The Favored Heiress
Chapter 410: Shang Yu Hospitalized, Li Qiao Gets Angry

Chapter 410: Chapter 410: Shang Yu Hospitalized, Li Qiao Gets Angry

The reason was that several other laboratories had clearly joined forces against Renhe, "academic exploration" was the polite term, but to be blunt, they were plainly undermining and finding fault.

One moment they said Renhe’s academic experiments were groundless, the next they claimed Renhe’s research technology was outdated. In short, the criticisms were harsh, and even in the presence of Academician Jiang, they did not tone it down.

At that moment, Lian Zhen felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket.

He took it out, glanced across the room with some surprise, then thoughtfully said, "Teacher, everyone’s tired. Why don’t you all go back first? Xiao Li and I can sort out these materials."

Academician Jiang was, after all, advanced in years, and his wrinkled face showed signs of fatigue, "Hmm, that’s fine, then. You two clean up and head back early too."

It wasn’t long before Academician Jiang and the others left the seminar room.

Li Qiao nestled in her chair, tilted her chin up, and directed Luoyu, "You go back with them. The teacher is very tired today; you help me take care of him."

There was nothing wrong with her words, but Luoyu couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being deliberately sent away.

With a flicker in her eyes, she nodded and said, "Okay, Miss Li, I’ll look after Academician Jiang and then come back to find you."

Li Qiao didn’t refuse, readily agreeing, "That’s fine."

Relieved, Luoyu turned and strode quickly out of the seminar room.

Lian Zhen watched the direction of the door, then turned back to look at Li Qiao. "What is it? Has something happened?"

The vibration of his phone just now had been a message from Xiao Li, asking him to find a way to send everyone away.

At this time, Li Qiao tapped her fingers on the table, glanced at Lian Zhen, and began with a calm tone, "I have to go out tonight to handle some private matters and won’t be able to return until tomorrow morning.

I don’t want Luoyu to know about this, nor anyone else, especially those people from the medical council.

So... I might need the help of Senior Brother Lian to cover for me."

Lian Zhen saw the increasingly somber mood at the bottom of her eyes, heard the word "private matters," and did not inquire further, responding, "I can handle that. But Luoyu seems very concerned about your whereabouts. If she insists on asking about you..."

"Tell her I bumped into a classmate and was called out at the last minute to attend a class reunion; there’s no need to say more."

Five minutes later, Li Qiao left through the back door of the convention center.

She glanced at her cell phone and headed down the alleyway.

Chong City’s alleys are many, winding and twisting, yet interconnected.

When Li Qiao walked to the coastal road after ten minutes on foot, a standard black sedan pulled up beside her.

She bent over to get into the passenger seat, and in the blink of an eye, the car blended into the stream of traffic.

...

Half an hour later, at the Chong City Airport business jet apron.

Xia Siyu pursed her lips toward the Huanxia Pharma Enterprise business jet in front of her, "Go on, quickly. The flight route is ready, and we can take off at any moment."

"Okay, off I go."

Li Qiao took long strides, a sharper pace than her usual unhurried walk.

Xia Siyu watched her retreating figure, bit her lip, and took a few steps after her, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No need, just keep my return a secret." Li Qiao walked a few steps, then stopped, "I’ll be back by tomorrow morning; keep an eye on things here."

Xia Siyu hesitated but nodded, "Alright, then. Go and come back quickly; call me if there’s anything."

She knew Li Qiao wouldn’t have her arrange for Huanxia’s business jet to be on standby at the airport unless it was an emergency.

Miss Qi owned many private jets, yet she hadn’t used a single one.

This trip back was most likely to avoid drawing attention.

...

That evening at nine o’clock, the Huanxia Pharma Enterprise business jet landed at South Sea International Airport.

A black SUV had been waiting for a while already.

Li Qiao got off the plane and slipped into the back seat of the vehicle, expression unusually reserved from beginning to end.

Ah Chang did not pry; he drove straight to Yan Emperor International Private Hospital.

Shang Yu had been injured and hospitalized the previous night, not a minor injury since being hospitalized meant it was serious.

They had still exchanged text messages the previous evening, yet he had not breathed a word of his injury.

No wonder he hadn’t answered her video call that morning.

Li Qiao almost crushed her phone when she heard the news from Zong Yue.

Zong Yue didn’t know the extent of his injuries either, only mentioning that her third uncle advised her not to disturb Shang Yu recently, nor to ask too many questions.

Just as Li Qiao had suspected, all channels of investigation in South Sea had been blocked.

Had it not been for Zong Yue, she indeed would have been clueless.

Even Shen Qingye wouldn’t answer her calls, indicating just how thorough Shang Yu’s preparations had been.

