The Favored Heiress
Chapter 311: Fa Family Crown Prince

Chapter 311: Chapter 311: Fa Family Crown Prince

Li Qiao lowered her eyelids, stroking her fingertips, her thoughts heavy.

After mulling it over, she narrowed her eyes looking across at Shang Yu, "Was the accident this time the work of the collateral branch?"

Asking in such an implicit way indicated meticulous thinking; if it really was the Shang Clan’s collateral branch involved, then it would certainly warrant precaution.

At that moment, Shang Yu slowly lit a cigarette in his hand. The sparse smoke swirled in the air, veiling his contours, "Maybe, but not necessarily."

Li Qiao narrowed her eyes but didn’t make a sound.

Shang Yu’s answer was enough to show that he currently couldn’t pinpoint who was behind it.

The modified vehicle had been deliberately wiped of all traces, undoubtedly to mislead everyone.

But that didn’t mean it was untraceable.

Li Qiao sighed, leaning against the couch and resting her forehead on her hand as she began to ponder.

Shortly afterward, Liuyun answered a phone call and then brought the mobile phone over to Shang Yu, saying earnestly, "Boss, there’s a situation."

He took Liuyun’s cellphone and glanced at it, rising to his feet and passing by Li Qiao, he ruffled her hair, "There’s an attic upstairs. If you’re bored, you can check it out."

Li Qiao shook her head and rubbed his palm, looking towards the living room exit, "Got it, go ahead with your work, don’t worry about me."

Shang Yu walked out of the living room with steady steps.

Li Qiao watched through the window and saw him standing near the fountain, picking up the phone with a stern expression.

Her eyes flickered slightly, and then she asked Luoyu to take her to the attic on the top floor.

Outside the attic door, Li Qiao stopped, "I’ll take a look around by myself, no need for you to accompany me."

Luoyu didn’t think much of it, considering the estate’s vicinity was quite safe, and descended the stairs after giving her a response.

Li Qiao stood still, listening closely until she was certain Luoyu had left the attic’s vicinity, then she pushed the door open and entered.

She firmly closed the wooden door of the attic behind her, a bright halo of light spread on the brown floor from the rounded arch of stained glass window, dispelling the gloom in the attic.

Li Qiao’s gaze swept across the room, everything seemed orderly, not at all cluttered.

After a brief glance, she casually walked towards the stained glass window, looking down at the scenery of the estate below, then she opened the contact list, unlocking the hidden names.

Li Qiao held her phone, her thumb and forefinger rubbing together, as if hesitating, as if deliberating.

But after a brief inner struggle, emotion won over rationale.

She looked at the contact marked [L], and dialed the number straightaway.

The phone rang three times before hanging up.

Li Qiao looked at her phone expressionlessly, "..."

She dialed again, and this time the person on the other end picked up, but the tone was extremely irritable, "Who’s this? Who the hell calls in the middle of the night?"

Li Qiao’s eyelid twitched—was he abroad?

She lowered her eyelids, lips curling into a smile, "Haven’t seen you for years, the crown prince of the Fa Family seems to have grown quite a temper."

On the other end of the line, a suffocating silence followed, and then—

Loud clattering and ringing were ear-piercingly harsh.

An alarm clock was knocked over, a water glass fell to the ground, and in a shock, he lifted his hand to look at the screen, inadvertently letting the phone smack him on the forehead.

The person jolted up from the bed, breathing rapidly, "You, you, you, you..."

In the entire world, only one person would call him "Fa Family Crown Prince."

"Yes, it’s me," Li Qiao answered calmly and directly went to the point, "Help me look up a car, a Ferrari Enzo."

...

Half an hour later, Li Qiao left the attic leisurely.

When she returned to the downstairs living room, Shang Yu had not come back.

Li Qiao looked out the window only to see Liuyun and Luoyu chatting not far away, while a Bentley car had parked near the fountain at some unknown time, with no sign of Shang Yu.

She didn’t give it much thought and just sat in the living room for a while until her phone rang.

Li Qiao looked down and saw that it was her third brother, Li Cheng.

She picked up the phone with a forced smile, and Li Cheng’s voice came through immediately, "Where are you?"

His speaking pace had returned to normal, and although his voice was low, it was no longer weak.

Li Qiao touched her eyebrow and responded with a light voice, "Parma."

"Which..." Before he could finish, Li Cheng closed his mouth, took a breath, and sneered coldly, "Quite daring, when did you go?"

"I just arrived yesterday," answered Li Qiao, responding to every question.

Li Cheng licked his back teeth and glanced toward the direction of the washroom, his face filled with dissatisfaction, "When are you coming back?"

Li Qiao pondered for a moment and gave a particularly vague answer, "I’m not sure."

Li Cheng closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and after calming down, he instructed, "Be careful on your own, and after you’re back in South Sea, come to the hospital to check in."

After he finished speaking, he ended the call.

Li Qiao twisted her eyebrows, looking confused.

Was this... that Nan Xin hadn’t taken good care of him?

When her third brother was sent to the private hospital, Nan Xin volunteered, saying that she would act as a caregiver to look after him.

It had only been a few days, and she was already neglecting her duties?

Li Qiao held her phone in thought, considering whether to give Nan Xin a call to inquire about the situation, when footsteps suddenly came from behind her.

She turned her head and saw three people descending the stairs, surprise on her face as she stood up.

Around the corner of the spiral staircase, Shang Yu was leading the way, followed by a man and a woman, both unfamiliar faces.

Shang Yu descended the steps with a lazy stride, and upon seeing Li Qiao, he smiled and asked, "Finished touring the attic?"

Li Qiao nodded, her gaze moving past the man’s shoulder to size up the two others.

They seemed to be siblings, with similar features and a pair of narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes that gleamed sharply.

At the same time, those two were also sizing up Li Qiao.

Huo Mang was right; Shaoyan had indeed brought back a young and beautiful girl.

At this moment, Shang Yu approached Li Qiao, wrapped an arm around her shoulder with a voice both deep and steady, "My girlfriend, Li Qiao."

Then, disregarding their surprised expressions, he lowered his head to introduce Li Qiao, "He family siblings, He Qing, He Xi."

Li Qiao looked up at him, and then exchanged pleasantries with the He family siblings, "Hello."

He Qing appeared to be in his late twenties, his long eyes narrowing slightly, his scrutinizing gaze resting on Li Qiao as he responded with a nod.

As for He Xi, she greeted Li Qiao with a light smile, "First time in Parma?"

Li Qiao nodded in response, "Yes, the first time."

"How do you like it?" He Xi seemed quite talkative compared to the indifferent He Qing.

As they walked towards the living room sofa, she continued, "You must have lived in South Sea all along. Parma is quite humid; are you not used to it?"

Li Qiao, sitting beside Shang Yu, smiled lightly, "No, I’m okay."

Li Qiao was not particularly fond of overly friendly exchanges with strangers.

But out of regard for Shang Yu’s friends, she tried to interact with He Xi as patiently as possible.

At this moment, He Qing picked up Shang Yu’s cigarette case from the table, took out a cigarette, and paused in his actions, "Do you mind?"

He was asking Li Qiao.

He Xi snatched the cigarette directly from his hand and smoothly placed it in her own mouth.