The Favored Heiress
Chapter 660: Mu’s Auction House

Chapter 660: Chapter 660: Mu’s Auction House

Shang Yu responded indifferently with an "Mhm," and took Li Qiao with him as they got into the carriage.

Wei Ang and Luoyu exchanged glances, pursed their lips, and asked her with their eyes, what does "Mhm" mean?

Are we going back to the old manor or not?

Luoyu glanced at him and said coldly, "Back to the estate."

Got it, it means to let the family head wait.

...

Returning to Parma, Li Qiao didn’t have many complex emotions.

Whether it’s the Parma Mu Family or Jing Yilan, even if she had guessed that her origins might be related to them, it couldn’t change her united hatred.

As the car drove off the tarmac, Li Qiao’s phone rang.

She saw the incoming call display and responded with silence as she answered.

On the other end, Shen Qingye spoke in a hushed voice, his tone slightly guilty, "Kid, did you find Brother Lih?"

Last night, Li Qiao had already been in contact with Shen Qingye.

He cleared up the ins and outs of his placing an order with the Mercenary Group through his explanation.

When Shen Qingye placed the order at the beginning, he didn’t know that the Mercenary Group was under Yun Lih’s command.

It wasn’t until later, when he received a call from Yun Lih, that the two of them quickly decided to teach Xiao Yehui a lesson.

At the very least, he couldn’t get shot for nothing.

During that time, Shen Qingye was confined to house arrest by his father and couldn’t act with Yun Lih. However, he strangely felt very confident in Yun Lih.

He was not only half a mentor to Li Qiao but also the boss of the Mercenary Group, and hurting someone was as easy for him as turning over his hand.

Yet, the situation had completely spiraled out of control.

The reason Shen Qingye had asked her about it that evening when Li Qiao was dining at the mountain villa was because the actions Yun Lih was about to take had made him worried.

But with the arrow on the string, he didn’t dare to disrupt Yun Lih’s arrangements.

Now, hearing Shen Qingye’s feeble voice, Li Qiao turned and looked out the window, "If he really snuck into the Ducal Residence, do you think he could be easily found?"

Indeed, according to the clues provided by Shen Qingye, it was rumored that Yun Lih was attempting to infiltrate the Ducal Residence.

If he had succeeded, then his current loss of contact was expected.

The Ducal Residence’s security was extremely rigorous; forget using a mobile phone, even a minor mistake could reveal one’s identity.

Li Qiao didn’t know whether to call Yun Lih audacious or to say his thoughts were meticulous.

Upon hearing her rhetorical question, Shen Qingye was left scratching his head in dismay, "What should we do then? Should I... ask my dad to think of something?"

"No need." Li Qiao refused his suggestion without hesitation, "Don’t do anything before I find him."

On the phone, Shen Qingye was silent for a few seconds, tentatively probing with difficulty, "Do you think... Brother Lih could... "

Li Qiao’s gaze sharpened, and she bluntly interrupted him, "No."

Xiao Yehui knew Yun Lih; even if he were caught in the Ducal Residence, his life wouldn’t be in danger for the time being.

After all... the Seven Sons all knew about her relationship with Yun Lih; it made no sense for Xiao Yehui to move against him. Threatening her with Yun Lih was more along the lines of his tactics.

Li Qiao once again admonished Shen Qingye before ending the conversation.

...

About forty minutes later, the estate at the foot of Paibo Mountain came into view.

Li Qiao leaned against Shang Yu’s shoulder and massaged her temples, "I didn’t prepare a gift this time..."

She had forgotten.

The last time she came to Parma to meet with Shang Zonghai, she at least brought a set of mortars.

Now that she and Shang Yu had gotten their marriage license, it didn’t seem quite right to not give a meeting gift due to the change in their status.

The man tilted his head to look at her, his lips curving with a hint of bitterness, "You can go to the third-floor collection room in the estate and pick any gift you like.

Weaving through traffic, Wei Ang glanced at the rearview mirror, grumbling to himself: It seems like he’s forgotten all about his dad now that he’s got a wife.

Just pick any gift, how casual can it get?!

Entering the grandly decorated ancient European-style living room of the estate, Li Qiao unsurprisingly saw Huo Mang and He Qing.

She greeted them and headed straight to the third floor to pick out a gift for Shang Zonghai.

The collection room was filled with a faint scent of dust, and the stained-glass window sprinkled mottled colors on the floor.

Li Qiao looked around, but found nothing to her liking; after much deliberation, she found Uncle Zong’s number and dialed it.

"Miss, it has been a long time since we last made contact."

Uncle Zong, the butler of the Venus Auction, made small talk with Li Qiao while flipping through the latest auction catalog.

The miss must want to buy something again.

Li Qiao stood in front of the round stained-glass window, leaning against the windowsill, and asked in a faint voice, "Uncle Zong, does Venus have an auction site in Parma?"

Uncle Zong hesitated, "No, Venus can’t get in there. I remember many years ago, Parma rejected Venus’s application to establish a presence there. However..."

After some rustling noises, he added, "Parma has an auction house that has a strategic partnership with Venus. Sometimes their items are auctioneened interchangeably."

Li Qiao frowned slightly, "Do you by chance have anything suitable for an elderly medical practitioner to give as a gift?"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zong flipped through the catalog and, after a while, said with excitement, "There is a set of Acupuncture Gold Needles, twenty-four needles, that should be quite suitable."

Li Qiao pondered briefly and then accepted Uncle Zong’s recommendation, "When’s the earliest it can be auctioned off?"

"When do you need it, Miss?"

"The sooner, the better."

Thus, after careful contemplation, Uncle Zong made another suggestion, "Miss, the auction for the Acupuncture Gold Needles in our country is in ten days. If you’re in a hurry, I can arrange for an insurance company to deliver the needles to our partner in Parma, and you can bid for them on-site. That’s the fastest way to acquire them."

Li Qiao was silent; it sounded very troublesome.

She turned to look at the collection room’s items, and couldn’t help but consider... maybe just pick something at random to give to Shang Zonghai?!

As she was thinking, Uncle Zong on the phone reminded her, "Mu’s Auction House has an auction tonight. If I arrange for someone to deliver it now, it should make it on time."

Li Qiao’s eyelids twitched, "Which auction house?"

"Mu’s. They are the biggest local auction house in Parma, with a history of forty to fifty years. They’ve cooperated with Venus for many years; you can trust them."

Li Qiao’s eyes showed deep thought and in a fleeting moment, she agreed with Uncle Zong, "Okay, make the arrangements. And send me the information about Mu’s Auction House."

"Of course, Miss."

...

The information about Mu’s Auction House was sent over by Uncle Zong after five minutes.

Li Qiao briefly went through it, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Mu’s private auction house was established fifty-three years ago by the Mu Family, and the current person in charge is surnamed Fan.

This is a business belonging to the Parma Mu Family.

Li Qiao closed the introduction page, opened the Red Guest System, and entered the information about Mu’s Auction House.

The content that came up was simple and scant.

Her brows furrowed, a mixture of suspicion and an emergence of curiosity about the former holdings of the Mu Family.

If the Mu Family had been extinguished, the original properties should have been swallowed up by others long ago, yet Mu’s Auction House has not changed its name and even boldly states that it was established by the Mu Family.

Was this Fan-surnamed person in charge brazen or guilt-free?