Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

An Jing did not go to Qin Zhe’s office to change clothes. If she went, their relationship would become even harder to explain, and she didn’t want to be sensationalized in the newspapers with groundless rumors.

“Please trouble Young Master Qin to ask someone to find my driver, Lu Cheng, outside. My clothes are in the car. Just have him bring them in.” Lu Cheng had been waiting outside for her, and she had a jacket in the car. She couldn’t leave yet.

“Alright.” Qin Zhe understood her concerns and didn’t press. He was already content to have been close to An Jing tonight.

The party was outside the concession. The Wei family had their own restaurants. Why was their family dinner specifically arranged at this hotel? An Jing was busy socializing and had no time to ponder it.

The party dispersed. An Jing got into her car and stared blankly at the sign.

LINSHENG GRAND HOTEL

“Are we heading back now?” Lu Cheng asked.

“Wait a moment.”

Cars continually pulled up to the hotel entrance. People she knew and those she didn’t know got into cars and left.

It wasn’t until she saw Wei Zhengqing’s family and Wei Lanyin’s in-laws’ family emerge that she saw the others successively enter two cars, leaving only Wei Yinxia and another man An Jing didn’t recognize.

Wei Yinxia was wearing a thin outfit. The man tried to put his jacket on her, but Wei Yinxia pushed him away.

The man kept speaking, sometimes accompanied by hand gestures. He also made attempts to touch Wei Yinxia, all of which she avoided.

They waited for nearly half an hour before another small sedan drove up.

“Drive over there.”

“Yes, Eldest Miss.” Lu Cheng obeyed the order.

He naturally saw what An Jing could see. He had a strong feeling why his Eldest Miss hadn’t left yet. Upon receiving the command, he stomped the accelerator and drove the car right in front of the other sedan.

An Jing said nothing. Lu Cheng glanced back and received a nod from An Jing.

He called out: “Second Miss Wei, would you like a ride?”

Wei Yinxia looked at the closed back window, vaguely seeing An Jing’s figure. For Lu Cheng to ask that question, it had to be An Jing’s instruction.

But she didn’t dare to open the car door herself, so she softly asked in return: “May I?”

“Of course.” Upon receiving her reply, Lu Cheng immediately got out of the car and respectfully opened the back door for Wei Yinxia.

“Second Miss!” The ignored man, furious, grabbed Wei Yinxia’s wrist and spoke unkindly to Lu Cheng: “I have a car. I will personally drive Second Miss home. Who are you people?”

“Young Master Lin, please let go of me.”

Lu Cheng was unsure if his Miss wanted to reveal her identity. He was about to reply “no comment” when An Jing got out of the car.

The man surnamed Lin was handsome, but not tall among men. Since An Jing was wearing high heels today, she was a good half-head taller than “Young Master Lin.”

“Didn’t you hear her? She told you to let go.” An Jing’s gaze was fixed on Young Master Lin’s hand.

“You, you are…” Young Master Lin stammered. He recognized An Jing. If looks could kill, he would have died countless times by now.

Young Master Lin wasn’t afraid of An Jing herself, but he had a bad history with the Lu Gang and had suffered at their hands. An Jing was protected by Xu Weiqiang, so he dared not openly challenge her.

He could only sullenly let go: “So it’s Boss Jing. However, Boss Jing breaking off the engagement with the Wei family is known throughout all of Shanghai. Now, Boss Wei intends to marry his Second Miss to me, and my offering to take Second Miss home was also approved by Boss Wei. Boss Jing, forgive me for not understanding your intention.”

Wei Yinxia was only wearing a thin outfit. The night was cold. An Jing took off the suit jacket she was wearing and draped it over her, then put her arm around Wei Yinxia’s shoulder: “That was then, this is now. I am close with Sister Yinyin. Do I need to report that to Young Master Lin?”

Wrapped in An Jing’s scent, Wei Yinxia felt incredibly safe and instinctively leaned closer to An Jing: “Young Master Lin, please go home. I will explain to my father.”

“Get in the car.”

An Jing said no more, pulling Wei Yinxia into the car.

Lu Cheng shielded Young Master Lin. Once the back door was closed, he circled around to the driver’s seat.

During the drive, An Jing was irritable and chose to close her eyes to rest. Wei Yinxia glanced at her, hesitating several times before trying to speak.

