Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The four left the theater. An Jing originally planned to treat them to a big meal at a high-end restaurant, but An Xi and Ruyue clamored to search for street food in the night market.

Ruyue enthusiastically led Wei Yinxia through the night market: “Yinxia, help me look! Are these earrings pretty? And what about this comb? This hairpin…”

Seeing them happy, An Jing was happy too: “Buy what you like. I’m paying.”

Wei Yinxia, who was holding a wooden hairpin, put it back when she heard An Jing’s remark.

“Sister, let’s go eat sweet dumplings. They symbolize family reunion and are warm for the stomach,” Ruyue chose a pair of earrings, then picked up the wooden hairpin Wei Yinxia had put down: “Thanks, Sis! We’ll just take these two!”

An Jing paid the money. Ruyue put away the earrings but tucked the wooden hairpin into An Jing’s hand: “Don’t be offended, Sister. Yinxia is usually distant with people. You just need to be more proactive.”

After shopping and eating a late-night snack, An Xi called a rickshaw to take Ruyue home. Lu Cheng drove An Jing and Wei Yinxia.

Along the way, Wei Yinxia was preoccupied and didn’t utter a word.

It wasn’t until the gate of the Wei family came into view outside the car window that she leaned forward and rested her head on An Jing’s lap: “Jing… I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me today.”

An Jing merely thought she felt guilty for her subdued state and didn’t overthink it. She gently inserted the wooden hairpin into Wei Yinxia’s hair.

“It’s alright, Yinyin. I’m ten years older than you. You’re just a little sister to me. You can pout, be willful, and throw a fit. I won’t blame you. Of course, you can also tell me what’s bothering you. If bottling it up hurts, just cry it out. I’m here.”

Wei Yinxia didn’t cry.

For many years, she rarely shed tears, but lately, she had uncharacteristically cried several times in front of An Jing.

In the Wei family, she had no right to act cute, no right to be willful, and certainly no right to throw a tantrum. In the Wei family, the word she heard most often was “blame.”

In nineteen years, An Jing was the only person who unconditionally indulged her.

An Jing was a woman.

She was also a woman. So what?

“You saw it yourself. The person Young Master Xi has an undeniable affection for is Ruyue,” Wei Yinxia said sadly as she sat up. “Fate and the Matchmaker have already arranged it. I just don’t have the good fortune to marry into the An family.”

An Jing felt a lump in her throat.

Wei Yinxia opened the car door: “Boss Jing, thank you for bringing me back. You should go home now.”

“Yinyin.” An Jing stopped her, reaching into the corner of the seat to retrieve a round medicine box: “Take this. Apply it to your arm scar in the morning and evening.”

“I understand. Thank you, Boss Jing. You remember to apply yours too.” She accepted the medicine box and got out of the car without looking back.

Wei’s Residence.

It was nearly nine o’clock. As soon as Wei Yinxia walked in, Wei Zhengqing, standing on the second floor, asked: “Whose car brought you home?”

A strong sense of pressure washed over her. Did he want to hear Boss Jing or Young Master Xi?

Wei Yinxia lied: “Young Master Xi.”

“Young Master An has met privately with Miss Qi multiple times recently. This is the perfect opportunity for you to pretend to be the spurned lover and seek sympathy from An Jing.”

“Yes, thank you for your guidance, Father.” This way, she would have a legitimate opportunity to spend time with An Jing again.

The more she interacted with An Jing, the deeper she fell, unable to extricate herself.

The process of getting close to the An siblings was much easier than she had imagined. Especially benefiting from the identity of Hongying, An Jing had been exceptionally forthcoming with her. She didn’t know whether to be happy and thankful, or if the other party also had a scheme.

She deliberately gave Wei Zhengqing the illusion that he was in control of the situation. Only then would he not constantly pressure her, making it impossible for her to breathe.

Wei Yinxia had never slept peacefully for a single night in this house.

She entered her room and lingered for a few seconds looking at the door lock. She didn’t even have the right to lock her door.

If she did, she would be scolded at best, or beaten at worst.

Countless nights, she hid in the darkness, licking her wounds alone. From initially hating fate’s injustice, to later hoping for an escape, to now having a heart as still as water.

No, her heart couldn’t be still anymore. Her heart had come alive again.

Because when she saw An Jing, her heart would race like a startled deer, reminding her: Sincerity may lead to a miraculous recovery from despair?

An’s Residence.

