Shortly after Li Qiao’s flight took off, a black Cayenne slowly drove up near the Li family villa.
The car stopped on the distant Shaded Boulevard, and the driver went to the rear to pull out a suitcase, returned to the front passenger seat, and knocked on the car window, "Auntie, we’re here."
The woman in the front passenger seat raised an eyebrow, got out of the car, looked up at the Li family villa, and then walked toward the door in her high heels.
In the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Li came upon hearing the news, seeing Xi Luo, and were slightly stunned, "May I ask who you are..."
"Uncle, Auntie, hello, I am Li Qiao’s friend, Xi Luo."
With a genteel smile, Xi Luo introduced herself politely, appearing harmless.
Since protecting Mr. and Mrs. Li was necessary, entering their home was naturally the best way to protect them.
Mr. and Mrs. Li exchanged glances and invited Xi Luo to sit down. As they did, a hint of suspicion lingered in their expressions, "Xiao Xi, you came today for..."
Xi Luo directly took out her phone and dialed a video call to Li Qiao.
Mr. and Mrs. Li were confused until they heard Xi Luo mention she was facing difficulties and temporarily couldn’t find a place to stay, hoping to stay with them for a while. Then they suddenly understood.
On the other end of the video call, Li Qiao was covering the top half of her face with one hand, "Is this necessary..."
Xi Luo raised an eyebrow, "I know what I’m doing."
Li Qiao didn’t refuse; she spoke a few more words with Mr. and Mrs. Li before hanging up the video call.
At this moment, Duan Shuyuan urged the servant to bring tea and then looked at Xi Luo with sympathy, "Oh, so you’re having difficulties. It’s okay, we have plenty of rooms, you can stay here for a few days. If you don’t get comfortable, I’ll have someone help you find a place."
Xi Luo tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Thank you, Uncle and Auntie."
"Don’t mention it. Young people working outside inevitably face challenges." Duan Shuyuan looked at Xi Luo’s calm demeanor and sighed slightly, "You should also try to stay positive, difficulties will pass."
Xi Luo accepted the teacup handed over by the servant, her eyes trembling slightly.
This scene with Duan Shuyuan made her a bit homesick too.
The richest person in the South Sea was nothing like the harsh and arrogant individual she had imagined.
About ten minutes later, Duan Shuyuan personally took Xi Luo to the guest rooms on the second floor, "Xiao Xi, these are all guest rooms. The first one on the left has the best lighting; pick the one you like and stay there."
Dragging her suitcase beside her, Xi Luo chuckled lightly, "Auntie, aren’t you afraid I’m a bad person?"
"Aren’t you Qiaoqiao’s friend?" Duan Shuyuan sighed kindly, "Besides, what kind of bad person would dare lug luggage into someone’s home ?"
Xi Luo casually chose the first guest room on the left, tossed her suitcase into the corner, and said to Duan Shuyuan, "Auntie, I’ll head to work first, and I’ll come back after I finish."
Duan Shuyuan advised earnestly, "If you encounter any trouble at work, you can talk to Old Li. He may not be very capable, but he has some money and can help."
Xi Luo almost couldn’t help but laugh. No wonder Li Qiao’s speech was so infuriating; it’s probably a family tutelage.
Not long after, Duan Shuyuan saw Xi Luo out, treating her like a young person striving in the South Sea, "Xiao Xi, what work do you do?"
To fully convey the idea of struggling in life, Xi Luo adjusted her hundred yuan suit jacket, "I distribute flyers."
At half past eleven in the morning, the special flight FA312 landed in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar.
Li Qiao was still asleep in the lounge, while Li San and a few others divided into two groups, playing cards.
Throwing around real money, Shen Qingye had already lost three hundred thousand.
In the lounge, the jolt of the plane landing woke Li Qiao up.
She squinted her eyes, instinctively reaching to touch the spot next to her.
"Awake?" A man’s deep voice slowly reached her ears; Li Qiao was still a bit dazed, staring blankly at the handsome face in front of her, and instinctively rolled over into his embrace, "We’ve arrived in Myanmar?"
With her head resting on Shang Yu’s arm, he exerted a slight force to pull her closer, "Yeah, just landed."
Li Qiao lay on the man’s chest, deeply inhaling his scent, feeling lazy and not wanting to move.
The man lowered his head to kiss her forehead, "Go back to sleep?"
Li Qiao made a sound, using Shang Yu’s strength to sit up.
Her bun was a bit messy, with loose hair sticking to both sides of her cheeks, sitting cross-legged on the bed, groggy and soft.
This vivid version of Li Qiao faintly overlapped with her former self.
Shang Yu sat sideways on the bed, his dark eyes slightly fiery; the sudden burst of emotion made him uncontrollably wrap his arms around Li Qiao’s waist, forcefully pulling her onto his lap.
Li Qiao was still foggy, slow to react, but ended up hugging the man’s shoulders, blinking, "What’s wrong?"
She held onto him just like before.
Some habits, once formed, could never escape Shang Yu’s watchful eyes, even with the slightest changes.
The man tightly embraced Li Qiao, his gaze extremely deep and focused on the person in his arms.
His Adam’s apple kept moving, eyes filled with unresolvable emotion, his thumb rubbing her lips, pondering for a long time before speaking hoarsely, "Qiaoqiao, you never thought about leaving me, right?"
Such a sudden remark made Li Qiao’s heart tighten into a ball.
She stared back at Shang Yu without blinking, her fingers trailing up his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes, "Give me a reason to leave?"
Li Qiao had considered countless ways to heal him, but never this one he mentioned.
Her distress, heaviness, and entanglements had never been about their feelings for each other.
Shang Yu’s thin lips pressed tight, silent for a long time.
There should have been many reasons, but they remained unspoken.
At this point, Li Qiao sighed softly, her brows softening, holding a faint smile, "Since there’s none, then don’t say these things in the future."
Shang Yu’s warm palm landed on the back of her head, his voice almost hoarse, "Okay, I’ll listen to you."
Normally, when Li Qiao heard this, she might have nestled in his arms for a while.
But this time, she didn’t stop there, instead raising an eyebrow, "Listen to everything?"
Shang Yu’s chest rose and fell, resembling submission and compromise, pressing his handsome face against her forehead, "Yes, everything."
Li Qiao’s eyes flickered. Even though they were simple words, she heard the deep meaning behind them.
She pecked his lips thoughtfully, "Remember what you said."
Just like countless times before, Shang Yu had always used this phrase to tenderly and dominantly remind her.
About twenty minutes later, Li Qiao and Shang Yu walked out of the lounge.
The cabin door was already open, but Li San and the others hadn’t deplaned.
They stood around the lounge door, each showing different expressions as they watched the two exit.
Li Qiao calmly surveyed the surroundings, walking through without a word.
Shang Yu, one hand in his pocket, held Li Qiao’s hand with the other, leading the way to the cabin door amid all the scrutinizing gazes.
Xia Lao Wu, seeing them depart, murmured quietly with a hand over his mouth, "Doesn’t look like they fought."
Shen Qingye turned his head away, contemplating, "Did we overthink things?"
Yun Lih leaned against the bar, his lips curling playfully, "I think you’ve eaten too much."