The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Of course," Madam Liu said loudly. "The Liu family has always valued integrity, which is the way of business. Promises made must be kept. Today, with the King of Bohai and all the guests here as witnesses, I, on behalf of my husband, propose marriage to the An family." She was not opposed to the proposal. In her eyes, finding the owner of the embroidery skills and bringing her into her service would be the ultimate goal, and marriage was the best way to secure her position. Especially since the person was a young lady from the An family, she had to make the first move.

As she pondered this, Madam Liu rose and, supported by her maid, slowly walked down the stage. When she reached An Xinhe, she affectionately took her hand and nodded with satisfaction, "Truly worthy of having skillful hands; skillful hands, and a likable person too."

An Xinhe, already in a state of blissful joy, was even more delighted by the praise.

"Xinhe, would you like to be my daughter-in-law? Call me Mother from now on." Madam Liu's voice was even gentler, as if it carried endless temptation.

As An Mi listened, images from her past life flashed through her mind, and a wave of irony washed over her. In her past life, hadn't Madam Liu used the same gentle tone to seduce her? Like a mother's murmur, filled with tenderness, it had melted her heart, making her yearn for it, and ultimately leading her to jump headlong into the Liu family's trap.

But in this life... the object of his affections is An Xinhe...

An Mi's gaze fell on An Xinhe, her eyes filled with even more sarcasm. An Xinhe, who had always admired Liu Zhan, could not resist such temptation. Just as An Mi had expected, An Xinhe immediately could not hide her excitement, "I'm willing, I'm willing, Xinhe is willing!"

She readily agreed several times without any restraint, which made everyone secretly mock her. Even Madam Liu felt a little displeased. Logically speaking, the young mistress of the Liu family, the richest family in the world, should be a reserved, elegant, and noble lady with the demeanor of a great family. But An Xinhe in front of her... Madam Liu frowned imperceptibly. Well, for the sake of the Liu family's development, she could only accept this daughter-in-law.

With a smile plastered on her face, Madam Liu took An Xinhe's hand and walked up to Madam An. "Madam An, you have truly raised a fine daughter. Tomorrow, I will send someone to propose marriage. We will then be in-laws. Madam An, you will not object, will you?"

After learning that An Xinhe had won the championship today, Madam An was already very proud. Hearing Madam Liu's words, she felt even more proud. "Madam Liu, you flatter me. Young Master Liu is a handsome and talented man, as well as a business expert. I heard that he has inherited all of Master Liu's skills. It is Xinhe's good fortune to marry Young Master Liu."

The two exchanged pleasantries and compliments, with An Xinhe's gaze occasionally glancing at Liu Zhan, a hint of shyness in her eyes, revealing the charming demeanor of a young girl. She was about to marry Liu Zhan! The young mistress of the richest family—so many people envied her! In Rongjin City, An Xinhe would be even more extraordinary!

Feeling An Xinhe's gaze, Liu Zhan felt nothing but disgust. He never expected that An Xinhe was the person he had been searching for all along. An Xinhe... He sighed deeply. He knew in his heart that whether he liked An Xinhe or not, he had to marry her. Only in this way could he firmly hold onto An Xinhe and possess her embroidery skills.

At that moment, how could he know that even if he sacrificed his marriage, he would not get what he wanted? In the end, he would only lose both his wife and his army!

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Liu family has prepared a banquet today to celebrate the appearance of the champion and the fact that I, Liu Zhan, have found a fiancée. Please do me the honor of joining us for a drink," Liu Zhan said loudly to the crowd, resuming his polite and warm manner.

Upon hearing this, everyone present offered their congratulations and prepared to celebrate lavishly. Madam An and Madam Liu left hand in hand, exchanging pleasantries as they went. An Xinhe naturally became everyone's darling and was held in high esteem. Apart from this group of happy people, there were two people with solemn expressions.

Feng Xianglan clenched her fists tightly, suppressing her resentment. She had not forgotten her bet with An Xinhe. Now that An Xinhe had really won, what should An Xinhe do to her?

Just as she was thinking this, a soft, trembling voice called out in her ear, "Miss Xianglan..."

Feng Xianglan frowned, and when she looked up and saw the person who had called her, her brows furrowed even more. "What is it?"

One of the five chosen just now, what was her name again? Yi... Yi... something Xuan?

Yi Zhuxuan bit her lip, her face full of worry. "Miss Xianglan, are you worried? I heard about the bet you made with the Fifth Miss. You must be careful of the Fifth Miss... Sigh, I'm still worried about you. I'm too busy taking care of myself right now. The Fifth Miss never treats us maids like human beings. This time, I secretly participated in the embroidery competition, which must have angered the Madam and the young ladies. The Fifth Miss has a ruthless nature and will definitely not let me off the hook. What should I do?"

Yi Zhuxuan nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, secretly observing Feng Xianglan's reaction out of the corner of her eye. Seeing the worry in Feng Xianglan's eyes, she subtly raised her lips and said, "Miss Xianglan, I can't stay here any longer. I'll be going now."

"Hey, wait..." Feng Xianglan was startled and immediately called out to Yi Zhuxuan, but Yi Zhuxuan hurried away without turning her head.

With Yi Zhuxuan's words echoing in her mind, Feng Xianglan felt even more panicked. She had left the Feng family, hoping to gain a foothold in the An family through the Pinxiu Association, but the result was... Thinking of the slap An Xinhe received that night, with An Xinhe's personality, she would definitely make a big deal out of the bet.

No, no, she absolutely wouldn't stand by and watch An Xinhe be so smug! Her eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing within them before vanishing instantly. Feng Xianglan composed herself and followed the others towards the banquet...

An Mi silently observed all of this. Yi Zhuxuan's deliberate provocation surprised her. However, as she thought of something, the smile on An Mi's lips became even more sinister. This Feng Xianglan was not one to sit idly by and wait for her doom!

"Second Miss, wouldn't it be a shame to give such a good work to someone else?"

As An Mi was thinking, a low voice sounded behind her, close to her ear. The voice was so evil that it made her scalp tingle, as if an electric current was running through her body and down to her feet. And who else could the owner of that voice be but Bai Yi?

An Mi turned around and met Bai Yi's seemingly smiling eyes, as if he had seen through everything.

An Mi frowned. Who was Bai Yi? The dignified King of Bohai. He should have seen through it. Since he had already seen through it, if she continued to pretend to be stupid, it would seem hypocritical.

She raised her lips slightly, her voice gentle and calm, "Anmi thanks the King of Bohai for taking that embroidery for himself."

"Heh! You do know how to be grateful, but..." Bai Yi stared intently at An Mi, moving even closer to her, leaning against her face. At such close range, An Mi instinctively wanted to take a step back to create some distance, but before she could move, an arm wrapped around her lower back. Instantly, An Mi was trapped between someone's arm and chest, the atmosphere becoming increasingly ambiguous. Looking up at the culprit, she saw him with a harmless smile, his deep gaze revealing only her presence, subtly hinting at a hint of confusion.