Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Good intentions were rejected, and An Jing immediately turned and left. The sound of that door violently hitting the wall jolted the disingenuous Wei Yinxia awake.

Through the abandoned handkerchief, she seemed to see her own inevitable fate of being abandoned.

For years, she had endured insults and humiliation, living in a cage controlled by others, following instructions, doing and saying things against her will. She was used to swallowing her suffering and never showing weakness.

How she longed for someone to reach out and genuinely shelter her!

But why, when that person appeared, did she involuntarily reject her kindness? Was it due to a cursed sense of self-respect, or was it the extreme opposite reaction of shame?

Perhaps the wooden staircase was old and deteriorating, or perhaps the person walking down stepped too heavily, but it groaned with chaotic creaks. This only amplified the restlessness in the heart of the person descending, leaving a suppressed rage to violently clash in her chest with nowhere to be released.

An Jing stopped halfway down the stairs when she heard “Boss Jing” from behind.

She froze.

But before she could hear the rest of the sentence, she heard Xuer cry out, “Second Miss.”

Wei Yinxia had chased after her, using nearly all her strength. If Xuer hadn’t been right behind her to catch her in time, she would have fallen down the stairs.

Seeing this, Sixth Master Ma moved to help, only to be kicked away by An Jing, who ran up the stairs three steps at a time.

Qin Zhe stepped forward and held onto Sixth Master Ma, warning him: “Sixth Master Ma, can’t you see? As a fellow woman, Boss Jing has a certain regard for the Second Miss Wei. Trying to take her by force now is not a wise move. I advise you to endure this.”

“Endure? Bah!”

Sixth Master Ma clutched his side and spat on the floor. To be humiliated repeatedly by a woman, with so many witnesses, was a total disgrace.

“An Jing will not tolerate Wei Zhengqing’s daughter marrying into the An family. Even if she personally feels some sympathy for this Second Miss Wei, she can only control the situation temporarily, not forever.”

As Qin Zhe spoke, he picked up Sixth Master Ma’s hat from the floor and handed it to him.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Young Master Qin understands her mind so well, yet after nearly two years, you still haven’t managed to win her over? Since your picture was published during the ribbon-cutting back in March, so many people in Shanghai have been waiting to drink your wedding wine. Don’t disappoint the public. If you ask me, you should grow a bigger pair, and just give the new department store to her as a betrothal gift. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? If that doesn’t move her, then she’s not a person, and not a wolf, but a heart of iron and stone that can’t be warmed. Just call it quits.”

After having his say, Sixth Master Ma dusted off his clothes, put on his hat, and walked downstairs completely disheartened: “Keep up the hard work, Young Master Qin. Strive to have a glorious wedding within your lifetime. I’ll definitely send a generous gift when you do.”

What he said was not fabricated nonsense. An Jing had invested personal capital in the low-cost department store Qin Zhe had established in the old district during the first half of the year.

From the initial concept to the final opening, Qin Zhe was personally involved in every step of this department store.

At the opening ceremony, An Jing appeared as an investor and participated in the ribbon-cutting, appearing alongside Qin Zhe on the front page of the next day’s newspaper.

The mall had only been open for five months but had already siphoned off thirty percent of Zhengqing Department Store’s customer traffic, with very impressive revenues.

Wei Yinxia, whose consciousness was fading, vaguely overheard some of the conversation between Sixth Master Ma and Qin Zhe.

“Boss Jing, please help my Second Miss. She, she…” The timid Xuer hesitated, afraid to say more, and simply stepped back.

An Jing put one arm around Wei Yinxia’s waist and used the other hand to check her forehead. It was extremely hot, and her body was burning. She was clearly running a high fever.

Wei Yinxia clung to An Jing’s clothes. The familiar scent calmed her, and she finally lost consciousness.

“She’s certainly stubborn, sick like this and still can’t resist coming out to show off and lure men.” The person whose words belied her actions cursed while picking up the weak Wei Yinxia. “Xuer, follow me.”

An Jing had driven herself.

She placed Wei Yinxia in the back seat, told Xuer to sit in the back as well, instructed her to “be gentle,” and drove straight to the Municipal Hospital.