An Jing was drinking tea in the living room, waiting for An Xi: “It only takes forty or fifty minutes to drop off Qi Ruyue and come back, but you took almost two hours. Tell me, where else did you go and what did you do?”

An Xi had a smile on his face: “Boss Qi enthusiastically invited me in to sit for a while. Sis, I’m an adult.”

“You know you’re an adult. Adults should establish a family and a career. I don’t oppose free love, but that doesn’t conflict with you learning to manage the business.”

“I humbly accept my sister’s teachings!” An Xi stood at attention and gave a military salute: “Good night, Boss Jing. I’ll go to the factory for the internship myself tomorrow.”

Having lived under the same roof for over ten years, he knew his sister’s straightforward nature—she responded better to soft words than hard ones. Coaxing her patiently solved all problems.

An Xi understood An Jing, but how could An Jing not understand An Xi?

“I didn’t restrict you when you came back, wanting you to transition easily. I didn’t mean for you to be idle and live off your savings. An Xi, a man must have ambition and responsibility. Without a career, how can you take responsibility?”

“I understand all of my sister’s good intentions. I’ll keep them all in mind,” An Xi started to be good again, hooking his arm around An Jing’s and leaning on her shoulder: “Sis, you are the pillar of the family. You’ve worked hard these past few years. I’ll go apologize to Mom and Dad’s memorial tablets right away.”

“Stop playing the emotional card with me.” An Jing pushed his head: “How old are you, still trying to charm your sister.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m twenty or thirty, I’ll always be your little brother in front of my sister.”

Defeated by An Xi’s charm offensive, An Jing asked: “Where’s the camera?”

“The camera?” An Xi scratched his head: “Um, Ruyue is about to become a reporter at the newspaper office. The camera was a gift I bought for her.”

“Young Master Xi is lavish! So, you’re getting serious?” It seemed like a marriage was on the horizon.

“Sis! That sounds so sour! Don’t you like Ruyue, too? Boss Qi and Madam Qi are easy to get along with. I think getting serious is perfectly fine.”

An Xi was getting serious with Qi Ruyue, so what about Yinyin…?

Even as an outsider, she could see the mutual affection growing between An Xi and Ruyue. It looked exactly like a childhood sweetheart romance. Breaking them up would be truly unkind.

But if that was the case, what about Wei Yinxia? Was she supposed to let An Xi marry both?

“Remember to develop the photos for me.”

An Jing was referring to the photo An Xi snapped of her and Wei Yinxia in the sunset outside the theater that evening.

“Aiya~” An Xi wore a smug, “I knew you’d ask” expression: “I know, I know, I didn’t forget. I already told Ruyue. I’ll get it for you in a couple of days.”

An Xi went upstairs. An Jing checked the time. It was almost ten o’clock.

She dialed the Qi family’s number: “Boss Qi, I apologize for calling so late, but I was hoping you could go over the proposal you discussed with An Xi again with me.”

Boss Qi politely said: “Young Master Xi has many excellent ideas! Just now, he told me many new ideas he learned overseas that would be very beneficial to my advertising company! I really have to thank Boss Jing for letting him discuss business with me this time. Mr. Qi has benefited greatly…”

An Jing’s real purpose in making the call was to confirm whether An Xi’s whereabouts were as he had claimed.

A couple of days later, An Jing received another invitation, delivered by a messenger from Qin Zhe. If it were just an invitation in Qin Zhe’s personal name, she wouldn’t bother, but the one Qin Zhe sent was for a cocktail party hosted by the department store to promote its half-year opening anniversary sale next month.

This invitation was specially prepared for her by Qin Zhe, and it even marked which bosses would be attending—many of whom were Board members.

This was a critical period. Regardless of the final outcome of the vote, she needed to gain more trust and support from the bosses. She had Wanyun call Qin Zhe back to confirm that she would attend the event.

On the day of the party, An Jing walked in wearing a black beret, a white feminine blouse, black wide-leg trousers, and white high heels. Qin Zhe’s face lit up with surprise.

An Jing’s careful choice of attire was a deliberate effort to use both soft and hard approaches.

She had always been strong and treated everyone strictly in a business-like manner, never thinking of leveraging her advantages as a woman.

The effort she put into her appearance today was simply to make the important bosses lower their guard around her, to catch their eye, which might make them more amenable to discussions.

This was a lesson she had “realized” from Wei Yinxia.

“Boss Jing, you…” Qin Zhe approached her, the last few words whispered very softly: “You look too beautiful.”

“Thank you, Young Master Qin.”

