The rumor that Su Ning's account had run out of money was spreading like wildfire. HSBC Bank, the source of this news, had become the center of the storm, with an endless stream of people coming to fish for information.
Lin Sen made a highly low-profile appearance.
Since he hadn't yet made many appearances in Beiping's social circles, he didn't attract anyone's attention. While waiting for Henry, he faintly heard the tellers gossiping about Su Ning.
"Say... is that Miss Su really done for?"
"Nine times out of ten, yes."
"Henry secured a connection with Miss Su and was riding high in his competition with Charlie for the head foreman position. We're a foreign bank, and what we value most are foreigners and foreign relations. Everyone guessed Henry was almost guaranteed to win."
"But early this morning, I saw him being called over by the director. He didn't come out for half an hour, and when he did, his face was as white as a ghost!"
The first teller suddenly understood and whispered,
"Then does that mean the one spreading this news is Charlie?"
"Hmph, who else could it be?"
Another teller spoke with certainty,
"Charlie already had ties with the Fang family; he was the one who helped them exchange foreign currency. And since Miss Su is Henry's backer, Charlie is the one in the bank who most wants to see her fall on hard times."
Saying this, he sighed again,
"With Henry dragged down by her this time, the head foreman position will most likely fall into Charlie's hands. Come to think of it, Charlie isn't nearly as easy to get along with as Henry..."
It was more than just hard to get along with.
Charlie was notoriously petty and intolerant. He was as mean as could be in both his words and actions, yet he knew how to curry favor with foreign consuls and major clients, keeping him constantly riding the crest of success.
If he rose to power, the lives of lower-level tellers like them would become miserable.
But whether they liked it or not, no one cared about their opinions.
"How could Miss Su's account just run out of money..." The teller sighed, only to see a figure hurrying over. Looking closely, wasn't it Henry, the very person they had just been discussing?
They couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt.
Glancing over curiously and stealthily, they saw that Henry's face was flushed and radiant. He looked at the person in front of him as if looking at a lifesaver—
...
And a lifesaver he indeed was.
The way Henry looked at Lin Sen was more affectionate than looking at his own mother. He grabbed his hand and lowered his voice as much as possible: "It's true! A massive sum of money has just been transferred into Miss Su's account again."
"A massive sum!"
He deliberately emphasized it again.
That long string of zeros made his eyes blur. Afraid of miscounting, he had counted it back and forth seven or eight times.
Hearing this, the heavy stone that had been halfway lifted from Lin Sen's heart finally dropped completely, though he didn't show it on his face.
"That's wonderful. Otherwise, if Miss Su's affairs were delayed, I wouldn't know how to explain myself when I got back." He paused for a moment and added with a smile,
"By the way, should I take this opportunity to congratulate Foreman Henry on his promotion?"
Smart people didn't need to say much; a simple hint was enough.
Henry nodded and said with utmost solemnity,
"Please tell Miss Su that I, Henry—no, I, Ma Daode—will follow her lead from now on. If she needs anything done, she just has to give the word, and I will absolutely do my utmost to help."
Today, Su Ning had proven that she was still that super billionaire.
The head foreman position could not escape his grasp.
Having received such a benefit, Henry knew how to return the favor.
Furthermore, forming a connection with Miss Su was something countless people dreamed of.
A smile appeared in Lin Sen's eyes.
"I will definitely pass on the message." He changed the subject, "Miss Su asked me to withdraw ten thousand silver dollars for some errands. What procedure do I need to follow?"
"For Miss Su to withdraw money, there is no need for any procedure."
Henry said with a smile.
It was true—the less money and connections one had, the more obstacles they faced at HSBC. But for a major client like Su Ning, HSBC always gave the green light all the way.
A quarter of an hour later.
Inside three large wooden chests, neatly stacked silver dollars gleamed. Henry gestured for him to inspect them, and Lin Sen didn't decline, carefully checking them several times.
"The amount is correct, and the quality is excellent."
Silver dollars varied in quality. Those with high silver content and exquisite craftsmanship were naturally top-tier, while those with many impurities and crude designs were of lower grade.
These ten thousand silver dollars were all top-tier.
Lin Sen was naturally extremely satisfied, but suddenly he sighed again:
"It's a pity that such fine silver dollars will fall into the hands of the Fang family. It's too good for them."
Hearing this, Henry was taken aback.
Didn't the Fang family have bad blood with Miss Su? Why was she sending them silver? Could it be that Miss Su's younger sister regretted breaking off the engagement?
Thinking this, he voiced his question, but Lin Sen shook his head mysteriously. "Miss Su Zhenzhu understands the bigger picture and respects Miss Su above all else. How could she regret it?"
Not only did she not regret it—
He had been watching coldly from the sidelines.
If that Su Zhenzhu wasn't trying to maintain the image of a well-behaved, pitiful, innocent, and fragile little sister in front of Miss Su, she would have loved to step on the Fang family herself.
