The Favored Heiress
Chapter 350: Being Petulant

Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Being Petulant

A farce had come to a complete end after Wen Shi and Shang Fu were publicly taken away.

Wen Shi would always remember how shocked and lost he had been when Li Qiao uttered those words.

After going around in circles for many years, perhaps he had truly been wrong.

No matter how tragic the circumstances and life might be, one eventually had to pay for one’s actions.

After sending off the police and the committee, Housekeeper Xiao returned to Tianchen Residence to report, and Shang Zonghai publicly announced something else.

The Collateral Branch family number eleven, which Shang Fu belonged to, was suspected of financial fraud, disgracing the family’s name and were expelled from the Shang’s family tree effective immediately, never to return to the clan.

The house from Collateral Branch number eight was stripped of its status for falsifying pharmaceutical research and tarnishing the reputation of a lineage known for medicine, revoking their collateral branch status and expelling all members from the family tree.

In the span of a single day, one branch lost its title, and a relative was cast out of the family.

Everyone present as onlookers knew very well that all of this was likely inextricably linked to Li Qiao.

At the same time, at Suhua Pavilion.

Shang Qiongying, with her fingers painted in red nail polish, slowly caressed her pearl earrings as she listened to the report from her confidant.

She sat elegantly, with a calm expression that revealed no discomfort.

"It’s true that those who are accustomed to taking shortcuts will be caught, Little Fu brought this upon herself."

Summoning the courage, the confidant asked, "Madam, are you really not going to do anything for the young miss?"

Shang Qiongying casually picked up the red tea from the table, playing with the leaves and chuckled softly, "What do you want me to do? She touched something she shouldn’t have, acted rashly without understanding the other party, and now you want the whole family of Branch Eleven to indulge her nonsense?"

The confidant’s eyes flickered, nodding without saying another word.

Shortly after, Shang Qiongying glanced at the schedule on her phone and murmured softly, "Book a flight to the South Sea for the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, Madam."

...

In Tianchen Residence, under Shang Zonghai’s signal, all the onlooking members of the collateral families started to leave.

In the center of the living room, Shang Yu stood with bloody hands, his lips set in a firm line, saying nothing.

Li Qiao, holding his palm with one hand, wiped the bloodstains from his hand with a wet cloth, little by little.

The blood had dried due to the time passed and was not easy to clean.

Shang Zonghai approached them, relieved, and looked at the bruising on Li Qiao’s neck. "Girl, are you okay?"

There were reddish-purple finger marks on each side of her neck, likely left by Wen Shi.

Li Qiao paused for a moment, looked back at Shang Zonghai with a light smile, and shook her head: "I’m fine, Uncle doesn’t need to worry."

Shang Zonghai sighed and glanced at the chilly and handsome Shang Yu, "It’s good you’re okay. Dinner starts at five in the evening; don’t dally too long. Be there on time."

Hearing this, he turned around and called out, "Liuyun, Luoyu, come with me."

Thus, only Shang Yu and Li Qiao were left in the entire Tianchen Residence.

From outside the window, some daring members of the collateral families occasionally passed by to take a look, but were quickly dispersed by the bodyguards at the door.

In the living room, silent stillness spread to every corner.

Li Qiao stood in front of Shang Yu, brushing her fingers against his palm, "Go wash it, it’s not coming clean."

Shang Yu slowly raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping across her eyes and the marks on her neck. His lips turned pale as he drew his hand back and silently walked towards the bathroom.

Li Qiao stood in place looking at her fingers, threw the wet cloth into the trash can, and then followed him.

In the bathroom, the faucet ran as Shang Yu leaned over the Glazed Pavilion, hunched with his head down and hair dangling in front of his face, his expression indiscernible.

Li Qiao looked at him, forced a smile, and squeezed past him to test the water temperature. Then she directly took his hand and placed it under the flow of the tap.

She grabbed a handful of foam from the automatic soap dispenser and evenly applied it to Shang Yu’s long hands. As she rubbed his hands, she mumbled, "I let him grab me on purpose. If I hadn’t done that, there would be no way to frame him."

Wen Shi, even when uninjured, couldn’t defeat her, let alone a Wen Shi at the end of his tether.

Li Qiao patiently explained, thinking that Shang Yu must understand her intention.

He couldn’t stand seeing himself hurt, and she was clear about that.

As Li Qiao was looking up at the mirror, about to say, "I’m not hurt either, why are you angry," she suddenly noticed two finger marks on her neck.

Li Qiao: "..."

Wen Shi’s strength was quite formidable; she hadn’t noticed at the time, but now, suddenly seeing the marks, she felt a slight soreness when she twisted her neck.

Li Qiao’s eyes flickered, feeling guilty.

She quietly finished washing Shang Yu’s hands and then considerately used a towel to dry the water stains for him.

The more than ten-square-meter washroom was quite spacious, but at the moment, it felt somewhat cramped and oppressive.

Shang Yu’s tall physique stood before her, his handsome profile betraying no hint of emotional fluctuation.

Li Qiao looked at him, cleared her throat, and then pulled his hand to press against her neck, "Rub it for me, it hurts a bit."

But the man’s hand hadn’t yet touched her skin when, in the next second, Li Qiao was directly pulled by the shoulder and pressed against the wall.

It was so sudden that her elbow swung out and hit the door frame with a clang, slightly grating on the ears.

Li Qiao’s back pressed against the cool wall, she gasped, and her chin was instantly lifted.

Shang Yu’s crisp breath showered down, familiar yet his voice was incredibly low, "If you knew it would hurt, why did you let him pinch you?"

There were countless ways to punish an opponent, yet she had chosen the most lowly method.

Testing dangers with one’s own body might be acceptable for others, but not for her.

It made him feel extremely incapable, unable to fully protect the girl he cherished.

If the police hadn’t shown up, he certainly wouldn’t have let Wen Shi leave the old house alive today.

Forced to look up, Li Qiao gazed into the man’s eyes, cold as a deep pool, and her heart tightened.

He was truly angry.

Unlike every other time, she had occasionally been hurt before, but Shang Yu had never looked at her with such a dark, profound gaze, gloomy and icy as though it could freeze one’s soul.

Li Qiao curled her fingers, knowing she was in the wrong, and slowly scratched at his wrist, "I just..."

"Li Qiao, you always have many reasons."

See, so angry that he was calling her by her name directly.

Li Qiao wanted to coax him some more, but the man had already let go of her and turned to leave the washroom.

His footsteps were strong and decisive, accompanied by the sound of the mansion door being kicked open, as if he had left Tianchen Residence.

Li Qiao didn’t chase after him; she just leaned against the wall and sighed helplessly.

How could she have forgotten, Shang Yu was obsessive.

The things he was set on were not easily changed.

Li Qiao fell silent for a few seconds, then stepped again in front of the mirror to carefully examine her injuries, cursing Wen Shi to be struck by lightning.

...

As it neared five o’clock, the family banquet was about to begin.

Luoyu returned to Tianchen Residence and reminded Li Qiao it was time to head to the dining hall.

Li Qiao, nesting on the sofa, lifted her eyelids with little interest, "What about him?"

Luoyu nodded, after a moment of thought still decided to tell the truth, "The boss just left."