The Favored Heiress
Chapter 471: You’re Willing to Come See Me?

Chapter 471: Chapter 471: You’re Willing to Come See Me?

With that said, Li Qiao tapped her fingers on the table and curved her lips in a neither cold nor warm manner, "Oh, then just fire me."

Zhang Ji’s neck stiffened, choked by her words, unable to speak for a long time.

He had already hinted to Academician Jiang about Li Qiao’s situation before, hearing that her family was extremely wealthy, and compensating for the equipment would certainly not be a problem.

The research institute was giving her a chance to make amends, all because of Academician Jiang’s face; was she really rejecting it?

Zhang Ji had never seen such an overbearing researcher and glared at Li Qiao more seriously, "Even if you’re fired, you still need to compensate for the institute’s losses.

If you think you don’t have to pay because you’re fired, then we have no choice but to report the property damage to the police."

Li Qiao leaned back in her chair, slowly crossed her legs, and straightened the collar of her white lab coat, "I didn’t say I wouldn’t compensate, but apologize, that’s impossible!"

Li Ru suddenly lifted her head, breathing rapidly, "You..."

"Me what?" Li Qiao’s cool gaze fell on her, "Give me one reason to apologize to you?"

Li Ru clenched her fists, and turned her head to look at Zhang Ji, "Chief Zhang, with her terrible attitude like this, does the research institute still decide to keep her position? If so, I might not be able to continue my research here."

It was a blatant threat.

Between a junior researcher and an intermediate researcher, anyone knew how to choose.

But Zhang Ji was in a dilemma, especially with Academician Jiang present.

Just when he was caught in a difficult position, Academician Zhang from the same research group hurried into the HR department’s meeting room.

He burst in, his tone urgent, "Old Jiang, why didn’t you answer your phone?"

Academician Zhang, who was usually immersed in his research and hardly paid attention to anything outside of it, must be in a rush because of something research-related.

"I didn’t bring my phone, what’s the matter?" Academician Jiang stood up and asked him somewhat inexplicably.

Academician Zhang furrowed his brow and said earnestly, "Hurry back to the lab with me. Someone just delivered a state-of-the-art drug detection instrument, and I’m not very good at using it, help me figure it out."

Academician Jiang immediately understood, his gaze briefly flitting over Li Qiao, "Why the rush, that’s something Qiaoqiao had delivered.

She saw that our previous machine wasn’t user-friendly so she got us a new one. If you don’t know how to use it, let her try and help later."

Li Ru was stunned.

Zhang Ji was also taken aback.

Academician Zhang’s face showed surprise, "It was Qiaoqiao who sent it? I’ve seen that machine during my exchange abroad, I think it won’t be available in our country until early next year."

"Who can prove it was her who sent it?" Li Ru, unwilling to let go, stood up to retort, her complexion also looking unwell.

Academician Jiang glanced at her, his voice full of authority as he responded, "I can prove it, otherwise, could it be you?"

Li Ru pursed her lips in anger, "Even if she sent it, it’s because she broke our original one..."

Eager to go back to check on the machine, Academician Zhang cut her off impatiently, "What’s there to argue about, it’s broken so it’s broken; after all, out with the old, in with the new."

After speaking, he screwed up his face and asked Li Qiao emphatically, "How much was that machine? Pretty expensive, huh?"

Li Qiao pushed back her chair, her expression indifferent, "Not expensive, seven million."

Li Ru gasped in shock, "What??"

Seven million? Not expensive?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji quietly closed the laptop in his hands.

The machine she had damaged was worth less than one million, and it was an old model from five years ago.

The amount she was compensating exceeded that by more than ten times; firing her was out of the question.

Apologizing... even less necessary.

He had personally witnessed the expressions of those two academicians, who seemed almost eager for her to break a few more machines in the future... for the sake of upgrading.

This matter seemed to be resolved, but Li Ru was stifled with frustration, unable to vent her feelings.

