Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 43.1

Chapter 43.1

Causing trouble in the concession and being arrested would lead to jail time. If the circumstances were severe, one could be imprisoned for several years.

The police surrounded the three of them with guns. Wei Yinxia also realized the seriousness of the situation. She earnestly pleaded with Kahn, promising him that she would not return to the An house with An Xi. Only then did he claim that his bodyguards and they were merely sparring, and that it was a misunderstanding, thus letting them go.

Times were different now. For him, tormenting his opponents brought him more pleasure than killing them.

An Jing’s eyes were bloodshot, and Wei Yinxia’s eyes were full of tears. They were separated by only a few steps, yet it felt like a world away.

She had come to protect Yinyin, but in the end, it was Yinyin who set aside her dignity and swallowed her pride to protect them. She was a complete failure, lacking the courage to even draw her gun at that moment.

If she drew the gun, she, An Xi, and Lu Cheng would all be trapped.

An Xi nodded to Wei Yinxia. He and Lu Cheng helped An Jing, who was the most heavily injured, toward the car. Before they reached it, An Jing passed out.

The foreigners’ fists could only knock down An Jing’s body. What truly brought her down was her own powerlessness.

“Brother Cheng, take my sister directly to Sister Yunqing’s manor. I’ll go to the hospital to pick up Doctor Fu.”

An Jing was seriously injured, both physically and mentally. Going to the hospital would definitely lead to gossip, and An Jing naturally hated hospitals and wouldn’t stay there.

He had pressing matters to attend to and couldn’t let An Jing discover his abnormal behavior at home either.

The most suitable place for recuperation was the manor.

During the few days An Jing was “unconscious,” An Xi, after days of networking, successfully lured the gambling-addicted younger brother-in-law of the Director of the Chinese Concession Police Bureau into racking up a massive gambling debt.

To set up the trap, An Xi even lost tens of thousands of dollars.

The Director’s wife was overly supportive of her brother, having relied on her husband’s family to resolve numerous troubles for her side of the family, especially for her useless brother. This time, her brother was beaten, detained by the gambling den, and held for a high ransom. She had no choice but to beg her husband for help.

He couldn’t ignore his brother-in-law’s situation.

The Director reluctantly abused his authority and ordered his subordinates to lead a team to raid and seal off the underground gambling dens in the old town, under the guise of maintaining public order and cracking down on illegal gambling, confiscating all seized gambling funds for the public.

Rescuing his brother-in-law subtly became an incidental matter.

Simultaneously, An Xi had someone send a note to Kahn—Mr. Kahn is so good at calculating. Why don’t you guess how many of the five gambling dens in the old town will be operating as usual tomorrow?

The spinning mill was already burned down. The gambling dens were his foundation in Shanghai, and he couldn’t afford another incident.

Better safe than sorry.

After making a “distress call” to the Municipal Council, Kahn rushed to the main den on Jinbao Road, which was also the den where the Director’s brother-in-law was being held, bringing six bodyguards with him.

The moment Kahn arrived, the Lu Gang brothers, who had already blended into the crowd, began smashing the place, and the Police Bureau’s team also arrived shortly after.

Jinbao Road was the territory of a gang boss. He had countless lives on his hands. If he were imprisoned, the accumulated charges would mean endless darkness.

The police station usually didn’t treat him as the number one target. Being arrested here was too costly.

So, he kicked out a few subordinates, instructing them to “confess” and stall the police, pushing all the blame onto Kahn. He then quickly slipped away through a secret door with some money.

Kahn, relying on his foreign identity, claimed that the Municipal Council would arrive soon and that they shouldn’t damage relations.

But he waited and waited for an hour in vain, with no sign of the Municipal Council. In the end, he was caught red-handed and taken away by the Chinese Concession Police Bureau on the spot.

On the way back to the police station, Chen Dong, who had “caught wind” of the situation, ordered his men to open fire, creating chaos. They shot and killed two bodyguards and also hit one of Kahn’s legs. The police car sirens grew louder in the distance, forcing Chen Dong to retreat with his men.

After Kahn’s arrest, at dawn, Bai Yang gathered a group of reporters and went to the Police Bureau, presenting the witness from the Fuhe Hotel explosion five years ago, as well as Manager He’s suicide letter.

Within half a day, hundreds of people gathered outside the police station, holding banners and protesting, demanding Kahn to pay for his crimes with his life.

Some of them were family members of the victims of the explosion, some were workers from An Corporation’s Cotton Mill No. 2, and others were ordinary citizens and university students with a sense of justice.

The Director immediately regretted his decision. Kahn was a hot potato, backed by the Municipal Council. How dare he actually order his execution?

When his subordinates returned and reported that a foreigner named Kahn was injured and sent to the hospital, he was already alarmed and began racking his brains on how to negotiate with the Municipal Council, smoothly resolve the “misunderstanding,” and avoid causing trouble for himself.

Now, he was sitting at home, and trouble came knocking.

The pressure from public opinion was no less than the pressure from the Municipal Council. Furthermore, an upright police captain had promised the reporters and families that the police would spare no effort to seek justice for the deceased. How could he, the Director, go back on his word?

Finding no other option, he reported the matter to the municipal government, requesting the higher-ups to decide, with him merely executing the decision.

Kahn lay in a hospital in the old town for two days. Four police officers and four bodyguards took turns watching him daily, preventing reporters from entering and making sensational reports that could affect diplomatic relations.

