The Favored Heiress
Chapter 417: Heartache?

Chapter 417: Chapter 417: Heartache?

Qiaoqiao, don’t be angry anymore, okay...

Just this simple sentence of coaxing, like a tender tune with multifold twists, echoed and swayed non-stop in Li Qiao’s heart.

Who is he?

Shang Shaoyan, the South Sea merchant.

The Overlord of the South Sea who controls the power in all four directions with his own strength.

In this world, how many people can make him bow his head?

Even Shang Zonghai might not be able to make Shang Yu lower his posture to accommodate in such a way.

Those last two words: okay?

They were a question, a compromise, and also an offer of acceptance.

Li Qiao’s voice was sharp and harsh as she stared at the door in front of her, feeling an indescribable taste in her heart.

In these few seconds of silence, Shang Yu, still waiting for her reply, tightened his arms around her once more, his voice even huskier than before, "If you’re still angry, what do you want me to do? You tell me."

Li Qiao blinked away the sourness welling up in her eyes, about to speak when she noticed the air filling with an increasingly strong scent of blood.

Her complexion changed slightly as she turned away from his embrace and inserted the room card into the power switch.

The sudden brightness of the warm light made her squint uncomfortably, and as her gaze leveled at Shang Yu’s shoulder, she indeed saw a wet mark on the fabric of his shirt.

Li Qiao felt a sinking feeling in her heart, and glanced at her own left shoulder’s T-shirt, which also had been dyed red.

No wonder she had felt a sticky warmth spreading across her shoulder just now—his wound was bleeding again.

Li Qiao reached out to unbutton his shirt, silent, with her lips pressed very tightly together.

The next second, the man grasped her hand and lifted her chin, bending down and pressing his handsome face closer, his breath almost touching her, "Not angry anymore?"

Looking up at him, Li Qiao tugged at the corner of her mouth, her voice tight, "If I stay angry, wouldn’t that make me seem particularly unreasonable?"

"No," Shang Yu’s thin lips curved slightly, his thumb caressing her delicate jaw, his gaze burning into her cheeks, "In front of me, you don’t need to be reasonable. You can act however you want."

After a little tiff, his ability to speak sweetly seemed to have taken a qualitative leap.

Li Qiao glanced at him, and although she forcefully suppressed the urge to smile, her clear doe eyes no longer held the previous tranquility and coolness.

She pushed his hand away and single-handedly unfastened his shirt buttons, revealing the well-defined lines of his chest, marred only by the eyesore of a bandage once again soaked with fresh blood.

Li Qiao frowned, the displeasure in her eyes evident as she glanced up at the amused look above her, fully aware that he was doing it deliberately, but unable to say anything more about it.

"Do you feel sorry for me?" the man’s warm palm landed on her cheek, his fingers threading through the hair behind her ear, his deep gaze sinking into the warmth of the corridor lamps, like a gentle sea of ink.

How could she not feel sorry for him?

That was a gunshot wound, and saying it affected muscle and bone wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Li Qiao led him by the wrist toward the inside of the room, the layout of the guesthouse room still maintaining the style of a decade or so ago, with two circular back chairs and a round table placed by the window.

She pressed his right shoulder, making him sit down, and casually tossed the brocade box, which she had been holding in her palm the whole time, onto the table. She then bent down to pull down the collar of his shirt, revealing an entire shoulder, "Who did you come with?"

The young girl bent over, looking at the bloodstained bandage, her frown meeting the man’s eyes.

Shang Yu raised his hand to smooth the wrinkle between her brows with his fingertip, "Liuyun is next door."

"Did he bring a medical kit?" Li Qiao held his palm, her brows furrowed as she asked.

If he hadn’t brought a medical kit, she was considering whether to take him to the hospital.

The facilities in the guesthouse were not as complete as those of a star-rated hotel. Instead of waiting for them to find an emergency medical kit, it would be more convenient to go to the hospital.

At that moment, Shang Yu remained silent, sitting upright in the chair, his deep eyes reflecting Li Qiao’s pensive expression.

The room’s lighting was not very bright, yet it revealed each other’s expressions with nowhere to hide.

Shang Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and as Li Qiao turned around, he suddenly reached out to grasp the back of her neck and pulled her toward him, seizing her red lips.

Something he had wanted to do since seeing her in the South Sea the previous night, he finally acted upon it in this moment.

Li Qiao did not struggle, but her attention was diverted to his movements.

She was bent over, while the man looked up, their lips meeting, adding a touch of arousing ambiguity to the sultry night in Chong City.

The kiss did not last long because Li Qiao, mindful of his injuries, pushed him away, pursed her lips, and said, "I’m going to look for Liuyun," before hurrying out the door.

In the quiet room, the smell of blood grew more intense.

The man, leaning against the circular chair back, exhaled in the gloom, looking down at the bandage on his left shoulder, but unexpectedly caught sight of the small brocade box Li Qiao had left on the table.

What stood out was the emblem imprinted on the brocade box...

The Lion and Tiger Mark of the Myanmar Special Operations Team.

Shang Yu’s thin lips pursed slightly, his gaze lingering on the brocade box for a long time.

He had never thoroughly investigated Li Qiao’s affairs at the border, mostly relying on some rumors; if she wanted to tell him, she would.

But he had looked into the person who sent the brocade box.

He was different from Yun Lih, different from Seven Sons Shen Qingye.

The records showed that he took on the Myanmar Military Special Execution Team’s assignment for the sake of Li Qiao.

Bo Tingxiao, a man who canceled his family’s arranged marriage and stayed at the Myanmar border for her sake.

...

Less than two minutes later, Li Qiao returned.

She hurried back cradling a first aid kit in one hand, while not only Liuyun but also Wang Yue, Luoyu, and He Chen were in the adjacent room.

It was clear they had accompanied Shang Yu to Chong City.

As for He Chen, upon seeing her enter the door looking for the medical kit, he teased while smoking, "Little sister-in-law, even if the two of you can’t control yourselves, do try to hold back a bit. Your man’s injured, and besides, this guesthouse... its soundproofing leaves much to be desired."

Li Qiao returned to Shang Yu’s side with the medical kit, casually moving the small brocade box aside, at least from her actions, there was no indication of any special care.

The man’s gaze shifted from the table back to Li Qiao’s face.

The warm light always carried a certain aesthetic hue, making her appear exceptionally gentle.

Li Qiao skillfully took out iodine and gauze, brought out a pair of medical scissors, and bent over to carefully cut open the bandage on the man’s body.

When the bloody wound was exposed before her eyes, she couldn’t help but fix her gaze uncontrollably.

The wound was located between his collarbone and upper arm. Although it was stitched up, it did not stop the ruptured flesh from oozing fresh blood.

Shang Yu had the quintessential male model physique, especially the shape of his collarbones, which were particularly attractive.

The gunshot wound marred the beauty of his left collarbone. Li Qiao unconsciously clenched the tweezers in her hand, wishing she could give the perpetrator a couple more shots.

She lifted her eyelids to check his expression, but unexpectedly discovered that his profound eyes were meeting hers squarely.

Li Qiao’s heart was suddenly stung by this, and she pursed her lips, continuing to clean his wound.

What should have taken a few minutes, she ended up taking nearly ten minutes to complete.

The wound was too unsightly, making her feel a wave of discomfort inside.