Su Ning had barely stepped into the municipal government building when the news flew everywhere. Those paying attention to the struggle between Chen and He were absolutely shocked. Some thought Su Ning lacked composure, while others felt she was bold and heroic.
In short, the impact was still slowly fermenting.
However, at the banquet hosted by the He family in the teahouse, the atmosphere was not so good—after all, the people attending the banquet were not necessarily all from Vice Mayor He's faction.
Coupled with Vice Mayor He's "shocking remarks."
Under these overlapping factors.
Some people with relatively neutral stances gradually found excuses to leave.
"It is getting late. When my wife came out, she reminded me not to forget to pick up the New Year goods ordered from the North-South Shop. Apologies, I must take my leave first."
"Wait a moment, brother, I have matters to attend to as well. Shall we go together?"
"Me too..."
Vice Mayor He's face turned livid. Seeing several weighty guests also bidding farewell, the anger in his heart flared up even more. Did the defection of a mere Su Ning make them take it so seriously?
"It seems my banquet was poorly organized and cannot keep you distinguished guests." He did not get up to see them off. After speaking with a fake smile, he called his subordinates over and scolded loudly:
"How do you do things?"
"The ones you invited are all vulgar and ordinary women, how could the guests fancy them? Who knows, next time I invite them, they might not even care to come!"
These words seemed to reprimand his subordinates for their incompetence, but they were actually veiled criticisms, sarcastically mocking those who left early. Everyone present was shrewd; who could not understand?
It was precisely because they understood that they found it unbelievable!
The departing guests exchanged astonished glances.
Ha, could it be that Vice Mayor He was actually an undercover agent sent from the south, enduring hardships in the past just to lend Mayor Chen a helping hand at a critical moment?
If not.
Then he was truly stupid...
After exchanging glances, their desire to leave grew even stronger. They were impatient to listen to Vice Mayor He's belated attempts to salvage the situation and retain them, and hurriedly left the teahouse.
Phew—
They exhaled in unison and all laughed. One person gathered his sleeves and said:
"Hosting a banquet during the day does have some rustic charm, but the doors and windows were closed too tightly. It was full of the smell of alcohol and smoke. I did not feel it inside, but coming out and taking a breath of cold air makes my lungs feel much more refreshed."
"Indeed, indeed."
A chorus of agreement followed, and someone whispered:
"I actually wanted to leave right after I arrived. What is the point of inviting so many brothel girls and actors to a perfectly good banquet... When I go back, my wife will inevitably give me a hard time. I only stayed because I was afraid of offending the host."
"I never thought I would end up offending him anyway!"
"What a loss, what a loss."
This man was quite henpecked and sighed endlessly as he spoke.
Hearing this, the others gave him ideas. Some suggested buying some jewelry to take back and coax her; some mischievously suggested going out to hide for two days and reappearing when his wife was anxious, so she would forget about the banquet; and others told him to assert his authority as a husband.
The man smiled bitterly and rejected them one by one.
"I had better tell the truth. My wife actually has a gentle temperament and does not like me attending these kinds of entertainment gatherings. She is afraid something might happen to me, and she also feels that a host who organizes such a banquet has wicked intentions."
He paused and whispered again:
"In the past, I did not take it seriously, thinking that it was inevitable to have these embellishments in social circles and it did not mean anything. But Vice Mayor He's words today really made me break out in a cold sweat."
The crowd fell silent for a few seconds.
Who was not feeling the same?
Although Su Ning was a woman, her wealth, background, and even her temperament and methods were not inferior. It was one thing for Vice Mayor He not to value her, but he was actually so contemptuous that he thought he could manipulate her at will.
Blinded by greed, and stupid in the head.
Moreover, as the old saying goes, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Some of them admitted they were not even a match for Su Ning.
How could they not fear that Vice Mayor He would treat them the same way?
"So, Miss Su taking a stand actually helped us too," someone spoke out to break the silence, their exhaled hot breath condensing into white mist in the air.
Everyone understood the unspoken words.
Helped with what?
Helped them pull their legs back before jumping into the fire pit that was Vice Mayor He, escaping a disaster!
As they spoke, they arrived at the parking area. They cupped their hands in polite farewell and even made plans to eat and drink together later. Suddenly, a group of people rushed over angrily.
The leader had an arrogant expression, dressed brightly, and his sallow face vaguely carried an abnormal excitement. Anyone with experience knew this was what it looked like right after smoking opium.
It was none other than Young Master He!
Seeing these people, his bloodshot eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to curse:
"Damn it, did you not say you were leaving? Now you are dragging your feet and refusing to go. Bah, get out of the way, do not block my path."
Someone was too angry and wanted to curse back.
