The Favored Heiress
Chapter 282: The Border Li San Struck by Lightning

Chapter 282: Chapter 282: The Border Li San Struck by Lightning

Duan Shuhua’s face paled as she attempted to feign calm with a forced smile, "Xiao Yuan, there’s no need to find our dad right now, his health still hasn’t fully recovered..."

At the end of the day, she was just feeling guilty.

Less than three minutes had passed before Duan Shuhua and Duan Yuanhong skulked away dejectedly.

Outside the door, as the two stood near the wrought iron gate, they turned to glance back at the opulent and imposing Li Family villa. Duan Shuhua snorted, "I won’t let this go so easily."

Duan Yuanhong shook his head and sighed, "Actually... Xiao Yuan didn’t say anything wrong, this really has little to do with Qiaoqiao."

"’Little to do with it’ my foot! Brother, have you been brainwashed by her too?" Duan Shuhua couldn’t stand Duan Yuanhong’s wavering stance and shot him a cold glance before getting into her car.

"Hey, Xiaohua..." Duan Yuanhong called out to her from behind, but Duan Shuhua, her face cold, drove away without a word.

Soon after, two cars left the Li family’s doorstep one after another, and the butler, having witnessed the scene through surveillance, quickly returned to the living room to report, "Madam, they’ve left."

Inside the hall, Duan Shuyuan gestured to the butler, "I know, you may go back to your duties."

Once the butler had left, she massaged her temples and turned to Li Qiao, "Qiaoqiao, what did your aunt talk to you about when she found you?"

Li Qiao lowered her legs, leaned forward, took a teacup from the coffee table, and handed it to Duan Shuyuan, "She wanted me to visit grandfather and change the will."

"Ha, wishful thinking!" Duan Shuyuan scoffed with a tight grip on her teacup, "Grown-ups, all of them, and they can’t even save face over such a trivial sum of money."

She turned to Li Qiao, her eyes flashing with sharpness, "Qiaoqiao, listen to mom, whatever your grandfather gives you, just keep it and don’t feel burdened. Mom will take care of the rest."

Li Qiao smiled calmly and nodded, "Okay."

Duan Shuyuan, relieved, ruffled her hair and, taking her wrist, said, "Come on, let’s forget about these annoying issues. I bought you a few outfits when I went to Fashion Week the other day, they’re all in your dressing room. Let me show you."

...

In the afternoon, Li Qiao sat on the balcony of her bedroom, enjoying the rare tranquil days she had been having recently.

A coffee pot on the table brewed coffee, the rich aroma wafting around, comfortable and peaceful.

She picked up her cell phone, opened her email, and started reviewing the data Li Shaoquan had sent her last night.

Right then, an email arrived, and before she could open it to see the content, Li Shaoquan’s expected call came through.

"I’ve just sent you an email, dad, you’re awesome. That woman in the Mercedes, it really is Shang Qiongying, huh?" Li Shaoquan’s exclamation burst into her ear, accompanied by the sound of him blowing his nose.

Before Li Qiao could respond, she heard Li Shaoquan let out another cry of pain as their uncle’s angry rebuke faintly came through the phone, "You little rascal, who are you calling dad?"

Li Shaoquan shouted as he ran, finally hiding in the restroom, still holding the phone he cried out, "Hello, hello, are you listening?"

"Mhm," Li Qiao nonchalantly replied in a lazy tone.

Li Shaoquan coughed and complained, "I’m telling you, while investigating Shang Qiongying’s information, I came across something weird."

Li Qiao remained silent, and Li Shaoquan, glancing at the screen, continued on his own accord, "This woman is from Parma too, just like that Shang, Shang Shaoyan. I found out this data by secretly looking it up in the Red Hacker system, so you better keep it confidential.

And here’s the kicker, I rewatched all the intersection surveillance footage from last night, guess what I found?

After she hit your car that day, she took a detour straight to the research institute. Now, isn’t that strange?"

Li Shaoquan knew about Li Qiao being preliminarily admitted by the research institute.

That’s why he felt it was odd, not going to fix the car after the accident but heading to the research institute instead.

What was it, going to the research institute to get chemical reagents to fix the car?

At that moment, Li Qiao looked up, her gaze distant as she stared ahead.

Some things suddenly became clear.

Later on, Li Shaoquan babbled on the phone for a while, essentially advising her that Shang Qiongying might have an ulterior motive.

After hanging up, Li Qiao opened the email, and a new surveillance video showed Shang Qiongying’s Mercedes indeed entering the research institute’s parking lot.

In Shang Qiongying’s information column, there was a field highlighted in red: Vice-Chairman of the Medical Research Council.

Li Qiao narrowed her eyes, amused. If she remembered correctly, the research institute’s outreach conference had been initiated the day after Shang Qiongying appeared.

...

As the day waned and the sun dipped below the horizon, Li Qiao said her goodbyes to Duan Shuyuan and drove back to the laboratory.

It happened to be a Saturday, and the research building was quiet and empty.

Li Qiao strolled into the lab and looked up to see Academician Jiang and Lian Zhen sitting together sorting through data.

At the sound of footsteps, both looked up and on seeing her, Academician Jiang smiled, "Qiaoqiao, we finally gave you a day off for the weekend, and yet here you are back again."

Li Qiao walked up, put on her white lab coat, and pulling out a chair, settled down, "I didn’t have much to do, so I came to check in."

Hearing this, Academician Jiang immediately handed her the documents in his hand, "Then that’s perfect. Go through these application materials again, and if there are no issues, I’ll submit them to the research institute next week."

