Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Rumors are not to be believed Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Rumors are not to be believed Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Li Qiao entered the underground elevator and glanced at the venue distribution map on the wall before pressing the button for the fifth floor.
As the elevator ascended, Li Qiao leaned against the wall with her head down, her right leg slightly bent over her left, exuding an air of casual laziness yet also an inherent, bold pride.
At that moment, with a ‘ding’, the elevator stopped at the third floor.
The ornately carved elevator doors opened smoothly to each side, bringing a breeze that fluttered her bangs.
Li Qiao raised an eyebrow and looked up, and two strikingly broad figures clad in black entered her view.
Outside the elevator, Shang Yu, wearing a black shirt and trousers, stood at the forefront, his collar casually unbuttoned to reveal prominent collarbones.
Liuyun, also in black, lingered half a step behind.
Under the warm yellow light of the cabin, Li Qiao’s gaze met Shang Yu’s dark pupils without deviation.
Before either of them spoke, Liuyun propped his hand against the doorframe and nodded to Li Qiao, “Miss Li.”
Li Qiao nodded back nonchalantly, her eyes still fixated on Shang Yu.
At that moment, the man strode forward, his presence cooler and more aloof in the twilight chill.
As the elevator doors closed again, Li Qiao broke the silence on cue, “I heard Master Yan returned to Parma, when did he come back?”
Standing half a meter away from Li Qiao, Shang Yu could clearly see the faint smile in the girl’s eyes reflected in the glossy elevator doors.
That evening, she wore a brown jacket, tight jeans, and Doc Martens which accentuated her long, straight legs.
Shang Yu met Li Qiao’s eyes through the mirrored surface, his hand casually in his pocket, and he responded with a husky voice, “Just got back.”
Li Qiao shifted to the side, her gaze dropping to the man’s pronounced Adam’s apple, “So…
what was the result?”
The cabin fell silent for a few seconds, and as the elevator chimed again, the man’s raspy, magnetic voice came with the opening doors, “As you wished.”
The door opened, and Liuyun was the first to step out.
He kept his hand on the door, looking off into the distance, dutifully playing the part of a tool.
As you wished, does that mean the engagement retreat was successful?
At this, the smile in Li Qiao’s eyes deepened, revealing a rare pleasure.
She casually placed her hands in her jacket pockets, leaning against the elevator, and looked up to suggest, “Then, to thank Master Yan for his help, how about I buy you dinner, would you honor me with your presence?”
“No need,” Shang Yu refused curtly, tilting his head slightly.
As a subtle disappointment emerged on the girl’s face, the man narrowed his eyes, his lips curving into a seductive arc, “Do you play bowling?”
Li Qiao readily nodded, “A little.”
The man looked at her thoughtfully, his lips curving into a hint of a smile, then he strolled out of the elevator and called to her, “Come here.”
Li Qiao watched Shang Yu’s retreating figure, blinked her misty doe eyes, and chuckled softly.
She was increasingly convinced that rumors were utterly unreliable!
Li Qiao and Shang Yu arrived side by side at the Bowling Private Room on the fifth floor.
The second venue was right next door, but Li Qiao wasn’t in a hurry to move on since Nan Xin was an avid bowling enthusiast who could play all day until the end of the world.
The Bowling Private Room was a separately partitioned and highly private section.
The lights inside the venue were bright, and as Liuyun opened the door, the two men at the rest area beside the lanes looked up simultaneously and then froze.
Li Qiao had seen these two men before.
That night at Entertainment City’s lounge, they were with Shang Yu in a private room, and it was they who took away the bellowing man.
Now, one of them scrutinized Li Qiao, his eyes shifting between her and Shang Yu as he stood up, narrowing his eyes, “Yo, Boss Shang, this is…”