It wasn’t until they were nearing the Wei residence that Wei Yinxia slowly revealed: “Father knows that it wasn’t Young Master Xi who drove me back that day, and he also knows that Young Master Xi and Ruyue are together. So… so he is arranging another marriage for me.”

“Such indiscriminate pairing. He even deems the Lin family acceptable?”

As far as she knew, the Lin family’s assets were only two large hotels in Shanghai. They were merely members of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, not even eligible for the Board of Directors.

But this year…

As the words left her mouth, Wei Yinxia went completely numb. Indiscriminate pairing, indiscriminate pairing. An Jing was scolding her, wasn’t she?

A moment later, An Jing realized her words could easily be misinterpreted. She opened her eyes, reached out to hold Wei Yinxia’s trembling hand, but Wei Yinxia instinctively pulled it away.

“Yinyin, what I meant was…” Was scolding your father? But he was her biological father. Scolding his father was practically scolding the child.

“Boss Jing doesn’t need to explain.”

“Stop the car,” An Jing commanded loudly. “Lu Cheng, you step out first.”

“Yes.”

Only An Jing and Wei Yinxia were left in the car. Wei Yinxia fought back tears and looked out the window. Taking off the jacket, she said, “We’re not far from the Wei house. I can walk back myself.”

“More angry words.” An Jing sighed silently, then forcefully grabbed Wei Yinxia’s hand: “Setting safety aside, it’s still at least a kilometer or two from the Wei house. It’s pitch black. It’ll take you an hour to walk back.”

Wei Yinxia’s strength was far less than An Jing’s. She struggled twice, then gave up.

Her head bowed, tears silently fell: “I know Boss Jing has no intention of humiliating me further, but I am Wei Zhengqing’s daughter. That’s a fact that can’t be changed. I have no destiny with Young Master Xi, and with Boss Jing, we are nothing more than passing acquaintances…”

“Enough, don’t cry.” An Jing pulled her into a hug and patted her: “We’ve known each other for two years at Xianle Gate. I caused you a knife wound, and you tended my gunshot wound. How can we be called merely passing acquaintances?”

Her words didn’t have the desired comforting effect; instead, they made Wei Yinxia more upset: “You said it yourself, at Xianle Gate. The one you were close to was Hongying, not Wei Yinxia.”

An Jing couldn’t immediately refute that.

However, she had thought about this issue when recovering at Aunt Hong’s place; otherwise, she wouldn’t have invited Wei Yinxia to the play.

Pulling back slightly, An Jing raised her hand to wipe away Wei Yinxia’s tears, saying softly: “Yinyin, whether you are Hongying or Wei Yinxia, you are you. You are the sister I want to care for and protect. You don’t need to worry about your identity anymore.”

Sister again. She had clearly said she didn’t want a sister and didn’t want to be her sister.

“Boss Jing, I appreciate your kindness, but let’s stop here. You don’t need to worry about my affairs anymore.” Wei Yinxia forced a smile: “First there was Sixth Master Ma, now there’s Young Master Lin. What about the future? There will be other Young Master Zhangs and Young Master Lis. How long can you shield me? I know my life is cheap. I ask for nothing else.”

An Jing gradually lost patience. She didn’t want to repeat what she had already said in the Old Town. If Wei Yinxia herself had accepted her fate, what right did an outsider like herself have to intervene?

The air in the car solidified. The deathly silence suffocated Wei Yinxia, and An Jing’s stillness filled her with fear.

A moment later, An Jing rolled down the window and called out: “Lu Cheng, drive.”

Wei Yinxia’s face was ashen. She covered her face with her hands: “I’m sorry. I have betrayed your good intentions.”

“You are right. I truly can’t manage the affairs of the Wei family.”

An Jing couldn’t sleep when she returned home that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Wei Yinxia’s tear-streaked face.

She knew about Wei Yinxia’s background. How could she not understand Wei Yinxia’s helplessness regarding her own predicament? But she couldn’t stand to see or hear about Wei Yinxia being treated as a commodity by Wei Zhengqing, used for business transactions with those unscrupulous men.

If they were truly just passing acquaintances, so be it. What did it matter to her if Wei Yinxia married Zhang San, Li Si, or Wang Mazi?

Sleepless all night, An Jing came downstairs for breakfast in the morning with heavy dark circles under her eyes.

Before she could finish eating, someone arrived to demand an explanation.

