The Favored Heiress
Chapter 825: Be with You

Chapter 825: Chapter 825: Be with You

Boutique import supermarket.

Li Qiao held a box of dried orange plum slices, feeling incredibly surreal.

This was her and Shang Yu’s first time "going grassroots" to stroll around a supermarket.

Li Qiao turned her head to the side, where the man next to her, dressed in a simple black shirt and trousers, was holding a box of dried plums and scrutinizing the ingredient list. His handsome face was focused and serious, standing amid the colorful section of dried fruits without diminish to his aura and elegance.

And his left hand was always holding onto Li Qiao’s.

The boutique supermarket wasn’t crowded, surrounded by soothing and pleasant light music.

Li Qiao casually tossed a box of dried orange plum slices into the shopping cart, uncertain if they’d be useful but thinking they might help with her morning sickness next time.

Then, in the time it took her to turn around, the dried orange plum slices on the shelf had all been swept into the cart by Luoyu.

That was... about twenty boxes or so.

Li Qiao swallowed, feeling acidity start to rise in her stomach.

Shang Yu continued to lead her through the supermarket, his silence was pronounced as they walked. Besides the meticulously selected sweet and sour dried fruits, there were also fresh bayberries, Western plums, and green plums.

Li Qiao rarely indulged in snacks. On the rare occasion she was in a supermarket, she picked up a box of chocolate and some spicy strips.

At the VIP checkout area, just before exiting, Li Qiao realized the spicy strips she had picked were gone, and from the box of chocolate, only one piece remained.

...

At three o’clock, the business car drove back to the mansion.

Li Qiao followed Shang Yu into the living room at a leisurely pace and, upon looking up, saw Zong Zhan with his legs crossed, looking at them with a smirk.

"You haven’t left yet?" Shang Yu frowned slightly, glanced at Zong Zhan, and said in a deep voice.

Li Qiao’s gaze flickered, she remembered the phone call Shang Yu had made on the balcony of the study a few nights ago.

——The person is in South Sea, he must come himself.

At that moment, Zong Zhan licked his cheek, his eyes sweeping up and down Li Qiao, "Isn’t the sister-in-law looking quite well? Did you run out like a madman just to bring her home?"

Like a madman...

Li Qiao glanced coolly at Zong Zhan, then pinched Shang Yu’s fingers, "You guys talk, I’ll go ahead and..."

"I’ll accompany you." The man paused mid-step, hooked his arm around her shoulders, and made as if to walk towards the stairs.

Zong Zhan chuckled, setting down his long leg and leaning back, "Shang Shaoyan, I’ve been waiting for you guys for two hours."

Shang Yu, with his arm around Li Qiao, walked upstairs, his expression stern as he spoke, "Not free right now."

Zong Zhan: "..."

Watching their figures disappearing at the stairway, Zong Zhan cursed with a laugh and then proceeded to pull out a cigarette box.

Just then, Luoyu and Liuyun walked in carrying supermarket bags and saw him about to light up, both said in unison, "Third Master, smoking is banned in the mansion."

"Cough——"

Zong Zhan choked on the smoke he had inhaled, his eyebrows arched, "Shaoyan’s rules?"

Luoyu and Liuyun nodded in unison, it wasn’t just smoking that was forbidden in the mansion; even the smoking pillars outside the vestibule were removed.

Zong Zhan squinted at the cigarette in his hand, pondered for a moment, then smiled meaningfully.

"Interesting." With a flick of his finger, he tossed the cigarette butt into a teacup, cleared his throat, "Take me to the wine cellar."

...

As dusk fell, He Chen walked into the mansion with a lazy gait.

He made his way to the half-underground bar as if he owned the place, pulled up a tall chair to sit down and, with a playful gaze, watched Zong Zhan who was drinking his sorrows away, "You’ve been so idle lately?"

Zong Zhan picked up an empty glass from the tray, poured half a glass of brandy, and pushed it toward He Chen, "Just on leave, thought I’d drop by."

