Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Are you threatening me?

Su Qing looked at An Zhiqian fearlessly. "Are you threatening me?"

"If you think so, then I suppose it is." An Zhiqian frowned at Su Qing and pursed his lips in displeasure. No girl had ever dared to speak to him like that. He had grown up surrounded by flattery. The girls around him, whether they were the socialites of Xiangcheng or the ordinary ones he met day-to-day, had always deferred to him.

He knew most of this flattery and deference was due to his family’s status, but he had long grown accustomed to it. As a result, Su Qing’s attitude deeply unsettled him.

"Heh, how mighty. The young master and miss from Xiangcheng, coming all the way to the mainland to put on airs. You think you can do whatever you please here?"

An Zhiwei’s eyes widened. "How did you know we’re from Xiangcheng? I never said anything." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"We don’t have accents like yours around here." Su Qing shot An Zhiwei a disdainful look. "Just because you’re an idiot doesn’t mean everyone else is as stupid as you are."

"You!" An Zhiwei was absolutely livid, wishing she could charge forward and rip Su Qing’s mouth to shreds.

An Zhiqian held An Zhiwei back. He knew that if they really made a scene and ended up alerting the local police station, the situation would be difficult to resolve. After all, they were supposed to be keeping a low profile.

"Brother, why are you stopping me?" An Zhiwei fumed. "Did you hear what she said!"

"Stop it." An Zhiqian frowned at An Zhiwei, then turned back to Su Qing. He took a deep breath and said, "What happened today must have been a misunderstanding. Let’s both take a step back. I also hope you’ll refrain from verbally attacking my sister again."

"As long as your sister stops pestering me, I have no reason to go looking for trouble," Su Qing said lightly.

"Who do you think you’re..." An Zhiwei, who now found everything about Su Qing irritating, snapped back.

"Xiao Wei!" An Zhiqian cut An Zhiwei off with a frown, then nodded at Su Qing. "Then it’s settled."

With that, he dragged An Zhiwei away.

Su Qing thought nothing of it. She took another look at the people unloading cargo, confirming that this was indeed the location for tomorrow’s raw stone market, and then headed back to her hotel.

Laxian was tiny. The entire county town was just two main streets intersecting in a cross shape. The hotel Su Qing was staying at was the only one in all of Laxian, located on the southeast corner of the intersection. It was considered the most bustling part of town.

Perhaps because it was close to the border, the area wasn’t as strict as other places. Besides the supply and marketing cooperative and the state-run restaurant, you could also see some roving peddlers on the streets. They didn’t have fixed stalls; they just carried baskets on their backs, wandering around and making discreet deals with passersby.

Some of these peddlers sold vegetables they grew themselves, some sold wild game, and others sold homemade cloth shoes or snacks. All in all, there was quite a variety.

Su Qing was more interested in the local delicacies, so she casually bought a few things from the peddlers before preparing to head back to the hotel.

"Brother, look! That woman, she’s staying here too." A small car was also driving toward the hotel. Inside, An Zhiwei spotted Su Qing walking toward the entrance and pointed at her back, speaking to An Zhiqian.

"Alright, just remember not to cause trouble. We need to keep a low profile here in the mainland," An Zhiqian said.

"Why should we? We’re not here to steal or rob anything. Why do we have to keep a low profile?" An Zhiwei was very dissatisfied. She was used to being flamboyant and couldn’t stand feeling so constrained.

An Zhiqian sighed and said to An Zhiwei, "Xiao Wei, our main reason for coming to the mainland is to look at raw stones and find jadeite for the family. This kind of private trading is forbidden here, so we have to be discreet. Since we’re here, we can’t afford to cause trouble and attract any problems. And there’s something else—A Ming and A Sheng were arrested by the local police. That’s a huge mess, too. So we have to be even more low-key now. Understand?"

"I don’t understand." An Zhiwei pouted. "When has our An Family ever had to tuck its tail between its legs? With the An Family name, shouldn’t people show us some respect wherever we go?"

"You... you can’t just spend all day eating, drinking, and having fun. You need to pay some attention to the family’s affairs," An Zhiqian said helplessly. "Some things are very complicated. It’s not as simple as you seem to think."

An Zhiwei pouted, looking displeased. After a moment, she asked, "What were A Sheng and A Ming doing in the mainland? Where did they go? What were they up to?"

"That’s none of your business," An Zhiqian said flatly.

"Hmph. Fine, I won’t. As if I actually care," An Zhiwei muttered with a pout, her face full of dissatisfaction.

A few moments later, the car stopped in front of the hotel, just as Su Qing was reaching the entrance. Su Qing and An Zhiqian’s group ran right into each other again.

"Hmph!" After getting out of the car, An Zhiwei looked at Su Qing and snorted in displeasure.

Su Qing pretended not to see the An siblings and walked right into the hotel. Seeing that Su Qing was ignoring her completely, An Zhiwei became even more furious.

Seeing Su Qing go upstairs, she stormed over to the hotel’s reception desk and demanded of the receptionist, "That woman who just went up, what room is she in?"

The hotel receptionist was a woman in her thirties. She was knitting a sweater and, upon hearing An Zhiwei’s words, merely lifted her eyelids to glance at her. "Why are you asking for her room number?" she asked.

"I’m asking you, so just tell me. Why so many questions?" An Zhiwei unconsciously slipped into her arrogant, young-miss attitude.

"Well, well. Who do you think you are, putting on such airs? You think you’re some bigshot capitalist’s daughter?" The receptionist sneered. "You ask, and I’m supposed to answer? Let me tell you something, there are no landlords or old money around here anymore. So don’t pull that capitalist crap on me. I’m not falling for it."

With that, the receptionist rolled her eyes.

An Zhiwei was absolutely furious. She had only just arrived in Laxian, and in such a short time, she’d already been shot down twice.

"Do you have any idea who I am? We’re—" Before An Zhiwei could finish, An Zhiqian clamped a hand over her mouth. "Enough. Just say less. Nobody will think you’re a mute if you just shut up for a second."

Then, An Zhiqian handed An Zhiwei over to two bodyguards. "Take her to her room."

The receptionist had been about to ask An Zhiqian if they had a reservation, but upon seeing one of the other men, she knew they must have booked a room already. So, she said nothing and went back to knitting her sweater.

An Zhiqian frowned. The An Family actually had their own place in Laxian, but An Zhiwei had disliked it and adamantly refused to stay there, which was why they were at a hotel. But now, seeing An Zhiwei’s indiscriminate arrogance, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation.