The Favored Heiress
Chapter 386: Big Brother’s Woman, Even a Handshake is Not Allowed!

Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Big Brother’s Woman, Even a Handshake is Not Allowed!

Shang Yu crossed his legs, took a puff of his cigarette with thin lips, and opened his palm to her, "Come here."

Li Qiao stepped forward and extended her hand to the man, simultaneously glancing at Qiu Huan with a nonchalant air, "Does Master Qiu have myopia?"

Qiu Huan coughed twice and compliantly nodded, "Mm, yes, recently my vision hasn’t been great."

Li Qiao curled her lips and paid him no mind.

At that moment, Shang Yu hooked her waist and had her sit on the armrest while he ashed his cigarette into an ashtray at his side, "Huo Ming, call her sister-in-law."

"Sister-in-law." Huo Ming, sitting across with a deep voice, called out and bent forward to rise, gesturing a handshake toward Li Qiao, "I’m Huo Ming."

Out of politeness, Li Qiao bent her legs, intending to stand up from the armrest, but Shang Yu held her waist with a slight force, making it clear he wouldn’t let go.

As the man sat in the single-seater sofa, circling the girl’s waist, he glanced lightly at Huo Ming, "No need to be formal."

Huo Ming said nothing further, immediately withdrew his hand, and reseated himself.

Awesome.

The big brother’s girl, he doesn’t even allow a handshake.

This possessiveness is really something!

Li Qiao took a brief moment to look at Huo Ming’s face, no wonder he seemed familiar—it was Huo Mang’s brother.

And wasn’t he the... big idiot Tang Yiting talked about?

Indeed, Huo Ming didn’t fit the handsome, flower-boy type like Lu Xiheng. His overly profound features were extremely distinct, and when expressionless, he looked quite unapproachable.

Suddenly, she felt a tightening at her waistline as the man stealthily pinched her.

Li Qiao leant against Shang Yu’s shoulder, withdrew her gaze from Huo Ming’s face, and began absentmindedly playing with her nails.

At this time, Huo Ming tugged at his shirt, his brown eyes looking towards Shang Yu, "Brother, have you also no news of Qin Si?"

Shang Yu pursed his lips and drew on his cigarette, the smoke swirling around, blurring his expressions, "Hmm, if he doesn’t want to be found, why should you all waste your time?"

Recently, Qin Si, who had saved everyone in that yacht explosion, suddenly disappeared without a trace in Parma.

Several brothers searched every possible place but still came up empty-handed.

Huo Ming came to South Sea also in hope of a stroke of luck, perhaps running into some clues.

Upon hearing Shang Yu’s words, he looked visibly shaken, and with a mollified voice tinged with reluctance, he explained, "We’re all brothers. He didn’t even say goodbye before leaving. Even if he had to go, at least let us know where he is, whether he’s doing well..."

If it weren’t for Qin Si, the lives of everyone on the yacht would probably have been long gone.

Shang Yu blew away the smoke before his eyes, looking at Huo Ming’s inscrutable expression, "He wouldn’t be doing badly."

Huo Ming suddenly looked up, faintly sensing there might be more to these words.

But before he could make eye contact, the man had already turned his head to stub out the cigarette and stood up, with his long legs wrapped around Li Qiao, "Let’s go, to the private room."

...

That night, Li Qiao returned to the Li Family close to eleven o’clock at night.

The man in the backseat gave her a long, deep kiss, audible to Liuyun in the front seat, who was consumed by unruly desires and had stepped out of the car early to smoke a cooling cigarette.

With the car door ajar, Li Qiao rested her chin on the man’s shoulder, catching her breath, with a tint of blush adorning her eyes and brows.

Most importantly, her hand, which the man was holding, was pressed against something that had risen up.

"Head back and rest early," Shang Yu murmured against her cheek with his firm jaw, his voice husky and imbued with a hint of restrained sexiness.

Li Qiao half-closed her eyes, rolling her throat, "Mm, you too."

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed at an irregular rhythm, he kissed her cheek again, and then asked, "When will you return to the lab?"

"The day after tomorrow..." Li Qiao murmured with her face buried, responding in a low voice.

The issue with her eldest brother had been resolved for now, so it was time for her to return to the lab to resume work.

...

Li Qiao got out of the car, took the keys of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class from Luoyu’s hand, and watched as the convoy drove away from her family’s door.

She touched her cheek, her fingers involuntarily curling up, as though there was still some firm hardness lingering beneath her palm.

On the other side, as the Yan Emperor’s convoy drove out of the Shaded Pathway, Shang Yu leaned his head against the seat back to regulate his breathing. In a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a low tone, "Find a way to extract evidence of Xiao Yeyan’s involvement in the frame-up from Liu Chengfeng and Zhang Ke’s mouths."

Liuyun glanced at the rearview mirror, "Boss, this sudden move by Xiao Yeyan against the Li Family is likely to have been pushed along by Shang Qiongying from behind. Should we dig her out as well?"

"No need," the man replied, reclining in his seat, legs crossed and arm resting on his forehead, his thin lips curving slightly, "Leave Shang Qiongying to her."

The shortage of Dz13, as well as the upcoming conference that the lab was going to participate in, were all manipulated by Shang Qiongying from behind the scenes.

His girl wouldn’t be easily outmaneuvered by others.

...

The border.

Nearby the weapons factory at night, the place was empty and desolate.

Li San, who was recovering from a serious injury, stood outside the playground with a duckbill cap on his head, staring into the thick night, his expression dark and unreadable.

The wind swept past, kicking up dust from the ground. Footsteps approached from behind, and Li San turned slightly to see Nan Xin, his brows furrowing, "What’s up?"

Nan Xin’s wavy hair was tied into a ponytail that fluttered behind her. She strolled up to Li San and glanced at the cigarette butts on the ground, "Your wound hasn’t fully healed, and smoking so much, aren’t you afraid of a stroke?"

An irritable look immediately filled Li San’s stern face. Couldn’t this woman wish him well?

He glanced at Nan Xin and threw out two cold words, "Busybody."

Nan Xin’s voice hitched, and her heart felt unpleasant.

Ever since they returned to the border, their relationship... had become very delicate.

It seemed the same as before, but something appeared to have deteriorated.

Nan Xin, gazing at Li San’s indifferent expression, handed over a phone, "The baby just called you, I accidentally answered. She said the eldest brother is already out of the Discipline Inspection Commission and told you not to worry."

Li San looked down, took the phone with a slight frown of his brows, "Don’t answer my calls next time."

Recently the border had been tumultuous, with frequent distress messages from the Poor People’s Kiln. There were things he didn’t want Nan Xin to know about.

Although this woman was his right-hand, for some inexplicable reason, he didn’t quite want Nan Xin to go out and face danger anymore.

An abrupt feeling he also couldn’t clearly explain why.

However, as a straightforward man, what Li San thought and what he said often became another interpretation in a woman’s ears.

Like right now, with Nan Xin, her face pale as she looked at Li San browsing through the phone, her eyes stinging severely.

She could tell that Li San seemed to be deliberately keeping a distance from her, or rather... it was a purposeful estrangement.

Nan Xin’s voice hoarse, she said okay and took a deep look at Li San before turning and walking toward the tent.

She had often answered his calls before, and even using his phone to play games had been quite normal.

But ever since coming back from the South Sea, he had changed.

He became more silent and cold than before.

After Nan Xin left, Li San didn’t notice her expression. He held the phone, deep in thought for a while, and eventually made a call, "Brother Xiao, could you use your Military Department’s database to help me look up information on Xiao Yeyan from the South Sea?"