The Favored Heiress
Chapter 614: Darling, are you hot?

Chapter 614: Chapter 614: Darling, are you hot?

Why does this man have the habit of undressing when he’s drunk?

Li Qiao squinted as he took off his shirt and forcefully dressed her in it, even meticulously fastening every button for her.

Although the night in early autumn was cold, it wasn’t... necessary to go this far.

Li Qiao looked at herself, her appearance utterly ridiculous, then after a moment, turned her head and asked, "Satisfied?"

The man leaned lazily on the couch, elbow on the back of the chair, fingertips supporting his forehead, gazing at Li Qiao with eyes as deep as the sea, "Hmm, feeling hot?"

What kind of bewildering statement was that?

How was she supposed to respond?

Hot or not hot?

Li Qiao was at a loss for words, gazing intently at Shang Yu, attempting to guess his intentions.

At that moment, the man leaned forward, gradually closing the distance between them, lifted her chin, and continued to ask with a hint of seduction in his tone, "Babe, feeling hot?"

Li Qiao’s heart skipped a beat.

It seemed like the first time he had called her ’babe’.

It wasn’t as casual and flirtatious as ’baby’, nor as proper as ’Qiaoqiao’.

This nickname was filled with indulgence and tenderness.

Li Qiao licked the corner of her mouth and responded earnestly, "Hot."

The man patted her head delightfully, "Good girl."

Li Qiao: "???"

So, her saying she was hot resulted in her clothes being pulled off?

Was he really drunk or not?

Although his eyes seemed blurred with drunkenness, his actions and demeanor still radiated dominance and assertiveness.

Li Qiao couldn’t remember how she ended up in the master bedroom.

Until she was pinned down, the man’s handsome face buried in her neck, a deep chuckle reverberating in her ear, and then, Li Qiao heard Shang Yu’s clearly articulated words, "You really think I was drunk?"

She stared at the ceiling overhead, her heart sneering coldly, huh, men.

...

The next day, Li Qiao entered the doors of the fund company at eleven in the morning.

In the president’s office, Xi Luo looked up slightly, eyeing her with narrowed eyes, "Quite a unique time you’ve chosen to come to work."

Li Qiao sat down directly, rubbed the corner of her eye, and lazily requested, "Get me an office."

Xi Luo, seeing her lack of energy, pursed her lips and nodded towards the meeting room next door, "It’s all set up. Today’s your first day here, do you want me to hold a meeting to introduce you?"

"No need, too much trouble."

Li Qiao stood up and walked toward the next room, dragging her feet as if she couldn’t lift her legs.

In the evening, close to quitting time, Li Qiao sat in the office, rapidly typing on the keyboard.

Soon after, her phone rang with an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen.

Li Qiao glanced at the display, slid to answer, and switched on the speakerphone, "Who is this?"

"Miss Li, I trust you’ve been well," came a voice, crisp and indifferent, a bit unfamiliar, and unhurried in tone.

Li Qiao’s hands paused on the keyboard, she lifted her eyelids, "Xiao Yeyan."

It was indeed a rarity for Xiao Yeyan to take the initiative to call her.

"Ahem." Xiao Yeyan cleared his throat, his voice also sounding a bit hoarse, "Miss Li still remembers me, what an honor."

Li Qiao curved her lips and replied lightly, "Speak directly if you have something to say."

There was no need for pleasantries between them.

Xiao Yeyan was quite forthright. Hearing the cold impatience in Li Qiao’s tone, he cut straight to the chase, "I wonder if Miss Li would honor me with her company for dinner?"

"Of course, I’m not free," Li Qiao replied tersely, ready to hang up the phone at any moment.

However, Xiao Yeyan’s next words piqued her interest.

"You must have met Xiao Yehui already," said Xiao Yeyan, his tone laced with a teasing smile and filled with intriguing implications. "Since you have, and now our positions are different... the enemy of my enemy is my friend. What does Miss Li think of this saying?"

The enemy of my enemy.

Li Qiao caressed the edge of her phone, her tone icy, "Not much."

"It seems you have a deep misunderstanding of me. Since you’re not free to honor me, it just so happens I’m near the Technology Park. How about I come over and apologize in person? Some things are better said face to face."

Xiao Yeyan’s speech was punctuated by several coughs, confirming what He Chen had said, seemingly the sequelae of a lung injury.

Li Qiao contemplated momentarily, then glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. She had no doubt that Xiao Yeyan could find out where she worked in the Technology Park.

Seconds later, Li Qiao threw out two words, "Location."

Xiao Yeyan seemed to chuckle before giving the name of the restaurant and ending the call.

...

Half an hour later, at the sushi restaurant.

Li Qiao entered unhurriedly, lifting the curtain of the door. The restaurant was furnished in standard Japanese wooden decor, exuding a sense of Zen simplicity.

The small establishment was hidden in the deep alleys of the old district.

Upon entering, Li Qiao noticed that the place was virtually empty, with only two chefs preparing sushi in the kitchen.

To the right, a sliding door opened, and Xiao Yeyan stood by it, clad in a white shirt and a smile, "Miss Li, this way, please."

Li Qiao cast a brief glance at him and walked into the private room to take a seat on her own.

In a room of just over twenty square meters, only the two of them were present.

Xiao Yeyan, just like when they first met, was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, his handsome face pale with a hint of sickness.

He pushed a teacup across to Li Qiao and gestured with open hands, "Thank you for coming, please have some tea first."

Li Qiao looked at the steaming cup of tea, then back at him expressionlessly.

Xiao Yeyan cupped his hand to his mouth and coughed softly, "Don’t look at me like that. Do you think I would poison it?"

Li Qiao, crossing her legs and leaning back into the chair, lazily curled her lips into a smile, "You’re not that stupid."

"I always enjoy talking to smart people," Xiao Yeyan said. His brows arched like phoenixes, and despite his sickly appearance, the ambivalent charisma was still very apparent.

He took the lead in picking up the cup and sipped some tea, but his gaze lingered on Li Qiao over the rim of the cup, "Does Shang Shaoyan know you’re meeting me?"

Li Qiao’s patience was waning, "Did Vice Secretary Xiao invite me here to make small talk?"

"Of course not. We haven’t seen each other since our last parting, and a lot has happened in the meantime. Now that I’m back in South Sea, I must find an opportunity to reestablish myself," he said as he picked up a document from the chair and handed it to Li Qiao, adding, "To show my sincerity, take a look at this first."

Li Qiao took it, glanced over it casually, her expression remaining unchanged.

Xiao Yeyan seemed not to require her to speak. He traced his fingers along the teacup, speaking casually, "Yin Mo grew up in the Ducal Residence and is now captain of the Knight Squad. You can take a closer look at this information, it might give you more insight about your second sister."

True to his words, the document was a detailed record of Yin Mo’s resume.

Li Qiao briefly scanned the document then set it aside, gazing steadily at Xiao Yeyan, "Your purpose."

"We collaborate."

These four words still failed to elicit any reaction from Li Qiao.

Xiao Yeyan stared at her intently. Having immersed himself for so long in the Ducal Residence, he prided himself on his ability to read people.

Yet, Li Qiao’s composure left him slightly frustrated.