"Study hard and try to learn it as soon as possible. Then you can write letters yourself and send them abroad to Mr. Anderson, so he will know what the Fang family has done."
Su Ning said without changing her expression.
However, no one doubted her intentions, as it was simply the truth.
Anderson was a foreigner.
To contact him, one naturally had to learn English. Although they could find a translator, it was always more sincere to learn it oneself. Regardless, he was genuinely trying to repay a debt of gratitude.
Even though the Fang family had intercepted it...
In short, Su Ning had nothing but good intentions!
Not at all, actually. It was because she also wanted to piggyback on the lesson plans—the English of the Republic of China era had quite a few differences from modern English. Rashly using her previous English foundation in social circles would definitely arouse suspicion!
"I understand."
As expected, Su Zhenzhu paused for a moment before nodding obediently, feeling that her cousin cared for them meticulously, even taking such things into consideration.
As for why she was the one learning, and not her father or brother?
There was a reason for that, too.
To increase the weight of Fang Lin as the future son-in-law of the Su family, the Fang family had actually lied and said that the Su family were all dead.
Leaving only her.
Therefore, in Anderson's mind, only Su Zhenzhu had survived from his savior's family. If she didn't write it, who else could make Anderson believe it?
Automatically filling in all the logic for Su Ning.
Su Zhenzhu smiled sweetly and offered, "I will study very hard. Cousin, you can supervise me. How about I show you my daily homework and progress?"
This way, it would be great if she could get her cousin to pay a little more attention to her...
"That's fine, but my time is very precious. I hope your progress won't disappoint me."
Even knowing that this proposal would greatly benefit her in relearning the English of the Republic of China era.
Su Ning did not agree immediately.
After pondering for a moment, and seeing a hint of anxiety beneath Su Zhenzhu's smiling face opposite her, she finally relented and agreed—things obtained too easily are never cherished.
Only what is hard-won is truly valued.
......
Returning to the Beiping Grand Hotel.
After changing into clean indoor loungewear, Su Ning summoned her all-purpose assistant, Lin Sen. Once he arrived, without waiting for her to speak, he first handed over a thick file with both hands:
"Miss, here is all the information about Mayor Chen that can be found on the market. As for the more highly classified details, I am still working on them."
"Why, is the money not enough?"
Su Ning replied casually.
She then lowered her head to flip through the information. It was quite detailed, covering Chen Huaiqian's family background, education, and even the name and current status of his first love from when he was fifteen.
"You must know that money isn't everything..."
Lin Sen forced these words out of his mouth with difficulty, but he did not expect Su Ning to respond—
Indeed, she didn't even raise her head.
"However, your generosity has indeed saved a lot of effort. Give me a little more time, and deeper intelligence will also be delivered into your hands."
"Mm, that's good."
Su Ning turned another page and paused in surprise. There was a photo of Chen Huaiqian in his youth. He was wearing a hat, and his black hair stuck up stubbornly in all directions.
His expression was also rebellious and stubborn.
As if in the next second, he was going to poke a hole in the sky.
She clicked her tongue.
Flipping back to the first page, there was a current photo of Chen Huaiqian. It was a candid shot taken on the day he took office, showing him stepping off the train with hurried footsteps.
Even the black-and-white photo could not conceal his steady composure.
His attire, his hairstyle, and even the smile on his lips were all perfectly measured, fitting the political arena's expectations of a mayor.
Calculating the time, exactly ten years had passed.
Could ten years really change a person this much?
"Mayor Chen originally came from a wealthy family. He was exceptionally bright, received a stellar education, and had a boundless future ahead of him. However, ten years ago, driven by student idealism, he participated in a movement, and his circumstances took a sharp downturn after that."
Lin Sen spoke up out of the blue, making Su Ning think she had accidentally voiced her thoughts aloud. She glanced at him before her heart settled back into her chest.
Oh, he was just reading her expression.
"Ten years ago..." Su Ning realized. 1919, a year recorded in the history books. A surge of admiration rose in her heart.
Regardless of what Chen Huaiqian was like now.
Ten years ago, he truly was an outstanding young man with burning patriotic blood who had put his ideals into action.
At the same time, Su Ning felt a bit puzzled. She remembered that after the movement, the student participants were not punished too harshly, and many of them later went on to shine in various fields.
Lin Sen was able to answer this unspoken question as well.
"Mayor Chen and his classmates were fine, but the Chen family was involved in politics. Because their son was made an example of, the family was stripped of all their official positions and even saddled with criminal charges."
"Mayor Chen's father died from the extreme shock and anger."
"He was expelled from the family and subsequently left Peiping."
Lin Sen stopped there, but it was enough for Su Ning to understand.
After sighing in lament for three seconds...
"What is his status in Nanjing? Did they send him here to be cannon fodder, or do they truly intend to use him to stabilize the situation in Peiping?"
Su Ning pressed on with absolute calm.
Seeing that Lin Sen did not answer immediately, she frowned in dissatisfaction. This was very important.
It was the key to whether she would place her bet on him!
"I apologize, Miss. I lost my composure."
Lin Sen quickly recovered, suppressing those inexplicable emotions in his heart. He threw himself back into his work, providing Su Ning with a series of intelligence and files without any personal bias.
Leaving the final decision to her, he stepped aside and waited.
A long time passed.
"Go to HSBC and withdraw one hundred thousand US dollars, then give it to Mayor Chen." Su Ning stood up from the sofa and took out a gold seal, handing it to Lin Sen. Large withdrawals required authorization.
"Tell him this is an advance meeting gift from me. I hope we will have a pleasant meeting later."
Her light, indifferent voice rang out.
Yet it carried the weight of thunder and mountains.
...
After Su Ning finished speaking, she offered no further explanation. She casually assigned Assistant Lin the task of finding an English teacher to send him away, then yawned and went back to her bedroom to catch up on sleep.
She had not slept well at all these past two days.
Even if the sky fell, it could not stop her from sleeping...
Little did she know, to the city of Peiping, her one hundred thousand US dollars was like a bomb that was truly about to blow the sky apart.
Countless important figures turned pale with shock over this.
They scrambled around, secretly connecting and conspiring.
Someone gnashed their teeth in a furious rage, "She, Su Ning, is just a woman! Does she think she can meddle in politics relying on some filthy money?"
"As if she is worthy!"
Sorry, but having money really is a big deal, and she truly was worthy.
When these one hundred thousand US dollars were delivered into Chen Huaiqian's hands, he remained silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said to his secretary-general:
"This meeting gift is far too heavy."
So heavy that he thought he was dreaming. With one hundred thousand US dollars falling into his hands, there were so many things he could do. It practically secured the seat beneath him.
Some drastic measures that he would have only used as a last resort were no longer necessary...
"Then make sure you dress up and look young and pretty when you meet her, so you don't let Miss Su's generous gift go to waste." The Secretary-General teased, before his expression turned serious.
"To make such a grand gesture before you've even met... it seems this Miss Su is not only wildly ambitious, but she is also after something big."
"You need to be careful."
Careful not to let her swallow you whole.
"I understand."
