The Favored Heiress
Chapter 728: Li Qiao Gets Shot for the Second Time

Chapter 728: Chapter 728: Li Qiao Gets Shot for the Second Time

Xi Luo’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough to fill the entire case handling hall.

Li Qiao looked at Xi Luo expressionlessly, as if the question "Who’s your boss?" lingered on her lips.

Yet speaking it aloud would inevitably imply shirking responsibility.

Strictly speaking, she was at most a leisurely behind-the-scenes investor.

The whole company’s operations and management had always been under Xi Luo’s control.

Li Qiao stared at Xi Luo, whose face clearly spelled out the word ’cunning’.

The sales staff were left speechless, and Liu Min’s face turned as white as paper.

Only Mr. and Mrs. Li looked at each other, caught in an awkward silence.

After a long pause, Li Guangming finally let out a light cough, forcibly saving face, "That evening, such a practice isn’t unacceptable. After all, it’s part of doing business, having the necessary public relations tactics."

The scene fell deadly silent, "..."

You’re really funny.

With the farce ending, Director Lee, who had spoken rudely to Zong Yue at the dinner table, anxiously fled with his lawyer in tow.

He felt he might be finished and needed to hurry back to transfer his assets.

All the officers at the precinct lined up, watching as Director Lee who was involved in the case ran off, making it unnecessary for anyone else to stay.

...

Outside the precinct, Mr. and Mrs. Li advised Li Jun and Zong Yue with a few words before swiftly getting into their car and heading home.

On the other side, Xi Luo stood near the steps and glanced at Liu Min, "I remember you said this afternoon that the dinner was hosted by a business partner."

Liu Min looked bewildered and hedged, "President Xi, it was indeed a partner’s dinner event at first, I didn’t know..."

"Director Liu, don’t say you didn’t know. I told you before we knocked off that the dinner was with a client." Gao Wen, the salesperson standing aside, immediately exposed her ploy.

One would’ve thought Director Liu had such an impressive background, but as it turned out, Zong Yue and Li Qiao were the truly discreet ones.

Daring to claim that the Secretary-General came just for her, such a big face.

Xi Luo looked at Gao Wen with a warning in her eyes, then rolled up her sleeves above her forearms and looked down at Liu Min with a smirk, "Recently, you’ve been quite antagonistic towards Zong Yue. What has she done to deserve your disdain?"

"President Xi, I..."

"Indeed, Zong Yue got in through connections, but she just wanted to gain grassroots experience. Why must you pick on her?" Xi Luo nodded in the direction of Li Jun, her smile chilling, "She’s the wife of the Secretary-General, a truly prestigious third-generation native of the Imperial Capital. Having her work at the fund company is something I can only wish for."

The phrase ’truly prestigious third-generation native’ caused Liu Min to gasp.

Xi Luo’s gaze was indifferent as she looked up and down, "The trouble you’ve caused me today, you know what you have to do, right? I don’t need to teach you."

Liu Min was on the verge of tears.

This was implying that she should resign to take responsibility. She had been with the company for more than three years, and even if she had no achievements, she had put in the hard work, especially since working at the fund company was prestigious, with a salary far exceeding that of her peers, "President Xi, I can apologize to Zong Yue..."

Xi Luo waved her hand with little patience, "She won’t appreciate your apology. Everyone can leave. Tomorrow morning at eight, notify all the sales staff to have a meeting."

...

Half an hour later, at Crystal Garden.

Li Jun and Zong Yue sat side by side in the private room, while Shang Yu and Zong Zhan stepped outside the room to smoke.

Li Qiao leaned lazily against the chairback, glancing occasionally at Xi Luo, pondering how to return the favor.

At that moment, Zong Yue stood up to pour a few cups of tea and said with great guilt, "Qiaoqiao, President Xi, I’m really sorry about today..."

I didn’t want to cause any trouble, but ended up creating a big mess.

Not only that, but I also got Li Jun scolded, which made Zong Yue feel even worse.

