Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 030

Chapter 30: Love

Since Meng Jie married into the An family, An Zhi now had a lot of free time and had more time to manage her own business.

She had now rented out the two shops that were closed before, but the money she could earn from renting them out alone was still limited.

An Zhi thought of the Shu brocade business mentioned earlier and asked Binglu to contact a Bashu businessman named Wu Zheng.

That day, she disguised herself as a man and went out to meet Wu Zheng. The two of them made an appointment to meet at Chunfeng Tower.

When An Zhi arrived, Wu Zheng had already arrived.

“Master An, you look so young.” Wu Zheng looked at An Zhi for a few times, his narrow eyes narrowed into a slit.

An Zhi smiled uncomfortably, “It’s because I’m young, so I need to learn more from Boss Wu.”

Wu Zheng was thirty-two years old this year. He had been in the business world for more than ten years and was considered a veteran.

When An Zhi met Wu Zheng for the first time, she was a little polite at first, but Wu Zheng was eloquent and soon heated up the atmosphere.

And before they knew it, the two of them were sitting closer and closer.

“Come, Master An, let’s have another drink.” Wu Zheng said with a smile, “We businessmen all value generosity. I really think you’re a good person. As long as you finish this bottle of wine with me, I will sell you all the Shu brocade in the warehouse.”

As he spoke, Wu Zheng had already placed his hand on An Zhi’s shoulder.

Before coming, An Zhi thought they were just having a meal and talking business seriously. She never thought that even though she was dressed as a man, she would be touched inappropriately. She pushed Wu Zheng away in an instant.

“Master An, what do you mean?” Wu Zheng put down his wine glass and looked at An Zhi unhappily.

Only then did An Zhi realize that she was too naive. She was a newcomer with no connections and no experience, so why would anyone sell Shu brocade to her so easily?

“Sorry, I don’t want to do this business anymore.” An Zhi winked at Binglu, and they walked out together, but found that the door was blocked by Wu Zheng’s men at some point.

An Zhi turned around and said, “What do you want to do? This is the emperor’s feet.”

“I don’t want to do anything. Originally, I did want to do business with Master An, but seeing your appearance, I’d rather discuss other things with you.” Wu Zheng patted the stool. “Master An, you’re so delicate and tender, so don’t even think about resisting. As long as you follow me, I’ll sell you as much Shu brocade as you want.”

“You’re dreaming!” Binglu stood in front of her young lady.

Wu Zheng snorted, walked over, tore Binglu away, and when he raised his head to touch An Zhi, a person suddenly flew in from the door.

It was a man.

An Zhi ran over and hugged Binglu. When she saw that it was Pei Que who came in, she breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, “Fourth Master Pei.”

Pei Que turned around and ordered the followers behind him, “Throw them all out. You know what to do with them.”

Soon, Pei Que’s followers gagged Wu Zheng and his companions’ mouths and took them out.

Only An Zhi and the other two were left in the private room.

An Zhi lowered her head slightly, not daring to look at Pei Que, fearing that he would recognize her. After all, she had teased Pei Que before by disguising herself as a man. “Thank you, Fourth Master Pei, for your help today. I’ll cover all your drinks today.”

After saying that, An Zhi wanted to take Binglu away.

But Pei Que called her name, “An Zhi, I helped you so much, so you can buy me a table of drinks?”

An Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.

It was over, how could she be recognized so easily?

Wouldn’t she have been recognized the first time?

Seeing that the young lady was too anxious to speak, Binglu hurriedly said, “Master Pei, we dressed up specially for today. If you think one table of wine is not enough, we can prepare some more.”

Pei Que looked at Binglu and asked, “Do you think I’m short of money for drinks?”

Binglu shook her head. The Pei family was much richer than the An family. Their mansion alone was three or four times bigger than the An family’s.

An Zhi pursed her lips and looked up at Pei Que, “Then… Fourth Master Pei, how do you want me to repay you?”

“Haha.” Pei Que suddenly laughed and looked at An Zhi without saying anything.

An Zhi’s face instantly turned red. She glanced at the confused Binglu beside her and asked Binglu to wait for her outside.

“But Miss…” Binglu thought of her previous guess and didn’t dare to leave the Young Lady here alone.

“Don’t worry, Fourth Master Pei is a gentleman, he won’t do anything to me.” An Zhi patted Binglu’s hand.

When only An Zhi and Pei Que were left in the room, Pei Que sat down and looked at An Zhi with interest. “Let me be clear, I’m not a gentleman in front of you.”

An Zhi sat across from Pei Que, her mind in turmoil. “Fourth Master Pei, please stop joking. You and I have nothing to do with each other.”

“We’ll have to try to find out if it’s a good match,” Pei Que said. “An Zhi, I have a question I’m curious about. Of all the women in the capital, who wouldn’t want to marry me? Why are you the only one who doesn’t want to? Don’t say it’s because of Pei Yu. I’ve seen it a long time ago. You no longer have feelings for Pei Yu, otherwise you wouldn’t have been so cruel to him.”

An Zhi knew she couldn’t dodge the question, so she simply asked, “Well, I also want to ask Fourth Master Pei, except for me, all the other girls in the boudoir are willing to marry you, why do you choose me? And considering our status and family background, do you think it’s possible for you to marry me as your legal wife?”

“I said I can do it, and I can do it.” Pei Que looked at An Zhi seriously, “An Zhi, if you don’t believe me once, how do you know I can’t do it?”

This question stumped An Zhi.

She really had never believed Pei Que.

After a long while, An Zhi finally answered, “But Fourth Master Pei, love is a matter between two people. It’s not like you can choose me, so I have to choose you.”

“Then please answer my first question. Why don’t you want to give me a chance?” Pei Que spent enough time and patience on An Zhi. He had waited for so long and didn’t want to miss it again.

“Because… because I don’t want to get married,” An Zhi replied. “It’s not about whether you’re good or bad, I just don’t want to get married in this lifetime. You’re a man, you don’t know how unfair this world is to women. Just like today, I want to go out and do business, but I can’t use my identity. If I get married in the future, I’ll have to stay in the back courtyard, fighting endlessly with a group of women, and having to worry about my husband changing his mind. That kind of life is really too tiring. I want a wider world, do you understand?”

An Zhi felt that Pei Que didn’t understand. After all, men were respected in this world. How could a high-ranking and pampered man like Pei Que, who was raised in luxury, put himself in her shoes and feel the life of a person like hers?

“I understand.” Pei Que looked at An Zhi solemnly. “I understand the hardships and grievances you’ve faced since losing your mother, and I also understand how tired you are of dealing with the ladies and young ladies in the back courtyard. An Zhi, I can promise you that if you are willing to give me a chance, I will let you see a different side of me. I can’t guarantee that I can keep you safe and sound throughout your life, but if you don’t want something, I will do my best to eliminate it for you. So, are you willing?”