The Favored Heiress
Chapter 396: This One Looks Like an Ancestor

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: This One Looks Like an Ancestor

The croupier was forcibly taken away, unwilling and terrified.

She understood all too well what He Chen meant by "waste her."

Dragged outside by the bodyguard, no matter how much she pleaded, he remained deaf to her cries.

Until—

"Brother Yong, Brother Yong... please save me."

Bodyguard Ah Yong had just gone to find a doctor for He Ao and had only just returned when he saw the innocent croupier being dragged out.

He asked simply for the reason and learned that she had offended an important guest.

The innocent croupier looked at Ah Yong with pitiful eyes, attempting to sway him with her beauty.

Then, Ah Yong leaned in and coldly said something that filled her with utter despair, "You offended Shang Shaoyan, the South Sea merchant, and you still want to live?"

Shang Shaoyan, the South Sea merchant...

To the croupier, that name was too distant, too strange.

But in the span of a breath, she recalled all the rumors.

It turned out that the man in the black shirt was indeed noble, but she hadn’t expected he would be Shang Shaoyan, the South Sea merchant.

The croupier stared blankly at Ah Yong, feeling as if an endless darkness had enveloped her. She was taken away, to an unknown fate.

Later on, in the Portuguese Silver Underground Casino, no one ever saw that innocent croupier again, as if she had never even been there.

...

The night deepened, and the VIP area of the Portuguese Silver Underground Casino was still bustling with people.

Leaning against the railing of the second-floor balcony, He Chen held a bottle of mineral water, drinking and glancing sideways at the tall and handsome man beside him, "Just now, were you just putting on a show, or did you really want to break my hand?"

At that moment, Shang Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze resting near the cashier’s desk downstairs. Hearing He Chen’s question, he turned his head with a deep look in his eyes, "If there’s a next time, you try me."

He Chen: "..."

He understood; Shaoyan had really intended to break his hand!

Licking his back teeth, He Chen casually tossed the water bottle into a bin in the corner, "You’re really something, to turn against me over a woman, do you like her that much?"

He couldn’t quite grasp why Shang Shaoyan, a man known for his cold heart, suddenly harbored such intense emotional attachment.

Throughout the years in the South Sea, numerous women had tried to win their affections.

Especially for a man like Shaoyan, with such stature and status. Even though he kept a low profile, the cool, indifferent aura mixed with a stern masculine charm was enough to drive women wild.

But he had a natural aversion to women, probably rooted in his mother’s influence.

He Chen believed he was the person who understood Shaoyan the best in the world, but he had indeed not expected that after half a year away, Shaoyan would have fallen so deeply in love.

Shang Yu’s eyes narrowed on the figure downstairs, his lips curling slightly as he warned with a profound expression, "Yeah, so don’t provoke her."

He Chen’s gaze lingered on him for three seconds, then he pursed his lips and turned away his face with a snort, "Do you really think I’m that desperate?"

He didn’t like Li Qiao; at most, he was dazzled by her face.

He Chen liked women who were sexy, flirtatious, and full of flavor.

In his eyes, Li Qiao was too solemn; aside from her face, she did nothing to stir his desires.

Women, well, they were good for warming the bed, but as for love and affection, aside from adding emotional burden, they were useless.

...

Minutes later, Li Qiao returned from the cashier’s desk to the second floor. She casually walked over to Shang Yu, her steps slack, lacking energy.

He Chen looked her up and down with a sneer, seeing right away that she was a handful, still not understanding what Shaoyan saw in her.

Shang Yu casually hooked her waist and pulled her into his arms, shot He Chen a look, and then left with Luoyu and the others through a special passage.

He Chen stood at the back door and watched the motorcade leave, a playful look in his elegant and frivolous eyes.

It was only after the motorcade had gone far that he turned around to see his subordinate, Ah Yong, striding towards him with an expression that was slightly odd.

He approached He Chen and hurriedly said, "Brother Chen, the cashier said that Miss Li returned all the chips."

He Chen looked at Ah Yong as if he were an idiot. "Are you here to spout nonsense to me? What’s so strange about her returning some chips? Or do you want her to take home four billion in chips to play building blocks with?"

He Chen was annoyed when the topic came up.

He had intended to win a few billion from Shang Shaoyan for a thrill.

But not only did he lose, he fucking threw in another two billion.

Upon hearing this, Ah Yong shrank his neck and carefully explained, "Brother Chen, what I mean is, Miss Li returned the chips to the cashier, but she didn’t cash them in."

He Chen was surprised. "She forgot to?"

Ah Yong shook his head, recalling what the cashier had said and repeated it truthfully.

Li Qiao, although she won against He Chen, indeed did not take the money. When she returned the chips to the cashier, she instead said: "Your boss’s reward."

The cashier, not understanding why and not daring to make decisions on his own, reported it to Ah Yong to deal with.

"Reward..." He Chen mulled over these words, his long, narrow eyebrows rising as he looked again toward the direction where the motorcade had departed.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that gambling money must belong to Li Qiao.

Because she never once asked Shaoyan for money from start to finish.

So, was this her way of repaying him for releasing Bai Luhui?

He Chen touched his chin, pensively musing, "This woman is young, yet quite sensible."

...

Leaving West City, Li Qiao nestled in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce, her eyelids drooping as she dozed off.

Suddenly, she felt a tightness around her waist, and she was pulled into Shang Yu’s embrace.

The familiar scent enveloped her, bringing a sense of calm, and she found a comfortable position to continue her light slumber.

Probably after half an hour, the motorcade entered South Sea Mountain.

Li Qiao half-closed her eyes and looked out the window before turning her head to look at the man beside her, "I have to go to the lab tomorrow."

Shang Yu tilted his head to look at her, his palm gently stroking her waist, "Aren’t you injured? Take a sick day tomorrow."

Li Qiao: "..."

It seemed like a reasonable suggestion.

Back at the mansion, Shang Yu pulled her into the living room, and Luoyu intuitively brought over the medicine box.

The living room was brightly lit, with thick ink-black night outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Li Qiao watched as the man took out a green gourd bottle from the medicine box, swallowed, and before she could speak, she heard the sound of automatic rollers coming from the window.

She turned her head to look and saw the blackout curtains slowly descending.

Was he going to apply medicine to her here in the living room?

At the moment, Shang Yu, holding the medicine with his head half-drooped, had strands of hair falling from his head, shadowing his brow bone, his profile clear and handsome.

He unscrewed the cap, looked up, and met Li Qiao’s focused gaze. His eyes dropped down, his thick eyebrows furrowed, "Why aren’t you undressing?"

"Here?" Li Qiao asked in surprise.

There were so many patrolling bodyguards in this mansion, and even if it was the living room, people occasionally passed by, right?

Shang Yu looked at her leisurely, a slight curve on his lips, "Shy?"

Li Qiao glanced at him lightly, her fingers clutching the hem of her T-shirt, her expression half-mocking as she said, "Is this really a question of being shy? Aren’t you afraid someone might come by?"