He Chen let out a chuckle and threw two ice cubes into the glass, "How come I never saw you run off to the South Sea when you were on leave before?"

Zong Zhan held his glass and shot him a cold glance, "Can’t I come?"

"Such a temper?" He Chen examined Zong Zhan with a teasing look in his eyes and eyebrow, "Are you frustrated?"

Zong Zhan raised his head and downed half the glass, licked his teeth, and said, "Do you think everyone is like you, thinking with what’s down there?"

After a few verbal spars, He Chen finished his glass and looked around, "Shaoyan isn’t here?"

"Busy with a woman." Zong Zhan murmured mockingly and then put down his glass, squinting at him, "You and Xi Luo, you’re close?"

He Chen, sipping from his glass, turned his head, "Should I be close? The woman you introduced to me, and you’re asking me?"

"Not interested." Zong Zhan pulled out a cigarette and placed it at the corner of his mouth, lit it, and a hazy white fog blurred his stern features, "I need a woman, not a spy."

He Chen and Feng Yi took it upon themselves to introduce Xi Luo to him. There was nothing wrong with that, but he had only recently noticed something amiss.

The word "spy" brought a surprised laugh from He Chen, "Her? Xi Luo? A spy?"

That woman seemed elegant, but actually full of schemes. Could she even qualify as a spy?

Zong Zhan ’hmmed’ and his eyes shone with a frosty chill, "If nothing unusual happens, it should be her."

"Which country’s spy?" He Chen tried to recall Xi Luo’s behavior and found nothing amiss, "Got evidence? If a friend of your sister-in-law is a spy, that’s a big deal."

Zong Zhan’s lips curled with a cold tone, "How close are they?"

"Seems pretty good." He Chen drank his brandy with a detached air, "What has she done? Stolen secrets from your Military Department?"

Zong Zhan pursed his lips, his resolute cheeks growing darker and more displeased, "She leaked my information to the Myanmar Military, and also the map of the last military exercise I was involved in."

He Chen was silent for a few seconds, "That counts as a spy? Sounds more like a holiday to me."

"Not enough?" Zong Zhan took the cigarette from his mouth, raised his eyebrows, and let out a cold laugh, "The information of a military officer is strictly confidential. If it weren’t for her, I..."

Before he finished, steady footsteps rose from the other side of the bar.

In the quiet bar staircase, Shang Yu casually walked over with one hand in his pocket, his expression indifferent, and Zong Zhan smiled faintly, "Decided to come down?"

Shang Yu responded and sat next to He Chen, silently filled a glass, and drank it in one gulp.

The rich aroma of the liquor slid down his throat, and his voice, slightly hoarse, seemed even more mellow, "When did you arrive?"

"Just now." He Chen smiled.

They were all brothers. Without asking much, He Chen and the others could tell that something was off with Shang Yu.

He seemed very repressed, unable to release his emotions, like a bow pulled taut, his eyes hiding a fierce coldness.

He Chen turned to look at Shang Yu; it had been a long time since he had seen Shaoyan in such a state.

The last time was a few months ago.

Ever since he got together with Li Qiao, his paranoia seemed much improved, even his irascibility had vanished, and his mood had become more stable and gentle.

Now, it seemed to have relapsed.

He Chen gathered his thoughts, picked up a cigarette box beside him, and passed it over, asking as if it were nothing, "Not calling your sister-in-law over for a drink?"

Then, He Chen watched as Shang Yu’s grip faltered uncontrollably, breaking a cigarette into two pieces in his hand.

It was indeed related to Li Qiao.

Of the five brothers, He Chen knew Shang Yu best. He pursed his lips, poured Shang Yu another half cup of liquor, and as he got up, he patted his shoulder, "I’ll head to the restroom. It just so happens that the third brother can tell you a story about a female spy."

Shang Yu’s arm rested on the bar, and his voice was heavy, "Don’t bother her."

He Chen waved his hand and walked directly up the stairs.