On the white hospital bed.
Su Chen lay with his eyes closed, showing nothing unusual on the surface, but upon closer inspection, his pale face held a faint bluish tinge of death.
When the blanket was lifted,
the sutured wound was as gruesome as a centipede, with fluid seeping from the edges.
It was red, swollen, and festering.
In this early summer weather, not particularly hot, a faint, foul odor emanated from it.
“Actually, Mr. Su’s wound isn’t large, but it’s deep. The weapon that injured him was rusty and dirty, and the filth caused an infection. Although we thoroughly cleaned it and administered preventive treatment when he arrived, unfortunately…”
The infection had taken hold.
The doctor’s voice was nervous and cautious, and as he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance at the patient.
Young. Handsome.
He had heard that this man was a recognized family member of the famous Miss Su, and he was capable himself—not one of those who leeched off their older cousin for a living.
He wasn’t even married yet.
And now he was about to die.
“Since you’re standing here talking to me, you must be the best doctor available in Beiping, maybe even in the whole country. So I’ll only ask you one thing.”
Su Ning, at that moment, looked like a statue carved from ice, and her voice carried shards of frost:
“With the current medical technology, if I provide the best equipment and medical staff, is there any chance my cousin can recover?”
“Tell me the truth.”
Those three simple words made the doctor’s expression freeze.
He hesitated for a long time, swallowed the usual platitudes, and, lowering his head, said cautiously:
“The chances are very slim.”
In truth, he was being restrained.
Based on past experience, there was basically no chance of survival—unless the Su family ancestors were desperately praying from the underworld. But since they had already used up their luck once, they were probably powerless now.
As his words fell,
Half-Immortal Su burst into loud wails.
He had never been refined; accustomed to the streets, the pampered habits of his youthful days as a young master had long vanished. He sobbed uncontrollably, muttering about his son, that he should have stopped him…
Beside him,
Upon hearing the doctor’s words, Su Zhenzhu, whose last shred of hope was already wavering, wanted to cry, but her face remained dry, without a single tear.
Only a growing fury settled in her heart.
Her eyes seemed to redden.
Like some kind of spirit that sheds its human skin in the darkness, opening its eyes to hunt. The doctor mistakenly caught a glimpse and felt his heart pound in terror, quickly lowering his head.
He regretted it deeply.
He never should have let a few nice words go to his head and agreed to meet this family. Every year, hospitals saw people who, grief-stricken by a loved one’s death, lashed out.
But the Su family was different.
If they went mad,
they could truly do it, because… The doctor thought of the formidable presence beside him but didn’t even dare look up.
As his thoughts wandered,
the “great Buddha” spoke:
“If we set aside the factor of wound infection, can it be cured?”
The doctor was taken aback.
“Of course. Mr. Su has a good constitution and a strong will to survive. He has no other injuries. If not for the infection, he would have recovered quickly.” Fearing that Su Ning would misunderstand, he added hastily:
“But the infection is very troublesome. We’ve tried every method available, but at best, we can only slow down the… progress.”
As for what kind of progress,
everyone present knew: two words — death.
The doctor, having mustered the courage to speak his piece, noticed that Su Ning’s expression was like a frozen lake—cold but calm—and breathed a sigh of relief.
The next moment.
That sigh turned into a gasp.
Su Zhenzhu said softly, “If we cut away all the infected flesh from the wound and leave only the healthy part, can she survive then?”
Ah.
A chill ran down the doctor’s spine.
Fortunately, Su Ning spoke up at that moment. “No, that won’t work. The infection has reached this level—bacteria have spread throughout her body. Doing that would only enlarge the wound and make healing even harder.”
The sweating doctor shot her a grateful look. Su Ning gently furrowed her brow, as if pondering the next step, when someone knocked at the door.
Lin Sen’s voice came through from the other side:
“Miss, there’s a phone call from Nanjing.”
…
Lin Sen knew how serious the situation was.
For him to disturb Su Ning under these circumstances, the caller had to be someone of considerable importance.
Indeed.
It was Madame Kung on the line.
