The Favored Heiress
Chapter 730: Forgot to Take Birth Control Pills

Chapter 730: Chapter 730: Forgot to Take Birth Control Pills

That afternoon, Li Qiao set out to prepare for her journey back to the border.

As the workday drew to a close, Zong Yue knocked on the glass door of the conference room.

Li Qiao looked at her somewhat haggard complexion and frowned, "Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?"

Because of the fight at the dinner party a few days ago, Xi Luo had specifically given Zong Yue two days off to go home, recuperate, and nurse her injuries.

This morning, Liu Min had completed the handover of her work and was forced to resign; though the company’s employees had their suspicions, they were unaware of the specific details.

Xi Luo also repeatedly emphasized to those few salespeople that they should not spread rumors about Zong Yue’s identity in the company, reminding them it was enough just to know she was experiencing life at the grassroots level.

After all, she was the wife of the South Sea Secretary-General, a high-ranking official’s spouse, and a prominent figure from the third generation of a renowned family, who would dare to gossip?

At that moment, standing at her desk, Zong Yue smiled and asked, "Qiaoqiao, are you free tonight? Ah Jun and I would like to invite you to dinner."

Li Qiao eyed her dim eyes and smirked, "Did you and my big brother have a fight?"

Not wanting her to worry, Zong Yue quickly put on a forced smile, "No, he’s just annoyed that I didn’t call him when something happened, but it’ll be fine in a few days."

Strictly speaking, they hadn’t fought.

For a man of Li Jun’s disposition, arguing was below his dignity, so he simply gave her the cold shoulder, showing his displeasure through his actions.

In short: the silent treatment.

Li Qiao declined her invitation, as she indeed had matters to attend to.

Zong Yue, understanding, nodded. Before leaving, she reminded Li Qiao, "Then I’ll tell Ah Jun, and we’ll have dinner when you’re not busy. Don’t work too late, and remember to go home early, okay?"

Li Qiao smiled and promised. Once Zong Yue left, she touched her forehead and pondered, eventually deciding against calling Li Jun.

Emotional affairs and the workplace have much in common: both can be like drinking water, only the drinker knows its temperature.

Interfering too much could easily backfire.

From what she could tell, her big brother was certainly not without feelings.

Stuffy as he may be, his concern for Zong Yue lay in the practical things he did for her.

...

That night, the autumn wind was bleak, whisking away the fallen leaves from the ground and adding a chill to the air.

In the underground lab, the cellphone screen was lit, reflecting Su Moshi’s smiling face. A closer look would reveal the weariness hidden in his eyes.

Li Qiao spread out the documents, flipped through them, then looked up teasingly, "Have you not slept all night?"

Su Moshi relaxed his brows and took off his white lab coat, sighing, "Now I truly understand the serious consequences fluctuating estrogen levels can have on a woman."

Li Qiao paused, her gaze faltering and then she smiled weakly, "What’s wrong with her?"

Su Moshi exhaled deeply, "You’re going to be an aunt."

"Pregnant?" Li Qiao raised her eyebrows, fell silent for a few seconds, then pressed her lips together and congratulated him, "Congratulations, you’re going to be a dad."

Su Lao Si was very perceptive and almost immediately noticed Li Qiao’s slightly unusual reaction, "What, are you feeling regretful hearing I’m going to be a dad?"

Li Qiao looked at him expressionlessly through the camera, and Su Lao Si immediately raised his hands in surrender, "Forget I said anything. When do you guys plan to come over?"

"I’ll let you know once it’s settled."

After a brief response from Su Lao Si, the two didn’t talk much more and hung up the video call. The slight smile at the corners of Li Qiao’s mouth gradually faded.

A few days ago, after her passionate encounter with Shang Yu at Tangxi Garden, she had forgotten to take her contraceptive pill.

She had planned to ask Luoyu to buy the pill for her the next day, but then the unexpected revelation that her teacher was Mu Aoxian had delayed her.

Li Qiao tossed the documents onto the table and closed her eyes with a sigh.

The longest effectiveness of emergency contraception was only seventy-two hours, and that time had long passed.

Li Qiao recalled everything from that chaotic night; he had wanted her many times, but he had not finished inside.

It shouldn’t...be possible to hit the jackpot, right?

This kind of wishful thinking made Li Qiao a bit irritated.

Being a biomedical researcher herself, she knew that contraception wasn’t 100% effective even with external methods.

Although she hadn’t delved much into the field of pregnancy, she still knew the basic common sense.

Li Qiao rested her head on the chair back, feeling very conflicted.

If she really was pregnant...she would definitely keep the baby.

She was indifferent to children, but she couldn’t disregard Shang Yu’s feelings.

She could only hope that fate wouldn’t play such a joke on her.

As the evening dew thickened, Shang Yu stepped into the night and returned home late.

The man, carrying the chill of the night with him, came to the laboratory and saw Li Qiao standing by the printer lost in thought as he stepped out of the elevator.

He seldom saw such a bewildered expression on her face.

Shang Yu frowned, strode to her side, touched her icy cheek, and asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the printout in Li Qiao’s hand, and the bold words leaped out at him: Pregnancy Precautions.

Li Qiao snapped back to reality, glared at Shang Yu, glanced at the printout, and explained very calmly, "Su Lao Si is going to be a dad."

What she meant was, she was preparing the precautions for him.

Shang Yu’s eyes were as deep as the ocean, melding with the glow of the incandescent light, becoming increasingly pronounced with bold strokes.

His Adam’s apple slid up and down as he fixed his gaze on the list of precautions, his deep voice laced with a thin smile, "Planning to mail it to him?"

Li Qiao, not entirely rational, nodded and then shook her head, folding the printout sneakily, "No need to mail, I’ll take it directly to British Imperial."

Shang Yu watched her with an amused look, sipped his thin lips but couldn’t suppress the laughter in his dark pupils, and ruffled her hair with extreme fondness, "Mhm, that’s also a solution."

Li Qiao stuffed the Pregnancy Precautions into a drawer, hooked her arm around the man’s and walked out of the laboratory, forcefully changing the subject, "Haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I’ll join you."

Shang Yu observed her nonchalantly, stepped into the elevator, and pressed her against the compartment wall, pinning her jaw and kissing her.

He still carried the scent of the night breeze, his suit neat and tidy. The unbuttoned collar revealed the continuous movement of his Adam’s apple.

Li Qiao’s tongue numbed from his sucking, her spine trembled, and she patted his shoulder, struggling to breathe.

His kiss was too deep and frenzied, as if he had gone mad.

Shang Yu released her lips, their foreheads touching, both breathing rapidly and even somewhat suppressed.

The man’s dry, warm palm caressed her cheek while his cool lips kissed her nose tip, his voice incredibly husky, "Have you had dinner tonight?"

Li Qiao’s mind swirled as she answered, "Mhm."

"Eat a little more with me," Shang Yu tilted his head, sucked on her lip again powerfully, and the arm encircling her waist felt exceptionally strong.

Li Qiao rubbed her forehead without a word, sighing silently. His sighting of the Pregnancy Precautions must have triggered certain thoughts in him.

She had been careless.

The two arrived at the dining hall, and although Li Qiao couldn’t eat anymore, she was still fed half a bowl of porridge by him.

The night wind howled outside the window, while inside the dining hall, it was harmonious and warm.

By the time they finished dinner, it was already 9:30 at night.

Li Qiao watched as Shang Yu picked up a pack of cigarettes, seemed to think of something, and then casually put them back down.

This scene left her with mixed emotions.

He couldn’t possibly think that the precautions she printed...were for trying to conceive, could he?