The Favored Heiress
Chapter 720: Qiaoqiao, I Am Your Second Uncle

Chapter 720: Chapter 720: Qiaoqiao, I Am Your Second Uncle

Shang Yu always had little resistance to her closeness, especially at the tranquil Tangxi Garden villa in the deep of night.

He kissed her lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing twice, "Return to the Mansion?"

Li Qiao’s fingers deftly unfastened a button on his shirt and raised her eyebrows suggestively, the meaning was clear, right here.

Perhaps due to the numerous complicated matters of the recent days, she had inexplicably taken on many heavy burdens.

Since that time at the old house, they hadn’t been intimate for a long time.

At times, the way to release was simple, the touch of each other’s skin could smooth everything over.

Later, Shang Yu held her on his lap, his shirt slightly open, both deeply moved and utterly lost in passion.

The sofa, the bedroom, the bathroom... He took her with abandon, and she tried hard to please.

Liuyun was right; he indeed had spent a night sleeping in the car.

...

The next morning, Li Qiao walked out of the Tangxi Garden villa with jelly-like legs, and immediately started to catch up on sleep as soon as she got into the car.

On the way back, she thought groggily that since there were no contraceptive products in the villa and although he hadn’t finished inside, just to be safe, it would be better to have Luoyu buy a box of birth control pills.

Having left the South Sea for nearly a month, it was early autumn when she departed, and now deep autumn had set in.

The leaves on the trees lining the roads had turned golden yellow, and the autumn wind was sere, adding a bit more chill to the air.

Li Qiao got out of the car in front of the Li Family home, looked up at the place where she grew up, and silently smiled.

This was truly her home.

Behind her, Shang Yu grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the side of the door, his voice low as he instructed, "I’ll come to pick you up tonight."

Li Qiao was just about to say no need when the man already bent down and kissed her forehead, "Go on in."

As the big G gradually drove away, Li Qiao lowered her head and chuckled, then turned and entered the Li Family home.

In the living room, Duan Shuyuan was watching the television absently, her expression slightly worn out.

Li Guangming had gone to the company, and with the large villa busy with servants each occupied with their work, only she sat on the sofa, exuding a lonesome air.

Li Qiao walked in at an unhurried pace, looked at Duan Shuyuan, and called out softly, "Mom."

Duan Shuyuan was dazed for two seconds before suddenly turning her head. The instant she saw Li Qiao, her eyes reddened, "Qiaoqiao!"

She got up, hurried over to Li Qiao, looking her over intensely before embracing her and murmuring with a relieved sigh, "It’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back."

Li Qiao’s voice caught in her throat as she reached back and comfortingly rubbed Duan Shuyuan’s back, "I should have returned earlier, but I was delayed by some matters on the way."

Duan Shuyuan pulled her to sit down, her gaze never leaving Li Qiao’s face, "I’ve seen the news, you and Shaoyan are alright, aren’t you?"

The scandal of the Yan Emperor Group subsidiary was also well-known domestically.

Thankfully, it was somewhat quelled after the Tribal Chief’s Council issued a joint announcement.

Li Qiao shook her head indifferently, "We’re fine, it was all a misunderstanding."

Duan Shuyuan breathed a sigh of relief but kept observing Li Qiao’s reactions, "This time you went back, did Elder Shang... "

Li Qiao lifted her eyelids, meeting her eyes, and interrupted with a smile, "Yes, he kept asking about the wedding."

Duan Shuyuan pursed her lips, offering a sheepish smile, holding back the words on the tip of her tongue.

The mother and daughter chatted about family matters for a bit more, and before long, Li Qiao went upstairs.

Duan Shuyuan watched her back, her kind gaze tinged with a trace of heartache.

This child must already know about the Mu Family matter, but she refused to say anything, as always, sharing only the good news and not the worries.

Duan Shuyuan sighed with a sense of loss in her expression, indescribably wistful.

