A few days later.
Su Ning was finally about to leave Nanyang. Before departing, she said to Old Master Huo, who had come to see her off, with lingering reluctance:
“If it weren’t for being away from home too long and really not able to delay any more, I’d love to stay longer. Although this trip to Nanyang had its unpleasant moments, meeting you, Old Master Huo, is enough to make up for it. Don’t worry, I’ve already given orders—I’ll make sure to help you find the real Young Master Huo.”
Old Master Huo: …
His hair stood on end.
But the old ginger is still the spiciest—he managed to keep his expression steady even now, saying sincerely:
“Actually, there’s no need to rush. Let things take their natural course.”
“Of course we need to hurry. You’re already so old…”
As if she realized she’d misspoken, Su Ning gave a perfunctory apologetic smile. A ding went off in her mind—right, Old Master Huo was part of the plot characters too.
The reward amount was surprisingly normal.
No wonder he was the most steadfast, most stubborn villain in Huo Xiang’s life!
Thinking this, Su Ning’s gaze softened considerably:
“The sooner the boy is found, the more time you’ll have to train your heir to take over the Huo family, don’t you think? Otherwise, with such a vast fortune left without a successor, you’d be unable to rest in peace.”
Old Master Huo deeply agreed with that.
Seeing the sincerity in Su Ning’s expression, he had a second thought.
Perhaps he had misjudged her.
He’d heard that Miss Su was an only daughter, meticulously raised by her father from a young age. Maybe her heart was touched by the similarity to her own situation.
It wasn’t good to always assume the worst of people.
Meanwhile,
Huo Xiang’s eyes darkened with hate.
That bitch—one day, he would… but then he noticed Su Ning’s gaze turning to him, and alarm bells went off in his head. Sure enough—
“And you.”
Su Ning looked him up and down with a critical eye, her tone carrying a hint of condescension:
“Although your fine match with Miss Zhuo unfortunately didn’t work out, it’s all right. As your elder, I will absolutely find you a suitable wife to marry.”
Who asked you to find one?!
“Miss Su need not trouble herself,” Huo Xiang forced a smile. “Matters of marriage follow the command of parents and the words of a matchmaker. My grandfather and mother will make arrangements for me.”
Hear that? This has nothing to do with some distant nobody like you.
“That won’t do,” Su Ning said naturally.
“I’m a person of my word. What I promise, I deliver. Besides, you’re a fake young master who’s taken over someone else’s place—an impure bloodline. You could be thrown out on the streets any day. And you’re not clean yourself, with all those women in your quarters. With conditions this poor, Old Master Huo and Madam Huo alone aren’t enough. An extra pair of hands is more help.”
“As for the command of parents… that’s simple too. Old Master Huo and I are such good friends despite the age difference that I’ll overlook formalities. You may consider me your grandmother from now on.”
Huo Xiang: …
He felt his dignity brutally stabbed by this wretched woman Su Ning, pulled out, stabbed again, and twisted for good measure.
Veins bulged on his temples.
He wanted to kill this damnable creature.
But seeing Old Master Huo beside him, Huo Xiang held back. What couldn’t he endure?
When heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a man, it first must torment his mind and exhaust his body… Reciting these words to himself, Huo Xiang barely managed to say flatly:
“Then I’ll trouble Miss Su to take the trouble…”
Before he could finish, Su Ning interrupted:
“But marrying a wife is your own business. Don’t always place your hopes on others. You need to work hard yourself—for example, have some backbone and leave the Huo family to make your own way in the world. Though that might be too difficult for you. Well, you can start by just leaving the Huo family. Then no one will call you a usurper anymore.”
You’re the only one calling me that!
The cheerful ding ding ding sounds rang out again. Su Ning knew when to stop.
With a wave of her hand, she left.
The more Huo Xiang thought about it, the angrier he got.
Unable to hold back, he went to one of his outside residences and smashed things violently, finally feeling some relief.
What right did Su Ning have to humiliate him so wantonly?
Nothing but money and power.
But in thirty years, the river flows east, and in thirty years, west. Nothing is certain. Huo Xiang recalled how she had blindly offended the Japanese, and a cold smirk curled on his lips.
Though he knew that bitch would surely meet a bad end in the future,
he would have to wait.
Right now, he needed an outlet. Huo Xiang frowned, then relaxed… He had hoped Madam Huo would help him act, but no. Hmph, all that talk about loving him and cherishing him—unwilling to take even this small risk. Hypocritical!
An opportunity soon arose.
Some time later.
“You mean to tell me the great plan to get back at Su Ning involves these two chickens? What’s so special about them except their white feathers? Don’t tell me these are Su Ning’s beloved pets?” Huo Xiang asked coldly.
Having played the role of the Huo family’s eldest young master for years, he had naturally gathered a crowd of followers. When he hinted at his desires, they racked their brains to please him.
This time was no different.
He had originally held out some hope, but now he almost lost his temper.
“Please hear me out first,” his subordinate said mysteriously, explaining the chickens’ origin. Then he swallowed and raised a hand with five fingers spread: “Ten days. Only ten days. I saw with my own eyes these chicks grow this big—at least half a kilo!”
Boom.
Huo Xiang’s eyes bulged without caring about his image. “Are you telling the truth?”
“Absolutely true.” The subordinate inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t much of a talent and wanted to win Huo Xiang’s favor. Thinking it over, he decided to work an angle with that opium plantation. One careful observation…
Hahaha, he was about to hit the jackpot.
At this moment, Huo Xiang felt the same way. Chickens that grew this fast—calling them a gold mine wasn’t an exaggeration!
Learning that Su Ning only kept some chickens free-range on the plantation, he felt a pang of regret—there wouldn’t be many to get his hands on. Then he laughed scornfully.
“What an arrogant fool. Does she think nobody can see the value of these chickens, or that no one dares to touch them in Nanyang? Let me teach her a lesson.”
Though his words were arrogant,
when it came to real action, Huo Xiang was cautious. He invited other influential people to join in. Once they tasted the benefits and formed a clique, even Su Ning discovering it wouldn’t matter.
As for him,
he would gain advantages, favors, and a sweet revenge against Su Ning all at once.
A win-win!
…………
Su Ning didn’t know that later Huo Xiang would set his sights on white-feathered chickens.
If she did, she’d die laughing.
Go ahead, raise them. Raise as many as you want—thousands, tens of thousands.
The flight from Nanyang to China was relatively fast now, though it required stops for refueling and rest. Su Ning didn’t waste that time; she tallied her gains.
The money… that long string of zeros, with a prominent four at the front.
Su Ning stared at it in silence.
The system hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping.
“Hey, isn’t there a saying that finding money is like picking needles from sand, but spending it is like water pushing sand? Why do I feel like it should be the other way around?” Su Ning sighed, then asked the system for confirmation:
“Was it the same for your previous hosts?”
Oh, no.
They struggled to make money, and spending it was just as hard. As for why Su Ning was different... hah, that question ought to be directed at Su Ning herself — how she came to be so naturally gifted in the art of being heartless while wealthy.
The system pursed its lips.
It didn't want to say anything that would let the host feel smug, so after a couple of evasive chuckles, it changed the subject: “You've accumulated exactly thirty draws. Do you want to use them now, Host? That should help you burn through quite a bit of cash.”
Su Ning was about to agree.
But just as the words reached her lips, she suddenly remembered they were almost home, so she said:
“Let's hold off on the draw for now. I'll wait until I see my dear uncle — who knows, there might be a surprise.”
Hmph, superstitious.
The system rolled its eyes.
