The Favored Heiress
Chapter 226: Master Yan, Are You Keeping Something from Me?

Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Master Yan, Are You Keeping Something from Me?

In the afternoon, before one o’clock, the operating room’s indicator light went out.

The doctor came out and said that the old master’s stent implantation surgery had been very successful, but because of his age, he had to be sent to the intensive care unit for monitoring for twenty-four hours before he could meet with his family.

The Duan family members moved to the intensive care area and looked at Duan Jingming through the window.

Since the surgery was performed through an arterial access in the groin of the thigh, the old master hadn’t suffered much; his spirits relaxed, and by now, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Duan Shuyuan glanced at Duan Jingming in the intensive care unit and, after discussing with her siblings, nodded and said, "Then let’s all go back. The doctor said Dad won’t be out until at least noon tomorrow, and it’s no use waiting around now. We’ll come back tomorrow."

Although Duan Shuyuan was the third in seniority in the Duan family, perhaps because of her status as the wife of a wealthy tycoon, her words carried a lot of weight.

For a moment, everyone nodded in agreement.

In the parking lot outside the building, Duan Shuyuan pulled Li Qiao aside to give her a few careful instructions and then took a phone call, leaving the hospital first.

Li Qiao watched the car drive away and then turned to get into her own Mercedes-Benz.

Inside the car, she rested one hand on the steering wheel and tapped it, pondered for a few seconds, then started the engine and headed towards the South Sea CBD Business District.

It was now two in the afternoon, and with half a day of holiday left, it was time to spend time with her boyfriend.

...

At the headquarters of Yan Emperor, at the top floor in One Zero One,

Li Qiao entered the office area with two cups of iced American coffee as if she knew the place by heart.

The receptionist assistant looked up and saw her figure, first startled, then greeted her warmly.

The greatly missed Parma had returned!

Li Qiao curved her lips in greeting and just reached the serious atmosphere of the corridor corner when she noticed two figures ahead.

It was Wang Yue and Liuyun.

At that moment, they stood with their backs to Li Qiao, talking in a low voice not far away, "What does she mean? She came all the way from Parma just to catch up with the boss?"

Wang Yue’s tone was tinged with obvious disgust and contempt.

Liuyun, however, frowned and pursed his lips, eyes cold and stern, scoffed, "In my opinion, having an ulterior motive is more like it."

Li Qiao wasn’t trying to eavesdrop; it’s just that their discussion was not at all subdued, and anyone standing nearby could hear them clearly.

Wang Yue rubbed his forehead anxiously, "This is no simple matter, luckily Miss Li isn’t here recently, it’s like dodging a bullet."

Li Qiao: "???"

She raised her eyebrows inadvertently, a strong curiosity in her eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

Wang Yue didn’t immediately catch on, sighed with some distress, "That person is ruthless. If she meets Miss Li... "

He hadn’t finished speaking when Liuyun kicked him behind the knee.

Wang Yue stumbled, not having time to say more, when he suddenly saw Liuyun’s flickering gaze, turned his head, and immediately wanted to slap himself.

That’s what you get!

"Miss Li, what brings you here?" Liuyun walked up to Li Qiao and asked with utmost respect, bowing his head.

Li Qiao glanced at the tightly closed door of the chairman’s office and asked coolly, "Can’t I come?"

"You can, of course, you can," Liuyun shot Wang Yue a dark look and then gestured toward the direction of the conference room, "Why don’t you wait in the conference room for a moment? The boss is... with a guest."

Li Qiao nodded expressionlessly, pretended to turn away, then paused, "Who is he meeting?"

Who was this ruthless person that made Wang Yue and the others feel as if they were facing a great enemy?

At that moment, Liuyun and Wang Yue exchanged glances, both hesitant, and Li Qiao saw it all.

She squinted slightly but didn’t press further, striding directly into the adjacent conference room.

And just like that, she waited for half an hour.

Liuyun and Wang Yue busied themselves elsewhere while Li Qiao sat alone in the conference room, legs crossed, elbow on the table, chin in hand, staring at the wall opposite her, irritation brewing in her eyes.

After another ten minutes, she didn’t feel like waiting any longer.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and checked the WeChat message she had sent to Shang Yu half an hour ago; there was still no reply.

Li Qiao’s expression tightened slightly as she went into her contacts and dialed the number directly.

Half a minute passed, and the call disconnected automatically; Shang Yu hadn’t answered.

Li Qiao looked at the Americano on the table, now diluted with melted ice cubes, lowered her eyelids, and the rhythm of her tapping fingers on the table grew increasingly erratic.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, picked up her phone again, and opened the browser blank-faced. She searched for a question, took a screenshot, and sent it back to Shang Yu on WeChat.

Li Qiao: [Image]

On the image, there was this line of text: "If my boyfriend doesn’t answer the phone or reply to texts, does he want to break up?"

The utter lack of punctuation showed just how frustrated the person searching was.

Less than three seconds after the message was sent, the phone rang.

Li Qiao: "!!"

She saw the contact name on the screen, suppressed the devil fire in her eyes, answered the call, and turned on the speakerphone, her voice full of repressed frustration, "If I hadn’t sent that image, would you have continued to ignore me?"

A second of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of a man exhaling smoke, along with footsteps.

Until—

Li Qiao perked up her ears as the door to the office next door, the chairman’s, seemed to open, and at the same time, a man’s deep and magnetic voice came through the phone, "Getting impatient?"

She didn’t respond, but her eyes grew narrow. She picked up her phone, got up, and opened the door of the conference room without a word.

Outside in the corridor, Shang Yu, with one hand in his pocket holding the phone, glanced over with his peripheral vision when he heard the noise behind him, and his gaze darkened instantly.

Li Qiao didn’t get the chance to look closely; the man had already strode over, hooked his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her back into the conference room.

Shang Yu closed the door and looked down at the girl with a seemingly cold face. He controlled the dark light in his eyes, slowly curved his thin lips, and kissed her forehead, "When did you get here?"

Li Qiao looked up, her expression bland, showing not a hint of emotion. She dodged to the side, pulling at the corners of her mouth as she spoke indifferently, "Did I disturb you? If it’s inconvenient, I’ll go back first."

Shang Yu could easily understand the distinctly accusatory tone in her voice.

His pupils contracted slightly, warmth fading from his handsome face, which became inscrutably cool and distant, "You know already?"

Know what?

Li Qiao suddenly realized that things might not be as simple as they seemed.

She pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, her gaze black and penetrating, "Master Yan, are you keeping something from me?"

Shang Yu looked down, his gaze settling on Li Qiao’s tightly pressed lips, and after a long moment, he stepped forward, pulled her shoulder gently, and patted it, "Initially, that was the plan, but there’s no need for that anymore."

Li Qiao’s tensed demeanor did not ease. She turned her face to look at the floor-to-ceiling windows with a cold, attentive listening posture, "Then speak."

This might be the first time Li Qiao showed such a mood to Shang Yu; it was actually no big deal, but Shang Yu found this side of her rather cute.

At this moment, Shang Yu lifted Li Qiao’s chin with his hand, exhaled deeply, and leaned down close to her ear, reminding, "The people next door are from the Collateral Branch of the Shang family. If you’re ready, come with me and meet them."

Li Qiao’s expression flickered, so the ruthless person referred to by Wang Yue was from the Collateral Branch of the Shang