Hmph, what a hypocritical woman.
"Then why..."
The words reached Henry's lips, but upon meeting Lin Sen's thought-provoking gaze, he sensibly stopped asking. He still felt a pang of regret in his heart—at least for now, in Miss Su's mind, he was not as trusted as Lin Sen.
But in the future... that might not be the case.
With his mind racing, Henry couldn't wait to pay attention to the Fang family after sending Lin Sen off—he wanted to see exactly what Lin Sen had up his sleeve.
Then, to his astonishment, he found out.
The Fang family had closed a massive deal—a wealthy out-of-town merchant had bought all the inventory in their fabric store, from expensive goods worth dozens of silver dollars to the cheap stock sitting at the bottom of the warehouse!
And it was paid in cash with silver dollars!
...
Meanwhile, the Fang family was overjoyed.
As the servants passed through the hall carrying tea, they could hear the master's hearty and unbridled laughter from afar:
"Alright, take a break and have some tea to soothe your throat."
Mrs. Fang, turning her prayer beads, handed over a cup of tea with a smile.
But she couldn't help asking again for confirmation:
"Did we really sell even the old fabric at the bottom of the warehouse? Didn't they say business was hard to do nowadays? This person... couldn't be a scammer, right?"
"You women just have long hair and short sight."
Fang Jingde snorted coldly, slammed his teacup onto the table, and said smugly:
"Money in one hand, goods in the other! It was all shiny silver dollars. I even had the old manager of the fabric store inspect them himself. Not only were there no fakes, but they were all of top-tier quality!"
"On this deal alone, at a conservative estimate, we made three thousand silver dollars."
Hearing this, Mrs. Fang also relaxed. Clasping her hands together, she chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Amitabha, our family's luck has finally turned. Things will only get better from now on."
Suddenly remembering something, she narrowed her eyes and said,
"Master, it seems Qingqing was right. Su Zhenzhu is simply a jinx to our family. When she was around, business was bad. The moment she left, all the fabric in the store sold out."
"That... is true."
Fang Jingde also felt it made sense. Seeing this, Mrs. Fang sighed with frustration,
"That jinx delayed our family for nothing. I don't know if she jinxed Lin'er too. If I had known, we shouldn't have agreed to this engagement just for those benefits."
"Alright, shouting so loudly, are you afraid others won't hear you?"
Fang Jingde was also sick of Su Zhenzhu, but hearing these words, he still instinctively stopped her, as there was too much involved. The Fang family's rise to wealth and their son studying abroad were all tied to this.
"It has been so many years..." "Alright, I just won't say it anymore."
Mrs. Fang shut her mouth resentfully and changed the subject:
"Let's not talk about that. How are things over at the Su family? It must be utterly miserable. I heard that many of the guests invited to their funeral didn't even show up."
"Serves her right. She insisted on helping that jinx Su Zhenzhu, so she caught the bad luck too. She must be green with regret right now."
These were words Fang Jingde actually liked hearing.
While the two were chatting animatedly, Fang Qingqing ran in excitedly, waving a letter in her hand:
"Father, Mother, Brother's letter says he has already boarded the train and will arrive in Peiping the day after tomorrow!"
It was truly a double blessing.
...
Su Ning inspected the bolts of cloth piled high in the warehouse. It was a dazzling array, ranging from the coarsest and cheapest homespun cotton to expensive silks and satins.
The most eye-catching was the large stack in the middle.
With a beautiful, lustrous sheen and rare colors, these were the signature fabrics of the Fang family.
It could be said that the Fang family had avoided completely disappearing from Peiping's major fabric markets over the years solely because of these materials.
"They really are beautiful. The Fang family is still quite good at their original trade." Su Ning's fingertips brushed lightly over them, marveling at the soft, flowing texture against her skin.
"Since you like them, why not keep some?"
Lin Sen suggested with a smile.
"No need." Su Ning withdrew her hand and patted the pile of fabric. The smile on her lips was subtle but carried a chilling edge: "As the saying goes, when one is successful, one should benefit the whole world. Such good things should naturally be enjoyed by everyone."
"You have a kind heart, Miss."
This day happened to be the third day of the funeral.
Miss Su was extremely generous, dispatching her subordinates to distribute fabric in front of the various mourning sheds. Any poor person could come and claim a share, first come, first served.
These fabrics ranged from cheap to expensive, and what one received depended entirely on luck. The only thing they had in common was that a large character for Mourning was sewn onto every single piece.
The poor did not mind; as long as the free cloth could be worn, it was fine.
However, observant people were shocked upon seeing this. Weren't these all the Fang family's fabrics?
The wealthy households who had previously bought the Fang family's signature fabrics suddenly felt it was a terrible omen. They quickly ordered their servants to pick out all the clothes made from Fang family cloth and throw them away entirely:
"Not only is it bad luck, but if I am wearing the same thing as the poor, people who do not know any better might think my family has fallen into ruin as well."
