Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: End of Main Story

The matter was settled. An Jing did not stay to watch how Jin Baolu died, nor did she specifically instruct Bai Yang to spare An Yi’s life. Xu Weiqiang would handle things with more prudence than she would.

That night, she didn’t go to see Wei Yinxia. Instead, she went to Sincere Garden to drink and drown her sorrows. It had been a long time since she had been drunk; she dared not, and could not, afford to be.

Unexpectedly, Tang Yunqing was also at Sincere Garden that night, drinking away her worries.

When An Jing arrived, Tang Yunqing was already drinking in a private room. Lixia saw her and told her that Miss Tang was in a bad mood.

An Jing asked Lixia to bring more alcohol and entered the exclusive private room that Tang Yunqing had reserved for them.

“Drinking alone is boring. Let me keep you company, Boss Tang.”

These were the words Tang Yunqing had used to approach her when they first met at a banquet.

An Jing noticed that Tang Yunqing had a scarf wrapped around her wrist. She remembered that scarf; it was the one she was wearing on the day they first met.

She grabbed Tang Yunqing’s arm: “Are you hurt?”

Tang Yunqing impatiently pulled her hand away: “What kind of injury could my wrist have? Do you think I’m the type of person to commit suicide by slitting my wrists?”

It was so dark in the private room that An Jing could barely see Tang Yunqing’s face. Only the dimmest light was on, shining directly on the small area where the scarf was wrapped around her wrist.

“Are you blaming me?” Tang Yunqing’s anger prompted the question.

“Blaming you for what?”

“Blaming me for… interfering in your and Fu Wenjing’s affairs.”

Tang Yunqing let out a laugh, shook her index finger, and drank a cup of wine: “I don’t blame you. I should thank you. Being a solitary person is my fate.”

“Fate? What is fate?”

An Jing suddenly gripped her wrist forcefully and said sharply, “Tang Yunqing, it’s not fate that’s trapped you, it’s your cowardice! You are used to being proud and noble, refusing to admit that you, like me, succumbed to an inappropriate love that defies convention. But you can tolerate a scumbag like Yang Qiyuan, so why can’t you tolerate a woman moving into your heart?”

“Let go.” Tang Yunqing shook An Jing off. “Yes, you’re not a coward, but what did you gain? What did your reckless abandon earn you?!”

An Jing was left speechless by the retort.

As a failure myself, what right do I have to point fingers?

The real-world issues facing Tang Yunqing and Fu Wenjing were only more numerous, not fewer, than those she faced back then.

And neither of them was foolish.

“I’m sorry, Yunqing. I didn’t mean to scold you. I just… don’t want you to be so melancholic. Seeing you like this now makes me very sad. We are clearly not bad people, so why hasn’t a single one of us found happiness? Even… even dying young, meeting an unfortunate end.”

Tang Yunqing poured herself more wine, smiling bitterly: “Yes, I also want to know why. Why aren’t we deserving of happiness? Perhaps we were monstrously wicked in our past lives and accumulated too much bad karma.”

“Karma… retribution?” An Jing muttered to herself, distracted, picking up a bottle of wine and drinking directly from it.

If fate truly existed, if there truly was karmic retribution, then following this trajectory, who would be the next person close to her to meet an unfortunate end?

Those close to her now were only Yinyin, Tang Yunqing, and Xu Weiqiang.

No.

She couldn’t imagine any of them leaving before her. They were all people whose lives were more important than her own.

Lixia personally brought the alcohol in: “Sister Jing, Sister Yunqing, the Tang family just called. They said Xiao Ning suddenly has a high, persistent fever and has been rushed to the hospital.”

Both stood up simultaneously, but Tang Yunqing stopped An Jing: “Don’t you go.”

“Okay.”

It was publicly known that Jingqiang had seized that lucrative piece of land from Yang Qiyuan. The two elders of the Tang family were probably even more displeased with her.

Seeing her would only add fuel to the fire.

“An Jing, I don’t blame you. I truly don’t. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

“I know.”

Tang Yunqing walked out of the private room, then told Lixia: “Keep an eye on her. If she drinks too much, send someone to take her home in time. You’ll have to bear with the workload while Hongying is away.”

Lixia nodded: “Don’t worry, Sister Yunqing.”

An Jing drank alone until the early morning. When she was completely drunk, Bai Yang finally found her.

“Sister Jing, I’ll take you back.” He signaled Lixia for help, and the two of them helped An Jing up from the sofa, one on each side.

They hadn’t even left the dance hall when someone ran in with a look of panic: “Brother Bai Yang, something terrible has happened!”

“What is it?”

The person looked at the unconscious An Jing and stammered: “Miss Tang’s little girl, Miss Xiaoyu, Sister Jing’s goddaughter, has been hijacked by that bastard An Yi.”