As a foreigner, the Municipal Council’s intervention was inevitable, so Kahn wasn’t thinking about “escaping.” He wondered why no one came to his aid after he made the call that night. Who in the Municipal Council wanted him dead?

After two rounds of negotiations, Kahn was transferred to the prison in the concession’s police station.

To the outside world, he was imprisoned and awaiting trial. But in reality, he had food, drink, and a doctor specifically attending to his gunshot wound.

He was quite comfortable.

The residents of the old town once again marched in protest, demanding that the Chinese leaders step forward to ensure justice, that the Director uphold justice, and that the heinous Kahn be executed by firing squad to safeguard China’s judicial sovereignty.

But the person was already in the hands of the Municipal Council. The “mentally unstable” witness also retracted his testimony and was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. The Director expressed his helplessness.

Seeing Kahn being protected and bailed out of prison, Chen Kang, utterly disappointed with the Chinese Concession Police Bureau, took up the weapon of justice.

He shot Kahn but was also hit by several bullets, sacrificing his own precious life.

Kahn was rescued.

The Municipal Council protected him only to assert its authority. They wanted to show the Chinese people that the Municipal Council was an unshakable entity in Shanghai.

The news caused an uproar both inside and outside the concession.

The person who deserved to die was alive, and the person who shouldn’t have died had died. Not only were An Xi and Bai Yang disappointed with the Police Bureau, but the entire public of Shanghai was equally disappointed.

After An Jing was sent to the manor, she was in a semiconscious state for the following days due to the double blow to her body and mind. Even when she was awake, her diet was “infiltrated” with sedatives and sleeping medication.

Wanyun and Zhang Ma were brought to take care of her daily life and meals. The attending physician was Fu Wenjing, and those sedatives and sleeping medications were, naturally, brought by Fu Wenjing at An Xi’s earnest request.

He simply wanted An Jing to have genuine rest.

Fu Wenjing had read about the Wei and An family matters in the newspapers. Considering An Jing’s health, she once again agreed to An Xi’s difficult request.

Because this was also Tang Yunqing’s intention.

Another night, Fu Wenjing examined An Jing’s injuries: “With proper care and sufficient rest these past few days, Boss Jing is out of danger. Starting tomorrow, you can gradually increase your intake of meat and protein to replenish your strength. If the weather is good, go outside for a walk. Sun exposure will also gradually improve your mental state.”

“But I still feel weak in my limbs, unable to exert any force. My mind is also always hazy, and my internal organs feel empty, with no sensation.” An Jing, half-sitting up in bed, described her physical feelings to Fu Wenjing.

“That’s because your body is overly exhausted and needs to reboot. Didn’t I just say, eat more meat and go out for walks? You’ll get better.”

“Doctor Fu, is this… is this really not some kind of cancer? Doctors are compassionate. You wouldn’t be hiding something from me along with them, would you?”

“No.”

“Swear it.”

“…” Fu Wenjing was dumbfounded. Had Boss Jing slept too much and become silly? The medication was real, and the dosage was fine.

“You won’t dare?”

“I can swear today.”

Wanyun also comforted her: “Miss, you have a strong constitution. Don’t say such inauspicious things. Tomorrow, let Zhang Ma cook you meat. Once you’ve eaten, we’ll go out to the courtyard for some sun. The maple leaves at the manor have turned red, and they look beautiful. Miss Tang also said that as soon as you can move freely out of the room, she will bring little Miss, her ray of sunshine, to keep you company.”

An Jing “mhm-ed,” showing neither happiness nor unhappiness: “Are An Xi and Lu Cheng here?”

“Lu Cheng is here, downstairs. He will take Doctor Fu back later. Young Master Xi… should arrive later. He has been coming to visit you every day while you’ve been recovering, but his timing is unpredictable.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Fu.” An Jing thanked her. “Wanyun, ask Lu Cheng to take Doctor Fu home. Don’t let it get too late. Also, I’d like to have noodles. Ask Zhang Ma to make me a bowl of tomato and egg noodles.”

“Yes, Miss.”

When only she was left in the room, she threw off the covers and massaged her legs. She put on her bathrobe and got out of bed.

This room was not the one she had stayed in with Wei Yinxia last time, but the one closer to Tang Yunqing’s room, where she had stayed alone.

It was larger than the room Wei Yinxia had stayed in, and the furnishings were mostly similar to those in her room at the An house.

Tang Yunqing always said that the manor was her and Xiaoyu’s home, and also her godmother’s home.

When the two of them were old, they would come here to retire together. At that time, they wouldn’t need men. The old sisters would only need peace and leisure, at most allowing Xiaoyu to bring the children to play, calling them “Grandma” and “God-Grandma.”

She had longed for the retirement life Tang Yunqing described. However, she didn’t know Wei Yinxia yet back then, nor did she know that such a beloved girl would appear in her life.

She wanted to grow old with the girl she loved, staying together until the end of their lives. So much so that she almost forgot that she had also promised Tang Yunqing and Xiaoyu that she would be with them when they were old.

“Miss, the noodles are here.” Wanyun entered the room, carrying the steaming noodles.

“Let’s go to the balcony. I want to sit on the balcony.” The largest outdoor balcony on the second floor was also Tang Yunqing’s favorite spot.

Wanyun arranged the tableware and, as An Jing sat down, thoughtfully draped a cloak over her: “Miss, your hair has grown longer. Would you like me to tie it up for you?”

The current length was just past her shoulders, the exact length where the ends could easily fall into the bowl while eating.

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