The night grew deeper and deeper.
The Young Marshal’s mansion was brightly lit, yet Wu Yi found himself unable to sleep. The cool moonlight spilled over him but could not quell the fire in his blood.
He decided to take a walk.
Before he knew it, he had arrived at his son Wu Xuewen’s room, where the light was still on.
“Studying so late?”
“Father.”
Wu Xuewen turned around and, seeing Wu Yi, quickly forced a smile. “The exams are the day after tomorrow, so I wanted to study more to get good grades and not shame you or Mother.”
The Northeast was indeed a good place.
Here, his status was lofty. The Zhao family were merely merchants, far inferior to the Wu family, which wielded real power—a true house of influence. In this chaotic world, guns and manpower were what truly mattered.
But there were shortcomings too.
The Wu family was not small. Although his father Wu Yi was highly valued, he was not his grandfather’s only heir, and Wu Xuewen’s own position was awkward…
Mostly because of his birth mother, Xing Qiu.
She refused to marry!
Thinking of this, Wu Xuewen felt a surge of irritation. She knew this would lead to gossip—why couldn’t she think of his future for once?
He knew about what had happened between them before.
But all that was in the past. In his view, his father was extraordinary, young and handsome. He could have married any beautiful young lady from a prestigious family, yet he chose to marry his mother Xing Qiu—not even taking her as a concubine!
Wasn’t that sincere enough?
She was being… far too stubborn.
With no other choice, he had to work hard and earn the Wu family’s recognition through his exam results.
Wu Yi understood this but sneered,
“How narrow-minded. Remember, for people like us, good grades are just icing on the cake. What really matters is being clever, knowing whose side to take, and getting things done well in the world.”
Wu Xuewen’s face reddened slightly.
He instinctively made an excuse: “So that’s how it is. Mother said I should study hard, that good grades would make people like me.”
“Hmm, your mother isn’t wrong, but women don’t understand the rules of men’s world, so she’s a bit naive,” Wu Yi said, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t tell your mother I said that, though, or she’ll be upset.”
“I wouldn’t.”
Wu Xuewen replied quickly.
“Good, it’ll be our secret.”
“Yes.”
After this exchange, the two felt closer. Frowning slightly, Wu Xuewen lowered his voice: “Sometimes, I just can’t understand what Mother’s thinking. For instance, she said Su Ning’s oil business is a great thing, something about boosting the nation’s morale… But Father, you’re in the oil business too—you’re competitors. I mentioned that, and Mother scolded me. Was I really wrong?”
“Of course you weren’t.”
Wu Yi chuckled. “As for Su Ning, if she weren’t blocking my path, everything would be fine and dandy. But since I have my hand in oil too, and crushing her would let me gain more, I’m certainly going to do it.”
“That’s what I thought,” Wu Xuewen said excitedly. A sudden idea struck him, and he looked up at his father’s confident smile.
“Father, do you already have a plan to deal with Su Ning?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
Wu Yi raised an eyebrow.
But his expression said it all, and Wu Xuewen beamed, already imagining the arrogant Su Ning brought low in disgrace.
He gazed at Wu Yi with admiration.
His heart swelled with emotion.
His father was this outstanding and exceptional—he would become the same one day!
“Alright, it’s late. I’m off, and you should get some sleep too.”
Wu Yi waved his hand casually.
Before leaving, he affectionately ruffled his son’s hair, his resolve even stronger. Even a child understood the importance of bringing down Su Ning.
He would redouble his efforts.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned back:
“Oh, and if your mother keeps talking like that, don’t argue with her. Let her be, and don’t let it affect you. We’re good men—we won’t argue with women.”
“Alright.”
Wu Xuewen nodded.
He thought to himself how good his father was to his mother, while she was so cold in return. He almost felt sorry for his father…
A gust of wind blew in.
He realized the door hadn’t been fully shut, so he got up to close it. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a shadow flicker past. When he looked again, it was gone—probably just a stray cat or rustling leaves?
…
During this time,
Su Ning, the one who had stirred up the storm, was actually living the most relaxed life. About to leave Portugal with little to do, she spent her days sightseeing.
With Madame Anna, a local noble, as her guide,
she enjoyed leisure and pleasure without needing to mention it all. If Su Ning hadn’t firmly refused, even more stimulating entertainments might have been presented. “The capitalist sugar-coated bullets won’t corrupt me!”
System: “…”
“Isn’t it that you’re afraid of falling into luxury and finding it hard to climb back out?” Once accustomed to it, returning to the modern world would be uncomfortable.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Su Ning’s expression was innocent, then she covered her mouth in mock emotion: “Are you worried I won’t have enough money to spend when I go back to modern times? Don’t worry, I’m actually very easy to satisfy. But System, if you really want to add more rewards for completing tasks, I wouldn’t mind.”
