The venue was quite large.
The crowd was also a mixed bag. Aside from the invited VIPs, there were highly skilled performers from the city putting on shows. If they managed to please the noble guests, a casual tip would be much better than working themselves to the bone outside for a dozen copper coins.
Over on Su Ning's side.
Thinking about the profits once the fertilizer plant was built, even though there was not even a shadow of a beginning—not even a pen put to paper yet—everyone was in a fairly good mood.
Actually, the majority of this was due to Su Ning herself.
Young, arrogant, and capable, with extraordinary methods and temperament. She was like a fierce beast that had already bared its fangs; although she hadn't threatened the territories of other beasts yet, she constantly exuded a sense of danger.
It was truly uncomfortable.
Now, in the eyes of these people, Su Ning had accidentally stepped into their trap. Even though she might not suffer a massive loss, the satisfaction in their hearts was indescribable.
Being in a good mood made them generous.
Whenever someone came asking for a tip, silver dollars, silver dimes, and even gold rings taken right off their fingers were casually tossed into the basins, clinking and clattering endlessly.
"I don't quite understand the customs of Beiping. Is there something different about this temple fair? You bosses seem exceptionally generous."
Watching the scene, Su Ning scoffed inwardly. She feigned confusion and asked Boss Duan beside her. As expected, she saw the smile on his face stiffen for a moment before she added:
"However, these variety shows are indeed quite good."
"They deserve the tips."
Hearing this, Boss Duan breathed a sigh of relief and echoed her words.
In his heart, he fiercely cursed the others who didn't know how to restrain themselves. Seeing Su Ning's calm expression, he couldn't tell for a moment whether she had realized the truth and was being sarcastic, or if she was just speaking casually.
Suddenly, he felt a bit uncomfortable again.
At his age, he could practically be Su Ning's grandfather. He had navigated the turbulent seas of commerce for so many years and held a high status, yet in the end, he still had to guess the thoughts of a junior.
Boss Duan felt a pang of sourness in his heart.
Having a good father was truly something; it saved so much effort in struggling for success.
But no matter how formidable she was, she was still a novice.
They, as seniors, should teach her some principles: taking a loss is a blessing; a fall into the pit, a gain in your wit...
Thinking this way, Boss Duan didn't show the slightest hint of it on his face. With a cheerful smile, he eloquently introduced the theatrical troupe that had just taken the stage to Su Ning.
"I know, they are singing The Peach Blossom Fan, right?"
Su Ning interrupted him.
As a corporate slave who worked overtime every day, busy dealing with clients and brain-dead bosses, any free time she had was spent scrolling through short videos or watching mini-dramas; she couldn't even sit through a full-length drama.
Let alone traditional opera.
The only reason she knew they were singing The Peach Blossom Fan was because the rural middle school she attended had a tiny TV in the cafeteria, and the old man running it loved listening to opera.
His absolute favorite was The Peach Blossom Fan.
It played at least three days a week. Compared to other students, Su Ning brazenly worked in the cafeteria to pay for her meals, so she listened to it for much longer.
Her ears had almost grown calluses from hearing it so much.
The scenes from deep within her memory blended with the sight before her. Su Ning listened intently and found that the live performance of a famous troupe was indeed much better than what she heard on TV.
"Miss Su grew up abroad, but you actually love opera too?"
"I wouldn't call it love."
Right at the climax of the performance, many people stood up to cheer. Su Ning also clapped lightly and casually said, "I've just heard it before... When it comes to Peking Opera, it's still best sung in its native land."
"Who says it isn't." Boss Duan got excited. He was an opera lover; not only did he support the stars, but he also loved to sing himself!
"Let alone troupes abroad, even though there are good troupes in other places that have produced famous stars, compared to Beiping's..."
He shook his head and said disdainfully:
"It just doesn't have that flavor!"
As the two were talking, a group of Little Monkey tumbling in somersaults approached. The one at the very front did three consecutive somersaults and landed right in front of Su Ning, holding a copper tray lined with red velvet.
A voice that couldn't hide its childishness rang out:
"Congratulations to the young lady, wishing you eternal youth and good fortune. Thanks to your gracious applause just now, our stars dared to give it their all. We beg you to show your kindness again and let us share a bit of your good fortune..."
This way of asking for tips was quite interesting.
Su Ning took a look. Sure enough, almost everyone who had stood up to cheer just now had someone from the troupe standing in front of them asking for tips. It was quite a precise way to target clients.
However, she had only clapped just now, right?
After the Little Monkey holding the copper tray finished his auspicious words, he didn't immediately hear the clinking sound of money falling in. He suddenly grew anxious.
He should have found someone more certain.
It was his sharp eyes that noticed the person accompanying Su Ning was the famous Boss Duan, and since she was a woman, wives and young ladies always had softer hearts.
He thought he could get more tips.
