Although most of the guests had already left, quite a few people remained.
The hotel attendants and manager had heard such shocking remarks and could not help looking over. Their curiosity was piqued, and they began whispering among themselves.
“Su isn’t Chinese? How could she have a sister who looks like one of us?”
“It’s possible. There have been rumors that Su actually grew up in America. Her father was Chinese, but her mother may have been the sole surviving descendant of a British aristocratic family. I heard that family’s name was Hawthorne!”
“Gasp—”
Someone delicately covered her mouth as she inhaled sharply.
“Could that really be true?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked at Flora and the others with envy—even jealousy.
They were relatives by blood of Su.
There was no doubt about it.
They were about to rise to the top.
As Flora received those envious gazes, her bearing became even more elegant and precise. The corners of her lips could not help lifting slightly. She could also hear her fiancé’s excited, heavy breathing beside her. Aside from her displeasure, she felt mostly pity.
The Fulton family might be a prestigious family in America.
But when all was said and done, their bloodline was humble.
Without the foundation accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of years of aristocratic heritage, it was only natural that they could not remain calm or maintain their composure. She ought to forgive them.
Flora looked at Su Ning again.
She was somewhat disappointed.
Cold and composed, Su Ning’s face remained as expressionless as ever. She did not even spare Flora an extra glance.
For some reason, this caused a trace of unease and uncertainty to rise in Flora’s heart.
In truth, that was merely her imagination.
Su Ning had looked at her.
“Host, you have another relative now. No, technically, you have a whole bunch of them. How do you feel about that?” the system asked, barely suppressing its laughter.
“Well… what goes around comes around.”
Su Ning sighed mournfully.
Previously, in order to farm rewards and create a background and persona for herself, she had made members of the Su family her relatives. Now, karma had come knocking. Someone had come looking for her and claiming to be related to her.
“One relative or two, what’s the difference? You might as well go along with it. Let me see… None of these people are characters from the plot, which is a little disappointing. But judging by appearances, they don’t seem like good people either. We could copy the Su family’s methods, use their hands to make some money in America, and farm a few rewards while we’re at it. We could even spend some money on them.”
The more the system talked, the better the idea seemed.
It said eagerly, “What do you think?”
To the system’s surprise, Su Ning said, “I think it’s a terrible idea.”
“Why?”
“She actually called herself my sister.”
“That’s it?”
The system was incredulous. Her beauty treatments were clearly lacking, and white people tended to age more easily. Flora looked older than Su Ning by several years. What was so strange about calling herself her older sister?
“You don’t understand.”
Su Ning raised an eyebrow. She was certain that Flora did not know her true age. As for their appearances… Anyone who paid even a little attention should know that Asians and Westerners aged differently. Yet Flora had claimed, without hesitation, to be her older sister.
One could see the whole from a single part.
That alone revealed what the other members of the Hawthorne family were like, and what they thought of her.
If she threw money at them, they might take it for granted and even feel that she had not given enough. Just imagining it made her sick. As for whatever benefits she might gain, they were not all that attractive to her now.
In other words, it simply was not worth it.
Su Ning was just about to explain this to the system when the situation on the floor changed again.
After describing the history of the Hawthorne family and explaining their blood relationship, Flora saw that Su Ning remained unmoved and changed tack.
“I’m sorry. I was simply too excited.”
“Perhaps you don’t know this, but ever since we learned of your existence, our entire family has been overjoyed. The Hawthorne family has a new heir! We sent you a telegram right away, but never received a response. I never imagined that we would run into you here in America. It was such a delightful surprise, so I couldn’t control myself.”
“That’s right, Su. Flora and her family have missed you very much.”
Her fiancé chimed in at just the right moment.
Then he added pointedly, “It’s just that some people around you have blinded you for their own benefit, keeping you from learning that, across the ocean, you have relatives who have been waiting for you.”
“Relatives of truly noble blood.”
As he spoke, he deliberately turned an unhappy look toward Su Zhenzhu…
Only to meet a pair of savage eyes.
They were like the eyes of a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell—ferocious and bloodthirsty, as though she might rush over the next second and use a knife to slice him into pieces of flesh.
She shouldn’t have been careless.
Su Zhenzhu thought.
If only she had known half a day earlier—no, even a single day earlier—she would have done everything in her power to make them disappear forever, ensuring that they would never appear before her cousin.
No, that wouldn’t work. Her cousin would find out and hate her. She couldn’t let her cousin dislike her.
What should she do now?
The best option was to pretend she knew nothing, act as though this was all a misunderstanding, and then turn the accusations back on them. Her acting was good. She might still be able to shift the blame…
Why had these people appeared?
Die. Die. Die!
The girl’s eyes were dark and gloomy.
She lifted her head, her expression confused and innocent, as though she had no idea why so many people were looking at her. Uneasily, she moved closer to Su Ning.
“Why are you all looking at me?”
“Hmph. Because we’re talking about you!”
Lily sneered.
“Or rather, you and your family. A poor, low-status family that has obtained who knows how much money and how many benefits from Su simply because of your blood relationship.” As she spoke, she could not help glaring at Su Zhenzhu.
At this banquet, every piece of jewelry Su Zhenzhu wore was made of pearls.
They had been gifts from Su Ning on her last birthday.
Naturally, every piece was a masterpiece among masterpieces.
The pearl necklace around her neck was especially striking. Every pearl was as large as the tip of a little finger, and the pink pearls perfectly complemented the Eastern girl’s delicate, pure charm.
“So, afraid that Su would find out she had relatives like us and start paying less attention to you, you selfishly withheld the telegram and kept her from learning about us.”
“How shameless!”
Lily spoke with such righteous conviction, and her logic was so sound, that the people present gradually began to take her side.
“Lily, enough. There’s no evidence yet, so you can’t make baseless accusations against a lady. Besides, this may have nothing to do with her.”
The implication was clear.
Perhaps it had been done by another member of the Su family.
“How can you say there’s no evidence? The telegram couldn’t have vanished into thin air. All we have to do is investigate and we’ll know.”
Lily refused to back down.
At that, the others could not help nodding.
By this point, the accusation seemed practically confirmed. Yet Su Zhenzhu did not panic. Instead, she remained remarkably calm. She had already prepared what she was going to say.
But before she spoke, she inexplicably turned back and glanced at Su Ning…
……
Ding! The system has detected that the host is being rich and heartless…
Ding! The system has detected…
Ding…
…
The reward notifications rang out like raindrops. The system was ecstatic.
“Host, host, did you see that? There are so many rewards! Su Zhenzhu alone has produced this many rewards. Why don’t you reconsider? Even if you don’t want to acknowledge the Hawthornes, you can pretend to cooperate for now. Once Half-Immortal Su and the others find out too, you can squeeze rewards out of them as well, then throw them away afterward!”
“No.”
“Huh?”
Su Ning said, “They’re only rewards. Do you really think I’m the kind of person who would betray my principles for profit and change my mind on a whim?”
System: …
Aren’t you?
Just as Su Zhenzhu was about to speak, the person who had remained silent the entire time, at least in everyone else’s eyes, finally spoke.
“First of all, who gave you permission to call yourselves my family?”
Su Ning asked Flora and the others in confusion.