An Jing’s maternal uncle entered, leaning on a cane, and threw the newly published newspaper onto the dining table: “What’s going on with you and Young Master Qin? Don’t tell me this photo is fake?”

She glanced at the front page. The photo of her arm-in-arm with Qin Zhe took up a quarter of the space.

“A business reception. Discussing business.”

“Discussing business that intimately?” The uncle was clearly unhappy with the answer: “An Jing, don’t forget the contract you signed with us. We aren’t heartless. You’re getting older. If you want to get married and have children, we won’t stand in your way. According to the agreement, you hand over the company. If you don’t trust me, then hand it over to An Xi. He’s old enough. The foundation his parents built should rightfully be taken over by him.”

“An Xi is home. Uncle, you can ask him his intentions directly. If he wants to take over, I’ll step down for him today.”

The late-riser upstairs heard the noise below, opened the door, and came downstairs.

Zhang Ma, Li Shu, and Wanyun all stood silently in the corner, looking worried. Seeing An Xi descend, they took his signal and withdrew.

“Uncle, you’re up early! Have you had breakfast? Don’t be shy, sit down and eat.” An Xi sat down at the table with a smile, pretending to be surprised as he picked up the newspaper and quickly scanned it: “Sis, I must say, you look really photogenic dressed like a woman. I’m even smitten. Tsk tsk, look at how enchanted you have Young Master Qin. His eyes weren’t big to begin with, and he’s smiling so hard they’re practically gone.”

“Nonsense.” An Jing picked up a steamed bun and tossed it. An Xi caught it with his hand.

The small bun was tiny. An Xi stuffed it in his mouth and swallowed it in one bite: “Sis, I just heard Uncle mention that you signed a contract with them? What contract?”

An Jing wiped her mouth: “Nothing.”

The uncle sat across from An Xi, his expression solemn: “An Xi, you’re not a child anymore. You can’t always rely on your sister. She is a woman, after all. She will eventually marry and have children. You wouldn’t want to delay her lifelong happiness, would you?”

An Jing treated him with respect: “Uncle, just ask him if he wants to take over. Don’t use my marriage as an excuse. They are two separate matters.”

“No, absolutely not!” An Xi’s attitude was firm: “I haven’t had enough fun yet.”

“Enough of this ‘fun.’ You’re already in your twenties. Look at your cousin An Yi. At seventeen, he already knew he needed to contribute to the An family and can handle business negotiations on his own.”

“Please. Him? Only you and Auntie treat him like a treasure. His ability to carouse outside is no less than mine.”

Just then, the phone rang.

Wanyun answered. It was Qin Zhe calling for An Jing. She glanced over at the dining table but didn’t say who it was: “Eldest Miss, it’s for you.”

An Jing rose to take the call. An Xi immediately stood up as well, helping his uncle walk toward the door.

“You must tell me. What contract did my sister sign with you? Maybe I’ll consider taking over the company sooner.”

“There’s no harm in telling you. It’s good that you know.”

After seeing off his uncle, An Xi didn’t return to the living room to finish breakfast. Instead, he went to the backyard.

He knew that five years ago, after their parents’ accidental death, An Jing had taken on the heavy burden on his behalf and had sworn an oath before their parents’ memorial tablets: “As long as my surname is An, I will not marry.”

But what he didn’t know was that, to convince the uncles of the sincerity of her oath, An Jing had also sacrificed her dignity and, without his knowledge, signed a contract under their supervision: “If I marry, I will leave the An family empty-handed,” thereby dispelling their concerns that she might one day change the An’s name.

On one side was the family; on the other, the state. An Xi, unable to balance both, was caught in a difficult position.

An Jing finished her call and found him in the backyard: “I’ve made an appointment with important guests tomorrow. You’ll accompany me to tour the factory with them.”

“Yes, Sis.”

Such a swift agreement surprised An Jing.

An Xi dumped the last of a box of fish food and turned to smile at An Jing: “Tomorrow’s time belongs to you. Then, I’ll arrange today’s time myself, alright?”

“Going to see Ruyue again?” Whenever Ruyue was mentioned, she couldn’t help but think of Wei Yinxia.

“Guess?”

“Do I look like I want to guess?”

“Sis, that look in your eyes is really scary. It’s giving me goosebumps again.” An Xi rubbed his arms, turned, and made a quick exit: “Sigh, the carefree days are dwindling. I need to hurry up and have some fun!”

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