The Favored Heiress
Chapter 512: It’s not dark yet!

Chapter 512: Chapter 512: It’s not dark yet!

In the car, Liuyun and Luoyu sat in the front, while Li Qiao unceremoniously nestled next to Shang Yu, occasionally picking up her cellphone to reply to a few messages.

She couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but ever since they got into the car, Shang Yu had been very silent.

Although his expression did not reveal much, the profile of his face as he looked out the window bore a cold aloofness.

Li Qiao tossed her phone onto the seat and studied him closely for a moment, her gaze unintentionally sweeping past the window. She saw Changan Street Plaza and realized they were not on the way to the airport.

She turned her head to ask Liuyun, "Where are we going now?"

"Something wrong?" Shang Yu was the one who asked.

He shifted his gaze from the window and looked down at the head in his lap. "To the hotel, we’ll have dinner with Zong Zhan tonight before heading back to the South Sea."

"Oh," Li Qiao touched her nose, "Just asking."

The man looked down at her, his eyes narrowed, "Come back with me?"

Li Qiao leaned against his shoulder and suppressed a smile, glancing at him sideways, "Mhm, together. We said it wouldn’t be good to stay too long."

Shang Yu’s lips curved slightly, and he leaned down to kiss her face, "Good girl."

Liuyun and Luoyu in the front seat: "..."

Could the lovebirds keep it down a bit?

...

At the Imperial Capital Grand Hotel, Li Qiao and Shang Yu walked hand in hand back to the duplex suite on the top floor.

The moment she entered, she lazily pretended to head upstairs.

But after only one step, her arm was pulled by the man. With a slight jerk, she stumbled backward into his embrace.

Shang Yu held her from behind without a word, only tilting his head down to gently peck at the nape of her neck.

His breath spread over her skin, tickling her. Li Qiao dodged and turned her head, just about to speak when he turned her face towards him and covered her lips with his.

The words were swallowed down. She didn’t say anything more, merely tilting her head back to meet his kiss.

The afternoon sun was intense, slanting through the floor-to-ceiling windows and adding a touch of sultry heat to the room.

The man stood still, deepening the kiss bit by bit, even growing more aggressive.

There was a hint of losing control.

Li Qiao frowned, feeling a numbness on her tongue. After a slight struggle, her body stiffened in his arms.

Her back was still pressed to Shang Yu’s chest, and certain reactions were quietly rising behind her.

After the kiss, Li Qiao blinked and looked dazedly toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

This was... broad daylight.

"You..." she thought to remind him, but her words were cut off once more.

Latter, in a daze, she reached the bedroom on the second floor, and everything naturally took its course.

Getting crazy with him during the day was really something new for her.

The only other time had been in her dormitory, but that was nearing twilight, and the room’s lighting was relatively dim.

Doing such things under the sunlight, she felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Especially his intense gaze—direct and revealing.

Naturally, it was followed by another round of indulgence.

...

Two hours later, Li Qiao, having taken a shower, wore Shang Yu’s black shirt and lay half-propped on the bed to gather her senses.

This was the first time she wore Shang Yu’s shirt; the pure black against her naturally transparent white skin created a stark visual impact.

The man, satisfied and still with droplets from his shower, sat shirtless on the bed, wearing only trousers. He brushed the strands of hair from her face with his fingers and smiled thinly with contentment, "Tired?"

Li Qiao lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, only to catch sight of three distinct bite marks on his shoulder.

She coughed, forcing herself to look away, "The ointment I gave you, have you been using it as instructed?"

As she spoke, she pulled on Shang Yu’s arm, intending to examine the injury on his left shoulder.

The man complied with her movements and bent down, "I’ve used it."

Li Qiao shook off her wide sleeves, revealing a segment of her delicate, white forearm, and raised her hand to touch the scar on the wound. Although it had faded significantly, the scar from the burn on the skin was still very apparent.

It was somewhat unsightly.

She gazed at it intently, her fingers tracing circles around the scar.

The man didn’t make a sound, but within half a minute, he had taken hold of her wrist.

Although he said nothing, the increasingly heavy breathing and the flame that ignited in his eyes seemed to hint at another looming surge.

Li Qiao withdrew her hand, covered half of her face, and buried her face in the pillow without a word, silently sighing.

In terms of physical strength, she truly felt inferior.

...

Half an hour later, Li Qiao, dressed in the clothes brought by Luoyu, followed the man downstairs at a leisurely pace.

It was nearly five in the afternoon, and Zong Zhan had arrived at some point, sitting in the living room with his legs crossed and smoking.

When he saw the two of them, his gaze swept over Li Qiao’s face, he pursed his lips, and then turned to look out the window again.

The meaning was clear, it wasn’t dark yet.

Zong Zhan, sitting with an open posture, watched them take their seats and chuckled lightly, "I’ve been here for an hour."

He hadn’t heard anything, but he had seen Luoyu come in with the clothes.

After sitting down, Shang Yu leaned forward to pick up the cigarette case from the table and glanced at him sideways, "You’re this free?"

Zong Zhan, elbow resting on his knee with a cigarette hanging from his lips, couldn’t be bothered to argue, "What do you want to eat tonight? I guess... you must be hungry."

Li Qiao silently leaned against the back of the sofa chair, took out her phone, and nonchalantly opened the game page.

As long as she wasn’t embarrassed, it was Zong Zhan who would be awkward.

The man squinted his eyes, took a drag on his cigarette, and the hazy smoke veiled his handsome and somewhat languid face, "You decide."

Zong Zhan, watching their nonchalant demeanor, felt bored and leaned back on the sofa.

Indeed, one couldn’t define Shang Shaoyan and Li Qiao with the reasoning of normal people.

Even with his blunt mockery, they reacted as if nothing had happened.

How could they be so in sync?

Inevitably, Zong Zhan felt a twinge of longing and curiosity.

Loving relationships were never part of his life plan—not because he didn’t want to, but rather, it was a state akin to letting nature take its course.

He hadn’t met someone he liked, nor had anyone made his heart race, and with many matters at the Military Department, he was stationed with the troops year-round, hardly having any chance to meet women.

Now, seeing Shaoyan entrapped in the quagmire of love and unable to extricate himself, he couldn’t help but wonder if he would be the same if he had a woman by his side.

This question, before meeting that someone, remained an unknown to everyone.

And Zong Zhan never expected that the person he would meet in the future would have quite a history with Li Qiao.

...

At five-thirty in the evening, the group went to the Imperial Capital Roast Duck main store.

Zong Zhan had specifically reserved a private room and ordered a table full of Imperial Capital’s specialty dishes, then once again witnessed the scene of the man ’attending to’ the woman as she ate.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t exactly attending to her, but he felt that was the most fitting word.

Roast duck is meant to be a hands-on experience, so Shang Shaoyan, could you not do everything yourself?

Let Li Qiao have some autonomy, will you? Let her roll her own roast duck, while you chat with me, have a drink, is that too much to ask?

Zong Zhan watched, feeling exasperated, as Shang Yu considerately served Li Qiao, feeding her and even thoughtfully picking out the green onion from the roast duck garnishes.

Big deal, you have a woman?