“Be specific!” Both Bai Yang and Lixia were shocked.

“Following your orders, we dumped An Yi at the hospital and left him to his own fate, whether the doctor saved him or not. Who would have thought that the Tang family also went to the hospital tonight because of the young master’s illness? Somehow, the young lady was separated and was spotted and taken hostage by An Yi, who was barely clinging to life. He went straight to the rooftop, yelling that Sister Jing must exchange her life for Xiaoyu’s, or he would… throw the young lady off the building.”

“Sister Xia! Thankfully you haven’t left!” A manager from the dance hall also rushed over anxiously. “Boss Tang called, looking for you, both you and Boss An.”

“D*mn it! We shouldn’t have been soft-hearted and spared his life!” Bai Yang cursed out loud.

“Bai Yang,” An Jing, who was just moments ago dead drunk, raised her hand, grabbed Bai Yang’s arm, and stood up with his support: “It’s not your fault. It’s… my fault, my fault. I’ll clean up the mess.”

“Sister Jing…”

“Bai Yang, Xiaoyu is my daughter.”

What should have been a quiet night was shattered by the noise of the crowds. What should have been a floor stained red was washed clean by a heavy rain.

Earth-shattering news broke out both inside and outside the city, but only one headline made it to the newspapers in the morning: “Sea Gang Bully Arrested and Executed.”

For the public, who had long suffered under the oppression of the Sea Gang, this was undoubtedly joyous news that called for applause.

Within half a day of the newspaper’s release, several banners praising their virtues, spontaneously sent by the public, were hung at the entrance of the General Police Bureau.

The credit belonged to the General Police Bureau. They had gambled correctly.

After living quietly in the secluded residence for over ten days, Wei Yinxia’s heart began to sink. The one who came to pick her up was not An Jing, but Aunt Hong and Lixia.

“Hongying, Sister Jing and Boss Qiang have returned to Beijing. Sister Jing asked Aunt Hong and me to bring you back to Jingyin Residence. She said all the miscellaneous matters have been settled. Starting today, you can come and go freely, and you can also return to Sincere Garden as usual.”

“Lixia, she said she would personally come and get me. She wouldn’t break her word.” Not seeing An Jing, Wei Yinxia refused to leave.

“Sister Jing… she didn’t break her word.”

“We’re like sisters, Lixia. Tell me the truth. Where did A-Jing go?”

“Alright, I knew I couldn’t keep it from you.” Lixia pretended to joke, then adopted a serious expression.

“Sister Jing was injured, and it aggravated her old back injury. The injury is quite serious, but her life is not in danger. The medical technology in Beijing is the most advanced, and they also have her case files for the back injury. To ensure Sister Jing receives the best treatment and recovers quickly, Boss Qiang accompanied her back to Beijing first. Sister Jing was afraid you would worry, which is why she didn’t dare see you. If you don’t believe me, ask Aunt Hong.”

Wei Yinxia looked at Aunt Hong, who also nodded.

How serious was “quite serious”? What did “no danger to her life” mean? How could she not worry?

But even more, she felt uneasy.

She held Lixia’s hand, pleading tearfully: “When did they leave? You must know their address in Beijing, or the address of the hospital, right? Lixia, can we go to Beijing to find them? A-Jing is injured. I can take care of her. I need to take care of her…”

“Hongying, calm down.”

Lixia handed a note to Wei Yinxia. There were only four words on the slip of paper—Be obedient, wait for me.

Wei Yinxia read it repeatedly, carefully recognizing the character “I” (我) on the note, which was the same as the one on the note she received in the basement not long ago—it was A-Jing’s handwriting.

But she still cried, hugging Lixia: “I want to go find her. Only when I see her and confirm she’s really alright can I be obedient. Lixia, you must also miss Boss Qiang terribly. Go with me, please, go with me, okay?”

Tears also welled up in Lixia’s eyes. She suppressed her sorrow and comforted her: “Don’t worry. Sister Jing said that once she can move freely, she will be back soon. Hongying, haven’t we waited before in the past few years? Look, I’m waiting with you too. For Sister Jing to rest assured while recovering, what does it matter if we wait one more time?”

No matter how much Wei Yinxia pleaded, Lixia insisted she didn’t know An Jing’s whereabouts.

She first went to the new residence where An Jing and Boss Qiang had lived. A-Jing’s room was exactly the same as when she left. The pillows and quilts were the ones they had shared.

She flipped through the newspapers from the past half-month. There was no news related to An Jing.

After staying one night in An Jing’s room, she returned to the basement, bringing the most important items and all the bed sheets, quilts, and pillows she had slept on with A-Jing to Jingyin Residence. She placed the note under the glass, along with the photo.

