The Favored Heiress
Chapter 329: My Qiaoqiao

Chapter 329: Chapter 329: My Qiaoqiao

At 5:30 in the evening, a group of people arrived at the Shang Family Old House.

Li Qiao was dressed in a light gray casual suit; she had decided to change out of the champagne dress after all.

She rolled up her sleeves above her forearms and held a cellphone in one hand as she walked beside Shang Yu.

The two shared a similar aura and matched steps, with Liuyun and Luoyu following behind. Wang Yue, who was injured, stayed behind at the manor to recuperate.

It was said that tonight’s family banquet was attended by the entire clan.

Before long, Housekeeper Xiao led the two into a private reception room at the back hall.

At the head were two Taishi chairs, with other chairs and tea tables positioned on the left and right, resembling the style of an earlier year’s reception hall.

"Eldest Young Master, Miss Li, please rest here for a moment. The Master will be here shortly," Housekeeper Xiao said.

Shang Yu nodded at Housekeeper Xiao, and after he left, Li Qiao sat in a Taishi chair and took a sip of tea from the table.

Tonight, the whole Shang Family Clan was present; indeed, it was a grand family banquet.

Less than a minute later, leisurely footsteps could be heard from outside the door.

Li Qiao followed the sound and saw that outside the hall, the sun was setting obliquely as Shang Zonghai entered, dressed in a light brown Tang suit.

Every meeting with Shang Zonghai required Li Qiao to be fully alert.

Out of politeness, she leaned on the armrest intending to rise, but Shang Zonghai raised his hand and pressed down on his wrist, "Little girl, sit down. We’re all family here; no need for formalities."

Li Qiao nodded and straightened her sitting posture, then remained silent like a quail.

Shang Zonghai strolled over to the head and took a covered bowl cup from a servant. He held the bottom and lifted the cover to sniff it, while his gaze turned to Shang Yu and he asked, "Did you have a hand in the incident at the Eighth Families a few days ago?"

Shang Yu leaned against the armrest with his legs crossed, his posture exuding casualness and nonchalance.

He lifted his eyelids to meet Shang Zonghai’s gaze and raised his eyebrows, "Did they come to you to complain?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Zonghai was certain it was related to him.

Shang Zonghai blew on the steam from the tea cup and took a sip, "The Eighth Families are currently too preoccupied to come complaining to me.

It was the Elders’ Hall that got wind of it; they’ve been investigating many details these past days and suspect you’re involved."

"Hmm, their suspicion isn’t wrong," Shang Yu replied nonchalantly, slightly pressing down his lips.

Shang Zonghai’s gaze paused, "You’re not afraid the Elders’ Hall will hold you accountable?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qiao’s gaze, which had dropped slightly, flashed with insight—Shang Family Elders’ Hall.

She had looked through the Shang family’s genealogical structure; the position of the Elders’ Hall was essentially on a par with that of Shang Zonghai.

It was a common practice among the great families to establish an Elders’ Hall, mostly to standardize and supervise the actions of the family head and the entire clan.

The very remarks of Shang Zonghai just now highlighted the power and standing of the Elders’ Hall within the Shang’s.

Li Qiao’s thoughts were heavy as she absentmindedly took a few sips from her tea cup.

"Accountability?" At this point, Shang Yu bent his long leg slowly and crossed them. He rolled his fingertips and spoke in a resonant and chilly voice, "Who gave the Eighth Families the nerve to point a gun at my Qiaoqiao?"

At this, Shang Zonghai’s tea cup suddenly shook, and the lid fell crisply onto the rim of the cup, his tone both slow and grave as he asked back, "What did you say?"

Li Qiao felt an unexplainable warmth in her heart, her fingers involuntarily curling up.

Having known each other for so long, this was the first time she heard this address from Shang Yu’s lips.

It was not Qiaoqiao, not Li Qiao, not the good girl, but... my Qiaoqiao.

The man’s deep and mellow voice, as he uttered her name, was like a feather gently brushing across her heart, a ticklish and numbing sensation.

My Qiaoqiao!

Shang Zonghai carelessly placed the teacup on the table, his usually impassive face now tinged with visible annoyance.

He looked at Li Qiao, scrutinizing her carefully, "Girl, you’re not hurt, are you?"

Li Qiao shook her head innocently and glanced at Shang Yu before replying, "No, you can rest assured."

Shang Zonghai heaved a sigh of relief, then he called out to someone beyond the door, "Old Xiao."

Housekeeper Xiao entered in response, "Sir, your instructions?"

Shang Zonghai’s gaze lingered on Li Qiao and Shang Yu for a few seconds before narrowing his eyes and speaking in a cool tone, "After the Clan Assembly ends tomorrow, remove the collateral eight families from the Shang Family Clan genealogy. The day after tomorrow, arrange to announce it in the newspapers. The reason, cutting corners in drug development, tarnishing the reputation of a family of medical repute."

Housekeeper Xiao was taken aback, soon furrowed his brow, and nodded, "Yes, sir, I’ll see to it right away."

Not only was Housekeeper Xiao surprised, but Liuyun and Luoyu, who had accompanied them, were equally astonished.

The family head was protecting Miss Li, or rather, showing blatant favoritism.

Over the years, the relationship between the collateral branches and the main family had been like fire and water, with constant infighting, yet he had never taken the initiative to interfere.

Even the eldest, Shang Yu, and his younger brother, Shang Lu, could not gain Shang Zonghai’s overt protection.

Because whether it was an open conflict or a secret struggle, the victor was always the strongest.

However, the arrival of Miss Li disrupted this balance in minutes.

Shang Zonghai picked up his teacup again, his gaze soft as he looked at Li Qiao, and he said with a kind smile, "Girl, don’t be afraid if something happens, your uncle will make decisions for you."

Li Qiao lowered her head as if overwhelmed by the favor, thanking him verbally, yet her eyes were filled with complexity.

It was far too unexpected.

...

Meanwhile, at the Paibo Mountain Foot Manor.

Since Li Qiao and Shang Yu had returned to the old house, Shen Qingye, bored to death, was dragging Bai Luhui around for a stroll near the manor.

He wandered aimlessly, and before long suggested, "There’s nothing much to do tonight, find a bar and let’s go relax."

Bai Luhui responded and took out his phone to start looking up the addresses of famous bars in Parma.

Shen Qingye took a few more steps, and just in time, his phone rang in his pocket.

He looked at the screen, saw the blank number, and knew who it must be without guessing.

Shen Qingye answered the phone with one hand, and cautiously placed the other hand in his pocket, to prevent himself from pacing in circles again.

"Hello, Dad."

From the other end of the phone came his father’s hoarse yet steady voice, "The person who posted the transaction thread in the black market, have you found them?"

Shen Qingye was taken aback for a moment, "What for? You didn’t tell me much about the Female Stock God. Are you still planning to have me retrieve the transaction post?"

"Retrieve bullshit," his father scolded through the earpiece, then gave the order, "I’ve already had someone delete that post backstage. No matter who it is, from now on the black market website is forbidden from anyone initiating an investigation on the Female Stock God. You’ll personally handle this matter, and right after it’s done, come straight back to the Sixth Bureau."

Shen Qingye looked at the phone screen, puzzled, "Wait, Dad, what do you mean? Maybe the person was just curious, so they made a transaction post, does it warrant..."

Before he could finish, the person on the other end issued a stern command, "Cut the crap, report back to the Sixth Bureau by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

With that, the call ended.

Shen Qingye was utterly confused, but he also felt that things were not so simple.

The black market trading site had never restricted any information content, so why suddenly ban transactions related to the Female Stock God?