caused a much bigger commotion by now after all this time.
The system was convinced.
"You're right. After going through all that trouble, he just so happened to walk right into your trap, Host. It seems he doesn't have much real ability."
"That may be so, but a lion still uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. We can't let our guard down," Su Ning said modestly. Then, recalling something, she asked in confusion:
"However, why does it seem like this guy has been constantly trying to curry favor with the Japanese?"
In the original story, he died at the hands of the Japanese army.
After thinking for a moment.
Relying on the skills she honed from arguing with people online back then—deeply researching and analyzing all the plot points related to Huo Xiang—she seemed to understand something.
Her spirits lifted, and her face glowed.
She knew her interpretation wasn't wrong! This guy was a despicable coward. No wonder his luck wasn't great. He probably only knew about the events leading up to his death and thought Japan would truly become the hegemon of Asia, so he placed his bets on them without hesitation.
Suddenly, she felt a bit reassured. What to do?
Even without her.
This guy would end up getting himself killed... An individual's power cannot resist the grand tide of an era.
This was a sure win.
In a great mood, Su Ning instructed Lin Sen, "With so many coincidences, it seems this is heaven's arrangement. We naturally should comply with the will of heaven... By the way, did they sign a contract?"
Understanding her unspoken meaning.
Lin Sen smiled. "It was just a verbal agreement. No contract was signed."
That made things much easier.
............
Several days passed in a row.
Realizing there was no movement at all from Su Ning's side, let alone her coming to beg them not to change shipping companies, Fujiwara and the others couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"This is perfectly normal."
Huo Xiang shook his head to explain, speaking with a certain tone:
"Think about it. Would someone as arrogant as Su Ning, who has had smooth sailing since birth and never suffered the slightest setback, accept defeat so easily?"
At this, his eyes uncontrollably darkened for a moment.
Everyone said he had good luck.
But why couldn't he be like Su Ning? Even though she was a woman, simply because she was an only child, she could rightfully become the heir to her family's fortune.
He thought again of that non-existent yet tangible shadow looming over his head—
The true young master of the Huo family.
These two people were so alike... Both were so infuriatingly annoying!
"That's why she refuses to accept it. Perhaps she's still fantasizing that we'll bow our heads first... And with her mean and ungrateful personality, it's entirely possible her subordinates don't even dare report this bad news to her."
A smile hung on Huo Xiang's lips.
Hearing these two possibilities, everyone started laughing and exchanged a few more mocking remarks.
However, thinking about how Su Ning always achieved unexpected victories since her appearance.
Someone was still uneasy:
"This is Su Ning, after all. She's so wealthy. Could there be any unexpected accidents?"
Huo Xiang's expression darkened slightly.
Seeing this, Fujiwara, who was beside him, spoke up:
"Are you questioning Mr. Huo by saying such things? Su Ning may have money, but besides money, she has absolutely nothing. Instead, she doesn't know how to exercise restraint and acts arrogantly and overbearingly. A just cause attracts much support, an unjust one finds little. Being abandoned by everyone is a failure she is destined to reap, which no amount of money can salvage."
After saying that, he looked at Huo Xiang affectionately:
"There won't be any accidents at all, because the ships from those shipping companies have already sailed over."
The crowd was in an uproar.
Then they all turned to look at Huo Xiang, who nodded unhurriedly:
"That's right."
"In about two days, everyone will be able to resume shipping goods out and doing business normally. I was originally going to tell everyone today so you could quickly return to your respective places to welcome them, but I didn't expect..."
The unsaid words were obvious.
The crowd looked embarrassed.
The gathering ended quickly, as everyone was rushing back to their own business.
Huo Xiang was the same.
However, he was personally escorted to the door by Fujiwara. The two bid a reluctant farewell, looking as if they had become the best of friends. Huo Xiang was very satisfied with this. Even if it had cost him more than half of his luck points, it was worth it.
After all, luck points could always be earned again.
Two days later.
The dock.
The Huo family had a massive business empire, and even this dock was their private property. It could accommodate many ships and was exclusively used for the Huo family to load, unload, and transport cargo.
Originally, because of the Taigu Shipping incident, it had been quiet for a while.
Only a few of their own ships were docked there.
Today, however, seemed different.
At nine in the morning, a convoy of cars approached from a distance. Huo Xiang stepped out first, then went to the adjacent vehicle, bowed, and opened the door.
"Grandfather, we've arrived."
"Mhm."
An old man with mostly white hair but sharp eyes stepped out of the car. He ignored Huo Xiang's outstretched hand, glanced around, and said indifferently, "Didn't you say the ships had arrived? Why don't I see them? You hid your feud with Taigu Shipping from me. I let it slide for your mother's sake, but if ships from other companies can't fill the gap and the Huo family's business is delayed, I won't spare you."
This old bastard.
Huo Xiang felt a surge of hatred, but on the surface, he said, "I know, there absolutely won't be any delays. There are many unpredictable variables at sea, so an occasional delay is normal... Look, the ships are here."
He pointed forward in pleasant surprise.
Indeed.
On the horizon, numerous ships appeared, sailing purposefully toward them. The sun was just rising, casting a magnificent and majestic atmosphere over the scene.
It drew a round of hushed gasps of admiration from the bystanders.
Even Old Master Huo's face revealed a faint smile.
The fleet drew closer and closer.
It got close enough for them to clearly see the situation on the decks. Huo Xiang put on a bright smile and quickened his pace, preparing to greet the person in charge who would be disembarking. Then, he was the very first to see it—
The ships were turning around!
