The Favored Heiress
Chapter 301: There is Only One Li Qiao in the South Sea

Chapter 301: Chapter 301: There is Only One Li Qiao in the South Sea

At that moment, Li Qiao was also sitting with her legs crossed, her elbow propping up her forehead as her eyes coolly fell upon Li San’s face, "I agree."

The implication was clear, what use was it for him to disagree?

Li San’s throat constricted, and with a stern face, he glared at her, "You go out first, I want to talk to Mr. Shang alone."

Li Qiao furrowed her brows and turned to look at Shang Yu.

The man gently lowered his eyes, pinching her fingertips and instructing, "Go ahead, but don’t go far."

Li Qiao complied, not insisting any further.

She left the hospital room with Liuyun and Luoyu, her gaze sweeping over the bathroom as she closed the door.

She had no idea what Nan Xin was up to, staying shut in there without coming out.

Inside the hospital room, there was a silent stillness.

Li San slowly shifted his waist and abdomen on the hospital bed, finding a comfortable position before sighing, "Why does it have to be Li Qiao?"

As he spoke, he looked at Shang Yu with a stern and serious tone, "In the entire South Sea, you could have any woman you want, why does it have to be my sister?"

At this time, Shang Yu leaned elegantly against the chair back, his forearm draped over the armrest, his hands crossed in front of his abdomen, his tone playful, "Because in the South Sea, there is only one Li Qiao. So it must be her."

With one sentence, Li San was left speechless.

He had many things to say, but facing Shang Yu’s deep and unfathomable eyes, he couldn’t utter a single word.

Li San’s expression went through several changes before he finally found his voice again, "Are you serious? Shang Shaoyan, with your special status, can you really protect her if you’re together? Apart from danger, what else can you offer her?"

His questioning was not without concern, and it carried a hint of prejudice.

Instinctively wary of Shang Shaoyan, Li San couldn’t just watch his sister fall into a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den.

Even putting everything aside, just the name Shang Shaoyan alone had countless enemies.

Being with him, Li Qiao would not face trivial household concerns but was more likely to encounter a hail of bullets.

The two men’s gazes met; Li Cheng’s eyes were filled with distrust toward Shang Yu, while the latter’s deep eyes were like the sea, inscrutable.

In a brief moment, Li Cheng heard the man’s casual words, "Everything, and my life."

Li San was startled, his eyes wide with shock.

Such words from anyone else might not have caused such a reaction, but Shang Shaoyan was different.

Decisive in killing and having climbed over countless bodies to reach his current position, his power and status were accompanied by supreme honor. Often, such people were the cruelest and most self-preserving.

Yet he could effortlessly say that he would give his life for Li Qiao.

Li San knew well that both he and Shang Yu were formidable and arrogant men who disdained frivolous words. When they did speak, their words were as good as gold.

Li Cheng calmed his emotions, pondering over and over, if it were him, could he risk his life for Li Qiao?

Maybe he could, maybe he couldn’t; after all, he had too many concerns.

After a long silence, Li San lowered his gaze and gradually relaxed his clenched fingertips, "No matter what, you two will be together, won’t you?"

The question had a double meaning.

At this moment, Shang Yu uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, stroking his fingers, "Let’s...wait and see."

How much confidence did one need to say such a thing?

Li Cheng was utterly speechless.

For the first time, having a calm and amiable conversation with Shang Yu, he suddenly realized why the Overlord of the South Sea was surrounded by countless followers; both his demeanor and broad-mindedness indeed made people willingly submit.

Not long after, as Li San’s thoughts were still fluctuating, the man by the bed raised the corners of his lips and murmured in a low voice, "You’ve asked all you want to ask, now let’s talk about a business deal."

...

After about fifteen minutes, the door to the hospital room opened.

Li Qiao, who had been gazing at the night view from the corridor window, turned her head, "Finished talking?"

Shang Yu walked over with confident strides, standing in front of her and looking up at the door, "Go in."

"Oh."

Li Qiao took two steps forward in response, then suddenly stopped, looking at Shang Yu, as if hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, the man leaned against the window, his right leg slightly bent over his left, "What is it?"

Li Qiao swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue, "It’s nothing."

She entered the hospital room at an even pace, her eyes only on Li San lying on the bed, lost in thought.

Nan Xin was still in the bathroom, not yet out.

Li Qiao approached the bed, hooked a chair with the tip of her foot to sit down, and, observing his inscrutable expression, smacked her tongue, waiting for him to speak.

Li San exhaled and squinted at her, "Have you really decided to be with him?"

"Yeah," Li Qiao nodded with a smile, "I’ve said it before; he’ll be your future brother-in-law."

Li San didn’t utter a word, his lips pressed together.

This brother-in-law, not only did he have an extraordinary presence, but he was also damn good at taking advantage of opportunities.

Just now, he had impulsively thrown out a three billion weapons order for the Border Factory, as if it were nothing.

Li San twisted his stiff neck, looking deeply at Li Qiao with a sigh, "Does mom and dad know about this?"

Li Qiao’s expression was dispassionate, "Not yet."

"Let’s put it off for a while," Li San licked his back teeth, "Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t say more. But remember, if one day he bullies you, tell me right away; your brother will take care of it for you."

Li Qiao’s indifferent eyebrows and eyes swept through a slight smile as she looked at Li San’s theatrical demeanor and said softly, "Yeah." There probably won’t be such a day.

