Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 42.1

Chapter 42.1

When An Xi and Lu Cheng entered the house, An Jing was enjoying her dinner alone. Looking at Fourth Uncle sitting on the sofa, a whole pot of tea was already finished.

“Sister,” he called out guiltily.

An Jing looked up at him and continued eating: “Fourth Uncle is looking for you. You deal with him.”

“…” She didn’t invite Fourth Uncle to eat, nor did she invite him. It seemed she was genuinely angry.

“An Xi, come over here and explain the 100,000 betrothal gift to the Wei family.” Fourth Uncle’s demanding tone irritated An Xi.

Of everyone in the An family, he disliked Fourth Uncle the most. Whether for the small family or the larger family, Fourth Uncle was a failure who only demanded money from the company. It was bad enough that he couldn’t help in times of crisis, but he even had the audacity to come and hold them accountable. He was even worse than An Yi.

“There’s nothing to explain. That’s my money. I can use it however I want. It’s none of your business, Fourth Uncle, is it?”

Fourth Uncle felt humiliated by the continuous disrespect from the two juniors. His anger flared, and he smashed the teapot to “bolster his courage”: “Do you two brats even carry the An name? Do you still show any respect for me, your Fourth Uncle? Your second brother and sister-in-law are gone, and now you’re completely undisciplined and arrogant, aren’t you?”

“Fourth Uncle has heard the explanation. That’s my brother’s own money, not related to company finances.” An Jing believed An Xi wouldn’t embezzle public funds for a private betrothal gift. She stood up and ordered, “Lu Cheng, see the guest out.”

Before she took charge, Fourth Uncle ignored her and didn’t consider her family.

In the past few years, the An Corporation flourished under her management and made money, which was when Fourth Uncle finally started being nice to her.

“Fourth Master, please leave.”

“Get lost!” Fourth Uncle roared, shouting at An Jing, “You’re just a bastard picked up from the side of the road! How dare you show off your authority in my An family?”

“Stop it! She is my sister, with a name in our An family registry! I can disown you, Fourth Uncle, but I will never disown her!” An Xi radiated fury. He and Lu Cheng escorted Fourth Uncle out, one on each side, mercilessly shutting the gate on him.

When the two returned to the hall, Wanyun relayed the message: “Young Master, the Miss is waiting for you in the study.”

An Xi nervously went upstairs.

In the study, An Jing was not sitting in a chair or on the sofa but standing by the window, which was open, smoking a cigarette.

“Sister.”

“Tell me, how did you manage to get the money.” An Jing remained with her back to him.

Suppressed by An Jing’s intimidating presence, An Xi swallowed hard, recalling Tang Yunqing’s words, “If your sister beats you up, take it like a man.”

It’s over. Am I really going to get beaten?

“Before, to save me from trouble, to help the cotton mill overcome its difficulties, and to help settle the families of the Lu Gang brothers, you not only sold your private assets but also borrowed money from Sister Yunqing. Sister, you’ve done so much for the An family, for me, and for them. I can’t just stand by and do nothing for you, can I?”

“I only asked where the money came from.”

“I sold the dyeing factory.” He couldn’t use the company’s money, so he could only sell the private assets left to him by his parents.

The dyeing factory was solely in his name. An Jing had been managing it over the years, but the factory was small. The manager was An Xi’s distant cousin, nearly fifty, unmarried, and immersed in dyeing technology, diligently guarding the factory. An Jing rarely visited the factory.

“Is this what I discussed with you!” An Jing stubbed out the cigarette and turned around. She never expected An Xi to act faster than her.

She wasn’t angry that An Xi secretly went to the Wei house to propose; she was angry about the source of the 100,000 yuan.

The cotton mill and the dyeing factory were the lifelong efforts of their parents. She had promised at their parents’ spiritual altar to protect them for the An family. Now, she couldn’t protect her beloved, and she couldn’t protect the factories…

“What else could I have done?” An Xi raised his voice, walking closer to An Jing: “Sister, you and I both know this is the fastest and most effective way.”

He held a brown envelope in his hand, but before he could hand it over, An Jing slapped him.

The only time ever, since childhood.

After hitting An Xi, An Jing raised her hand and slapped herself.

“Sister, what are you doing!” An Xi snapped out of the shock of being slapped and grabbed An Jing’s hand. “Hit me however you want, I won’t complain. When I’m in the afterlife, I’ll take responsibility for my mistakes with Mom and Dad.”

“An Xi, I wanted to live my life without failing the An family. I can’t do it now.”

An Xi embraced the emotionally distraught An Jing. She heard him whispering in her ear: “You have never failed the An family, and certainly not me. Sister, when I saw you and Second Miss Wei kissing outside the nightclub, I knew what I had to do.”

An Jing’s throat was tight. She wanted to speak, but An Xi cut her off: “It’s okay, Sister. I’m a man who studied abroad. I can understand and respect your feelings. That’s why I decided to bring you and Second Miss Wei together. This is what I want to do for you. Sister, whoever you’re with, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“An Xi…”

“The factory is sold, and the betrothal gift is given. Neither of these two matters can be reversed.”

An Xi smiled, handing over the envelope, “Sister, look at this. Consider it a blessing from me and our parents.”

She looked at the plain envelope curiously. There was no writing on it. She pulled out a red silk item. The cover prominently featured the words “Marriage Certificate” embossed in gold.

