After lunch, Li Qiao went to the guest room, saw that Yin Mo was already asleep, and turned to the laboratory.
In the underground lounge, Shang Yu and his two brothers sat at the bar, sipping their drinks.
He Chen shook his glass, lazily leaning against the bar, "When did they start setting animal traps in the mountains?"
He remembered there weren’t such dangerous things before.
Shang Yu, with one foot on the ground and his rolled-up sleeves revealing his muscular forearm, tossed two ice cubes into his glass and asked with a low, rich chuckle, "Are you feeling sorry for them?"
Jin Rong glanced at He Chen, speaking seriously, "That girl is pretty good, well-proportioned, much prettier than your ex-girlfriend."
Shang Yu also curled his thin lips, smiling intriguingly.
He Chen squinted at Jin Rong, his tone lowering several degrees, "You like her?"
Jin Rong took a sip of his whisky and wagged his finger, "I’m not like you; I don’t like that flirtatious type."
Mature, older Xi Luo or flirtatious Yin Mo, if they heard Jin Rong’s description of them, might just start a fight.
On the other hand, He Chen chewed over Jin Rong’s words with deep meaning, then threw out a bombshell, "You just like someone like Qi Qi, right?"
"Aye, correct!" Jin Rong, possibly tipsy, brightened at the thought of Li Qiao, "Qi Qi is so obedient, does whatever you ask, never talks too much."
He Chen inwardly cursed him for being blind with a laugh.
Was Li Qiao obedient? Hell, she was just lazy.
At this point, Shang Yu’s action of sipping his drink paused, slowly looking to his side, "You’ve been free lately?"
Jin Rong tilted his head back and downed the drink, smacking his tongue afterward, "What are you planning to do? Shang Xiaowu, has anyone ever told you you’re particularly stingy?"
He Chen smiled without saying a word.
Shang Yu smoked, the white mist obscuring his sharp features, "You’re the first."
"That means truth is always in the hands of the few." Jin Rong patted his shoulder, "Lighten up, Qi Qi belongs to everyone."
When he got to know Qi Qi, Shang Xiaowu was still fighting somewhere.
He Chen watched from across the shore, but his mind was pondering if that woman Yin Mo was awake yet.
Before long, Jin Rong, thoroughly drunk, was sent back to the guest room by Liuyun who supported him by the shoulders.
He Chen glanced outside the lounge, then rubbed his glass, "What’s your plan for dealing with the British Imperial issue?"
After a day and a night of fermentation, the topic’s heat had already exploded.
At this rate, Shaoyan’s reputation and public standing would definitely be greatly affected.
Shang Yu, with his arm on the back of his chair, looked at He Chen, "No need to bother."
"Ha." He Chen flicked his cigarette ash, "Easy for you to say. Last week Meng Jun told me you moved half of Black Hawk’s forces to Naypyidaw in the capital of Myanmar?"
The man’s gaze was deep and unfathomable, "Just incidental."
He Chen chuckled briefly, "Don’t forget to call me when you take action."
With that, he stood up, Shang Yu glanced at his back, asking in a deep voice, "Not planning to take Yin Mo back?"
"Not related, why should I take her?" He Chen, one hand in his pocket, matter-of-factly retorted as he looked back.
The man, staring directly at the liquor cabinet in front, responded indifferently, "In the way."
He Chen nudged his cheek, teasing wantonly, "The mansion’s soundproofing not good?"
Shang Yu lightly put down his glass, casting a meaningful glance, "You’re that curious?"
He Chen snorted lightly, turned around, and walked away.
In a blink, it was evening time.
Li Qiao massaged her temples and casually closed the laptop.
Online peaks of the scandal involving Shang Yu from the British Imperial remained at their highest point.
Even though it was late night in the British Imperial, the peaks showed no sign of dropping.
There were just over ten days left until New Year’s Day.
Pitting the Second Crown Prince against the Xiao family was urgent.
Li Qiao supported her head, closing her eyes to ponder strategies.
After a moment, her eyelashes fluttered, and the corners of her lips slightly lifted.
Li Qiao opened her eyes, reopened her laptop, entered the black market trading site, and anonymously placed another order.
Price: Thirty Million Pounds.
After finishing these tasks, Li Qiao picked up her phone and directly called Shang Zonghai.
"Dad, there’s something, I’d like your opinion on."
Parma local time, 9 PM.
Shang Zonghai was sitting in a tea room chatting with Xia Siyu.
He received Li Qiao’s call and smiled warmly, "Girl, what’s up? You tell."
Xia Siyu covertly peeked at Shang Zonghai’s expression, faintly guessing that it was probably Li Qiao on the other end of the line.
She didn’t expect the Medicine King Shang Zonghai, revered by everyone in Parma, to have two faces.
Just now when chatting with her, though he smiled, the sense of distance was palpable, clearly an unreachable figure of authority.
None of the kindness and tolerance of a benevolent elder.
On the other end, Li Qiao briefly explained the reason, then added, "If something happens to the Second Crown Prince, will it implicate the Crown Prince?"
After all, the relationship between Shang Zonghai and the Crown Prince was extraordinary.
Before Li Qiao took action, comprehensive considerations were necessary.
Shang Zonghai was silent for two seconds, then lightly and warmly smiled, "No, for the past few years, many of Weston’s political achievements have caused public discontent. If something happens to him, it might align with public sentiment, and Old George won’t be affected."
"Good then, thanks, Dad."
Li Qiao was about to end the call when Shang Zonghai called out, "Girl, wait a moment."
"Huh? Dad, anything else?"
Shang Zonghai raised his gaze to Xia Siyu, who immediately grasped his intent, stood up, bowed, and quickly left the tea room.
When the door was tightly shut, Shang Zonghai sighed and asked, "How’s Shaoyan’s mood?"
Li Qiao thought it over, then answered tactfully that it was alright.
Upon hearing this, Shang Zonghai nodded with satisfaction, "It’s all because of you."
"Dad, you’re flattering me." Li Qiao looked at the computer screen and hit enter, "Madam Xiao isn’t worth it anyway."
Shang Zonghai pursed his lips, rose to walk slowly to the window, and said softly, "Don’t bother with the British Imperial news, I’ll handle it."
"Dad?" Li Qiao raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
For a long time, it seemed like Shang Zonghai rarely intervened in these minor matters.
Shang Zonghai’s eyes were as dark as ink, squinting at the night sky, "I’ve rested too long, even these old bones need some activity."
Li Qiao smiled knowingly and responded smoothly, "Then I’ll trouble you."
"Family doesn’t speak like outsiders." Shang Zonghai’s sharp eyes rippled, "Girl, go ahead and do it, Weston’s nothing to fear."
After hanging up, Li Qiao couldn’t help feeling somewhat excited.
She was even looking forward to how Shang Zonghai would solve the British Imperial’s trouble.
Catch them off guard, or defeat them in one move?
Li Qiao pondered for a long time, then sent Bai Yan a concise WeChat message: Tiger’s number.
Bai Yan replied immediately: He’s still in the British Imperial, tell me if there’s anything.
Three seconds later, Bai Yan unwillingly responded with a string of numbers, along with an [You’re heartless] emoji.