Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After finishing their meal, the two left the restaurant, and the weather had changed. The streetlights were just coming on, and a fine, gentle rain was falling.

“It’s raining. I’ll go back in and ask the waiter for an umbrella.“

Wei Yinxia held back the person who was about to turn back to borrow an umbrella: “The rain isn’t heavy, and it doesn’t feel like it will last long. Ah Jing, I want to walk in the rain with you.“

After frankly accepting that she was in love with An Jing, there were so many ordinary things in life that she wanted, and only wanted, to do with An Jing. She was afraid that if she didn’t do them now, she would never be able to.

In the hazy night, An Jing took off her coat and put it over Wei Yinxia, then embraced her.

“Okay. Whatever you want, I’ll do it with you, as long as I can.” An Jing whispered softly in her ear, “If you are ever sad or unhappy later, remember to tell me. I will cheer you up.“

“Mm.“

But Ah Jing, do we have a future? If we do, even if you no longer love me, even if it’s unrequited, even if it leads to eternal suffering, I will beg for your forgiveness.

The rain intensified, wetting their hair.

An Jing hailed a rickshaw with a rain cover: “Your hair is all wet. I’m worried you’ll get sick. I’ll give the driver extra money.“

Wei Yinxia looked at An Jing’s wet shoulder, obediently got into the carriage, and shared half of her coat with An Jing.

Hearing the promise of extra money, the driver was energized: “Honored guests, sit tight. Giddy up!“

Shielded by the awning, Wei Yinxia nestled into An Jing’s warm embrace without reservation, her arms wrapping around An Jing’s waist: “I almost wish I were an orphan without parents. Even if life was miserable and lonely, my marriage and destiny would be entirely up to me.“

“What foolishness are you saying?” An Jing gently straightened her damp hair, kissed her forehead under the cover of the darkness, and then said in a very soft voice in her ear, “I must sincerely thank your parents. If they hadn’t given you life, where would I find such a beautiful and wonderful wife?“

“Who is your wife!“

All unhappiness was instantly dispelled. This person claimed she didn’t know how to woo a girl. Wei Yinxia didn’t believe it.

An Jing kissed the corner of her eye: “The past is in the past. Life still has several decades left. Forget the part that you couldn’t choose. Let’s hope that from now on, we are both safe and healthy. I’ll take you to a place without conflict, and we will stay together for a hundred years.“

The beautiful image appeared in Wei Yinxia’s mind, yet it filled her with sorrow.

She was terribly afraid. She feared that the happier she was now, the more intense the pain would be when the truth was revealed.

“Ah Jing, have you killed anyone? Those wicked people who betrayed you, framed you, drove you to despair, and wanted to kill you—would you have the heart to kill them? You would, wouldn’t you?“

In volatile Shanghai, it was common for prominent figures to be responsible for a few lives. As long as it was handled properly, it could be covered up. An Jing hadn’t figured out how to answer when Wei Yinxia spoke again.

“Ah Jing, when you encounter bad people, don’t be soft-hearted. Bad people are not divided by gender or age.“

An Jing was startled. She didn’t understand why Wei Yinxia suddenly spoke about taking lives.

She rubbed Wei Yinxia’s slightly trembling body with both hands, trying to warm her: “Yinyin, don’t overthink things.“

Before meeting An Jing, Wei Yinxia longed to live and desperately desired freedom. After meeting An Jing, the life she wanted was the rest of her life with An Jing. The freedom she wanted was the freedom to marry An Jing.

If she was destined not to achieve it, if it was bound to be unattainable… then she would love her to the core before losing the will to live.

On the other side, An Yi, having been reprimanded by An Jing that afternoon, went home and begged his father to write a formal visit card. He had it delivered to the Wei family that night, arriving even earlier than Wei Yinxia.

“Boss Wei, forgive me for saying this, but I have fallen in love at first sight with your Second Miss Wei Yinxia. I can’t forget her, and I intend to marry her. I have already informed my parents. After careful consideration, they have also agreed. As long as you nod, the marriage between the Second Miss and me can be set. I came in person today to show my sincerity. These are gifts my mother prepared. Please accept them, Boss Wei and Madam Wei.” An Yi presented a pile of expensive supplements, foreign wine, and fine silks.