Her heart suddenly raced.

She held her breath and slowly opened it—

The right side was written with her and Wei Yinxia’s birth characters and vows in elegant calligraphy. The left side had the signatures and seals of her Eldest Uncle and Wei Zhengqing as Principal Witnesses, and Tang Yunqing as Witness, and An Xi as Introducer.

And at the bottom of the “Couple” section, there was Wei Yinxia’s signature and seal.

“Sister, only your signature and seal are missing for this marriage certificate belonging to you and Wei Yinxia to be perfect. I’ve arranged with her to pick her up from the Wei house in three days.” Having done and said this seemingly absurd thing, An Xi felt a sense of relief. “Sister, take her and leave Shanghai.”

Leave?

Could she leave?

An Jing’s emotions were in turmoil—she felt touched, happy, excited, but also lost and uneasy.

She wanted to take Yinyin away from Shanghai, far from all the troubles, but would she be able to face her parents if she abandoned such a heavy burden of the An Corporation to An Xi alone?

The cotton mill hadn’t fully recovered. Manager He’s injustice hadn’t been rectified, and Kahn’s evil deeds hadn’t been punished. Should all this be left to An Xi alone?

And after they left, An Xi would have to bear all the gossip and rumors caused by her.

“Sister, why are you still hesitating? You love her so much; you should protect her. She’s your wife. Can you bear to see her stay in Shanghai and suffer all the grievances?”

“Sister, I am a man, a worthy son of the An family. Don’t always rush to the front and steal my thunder. Let me shield you from the storm and the beasts this once, and let the world see my courage, resourcefulness, and responsibility.”

“Thank you, An Xi. Let me… think about it.”

Heaven did not give An Jing time to think. The next day, the headlines of the newspaper shocked all of Shanghai.

Two major news stories: one was that the Young Master of the An Corporation, An Xi, generously proposed to Second Miss Wei with 100,000 yuan. The other was: An Corporation’s head, An Jing, passionately kissed Second Miss Wei Yinxia late at night—”One woman serving two men.”

The entire page was accompanied by two photos: An Xi and Wei Yinxia at the engagement banquet, and An Jing and Wei Yinxia passionately kissing outside the nightclub.

As soon as the news broke, a flood of condemnation was directed at Wei Yinxia and An Jing.

Wei Yinxia was accused of being promiscuous and shameless. An Jing was called perverted and improper. An Xi was criticized for being fickle and stealing a lover. Meanwhile, Kahn, whose factory was burned and lover stolen, was portrayed as the “victim” in the street gossip.

“Young Master, this… there are many reporters staking out outside. I’m afraid we can’t hide it anymore.” Lu Cheng held the day’s newspaper in his hand.

As if he had a premonition, An Xi had warned Old Li and the others last night, telling them to strictly monitor the gate today, hand any newly delivered newspapers to him immediately, and deny access to all new visitors.

“Bring yesterday’s newspaper too.”

Afterward, An Xi took yesterday’s and today’s newspapers upstairs.

An Jing’s bedroom window faced the backyard. She had already gotten up, pulled back the curtains, and opened the window, breathing in the fresh morning air.

After a night of tossing and turning, weighing the pros and cons, she decided to live for herself this once and take Yinyin away from Shanghai.

But before leaving, she would sever ties with the An family, leave with nothing, and no longer bear the An surname. She couldn’t let An’s parents and An Xi be shamed because of her.

As for revitalizing the An Corporation and punishing the wicked, she believed An Xi could do it.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Sister, are you up?”

“Come in.” An Jing walked toward the door in a good mood. “Young Master Xi is so determined, up so early. Did you come to call me for breakfast?”

Although he really didn’t want to ruin An Jing’s mood, the outside world was about to change drastically, and he couldn’t hide it any longer.

He wanted to persuade An Jing to take Wei Yinxia and leave as soon as possible, so that after they were gone, he could focus his efforts on dealing with Kahn and Wei Zhengqing without distraction. Little did he know that the opposition had already set a trap.

The leak of his and Wei Yinxia’s engagement photo was not surprising, but An Jing and Wei Yinxia being photographed kissing outside the nightclub, and the photo being released only today, strongly suggested that this was not an “accident” but a “conspiracy.”

“Here are yesterday’s and today’s newspapers. Take a look.”

An Jing’s reaction after reading the news in the newspaper was much calmer than An Xi had imagined.

“The fire at the Yinghua factory, was that Xu Weiqiang’s doing?”

“Yes.”

“Were you involved?”

“I… I didn’t participate, nor was I aware.” His energy was entirely focused on how to dismantle the underground gambling dens in the old town, coordinating with Bai Yang.

An Jing realized she had been deceived by An Xi and Xu Weiqiang’s group. They acted with good intentions, but what about Yinyin?

What role did Yinyin play in the trap set by Wei Zhengqing and Kahn? Was she a poor wretch forced to be a pawn? Or a completely unknowing victim?

It must be the latter. Yinyin was innocent.

An Jing threw the newspaper down, brushed past Lu Cheng, bravely faced the “storm” of reporters, drove them away, and stepped on the accelerator to the maximum, heading immediately to the Wei house.

She was going to rescue her beloved from the vortex. She had to protect her. She couldn’t break her promise again.

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