Regrettably, no plan is foolproof, and he had underestimated Li Qiao’s ability to extract information through conversation.

Zong Yue, not being particularly shrewd and about to marry into the Li Family, naturally let down her guard during polite conversation that was designed to draw her out.

...

At half-past nine, Li Qiao’s cellphone rang; it was Luoyu calling.

Seated in the backseat, she glanced at the international hospital just within sight and hung up the phone without a second thought.

Before Li Qiao got out of the car, Ah Chang handed her a white coat and a medical mask from the front seat, "Miss Qi, the VIP ward area is under martial law, but you should be able to blend in wearing this."

"Hmm."

Li Qiao took them, put on the white coat, donned the mask, and strode into the inpatient department.

Thanks to the white coat, she managed to take the elevator to the VIP ward area. Then, casually picking up a medical record book from the nurse’s station, she bypassed the elevator lobby and glanced up to see a bodyguard standing every few steps along the quiet corridor.

The security was extremely tight.

Bai Luhui was also receiving treatment in the VIP ward area. Shen Qingye’s refusal to answer her calls probably meant he was also aware of Shang Yu’s injury.

It seemed like the entire world knew, except for her, who was kept in the dark.

And she thought she was his closest confidant.

Li Qiao was of cold temperament, rarely experiencing significant emotional swings.

But ever since learning of Shang Yu’s hospitalization, the words Shang Qiongying had spoken to her days earlier began to ferment in her mind.

Regardless of the reasons, there was one thing Shang Qiongying wasn’t wrong about: he had indeed kept her out of his secrets.

Was it a lack of trust or an unwillingness to involve her in danger?

If he didn’t want her to know, he just had to say it, and she would ask no questions.

This sense of exclusion and the subsequent distance it created left Li Qiao’s heart unsettled for a long time.

No wonder on the night she left South Sea, he indulged himself in a night of excess.

It seemed he used such methods to exhaust her completely, so she had no energy left to ponder other matters.

Moreover, the hectic schedule of the conference also provided little chance for distraction.

Shang Yu, well played.

Li Qiao, holding the medical record book with one hand, walked step by step toward the ward area. As she passed, the bodyguards standing aside watched her with solemn expressions.

She didn’t know which room Shang Yu was in, but the location where most of the bodyguards were stationed was a giveaway.

At the doorway of the central ward, two bodyguards stood on either side.

Li Qiao stopped and raised her hand, prompting the two bodyguards to reach out instantly, "What are you doing?"

She looked straight at the door, her tone distant, "Move aside."

The bodyguards recognized her voice, familiar yet uncertain, and before they could ask further questions, Li Qiao lifted her leg forcefully, kicking open the VIP ward’s door with so much strength, the lock shattered.

The bodyguards: "..."

Li Qiao, watching a swarm of bodyguards rush toward the corridor, slowly opened her dark eyes and stood motionless at the entrance of the ward, staring straight ahead.

Inside the ward, Shang Yu was not lying down but sitting in the sofa area smoking. Beside him sat an unfamiliar man and... Shen Qingye.

Wang Yue and Liuyun, standing in front of the coffee table, turned their attention to the sound. Everyone looked over.

Shang Yu was indeed injured; his broad shoulder was draped in a black shirt, with a white bandage wrapped from his left shoulder to his right chest.

At this moment, he lazily lifted his eyelids while holding his cigarette. Spotting the slender figure under the bright light at the door, his pupils suddenly constricted.

Wang Yue and Liuyun, initially on guard, became stupefied when they saw Li Qiao remove her mask, blurting out in confusion, "Miss Li?"

Holy shit, why was this ancestor back? And they hadn’t received any information about it.

Shang Yu pressed his lips together, threw his cigarette into the ashtray, and slowly stood up, supporting himself with one hand on his knee. His stride was stable, but his deep eyes showed a hint of helpless amusement, "Why have you suddenly come back?"

Wang Yue had already hurried to the door, gesturing away the group of bodyguards who were attempting to intercept.

And Li Qiao followed suit by stepping in, her fingers tightly clutching the medical record book as she looked straight at Shang Yu with an even tone devoid of fluctuations, "If I hadn’t come back, when were you planning to tell me about your injury?"

Shang Yu took long strides toward her, his honey-toned muscular chest clearly defined, save for the glaring white bandage.

He stood in front of Li Qiao, reaching out to pull her in, but the girl evaded his move, a storm brewing in her eyes.

The man’s hand hung in the air, and he pursed his lips slightly before leaning forward to embrace Li Qiao’s rigid body, his voice a low rumble in her ear, "Are you angry?"