The Favored Heiress
Chapter 565: Shang Yu Waited for Her for Five Hours

Chapter 565: Chapter 565: Shang Yu Waited for Her for Five Hours

It was unclear how long he had been waiting here, with the car covered in traces of rainwater.

Li Qiao cleared her throat, forcing a smile as she approached and slid into the passenger seat.

Inside the car, the smell of smoke was strong.

Li Qiao first looked back to ensure that there was no one in the back seat, then turned to meet the man’s gaze, "Why did you come?"

She did not know beforehand that Shang Yu would come.

Lately, she had been helping Song Lao Liu with Mo Jue’s affair, often leaving early and returning late, collapsing into sleep as soon as she got home, and it seemed like it had been a long time since she had been alone with him.

At this moment, Shang Yu turned on the dome light, observing the weariness between Li Qiao’s brows, his thin lips pursed, and his voice was very husky, "Tired?"

Once everything had settled down, exhaustion crept silently over her limbs and body.

Li Qiao relaxed her nerves, leaning back in her seat as she eased the tension between her brows, "A bit."

The man did not speak again, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

The car was very quiet, with the window of the driver’s side half-open, letting in the post-rain night breeze that carried the damp air and dispersed the heavy smell of smoke.

After a while, Li Qiao leaned sideways against the back of her seat and looked at Shang Yu, who was driving.

This was the first time he was driving with her as a passenger.

The man kept his eyes on the road, his expression focused, steering the wheel with one hand from beginning to end.

His silence was profound, and his side profile was sharply defined in her view, but the slightly tense lines of his face revealed that he was not as indifferent as he seemed.

Li Qiao cleared her throat and initiated conversation to break the silence, "When did you get here?"

Shang Yu glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a slight smile on his lips, "Why didn’t you arrest anyone at the convention center?"

Li Qiao’s eyelid twitched, ignoring his question and instead seizing on another point, "You went to the convention center?"

They had started surveillance at the convention center at around eleven o’clock the previous night, and Mo Jue had appeared after one in the morning.

And now, it was three-thirty in the middle of the night.

If he had been there the whole time, did that mean he had been waiting for her for nearly five hours?

Li Qiao frowned, an inexplicable sense of heartache welling up in her.

At that moment, Shang Yu suddenly turned the steering wheel and parked the car next to the green belt.

He rolled down the window, and the breeze rustled the hair on his forehead.

Once again, the man picked up the cigarette pack, took a cigarette between two fingers, and lit it, with smoke escaping from the corner of his mouth.

Li Qiao watched the thin white fog circle around, blurring his contours as well.

She leaned forward, her fingers reaching for the corner of his eye, "Have you been waiting for me this whole time? You didn’t have to come specifically, I would have gone back after I was done..."

Shang Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he took a few more drags of his cigarette before his gaze finally steadied on Li Qiao.

In those eyes deep as the sea of ink, discontent was barely concealed.

He pressed his lips together, unable to suppress the irritation in his heart, his voice low and harsh, "If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known that you can be so busy with someone else’s matters until the middle of the night."

Shang Yu rarely got angry in front of Li Qiao.

Whether it was possessiveness or some other reason, he extremely disliked when Li Qiao’s time was filled by others.

One day was okay, two days were also okay, but this situation had continued for almost a week.

Perhaps it was a feeling of irritation from being ignored that was dictating his thoughts.

At that moment, as Li Qiao listened to Shang Yu’s hoarse and muted voice, her heart tightened, and her fingertips involuntarily curled up. She always had an accurate grasp of his emotions, and without needing to say much more, she could sense his displeasure.

Looking back, she realized that she had indeed been neglecting him lately because of Mo Jue’s affair.

It was not intentional, just an oversight.

Moreover, Li Qiao always remembered what He Chen had said, that she hadn’t yet been able to give him a sense of security, and yet here she was, neglecting him over trivial matters.

She felt somewhat chagrined and instantly unbuckled her seatbelt, slightly lifted her body with her knees against the seat, and with agile movements, leapt over to sit sideways in his embrace.

Her unexpected embrace took Shang Yu by surprise, a flicker of astonishment crossing his eyes which were shaded with a trace of gloom. Even though he was still repressing his emotions, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Li Qiao, securing her in his hold.

Upset as he was, he had always found it impossible to resist her closeness.

Thankfully, the car’s cabin was spacious enough for Li Qiao to lean against the steering wheel, seated in Shang Yu’s lap, facing him, holding his cool palm to his face, she bent her head to peck his lips twice, "Are you angry?"

The man’s gaze was unfathomably deep as he turned up the corner of his lips and asked profoundly, "What do you think?"

Li Qiao, knowing she was at fault, blinked and readily nodded, "Mm, this time it’s my fault."

Her admission was truly sincere.

"What’s your fault?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes as his warm palm unknowingly climbed up her lower back, gently stroking it.

Li Qiao glanced at him, bumping his forehead with hers, rubbing his cheek with some guilt, "I’ve ignored you."

And as she said so, she couldn’t help but start to feel heartache.

Shang Yu, that strong and domineering man, had sat in the car waiting for her for five hours, even if he was unhappy, still trying his best to keep his emotions in check.

How could she not feel heartache!

At that time, the man leaned against the back of the chair, his upright posture casually exuding a hint of languor.

He clamped Li Qiao’s chin, his voice deep and slow, "So how do you plan to make it up to me? Hmm?"

Li Qiao pondered for a few seconds, then kissed his cheek, "It’s up to you, what compensation do you want?"

Shang Yu arched his eyebrow amusedly, his gaze thoughtfully falling upon her lips, "Sure?"

Li Qiao fell silent.

Why did she feel like there was more to his words?

In the quiet car, the man’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he clutched the back of her head and sucked forcefully on her lips, "Since it’s compensation for me, you should come up with it yourself."

With that, he patted Li Qiao’s lower back, his voice turning huskier, "Go sit back down."

Li Qiao sharply detected the man’s reaction, glanced at him, and silently moved back to the passenger seat from his lap.

On the quiet night road, it seemed improper to let things escalate further.

Not long afterward, Shang Yu calmed his emotions, pinched out the cigarette in his hand, and restarted the car to head back to the Mansion.

On the way back, neither spoke. Li Qiao sat in the passenger seat, arms folded, occasionally frowning, occasionally sighing, lost in how to compensate him.

All her expressions were captured by the man beside her; her contemplation, her conflict, her every frown and smile, every emotion stirred because of him.

Shang Yu rolled his Adam’s apple, a gentle ripple forming in the depths of his eyes, faring a particular fondness for this feeling that arose because of him.

...

Having returned to the Mansion, Li Qiao walked beside the man with her head down. It was past four in the morning, and the night’s rain had made the mountain air crisp and chilly.

Having only taken a few steps, she felt a weight on her shoulder and was suddenly pulled into a warm and sturdy embrace, hot breath spilling over her ear, "Are you cold?"

Li Qiao looked up to meet his gaze, her chest twined with scorching emotion.