The Favored Heiress
Chapter 322:

Chapter 322: Chapter 322:

Shen Qingye opened the black market website and indeed saw a newly posted transaction at the top of the page.

He clicked on the post, quickly read through the content inside, and suspiciously retorted, "Female Stock God?"

Li Qiao swung her leg slightly and nodded, "Mhm, have you heard of her before?"

Shen Qingye furrowed his thick brows in thought and pondered for a while, "No, the stock market has been sluggish in recent years; I’ve never heard of any so-called Female Stock God."

"It’s not from the past few years, at least... twenty years ago," Li Qiao provided the answer in a calm voice.

Shen Qingye glanced at her and replied while operating his phone, "No wonder. I’ve blocked the transaction post, the Sixth Bureau won’t take this deal."

Li Qiao: "..."

She looked at Shen Qingye wistfully, her fingers curled and her gaze slightly narrowed, "Are you unable to find out, or are you looking for a fight?"

Shen Qingye laughed complacently, "We border Xiao Qi Zai don’t need to post to find out what we want to know.

Don’t worry, I’ll check for you. If it’s something from twenty years ago, I’ll ask my dad when I have a moment, he might know."

Li Qiao glanced at Shen Qingye with the corner of her lips twitching, about to say something but then hesitating.

After a while, she turned her head away and silently sighed, "Thanks."

Shen Qingye said there was no need for thanks, and then the two of them sat on the bench, watching the sky gradually darken, each lost in their thoughts.

...

The next day, at 8 a.m., the sun was shining bright.

Shen Qingye and Bai Luhui were taking a walk in the manor.

Following a step behind, Bai Luhui raised his eyes to Shen Qingye’s profile and murmured, "Yesterday noon, near the intersection on Paibo Mountain Road, there was a car accident."

Shen Qingye looked back at him, "And then?"

The news from the Sixth Bureau always carried a clear direction.

As the head of the action team, Bai Luhui wouldn’t mention a car accident out of the blue.

At this moment, Bai Luhui looked up, his expression revealing a maturity beyond his years, "It was a red Ferrari; it intended to hit the Bentley that Miss Li and Master Yan were in."

Shen Qingye paused in his step, his eyes filled with turbulent waves, "Who instigated it?"

Clearly, he had no doubts about the reality of the car accident.

Bai Luhui narrowed his eyes, his expression slightly odd, "We did find some clues but..."

Before he could finish, footsteps approached from behind them.

Shen Qingye and Bai Luhui turned around at the same time, to see Liuyun walking towards them with a confident stride, stopping in front of them, and nodding, "Young Director Shen, Mr. Bai, Master Yan has summoned you."

"Alright, I’m on my way," Shen Qingye replied languidly, giving Bai Luhui a look, and the two tacitly put a pin in their earlier conversation.

Back in the living room, Shang Yu and Li Qiao were each sitting in a single-seat sofa.

Li Qiao was looking down at her phone, seemingly messaging, while the man’s gaze stayed on the girl’s figure, the atmosphere seemingly too intimate for outsiders to interrupt, prompting Shen Qingye to curl his lip in distaste.

Without doing anything, he always felt that Shang Shaoyan was flaunting his love wherever he was.

Shen Qingye casually walked over and sat down in the sofa, arm resting on the armrest, and tilted his chin up at Shang Yu, "Master Yan, what can I do for you?"

"Did Young Director Shen come to Parma with any other plans?" Shang Yu turned his eyes towards Shen Qingye, his voice imbued with his unique deep and magnetic steadiness.

Shen Qingye nodded solemnly, "Yes, to look for her."

As he said this, he nodded his head towards Li Qiao, as if it were only natural.

Seeing this, Shang Yu looked at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. Their gazes met, with a hint of rivalry in the air.

Seconds later, Shen Qingye conceded defeat; he touched his eyebrow, his gaze wandering, and added, "Nothing important, mainly to relax."

No wonder his father warned him not to make an enemy of Shang Shaoyan.

This guy’s mere gaze could make him feel wary; it appeared his old man’s advice wasn’t unfounded.

Feeling bothered, Shen Qingye caught a glimpse of Li Qiao, who had been silent all along and seemed quite serious about whatever she was doing on her phone.

Curious, he craned his neck forward for a better look and was immediately at a loss for words.

Shen Qingye, regardless of Shang Yu’s presence, kicked Li Qiao’s heel with his toe, "After so many years, you’re still playing this lousy game? Can’t you aspire to something else?"

Li Qiao slid her thumb on the screen, nonchalantly retorted, "Can’t."

In reality, she wasn’t playing a game; she just switched the screen the moment Shen Qingye looked at it.

Then, Shang Yu tapped his long fingers on the armrest twice, his deep gaze falling on Shen Qingye, "If you have no other plans, let’s head out together."

Shen Qingye slumped in the sofa with great interest, his face full of curiosity, "Where to? Do we need additional hands?"

"The resort."

...

That morning at 10 o’clock, two helicopters took off from the Paibo Mountain Foot Manor.

The helicopter Shen Qingye and Bai Luhui were aboard still had three bullet holes, courtesy of Li Qiao.

There was no one else on the plane. The two were wearing noise-cancelling headsets, speaking quietly through the mic.

Shen Qingye, lounging lazily in his chair, asked, "What have you found out about that car accident?"

Sitting upright near the cabin door, Bai Luhui gazed at the city streets below, "It was done by someone from the Shang family."

