The Favored Heiress
Chapter 584: Arriving at the Border

Chapter 584: Chapter 584: Arriving at the Border

A day later, in the evening.

Li Qiao sat cross-legged in the teahouse of the Mansion, with her phone on the stand, displaying Su Moshi’s tepid face on the screen.

"Li San is out of serious trouble now and should recover after some more rest. I am going back to the Medical Alliance tomorrow. Are you coming over?"

Li Qiao leaned against the tea table, shaking her head lightly, "I am returning to the Border tomorrow, so I won’t be coming for now."

Su Moshi fell silent for a few seconds, "That’s fine. Take the trip back as a chance to relax. I’ve already spoken to Reid. They’ll arrange to send you all the research materials and clinical features, and you can video conference with them any time you need."

"Hmm, thanks."

Su Moshi chuckled, gave a few more words of advice, and soon ended the video call.

Before long, the door to the teahouse was pushed open, and Shang Yu entered, bringing with him a crisp, cool air to sit beside her.

Li Qiao propped her face with one hand, her gaze lingering on him.

Lately, his paranoid and depressive episodes had not flared up, but that didn’t mean they were nonexistent.

Shang Yu was too adept at using his strong will to restrain the impacts of his condition, so much so that she could never really grasp at what stage his illness actually was.

Perhaps because of Li Qiao’s focused stare, Shang Yu, while putting tea leaves into the teapot with tea tongs, turned his head slightly to meet her eyes, "What are you looking at?"

Li Qiao’s cool fingertips traced his contours, outlining his facial features, "I heard from Liuyun yesterday that you are returning to Parma?"

Shang Yu held her fingers and rubbed them lightly, "Yes, there are some matters to handle. I am leaving tomorrow."

She was also departing for the Border tomorrow.

Li Qiao raised her eyebrows slightly, "Then when will you be back?"

The man’s lips curved into a faint smile, a light chuckle settling between his deep brows and eyes as he pinched her delicate jaw, "It should be around the same time as you."

Li Qiao acknowledged without much thought or inquiry.

The following morning, she set off for the airport with Luoyu, and Shang Yu also embarked on his journey to Parma that afternoon.

Inside the cabin, Wang Yue and Zhui Feng sat near the bar staring at each other until, simultaneously, both blurted out, "Where’s Liuyun?"

Zhui Feng kicked Wang Yue in the leg, "How would I know."

Wang Yue shrugged, "Why don’t you ask the boss?"

Zhui Feng gave him a disdainful look and fell into contemplation. It was strange, Liuyun had been missing since yesterday. Could it be that the boss assigned him a secret mission?

...

One o’clock in the afternoon, at the Border airport.

Li Qiao, dressed in a casual black outfit, hands in pockets, stood on the airstair for a few seconds before descending leisurely.

Luoyu and Ah Chang, one to her left and one to her right, followed solemnly behind her.

After an absence of three years, stepping onto this familiar land again, a sense of strangeness sprouted within her.

Two black off-road vehicles were parked ahead. Seeing Li Qiao approaching, Nan Xin immediately got out of the car to welcome her, "Baby, welcome back."

She fluidly opened her arms towards Li Qiao, and Li San took the opportunity to get out of the car as well.

"Finally willing to come back?"

He had been genuinely startled when he heard Qiaoqiao was returning to the Border.

Nan Xin hugged her briefly, then nodded at Luoyu and Ah Chang as a greeting, and quickly the group got into the vehicles on their way to the Border Factory.

Li Qiao, sitting in the backseat and gazing out the window, maintained an expressionless face. She seemed composed and calm, yet like still waters run deep, there was a hidden turmoil beneath.

...

Forty minutes later, the factory standing lone in the wilderness loomed close at hand.

The factory covered a large area, surrounded by tall fences topped with electric netting.

As the towering iron gates slowly opened, the factory stretched so vast one couldn’t see its edges at a glance.

The car stopped in front of a three-story building within the factory compound, and Li Qiao leaned out to get out of the car, surveying the familiar scene. Everything her gaze touched matched her memories exactly.

At that moment, the double glass doors to the right were opened, and a burly man wearing a black tank top and camo pants came out with a gun in one hand and several crumpled A4 papers in the other.

Upon seeing the off-road vehicle with the license plate series exclusive to Li San of the border, he immediately walked over with his head held high and cursing, "Third Master, these bastards are too much. We just got three more orders..."

Before he could finish, his face—marked with thick brows, tiger eyes, and a scar—suddenly froze.

Li San slammed the car door, adjusted his belt, and spoke with a tough demeanor, "Were they returns again?"

The muscular man paid him no attention.

Instead, he stared straight at Li Qiao, his mind seemingly struggling to catch up.

How did this beautiful lady look so familiar?

As the other man remained stupefied for quite a while, Li San’s patience wore thin. He walked up and kicked him in the lower back, "I’m talking to you!"

"Ah? Oh, yes, three of our partners returned goods again." The hefty man handed the wrinkled A4 papers to Li San, still sneaking glances at Li Qiao.

By this time, Li Qiao had already confidently walked into the office building.

Nan Xin and Luoyu were following closely behind her.

Outside, the burly subordinate who was reporting to Li San suddenly had a moment of clarity, finally remembering where he had seen Li Qiao before.

Two years ago, he had seen her picture in the home of an old man from Poor People’s Kiln.

...

Half an hour later, Li Qiao tossed the list of returned goods onto the table, leaned back in her chair, resting a hand on her forehead in thought.

Li San was at the components plant, leaving only Nan Xin sitting by her side, forcing a smile, "Sweetheart, don’t stress about this. The boss said even if all the orders were returned, we could handle it."

Li Qiao lifted her eyelids and glanced at her, speaking plainly, "You can’t handle it."

Nan Xin: "..."

At that moment, Luoyu, who was standing in the corner of the office smoking, heard the comment and raised his eyebrows, vaguely understanding why the boss had chosen this time to go to Parma.

Li Qiao didn’t stay at the factory for long and, by not even three o’clock, Ah Chang drove the off-road vehicle straight out the gate.

"Miss Qi, should we go directly to Wenzhai Garden?"

Li Qiao, sitting in the backseat, looked out the window and responded coolly, "Mm."

Ah Chang said no more, while Luoyu’s eyes flickered.

Wenzhai Garden was a place he had heard about a long time ago, considered a special district on the border.

No one was clear about what was there, as people who tried to sneak in to find out had always failed.

The border was vast, and by the time they reached Wenzhai Garden, two hours had passed.

Li Qiao leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

Luoyu and Ah Chang looked back at her but neither spoke to disturb her.

Wenzhai Garden was located at the northernmost point of the Myanmar Border Crossing.

The surrounding architecture featured distinctive Burmese-style golden spires, and Wenzhai Garden itself consisted of seven buildings, each with seven stories.

The garden was also home to numerous amenities: a convenience store, a small amusement park, a medical room, and outdoor fitness equipment... just like a residential community.

If it weren’t so desolate, the view would indeed make it a paradise within the confines of the border.