The Favored Heiress
Chapter 533: You Lost This Game

Chapter 533: Chapter 533: You Lost This Game

That night, two major incidents occurred.

Shen Qingye from the Sixth Bureau was attacked in an assassination attempt right outside his home, shot in the chest and still in critical condition at the hospital.

Xia Siyu, the heiress of Huanxia Pharmaceutical, encountered a car accident in Cloud City, suffering a head injury. After seven hours of emergency treatment, she had yet to regain consciousness.

When Li Qiao received these two pieces of news, it was half-past four in the morning, British time.

She didn’t know how long she had slept when she suddenly awoke, still somewhat disoriented.

The room was dim, the mattress beside her cool to the touch, and the man was not there.

She sat up, supporting her forehead, feeling a vague unease that she couldn’t quite place.

Besides, the darkness of the room always seemed to amplify feelings of restlessness.

Li Qiao sat for a while, then with a frown, she reached for her phone on the nightstand, only to find the screen black and battery dead.

She got out of bed, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, found the charger, and plugged it in. When the phone finally turned on, the screen was littered with numerous messages and missed calls.

Ten minutes later, Li Qiao walked out of the bedroom with an expressionless face.

Upon opening the door, she was greeted by a strong smell of smoke in the air.

The sky had not yet brightened, and a tall figure stood by the window, the cigarette in his fingers flickering softly.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, the man turned around in his robe. "Why are you up?"

"Shen Qingye and Xiaxia are in trouble," she stated calmly, but her eyes betrayed a storm of emotions.

Shang Yu’s eyebrows knitted together as he squinted, running his hand through her hair that fell down her back. "Want to go back?"

Li Qiao clenched her teeth, lowered her head, and muttered, "Yes... I need to go back."

One incident could be seen as an accident.

But both Shen Qingye and Xia Siyu running into trouble on the same night was beyond coincidence.

The living room was only illuminated by the faint glow of the cigarette the man was holding.

The night outside the window was at its darkest just before dawn.

They were so close to each other, yet unable to see each other’s faces.

In the silence, an oppressive mood spread.

Li Qiao took a step forward, falling into his embrace, whispering into his neck, "I’ve arranged a plane. We’ll depart for home in an hour."

"I’ll come with you," Shang Yu said, looking down at the top of her head, his deep eyes weaving a fierce and cold sharpness.

No sooner had he spoken than Li Qiao followed his last word with a shake of her head, declining, "No need, I’ll go alone."

She refused too quickly, even eagerly.

The man’s body trembled subtly, barely noticeable, but Li Qiao still easily picked up on something.

Her hands snaked around Shang Yu’s waist, and as she held him tight, she softly spoke, "You can go back after handling things here. I’m not going straight to the South Sea; I need to go to Cloud City first."

The man’s Adam’s apple moved erratically, and it was a long time before he gave a single word in response, "Okay."

A few minutes later, Li Qiao left the Royal Hotel, bowed her head as she got into the car, and her entire demeanor shifted instantaneously.

Her eyelids lifted, her lips taut and pale as she turned on her phone to look at the message, a fierce glint in her eyes.

It was a message from an unknown number, brief yet laden with information: "A man who doesn’t want you in the British Imperial will do anything."

Li Qiao saw the content of this message just as she finished reading about Shen Qingye and Xia Siyu’s incidents.

If she were to lose her reason, she wouldn’t rule out the possibility of suspecting Shang Yu because of this insinuating message.

After all, he did seem to have intentionally or otherwise prevented her from coming to the British Imperial before.

Unfortunately for the sender, she remained calm. Such insinuation and framing were useless against her.

She had refused Shang Yu’s company not because she suspected him, but because she needed time to sort out her thoughts.

...

An hour later, as dawn broke, Li Qiao boarded the plane, and Zong Yue, yawning, followed her on the journey back.

She was woken up temporarily by the hotel waiter and asked to pack her luggage as soon as possible, as the hotel would arrange a vehicle to take her to the airport.

Even while seated on the plane, Zong Yue was still very confused.

But seeing Li Qiao sitting emotionlessly by the window, radiating a cold and distant air, she didn’t dare to disturb her.

There must be another national affair, she thought.

After the plane took off, the morning light broke through the mist above London Port, and slivers of sunlight leaked from the clouds, chasing away the darkness before dawn.

At that moment, Shang Yu stood in front of the window, the ashtray already filled with cigarette butts.

A sudden vibration broke the silence in the room.

He looked at the caller ID and, after three seconds, slid to answer.

The man didn’t speak, and the person on the other end kept silent as well.

After an unknown period, the other party’s gentle and pleasant voice came through with a hint of laughter, "Shang Shaoyan, you have lost this round."

Shang Yu slowly lifted his eyelids, his eyes as deep as the ocean, his hoarse voice cold and chilling, "Is that so?"

"Haha." The man on the other end rhythmically tapped on the desk, his tone as gentle as an old friend reminiscing, "You did everything in your power to keep her from coming to British Imperial, but all your efforts were in vain.

I barely lifted a finger, and she rushed back without looking back.

Tell me, aren’t you inferior to me!"

After a brief silence, Shang Yu brought a cigarette to his lips and, exhaling a faint mist, he coldly curled his lips, "You’re not afraid I’ll tell her, are you?"

"Afraid of what?" The other person stopped tapping his desk smoothly, laughing even more warmly, "Do you think she would believe you if you told her?

I understand her better than you do, and I know her weaknesses even better.

Now, I’ve already gotten rid of her for you, and after many years of not seeing each other, it’s time to ’catch up’ in British Imperial."

After these words, the call was cut off.

Shang Yu lowered his arm, his gaze deeply fixed on the window outside, his handsome face stretched tight to its limit.

The light in his eyes grew darker, his lips whitened from being pressed together, and his fingers clenched the phone fiercely.

Within less than half a minute, another call came in.

The words "Madam Xiao" appeared on the screen.

Shang Yu did not answer the call, letting the phone hang up automatically.

The strong force of his grip deformed the phone, and fragments of the screen pierced his palm, with blood tracing down his fingertips.

...

Eight hours later, it was nine o’clock in the evening, Cloud City.

The moment before Li Qiao left the cabin, she told Zong Yue to wait on the plane; it would take off again in an hour to take her back to South Sea.

Zong Yue hurriedly nodded and urged her to leave quickly, fearing she might delay important matters due to her own fault.

Li Qiao stepped out of the cabin, and as she descended the stairs, she called Su Lao Si’s number.

"How is he?"

It wasn’t just her leaving British Imperial; Su Moshi did as well.

She chose to come to Cloud City to see Xiaxia, while Su Lao Si went to Aida State to see Shen Qingye.

As a Surgical Miracle Worker, Su Moshi could treat Shen Qingye, who was shot in the heart.

At that time, Su Lao Si, while walking and taking off his surgical gown, spoke with a tired voice, "He’s alright, the bullet has been removed, it missed the vital part of the heart by one centimeter.

He’s just been taken to the intensive care unit, and I’ll let you know when he wakes up. How are things with Xia Lao Wu?"

Li Qiao bent down and sat in the back seat, "I’ve just landed, heading to the hospital now."

With a hand on his forehead, Su Moshi consoled, "Take it easy, it’s normal for them to have enemies given their backgrounds. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself before the investigation is clear."