Xi Luo smiled nonchalantly, "What’s there to be sorry about? Our company isn’t short of clients. If a fight breaks out, so be it—it doesn’t matter."

Zong Yue’s eyes grew increasingly uncomfortable. Seeing her blinking non-stop, Li Qiao gave Li Jun a nudge with her toe, "Take sister-in-law to the hospital."

Li Jun pressed his lips together, his rigid expression never softening.

He turned his head to glance at Zong Yue and nodded in agreement, "That’s fine, then we’ll take our leave."

In such a situation, he felt uncomfortable staying for the meal.

After they left, Xi Luo took a sip of tea, leaned back in the square Taishi chair, and tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Isn’t your sister-in-law being too cautious? It’s just a fight, not murder. With her background, what’s there to fear?"

Li Qiao, while stroking her fingertips, responded with a question instead of an answer, "Am I the boss?"

Xi Luo tugged at her collar with undiminished amusement, "With our relationship, do we still need to differentiate between you and me?"

Li Qiao cast her a cold glance, icy and detached, "Let the Lee family handle it."

"No problem." Xi Luo pressed her lips down and added, "I’ll also make sure Liu Min gets the boot. Happy now?"

"Isn’t the company’s atmosphere in need of reform?"

Xi Luo stroked her eyebrow and shook her head, "How can I reform it? It’s all too common for salespeople to entertain clients for deals and commission. Besides, if the salespeople want to accompany clients to meals and drinks, do you think reform will stop them? They’re all making a living; why block their means of earning money?"

Li Qiao narrowed her eyes and began in a subdued tone, "You know what I mean."

The root cause was certainly not as trivial as entertaining clients at meals.

Xi Luo took out a cigarette case from her pocket, picked a slim lady’s cigarette, and then tossed the cigarette case across the table to Li Qiao, "Same as I said before, salespeople have their own ways of making money. My company operates legally, but if sales representatives want to use their bodies in exchange for performance, that’s a personal choice.

I don’t encourage it, but I won’t stop it either; no one is forcing them. Your sister-in-law’s incident was an accident, and I will forbid inter-departmental participation in dining events within the company. As for the rest, let’s just go with the flow."

Xi Luo was such a person, a member of the Flame Alliance; how could she possibly be a simple character?

Just then, Zong Zhan and Shang Yu returned to the private room. Through the slightly ajar door, they heard Xi Luo’s twisted logic and fallacies.

Zong Zhan nudged the door open with the tip of his foot and sneered coldly, "To have a boss like you is really a misfortune for the employees."

Xi Luo, with a cigarette in hand, glanced back and lazily raised an eyebrow, "Then perhaps Master Zong should show some mercy and take them all in."

Zong Zhan’s cold gaze fell on the lady’s cigarette in her hand, "Go outside if you want to smoke."

"So much fuss." Xi Luo brushed off ash as she spoke, "Am I bothering you?"

The two exchanged barbs back and forth, Zong Zhan well aware that she was the actual owner of the hedge fund, and yet she publicly dragged Li Qiao to take the hits.

Xi Luo also had no good impression of him. He pretended to be an upright gentleman, but in reality, he was nothing but a thug in uniform.

At this moment, Shang Yu unexpectedly spotted the cigarette case beside Li Qiao, and remembering the smell of smoke on her breath from last time, his gaze fell piercingly on Xi Luo.

Xi Luo, aware of the man’s scrutiny, glanced back and forth a few times, and, as if seeing through a mirror, pinched out her cigarette with a smile, "Master Yan, don’t look at me like that; it was she who taught me to smoke."

Li Qiao, who got dragged into the conversation once again: "..."

She supported her forehead with one hand and flung the cigarette case into the nearby trash can.

No wonder Bai Yan said that the most difficult to deal with in the Flame Alliance was M, for her words were changeable, cunning, and astute, making it impossible for her to ever be disadvantaged in her lifetime.