The next day.
The usual tranquility of winter in Peiping was shattered by two major pieces of news. In the teahouses, idle patrons slammed tables and argued, spit flying as they gossiped.
None of them could keep one name out of their mouths: Su Ning!
Some focused on the affairs of the Fang family.
People generally have two faces. Not long ago, they avoided the Fang family's fabric shop like the plague, even taking pleasure in their misfortunes. Yet now that the family had fallen overnight, everyone sighed with utmost sympathy.
"That person was a bit too ruthless. The Fang family was a prominent household in the city. To wipe them out just over some trivial matters between children?"
"It really goes against the harmony of heaven."
"Indeed. As the saying goes, always leave a way out so you can meet on good terms later. The Fang family still has many old acquaintances. Even if they couldn't save them this time, they'll still be running in the same circles."
"They certainly won't show a good face to a fake foreigner like her."
"When it comes to being a person, the most important thing is to blend in with the crowd..."
"Bah, give it a rest."
At this point, someone siding with Su Ning couldn't bear to listen anymore. He jabbed a finger at the newspaper headline, which read: "Utterly Devoid of Conscience: The Fall of the Fang Family Stems from Fraud and Identity Theft."
The headline only mentioned fraud.
The Su family, especially Su Zhenzhu, had their presence deliberately obscured.
However, the writing was exceptionally good. It immediately made readers empathize with the "benefactor" whose identity the Fang family had stolen. The relatively simple-minded people of the Republic era could hardly withstand the shock of such a morally bankrupt scandal.
Furthermore, the article detailed many other dark secrets of the Fang family.
Piece by piece, incident by incident.
It filled everyone with righteous indignation.
"The Fang family is a nest of vipers. If you ask me, Miss Su is ridding the people of a menace." This man stood on a stool, his cotton-padded jacket wide open, exposing his bare chest despite the freezing weather.
There were quite a few people like him.
They also stood up now, talking over each other about the Fang family's despicable deeds. Those who were better informed chuckled mysteriously and said:
"Blend in with the crowd? Those old acquaintances of the Fang family are too busy trying to curry favor with Miss Su. Do you have any idea what massive thing she pulled off yesterday?"
Everyone's curiosity was piqued.
They all clamored for him to speak. Finally, a generous patron promised him a pot of hot yellow wine, which managed to pry his mouth open.
"This much."
The man held up both hands, shaking his head smugly:
"You all know the newly appointed official, right? Someone didn't like him and wanted to oust him from his position. I heard they incited the subordinates, who haven't been paid for months and can barely survive, to cause trouble."
"That's a real stretch. He just got here. What does that have to do with him?"
"Who told him to take that seat?"
"Why are you rambling? Did Miss Su provide him with timely help? That's quite bold of her. But how much is this number? Ten thousand?"
"You can underestimate me, but you can't underestimate Miss Su!" The man's eyes widened, and he waved his hands back and forth like fans, which looked awfully chilly in the dead of winter.
"One hundred thousand, and in US dollars!"
Hiss.
The sound of collective sharp intakes of breath filled the entire teahouse.
After a long while, someone suddenly hunched over and bolted out the teahouse door, abandoning his half-finished cup of jasmine tea. A quick-handed tablemate snatched it up, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
"What's wrong with Old Miser Ding? Did he go crazy?" the tablemate asked in confusion after taking a large gulp.
Normally, this was a guy who would ask for at least three refills of hot water for his jasmine tea and would even chew the tea leaves clean.
And now he was letting someone else take advantage of him?
"You don't know? His son-in-law is an errand boy in the government. He hasn't been paid in months and has been relying on him for support. He's rushing off to deliver the news and ask for money!"
Everyone suddenly understood.
Suddenly, someone realized the deeper implication and said hesitantly:
"If surnamed Chen pays their back wages, all those lower-level workers will side with him. Won't the people pulling strings behind the scenes end up losing more than they gained?"
Not only did they fail to oust Chen Huaiqian from his position.
They also helped him win people's hearts.
Hearing this, the men in the teahouse, young and old, enthusiastically voiced their opinions. Some favored Chen Huaiqian, while others did not.
However, the unanimous consensus was this:
Mayor Chen had won a total victory in this matter.
Also, Su Ning's bet on Chen Huaiqian was too risky and too sudden. It caught those people off guard, and she would definitely face obstacles from them later.
"Miss Su is going to have trouble."
Someone stated with certainty.
...
Trouble was indeed coming.
Su Ning had slept very well without anyone or any system disturbing her. She woke up feeling refreshed. While she was eating breakfast, Lin Sen hurried over.
"Someone wants to protect the Fang family?"
