The Favored Heiress
Chapter 510: Too Outstanding, Naturally Have to Keep a Close Watch

Chapter 510: Chapter 510: Too Outstanding, Naturally Have to Keep a Close Watch

The two exchanged looks across the space, and three seconds later, they moved their gazes away.

Li Qiao, holding her juice cup, took a small sip. Although her expression was normal, there was a faint smile around the corners of her eyes and brows.

Then, an unavoidable gaze landed on her.

Li Qiao subconsciously looked over and saw her brother Li Cheng watching her with a complicated look, disdainfully curling his lips, "Are you that happy?"

She was still biting her straw, her doe eyes calm and light as she looked at him, setting down her juice cup and replying, "Are you envious?"

Li San: "..."

Envy was a word that didn’t fit him.

Li San didn’t want to admit it, but he couldn’t help thinking of a certain someone.

A wave of troubled emotions swept over him instantly, and Li San ground his teeth, lifting a cup of baijiu from the table and downing it in one go.

Nan Xin had returned to the border soon after attending the wedding in the South Sea.

He had asked his subordinates if there had been anything unusual after she returned.

The response he got at the time was, "Nothing unusual. Sister Xin has been busy these past few days, working with gusto, as if she’s been injected with chicken blood."

Upon receiving this message, Li San almost smashed his phone.

Wasn’t that unusual?

She had filled her schedule with work. Was that not because... she didn’t want to contact him?

Li San felt miserable inside but couldn’t find the source of the problem.

So he drank baijiu cup after cup as if only in such a way could he numb his nerves, stop thinking about Nan Xin, and cease fretting over those damn issues.

...

Midway through the wedding, Li Qiao’s phone vibrated, and she looked down at the message when suddenly the light above her dimmed.

Subsequently, Bo Tingxiao’s distinctive voice sounded in her ear, "I have something else to do, so I’ll head back first. If you arrange your stay in the Imperial Capital, call me ahead of time."

The moment his words finished, Li Qiao looked up.

And this scene had also fallen into the eyes of Shang Yu and Zong Zhan.

At that time, with one hand on the back of her chair, his posture as he leaned in to speak, one could clearly catch the gentleness and indulgence in his eyes.

Li Qiao leaned back slightly and asked him, "Leaving now?"

"Yeah," Bo Tingxiao replied, looking into her eyes that were lit by the lights, his lips curved as he patted her head, "Be safe on your own in the Imperial Capital."

This brotherly caution was exactly the same as it had been three years ago.

Li Qiao, clutching her phone, stood up and tilted her head towards the door, "Then I’ll walk you out."

The smile at the corner of Bo Tingxiao’s lips deepened and, as he turned to leave, he inevitably stirred up discussions among the other guests.

"The heir of the Bo Family and the daughter of the South Sea Li Family seem to share a special relationship. Could they be considering a marriage alliance?"

"That can’t be. I heard that Bo Tingxiao even ran away from home years ago just to refuse an arranged marriage by his family."

"Refusing an arranged marriage then doesn’t mean he’ll refuse it now. Besides, if he were to form a marriage alliance with the Li Family, wouldn’t that mean becoming in-laws with the Zong Family? It would be beneficial for the Bo Family without any downsides."

"That’s not right, doesn’t Li Qiao have a boyfriend? The citywide declaration of love a few days ago involved Li Qiao and Shang Shaoyan."

"Who knows, there were no photos of the parties involved, so it could just be a coincidence of identical names."

Most of these discussions stemmed from the guests’ speculation driven by their gossipy nature.

At this moment, Zong Zhan, upon hearing these words, subconsciously looked at the man beside him and teasingly raised an eyebrow, "Did you already know about her relationship with Bo Tingxiao?"

Shang Yu leaned lazily against the Taishi Chair, with his arm draped over the armrest, he swirled his glass, his gaze cold and deep, "What’s their relationship?"

Zong Zhan looked at him with a profound expression and let out a short chuckle from his throat, "Stop putting on airs with me. If you hadn’t already known, would you have asked me to look after Li Qiao in advance?"

The man sipped his champagne, the corners of his thin lips curving slightly as he glanced at him and spoke in a deep voice, "I asked you to keep an eye on her to prevent interested parties from approaching."

"Interested parties? You mean the guy from the Bo Family, right?" Zong Zhan scoffed, feeling more and more that Shang Shaoyan was a dark and petty character.

A woman, if she really wanted to cheat, who could stop her?

Shang Yu’s dark eyes fell on Zong Zhan’s face, "No matter who, you failed to keep an eye on them."

Bo Tingxiao was different from everyone around Li Qiao.

He seemed mature and steady, standing by her side in a brotherly manner.

But such a man, with his overly delicate and gentle thoughts, had not taken action for years, always silently guarding Li Qiao, it’s hard to ensure that won’t cause her to develop a sense of solid reliance.

He wouldn’t allow Li Qiao to psychologically depend on any man other than himself.

Especially not a man who harbored feelings for her.

At this moment, Zong Zhan saw the reflective look on Shang Yu’s face, pursed his lips, and couldn’t help but laugh, "I never realized how narrow-minded you were. Is it because Li Qiao hasn’t given you enough security, or do you lack confidence in yourself?"

Shang Shaoyan, the South Sea merchant, going to such lengths for a woman.

In the past, it would have been a joke.

The man’s evenly proportioned fingers pushed the glass onto the table, his eyelids lowered, his tone a bit proud, "When you’re too outstanding, you naturally have to keep a tighter hold."

It had nothing to do with a sense of security or confidence, simply an inability to calmly watch other men like her, get close to her.

It was as if one’s possessions were coveted by others—whether they could take it or not, the annoyance still felt thick in his heart.

...

Outside in the long corridor, Li Qiao and Bo Tingxiao, the brothers, were saying goodbye in the parking lot.

Bo Tingxiao looked down at her unwavering face, with one hand in his suit pocket, his Adam’s apple bobbed, about to say more when he saw two men approach from behind her.

Li Qiao instantly turned around, and upon seeing Shang Yu, she naturally walked towards him.

This unconscious act, witnessed by Bo Tingxiao, darkened his eyes abruptly.

Zong Zhan glanced at Li Qiao as she walked back and then headed straight forward, "Mr. Bo, are you leaving now?"

As the host of the banquet, it was only proper for him to come out and send off a distinguished guest.

Bo Tingxiao nodded with a stately posture, "Sorry, there are some matters at home, so I need to go back."

In reality, they weren’t familiar with each other, having only met in the upper circles of the Imperial Capital.

Zong Zhan licked his teeth, and said in a seemingly casual conversation, "Mr. Bo, it’s not easy for you to come back, I didn’t have time to host you properly.

How about this, after the wedding is over, I’ll offer a proper welcome for Mr. Bo. I’m not sure how long you’ll stay in the Imperial Capital or if it will be convenient for you?"

They were all clever people, how could Bo Tingxiao not hear the underlying meaning in his words.

He looked up ahead, tugged at his tie, and replied lightly, "There’s no need for a reception, and besides, the Zong Family’s grand wedding has just ended, there must be a lot of wrap-up work to do.

I wouldn’t want to hold up your affairs because of me, it wouldn’t sit right with me."

Zong Zhan locked eyes with him, internally giving a less than objective evaluation: This kid’s got something.

By that time, Li Qiao had already walked up to Zong Zhan’s side with Shang Yu holding her hand, "Brother Xiao, my boyfriend, Shang Shaoyan."

Without waiting for Bo Tingxiao to react, she squeezed the man’s hand, looked at him, her tone softer, "Bo Tingxiao."