The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

With a creak, the door opened abruptly. An Mi looked up and saw the tall, imposing figure of the newcomer. Her eyes flickered for a moment before returning to calm. "Has the King of Bohai not left yet?"

"Why is your ally, who came all the way to see me, in such a hurry to leave?" Bai Yi smiled, closed the door behind him, and glanced into the room. "The dignified Miss An lives in such a simple place. An Yuefeng, as a father, is willing to do so, but I, as her ally, am a little reluctant to do so."

As she spoke, she noticed that Anmi was sitting on the only stool in the room. Without any hesitation, she walked to the wooden bed, sat down casually, and her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. This bed was too hard. Would she be comfortable sleeping on it every night?

"Thank you for your concern, King Bohai." A grown man sitting on her bed would make anyone feel a little shy, but An Mi just smiled. How could she not know Bai Yi's intentions? If she were in Bai Yi's position, she would also be curious about certain things. Thinking of his help earlier, An Mi frowned. Well, it wouldn't hurt for him to know.

She got up, took a box from under her pillow, sat back down on the stool, placed the box in front of her, and didn't rush to open it. When she saw Bai Yi's surprised expression, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

"You..." Bai Yi was surprised. What was An Mi trying to do? Was it what he had guessed?

"Didn't you want to know what tricks I played?" An Mi interrupted him before he could finish, a half-smile on her face.

Bai Yi's gaze towards An Mi changed. "You're actually willing to tell me?"

The reason he hadn't left earlier and was still here was to find out what An Mi had done. He had to admit that his curiosity about An Mi exceeded his expectations. Was it just because he wanted to know more about his ally? No, he knew it wasn't. He didn't have that much free time to understand others, but An Mi always managed to pique his interest.

Seeing the smile on An Mi's face, her open and proactive approach to telling him was beyond his expectations.

An Mi smiled slightly, "Even if An Mi doesn't say anything, with the abilities of the King of Bohai, it's only a matter of time before he finds out. Why doesn't An Mi do the King of Bohai a favor and curry favor with him?"

Bai Yi chuckled and glanced at An Mi. "Trying to please me? You really want to please me? I can't tell."

There are countless people in this world who want to please him, but An Mi is not among them. Even though it was their first meeting and she needed his help, he couldn't see any intention in her actions to please him. Even when she advised him to give up the cooperation with Yao Family Tea Garden, he thought it was just to show her sincerity, part of the transaction, and had nothing to do with pleasing him.

Thinking about the Yao family tea garden, for some reason, he always felt that An Mi's decision to make him give up the cooperation with the Yao family tea garden was not just for his sake. Thinking of this, Bai Yi raised his eyebrows and smiled. He could never see through her mystery.

An Mi smiled but remained silent, not dwelling on whether it was an attempt to please him. She opened the box placed in front of her. Seeing her actions, Bai Yi finally succumbed to his curiosity and got up from the wooden bed, his tall figure standing beside An Mi.

When the box was opened, what Bai Yi saw made him frown. Inside the box was an insect, its entire body blood red, as if it had been soaked in blood. This was An Mi's doing.

insect?

Suddenly, Bai Yi was startled, as if he had just realized something. He turned and met An Mi's smiling eyes. "This...this is a Gu!"

Anmi's expression didn't waver in the slightest even though Bai Yi had guessed it. Given Bai Yi's shrewdness, it would be abnormal if he hadn't guessed it.

“This is the mother Gu. It was fed my blood and now obeys my will.” An Mi only said this much, but she knew that Bai Yi had already understood everything.

"So, the Gu poison was placed on An Xinhe. You controlled her, made her go crazy in front of everyone, hurt Feng Xianglan, and in the end, even she herself couldn't escape the consequences, while you could stay out of it." Bai Yi's gaze was fixed on An Mi, and he had figured everything out. No wonder he vaguely saw An Mi's lips occasionally opening and closing silently.

only……

"How can you be sure that the 'tea' you prepared will be delivered to An Xinhe?" Bai Yi's eyes showed a hint of inquiry. From beginning to end, An Mi had a faint smile on her lips, and her calm and composed demeanor made him feel admiration.

Anmi stood up and lit the candlesticks on the table. "If you know certain people very well, you don't need to worry about these issues."

"You...that maid..." Even Bai Yi, who was usually calm, showed surprise on his face at this moment. The maid was also part of An Mi's scheme. She really had everything under control.

An Mi understood Bai Yi's meaning, but smiled without speaking. Because of her understanding of An Xinhe, she was certain that An Xinhe would not be able to control her mouth after tasting the pastries and confirming that they were not poisonous. As for Yi Zhuxuan, it goes without saying.

An Mi borrowed the candlestick's flame and tossed it into the box. The Gu worms inside squeaked and twisted a few times as soon as they touched the fire, then quickly turned to ashes. Only then did An Mi close the box with satisfaction. "Now that the mother Gu is destroyed, the child Gu will also disappear. Even if we investigate, we won't be able to find any trace of them. An Xinhe, you can't explain yourself no matter what."

Bai Yi stared intently at An Mi without saying a word; his deep eyes concealed all his emotions.

An Mi glanced at Bai Yi and smiled dismissively, "What? Does the King of Bohai find An Mi terrifying? Such a scheming woman with a heart of stone..."

Bai Yi snapped out of his reverie and continued to stare at An Mi. This time, however, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. He remained silent, simply observing An Mi for a long time. Even An Mi showed a slight unease under that strange gaze before Bai Yi finally spoke, “No, I find you quite to my liking. You must have your reasons for doing these things. To say you are ‘deeply calculating’ is an understatement; to say you are ‘meticulous’ is an understatement. As for ‘heart of a snake,’ it is more accurate to say you are ‘a person of strong character.’ So-called kindness and malice depend entirely on one’s perspective. That day, you risked your life to save a girl you had never met before from under a horse’s hooves. I see no malice in you.”

These words startled An Mi, but she quickly recovered and chuckled, "Is the King of Bohai trying to gild An Mi's reputation? It doesn't matter. Whether I'm kind or wicked, as long as I have a clear conscience and live a carefree life, I don't care what the world thinks."

Don't you care about what others think?

Bai Yi raised his handsome eyebrows and his smile widened. Women in this world are all bound by worldly constraints. He did not expect that An Mi was not even afraid of worldly views.

“It seems I have found a good partner,” Bai Yi said loudly, then shook his head as if he had thought of something. “No, I should be more grateful that you are an ally rather than an enemy.”