Li Qiao flipped through the documents nonchalantly and asked, "Aside from the research institute, are any other organizations involved in this conference?"

Academician Jiang adjusted his bifocals with a chuckle, teasing her, "You sure keep up with the news, you little rascal."

As he spoke, he picked up the thermos on the table, took a couple of sips, and gestured to Lian Zhen, "Tell her about it."

Lian Zhen nodded and, turning to Li Qiao, said in a gentle voice, "It’s the Medical Research Council. Yesterday, the teacher and I found out at the research institute, the main organizer of this conference is them, with the research institute only taking the lead."

As expected.

Li Qiao nodded, feigning comprehension and eyeing Lian Zhen, "The Medical Council hasn’t ever held such a conference before, this time..."

"I heard they’re looking to recruit. In recent years, the Council hasn’t seen many newcomers. They probably want to use this exchange to attract a new batch of council commissioners."

Li Qiao raised an eyebrow, noncommittal.

The Medical Research Council, superior to various research laboratories, would indeed attract a large number of medical talents if it launched a recruitment campaign.

It was an honor and a glory.

Li Qiao just didn’t know what role Shang Qiongying played in all this.

Li Qiao quietly took note of the matters regarding the exchange conference and immediately started organizing the application materials with Academician Jiang.

...

The next day, Sunday.

Li Qiao slowly woke up at nine in the morning.

The dormitory room was dim, and a thin, unilluminating light seeped through the gap between the two curtain panels.

Li Qiao lay in bed, spaced out, and after a long while, she got up to draw back the curtains.

The sky was overcast, looking like it might rain.

She leaned against the corner of the wall, standing in front of the window for a while when a faint vibration came from under the pillow.

Li Qiao turned around, took out her phone, and couldn’t help but curl the corners of her mouth when she saw the caller ID.

"Hello~" Her voice carried a soft warmth not usual for her, breaking from her typical detachment, and her eyes gleamed with a smile, "Master Yan."

"You’re up?" The man’s mellow voice was steady and magnetic, pleasing to the ear.

Li Qiao looked down at her toes, "Hmm, just woke up."

Then, in a lazy tone, Shang Yu replied, "Then come downstairs."

Li Qiao’s eyebrows lifted; she didn’t ask any further and simply said she would be right there before hanging up.

Li Qiao was no longer surprised that he always precisely knew all the details of her daily life.

In less than ten minutes, she left the dormitory building.

As expected, she saw Luoyu waiting for her near the experimental building.

Li Qiao walked up to her at an unhurried pace, "Have you been waiting long?"

Luoyu pursed her lips and shook her head, "Not long. How’s your injury? Have you been applying the medicine on time?"

Li Qiao: "..."

Faced with such a soul-searching question upon meeting, Li Qiao shrugged her shoulders involuntarily, having completely forgotten about applying the medicine.

Luoyu nearly smiled, looked down, and stepped aside, "The boss is in the car."

"Oh." Li Qiao pretended to walk forward but suddenly paused and looked at Luoyu with narrowed eyes, "Why are you here so early? Where are we going?"

Luoyu, half a step behind her, did not conceal, "I heard that Master Qiu arranged a meal. I guess he might need you for something."

Something else?

The young master of South Sea Machinery Holdings sure had a lot of issues.

Sure enough, Li Qiao approached the access road in front of the laboratory building and immediately saw the black business car.

The car door opened automatically, revealing Qiu Huan’s teasing face first, "Hi, girl."

Li Qiao pulled a smile and approached, calling out, "Master Qiu."

Qiu Huan hopped out of the car to greet her, "Get in the car, we’re sitting inside."

Hmm, it seemed he definitely needed a favor.

Inside the car, Li Qiao sat next to Shang Yu while Qiu Huan also squeezed into the back seat.

The car had barely left the access road when Li Qiao had yet to settle in, and the man turned his head to look at her, sniffing with a hint of displeasure in his eyes, "Didn’t apply medicine?"

Li Qiao blinked and raised an eyebrow, "Ah, I forgot."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Qiu Huan leaned forward over the back of their seat, asking in all seriousness, "Where were you injured, girl? Is it serious? Let me have a look."

Li Qiao and Shang Yu turned their heads simultaneously, both of their gazes filled with a trace of disdain as they looked at him.

Meddler.

Qiu Huan touched his nose bridge, sat back down without saying a word, but his expression held an anxious undertone.

...

In less than twenty minutes, the group arrived at the South Sea Seafood Restaurant, and once inside the private room, Qiu Huan immediately poured tea for Li Qiao, "Girl, I heard you love king crab, so today I’ve prepared a full crab feast for you."

Fawning to an absurd degree.

Li Qiao surveyed the walls of the seafood restaurant adorned with seaside paintings, then turned to Shang Yu and asked in a low voice filled with suspicion, "What’s going on with Master Qiu?"

The man glanced at Qiu Huan pouring the tea, his lips curving in a know-it-all smile, "You tell me."

Qiu Huan’s hand shook as he poured the tea, setting down the teapot and let out a sigh, "Well, I’ll just say it then. Here’s the situation. Last week..."

What could have been explained in a single sentence, Qiu Huan elaborated with fluctuating tones for five minutes.

After he finished, Li Qiao gave him a loaded look and succinctly summarized, "Your goods, intercepted by my brother?"

"Right." Qiu Huan replied stiffly, trying to grow angry but restrained by the relationship between Li Qiao and Shang Yu, only able to snort, "Calling your brother a bandit is really not far off.

On that border line, he hasn’t touched anyone else’s goods, but he confiscated a batch of precise mechanical parts from my factory."

The thunderously notorious Li San at the border.