This noble lady seemed to have forgotten the earlier friction over oil with Su Ning. Her tone was warm, her manner cordial yet dignified.
After a few pleasantries.
She brought up the oil matter again:
“Now the warehouses are piled high with gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. What’s more, the quality is top-notch. I have to admit, I was shortsighted. Miss Su was right all along—building a reputation for domestically produced oil products first is the smart move. In the long run, it brings far greater benefits.”
“I’ve already received many inquiries here in Nanjing, asking when they’ll go on sale. Not to mention, even my brother-in-law—busy as he is—asked about it.”
That day, Beijing was battered by sandstorms.
The dust had momentarily settled.
A pale sun hung weakly in the sky, casting a faint light.
Lin Sen was drawn by that fleeting brightness and happened to notice Su Ning, who had been expressionless while on the phone, suddenly curl her lips in a smile so mocking and swift it was gone.
“I’m honored to hear that.”
Madame Kung on the other end of the line, hearing this, implied that she now understood.
She went on to say that professional matters were best left to professionals.
In other words, she would no longer meddle in the oil sales. This was a significant concession on her part, and the benefits to Su Ning were naturally immense.
But Madame Kung paused deliberately, expecting a reaction.
She found that not even Su Ning’s breathing had quickened.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She probed, “I’ve heard that Miss Su’s cousin is in the hospital receiving treatment. How is he doing? I know some excellent doctors in this field. If needed, just say the word, and I’ll send them over.”
“No need.”
Su Ning’s voice was cold. “I already have enough doctors here—there’s barely room to stand. Count myself lucky I didn’t waste too much time in Nanyang and made it back in time to see Su Chen alive, otherwise I’d be seeing a coffin instead.”
Madame Kung choked on her words.
In the end, it was Su Ning who hung up first—brusque and impatient.
“How did it go?”
“How do you think?” Madame Kung’s face was full of gloom. “Her cousin is on the verge of death, and she’s furious. Why did I have to go and kiss up to her and get nothing but a sour face? If you ask me, just hand over the troublemakers to her, and all will be well.”
“Now we’re giving her benefits and getting no thanks.”
“Absolutely not.”
Mr. Kung took a slow sip of tea:
“Regardless, Su Ning is just a merchant. The Party and the Nation are in a time of establishing authority. Making connections is a minor matter, but if word gets out and is exploited by those with ulterior motives, it could become a major issue. Once this wave of public opinion passes, she can do whatever she likes—that’s her business, and we won’t interfere.”
He added with some emotion:
“Even so, for a merchant to reach such heights in this era, she is truly one of a kind.”
“Mm.”
Madame Kung nodded, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she extrapolated:
“I understand. Letting go of the oil business is actually a retreat in order to advance. On one hand, it’s a gesture of goodwill toward her, providing a way to smooth things over—since a stalemate looks bad. On the other hand, as the domestic situation becomes more stable, who else can she sell gasoline to if not to us? She can’t realistically send it overseas at a distance—that would mean competing with foreigners, far too much trouble for the effort.”
In the end, she can still act as the bridge, earning both goodwill and money!
“No one is more clever than you, my lady.”
Mr. Kung smiled and nodded.
With government affairs piling up, he didn’t stay long and was called away again. Before leaving, he instructed that Su Ning should be given more respect.
Though she was merely a merchant.
But then again, which merchant was so wealthy and wielded such influence abroad?
“I understand.”
Madame Kung agreed and ordered her people to take a doctor to Peking, along with ginseng, antlers, lingzhi, and other rare medicinal herbs—even if they weren’t necessarily the right treatment.
In her view, this was enough to show Su Ning due respect. After all, it was just a cousin whom she hadn’t spent time with for years—how deep could the feelings really be?
Knowing when to stop was the sensible course.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Su Ning likewise gave a few instructions to Lin Sen. The assistant looked up in shock.
But meeting her calm, unwavering eyes, he swallowed back his words of persuasion.
He agreed.
Then, an irrepressible envy for blood ties stirred in his heart…
Just then, someone rushed in to report—
Su Chen had awakened.