She was having a piping hot braised beef sesame flatbread, crafted by the Old Ma family on the edge of the southern city. The flatbread was baked to a crisp golden brown, soft and multi-layered on the inside. Tucked within was the red braised beef.
The meat juices seeped into the bread...
Reluctantly putting down her chopsticks, Su Ning looked at the stern-faced Lin Sen, feeling too embarrassed to say she wanted to finish eating first.
She added another layer of resentment toward the people causing trouble behind the scenes.
What was the rush?
They couldn't even wait a day—no, not even half a day. Was this the speed of the political arena?
"Director Jian sent word. In the middle of the night, someone tried to secretly release the Fang family, but he caught them. This morning, higher-ups called again ordering their release."
"He made an excuse saying the case is complicated and hasn't been fully investigated yet. He withstood the pressure and didn't release them, but he sent someone to ask for your idea."
In reality, he was just probing to see if Su Ning had a solution.
Otherwise, he would "no longer be able to withstand it."
Su Ning shook her head. He truly lived up to his reputation as the slick Director Jian. How could he not withstand the pressure after less than a day? He was the head of the police department, after all. However, doing this allowed him to show his loyalty to her.
Look, I didn't listen to the higher-ups and release them.
At the same time, he didn't completely offend the people behind the scenes. He was just following orders, right? They couldn't exactly blame a tool. He smoothly positioned himself safely on the sidelines.
No matter who won, he wouldn't lose.
"The Fang family doesn't have such capable connections." Su Ning paused, lowering her eyes as she spoke coldly, "Someone wants to use the Fang family to give me a warning, don't they? Is it Vice Mayor He?"
"That's right. The person who called to demand their release is Vice Mayor He's trusted aide."
Lin Sen said in a deep voice.
Leaving everything else aside, hearing the word "Vice" was enough. One primary, one deputy—they were natural enemies. Moreover, there were many complicated factors involved. The two sides were in a life-or-death struggle.
The man surnamed He had countless ties to local factions. Rumor had it that he was even a relative of a certain warlord.
The person most eager to see Chen Huaiqian step down was him.
With Su Ning intervening, his excellent situation vanished in an instant.
How could he not be anxious?
And in his anxiety, he made a move.
But the worst thing a person could do was panic. Panic easily leads to mistakes. Su Ning took an unhurried sip of her tea and smiled subtly:
"Tell Jian Ren that when it comes to official matters, I am just a lowly citizen without even an official title to my name. How could I possibly have any good ideas?"
Hearing this, Lin Sen's heart went cold.
But then the conversation took an immediate turn:
"However, the evidence and witnesses of the Fang family's crimes are all present. Arbitrarily ordering the police department to release them is illegal. For a government official to give such an order is knowingly breaking the law!"
"How could a righteous police director tolerate such behavior? Have him go and report this to Mayor Chen."
"After all, as the mayor, he has both the authority and the obligation to purge corrupt elements from the government."
Su Ning said meaningfully.
Having accepted such a massive favor from her, the great Mayor Chen naturally ought to resolve the troubles brought to her door. It was also time for her to see what her ally was truly capable of.
The money was given, and the excuse to cause trouble was provided.
Su Ning looked forward to the upcoming developments. It was also a test of Chen Huaiqian's mettle. If he couldn't handle it, the greeting gift would really just be a greeting gift.
Lin Sen's eyes gradually lit up.
"I will definitely convey your words truthfully."
...
Chen Huaiqian was indeed not a coward.
He gladly accepted the hot potato of the Fang family that Su Ning threw at him and started battling with Deputy Mayor He.
Without fighting, no one would have known. Once the fight began, onlookers were astonished to discover that Mayor Chen, who had taken office all alone, was not that weak. He actually went back and forth with Deputy Mayor He.
In fact, because he had caught them knowingly breaking the law, he even had the upper hand?
With the two sides fighting fiercely, Su Ning was ignored. No one bothered her anymore. Unfortunately, she couldn't relax either; the butcher's knife of over four million was still hanging over her neck.
Today was the day scheduled to go see the mansion.
Su Ning personally called the Jin family, telling them to get ready and that they would meet in half an hour.
After hanging up the phone, she didn't rest. Seizing the moment, she called out to the system:
"Quick, I want to use my lottery draw."
"There's no need to be in such a hurry..." Even the Rich and Heartless system was surprised by its host's sudden whim.
"You don't understand."
Su Ning looked serious. She had a path dependence on victory. With the great success from last time, she had already realized that using metaphysics to change one's fate was the ultimate truth of life. She also figured that the good karma accumulated from dealing with the Fang family was enough.
Plus, she had consulted Half-Immortal Su.
Within this month, her luck would reach its peak at this very hour today.
Opportunity knocks but once!
The Rich and Heartless system was convinced. A dazzling flash of light passed by.
Ding...
