The Favored Heiress
Chapter 346: Unwilling?

Chapter 346: Chapter 346: Unwilling?

Liuyun had just finished reporting when Housekeeper Xiao immediately returned to their table.

Housekeeper Xiao conveyed that the master had summoned Shang Yu to the Council Hall.

Shang Yu held his teacup and took a small sip, his deep gaze lowered slightly, his expression inscrutable, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

Li Qiao rested her arm on the table, lightly tapping her fingers, and turned to ask, "Where is Wen Shi?"

Liuyun stepped forward, bowed his head, and replied, "In the Tianchen Residence in the back courtyard."

Hearing this, Li Qiao nodded in understanding, withdrew her gaze to look at Shang Yu, and motioned with her lips towards the door, "Go ahead with your business, don’t mind me."

The man slowly lifted his eyelids, his gaze falling on her Bluetooth headset, the corners of his mouth slightly curved, "If you don’t want to attend the Clan Assembly this afternoon, you can wait for me in the room."

Li Qiao raised her eyebrows, pondered for a moment, and then smiled lightly, "Okay."

She indeed did not want to participate in such a family discussion meeting, and it would also be a good opportunity to do something else.

Shang Yu pushed himself up from the table corner gradually standing up, his tall and slender figure casting a dark shadow. He took a step to the side, hesitated for a moment, and then ruffled Li Qiao’s hair before lifting her chin and pecking her on the lips, "I’ll be back in no time."

Li Qiao nodded in response, her eyes brimming with laughter, urging him to hurry up.

After Shang Yu and Housekeeper Xiao had left, Li Qiao, guided by Liuyun, also made her way to the back courtyard.

Near the Tianchen Residence, after circling the quiet long corridor, there was a stand-alone garden villa up ahead, with several bodyguards standing at the door.

Each one wore a black and gold Eagle Beak Ring on their little finger.

Li Qiao took several glances at the emblem of the eagle’s beak, which seemed somewhat familiar to her.

But without any leads at the moment, she diverted her gaze and entered the villa lounge.

...

The layout of the room was simple, an ancient style blended with modern minimalism.

At this moment, Wen Shi was tied to a Taishi Chair, his jaw swollen, his eyes bloodshot, like a spiritless walking corpse, utterly lifeless.

Luoyu stood guard behind him, and upon seeing Li Qiao enter, he bowed his head and called out, "Miss Li."

Li Qiao took a seat to one side, tapped the Bluetooth headset on her ear, and immediately, Yun Lih’s mocking voice came through, "Next time the two of you flirt, could you hang up the phone first?"

Clearly, he had heard the dialogue between Li Qiao and Shang Yu in the parlor.

And the Bluetooth headset had remained in a state of communication the entire time.

Li Qiao rubbed her earlobe and swayed her leg, "How’s the progress with Universe?"

Liuyun and Luoyu looked at each other in bewilderment. Universe?

Just as they were about to ask, they realized Miss Li was speaking into the Bluetooth headset.

At that moment, Yun Lih exhaled and flipped through the financial advisor’s report, "Her cryptocurrency has crashed, next up is the gold market."

Li Qiao caressed her fingertips and squinted, "Is her gold trading primarily long or short?"

Yun Lih let out a cold laugh, "Most of it is long."

As expected, Shang Fu, who would speculate in the cryptocurrency market, would certainly choose speculative methods for gold trading as well.

"Okay, tell the financial advisor to leverage up and see if there’s any reaction from her company’s end."

After giving these instructions, Li Qiao pressed her temples and then turned to look at Wen Shi, a sneer tugging at her lips, "You’ve done so much for Shang Fu, and she still hasn’t come to save you?"

Wen Shi’s gaze trembled, his Adam’s apple moved, and he pressed his lips together stubbornly, refusing to speak.

Li Qiao looked at the teacup in her hand, picked it up and fiddled with the tea leaves with the lid, her tone taunting, "So loyal to her, after tonight, you two might just become a pair of unfortunate siblings."

With that, Wen Shi finally reacted.

He turned rigidly to look at Li Qiao, his arms tied to the armrests struggling, his eyes reddening further as he hoarsely said, "I don’t understand what you’re saying."

"Really don’t understand?" Li Qiao tilted her head, her fingers loosened, and the lid clattered crisply against the rim of the cup as she looked at Wen Shi meaningfully.

Perhaps never having seen Li Qiao like this before, Wen Shi couldn’t help but freeze.

In his memory, the lady was always so distant and cold, seemingly indifferent to everything, and very few people managed to enter her world.

Having known her for so long, he had never seen Li Qiao in such a wild and reckless manner.

He took a deep breath, pushing down the strange feeling in his heart, and murmured hoarsely, "Xiao Li, kidnapping Tang Yiting was my own doing, unrelated to anyone else..."

Even now, Wen Shi was still defending Shang Fu.

Li Qiao placed the teacup down with a lack of interest and leaned back on the armrest, propping her chin, "You can’t even save yourself, yet you’re still protecting your dear elder sister? The cause of your parents’ deaths, it was Shang Fu who told you, right? Since you’re an adult now, can’t you investigate for yourself? You believe whatever others tell you?"

Wen Shi’s gaze became fixed for a few seconds, and then he suddenly laughed hoarsely.

His laughter was unpleasant, as if his vocal cords were damaged, making the sound piercing, "Li Qiao, blaming Shang Shaoyan for your own confusion? If I had known you couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, I would not have shown you any mercy back in South Sea."

Li Qiao looked down at her nails, her lips curling impatiently, "The pot calling the kettle black."

Wen Shi was momentarily speechless, his stare at Li Qiao filled with unconcealed anger and derision.

