Flora felt a little regretful.
The servant had already left. Otherwise, she could have demonstrated the proper etiquette for putting down a wineglass, making the lesson more comprehensive. Still, this was enough for Su to learn. It was not good to teach her too much in too short a time.
She might not be able to learn it.
Before, Flora had still been uncertain. But now, seeing Su’s crude manner of drinking, she sighed inwardly. Su clearly had never learned any of this.
It seemed that correcting her manners would be a major undertaking.
After whispering a few words to her fiancé, Flora walked toward Su Ning. Her introduction was already on the tip of her tongue—
when someone cut in.
“Oh, Miss Su. It’s a pleasure to meet you…”
Having endured the ceremony and entered the ball, the guests could finally mingle and speak with one another. At last, someone could not resist coming forward to strike up a conversation with Su Ning.
The others who had been watching them felt extremely disappointed.
Damn it.
He had been one step too late.
Actually, according to etiquette, Mrs. Kelly should have introduced the two of them. But sometimes etiquette was not that important. As long as he succeeded, that was all that mattered. The person who had gotten there first thought smugly.
He had also noticed the wine in Su Ning’s hand.
He felt that he had found a topic of conversation.
“…I have to say, you certainly have excellent taste. This white wine may not be particularly famous, but that is by no means due to its quality. In fact, it has a smooth, sweet flavor, a long finish, and a rich, fragrant aroma. It is especially suitable for women to drink. It is only because production is so limited that it remains unknown to the general public.”
“It certainly tastes good,”
Su Ning said.
Another person approached. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, “Indeed. That is how things are in this world. Many excellent things are often overlooked, while things inferior to them become famous and sought after. When you think about it, it truly is frustrating.”
“But this white wine is very fortunate—”
He paused deliberately.
Once he had attracted everyone’s attention, he raised his voice and offered a heartfelt compliment:
“To have been discovered and praised by someone like you. I can say with certainty that after tonight’s banquet, it will become the season’s hottest trend.”
Who didn’t enjoy hearing flattering words?
Su Ning smiled.
The others: …
Damn it, this fellow was far too good at sucking up!
Wasn’t he merely offering a compliment? Everyone here had both flattered others and been flattered themselves. Who didn’t know how to do it?
So, unwilling to be outdone, they joined in.
With so many people crowding around, Flora had already been pushed to the edge. She listened to their words, her heart filled with uncertainty.
Could this be some kind of tactful mockery? High society placed great emphasis on manners. People did not openly hurl insults at one another. More often, they used exquisite language to deliver cutting sarcasm.
But one person might be mocking her. Two or three… so many people?
They could not all be making fun of her.
Besides, their expressions were so sincere and enthusiastic.
So they really meant it?
Flora pressed her lips together, unable to understand why no one cared about Su’s glaring breach of etiquette.
And what about what she had done just now… Had anyone seen it?
Would anyone laugh at her?
Flora felt her thoughts in complete turmoil.
Embarrassment, discomfort, fear—various emotions swept over her heart like waves.
Meanwhile, on the other side,
Su Ning calmly accepted the compliments. Come to think of it, after carefully savoring them, she discovered that there was quite a difference between flattery in the East and the West. The wording and rhetoric were different as well.
Hmm. She would need to study this carefully.
The doubts she had felt earlier had long since been cast aside.
The atmosphere here grew increasingly lively.
Suddenly, someone remarked as if in passing, “Miss Su’s influence is naturally extraordinary. Take penicillin, for instance—it’s an epoch-making invention, one that could even be said to rival every previous discovery in the history of medicine. I heard it was produced by a research laboratory under Miss Su’s direction. I wonder, is this laboratory located in the United States?”
The moment those words were spoken, there was a brief silence before everyone else began chiming in.
“It should be in the United States, right? Su seems to have grown up there.”
“Our scientific research standards are very high. Whoever led the discovery must have made an achievement worthy of the Nobel Prize. No one can ignore the greatness of penicillin.”
“Anyway, I’ll definitely vote for penicillin.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
“I hope he’s a genuine American. Of course, quite a few scientists from other places have come here over the years. As long as they come to America, they’re Americans—just like Su, right? That’s what America is all about.”
“There’s no point in guessing among ourselves. Isn’t Miss Su right here?”
“Exactly.”
“Su, can you clear up our doubts?”
“…”
Countless eyes turned toward Su Ning.
She did not even lift her eyelids.
Did these people really want to know who had led the research that produced penicillin?
Of course not.
Much like the proverbial drunkard whose true interest lies elsewhere, their real target was still penicillin. By invoking the Nobel Prize and finding out who had led the research, they would naturally have countless ways to threaten or entice that person. Perhaps they could even obtain the production technology.
As for patents…
Ha.
What a joke.
Even if nothing else came of it, they could use the topic to steer the conversation toward penicillin and test Su Ning’s attitude. If they could get a share of the profits, all the better.
Under those suffocating stares, Su Ning finally spoke. Her tone was flat. She spoke the refined English of the British upper class, a style that always seemed to evoke endless rain—cold, distant, and contemptuous.
“Why do you need to know who it was?”
“To me, they have only one identity: my subordinates. I provide all the funding and equipment required for their research, and I pay them salaries. All I ask is that they give their talents free rein.”
“So…”
She stated it as though it were perfectly obvious:
“Penicillin has everything to do with me and nothing to do with anyone else. If the Nobel Prize is going to be awarded, they only need to notify me.”
The words had barely left her mouth when everyone fell silent.
Everyone: …
Erm.
What an outrageously shameless thing to say. They all felt it was too much, yet when they tried to argue, they could not find a way to refute her.
After a long while, someone finally said weakly, “Then, Miss Su, have you come to the United States this time to establish a penicillin company here? Perhaps we could be of some assistance.”
“Oh, no.”
Su Ning delivered another devastating blow in the same indifferent tone. “I mainly came here to make a film. There’s no way to spend much money back home, and that doesn’t suit the requirements of my big-budget production. So I came to the United States. It also happens to give my younger sister a chance to practice. She needs to learn how to spend money and build a career.”
Beside her, Su Zhenzhu, who had remained quiet the entire time, nodded at them.
No one spoke.
Although they came from different countries and there were some differences in vocabulary, they were all speaking English. Why couldn’t they understand what she meant?
…………
An initiation ceremony banquet would not last until midnight.
It ended relatively early.
Very soon.
The guests gradually began to leave, but Mrs. Kelly stopped Su Ning. Pointing toward Flora and the others, she said hesitantly in a low voice,
“Su, they claim to be your relatives on your mother’s side, from the Hawthorne family, so…”
At that, Su Ning looked over with interest, while Su Zhenzhu’s face turned deathly pale.
Flora, who was standing opposite them, understood immediately.
She lifted the hem of her dress and gave an elegant curtsy. With a gentle, sincere gaze, she said softly,
“I’m Flora Hawthorne. If I’m not mistaken, I’m also your sister.”