“I recently finalized deals with two silk merchants visiting Shanghai from the Suzhou-Hangzhou area. Interested in meeting them?” Qin Zhe understood An Jing. He cut straight to the chase with an enticing offer, while subtly raising his right arm.

They were all business people. It was all a bit of a show and mutual courtesy.

An Jing raised her hand and linked it with Qin Zhe’s arm: “Today’s occasion is special. We are here to talk business. I can play along, but only within those limits.”

“Understood. How dare I take advantage of Boss Jing? You are the expert in the cotton and silk business, and an investor in this department store. It’s only right that I introduce you,” Qin Zhe was smooth and gentlemanly, always maintaining the right tone.

The two had a pleasant discussion with the Suzhou-Hangzhou merchants. An Jing successfully invited both to visit the An’s factory for further communication on a later date.

Subsequently, An Jing greeted other merchants one by one, with Qin Zhe remaining by her side.

During a conversation, two small children, chasing each other while holding cups of juice, ran from a distance.

The boy running in front, looking back at the girl behind him, accidentally bumped into An Jing, spilling yellow orange juice onto her clothes.

A large patch on her back was soaked. An Jing felt the chill.

“Don’t run around. Be careful not to fall.”

Qin Zhe didn’t lose his temper at the children. Given that all attendees were important, no child from any family at the party should be scolded for a small matter like staining an adult’s clothes. He was sure An Jing wouldn’t lose her temper with children either.

He waved the children away, then took off his suit jacket and draped it over An Jing: “Your back is wet. Wear this for now. I know you definitely don’t want to wear my clothes back home. Why don’t you rest in my office for a bit? I’ll have someone send up a change of clothes for you?”

At that moment, Wei Lanyin appeared from nowhere, looking at their intimate action, and smiled meaningfully: “It seems Boss Jing is getting closer to a happy occasion before Young Master Xi.”

An Jing’s expression was displeased. She rarely engaged in verbal sparring with women and usually dealt with them coldly. Madam Wei, that spiteful and harsh woman, was an exception.

Wei Lanyin was standing to her side. An Jing didn’t want to acknowledge her and turned to leave.

But then she heard Wei Lanyin say: “Yinxia, did you see that? Boss Jing forbidding your marriage with Young Master Xi isn’t just because our family broke the engagement first. It’s because she had already planned to marry into the Qin family.”

An Jing paused, turned, and looked at Wei Lanyin and Wei Yinxia, who was beside her, her gaze sharp: “I didn’t expect Young Master Qin to invite both Misses Wei as well.”

Qin Zhe was also baffled. How could he possibly have invited the Wei family?

Wei Lanyin clarified: “Boss Jing, please don’t misunderstand Young Master Qin. We just happened to have a family dinner in the hall next door. The two children ran into the wrong hall, and Yinxia and I came over to look for them. I apologize for ruining your elegant mood. But speaking of it, if the An family doesn’t fancy my sister, others will. I hope Boss Jing will leave a way out for my sister and stop destroying her chances of marriage with others. You greatly angered Sixth Master Ma last time. Unfortunately, that debt fell upon the Wei family. We didn’t get the sheep, but we ended up with all the trouble. How unlucky.”

She then turned to Wei Yinxia, impatient: “Go on, why are you still standing here? The two bosses probably find you to be an eyesore and a distraction.”

In contrast, Wei Lanyin was thankful that her father had decided to break off her engagement with the An family.

Although An Xi was handsome, she was one year older than him, and time would not wait for her. If the engagement hadn’t been broken, regardless of whether they married before or after An Xi went abroad, the fact that she would have nothing in the An family would not change. Plus, she would have to face the freezing iceberg that was An Jing every day.

The thought alone was suffocating.

In the An family, An Jing held absolute power. A young lady married to a profligate young master would at best be a well-dressed, worry-free decorative vase.

After turning away, Wei Lanyin gently caressed her lower abdomen. Inside, her and her husband’s second child was being conceived.

Wei Yinxia was not as composed. When she saw An Jing from afar as she entered, her mood was complex, and she lowered her head. She only looked up after being scolded by Wei Lanyin.

An Jing’s gaze toward them was both familiar and unfamiliar.

When they were together privately, she could still rely on her identity as “Hongying” to elicit a shred of An Jing’s sympathy. But now, standing next to Wei Lanyin, she was an undeniable member of the Wei family. How could An Jing give her a kind look?

Wei Yinxia felt a pang of sorrow, yet before leaving, she politely curtsied to the two of them: “I apologize for the intrusion.”

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