Wei Yinxia was wearing a smoky-blue cheongsam with a high collar, covering most of her pale neck. The wide-sleeved style also covered most of her fair arms.

Outside the hospital entrance, An Jing had just lifted Wei Yinxia out when the girl woke up: “Boss Jing, where are we?”

“The hospital. You have a fever.”

“The hospital…” Wei Yinxia suddenly became agitated, her tone sharp: “I’m not going to the hospital. If Boss Jing is so keen on meddling, please send me home. Father will send for a private doctor to treat me.”

An Jing sneered: “Since I’m meddling, why did Miss Wei chase after me?”

Half of her sneer was self-mockery.

She mocked herself for misjudging the situation at the birthday banquet, being deceived by Wei Yinxia’s soft, delicate appearance, and mistaking a thorny rose for a weak willow swaying in the wind. Now, she was repeatedly pricked by those sharp thorns, and it was entirely her own fault for seeking trouble.

“I,” Wei Yinxia was speechless. Noticing the handkerchief still tightly clutched in her hand, she stated self-righteously, “I chased after you only to return the handkerchief to its owner.”

“I won’t take back something that’s been soiled.”

Just as they were about to walk into the hospital entrance, Wei Yinxia had no time to feel hurt by An Jing’s veiled insult and bit down on An Jing’s shoulder.

An Jing had taken off her vest before getting out of the car, so she was only wearing a white shirt. Her hair, which had come loose during the scuffle at the tea house, hung down on both sides, covering a small part of her face.

She finally stopped moving, her gaze dark and profound. Wei Yinxia felt a chill under her scrutiny.

“Boss Jing,” Wei Yinxia buried her face deeper, pleading pitifully, “Can I beg you, please? Please send me back…”

“Fine.”

At the Wei family’s residence, Wei Zhengqing invited An Jing in to sit down for a moment.

An Jing skipped the pleasantries and sternly asked Wei Yinxia: “Which room do you sleep in?”

“The one on the first floor near the stairs.”

An Jing carried her directly to the room. Wei Zhengqing’s voice followed from outside: “Xuer, call the doctor.”

Putting the girl on the bed, An Jing looked straight ahead and turned to leave. Her hand was grabbed: “I’m sorry. Biting you just now was an act of desperation. Does it still hurt? Please don’t be angry with me.”

An Jing pulled her hand away and left the room without looking back.

Wei Zhengqing: “I’ve troubled Boss Jing to bring my daughter home time and again, thank you. It’s still early. Would you care for a cup of tea before you go?”

“No, I have things to do.”

Old Master Wei’s tea was not easy to drink. She was not in the mood to spar with him today.

Walking past Wei Zhengqing, An Jing took a few steps, then turned back: “My brother is very concerned about the Second Miss’s health. He will certainly come to visit when he has the time.”

“What do you mean by that, Boss Jing?” Wei Zhengqing’s face suddenly changed. He strode into the main hall: “Don’t forget, you personally ended the engagement with my daughter, and you personally refused my offer of cooperation. What am I to make of such a statement now?”

“I also said that the matter of the engagement is settled. An Xi’s personal lifelong decision is separate from business entanglements. Next time, I will respect his choice.”

An Jing finished speaking and quickly walked out of the Wei residence.

In the evening, the weather changed suddenly. A fierce storm arrived in an instant. Raindrops the size of pearls slammed against the glass windows with a loud rattle, disturbing the peace.

Uncle Li and the others moved out like a fire drill, drawing all the curtains and windows throughout the house and turning on all the lights.

Everyone in the house knew the Miss hated rainy days the most.

Soothing, beautiful music played from the gramophone. An Jing sat on the sofa with her knees drawn up, tightly wrapped in a blanket.

She tried to concentrate entirely on the music, imagining a scene of a clear moon and gentle breeze, but some images kept flickering through her mind.

Wanyun brought her hot tea. An Jing asked: “Are An Xi and Lu Cheng not back yet?”

“Don’t worry, Miss. With Lu Cheng there, the Young Master won’t get drenched. Even if they’re on the road right now, they’re in the car, so the rain won’t get in.” Wanyun double-checked to make sure the bedroom windows were tightly shut.

