The Favored Heiress
Chapter 607 - 606: Li Qiao Returns to the South Sea

Chapter 607: Chapter 606: Li Qiao Returns to the South Sea

As the western hills were bathed in evening glow and the rain cleared up, Li Qiao was taken by Jin Rong to a hot spring island.

The natural seabed hot springs indeed had the effect of activating blood circulation and dispelling bruises.

Wrapped in a bath towel, Li Qiao lay lazily by the edge of the hot spring pool, the rising steam reddening her cheeks.

About half an hour later, she took a shower, changed into a Bohemian long dress, and strolled unhurriedly to the hot spring seaside house.

Jin Rong watched her approaching figure, his gaze falling on her head, feeling that the bun her hair was twisted into seemed much larger than usual.

In a twinkling, he asked with a smile, "How about it, isn’t our family’s hot spring very comfortable?"

Li Qiao stretched her limbs, feeling indeed lighter after being washed over by the hot spring water.

She rested her forearm on the edge of the table, tilted her head and cast a side glance at Jin Rong, "What’s next after this?"

"You tell me, I’ll listen to you," he replied.

Li Qiao nodded slightly, "Then let’s take a trip to the border."

Upon hearing this, a trace of wariness immediately surfaced on Jin Rong’s face, "For what?"

He had promised Shaoyan not to let her leave the Wenxi Archipelago.

Li Qiao raised her eyebrows, looking nonchalantly back at Jin Rong, "Don’t you want that Official Kiln vase anymore?"

"Of course, I do," he pondered and then rejected, "I will send someone else to get the vase. Your injury has not yet healed, don’t make a fuss, be good."

Li Qiao didn’t say much more, but instead dialed a phone call in front of Jin Rong and casually turned on the speakerphone, "Hello, who is this?"

The voice from the other end was stern and stilted, and one couldn’t make out any fluctuation in tone.

Li Qiao looked ahead, occasionally tapping her finger on the table, "Manager Liu, is that vase I’d asked for earlier still available?"

"You are Miss Li, right? I’m terribly sorry, but the vase was reserved by someone else two hours ago. It’s going to be packed tonight and sent to a security company to be shipped overseas, so..."

Li Qiao sighed with regret, "That quick?"

"Yes, if you really want it, I can delay it a bit if you offer a higher price than the other party," said ’Manager Liu’ on the phone.

At this, Li Qiao glanced at Jin Rong, whose face was twisted with conflict, and curved her lips, "How much did the other party offer?"

"Eighteen million."

Li Qiao narrowed her eyes, "I’ll offer twenty million, and a separate commission of two million just for you, to keep the vase for me."

’Manager Liu’ replied, unshocked, "Alright, then I will wait for you."

"Do I need to come in person?" Li Qiao asked meaningfully before hanging up.

’Manager Liu’s’ tone was sincere and decisive, "Yes, to prevent any mishaps, please do come in person."

In just those few words spoken, it seemed someone had shouted in the background, "Manager Liu, the security company’s people have arrived."

Li Qiao hung up the phone, her gaze calmly shifted towards Jin Rong.

At this moment, Jin Rong hadn’t snapped back to reality, because his entire attention was captured by Li Qiao’s words.

His beloved goddaughter did not pamper him for nothing.

She was so damn touching, willing to raise the price just to get that vase for him.

And so, Jin Rong’s heart, like that of an old father, was moved by Li Qiao, and within ten minutes, he arranged a helicopter and personally took her away from Wenxi Archipelago.

Luoyu, who had been watching the whole process with a cold eye: "..."

Why did she feel that ’Manager Liu’s’ voice on the phone was eerily familiar?

The methodical tone of speaking was exactly like Ah Chang’s.

Could she have heard it wrong?

At six o’clock in the afternoon, the helicopter landed at the Border Factory.

Li San and Nan Xin received the message and immediately came out to greet them.

Li Qiao gestured towards the office building ahead, "You go sign the contract first, and I’ll go to the market to pick up the vase."

Jin Rong had a faint feeling of being tricked.

Standing beside the helicopter, his ageless face was handsome yet indifferent.

In front of others, Jin Rong was always reserved and rarely smiled. He glanced around and finally fixed his gaze on Li Qiao, saying with a resonant firmness, "Don’t think of leaving me. If we go, we go together."

Li Qiao nodded calmly, undisturbed, "Alright, then shall we go to the restroom together?"

Jin Rong: "..."

Aside, Li San and Nan Xin exchanged subtle glances, before Li San stepped forward and extended his hand in greeting, "Hello, Mr. Jin, I’ve long admired your reputation."

Jin Rong shook his hand perfunctorily and simultaneously gave Luoyu a knowing look, which the latter understood immediately.

Li Qiao naturally didn’t miss their exchanged glances and curved her lips, saying nothing as she turned and entered the office building.

With Luoyu following, Jin Rong also slightly relaxed.

Having known Li Qiao for five years, he naturally knew that this youngster was clever and sly, truly a paradigm of cunning.

Soon, Jin Rong was invited by Li San to the conference room, where the order contract had already been printed and laid out on the table.

However, he hadn’t expected that for just a few lousy contracts, Li San, that bandit, would keep him discussing non-stop for over four hours.

By the time the meeting was over, the vase had been presented to him by Nan Xin with both hands, along with a commission of two million.

By this time, Li Qiao had already returned to the South Sea.

Jin Rong stared at the two-million commission check in his hand, falling into deep contemplation.

Had that kid turned even Luoyu against him?

...

At nine in the evening, a small business plane arrived at South Sea International Airport.

Li Qiao, wearing a long dress, descended the boarding stairs with Ah Chang, the night breeze on the tarmac blowing across her skirt, faintly outlining her long legs.

Seeing the Mercedes not far away, Ah Chang immediately reminded her, "Miss Qi, Ah Jie has already arrived. I just asked the factory, Third Master and Mr. Jin are still in a meeting."

"Hmm, arrange for someone to bring Luoyu back tomorrow."

Actually, Luoyu hadn’t been turned against her; instead, she had been knocked out and tied up in the factory restroom by Li Qiao.

Had she been straightforward, Li Qiao would not have laid a hand on her.

But Luoyu insisted she knew nothing and kept urging Li Qiao to stay on Wenxi Island to recuperate.

The more Luoyu acted like this, the more Li Qiao did the opposite.

At that moment, Ah Chang nodded and handed over a briefcase to Li Qiao.

It contained the marquis’ identity documents, which Shang Yu had not taken with him when he left.

And before leaving Wenxi Island, Li Qiao had hidden the documents in her skirt hem, and as for the medal box... she had tied it into her bun, swaggering through the market, without Jin Rong ever noticing.

Not long after, Li Qiao lifted her skirt and climbed into the car. When she steered onto the highway, her slender left wrist no longer sported the wristwatch.

She had said she wanted to give Shang Yu a surprise, so of course, she had to go all out.

Thus, forty minutes later, Li Qiao’s Mercedes appeared at the South Sea Mansion.

The mansion seemed somewhat empty that night.

The patrol bodyguards usually seen everywhere were missing; the surroundings of the mansion were eerily quiet.

Li Qiao, carrying the briefcase, got out of the car and surveyed the surroundings, unexpectedly seeing three Bentley cars parked under the steps of the porch ahead.

She paused and focused her gaze, looking towards the direction of the mansion’s floor-to-ceiling windows and noticed that all the curtains had been drawn down, tightly concealing the living room.