Jingyin Residence, a quadrangle courtyard, which she had bought for twenty thousand dollars.

The money was her share earned from diligently managing Sincere Garden over the past two years.

Although it was still less than a hundred thousand, she was trying hard to pay back the An family.

She used a portion to buy Jingyin Residence. The rest, after An Jing returned, she donated to the education department to build a school named—Xiwang (Hope, X from An Xi).

A-Jing, you haven’t seen or lived in Jingyin Residence yet. Xiwang hasn’t started construction yet either.

A-Jing, you must come back.

I will be obedient.

I’ll wait no matter how long it takes, wait for you to come and get me.

Shanghai was once again without An Jing. Wei Yinxia’s life returned to the three-point line it was before her reunion with An Jing: the basement, Sincere Garden, Jingyin Residence.

Fu Wenjing, who went to Beiping, was also completely out of contact. She had promised to write and confirm her safety, but Wei Yinxia had not received any letters from her, nor did she know where she lived, how she was doing, or if she had met A-Jing.

During this time, Tang Yunqing never visited Sincere Garden again. Wei Yinxia’s calls to check on her and requests to visit were all refused.

Although the news of the murder in the hospital was suppressed by the combined efforts of Xu Weiqiang and the police department, there were so many people present at the scene. Even if they were all threatened and bribed with “hush money,” given enough time, the secret was bound to leak.

Thus, just over a month later, Wei Yinxia heard the “story” about An Jing being threatened by her cousin An Yi to exchange her life for her goddaughter’s from a drunk patron at Sincere Garden.

She lost control and grabbed the man, asking him in distress: “And then? What happened next?”

The man said: “Thud! Someone fell to their death.”

The rooftop was sealed off at the time, and not many people witnessed the bloody scene firsthand. The area downstairs was also cleared. The person who fell was covered with a cloth by the police immediately, and the onlookers from afar didn’t have time to see clearly who it was.

So, the only thing those people could spread was a vague outline of the story.

Wei Yinxia found Lixia, who was entertaining guests, and asked her directly in front of everyone: “Who was the person who died that day?”

Lixia froze for a moment, pulled her into a private room, and told her: “The person who died was An Yi. Xiao Yu is safe, and Sister Jing was only injured, which is why she went to Beijing for treatment.”

Wei Yinxia didn’t believe it.

She immediately rushed to Tang Yunqing’s place, having someone drive her there.

Qing Yan spoke through the gate: “Madam is not seeing guests. Miss Hongying, please leave.”

Wei Yinxia refused to give up, crying out at the gate: “I beg you, Sister Yunqing! Please, please tell me where she is, okay?”

Tang Yunqing finally saw her only when Wei Yinxia’s voice was hoarse from crying and her hands were raw from knocking on the iron gate.

“She hasn’t contacted you for the past month, has she? Her not seeing you means she still can’t forgive you. As her close friend, I can’t help someone she hasn’t forgiven. Women are nothing more than a pastime for her, dispensable. It could be you, or it could be other women. You probably don’t know that she has… more than one female confidante in Beijing. With her current status and wealth, what kind of woman can’t she have? There are plenty of pure, well-bred young ladies for her to choose from. Do you think you, a woman of the demi-monde, have any right to compare yourself with them? Yinyin, you are not worthy of her. Stop clinging to the past. Whether you are Wei Yinxia or Hongying, both identities will only bring her shame.”

Wei Yinxia’s face was terrifyingly pale. She stubbornly asked: “I… I just want to know if she’s… doing well?”

“Hongying!” Tang Yunqing suddenly raised her voice and used a different address, scolding her: “In the past few years, didn’t you manage just fine without her? I thought that after everything I gave you and everything I did to help you, you had finally pulled through. You are not anyone’s accessory. You are not someone who cannot live without anyone!”

“Sister Yunqing, one last time,” Wei Yinxia fell to the ground, grabbing Tang Yunqing’s pant leg in a pleading posture, “I beg you, help me one last time. As long as she’s alright, she can love whoever she wants. I won’t bother her again, and I won’t cling to her…”

“There hasn’t been a ‘last time’ since I handed you An Xi’s letter.” Tang Yunqing finished speaking and turned, pulling her foot away. “Qing Yan, escort the guest out!”

Time flew by quickly. Wei Yinxia cut her hair short. She wanted to know what it felt like for a girl to have short hair, and she wanted to know how she could style her A-Jing’s short hair in the future.

The weather grew colder and colder, transitioning from autumn to winter.

Two seasons felt so long, as if two years had passed, yet two seasons felt so short, too short for her to have had her fill of A-Jing’s face.

The pear trees in the courtyard were dormant for winter.