The family originally had two cars. One was for An Jing’s daily use, and the other was used by Uncle Li to drive Mama Zhang and Wanyun out. The day after An Xi returned, An Jing bought a third.

It was a good thing they didn’t live in the crowded downtown area; the courtyard wouldn’t have been wide enough to fit all three cars.

“Mmm. Go on with your work. Tell An Xi to come see me when he gets back.”

“Yes.” Wanyun closed the door and left the room, just as she saw An Xi shaking off his clothes at the entrance. She called out, “Young Master, the Miss was just asking about you.”

“Coming, coming. Uncle Li, please tell Mama Zhang to make dinner early today. I’ve been running around all day and I’m starving. With the rain coming down like this, it’ll probably take a few more hours to stop. If we eat early, my sister can rest early.”

An Xi handed his clothes to Uncle Li and took a folder upstairs. As a child, he felt neither love nor dislike for rainy days, but now, he would never speak a good word about anything his sister disliked.

Knocking and entering the room, An Xi placed the folder on the coffee table: “Sis, Factory Manager He’s evaluation report is done. He asked me to give it to you.”

Under Lu Cheng’s supervision, he had visited the three cotton mills and the two dyeing factories, chatting with the workers and managers at each. The most enthusiastic towards him was Factory Manager He of Cotton Mill Two.

However, An Xi disliked this factory manager the most. Relying on his seniority at An’s and his prestige among the workers, he was arrogant, spoke bombastically, and repeatedly hinted about when An Xi would formally take over the family business—it was thoroughly annoying.

An Jing opened the folder, quickly skimmed the information, and spoke to An Xi, who was fiddling with the gramophone: “Come here and take a look, too.”

Having shed his formal suit, An Jing’s casual clothes at home made An Xi feel more at ease, and he obediently murmured, “Okay.”

“The three cotton mills combined have nearly a hundred old-style spinning machines. To eliminate the safety risks posed by this outdated equipment, let’s replace twenty new machines at each mill first. The latest spinning machines must be imported from abroad, which requires a considerable amount of capital. The old machines can be sold cheaply to smaller mills to recoup some of the funds. The timing should ideally be a seamless transition with the new machines arriving.”

“Sis, you’ve made up your mind. Just go with what you think is best.”

After the decision was made regarding the spinning machine update, An Jing reconsidered Qi Boss’s words about marketing and decided to entrust An Xi with the advertising cooperation.

She took a pen and wrote “Yinghua” on the folder: “I’ll handle the spinning machine procurement. You go take care of another matter. You studied abroad and have seen a lot. You must have learned something about marketing and advertising products while you were away, right? This company, Yinghua, is gaining momentum. They are our competitor. They’ve plastered posters all over the streets and alleys and even opened a Western-style clothing store. Tomorrow, contact Boss Qi. He’ll understand what I want to do. While you’re at it, ask if he has any resources, connections, or promotional channels in other provinces or cities. The cotton and dyed fabrics produced by An’s need a broader reach beyond Shanghai.”

“…” An Xi stared blankly at the two characters, then clapped his thigh and laughed: “When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a man… I understand. I’ll do my best.”

“An’s Cotton Mill already has a high profile in Shanghai and has gradually begun selling outside the province in recent years. However, sales growth within the province hasn’t been significant, and market share is difficult to increase. It’s time to make some breakthroughs. It would be ideal to open up wider sales channels across the country. Feel free to try any innovative methods you can think of. If you fail, I’ll back you up. If you succeed, it will also help you take over the company.”

“Sis!” An Xi protested, the heavy burden suddenly placed upon him. “You said you’d let me play for another year! How long has it been? You’re going back on your word.”

“Ahem.” An Jing coughed lightly, took a small sip of tea, and changed the subject: “Miss Qi knew the Second Miss Wei from before, right? The three of you aren’t far apart in age. It’s fine to be friends. You can go visit her at the Wei residence together.”

An Xi checked An Jing’s forehead with the back of his hand, then touched his own: “Your temperature is completely normal, and you don’t have a fever. Just a few times ago, you were…”

An Jing rebuked him: “Stop with the nonsense. Go back to your room and change clothes.”

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