“Young Master Yi, to my knowledge, you are not yet eighteen,” Wei Zhengqing was shrewd.

“The Second Miss is two years older than me. I don’t mind. The marriage can be settled first. With our parents’ consent and the matchmaker’s words, I believe the Second Miss is as filial as I am.“

An Yi was a truly persistent scoundrel, determined to eat the “swan meat” that An Xi had failed to get. Since An Jing wouldn’t let An Xi marry her, he wanted to marry her just to spite them.

“My daughter is not without talent. She is beautiful. Although she was rejected by the An family, she still has many suitors rushing forward, not just Young Master Yi.“

Wei Zhengqing was a true old fox. Raising the price was his usual trick. Wei Yinxia was nothing more than a commodity in his eyes.

An Yi: “What are your terms, Boss Wei? Why don’t you tell me directly?“

“There are many powerful and influential suitors. I am truly in a difficult position and don’t wish to offend any influential figures.” Wei Zhengqing used “consideration” as an excuse and didn’t give him an immediate answer.

He knew who was the tiger and who was the paper cat in the An family, and who was useful and who was not. But since An Yi came knocking on his door, it would be foolish not to make good use of him.

“In mid-September, the Yinghua will hold an opening ceremony. I will take my daughter there.” Wei Zhengqing gave him a clear hint. “It’s late. Young Master Yi, please leave.”

“I bid you farewell.”

The rickshaw couldn’t enter the villa area.

When An Yi’s car left the villa gate, he saw An Jing and Wei Yinxia getting out of a rickshaw about two or three hundred meters away. Their behavior was intimate, with zero distance between them.

He didn’t yell for the car to stop. In a head-on confrontation, he couldn’t win against An Jing.

The rain stopped.

Wei Yinxia smoothed out the coat and spread it open to help An Jing put it on, looking very much like a wife dressing her husband.

“Ah Jing works hard for the business every day. You must take care of your health. Go back and have Wanyun make you a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold.”

“I’d rather have the ginger soup you make for me.” An Jing held Wei Yinxia’s fingers, reluctant to let go, and then remembered the half-month deadline given by Wei Zhengqing, which worried her.

“We’re at the front door. Be proper.” Wei Yinxia pulled her hand away, hiding her shyness, and resumed a dignified demeanor.

“Yinyin, if I damage the Wei family’s interests in next month’s Board of Directors election because of my personal desires, will you be angry with me?”

“No.” Wei Yinxia shook her head. “Ah Jing, remember, no matter where I am, my heart is always with you. You are the leader of the An Corporation with great authority. You should focus on your career. Romantic affections…”

“I want romantic affections too,” An Jing finished her sentence. “I’ve planned enough for the An family. Now, I want to plan for something rare and precious for myself.”

Yinyin, what I desire is only you.

Back home, An Jing sat down at the piano. Lacking musical knowledge, she placed her ten slender fingers on the keys.

She closed her eyes, imagining Wei Yinxia’s posture and movements when playing.

Her fingers alternated, moving up and down. The disordered, yet not unpleasant, music drew a jest from An Xi upstairs: “Sis, why don’t we hire a piano teacher to come home and teach us both to play?”

“Meow~” Xixi, now accustomed to her new home and moving freely, jumped onto the stool and sat next to An Jing.

The music stopped. She stroked Xixi’s head, carried her, and walked to the entrance cabinet, taking the new roly-poly toy from her bag to show the cat.

“Xixi, this is the toy Mama picked out for you.”

The kitten sniffed it and pressed one front paw on the top of the roly-poly.

An Jing smiled, placing Xixi and the toy on the floor: “Do you like it? Go play.” After standing up, she called out, “Wanyun, make me a bowl of ginger soup and send it to my room.”

An Xi, feeling slighted, thought his sister didn’t want to talk to him and prepared to retreat to his room, but she stopped him: “An Xi, come to the study.”