The winter sweet blossoms in the courtyard bloomed.

On the day the An estate was completed, Wei Yinxia also went. From a distance, she saw Boss Qiang presiding over the grand occasion.

She wanted to rush in and ask Boss Qiang why A-Jing hadn’t returned with him, but she was stopped by bodyguards on the perimeter.

Xu Weiqiang saw her.

Just a glance, and he didn’t stop. He got into the car and left.

Wei Yinxia chased the car for a while, but it didn’t stop. She then turned back, hoping to ask the people guarding the main gate, but they knew nothing. Their only task was to prevent anyone from entering the mansion.

When she rushed to the house where Boss Qiang and Lixia had lived, the place was empty.

Returning to Jingyin Residence, Aunt Hong handed her a letter.

It was from Lixia:

Hongying, don’t wait anymore. As cruel as it is, I must tell you the truth: she has a new life, and you should have one too. Take care.

Tragedy repeated itself.

A-Jing didn’t want her anymore.

This time, she didn’t cry. She calmly burned Lixia’s letter, changed into A-Jing’s clothes, took off the jade Guanyin from her neck, covered it with her hand over her heart, and lay down on the bed fully clothed.

A-Jing, I’ve been waiting obediently for you for so long. How much longer until you come back?

If you don’t come back soon, I’m really, really going to go to Beijing to find you.

The road north was long. Her A-Jing couldn’t bear to see her suffer. Finally, on a warm, sunny day in winter, she came back.

A-Jing reached out to her: “Yinyin, I’ve come to get you.”

She lightly lifted her feet, held her breath, and walked toward A-Jing step by step. Each step felt like walking on bubbles, as if in a dream, so afraid of waking up.

Her hand and A-Jing’s hand grasped tightly.

“Karma and reincarnation. You and I are destined to be together.”

“Will you still leave me?”

“Wherever you are, that is where my heart belongs.”

“You are in my heart. My heart is your dwelling place, lifetime after lifetime.”

A-Jing, you are my great hero, and also the one in my heart.

As the morning light emerged, it snowed in Shanghai.

Wei Yinxia rubbed her eyes, lifted her head from An Jing’s embrace, and stealthily kissed her eyebrows, her nose, and the corner of her lips.

“Yinyin, stop fooling around.”

An Jing was still very sleepy. She nudged her messy, sleep-tousled head against Wei Yinxia’s chest: “Let me sleep a little longer.”

Wei Yinxia indulged her, coaxing: “Alright, alright. You sleep a little longer. I’ll make breakfast. Should I cook some noodles?”

Hearing “noodles,” An Jing consciously released her: “That sounds good. I want… you to feed me.”

Wei Yinxia went to the courtyard and saw snow falling all around, already forming a thin layer on the roof and the ground.

She stood in the snow, shedding tears of happiness, realizing her long-cherished wish had finally come true.

After many years, she had waited for Shanghai’s first snowfall, and she had also waited for A-Jing’s birthday. She brought the finished tomato and egg noodles to A-Jing: “My great hero, Happy Birthday!”

This time, the two of them finished the entire bowl of noodles, one feeding the other, turning everything sour and savory into sweetness.

After breakfast, An Jing conjured a red wedding invitation from under her pillow: “Guess who this is?”

“Who could it be?” Wei Yinxia blinked her bright eyes, playing along: “Is it… Young Master Qin’s wedding invitation? Or… has Bai Yang finally smartened up and found a wife? Oh, could it be that Sister Yunqing secretly went to Beijing and eloped with Doctor Fu?”

“You!” An Jing flicked her nose: “Who taught you that? You’re getting naughtier and naughtier.”

“No one taught me. It was all A-Jing… teaching me in bed.”

An Jing gently tapped her forehead, opened the invitation, and said seriously: “Lixia and Boss Qiang have found their perfect ending. They’re holding a grand banquet next month, inviting us to Beijing, and asking me to be the main officiant. Alas, my little siren finally won’t have to be jealous of Boss Qiang anymore. If he and Lixia didn’t get married soon, my happy life would have been greatly compromised.”

Wei Yinxia straddled her lap, full of charm, smiling as she bit her ear: “Is A-Jing blaming me for being petty? Blaming me for being inconsiderate?”

An Jing recoiled slightly: “No, nothing of the sort. My Yinyin is the most generous.”

Wei Yinxia pouted, leaning lazily on her shoulder: “A-Jing, I want to be your wife. Don’t you want to marry me anymore?”

“How could I not want to?” An Jing turned her face, kissed her lips, and looked deeply into her eyes: “Have you forgotten that we have a marriage certificate? Yinyin, you have always been my wife. Let’s hold a grand wedding and announce it to the whole world, okay?”

“Mm, okay.”

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