The tension in the lobby still lingered as Su Ning followed Mu Fucheng into the golden elevator. The man personally held the doors for her, bowing his head slightly as though he were welcoming royalty. Every staff member they passed along the way shrank back in fear, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Mu Suying trailed behind them in silence, her cheek still burning from the slap. Her heart churned with confusion and dread, but her pride was too wounded to speak. She had spent her entire life worshiped as the Mu heiress—yet in a single moment, all her power was stripped away by a girl she had scorned as trash.
Ding.
The elevator opened onto the 81st floor. The lobby glittered with gold-leaf ceilings, imported Italian marble, and crystal chandeliers shaped like cascading waterfalls. Staff members in immaculate uniforms lined up instantly, bowing deeply.
Mu Suying stayed back at the lobby as she couldn't follow them in. She nervously chewed on her fingers.
"Welcome, Miss Su," they chorused, their voices trembling.
Su Ning nodded without a word, her expression composed. Her school uniform made her appear wildly out of place amidst the grandeur, but in truth—it only emphasized her quiet dominance.
Mu Fucheng personally guided her into his office, a space so vast it felt more like a palace hall. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the entire city below, skyscrapers dwarfed by the height of this single building. A Persian rug stretched across the floor, and every piece of furniture was custom-made, glowing with understated wealth.
"Please, Miss Su," Mu Fucheng gestured reverently toward the main seat—his own executive chair, carved from sandalwood and wrapped in imported leather.
Su Ning sat gracefully, as though she had always belonged there. Her dark eyes roamed the room with calm curiosity, but her face betrayed no awe.
Mu Fucheng, nervous, quickly pulled out a thick leather-bound folder. His hands trembled as he set it before her. "Here are the details of your new property, the Imperial Skies International Hotel. Current net worth stands at 15.2 billion yuan, with annual profits averaging 700 million yuan after tax. Shareholders include several high-ranking officials and wealthy tycoons, but as of today, Miss Su—you hold a controlling 70% stake. The hotel is yours."
Su Ning's fingers brushed the edge of the folder. Her heart raced, 15.2 billion—but her face remained as calm as still water.
Mu Fucheng, watching her, almost shivered. A sixteen-year-old girl hearing such numbers should scream, should faint, should at least tremble. But this one… she's steady. Too steady. She's not ordinary. She's dangerous.
Yet Su Ning only leaned back slightly, her expression serene, lips curving into a faint, knowing smile. She tapped the folder lightly, her voice soft but cutting through the silence.
"Not bad."
The words were calm, but to Mu Fucheng they fell like divine judgment. His head lowered further. "I will ensure everything runs flawlessly under your name, Miss Su. Anyone who dares disrespect you will answer to me personally."
Su Ning's gaze flicked toward the window, the entire city sprawling beneath her. To the staff below, to the wealthy guests, she was just a student. But up here, she held the strings of power in her hands.
"Miss Su, your office in the entire floor of the 82nd floor, would you like to check it out?" he asked carefully.
She closed the folder with a soft thud and rose from the chair, her school skirt swaying gently. "Not necessary, maybe next time" she said simply.
Mu Fucheng bowed deeply, his heart pounding in both fear and awe. Behind them.
When Su Ning left the 81st floor, the staff and executives lined the hallways to see her off. Heads bowed. No one dared to breathe too loudly. And in the center of it all walked a teenage girl in a school uniform, radiating more power than all of them combined.
The drive back to Fengshang Estate was quiet, but Su Ning sat in the plush leather of her tailored car with a faint smile tugging at her lips. The system had not only secured her victory at the Imperial Skies Hotel but had planted her firmly in the circle of the truly untouchable.
When the sleek car rolled into her garage, her eyes immediately landed on the newest treasure—the Phantom IX Sports Car. It gleamed like liquid midnight, every curve sharp and elegant, the golden trim catching the light as though mocking the world. Even parked, it radiated power.
"Your keys, host," the system chimed lightly. A velvet-black box appeared in her hands.
Su Ning opened it, her fingers brushing over the cold, weighty keys. For a moment she imagined herself speeding down a highway, the wind ripping past her, leaving everyone else in the dust. But reality snapped back.
She chuckled softly. "Shame. I don't even know how to drive yet."
Her reflection shimmered in the polished hood of the car as she tucked the keys away, whispering, Soon.
Inside her villa, she shed the world's weight. The sparkling grand bathroom steamed as she soaked once again, letting the bubbles kiss her skin while she hummed under her breath. After an hour of skincare, her reflection looked softer, glowing, like the girl who should've always existed beneath scars and starvation.
She slipped into an elegant dress, a flowing cream silk piece by Yuxi a well known brand worn by celebrities and socialites across the country. The soft diamond necklace she had put on earlier gleamed faintly against her collarbone. She didn't look like a poor scholarship girl anymore. She looked like a goddess.
In the kitchen, she made herself pasta tossed with herbs and tender chicken breast, plated neatly on porcelain worth more than her entire childhood. Carrying it into the living room, she sank into the oversized sofa, turned on the massive TV screen, and curled against her cream teddy bear, Princess.
For the first time in her life, she enjoyed peace, without worry.
Across the city, the Mu residence was anything but peaceful.
Mu Fucheng's stern voice rang through the vast dining hall, his usually composed expression twisted with anger. "Do you understand what you've done, Suying? You mocked a girl who holds power greater than you can imagine. Miss Su Ning is not someone you can provoke—she is someone you must bow to."
Mu Suying sat frozen in her chair, her face pale, her lips trembling. "F–Father… she's just a scholarship student, how—how could she possibly be that?"
Unwilling to accept "What big thing has she done and why is everyone scared of her? she is just an orphan"
"Enough!" Mu Fucheng's palm slammed against the table, rattling the silverware.
"Just an orphan?, she owns 70 percent shares of the entire hotel, do you understand what that means? she has a very powerful backer we cannot afford to offend, so what if she's an orphan? She holds much power than you can ever imagine."
"What?" Mu Suying paled as she slowly sat on the sofa.
He took a deep breath "From this day forward, you will show her respect. Befriend her if you can. Obey her, please her. And above all—keep your mouth shut. Her identity is not to be leaked to anyone. Abandon those useless friends you keep and stick to her"
His tone carried a weight that left no room for disobedience.
"Yes Father"
Mu Suying's eyes welled up, but no tears fell. Her world, once so simple—shopping, gossip, flaunting her wealth shattered as she thought of all the mean things she said to Su Ning earlier. She rose weakly, her steps unsteady as she retreated to her room like a ghost, the slap of reality still stinging more than the one on her cheek.
Left behind, her mother, Madam Mu, sighed softly and moved to her husband's side. "Don't work yourself up " she murmured, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "You haven't eaten since morning. I'll make you something light."
The iron-hard man finally softened, closing his eyes briefly. "She must learn," he muttered. "Or she'll bring ruin on us all."
As Madam Mu busied herself in the kitchen, the Mu household drowned in a silence heavier than gold—while, far away in her villa, Su Ning's laughter bubbled over a TV show, her heart light as feathers.