And due to Li Qiao’s personal donation of the latest foreign detection equipment to the genetic project team, it soon caught the attention of the upper echelons of the South Sea Research Institute.

That afternoon, the director of the research institute visited the gene project laboratory on the pretext of a tour.

He specifically called Li Qiao and Academician Jiang for a long meeting in the conference room that lasted two hours, and no one knew exactly what they talked about. However, within less than half an hour, the administrative team notified them to move.

The entire gene project laboratory received the notice that day to move from the first underground floor to the third floor of the building with an excellent view, and provided Li Qiao and Lian Zhen with the most advanced independent research stations respectively.

Not only that, but two days after moving upstairs, the research group suddenly received a notification that the Medical Alliance’s committee was planning to visit domestic laboratories for on-site inspections soon.

The first stop, South Sea Research Institute, the gene mutation project team.

...

As the day neared its end, Li Qiao sat in the laboratory, looking at the wound on the back of her hand, which had almost healed, and the scar had turned a pale pink.

Over the past two days, she and Shang Yu had maintained telephone contact every day, but had not met in person.

Not only because she wanted to hide her injury, but also, after the research group moved to the third floor and the project started, she really was a bit busy.

Speaking of which, ever since she had met with the director of the research institute, Li Ru had become much more subdued.

Even if she occasionally cast a few cold glances, it seemed that her habit of speaking out of turn had been cured.

Li Qiao looked at the time, and it was already half past seven in the evening.

She heard Shang Zonghai had left South Sea that afternoon...

With that thought, Li Qiao greeted Lian Zhen by her side, packed up her things, and left the laboratory.

"Hey, what do you think... why is the Medical Alliance’s committee suddenly coming to inspect?"

Shortly after Li Qiao left, a few researchers huddled together, whispering among themselves.

"Who knows? Those kinds of international medical organizations haven’t done this sort of thing before."

"I’ve been looking up the foreign websites recently, and the Medical Alliance is recruiting new members; could it be related to this inspection?"

The volume of these researchers’ discussions was neither loud nor soft, and naturally, Lian Zhen, immersed in her research, also overheard them.

Medical Alliance recruitment...

Could it be the Medical Alliance that Xiao Li mentioned?

That day she had asked him if he wanted to join the Medical Alliance, but there hadn’t been any follow-up since, and he hadn’t mentioned it again.

...

Before eight o’clock, Li Qiao returned to South Sea Mansion.

She got out of the car and saw that the new Mercedes G-Class was still parked in its original spot.

She took a few glances at it, smiled with a curving lip, shut the car door, and headed to the living room.

Shang Yu hadn’t returned yet, but she heard he was already on the way.

Li Qiao played with her phone for a while in the living room, then looked up at the bright crystal chandelier, pondered for a few seconds while touching her chin, and then found the switch to dim the chandelier’s brightness.

Although the wound had healed, the scar could still be easily noticed in too bright a light.

After adjusting the living room light to the right brightness, Li Qiao glanced at the back of her hand, sat down on the sofa satisfied, and continued to play her game.

Within less than ten minutes, a steady and powerful footsteps of a man could be heard outside.

As Shang Yu’s tall and straight black silhouette appeared at the entrance of the living room, Li Qiao was already walking towards him with her hands behind her back, neither hurriedly nor slowly.

The man naturally wrapped his arm around her, glanced briefly at the dimly lit chandelier, looked down at her smiling face, and leaned down to plant a deep kiss on her lips.

His kiss, like him, was always domineering, leaving her no chance to catch her breath.

Besides, they hadn’t seen each other for several days, and with longing built up to a certain extent, it was hard not to lose control a little.

It wasn’t until Li Qiao’s lips felt numb that Shang Yu released her with heavy breaths.

The man leaned his forehead against hers, his arms tightly encircling her lower back, his voice low and husky, "You finally decided to see me?"