Mu’s Auction House was in absence of Fan Minli, and Fan Mei immediately ran down to the lobby to welcome Li Qiao and the others upon receiving the news.
Li Qiao asked Shang Yu to wait for her in the car while she, accompanied by Luoyu and Mo Jue, ascended the steps.
"Miss Li," Fan Mei was very tactful, greeting her with a nod and a business-like demeanor.
Luoyu stepped forward and briefly explained their purpose, leaving Fan Mei somewhat surprised, "Another change?"
Li Qiao looked directly at Fan Mei, "Is it inconvenient?"
"Not at all, let’s go inside and talk. My dad will be here soon," Fan Mei tactfully retreated, as the matter involved Shang’s shareholding ratio in the auction house, and it was not her decision to make.
The group followed Fan Mei to an office on the third floor. This auction house was the only remaining property of the Mu family in the world.
It preserved not only its original décor style but also followed the Mu family’s charter for its system and regulations. The hallway walls were adorned with many yellowed old photographs.
Fan Mei had the service staff bring over a few cups of tea and sat next to Li Qiao. She chose her words carefully, "Miss Li, if I may ask, why another change in shareholding? Could it be... you were dissatisfied with the previous distribution?"
The shares that Patriarch Shang transferred to Li Qiao amounted to over forty percent of the entire auction house.
Back then, Patriarch Shang had them transfer the auction house to the Fan family and had redistributed the shares.
She and her father evenly split the remaining shares, which resulted in Li Qiao holding the stake that made her the largest shareholder of the auction house.
Not only did she have preemptive rights, but she also held a veto right.
If she wished to redistribute the shareholding ratio today, or tried to take away the shares held by Fan Mei and her father, then...
Fan Mei had many thoughts and appeared somewhat nervous.
Over the years, the Fan family had dedicated themselves to the auction house; surely, all their efforts were not meant to simply benefit someone else in the end.
Li Qiao easily noticed Fan Mei’s concerns. She lowered her head, brushing her fingertips together, her tone indifferent, "It has nothing to do with the distribution. You just need to help me make another transfer change."
Fan Mei’s expression cleared, and her tense face relaxed slightly, "I see. In that case, there’s no issue. I’ll arrange for legal to prepare the share transfer documents."
Li Qiao nodded, "Thank you for the trouble."
After Fan Mei left, Mo Jue leaned on the armrest of the couch, moving closer to Li Qiao. As he opened his mouth to speak, Li Qiao’s cell phone vibrated. She glanced at it, got up, and walked outside. "I need to take a call."
In a corner of the hallway, Li Qiao entered WeChat and connected to a video call.
On the other end was Xia Siyu, seated on the toilet lid in the bathroom.
She was dressed in a lotus-pink women’s suit, a standard professional outfit, crossing her legs with a sigh, "I’m telling you, babe, that call of yours nearly sent me to the Underworld."
At that moment, Xiao Yehui was sitting right across from her.
Li Qiao leaned against the wall, hand in pocket, eyes lowered. After a two-second silence, she raised her brows, "Where are you?"
Xia Siyu licked the corner of her mouth with a chuckle, "British Imperial."
She made no attempt to hide it, admitting straightforwardly.
Xia Siyu saw Li Qiao’s indifferent expression and pressed her earphone, speaking softly, "I was in British Imperial on a business trip last week. I was supposed to return to Cloud City today, but Boss Xiao suddenly called me, said he wanted to meet. What do you think... coincidence?"
The final few words, drawn out in Xia Siyu’s tone, seemed intriguing.
Li Qiao’s eyelids hung low, her gaze flickering subtly.
She had thought that Xia Siyu went to British Imperial because of Yun Lih.
Li Qiao watched Xia Siyu with an unchanged expression, her delicate lips curving slightly, "He was there when I called you?"
"Mhm, right in front of me. But I kept my phone volume very low; he probably didn’t hear it. Qiaoqiao, let me tell you, the reason he wanted to see me this time..."
As she spoke, Xia Siyu paused, then lowered her voice again, "If you want the medicine, it’s that special grade medicine for external injuries we developed back on the border."
Li Qiao narrowed her eyes, "Is he injured?"
The distinguished Duke Charlman, if he truly wanted special grade medicine, could obtain it from countless top-tier laboratories under British Imperial without needing to seek out Xia Siyu.
At that moment, Xia Siyu wore a strange expression and chuckled awkwardly, "It’s not for him, it’s said to be for Yin Lao Er."
Li Qiao uttered an ’oh’, probably referring to the two gunshots Shang Yu had previously fired.
Perhaps because Li Qiao’s reaction was too indifferent, Xia Siyu hesitated repeatedly but still asked a question that had been plaguing her for a long time, "Qiaoqiao, let me ask you something and you answer me honestly."
Xia Siyu was a bit conflicted, but out of trust for Li Qiao, she spoke deliberately, "Xiao Yehui hinted at something to me this morning, whether intentionally or not. He said that you were the one who hurt Yin Lao Er, and moreover... you wanted her dead?"
What once were the Border Seven Sons is now but a pipe dream, clashing swords within the same room is inevitable.
Everyone has the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm, whether it’s Xia Siyu or others, they are all still watching to see how things ultimately unfold between Li Qiao and Xiao Yehui.
Today, Xiao Yehui subtly communicated Li Qiao’s desire to kill Yin Mo, which Xia Siyu found absurd.
Even in hindsight, it dawned on her that the long-missing Yin Lao Er had always been hiding with Xiao Yehui in British Imperial.
At this time, Li Qiao leaned back against the wall behind her and repeated with amusement, "I want her dead..."
She did, indeed, once say she wanted Yin Mo dead.
Not to Yin Mo, nor to Xiao Yehui, but rather, to Xiao Yehyan!
So that’s the truth of it.
Even if siblings from the Ducal Family fall out, they wouldn’t harm the interests of the Ducal Family.
From the start, the Xiao siblings had been united against outsiders.
Xiao Yehyan conveyed her wish to kill Yin Mo, and Xiao Yehui used this to rally the other Seven Sons.
Xia Siyu bit her lip and tapped her knuckle on the screen, "He’s deliberately misleading me, right?"
Li Qiao refocused her eyes, smiling as she countered, "What makes you think that?"
"I understand you well enough," Xia Siyu rolled her eyes indelicately, "If you really wanted Yin Lao Er dead, would she be able to return to British Imperial alive? Impossible!"
Their Xiao Qi Zai wouldn’t act unless necessary, but once he did, it would be lethal.
Regardless of what Yin Lao Er had done, if she really had been injured by Li Qiao, there must have been a reason for it.
"Don’t stay in British Imperial too long, head back as soon as you can," Li Qiao advised, and Xia Siyu nodded with an eased brow, "I know, this business trip was a fluke, I wouldn’t come under normal circumstances."
She wasn’t foolish, knowing full well that Xiao Yehui was in British Imperial, why would she seek out trouble?
No matter what past friendships there may have been, since she had chosen Li Qiao, from now on, things should be black and white.
After a while, the two chatted for a few more moments before ending the video call. Xia Siyu patted her cheeks, pressed the flush button, and got up to leave the restroom.
Meanwhile, Li Qiao also walked back toward her office, but in the corridor, she encountered Fan Mei.
The other woman’s eyes flickered, and she softly called out, "Miss Li..."
Li Qiao stopped, "What’s the matter?"
Fan Mei quickened her pace to reach her, pursed her lips, and hesitantly probed, "Is Shang Lu... sick?"