If the troupe leader was in a good mood, he might give them two extra flatbreads for dinner... Now it was over. Let alone flatbreads, getting a small handful of leftover crumbs would be lucky.
"Ding. The host has acted as an unscrupulous rich person, harmed human life, and caused the fates of multiple plot characters to change. Rewarded with 300,000 and one lucky draw."
Su Ning hadn't tipped immediately not because she was stingy, but because she was stunned by the message in her mind. She suppressed the urge to turn her head to look.
System reward messages were never wrong.
So—the person was really dead. Although she didn't do it with her own hands, she had personally planned and pushed him step by step into a dead end.
Su Ning lowered her eyes.
Her gaze fell on her hands. Slender, clean. Because of her recent good life, even the writing calluses on her index fingers had vanished without a trace.
A pair of beautiful and very steady hands.
—They weren't trembling in the slightest. Su Ning raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. It was different from what was shown on TV, but soon she logically justified it to herself.
Reality and TV were naturally different.
"Miss..."
The Little Monkey didn't give up and wanted to try again. He had just said one word when a scream came from not far away, "Somebody come quick, someone assassinated Deputy Mayor He!"
The scream echoed through the sky.
The venue fell silent for a moment, followed by massive chaos. Those nearby covered their mouths, screaming as they ran aside, while those further away were still craning their necks to find out what happened.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Deputy Mayor He was assassinated. We don't know if he's dead or alive."
"He probably won't make it. He was spitting black blood; it's all over his clothes and the floor. Even the gods couldn't save him... Tsk, tsk, tsk, I wonder who did it. They were truly ruthless."
These were onlookers with no personal stake joining in the commotion.
Those from Deputy Mayor He's faction were not in the mood for that. Right now, they all ran over with pale faces. Some stubbornly called for a doctor.
Some interrogated Deputy Mayor He's confidants.
Others were like headless flies, lost and not knowing what to do, muttering that it was over, it was all over.
More people chose to leave the venue directly.
A wise man does not stand under a collapsing wall. They were all prominent figures; what if the hidden assassin conveniently took them out too?
Although the theatrical troupe on stage was still singing, one could hear that the stars' voices were trembling. The Little Monkeys were even more at a loss, and the lips of the one in front of Su Ning had turned pale.
A dead person... and a big shot at that.
Would the theatrical troupe be implicated?
Right at that moment, a familiar clinking sound rang out. More than a dozen silver dollars appeared on the tray, brand new and gleaming. His eyes widened.
"Well sung. You deserve a reward."
A faint smile touched the corners of Su Ning's lips. Her gaze actually remained fixed on the stage, completely ignoring the chaotic scene around her.
The rewarded "Little Monkey" opened his mouth.
The words of gratitude he had said hundreds of times suddenly stuck in his throat. It all felt incredibly strange.
And it wasn't just him.
Boss Duan and the others nearby were feeling like a stormy sea inside. They stared at Su Ning with doubt and apprehension. In the end, it was Boss Duan who managed to keep his composure. He also offered a reward and then said with a sigh that wasn't quite a sigh:
"We old folks really have no shame, boasting about helping your business. It's truly..." He shook his head in self-mockery:
"We've made a fool of ourselves in front of you, Miss Su."
"In the future, I might even need Miss Su to look out for me."
Setting everything else aside, the facts were right in front of them. Deputy Mayor He, who had made an enemy of Su Ning, had died right under everyone's noses. Su Ning's gamble had paid off.
The future benefits would be countless.
"You flatter me. I am young and there is still much I don't understand. Furthermore, setting up the fertilizer plant really does require everyone's help. As for Deputy Mayor He..."
Su Ning instead put on a troubled expression. She would never openly admit to having anything to do with Deputy Mayor He's death. She sighed leisurely:
"I am completely baffled myself. In this life, birth, aging, illness, and death are truly unpredictable. Deputy Mayor He wasn't even fifty yet, was he?"
"To just pass away so suddenly... And his son is so worthless. Without a patriarch in the He family to keep Young Master He in check, I'm afraid their immense fortune will be completely squandered."
She looked deeply worried.
Acting! She was still acting even at a time like this!
Everyone silently cursed.
Only someone whose head had been slammed in a door would believe she had nothing to do with his death. However, no one called her out on it. After all, Su Ning had just said that the fertilizer plant still needed their help.
Only this time.
Their attitudes were much more proper, no longer just harboring the intention to take advantage of her.
Su Ning was not someone to be trifled with!
But not long after, the murderer who killed Deputy Mayor He was caught. The killer's identity made everyone's jaws drop. Did it really have nothing to do with Su Ning after all?
............
Along with the news of Deputy Mayor He's death.
Over in Nanjing, they finally started to take the numerous letters sent by Chen Huaiqian seriously. For a time, the name Su Ning was on the lips of many.