System: “…”
No money? Ha.
With a billion yuan, not to mention the cash cows like the fertilizer plants, her private treasury was no small sum.
That was the small part.
The big part came from Huo Xiang. Su Ning didn’t know the details, but she knew that when Huo Xiang came for her, he wouldn’t leave until she’d squeezed out every penny he had. She still trembled thinking about those electric wires, though it had been worth it. Now the system quietly stood by, no longer as cocky as before. The once-feared target, whom the system fretted over, had ultimately fallen so easily—even the system found it shameful to mention.
Yes, the system couldn’t help feeling that the earlier, worrisome target was seriously incompetent.
Poor skills.
Trash.
That minor episode couldn’t dampen Su Ning’s enjoyment of her leisurely time. Bathing in the brilliant sunshine of Lisbon, savoring the authentic exotic scenery, she couldn’t help but sigh—
This is life.
But alas, there was always someone clueless enough to disturb her good time.
“Fujiwara came to complain? Complain about what?”
Su Ning didn’t even lift her eyelids, asking indifferently.
The secretary quickly replied, “It’s not exactly a complaint. He’s just asking about the situation, saying that according to the schedule, the cargo should have arrived by now, but their contact hasn’t received it yet.”
Given the circumstances,
Knowing that Su Ning was someone with a long memory and a petty streak—she had obviously treated them differently—Fujiwara might be furious to the extreme, but for the sake of the Great Japanese Empire’s plans running smoothly, he would swallow his pride.
If those ships of goods weren’t so important and couldn’t afford any mistakes,
he wouldn’t even bother to ask.
“What?” Su Ning frowned. “Nothing’s gone wrong for anyone else—why would his side have problems? He should look for the reason within himself. Maybe he shipped too much, or it’s just bad luck… I think his national flag could be the culprit; at first glance, it looks like a medicinal plaster. Tell him, if the cargo ship is damaged, he’ll have to pay compensation!”
The secretary: “…”
She hesitated to speak but chose to keep quiet.
Over there, upon hearing this, Fujiwara seemed to fume on the surface but in reality—was just as furious.
Still, he felt somewhat relieved.
At least it proved that Su Ning hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
“I hope Miss Su doesn’t take offense.” He managed a faint smile as he addressed the shipping company staff. “We only asked because we were worried about losing contact with the cargo ship if something happened at sea. Now, with our connection working, could you give us a specific arrival time?”
The staff member frowned, but then an envelope appeared by their hand.
Ahem.
He cleared his throat lightly, nodded with a composed air, and said, “Su Shipping offers advanced services and clear procedures, so of course we can.”
“But we need to follow the process.”
“That’s wonderful.”
Fujiwara was overjoyed.
The staff flipped through a file and said, “Let me see. First, you need to write an application, attach proof that you’re the cargo owner, and… a stamp… a stamp…”
Fujiwara’s head spun.
The words came too quickly, yet he dared not miss a single one. He scribbled frantically, his subordinates beside him writing furiously as well, while he gritted his teeth in resentment, his hatred for Su Ning deepening.
“…That’s all for now.” The staff continued. “Once everything’s prepared, hand it all to me. The company will respond within three business days.”
“That long!”
Fujiwara grew anxious. “Three days is far too long. Can it be any sooner?”
“Sorry, no.”
The staff remained polite but firm. Fujiwara had no choice but to give in, leading his men through the maze of procedures. Persistence paid off; by late afternoon the next day, most of the work was done.
“Right, that’s everything—nothing missing.”
Fujiwara breathed a sigh of relief.
“Congratulations. You should get a response in about five days.”
“What? Wasn’t it three days earlier? How did it become five?”
“Exactly.”
The staff patiently explained, “Business days mean Monday through Friday. Today’s Saturday, so if you submit it on Monday, you’ll get a reply by Thursday. That adds up to five days.”
Fujiwara: …
His face darkened, and he suppressed his temper, about to leave when a cough sounded behind him.
He turned around.
The staff’s eyes urged him on. “Today’s Saturday—not a workday, actually. It’s my day off.” Meaning, shouldn’t I get my due compensation?
Fujiwara… paid.
Back at his lodging, the sharp crack of porcelain shattered, followed by a steady stream of “Baka!”
…
The cargo ship hadn’t been in danger.
Though it had hit a small storm—arriving two days late—it reached its destination intact. Just not in the hands of the Japanese side.
The first to see it was the Young Marshal.