She just hoped that Qiaoqiao could be a bit more selfish and live for herself.

...

At lunchtime, Li Yan brought Mo Jue back with him.

As soon as the two walked in the door, Duan Shuyuan saw Mo Jue and cheerfully waved her hand, "Mo is back, did you buy the clothes?"

Li Qiao raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked at Li Yan, who helplessly spread his hands, sat on the armrest of the sofa, and chuckled in her ear, "Am I something you picked up?"

Li Yan was at his wit’s end.

Yesterday, after returning from Parma, he brought Mo Jue to the old house for a meal, and to his surprise... Duan Shuyuan took an unexpected liking to Mo Jue.

After a meal full of warm inquiries, she ended up giving him a kick and insisted that he take Mo Jue to buy clothes today.

South Sea, unlike Parma, was cooling down in the late autumn, but Mo Jue was still wearing a plaid shirt and overalls.

Duan Shuyuan, perhaps overcome with maternal love, upon hearing that Mo Jue was an orphan, handed her a card and told her to spend as she pleased.

Mo Jue almost cried out ’Mom’ on the spot.

Li Qiao, resting her forehead on her hand, glanced sidelong at Duan Shuyuan and Mo Jue as they chatted away as if no one else was present, a flicker in her gaze; she couldn’t help but find fate quite mysterious.

After lunch, Li Qiao took Mo Jue to the balcony on the second floor, where she leaned against the railing and said in a light voice, "When are you going to school?"

"Tomorrow," Mo Jue replied, fiddling with the hem of her shirt, her eyes filled with a touch of longing, "The boss took me to see the school yesterday; the campus is so big and beautiful."

Li Qiao reached out to brush aside the hair by her eye, scrutinizing her attire slightly, "Don’t plan on changing back into girls’ clothes?"

Mo Jue looked down at herself, "No need, I’m fine like this."

Li Qiao didn’t agree or disagree, just as her phone in her pocket rang.

Seeing the caller ID, she gestured towards the door, and Mo Jue gave an OK sign with her fingers, then turned and bounced downstairs.

Li Qiao closed the sliding door to the balcony and slid to answer the call, her voice faint, "Teacher."

A gust of wind whispered past her ear, and the old man on the other end was silent for a long while.

Li Qiao didn’t hurry him, waiting patiently.

A moment later, a slightly aged voice came slowly through the phone, "Qiaoqiao, Ah Chang has returned."

Li Qiao’s fingers curled slightly, savoring the depth of his voice, "What does Teacher want to say?"

The other side sighed deeply, his tone hoarse and obscure, "You know it all?"

"Teacher," Li Qiao softly called out, with a thin layer of frost in her eyes, "Actually... I didn’t."

She wasn’t a prophet, how could she have foreseen everything.

The message she had Ah Chang take back was merely a probe.

Perhaps because the context of what she had said at the time was too casual, Ah Chang took it to be the truth.

As the words fell, both people on the phone fell silent simultaneously.

Maybe a few minutes passed, or perhaps only a few seconds, but Li Qiao, looking out at the brilliant autumn sunshine which seemed so warm, couldn’t melt the frost in her eyes.

"Was it you who saved Xiao Dingshan back then?"

She got straight to the point, laying everything out in the open.

Old Mr. Shang paused before laughing out resignedly, "So it was a test; you’ve really put what you’ve learned to use on me."

Li Qiao’s eyelids drooped, her tone flat, without inflection, "Teacher, you’ve confused yourself."

"Yes, I should have known not to use the network of Poor People’s Kiln to leak information to Ah Chang," Elder Shang seemed to let go of his conflict, his tone returning to its usual kindly calm, "You’re right, I saved Xiao Dingshan."

Li Qiao’s expression unchanged, she slightly curled her lips, "Then you are...?"

Elder Shang hesitated for a few seconds, then said with a weary voice, "Qiaoqiao, I am your second uncle."