But he was pulled back by the person next to him, who signaled with his eyes. They saw the bulging waists of Young Master He's close subordinates... Their hearts skipped a beat, and they shut their mouths.
"Consider yourselves smart."
Young Master He smiled smugly. As the opium kicked in, he could not help but yawn. After getting into the car, he slapped the seat and shouted frantically:
"Quick, quick, quick, drive! That little wench Su Ning refused the face I gave her, so there is no need to give her face anymore. I am going to be a bridegroom today!"
His lackeys flattered him all at once:
"Young Master is so domineering."
"That is right, take care of her, let us see how arrogant and amazing she can be then. Who knows, she might even come back crying and begging Young Master to give her a proper title..."
The car drove away quickly, and the following words could not be heard clearly, but it was enough for them to understand what Young Master He and his aggressive group were going to do.
"Miss Su has always been cautious when going in and out, and the subordinates accompanying her are quite good at fighting. She should be fine, right?"
"What is the use of being able to fight? Did you not see, Young Master He brought guns. How can human flesh withstand bullets... Alas, Miss Su will have a hard time passing this hurdle."
The world was chaotic, and having a gun was nothing.
Almost everyone present had one, they just did not use it normally. But they also knew that Su Ning's foundation was shallow, and they had not heard of her purchasing such things.
One side has them, the other does not.
The outcome goes without saying.
"Young Master He smokes opium, so his mind is unclear and he acts recklessly, but why did Vice Mayor He not stop him? If word gets out, what will people think of them?"
"What will they think? Filthy, despicable, inhuman."
One person sneered:
"If they really achieve their goal, what does reputation matter? Besides, the He family's reputation has long been ruined into the mud by his son. How much lower can it get?"
"Perhaps, they are even thinking of killing two birds with one stone: gaining a wealthy daughter-in-law and making an example of her to warn others!"
Needless to say, everyone present understood that they were the monkeys being warned. Besides feeling resentful, they also felt a bit of concern for Su Ning, whom they had not even met face to face.
They hoped her subordinates were formidable.
Even if they could not stop them, it would be best to send Miss Su to a safe place so she would not fall into Young Master He's evil clutches.
…………
Meanwhile, Su Ning had already been blocked.
She was resting with her eyes closed when the vehicle suddenly braked sharply, almost throwing her brains out. Looking outside, she knew what was going on.
This was the entrance to a small alley.
The front was blocked by cars and several bicycles. At first glance, it looked similar to her side. When the people got out, oh, it felt even more familiar.
Seven or eight people of varying heights and weights.
Wearing dark, dirty padded jackets and skullcaps, holding sticks in their hands, with fierce expressions, they looked just like the groups of thugs who fought to the death on the streets.
"Miss, someone has blocked us from behind as well."
Lin Sen's voice was tense.
Blocked from both the front and the back, it was clear these newcomers were up to no good. Yet, Su Ning actually felt a sense of relief, as if thinking, "It is finally happening." The Republican era was a chaotic time; encounters like this were simply inevitable.
"Roughly how many of them are there?"
"Front and back combined, no more than fifteen." Lin Sen had not stepped out of the vehicle, but upon seeing the hand signals from their subordinates outside, he grasped the situation and added, "However, they have guns."
"Oh, no wonder."
Su Ning's voice carried a hint of amusement, completely devoid of fear. It was not just her; the driver and Lin Sen shared her calm demeanor. Resting his hand on the brand-new, imported pistol at his waist, Lin Sen smiled as he watched the men swaggering outside the window.
Of all the people to provoke, they just had to choose the Miss?
Perhaps after they dealt with this batch, there would be fewer blind fools bothering them in the future. Constantly keeping his guard up against every faction was exhausting; he felt like he was on the verge of dropping dead from the stress.
Seeing no reaction from Su Ning's side, Young Master He impatiently stepped out of his car and kicked one of his own men. "Damn it, what are you dawdling for? Do you think my time is yours to waste?"
"My apologies, I was wrong!"
The subordinate bowed and scraped, slapping his own face before pulling out a rusty, imitation gun. He aimed it at the sky and fired three times, bang, bang, bang, though unfortunately, one of the shots misfired. He then shouted sternly:
"You all saw that! Bullets do not have eyes. Do not throw your lives away over a little bit of money. If you know what is good for you, get the hell out of here!"
Then, pointing at Young Master He beside him, he put on a cheeky smile and continued:
"Miss Su, you can rest easy, too."
"We aren't here to hurt you. This is Mayor He's son. He has long heard of your great beauty and simply wishes to get a little closer to you."
"His sincere heart is clear for heaven and earth to see!"
Su Ning cast a nonchalant glance at Young Master He, then quickly looked away.
What a damn ugly thing. It hurt her eyes just to look at him.
