The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Bai Yi's lips curled into a wicked smile, but he said nothing. He glanced coldly at Feng Jinlan's corpse again, then turned and strode out of the mourning hall. His clear voice came from outside the door, "An Mi, why aren't you back in your room to rest!"

An Mi was slightly taken aback. Feeling the various gazes directed at her, she lowered her brows and left the mourning hall with Shuang Yue.

Inside the mourning hall, An Yuefeng instructed his servants to handle everything and repeatedly ordered that what happened tonight should not be mentioned to outsiders. Yu Fangfei and An Xinlian walked out of the mourning hall, their expressions solemn.

"What's going on between that damned An Mi and the King of Bohai?" An Xinlian was still resentful because of what the King of Bohai had said earlier. Lately, everyone had been saying that the King of Bohai was very good to that Miss Yan and had less contact with An Mi. However, just now, the King of Bohai said that An Mi was someone he cared about!

"Don't you believe what Feng Jinlan said?" Yu Fangfei's voice rang out behind her.

An Xinlian was slightly taken aback. Since An Xinhe's incident, the mother and daughter were no longer as close as before. Sometimes, An Xinlian would see Yu Fangfei with a blank expression, and Yu Fangfei would not say anything to An Xinlian either. The two were like strangers.

An Xinlian knew that her mother must be blaming her for pushing her aside that day for the sake of her own reputation, so she decided not to make a fool of herself.

Yu Fangfei's initiative in speaking to An Xinlian surprised An Xinlian a little.

Thinking about her words, An Xinlian frowned. "Did she say that An Mi is Miss Yan? Humph, I said, how could that be? You can find out about Miss Yan's ways by asking around. Miss Yan might even be able to take over Rongji's position as the richest man soon. The richest man? The richest woman! Do you think An Mi has the ability to do that?"

"Heh! I don't know if it's possible or not, but I do know that the King of Bohai is probably sincere towards An Mi. Look at how nervous he was just now. I'm thinking, is our An family really going to produce a royal daughter-in-law?" Yu Fangfei's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of sarcasm.

An Xinlian's face darkened. Royal daughter-in-law?

“She was born to a concubine!” An Xinlian said in a deep voice.

“But the King of Bohai likes it!” Yu Fangfei raised an eyebrow, her smile growing wider. She glanced at An Xinlian, then ignored her and strode towards her own courtyard.

An Xinlian, however, was left with mixed feelings that lingered for a long time. The Prince of Bohai liked her? Yes, the Prince of Bohai liked her. So what if she was born out of wedlock? Even if she couldn't be the principal wife, she could easily get the title of a concubine.

She couldn't imagine that Anmi would become a concubine of the King of Bohai.

The jealousy in her heart grew wildly. Thinking of Qinglan, An Xinlian frowned even more. She didn't know where Qinglan had gone, but she could vaguely guess that Qinglan's identity was not simple. He should have returned to the capital!

Taking a deep breath, An Xinlian suppressed her thoughts and looked towards the tranquil courtyard, where she lingered for a long time.

Meanwhile, in the tranquil courtyard, Bai Yi returned to the courtyard, but instead of going back to his room, he sat by the stone table in the courtyard, watching An Mi approach. His dark eyes were fixed on An Mi, but not with the tender gaze he usually showed her.

"I want to drink," Bai Yi said softly, his tone pitiful, and even his eyes made An Mi feel heartbroken.

Just now, Bai Yi was angry, but right now, he's vulnerable!

For some reason, she felt somewhat fortunate that he could show his vulnerability in front of her.

"Go get the wine," An Mi instructed Shuang Yue. After Shuang Yue left, An Mi sat down next to Bai Yi. When Shuang Yue brought the wine, Bai Yi took the bottle and drank it in big gulps. He drank so much that he choked and coughed a few times.

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you!" An Mi frowned, somewhat displeased, and reached out to take the wine bottle from Bai Yi's hand. She knew he was heartbroken, but drinking like this was bad for his health!

However, she did not realize that her concern seemed to have broken through something.

To her surprise, just as she reached out her hand, Bai Yi swiftly grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her into his arms. An Mi reacted and tried to struggle, but her body was tightly encircled and held captive by a pair of long arms, his warm breath whispering in her ear.

"Don't leave me! Don't leave me like they did!" Bai Yi's deep voice rang in An Mi's ears, like a helpless child humbly pleading before her.

An Mi was slightly taken aback. She...them? Princess Yun? Who else could it be?

"Promise me, promise me now!" Bai Yi hugged An Mi even tighter, his urgent request interrupting An Mi's doubts.

Should she agree? But would she agree? And if she did, what would that mean?

An Mi frowned, but sensing Bai Yi's vulnerability, she opened her lips, about to speak several times, but in the end, she heard a sigh in her ear, followed by a sudden increase in weight on her body.

"Ah! Bai Yi..." An Mi called out softly. She felt Bai Yi's entire weight fall on her. She stumbled and quickly steadied herself, using her body to support Bai Yi. Then she called Shuang Yue, who was not far away.

"Miss, is the Prince drunk?" Shuangyue whispered.

Drunk? An Mi frowned. Bai Yi's alcohol tolerance was not high. Although he drank too quickly just now, it shouldn't have made him drunk!

An Mi felt the warmth emanating from Bai Yi's body and sighed. Perhaps she understood something, but she didn't try to find out more. She instructed Shuang Yue to help her escort Bai Yi back to his room.

After settling Bai Yi into bed, An Mi didn't want to leave. However, if she didn't leave, Bai Yi...

Leave! He should sleep too!

But just as he was about to leave, his wrist was grabbed. Bai Yi on the bed seemed to mutter something and turned over to face the inside.

An Mi took a deep breath. This Bai Yi could pretend to be drunk and asleep, considerately letting her escape his interrogation, but now, he wouldn't let her leave...

Enough. An Mi sat on the chair in front of the bed, letting him hold her wrist. There was a moment of silence in the room. Bai Yi, who was facing the inside, opened his eyes, but the expression in his eyes was extremely complicated.

Yes, he was pretending to be drunk and asleep. He hadn't received a peaceful answer yet, but after hearing her hesitant breaths several times, he felt a sense of defeat and reluctance. He shouldn't have pressured her like this, and he was also afraid of getting an answer he didn't want to hear.

So he could only pretend to be drunk. He should have sent An Mi back to her room, but at this moment, he wanted An Mi's company. Even if they were in the same room and didn't speak to each other, he would be content.