The Favored Heiress
Chapter 677: I Really Didn’t Love You Enough

Chapter 677: Chapter 677: I Really Didn’t Love You Enough

Li Qiao didn’t intend to hide anything, opened WeChat, enlarged the photo, and handed it to the man with a light-hearted tease, "I’ve just realized that my dad really adored my mom."

In that era, most contraception for women involved the placement of an IUD, which was extremely harmful to both body and psyche.

For a man to voluntarily undergo a vasectomy spoke volumes without saying a word.

At this moment, Shang Yu looked at the photo, casually zooming in and out, his thin lips curving into a faint smile, "It seems that I don’t cherish you enough."

Still immersed in some complex emotions, Li Qiao: "..."

Li Qiao cast a helpless glance, "That’s not what I mean..."

The man placed the phone beside his leg and looked intrigued, "Hmm, we’ll discuss this later."

Li Qiao: "..."

This topic could not be continued.

...

The setting sun cast its last rays, and Li Qiao, unable to wait for Gu Chenn’s message, became somewhat agitated.

After dinner, she went to the lakeside in the backyard, and without meaning to, scanned her surroundings only to see a tree trunk that had fallen still preserved in its original state.

Li Qiao raised an eyebrow, that was the mark left by punishing He Xi with the Desert Eagle.

She withdrew her gaze and dialed Bai Yan’s number from her contacts.

"Do you even know what time it is?"

Li Qiao glanced at her wristwatch, 6:30 PM, it should be about 11:00 at night border time, "Give me a contact from Flame Alliance in British Imperial."

Bai Yan yawned, "Are you going?"

Li Qiao pondered for a few seconds and asked directly, "Is there any news about Z?"

"Ask M," Bai Yan grunted, "She’s British Imperial People. Although she may not be royalty, she’s certainly a middle-class noble—that’s why it was so easy to find out about the Lawrence Family last time."

Li Qiao expressionlessly watched the rippling lake surface churned by the wind and quietly hung up the phone.

She didn’t actually know that Xi Luo was of British Imperial descent.

Mainly because...she never asked.

Then, her lawyer brother Xi Ze surely knew Duke Charlman.

Li Qiao rubbed her forehead and sighed, hoping... that Gu Chenn wasn’t a deadbeat.

...

That night, a major incident occurred in Parma.

The Cultural Garden in the Parma Old Town, with several old western-style houses at the back, caught fire in the late night.

By the time the fire department arrived, the old western-style houses were burned down to mere steel frames, beyond any hope of restoration.

The incident shocked the entire city of Parma; it was a landmark cultural structure, reduced to ashes while everyone slept.

The person in charge of the garden bore an inescapable responsibility, and was taken away overnight. The old town’s government was enraged, demanding a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire.

Li Qiao found out about this while having breakfast; there was already a police car from the station stopped outside the gates of Paibo Manor.

Shang Yu leisurely pushed the sliced toast towards Li Qiao.

Li Qiao sipped her milk, casually picked up a sunny-side-up egg with her fork, and with a muffled voice, she chuckled, "They’re so eager even though my identity isn’t confirmed yet?"

She and Shang Yu had just visited the Cultural Garden the previous morning, and that night, the fire happened.

Those old western-style houses had always been an off-limits area.

"It’s just an accident," Shang Yu lifted his eyelids, locking eyes with Li Qiao from across the room, his gaze cold and stern.

Li Qiao echoed with a half-smile, "Indeed, quite the accident. Burning down several buildings like that, I reckon the person in charge of the garden must have taken care of things well."

The man’s eyes narrowed, and a dangerous glint flowed through their depths, "What are you thinking about?"

Li Qiao set down her knife and fork and looked up at him, "I might not need to make a choice anymore."

This matter had already given her an answer.

Her appearance in Parma had caught the attention of the young master of the Ming Family, and then she went to the Mu Family Cultural Garden. This series of actions had made certain guilty parties restless.

Even if she wanted to live a peaceful life as Li Qiao, the Li family’s pampered daughter, how could those with skeletons in their closet let her live?

Perhaps, from the very beginning, Shang Zonghai planned it this way.

Even British Imperial Charles, who met her for the first time, could recognize her resemblance to the "Female Stock God".

Could the people in Parma not recognize her?

Shang Zonghai even encouraged her to go out more often to enjoy the grandeur of the Ramadan festival.

The more frequently she appeared, the greater the possibility of being discovered.

Going through the Mu Family was no longer an option for her to decide.

If those people wanted her dead, how could she not fight back?

Thinking of these, Li Qiao’s awe and wariness towards Shang Zonghai intensified once again.

No wonder he said... each of us has our own obsessions.

She initially thought he was alluding to Ming Dailan, but that statement was equally smooth when applied to her return to the Mu Family.

Li Qiao rested her arms on the table’s edge and let out a long sigh, "It seems that this time... I’ll have to enter the tiger’s den."

Shang Yu’s cold and sinister lips curved up, tapping his fork in mid-air, "Don’t even think about it."

Seeing this, Li Qiao rested her cheek on her hand and pouted towards the restaurant outside, "The police are here; they might just be taking me back for routine questioning."

The man lifted a piece of fried meat with his fork to Li Qiao’s lips with a determined tone, "Questioning can be done at the manor just as well."

Luoyu had just come to report that the investigators needed Li Qiao to return to the station for cooperation.

Li Qiao was somewhat troubled; if Shang Yu intervened, the police would certainly not be able to take her away.

She weighed her options, then persisted, "Have you ever considered that police officers might have been involved in the incidents of that year?"

Shang Yu looked at her with an untroubled gaze, "As long as you don’t want to, those matters have nothing to do with you."

Li Qiao smiled helplessly, got up to push her chair back, walked to the man’s side, opened his arms, and sat down on his lap, "You know that I no longer have the option of staying out of it."

The movements of these people were incredibly fast.

The places she had visited in the morning had problems by evening.

The Cultural Garden was a cultural gem; they did not hesitate to set it on fire. Once that label was stuck on her, she would become Parma’s historical and cultural criminal.

Including Shang Yu, who might also face a barrage of verbal attacks.

Seeing him silent, Li Qiao hooked his shoulder and shook it, "If I go with them to the station, I can get to the bottom of it. After all, Parma is your turf; getting me out should be a piece of cake for you."

At that moment, Shang Yu, with his arms around her waist, pressed her into his embrace, and nipped at her lips with a teasing tone, "What if I don’t agree?"

"You should agree," Li Qiao said earnestly and straightforwardly, "I don’t believe you have no connections at the police station."

The man’s resolute expression gradually softened, and even his eyes became much gentler.

He pinched Li Qiao’s chin, sighing as if in compromise, "You know my bottom line."

Li Qiao’s eyes brightened, "Of course, I’m even more afraid of getting hurt than you are."

Just like that, less than ten minutes later, Li Qiao got into the police car.

Shang Yu stood his ground, watching her board the car while an officer approached gingerly, "Master Yan, aren’t you following along?"