The Favored Heiress
Chapter 428: As Long As She’s Not an Ex-Girlfriend

Chapter 428: Chapter 428: As Long As She’s Not an Ex-Girlfriend

"Stirring up trouble? It’s not like you haven’t done it before," Li Qiao leaned against the railing and pursed her lips, "It was you and Xiao Yeyan who got my brother involved in the bribery scandal."

She knew, she actually knew everything.

It was only then that Shang Qiongying realized Li Qiao knew far more than she had thought.

Perhaps it was the mention of Xiao Yeyan that caused a momentary pause in her expression, the hostility in her eyes gradually dissipated, and a strange smile suddenly appeared at the corner of her mouth, "Li Qiao, do you even know who Xiao Yeyan is?"

"What does it matter whether I know or not?"

Shang Qiongying felt she was avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial, her smile becoming more and more intriguing, "You probably don’t know, otherwise... Shaoyan wouldn’t have changed the venue of the exchange meeting just to keep you away from Madam Xiao.

Li Qiao, do you want to know who Madam Xiao is? Let me out, and I can tell you all the secrets about Shang’s that no one knows."

The secrets about Shang’s that no one knows.

These words slightly touched Li Qiao’s nerves.

But that was all.

She tilted her head to look at Shang Qiongying inside the railing, "Ms. Shang can’t even take care of herself, yet you have the time to enlighten me about your family’s gossip?"

Shang Qiongying was left red-faced and breathless, her chest heaving at a frequency revealing how angry she was.

Li Qiao’s unyielding attitude left her with no way to plot her own escape.

The unimaginable upheaval threw Shang Qiongying into complete disarray.

Li Qiao sighed softly, standing up straight against the railing and walking back with her hands in her pockets, "Goodbye."

Spending the rest of her days in prison was her fate.

Seeing her about to leave, Shang Qiongying panicked thoroughly.

She banged on the railing, yelling sharply, "Li Qiao, don’t you really want to know the relationship between Madam Xiao and Shaoyan? Just let me out, and I’ll tell you everything."

Li Qiao stopped at the door. Three seconds later, she turned slightly and looked at Shang Qiongying from afar, "No matter who she is, it’s not your place to tell me."

The title "Madam Xiao" alone proved her identity.

And Shang Qiongying’s last words undoubtedly reminded her that Madam Xiao had a connection with Shang Yu.

Either she was his mother, or she had an intricate connection with Shang’s—it definitely wasn’t about being an ex-girlfriend.

She would have asked Shang Yu if she wanted to know these things, and he wouldn’t have kept it from her.

But Li Qiao also wouldn’t give Shang Qiongying another chance to instigate trouble.

She opened the door and left at an unhurried pace, leaving behind nothing but a cold silhouette.

Shang Qiongying never expected that her calculated schemes against Li Qiao would end up backfiring on herself.

As for Director Wen, who had always been on good terms with her, he hadn’t shown up again after Li Qiao left.

All her rights to external communication were also completely stripped away.

Later on, Shang Qiongying was implicated in injecting Guan Mingyu with lysergic acid diethylamide, and she was also suspected of kidnapping and bribery, facing multiple charges.

Within a month, she was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years of fixed-term imprisonment, and upon the completion of her sentence, she would be deported directly back to Parma.

Fifteen years of prison misery meant that Shang Qiongying, who was over fifty, would spend the latter half of her life behind bars.

Even if she managed to survive the sentence unscathed, by then she would be close to seventy years old. What could she do then?

...

Two days later, the medical exchange meeting concluded.

Participants prepared to embark on their return journeys.

Perhaps due to the vice chairman of the Council being embroiled in scandals, the closing ceremony of the meeting was hastily conducted.

He Chen left Chong City ahead of schedule with his bodyguards.

He planned to have a serious talk with Shaoyan about how much he should be paid for this trip to Chong City to look after his woman.