“Oh.”

The books in the study were also very new. Only An Xi had browsed them.

He looked at An Jing nervously. Her face clearly broadcast the words “Deeply Worried”: “Sis, are you troubled?”

An Jing leaned back against the chair, her hands crossed over her abdomen: “An Xi, do you want to marry Ruyue?”

“Huh?” An Xi was surprised, then grinned, pulling a chair to sit opposite her. “If I say yes, will you help me propose to the Qi family?”

“Mm. Of course, I hope you’re happy. Ruyue is a fine girl to be an An family daughter-in-law.” An Jing’s face was devoid of expression, but her heart was heavy with unresolvable sadness.

Love between a man and a woman, and marriage, were cause for great joy. But why did her affection for Yinyin have to remain hidden?

“It hasn’t reached that stage yet.” An Xi couldn’t discern An Jing’s worry. He probed indirectly: “Is there another problem at the factory?”

“No.”

“Then what is it? I rarely see you looking so worried.”

“Before you returned, Boss Wei proposed cooperating with the An Corporation to make money from foreigners. I didn’t agree. After you returned, he was also the one who had Wei Yinxia intentionally approach you, hoping to use your engagement to facilitate cooperation between the Wei and An families.”

“Make money from foreigners?” An Xi’s expression changed. “It’s more like helping foreigners make money. Sis, Wei Zhengqing is colluding with foreigners. He can’t be trusted.”

An Jing was silent for a moment, then stared intently at An Xi: “Young Master Xi, you change your tune quite quickly. I remember you didn’t say that the day I dragged you home from the Xianle Dance Hall.”

An Xi panicked and laughed it off: “That was then, this is now. I had just returned and didn’t understand the Shanghai market or the complex interests in the business world. My feigned engagement with Wei Yinxia was purely to help the An family secure its seat on the Board of Directors. Since you asked me to join the factory to learn about the business, I have seriously figured out the risks. I don’t want the An family to associate with a traitor like Wei Zhengqing, who fawns on foreigners and sells out the country for profit.”

After stating his opinion seriously, he added: “Wei Zhengqing is Wei Zhengqing. Wei Yinxia is Wei Yinxia. I…”

“It’s fine. I didn’t plan to cooperate with him either. I was just checking if you’ve done your homework.”

She couldn’t bear to ruin An Xi’s happiness by having him “feign” an engagement with Wei Yinxia again, nor did she want An Xi to be disappointed in her, or for the An Corporation to be labeled as self-serving at the expense of the nation.

Since the two simplest paths were impossible, An Jing was at a loss.

The third path she could think of was to elope with Wei Yinxia, but that would have to wait until after the Board of Directors election in mid-October.

“So, if there’s nothing else, can I go back to sleep?”

“Not so fast. I still have some business matters to detail for you.” She needed to quickly draw An Xi into the core management of the An Corporation.

“Huh?”

“Listen closely. Previously, I told you I’d replace twenty new machines in each of the three cotton mills. Because the European war situation is unclear, I worry about disruption to sea transport. To be safe, I only imported forty-five of the most advanced machines from overseas. I purchased another thirty from Suzhou, which will be transported by land and cost twenty percent less than the imports, totaling seventy-five new machines.”

“Didn’t you say I didn’t need to worry about this?”

“You also said, ‘That was then, this is now’,” An Jing used An Xi’s own words against him. “The thirty machines from Suzhou are being handled by Manager He. You need to keep an eye on it secretly. Don’t cause a fuss.”

“Oh.”

“That was an unwilling ‘oh’.”

“Sis, I really don’t like dealing with Manager He. He is very rigid and stubborn.”

“Precisely because he is rigid and stubborn, and has been loyal to the An Corporation for decades, you must interact with him more. Use gentle diplomacy, build a good relationship, and earn his trust both professionally and personally so he can be useful to you.”

“Alright, alright, your younger brother is enlightened. Thank you, Boss Jing, for your instruction.” An Xi bowed his hands. “Are you done this time? Can I go to sleep now?”

“Yes, scram, scram.”

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