The Favored Heiress-Chapter 819: Too Smart Kids Have No Friends

Yan Emperor headquarters, One Zero One.

Shang Yu was still busy, while Li Qiao sat in the rest area, sipping her juice absentmindedly.

The phone rang; before she could snap out of it, the vibration caught Shang Yu’s attention.

He watched for a few seconds, then saw Li Qiao answer the call in a daze, his dark eyes narrowing slightly.

The caller was Su Moshi.

Li Qiao put down her juice glass and after listening to him, she asked indifferently, "Australia?"

"Yeah, do you have any reliable acquaintances?"

Li Qiao pondered for a few seconds, her gaze flashing, "I’ll call you back in a bit."

Without waiting for Su Moshi to respond, she ended the call and quickly dialed Bai Yan.

Bai Yan, who was making fried rice, answered instantly; he continued to stir the pan with one hand while shouldering his phone, not in the best of moods, he snapped, "For matters of the Mortal Realm, come to me; for matters of the Underworld, go to Zhong Kui."

Li Qiao: "..."

She pursed her lips, too lazy to waste words with him, and got straight to the point, "Who’s in Australia?"

Bai Yan paused for a second, then put down his spatula and turned off the stove, "Used to be Q, and now it should be... Huang Cuiying."

Li Qiao raised her eyebrows indifferently, "Was Ye Jing in Australia before?"

"Haven’t you read her file?" Bai Yan asked righteously in return, "She handed over all her international business to M, if you need contacts, have M make arrangements."

Li Qiao was silent for a moment, "Hang up."

Bai Yan curled his lip, she used to be only heartless, but ever since she got together with Shang Shaoyan, she’d become even less lovable.

That damn Shang Shaoyan had spoiled the Flame Alliance’s mascot rotten.

Li Qiao put down her phone and went back to daydreaming, she truly didn’t have friends in Australia, and even if Xi Luo had taken over Ye Jing’s international business, it was questionable whether those people could be trusted.

Just then, a gentle tapping on the desk came from the left.

Shang Yu had his sleeves rolled up, wearing an expression that was full of intrigue, "Why not ask me?"

Li Qiao flashed her eyes, stood up, and walked over, leaning near the boss’s desk, and asked amiably with a go-with-the-flow smile, "Do you have an acquaintance?"

The man propped himself up on the armrest, looking up slightly, "Who needs one?"

"Su Lao Si." Li Qiao reached out and pulled on his collar, explaining softly, "He’s going to Australia."

Shang Yu suppressed a smile at the corner of his lips, squeezed her hand, and picked up the phone on the table to dial.

He turned on the speakerphone, and the moment the other party answered, a pleasant sound of waves came through.

Jin Rong was sitting on a fishing boat, leisurely holding a fishing rod, "Why do you have time to call me? Where’s my goddaughter Qi Qi?"

"Quite free?" Shang Yu raised an eyebrow at Li Qiao, wrapped his arm around her waist, and scooped her onto his lap.

Jin Rong chuckled slyly, "You go first, what’s the matter?"

Shang Yu hugged Li Qiao’s waist with one hand, giving her a look. She tugged at her lip, "It’s me."

With a plop, Jin Rong tossed the fishing rod to his subordinate, "My good daughter, you tell me, don’t be polite, godfather’s been quite free lately."

Shang Yu’s lips curved up in a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, tightening his hold around Li Qiao’s waist, as if silently declaring his authority.

He didn’t let Li Qiao speak, and firmly arranged, "Make a trip to Australia."

Jin Rong: "Let Qi Qi tell me."

Shang Yu turned to Li Qiao, his lips faintly curving up, "Go over there as soon as possible."

Without waiting for Jin Rong to reply, he pressed the end call button.

Jin Rong, fishing at sea, let out a chuckle, not getting angry, and as he looked at the vast sea, he turned to his subordinate and ordered, "Get ready, we’re heading to Australia this afternoon."