That afternoon at one-thirty, everyone from Renhe Laboratory boarded Huanxia’s business jet.

Academician Jiang, a man of integrity throughout his life, showed a rare bit of excitement as he sat on the private jet.

The elderly man walked around the cabin, touching the tables and chairs and then the bar, clearly fascinated by everything.

Only Li Xiaoxiao sat in a corner of the cabin, her soul seemingly disconnected, not daring to utter a sound.

She knew that once they returned to the South Sea and to the laboratory, she would face permanent expulsion.

At five in the evening, Huanxia’s business jet landed at South Sea International Airport.

Lian Zhen and Academician Jiang, among others, left first, while Li Qiao and the rest went straight to the hospital.

...

About half an hour later, Li Qiao, Xia Siyu, and Luoyu arrived at the Yan Emperor Private Hospital.

Shen Qingye, upon hearing that Elder Xia had arrived, couldn’t contain his excitement and started planning where to gorge themselves that evening.

Near the hospital room, Shen Qingye, waiting against a wall, let out a couple of excited shouts upon seeing Xia Siyu and rushed over to embrace her.

Xia Siyu, expressionless, was pushed back two steps by his hug and made a gun gesture with her index finger and thumb, pressing it against his waist, "Let go of me, now."

Shen Qingye perhaps was overly excited after not seeing her for a long time.

They chatted for a moment before realizing Li Qiao hadn’t followed them.

Luoyu, standing to the side, nudged in the direction of the corner, "Miss Li is on the phone."

Without disturbing her, Shen Qingye and the others laughed and joked their way into Bai Luhui’s hospital room.

Meanwhile, Li Qiao leaned against the wall, eyes downcast, listening to Ah Chang’s report on the phone.

Half a minute passed, and her eyes narrowed, "He’s gone?"

Ah Chang’s methodical voice came through: "Yes, Xiao Yeyan and his group left South Sea this morning, and all the previous channels of communication have been unblocked.

It’s said that Xiao Yeyan was seriously injured and it was an international medical team that escorted him to the airport."

"Destination?" Li Qiao asked calmly.

The sound of clicking a mouse came through the phone, and Ah Chang replied, "British Imperial."

Li Qiao hung up the phone at once.

So Xiao Yeyan was seriously injured, and it just so happened he left South Sea this morning.

She wondered if Shang Yu’s previous insistence on her not returning had something to do with Madam Xiao.

Li Qiao stood at the corner for a few minutes, composing herself, before making her way toward the hospital wards.

...

After nearly ten days of treatment, Bai Luhui’s hand had shown significant improvement.

Three of the Border Seven Sons were gathered together, and after discussing among themselves, they decided to go out and catch up.

Before they left, Xia Siyu, seeing Li Qiao’s preoccupied demeanor, teased with a smile, "Let me guess, you’re missing your boyfriend, aren’t you?"

Li Qiao looked up indifferently, not noticing Shen Qingye’s smile slowly fade, and succinctly replied, "Yeah, is that not allowed?"

Xia Siyu: "..."

The post-relationship Xiao Qi Zai was no longer the pampered Xiao Qi Zai of their group.

Li Qiao turned away, stood up using her knees, "Aren’t we supposed to have dinner? Let’s go."

The moment she returned to the South Sea, she indeed felt an impulse to see Shang Yu.

But Xiaxia was here, and it didn’t seem right to prioritize romance over friendship.

Although, she had often done so in the past...

The group walked side by side down the stairs, and even back in the South Sea, Luoyu stayed close to Li Qiao, not returning to report back.

Shang Yu had already been discharged from the hospital two days earlier. As Li Qiao walked along, she pondered whether she should go to the South Sea Mansion to find him after dinner or invite him to join them for a meal?

Before she could settle on a satisfactory answer, as they stepped out of the VIP hospital ward, Luoyu stepped forward and spoke from behind Li Qiao, "Miss Li, the boss is in the parking lot."