He Chen stood in front of the collection cabinet, leaning in to look at the antiques inside, "You really trust me. If Shaoyan finds out I’m helping you hide from him, the losses to my casino would be at least ten billion."
He had no doubt about Shaoyan’s tactics.
If Shaoyan sensed anything, he’d definitely take his anger out on the casino.
Li Qiao leaned back in her chair, lifting her chin slightly, "I’ll cover all the losses of the casino, and you can pick any antiques in this room as you please."
He Chen tilted his head, straightened up and crossed his arms, "Are you making a deal with me?"
"No." Li Qiao said with a bright smile, "Bribing you."
He Chen chuckled softly, nodding towards Li Qiao from afar, "You’re quite bold."
He Chen swept his coat aside, shoved his hands in his pockets, and gazed intently at Li Qiao, "Is such a minor thing worth bribing me for? Come on, what’s your plan?"
At half-past eleven in the morning, Luoyu heard the news and went to the Elegant Villa Garden.
She shut the car door, and sure enough, she saw Li Qiao’s Mercedes G-Class in the parking lot.
Luoyu walked briskly, but before she even reached the lobby, two figures strolled out from the apartment entrance.
He Chen was in front, Li Qiao behind, and she was holding a small case from the Venus Auction.
Luoyu frowned, beads of sweat on her forehead, "Madam, why did you come out alone..."
Li Qiao’s pregnancy nausea wasn’t as severe as before, only due to her strict dietary control.
However, a less severe nausea doesn’t mean it’s gone.
If she suddenly got nauseous while driving, the consequences would be unpredictable.
At this moment, Li Qiao descended the steps leisurely, noticing Luoyu’s worried expression, she calmly explained, "Brother Chen wanted a painting, so I came to get it for him."
He looked down at the Venus case Li Qiao was holding, and his gaze slowly lifted, finally landing on her face.
How could she say something like that so comfortably?
No wonder she inexplicably took a painting out before leaving the apartment; she was waiting for him here.
Before He Chen could speak, Li Qiao handed over the case, raising her eyebrows and calling, "Brother Chen."
He Chen tucked the case under his arm and gritted his teeth, "Thank you."
He emphasized the words ’thank you,’ his face displaying a peculiar smile.
Li Qiao slightly curved her lips, "You’re welcome."
To say that Li Qiao was naive, adorable, and sensible?
In the car, Li Qiao hung her arm on the window, a faint smile on her lips, seemingly in a good mood.
Halfway through the drive, Luoyu murmured, "Brother Chen really has the nerve, asking you for things and even making you carry them."
Upon hearing this, Li Qiao turned her head, a flash of insight in her eyes, "How did you know I was at the Elegant Villa Garden?"
"Wang Yue checked your watch’s location."
Li Qiao understood: "Go to the Yan Emperor headquarters."
Since Wang Yue could track her location, Shang Yu must already know about her outing alone.
The meeting with He Chen was to avoid all detectable traces.
If they communicated by phone, even if Shang Yu sensed something, there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t guess.
Li Qiao had made thorough preparations for this arrangement.
In any case, she had to personally resolve the past grievances with Madam Xiao.
Yan Emperor headquarters, One Zero One.
Li Qiao walked in with a cup of coffee.
Shang Yu wasn’t working; instead, he was sitting behind the desk, smoking.
Black clothes, black pants, with a cold demeanor.
A faint mist blurred his brows and eyes, making his sharply defined features extraordinarily vague.
Li Qiao paused at the door; it had been a long time since she saw Shang Yu smoke.
The man seemed not to have expected her to come over; a layer of dark haze covered his eyes, but upon seeing her approach, he extinguished the cigarette.
"Why didn’t you say you were coming beforehand?"
He pushed off the armrest, got up, turned on the ventilation system, and led Li Qiao out of the office.
They went to the meeting room next door. Li Qiao depicted his brows and eyes with her gaze, put the coffee down with a smile, and said, "I handled some matters this morning, it was on the way, so I came over."
"What kind of matters?" The man leaned against the conference table, his thumb caressing the back of her hand, his deep dark eyes filled with intense emotion.
Li Qiao briefly explained, not betraying He Chen, but conveying the message from Yin Mo to Shang Yu.
"Brother Chen helped me, so I gave him a painting."
Shang Yu lowered his eyelids, his palm cradling her cheek, rubbing, his voice regaining its usual calm and rich tone, "What a waste."
As he said this, Li Qiao felt there was too much emotion in his eyes, so much that she couldn’t distinguish.
Their gazes met, and the meeting room was silent.
Shang Yu’s gaze landed on her lips, pulling her into his arms, his forehead resting on hers, the scent of tobacco enveloping them, "When will you rest assured and nurture your pregnancy at home?"
Li Qiao’s eyelashes trembled slightly, "Aren’t I doing that now?"
Although... not entirely at ease.
The man heard her evasive remark, pinched her cheek, "If this continues, I’ll consider shutting down your lab."
"Hmm..." Li Qiao pondered for a few seconds, smoothly agreeing, "Then I’ll rest in your study from now on."
A faint smile escaped Shang Yu’s throat, pulling her into an embrace, his chin resting atop her head, indulgently chuckling, "That’s a pretty good suggestion."
Li Qiao’s heart fluttered, a sense of the opposite of what she intended washing over her.
She tried to say something to salvage the situation, but the man didn’t give her a chance to speak, lowering his head to capture her lips.
Thinking about it, she indeed neglected him due to the issue with Madam Xiao lately.
Li Qiao tilted her head, responding to his demanding kiss, feeling both sour and bloated inside; she wanted to give him so much more.
Moments of warmth could always soothe each other’s souls.
But there were always those blind to chances, missing out on good opportunities for bonuses, rather come courting trouble.
For example, Zhui Feng.
He had just finished a meeting, holding a stack of documents to report work.
Not finding Shang Yu in the office, and seeing the meeting room door closed next door, with no conversation inside, he entered without permission.
Then, Zhui Feng saw what was happening inside, uttered a "Damn," and quickly closed the door.
He felt like he was done for.
Zhui Feng stood at the door, taking deep breaths.
Liuyun and Wang Yue, passing by, noticed his ashen face; exchanging a glance, they both understood.
This guy definitely caused trouble again.
Liuyun, calm and playful, teased, "What? Got scolded by the boss again?"
Zhui Feng looked up, glanced around, and emboldened by fear, asked, "Scolded for what? I can’t even find the boss; where is he?"
Seeing this, Liuyun and Wang Yue exchanged looks, not suspicious, and Liuyun raised an eyebrow, "Not in the office?"
Zhui Feng shook his head, subtly moved a couple of steps aside, "No, help me find him, I have something urgent."
Liuyun, naively, glanced at the meeting room door, twisted the doorknob, and asked, "Not here either?"
The door opened, and Zhui Feng bolted.
Leaving Liuyun and Wang Yue to turn back to the meeting room, struck as if by lightning.