"Keep an eye on him, I need to step out for a bit."

Li Qiao, not wishing to waste more words on him, stood up and left the room after dropping a remark.

Luoyu and Liuyun exchanged a word and promptly followed her out.

...

The time hadn’t even reached half-past one, yet relatives from the collateral branches were scattered throughout the old mansion.

In the vicinity of this rest area, it was relatively quiet.

Li Qiao lazily meandered through the corridors, eyeing the plaques on each rest room door. Her gaze flickered, and she asked Luoyu, "Where is the Suhua Pavilion?"

Shang Yu had mentioned that the rest rooms for the eleven families of the collateral branch were the Suhua Pavilion.

Luoyu gestured towards the right-hand side up ahead, "It’s behind that archway."

Li Qiao took a casual glance in that direction, her brows playfully raised.

In these distinguished families, they truly had a habit of ranking people.

The exclusive rest rooms of Shang Fu and Shang Qiongying turned out to be the most dilapidated and narrow one in the entire backyard.

"It looks... the scenery isn’t bad."

Li Qiao seriously offered her appraisal while Luoyu gave her a sideways glance, silent.

Miss Li, you sure love to joke.

The two walked leisurely down the corridor, and before long, they arrived near the Suhua Pavilion.

Li Qiao swept her peripheral vision over the activities over there, then lazily took a seat beside the railing.

Luoyu stood quietly behind her, watching in all directions, ready for anything.

There were also rest rooms for other collateral branches near the Suhua Pavilion, and Miss Li’s presence here undeniably exposed her to the public eye.

She worried that someone might approach and provoke her.

As she thought this, the distinct sound of high heels clacking on stone pavement came sharply to her ears.

Li Qiao, who was leaning against the railing admiring the view, chuckled softly.

She didn’t move, pretending not to hear.

Suddenly, the sound of the high heels stopped at the foot of the corridor’s steps. Shang Fu stood on the pebble path, her expression taut, squinting her eyes at Li Qiao.

She quickly adjusted her emotions, concealed the irritation in her eyes, and gathered her hair before stepping onto the stairway, "What wind blew you here?"

Li Qiao turned her gaze, looking indifferently at Shang Fu, "Does Elder Sister Shang mean I shouldn’t come?"

Shang Fu’s expression subtly shifted, and she covered her mouth with a light laugh, using it to hide the disgust in her eyes, "Of course, you can. You are a distinguished guest personally recommended by the family head, so naturally, you can move freely throughout the old mansion."

"Hmm, good to know," replied Li Qiao, her gaze calm and undisturbed, not caring in the slightest even though Shang Fu’s words carried a hint of condescension.

Shang Fu’s breathing hitched, her eyes revealing clear dissatisfaction. What a senseless creature.

She held her chin high arrogantly, unable to resist sneering, "Although you are qualified to attend the Shang Family Clan Assembly, don’t be arrogant.

You come from a minor background, and you might not understand the rules for the Shang’s heirs taking a wife. It’s not something one person can decide alone."

Li Qiao’s fingers gently caressed the railing, going along with the flow, "Elder Sister Shang is right, it’s obviously a matter for two people. He may want to marry, but I also have to be willing."

Shang Fu’s chest heaved as she sharply inhaled, detesting Li Qiao’s nonchalant tone to the extreme.

Her eyes dark with contempt, she sneered, "I hope you can keep this confidence."

Li Qiao looked at the artificial hill, lightly curving her lips, "Thanks for your kind words. Oh, by the way, instead of bickering with me, Elder Sister Shang might want to take a stroll near the Tianchen Residence, you may find an unexpected gain."

Upon hearing this, Shang Fu glanced disdainfully at Li Qiao and flicked her wavy long hair, "Sorry, I don’t have time."

Having said that, she hurried away in her high heels.

She couldn’t waste any more time with Li Qiao, because she still had to discuss strategies with the younger aunt.

There was a problem with virtual currency, and if the regulatory authorities discovered this matter, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Li Qiao eyed her hasty pace, her eyelids lowering slightly, her smile deepening.

She had given Shang Fu a chance, but too bad... Shang Fu didn’t seize it, so it was time to play a bigger game.

As she was thinking this, another set of steady footsteps came around the corner of the corridor.

Li Qiao turned her head towards the sound, and before she could see who it was, her vision dimmed as Shang Yu’s rich voice reached her ear, "He may want to marry, but I also have to be willing? Hmm?"

Shang Yu had arrived, and quite unexpectedly.

Li Qiao was still pondering this familiar statement when Liuyun in the earpiece quipped, "Damn, the call dropped."

Luoyu silently retreated a few steps, leaving the area to the two of them.

At that moment, Li Qiao’s eyes fell on Shang Yu’s neckline, and she cleared her throat, looking up.

He heard that statement?

Shang Yu’s gaze was deep, one hand bracing against the railing behind Li Qiao, the other in his pocket, as he leaned over to meet her eyes, "It sounds like you’re not willing?"

Li Qiao’s peripheral vision scanned the direction Shang Fu had left, her lesson needed to be a bit more profound.

The backyard was almost set ablaze because of her.

Li Qiao rubbed her forehead, raised her arm, and rested it on the man’s forearm, forcibly changing the subject, "That’s not true... Have you finished up?"

Shang Yu looked at her small movements and pressed his thin lips together, "Hmm, why didn’t you wait for me at Tianchen Residence?"

"The scenery here is quite nice." Li Qiao surveyed the surroundings, boldly lying with her eyes open.

Shang Yu observed her evasive gaze and didn’t expose her. His arm tensed, and he pulled her up from the railing, his voice curling with an ambiguous smile, "There’s a place with even better views."