The Favored Heiress
Chapter 691: You Must Protect Me

Chapter 691: Chapter 691: You Must Protect Me

Luoyu followed orders and went to the corridor to make a phone call to Cheng Mo, while Shang Yu narrowed his eyes and stared at his fingertips, his expression indifferent and distant.

Twelve phone calls, out of the ordinary.

Looking at today’s Parma, there are no more than twenty families that can be considered top-tier.

If as many as twelve families were involved back then, it would mean that more than half of the noble families of Parma were executioners.

In reality, regardless of the closeness or distance between the major families, there is, to varying degrees, an exchange of interests.

And the Mu Family is the first among blue bloods, with only too many interests, never too few.

The possibility of twelve families working together at the same time is vanishingly small.

Unless... there is a commander above the noble families.

Shang Yu rolled his fingertips, his cold eyes sharp and penetrating. After a while, he stood up and walked into the conference room.

About twenty minutes later, Luoyu came back with a bizarre expression on her face.

She saw the tall figure of Shang Yu through the glass window, knocked on the door, and went inside.

In the conference room, the man stood in front of the window, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a phone. He turned slightly and saw Luoyu, then whispered, "Keep a close watch."

After he spoke, he ended the call, turned to lean against the windowsill, and signaled to Luoyu with his eyes.

Seeing this, she took a step forward, her expression very serious, "Boss, Cheng Mo has already checked. Those phone numbers are all fake."

Shang Yu raised his eyebrows, his eyes amused, "Continue."

Luoyu licked her lips, "Ghost numbers that change every five seconds use frequency-hopping technology to prevent interception, and that includes Ming Zhiyuan’s phone which also has a tracking prevention system..."

She paused for a second, "In the end, Cheng Mo found that he had made at most three calls, but because of the frequency-hopping defense, the real numbers have not yet been deciphered."

Shang Yu’s face remained unchanged as he curved his thin lips slightly, his gaze caressing the phone screen, deep and distant.

Luoyu’s expression was somewhat strained, she hesitated for a long time before finally implying obliquely, "Boss, the frequency-hopping technology originated in the West, and its application is not widespread in our country."

Without looking up, Shang Yu’s slender fingers fidgeted with his phone, "If you have something to say, say it."

"According to our information, the largest telecom company with frequency-hopping technology... its headquarters is in British Imperial."

The man’s lips parted slightly, the depths of his eyes as cold as an ice pit, "Have Cheng Mo continue investigating."

Luoyu turned and left the room, while Shang Yu once again picked up his phone and dialed Shang Zonghai’s number.

On the other end of the receiver, Shang Zonghai’s steady voice came through, "You need me for something?"

Shang Yu said in a heavy voice that Ming Zhiyuan had made calls using frequency-hopping technology, and in the end, his voice was very cold, "Did he get involved with the Mu Family?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Zonghai curved his lips carelessly, "He wouldn’t dare, the old man is creating a life-saving Talisman for himself, he’s always been that way."

Shang Yu remained silent, and after a pause, Shang Zonghai added in an inscrutable tone, "He seems sensible on ordinary days, but in fact, he’s very cautious. Any little ripple can make him feel threatened. The Ming family back then didn’t have the capability to get involved in a clan extermination case; otherwise, the Ming family wouldn’t have survived until today."

"What is he worried about?" Shang Yu narrowed his eyes, his voice very low.

It was public knowledge that Ming Zhiyuan had fainted at the police station the day before.

If he hadn’t done something guilty, why would he have been so panic-stricken?

At that moment, Shang Zonghai’s fingers, which were pinching the medicinal herbs, suddenly clenched, crushing a herb to powder, "That’s something you’ll have to ask him. Although he wasn’t directly involved, it doesn’t mean he did nothing. Someone is acting as his Life-saving Talisman. As for who that person is, it’s up to you and the girl to slowly find out."

The Ming family, which he had nearly driven to bankruptcy, was revived overnight with the support of a powerful backer.

Ming Zhiyuan trod carefully with every step during the turbulent years, and finally, when the Mu Family was annihilated, and countless family interests were compromised, he managed to leave with the whole Ming family intact, seeking refuge from the world to this day.

The ability to survive through the cracks was pushed to the extreme by Ming Zhiyuan.

Shang Yu gripped his phone, his gaze cold, "You didn’t find anything?"

Shang Zonghai looked somberly at the medicine shelf, "If the girl figures things out, I can tell you everything I know, but the condition is... she must take back the Mu Family by her own hands."

"If these families join forces again, are you sure she won’t make the same mistakes?"

The Mu Family, the first blue-bloods, couldn’t withstand the joint efforts, so how could Li Qiao’s considerable power compare to that of the Mu Family.

Shang Zonghai flicked the powder from his fingertips and smiled cryptically, "As long as you stand firm and protect her well, why talk of repeating past mistakes? Back then, the Mu Family had a century-old foundation, deeply rooted and tangled, with no shortage of disloyal people within the clan."

...

Approaching noon, Li Qiao sat in the testing room, staring at the report for a long time, lost in thought.

The chromosomal commonality between her and Mo Jue was completely indicative of a blood relationship.

From initial doubt to now certainty, Li Qiao firmly believed for the first time that she was a member of the Mu Family.

Although she had never sought confirmation of her birth from anyone, the seed of doubt had long taken root and sprouted, and now, it seemed to be clearing the clouds to see the sun.

Li Qiao stood up and put the report into the shredder to be destroyed, her eyes also contained a faint smile.

Mo Jue, Mu Jue.

From birth, she had taken the name Mu, as written in "The Autobiography of the Stock God," she was the youngest daughter of the first grandchild generation of the Mu Family, which showed how favored she was by the Mu family back then.

In just a few seconds, the matching DNA report turned into a pile of confetti.

Li Qiao turned her wheelchair towards the door of the testing room. Mo Jue’s petite figure was hunched over the corner of the table, watching an expert with a microscope conducting an experiment.

By definition of a blood relationship, Mo Jue was her sister.

After a while, Li Qiao deleted all the operational records from the testing machine and got up to leave the room.

Mo Jue didn’t notice her and was still intently observing the expert’s work.

Li Qiao bypassed the experiment table and headed to the meeting room first.

"How did it go?" Shang Yu’s thick eyebrows lifted slightly as his deep eyes focused on Li Qiao’s face.

She stepped forward with a smile reflected in her eyes and simply summarized, "We’re bound by fate."

The man’s lips curled knowingly, "What’s your plan?"

"Haven’t thought it through," replied Li Qiao, standing by the conference table, her fingers tracing the edge as if deep in thought, "But she has the right to know."

Shang Yu sighed deeply, his arm wrapping around her, eyes focused on her, "You both have the right to choose as well."

Li Qiao’s shoulder bumped into his chest as she looked up and arched an eyebrow, "There’s not much room for choice, now we can only follow this one path to the end."

She didn’t feel much belonging to the Mu Family, even with the facts before her, it did not stir any feelings of vengeance in her.

Now, it wasn’t a matter of her choosing the Mu Family, but rather having no other choice.

Her appearance in Parma and then exposing her identity to press against Ming Zhiyuan had begun a game from which there was no turning back.

"Have you decided?" Maybe due to an obsessive mentality, Shang Yu never wanted her to exhaust her energies for the Mu Family, burdens she shouldn’t have to bear.

Li Qiao took his hand, her speech cheerful, "Mhm, so... you have to protect me."