Shen Qingye let out a dismissive cold laugh, "That’s not surprising, Shang Shaoyan is the rightful heir to the Shang Family Clan lineage, and all those from the collateral branches are eyeing him, wishing him dead is not just one or two people’s desire."

As he finished speaking, Bai Luhui withdrew his gaze from the window and turned his head to purse his lips, "According to the clues uncovered by the Sixth Bureau, the person who took action... doesn’t seem to be from the collateral branches."

Shen Qingye, who had been drooping his eyelids, suddenly flipped them open, his eyes sharp, "What do you mean?"

If it wasn’t one of the innumerable collateral branches of the Shang family, it surely couldn’t be... the main family?

...

Half an hour later, two helicopters landed at Qishan World Resort Village on the neighboring island.

The island was about two hundred kilometers away from the main city. The entire island had been developed into a resort village with countless theme parks as well.

This was the vacation paradise introduced by Shang Zonghai, which had opened for business less than a month ago.

The island was well-appointed, with scenery filled with the rich flavor of Parma everywhere, including miniature landscapes of some globally iconic buildings.

Li Qiao and Shang Yu were the first to disembark from the airplane.

Shen Qingye’s helicopter, however, had yet to arrive and was circling in the sky behind them.

Li Qiao stood on the helipad surrounded by the sea, looking around. Not far opposite her, the port was dotted with several yachts, but there weren’t many tourists on the island, imparting a sense of serene isolation from the world.

At that moment, two figures slowly approached from the front.

Shang Fu, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, and... another woman with a dignified aura, a middle-aged lady.

Shang Qiongying.

Li Qiao’s mind flashed with the name instantly.

Soon, the two people from the opposite side reached near the helipad.

Shang Fu’s eyes swept past Li Qiao, and in the next second, were fixed unwaveringly on Shang Yu.

The lady beside her held an Hermes crocodile skin handbag in one hand, her hair done up, wearing an ankle-length dark brown cheongsam, standing a few steps away with a graceful demeanor.

Shang Fu, dressed in a sharp, black jumpsuit, wore a proper smile, "Auntie, it seems we’ve come at an inconvenient time today."

Those words carried a hidden meaning, and without any change in expression, Li Qiao glanced at Shang Qiongying before turning to gaze into the distance, feigning interest in the view.

Hearing this, Shang Qiongying, without a sideways glance at Shang Yu, slightly bowed, exuding modesty, "Eldest Young Master."

This was the etiquette required of a Collateral Branch family head when meeting the main family’s heir.

Shang Yu, one hand in his pocket, stood broad-shouldered in front of Shang Qiongying, his response cool and contained, "Hmm."

Shang Qiongying stepped aside, lifting her head again, her smile faint, "Since the Eldest Young Master is busy today, we won’t bother you any further."

Throughout the encounter, Shang Qiongying’s eyes never even glanced at Li Qiao.

After these words, she led Shang Fu past the helipad, toward the nearby port.

Li Qiao watched their retreating figures thoughtfully, her eyes revealing a tumult of emotions.

This wasn’t an encounter, but it allowed her to clearly grasp the depths of Shang Qiongying’s machinations.

A Collateral Branch family head, adhering to etiquette, and acting with careful consideration, her modest self-restraint concealed any overstepping, making her all the more inscrutable.

This woman probably perfectly embodied the saying, "A calm surface with thunder in the heart."

At this moment, Shang Yu was leading Li Qiao toward the resort house, while in the distant garden path, Shang Fu furrowed her brows, her expression displeased, "Auntie, why were you so courteous to Shaoyan just now?

We came here for business today, and just our luck, the resort was closed temporarily for him, it’s a clear slap in our face."

The business partners had already sailed from the Parma Coast, only to have to leave in the middle of their visit due to the resort village’s unexpected closure.

Shang Qiongying, walking at a measured pace in her high heels, paused when she heard Shang Fu’s discontented tone, her gaze deep and tranquil as she looked at her, "And if I weren’t polite to him, would you have the main family label me as disrespectful of my superiors?"

Shang Fu’s eyes cast downward, concealing the sarcasm in her gaze, "Auntie, I just can’t stand it..."

"Can’t stand it?" Shang Qiongying scoffed, her eyes full of scorn, "That is the difference between the main family and the collateral branches. What can you do about it if you can’t stand it?

Shang Fu, better put away your little scheming early on. This is Parma, not the South Sea.

The next time you see Shaoyan, you’d best refer to him as ’Eldest Young Master’ as well.

Otherwise, if the main family makes things difficult for you, don’t blame me for not protecting you."

This warning instantly turned Shang Fu’s cheeks pale with shock.

She breathed a bit faster and suddenly looked up at Shang Qiongying, puzzled and confused, "Auntie, is that really necessary? Even though we are from the collateral branch, in terms of kinship, you are his elder, why should you..."

"Shut your mouth!" Shang Qiongying cut her off sharply, composed herself after a few seconds, and then touched her hair bun, her gaze distant as she looked out to the coastline, "Do you really think today’s encounter was coincidental?"

"Auntie, this..."

Shang Qiongying regarded Shang Fu with contempt and then curved her lips in a knowing smile, "Someone intentionally arranged for us to meet."

Shang Fu wanted to ask more, but Shang Qiongying had already continued walking forward, only revealing a hint of a smile when they approached the port, "A game within a game, Shang Zonghai, you truly have good tactics."