Li Qiao was lounging lazily against the armrest, and with a glance from the corner of her eye, she turned to look at Shang Yu on the other side of the sofa.
The man’s long legs, wrapped in his suit pants, elegantly crossed over each other as he leaned forward to grab the cigarette case and pulled out a cigarette to light.
The curling white smoke floated around, and the warm lighting seemed to blur the smoke into a warm yellow hue.
Outside the living room, there seemed to be people talking.
Li Qiao, with one hand propping up her forehead, looked down with her eyelashes half-drawn, a smile not quite reaching her face.
Soon after, Liuyun walked in.
He was still holding a courier document in his hand and said to Shang Yu as he handed it over, "Boss, someone delivered a courier document this evening, insisting that you must open it personally."
The man narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling onto the courier, "Who sent it?"
Liuyun glanced at Li Qiao then honestly answered, "I don’t know; the person delivered the document to the duty room of the Mansion, claiming to be a business manager."
This was very strange.
South Sea Mansion never accepted any courier documents; if it was about business cooperation, it should have been sent to the company headquarters instead.
"Open it," the man tapped off the cigarette ash, the coldness interwoven in his profound eyes.
Liuyun promptly tore open the courier, and inside was a contract on gold-flecked paper.
"TA Men’s Lifetime Tailoring Agreement..."
Liuyun unconsciously read out the title of the agreement, then froze.
Shang Yu also lifted his gaze instantly, extending his hand to take the document, his breathing slightly heavy, "Get out."
Liuyun silently turned and left the living room, his mind still drifting with the content of the document he had glanced at moments ago. If he wasn’t mistaken, all of the boss’s shirts were top-of-the-line custom designs from TA.
And that tailoring agreement...
The applicant was Miss Li, and the beneficiary was the boss.
Hehe, other people’s romances are filled with the smell of acidity; yours is full of the smell of money.
So what if you have money?
At that moment, Shang Yu held the document, looking it over and over, then eventually turned his gaze towards Li Qiao.
She had said before that a surprise is not a surprise if you talk about it.
But on the way back from the city, with everything calm and quiet, he thought the surprise she had promised had already ended.
Until this document appeared before his eyes and once again stirred up turbulent ripples in his normally calm heart.
Li Qiao was leaning against the couch, her leg lifted and swinging, giving him a glance and spoke indifferently, "Shall I sign it?"
The man set down the document, pursed his thin lips, and extinguished the cigarette casually, calling out with a husky voice, "Come here."
Li Qiao moved unhurriedly over to him. Before she had settled down, he pulled her into his arms, his grip on her waist a little out of control, "Planning to buy all of my shirts?"
What lifetime tailoring represented was self-evident.
Li Qiao sat in his embrace, nonchalantly nodding her head, "Mm, that is the plan."
As she spoke, she gestured with her mouth towards the contract on the table, "Seasonally tailored, annually paid. Will you sign it?"
"How many years have you paid for?" His deep voice was filled with an extreme huskiness, and even with his extraordinary patience, he could scarcely contain the emotions on the brink of eruption.
Li Qiao leaned forward to pick up the agreement, flipped through a couple of pages, and casually pointed, "Fifty years."
She had paid for fifty years’ worth of tailoring fees in one go.
No city-wide confession or private cinema could compare to her Double Seven Festival gift.
Shang Yu glanced casually at the payment duration on the agreement, then pulled her into his embrace, burying his face in the nape of her neck.
His breathing was heavy, each rise and fall sprayed a scorching breath.
It was not passion, but deep emotion.
His lips pressed tightly against Li Qiao’s skin, pecking softly over and over.
It seemed that wasn’t enough, he increased his force, rolling his tongue and kissing over her skin.
His thin lips slowly moved along her jawline to the corner of her lips, the man cradling her face as he deepened the kiss.
His palms were burning hot, his breathing rough and heavy, as if only this could soothe his emotions.
It was late, and Shang Yu carried Li Qiao back to their room to rest.
It should have been a night of surrender, yet he curbed his desire, patiently coaxing her to sleep.
In the moment before Li Qiao fell deep into slumber, she thought she heard a phrase: Love You, My Girl.
He had finally spoken those words from the fireworks.
Two days later, on Friday.
Li Qiao had been busy with her experimental work at the research institute. As noon approached, the research institute received a research report from the Medical Alliance regarding their recent inspection.
Besides a comprehensive summary and some pointed out flaws, on the last page, the names of the new members they recruited were also announced.
Junior Researcher Lian Zhen and Academician Jiang Hande had been recommended by the honorary committee member Li Qiao and passed the internal review, and as of today had officially become members of the Medical Alliance.
The list of new members was also posted on the website of the Medical Alliance headquarters, and the international medical community learned of Lian Zhen and Academician Jiang Hande’s names on this day.
This also meant that their worth had risen significantly.
The research institute could no longer neglect them, and on the same day, it issued an announcement promoting both Lian Zhen and Li Qiao to Intermediate Researchers, while Academician Jiang Hande also received an additional bonus in benefits.
Regardless of their contributions to the research institute, the Medical Alliance’s inspection alone was enough to boost the institute’s reputation significantly.
At three-thirty in the afternoon, Li Qiao took her certificate of Intermediate Researcher and returned to the lab with Lian Zhen.
She carelessly tossed the certificate into her drawer, tidied up the research bench, and took leave to leave the research institute early.
That evening, the Li Family was set to depart for the Imperial Capital to attend the maternal family’s banquet.
On her drive home, Li Qiao made a call to Shang Yu.
The past two days, after they celebrated Valentine’s Day, they had both been busy with their own matters.
He seemed to be dealing with Parma’s issue, while she, because of her elder brother’s wedding, had many research tasks delayed and had been rushing to catch up.
Through the phone came the man’s steady, deep voice, "Coming back right after the wedding on Sunday?"
Li Qiao pondered briefly and gave an ambiguous answer, "Maybe."
She wasn’t certain either, after all, the Zong Family’s attitude towards the marriage was subtle—they hadn’t openly opposed it, but only two people from the entire South Sea Family had attended the grand wedding.
And she didn’t know yet if the maternal family’s banquet could proceed smoothly.
The wedding was done, but there was no guarantee that the Zong Family wouldn’t make things difficult for the Li Family.
Shang Yu was silent for a few seconds, then with a heavy voice, he reminded, "Remember what I told you, seek out Zong Zhan if anything happens."
At five o’clock, the Li Family party embarked on a private plane bound for the Imperial Capital.
The flight from South Sea to the Imperial Capital took two and a half hours.
As night fell, the Imperial Capital City appeared outside the airplane window.
The crisscrossed streets and the dimly lit night skyline were displaying the bustle and prosperity of the capital.
In August, the Imperial Capital was still hot, but the night brought a refreshing breeze.
Descending the aircraft stairs, two red flag cars were parked nearby on the tarmac.
Li Jun and Zong Yue stood by the cars, and upon seeing their figures, they walked over.
Zong Yue, as the eldest daughter-in-law, said with a smile, "Mom, Dad, you must be tired. Please get in the car, I’ve booked a restaurant, let’s go have dinner first."