The last sentence, Li Qiao recited in her heart without voicing it aloud.

After all, he is her own elder brother, she couldn’t really anger him to death.

As the evening wore on, Li Qiao also planned to leave the hospital ward.

Li San, pressing his lips together, hummed a tune before she left and said, "Go, call her out for me."

Li Qiao walked up nonchalantly and kicked the wooden door of the washroom with the tip of her shoe.

In an instant, Nan Xin opened the door languidly and stood there with a vacant gaze.

It seemed she had just washed her face, a few strands of her wavy long hair were sticking to her forehead, and water dripped from her chin as she asked, "Sweetie, are you leaving?"

"Yeah, my brother is calling for you."

After finishing her words, Li Qiao left the ward.

Nan Xin gazed dazedly as the door of the ward shut tightly. In the deep silence of the night, she was left alone with the boss, a lady with a single man. What should she do?

"What are you dithering for? Not coming over yet?"

Li San’s cold voice crept into her ears, making Nan Xin shiver all over. She had just moved a step when she heard him say with a sly smile, "Come, tell me, what did you just see?"

Nan Xin: "..."

Is it still possible to flee back to the Border Factory now?

...

Leaving the hospital, the car drove along the road with the streetlights outside casting a hazy yellow blur before her eyes.

Li Qiao glanced at Shang Yu sitting beside her. Before she could speak, the man threw a question at her, "Did you take time off?"

Oh, she forgot, completely forgot.

Li Qiao’s eyes flickered as she calmly fabricated, "The teacher was quite busy this afternoon; I’ll talk to him tomorrow."

Once she had spoken, she noticed Shang Yu’s dark eyes held a thought-provoking meaning. Then he reached out and pinched her cheek, "Maybe he’ll be busy tomorrow too. Call him now to ask for time off."

Li Qiao looked innocently at Shang Yu, took her phone out to check the time—almost nine o’clock, "Is it so urgent?"

The man did not verbally respond, only arching his brows meaningfully at her.

Seeing this, Li Qiao nodded, "Yeah, that works."

Shang Yu seemed to be more eager than she had expected about her going to Parma.

And so, in front of him, Li Qiao made a call to Academician Jiang.

She briefly explained her intention to take leave, and Academician Jiang breathed a sigh of relief, "No problem, is ten days enough? The research has been suspended anyway. If that’s not enough, I’ll give you twenty days."

After hanging up, Li Qiao stared at her phone screen in wonder for a long while.

Wasn’t her teacher a bit too casual in granting leave?

She faintly guessed at certain possibilities, while Liuyun’s phone in his pocket rang just then.

He supported the steering wheel with one hand, took it out for a look, and hung up mercilessly.

Li Qiao didn’t notice Liuyun’s subtle action; she twisted her head holding the phone and shrugged, "Alright, I’ve asked for leave. The teacher gave me ten days off."

"Mhm," Shang Yu curved his lips satisfactorily and looking in the rearview mirror, he instructed Liuyun, "Arrange for the flight back to Parma for Friday night."

"Yes, boss."

...

Two days later, on Thursday afternoon, Guan Mingyu and Guan Mingchen, the Guan family siblings, came to the research building again.

Since Li Qiao was set to depart for Parma after tomorrow’s graduation ceremony, she asked them to come over to discuss and hand over some matters.

In the meeting room, Guan Mingyu appeared even plumper than before.

Guan Mingchen was still wearing his faded camouflage uniform. The siblings looked at Li Qiao and Lian Zhen with no lack of respect.

At that moment, Li Qiao took out two medicine bottles from her pocket, "These two drugs have been developed by the research department specifically to treat your continuous weight gain symptoms."

Guan Mingyu’s eyes lit up, full of gratitude, "Really? Miss Li, Mr. Lian, thank you."

Li Qiao raised her hand, her expression still indifferent, "No need to thank us yet. This medication hasn’t undergone clinical trials, so we’re not sure if it would be effective for your condition.

So, starting from tomorrow, you’ll need to cooperate with the lab, allowing the research team to record the effects and reactions of the drugs promptly."

Guan Mingyu nodded without hesitation, "No problem."

Seeing this, Li Qiao and Lian Zhen exchanged glances, and then handed him the medicine bottles.

Lian Zhen nodded knowingly and then suggested to the Guan family siblings, "The drug test will probably take about a month. If it’s convenient, you can move into the dormitories in the research building. I’ve arranged rooms for you. It’s better than commuting back and forth every day."

The siblings happily accepted the arrangement.

Li Qiao gave a few more detailed instructions, then suddenly thought of something, "How did you do on your college entrance exam?"

Guan Mingyu looked directly at Li Qiao, with a slight smile on her lips, "I estimate about 650 points for myself. But the results come out tomorrow, I’ll let you know then, Miss Li."

"Mhm, go back and pack up so you can move in as soon as possible."

Not long after, the Guan family siblings hurried off from the research building.

Li Qiao stood in the corridor watching them leave, and then turned to Lian Zhen, "Senior Brother Lian, they will be your responsibility for the next few days."

"That’s no trouble at all," Lian Zhen said with a warm smile, looking down at the medicine bottle in his hand, "You go enjoy your holiday, don’t worry about the lab. Who knows, by the time you return, her condition might have already improved."

Upon hearing this, Li Qiao smiled, hoping so.