After Awakening, She Tore Apart Her Enemies and Joined the Army on an Island - Chapter 17

Su Meng glanced back at the person who had pushed her, gritting her teeth. She then signaled with her eyes for Granny to hold back from retaliating. Petty mischief among neighbors could be settled privately, there was no need to let foreigners witness the drama.

“Su Meng? You must be Su Meng, right?” A vibrant young woman with a high ponytail and a backpack dashed over. Su Meng looked at her quizzically, meeting her bright smile. “I’m Nie Pingting. I’ve seen your photo. It’s so great to finally meet you!”

Then, leaning in close, she whispered, “Nie Ronghua is my uncle. Su Meng, when did you return to the country?”

Su Meng’s heart skipped a beat. Even without Zhong Wanrou or the river from the novel’s plot, Nie Pingting had still made her appearance. The storyline was as unyielding as ever!

“Hello!” Since she had been recognized, Su Meng couldn’t pretend to be oblivious, she still had basic manners. Hearing this, Nie Pingting moved even closer, familiarly linking arms with Su Meng and pointing toward the man in the Zhongshan suit. “That’s my dad, Nie Rongchang. Sister Su, we heard about what happened to your family. Since Uncle is away on a mission, the family sent me along with Dad to check on you. Are you doing okay?”

Su Meng smiled and nodded. “Thank you! I’m fine.”

At this, Nie Pingting glanced curiously at the courtyard behind her. “Has your grandfather returned?” She must have heard of Grandpa Xie Jingming, after all, Su Meng’s arranged marriage with Nie Ronghua stemmed from an old agreement between Xie Jingming and the Nie family’s grandfather.

Su Meng shook her head. “Not yet. Would you like to come inside for a bit?”

Before Nie Pingting could respond, Nie Rongchang approached. Smiling at Su Meng, he said, “Comrade Su, hello! Sorry to intrude. Would you be willing to help as an interpreter for our delegation? My foreign language skills are rather poor.” He spoke with candid sincerity.

Su Meng was taken aback for a moment, then Nie Rongchang continued, “This visit by our foreign friends holds significant importance for Shanghai’s economic development. There will be high-ranking leaders at the meeting. Do you… have the time?”

Nie Rongchang was one of the organizers responsible for hosting the foreign delegation. He intended to assist Su Meng by giving her a chance to participate in high-level commercial meetings in Shanghai and gain visibility among top leaders.

Su Meng, quick-witted, immediately grasped the benefits. Besides, Ada was uneasy about her going alone to pick up her father. Meanwhile, in Guangzhou, Shen Wuyang had originally planned to depart in five days, meaning three days from now. If she headed to Guangzhou in three days, she would still make it in time.

“How long would the interpreting last?” Su Meng was certainly willing, but she needed to check for scheduling conflicts.

Hearing this, Nie Rongchang visibly relaxed. “At most two days. I’ll send someone to pick you up tomorrow morning.” The inspection team was here to discuss economic cooperation. They already had mature plans and proposals; it was just a matter of negotiating interests and finding common ground.

“Alright!” Su Meng agreed readily.

Nie Rongchang thought for a moment and added, “We’ve heard about your family situation, and I’m aware of your circumstances. You’ve handled it well. Once Nie Ronghua returns, he’ll come to bring you home.”

The Nie family had served in the military for three generations, and their influence in the armed forces was undeniable. But Su Meng, who knew the plot all too well, had no desire to get entangled with any main characters, male or female.

Moreover, she wasn’t familiar with Nie Ronghua at all. Relying solely on a childhood betrothal agreement to follow him back felt a bit like extortion.

She didn’t want to do that.

But now wasn’t the time to discuss such matters.

She could only offer a dry thank you: “Thank you!”

Nie Pingting happily linked arms with Su Meng. “Great! Sister Su, let’s go eat together.”

“Alright!”

Guests were guests.

Whether they had come specifically to help her or had just happened to say so, she appreciated Nie Rongchang’s kindness and Nie Pingting’s genuine enthusiasm.

Su Meng said, “I need to go back and give some instructions first.”

…

After hearing Su Meng explain the ins and outs of her role as a tour guide translator, Su Ada’s tightly wound nerves relaxed slightly.

“The eldest son of the Nie family seems decent, but appearances can be deceiving. Since you’re planning to give up that marriage, you should cut ties sooner rather than later.”

The Su family was no longer the wealthiest in Shanghai.

They were no longer a suitable match for the powerful Nie family.

Su Ada also supported Su Meng’s decision to break off the engagement.

“Let’s wait until your father returns to discuss the engagement. You should go now, don’t keep them waiting.”

Su Ada waved her off.

“And don’t push yourself too hard with training,” Su Meng added, watching him take his medicine once more before heading out.

Outside the courtyard gate, Nie Rongchang and the three foreign friends had already left.

Nie Pingting hopped onto the back of Su Meng’s bicycle, chattering all the way about amusing stories from her high school days.

When they arrived at the state-run restaurant, Nie Pingting hurried to the window to queue up and order. “Sister Su, go grab a seat. I’m the best at ordering!”

She assumed that since the Su Mansion had been robbed and Su Meng had just returned to the country, she must be penniless.

Little did she know, Su Meng carried the entire Su family’s wealth in her pocket, along with dozens of bundles of ration tickets secured with rubber bands by Zhong Cuilin.

Given the circumstances, it wasn’t appropriate to pull out the ration tickets, but taking out a ten-yuan bill should be fine.

“Nie Pingting, take this! I said I’d treat you to a meal, so let me play the host. As for ordering, you decide, I’m fine with anything.”

She stuffed the money into Nie Pingting’s hand. “There are so many people here for lunch. I’ll go grab a seat, come quickly!”

Before Nie Pingting could react, Su Meng had already turned and walked away.

The state-run restaurant was bustling at noon, every seat taken.

Su Meng scanned the room and headed toward the last empty table in the corner.

The stools were clean, but the table was visibly stained with grease.

Su Meng took out a tissue and wiped it down carefully.

During her studies abroad, she had often worked part-time to support herself.

Waiting tables, washing dishes, and cleaning had been her main sources of income in the early years of her studies.

There was no trace of the arrogance or extravagance one might expect from the daughter of the wealthiest man in Shanghai.

“Look, isn’t that the one from the Su family?”

“That’s her. I saw her at the police station entrance. A pitiful thing, so poor she doesn’t even have a home, how can she afford to eat here? Maybe she’s here to work?”

“What are you talking about? Do you think just anyone can work at a state-run restaurant? I bet she’s here to scavenge leftovers. Hahaha!”

Su Meng ignored them completely.

She calmly took her seat, quickly glanced around, then propped her chin on her hand and observed the people nearby.

Thinking of Old Master Su’s dejected expression, she couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

“What are you smiling at, you pauper? How dare you come here? Get lost! We want this table.”

Hearing the sharp rebuke, Su Meng snapped back to reality and realized the three people who had been mocking her were now surrounding her.

“Get lost!” Su Meng retorted impatiently.

She didn’t want to engage in pointless arguments with them, but neither would she swallow her pride and give up her seat without a word.

They originally had a table, but now that they were all gathered around her, their seats were immediately taken by others.

“We’ve taken a liking to this spot. Move aside,” a plump girl demanded, hands on her hips, her chin raised arrogantly.

Seeing Su Meng remain silent, another woman in a floral-print blouse chimed in to pile on the pressure.

“What gives you, a penniless wretch, the right to act so high and mighty? I heard your Su family was raided just this morning. How did you manage to slip through the net? If you obediently step aside, I won’t report you.”