The Favored Heiress
Chapter 852: Advancing by Retreating

Chapter 852: Chapter 852: Advancing by Retreating

In less than a minute, Luoyu left the living room.

Liuyun also picked up the pieces of the vase, preparing to buy an identical one.

The fiery clouds gradually dispersed, and Li Qiao’s gaze wandered.

Shang Yu lazily crossed his legs, looking straight ahead, with a playful tone, "He even made you fried rice?"

The damned Bai Yan.

Li Qiao drew circles on her knee with her fingers, "His main business is selling fried rice."

The man continued his existential questioning, "Do you often eat his fried rice?"

"No." Li Qiao scrunched her nose disdainfully, "Just once."

The scallions were picked for ten minutes.

Since then, she never ate Bai Yan’s fried rice again.

Thankfully, the core members of Flame Alliance were taking care of his business in Scarlet City, otherwise his ancestral fried rice stand would have gone bust long ago.

Shang Yu nodded profoundly, "Not tasty?"

Li Qiao answered fluently, "Especially not tasty."

"Hmm." The man’s thin lips slightly curved up, "Then don’t eat it anymore."

...

That evening, after dinner, Li Qiao went to the laboratory.

She and Su Lao Si had video chats every day to exchange information.

On the table of the lab, Su Moshi’s handsome face appeared on the video call page.

He took off his glasses from the bridge of his nose, smiling warmly, "Didn’t you go to the border yesterday?"

"Yeah, came back today." Li Qiao answered while typing on the computer, glancing at her phone, "Have you heard about Madam Xiao’s usual activities in the British Imperial?"

Su Moshi raised an eyebrow, thinking for a moment, "Rarely, before the Firework Festival, the Charlman Family doesn’t appear often. If talking about Madam Xiao’s activities... probably need to ask other parliamentarian wives."

"Like who?"

"The Charlman Family has quite a few advisors in the Lower House. I heard Madam Xiao has good relations with some deputies’ wives. You know, those noblewomen in the British Imperial often indulge in tea and concerts, and Madam Xiao is no exception."

Li Qiao poked her temple with her finger, "Do you have a list?"

"I can ask my dad to find out." Su Moshi added with a chuckle, "It’s a good chance for him to make up for past mistakes."

Li Qiao chuckled, saying it wasn’t necessary. They chatted a bit about Yun Lih’s recent situation, and just before ending the call, Su Moshi reminded her, "By the way, that Mr. Jin has left. If you see him, help me thank him."

"Why don’t you tell him yourself?" She had no idea when she would see Jin Rong.

Su Moshi teased, "He said he was going to the South Sea to visit his daughter."

Li Qiao: "..."

Not long after, Li Qiao posted a transaction worth thirty million on the black market website. After logging out, she noticed the time in the lower right corner: it was already 8 PM, and it was midnight in Parma.

Li Qiao gave up the idea of calling Shang Zonghai, glanced at her phone screen, and pondered as she dug out Xi Luo’s number.

She finished her tasks by 9 PM.

Li Qiao shrugged to stretch her muscles, shut down her computer, and went to the study.

At that time, Shang Yu was still busy.

Li Qiao didn’t disturb him, pulled over a chair, and sat beside him, occasionally glancing at her phone, then at him.

The man wasn’t busy with work, but rather deciphering interference and afterimages on a quartz storage chip.

With proportionate fingers, he supported the microscope, and as he lowered his head, a stray lock of hair fell, obscuring his well-defined brow.

Li Qiao watched for a while, unconsciously reaching out to push aside his stray hair.

This action caught Shang Yu’s attention.

He lifted his head from the microscope, his gaze gentle and accompanied by a smile, "Bored?"

Li Qiao shook her head, gesturing towards the microscope with her chin, "Keep going."

The man pushed the microscope away, casually tugging at his collar, "Did anything happen during this trip to Scarlet City?"

"What could happen?" Li Qiao leaned against the armrest, asking back naturally.

Shang Yu reclined on the backrest, his thumb gently tracing along her jawline, "As long as nothing happened."

His inquiry seemed nonchalant, and Li Qiao didn’t overthink it.

She was worried Shang Yu might press further, so she simply yawned, "You stay busy, I’m heading back to sleep."

Shang Yu watched her exit the study, his thin lips slightly curved, with eyes as deep as ink.

...

A day passed, the weekend.

Xi Luo came uninvited, walking into the mansion’s living room at 9 AM in high-heeled ankle boots.

From the leather bag slung over her arm, a document peeked out.

Luoyu brought her a cup of tea, and Xi Luo glanced towards the staircase, "The kid still sleeping?"

"No, Madam is having breakfast and will come soon."

After half a cup of tea, Li Qiao appeared in the living room unhurriedly.

She was holding a sour plum box in one hand, eating as she walked, and upon seeing Xi Luo, she tugged at her lips, "Looking for me?"

Xi Luo stared at the sour plum box in her hand, swallowed reflexively, but not out of greed, just a conditioned reflex.

Li Qiao noticed her throat movement and casually tossed the box to her after screwing on the lid.

Xi Luo caught it, opened it, and ate a piece, "I finished checking what you wanted."

She licked the sugary coating off her fingers, took the document from her bag, and placed it on the coffee table, then leaned back on the sofa, enjoying the sour plum box with gusto.

Li Qiao glanced through the document, smiling somewhat mockingly, "She has made quite a few friends during her years in the British Imperial."

"Take a closer look." Xi Luo mumbled a reminder, "The list on the last page only counts as acquaintances. After all, she is the Old Duchess, holding herself in high regard, looking down on nobles below the earl.

The ones truly in her social circle might just be the eight noblewomen on the first page, and the husbands of those noblewomen hold significant positions in the Lower House."

Li Qiao closed the document, raising an eyebrow at Xi Luo, "Thanks."

"No need for thanks, we’re like family." Xi Luo lowered her head, sniffing the sour plum box, "Get ready to go on a business trip to Myanmar with me in three days?"

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

Shang Yu entered the living room with a cup of freshly squeezed juice in his hand. With a slight glance, he saw Li Qiao sitting dryly on the sofa, while opposite her, Xi Luo was stuffing her mouth with the sour plum box.

"What brings you here?" Shang Yu handed the juice to Li Qiao, then bent down to take a new sour plum box from a small drawer in the coffee table.

Without lifting her head or opening her eyes, Xi Luo answered, "To discuss something with her."

"Going to Myanmar?"

Xi Luo confirmed and then rolled her eyes, adding, "Archbishop, she really has to go with me. If the second negotiation fails, the Gene Company stands to lose stocks worth a billion, it’s too big a responsibility for me to bear."

Li Qiao squinted at her, "Humble, aren’t you?"

You even dared to drug a high-ranking Military Department official. What responsibility can’t you bear?

Xi Luo exaggeratedly glanced at the document in her hand, gesturing with her mouth, "If you don’t believe it, show the merger documents to Master Yan."

Li Qiao: "..."

These documents absolutely couldn’t be shown to Shang Yu.

The man heard the conversation and cast his gaze over, Li Qiao lowered her eyes, casually handing the documents to Shang Yu, "Want to see?"

Xi Luo, holding a plum slice in her mouth, couldn’t resist nodding.

Wonderful, retreat to advance.

The document contained a list of Madam Xiao’s social circle in the British Imperial. While it’s unclear what Li Qiao planned to do, for sure Madam Xiao was in trouble.