The Favored Heiress
Chapter 667: No Blind Spot in the Old House Surveillance

Chapter 667: Chapter 667: No Blind Spot in the Old House Surveillance

Li Qiao walked into the western-style building with a composed expression, the orange glow of the setting sun seeping through the crack of the door onto the dark red floor, elongating her shadow at an angle, and what followed was the floating scent of smoke all around her.

Shang Yu sat in the living room with his legs crossed, an ashtray in front of him filled with cigarette butts.

Li Qiao approached him, leaned against the back of the chair, and trailed her fingers over his shoulder, "Why smoke so much?"

He put down his legs and pressed the cigarette into the ashtray, not looking at her but staring at the brocade box on the coffee table as he asked in a deep voice, "Have you finished reading the translation of the document?"

Li Qiao’s heart tightened, and she, too, looked toward the coffee table.

The position of the brocade box hadn’t moved; he probably had his suspicions, which was why he asked such a question.

Li Qiao’s eyes flickered and she responded truthfully, "Not yet, I just thought of something, so I went to ask Father Shang."

"What is it?" Shang Yu tilted his head, slightly leaning forward and peering at her.

Li Qiao braced herself and explained with a smile, "The file says that during the capture, the kidnapper’s car plunged off a bridge, and later when they dredged for bodies, they didn’t find the child, so I went to ask if there’s a chance they’re still alive."

This was something she had seen before the passion.

Now to bring it up as an excuse seemed reasonable.

At this moment, the man’s somber expression gradually softened, and with a tug that held her tightly, he pulled her into his embrace.

Shang Yu’s embrace was tight, with hints of losing control.

Li Qiao sat on his lap steadily, not struggling, glanced at the ashtray, climbed her fingers over his contour, and coaxed softly, "I couldn’t find you before I left, so I just went over on my own."

The man’s jaw rested on her shoulder as his strong arms enfolded her silently.

Li Qiao shifted a bit, smiling, "I thought you would come looking for me."

Shang Yu’s Adam’s apple moved as he said in a low voice, "Did you feel uncomfortable after taking the medicine?"

As he spoke, he cradled Li Qiao’s face, his gaze diving into her eyes, carrying a hint of nervousness.

Li Qiao shook her head, her face relaxed, "What discomfort could I have? It’s not like I haven’t taken medicine you’ve prepared before."

The man’s lips parted slightly, and his thumb brushed her lip corner, "Don’t take it anymore."

Li Qiao met his gaze, raised an eyebrow slightly, "Taking medicine is normal, don’t worry unnecessarily. Besides, I don’t want to have children right now..."

Shang Yu cut her off, embracing her with a soft sigh, "Now really isn’t a good time."

There is little rationality to speak of in moments of passion, and it was a spontaneous impulse that led to certain actions.

And Li Qiao’s concerns were not without reason.

The two remained quietly in each other’s arms for a moment, Li Qiao reassured he hadn’t detected anything unusual and let out a slight sigh of relief.

Before long, it was a quarter past five.

A message from the front courtyard arrived, stating that Fan Minli and his daughter had already come.

Housekeeper Xiao also relayed a message to Luoyu, informing Shang Yu that the Head of the Family had asked him to go to the Council Hall first.

Li Qiao looked at Shang Yu, nodded towards the door, "Then you go ahead, I’ll head directly to Yuezhai Hall in a moment."

He ran his palm over the top of her head, "Remember to take your phone."

"Got it, go on."

Li Qiao stood at the entrance of the western-style building, watching Shang Yu crossing the bridge, an involuntary smile on her face.

The feeling now was indeed akin to that of a wife sending her husband out.

Li Qiao watched for a while, then turned to Luoyu beside her, "Let’s talk inside."

In the living room, Luoyu took out the emergency contraceptive and repeated the doctor’s advice.

Li Qiao read the instructions on the medicine box, popped a pill into her mouth, took a sip of water from the teacup, and handed the box back to Luoyu, "Dispose of it, don’t let it be found."

Luoyu nodded, her eyes vigilantly sweeping outside the window, and then she whispered, "I’ve checked, and when the boss was preparing the medication this afternoon, no one had any contact with him."

Miss Li pursed her lips without surprise, "Not even the servants?"

This was almost identical to the incident with Madam Xiao.

Luoyu’s expression was particularly serious, "Indeed not, I used the Red Guest system to hack into the surveillance of every corner of the old house, the gathering, preparing, and decocting of the herbs, all done by him personally."

Truly bizarre.

No wonder Madam Xiao came to despise Shang Yu so much; a woman of her temperament would not jump to conclusions rashly.

She must have ordered an investigation when the incident happened then.

But in the end, all the truth pointed to Shang Yu.

Miss Li turned around and sat down, her fingers tapping on her knee, "Does the old house have any blind spots in the surveillance?"

Luoyu replied with a strained tone, "Every corner of the old house is within the coverage of the surveillance. All the kitchen areas, the room where the medicine is decocted, including the vicinity of each master’s private residence, have surveillance points."

As if fearing Miss Li wouldn’t believe her, she paused, then added, "Even the public restrooms have coverage at the entrance corridor."

In short, within the visible range of the Shang Family Old House, everything is exposed.

If Madam Xiao hadn’t become utterly disillusioned and turned her love to hate due to the investigation results, perhaps she and her son would not have reached the point they were at today.

If it was man-made, then just how many years has someone with ill intentions been lurking within the Shang’s?

But if it wasn’t man-made, could it really just be an accident?

After all, her and Shang Yu’s lovemaking in the private residence was spontaneous, including his lack of safety measures. Who could have anticipated such matters in advance?

Who is Shang Yu?

A man cold and sharp to the bone, could he fail to notice if someone secretly approached to tamper with something?

The reason he drowned in self-blame all these years, allowing Madam Xiao to verbally lash out at him, was simply because... indeed no one else had touched those medications.

Miss Li’s contemplation took so long that her mind grew increasingly muddled as if caught in some cognitive trap.

Unable to sort out her thoughts for the moment, she rubbed her temples and glanced at the time before saying, "Let’s go, to Yuezhai Hall first."

Luoyu actually wished even more to find a clue, even a trace would be fine.

In this world, anyone could hurt Miss Li, only the boss would never.

The one he protects with his life, how could he bear to hurt her even slightly?

And that afternoon, she had watched firsthand as Miss Li endured the pain of her allergy, quickly getting out of the boss’s sight at the first chance, that scene had deeply touched Luoyu’s heart.

Both of them, usually not good at expressing themselves, were striving to love each other in their own ways.

Such devoted lovers, who is trying to drive a wedge between them?!

...

Yuezhai Hall.

Before Miss Li even got close, she saw a figure roaming around the ecological garden with the company of a servant.

Though the distance was significant, she could see clearly that it was the Vice President of Mu’s Auction House, Fan Mei.

Luoyu had mentioned that she was the most valued daughter of Fan Minli, the auction house’s vice president.

Miss Li cast a faint glance at her and had no intention of greeting her. Walking past the covered corridor on the stone path, she entered Yuezhai Hall.

At the turn of her head, Fan Mei happened to catch her figure. Even without seeing the face, one could tell it was a very young girl.

Head of Shang Family didn’t have any daughters, so she was...