As soon as the words were spoken, he narrowed his eyes and murmured seriously, "Having returned from Australia, it’s time to go to the South Sea to enjoy the snow."

...

At seven o’clock in the evening, Li Qiao and Shang Yu returned to the mansion.

Wang Yue was still holding a stack of documents, clearly Shang Yu hadn’t finished his work yet.

After dinner, Li Qiao went to the underground laboratory, while the man continued to deal with official matters in the study.

Night fell like thick ink, Li Qiao held a small pair of scissors, meticulously snipping open the stitches of the baby swaddle.

In less than ten minutes, all the long threads were removed, and seven or eight similarly colored thread ends were neatly arranged on the experimental bench.

Under the glaring light, the color of one thread end was obviously different from the others.

Li Qiao put down the scissors, slowly disassembled the fabric of the baby swaddle, and besides the evenly distributed cotton, indeed there was nothing else.

Her phone rang.

Li Qiao’s gaze fell on the disassembled baby swaddle, and as she answered the phone, she leaned back in the chair, "What’s up?"

Xi Luo was sitting at her bay window at this moment, drinking red wine and enjoying the night view.

Hearing Li Qiao’s voice, she forced a laugh, "Kid, do you still remember you own a hedge fund company?"

Li Qiao touched her forehead and sighed, "Is there something wrong with the company?"

"Would you have come if there wasn’t?" Xi Luo sipped her red wine, "You’ve been back in the South Sea for four or five days, at least show your face there. Don’t you want to hear the latest gossip from the British Imperial?"

"I’ll go tomorrow." Li Qiao got up to fill a glass of water from the dispenser, "What’s the gossip?"

Xi Luo was pleased and asked mysteriously, "Do you know who exposed the scandal in the entertainment circle of the British Imperial?"

"The Xiao family?"

Xi Luo clicked her tongue, "It was the Second Crown Prince."

Li Qiao paused as she drank water then smiled indifferently, "Is that so."

"There’s more. It’s said that now all over the British Imperial, the rumors are spreading that the former duchess’ cause of death was unclear, and the public who had previously received donations from the duchess are petitioning to reopen the investigation."

At this point, Xi Luo asked with a teasing smile, "Who do you think is stirring things up behind the scenes?"

Li Qiao responded casually, "I don’t know."

"Really don’t know?" Xi Luo teased meaningfully, "That’s a pity then, when the former duchess died, it coincided with the Royal Family’s Crown Prince’s grand wedding. It seems they might escape unscathed once again."

Xi Luo’s words obviously carried a hidden message.

Li Qiao walked back to the experimental bench, put down her glass, and asked in a detached tone, "Has the marriage alliance been scheduled?"

"Too clever children don’t have friends!"

Li Qiao poked at the cotton wool inside the baby swaddle, "Margaret didn’t refuse?"

Xi Luo got up from the bay window, went to the bar, and poured another half glass of wine, "Children of the Royal Family don’t have the freedom to choose whom to marry. How could she have room to refuse? Margaret asked me to tell you that the wedding date is set for New Year’s Day. If you don’t help to sabotage this marriage alliance, she will end up as another duchess with an unclear cause of death."

Li Qiao: "..."

There was no need to curse herself like that.

...

At half past ten at night, Li Qiao finished the report, and as she got up, she stuffed the disassembled baby swaddle back into the vacuum bag. With no clues, she didn’t bother wasting any more energy.

Back in the master bedroom, Shang Yu was not there, and the dim room had only the light of a blurry floor lamp shining from a corner.

After taking a shower, Li Qiao dove into the covers. Lying there for a while with no trace of sleepiness, she turned over and got out of bed to go to the study.

The door to the study was half-open, and there was no sign of Shang Yu at the work desk.

Suddenly, the intermittent sounds of conversation drifted in from the balcony. Li Qiao walked toward the French doors and saw Shang Yu standing in the cold night wind, wearing a thin cashmere sweater and casual trousers, smoking a cigarette while talking on the phone.

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