Li Qiao had not yet replied to Li Shaoquan’s message when her phone rang again.
It was a call from Fu Lvting.
Li Qiao slowly answered, her voice indifferent, "What is it?"
Fu Lvting seemed accustomed to Li Qiao’s manner of speaking, foregoing any unnecessary chitchat. He got straight to the point, "There’s an internal discussion meeting at the lab tomorrow afternoon, regarding recent research findings. Do you want to come and listen?"
Renhe Laboratory; she was one of the investors.
Li Qiao thought for a moment, then lifted her eyes to the thick night outside the window, "What time does it start?"
"Two o’clock. If you’re coming, we’ll wait for you," Fu Lvting’s voice was slightly tense, revealing his nervous anticipation.
Li Qiao was silent for a moment, "Okay, I’ll make some time to come over tomorrow."
"Good, see you tomorrow."
After hanging up, Li Qiao looked down at the call log on her phone screen, thought of Guan Mingyu’s illness, and couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
The next morning, Li Qiao had her driver take her to the Yan Emperor Group.
She hadn’t driven herself because she went out to dinner with Shang Yu last night, so her Mercedes was still parked in the parking lot beneath Yan Emperor Tower.
Just as the car was leaving the gate, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, startling Li Qiao, who had planned to catch up on sleep.
The driver looked at the black dominant SUV outside with a rather unpleasant expression, opened the door, and was about to get out.
Li Qiao glanced over and patted the back of the front seat, "Uncle Liu, no need to drop me off, you can go back."
"Miss?" Uncle Liu turned back in surprise, pointing to the SUV outside the window, "Is that here to pick you up?"
Li Qiao hummed in acknowledgment and rubbed her temples as she got out of the car.
She had forgotten that Luoyu would be following her tirelessly, all the time.
In the SUV, Li Qiao immediately took the passenger seat.
Fastening her seatbelt, she continued to close her eyes and catch up on sleep without a word.
Luoyu kept quiet as well, silently driving the car out of the Shaded Pathway.
Midway through, Li Qiao relaxed her frown, glanced out the window, and immediately furrowed her brows again. The Mountain Road was surrounded by greenery, and this was not the route to Yan Emperor.
Luoyu, still expressionless, drove on. Realizing Li Qiao’s suspicious gaze, she pursed her lips and explained, "The boss told me to take you to the Mansion."
Last night, indeed, Shang Yu had said they could have dinner at South Sea Mansion to thank Shang Zonghai, but Li Qiao hadn’t expected to be arranged to go there this early in the morning.
Luoyu parked the car near the Mansion’s terrace, and was about to remind Li Qiao, but saw that she had already opened her eyes and was pushing the door open herself.
It was not yet 8:30 in the morning, and the rolling hills of South Sea Mountain seemed as if they were still asleep in the tranquil calm.
The mountain air was filled with the scent of pine, and the lawn was drenched with dew. The lush green view felt like a world far removed from the noisy hustle and bustle of city life.
Li Qiao, who hadn’t slept well in the car, couldn’t help but rub her sore neck.
"Young lady, we meet again!" A warm greeting suddenly came from behind her to the right, drawing Li Qiao’s controlled surprise as she slowly turned round.
Strangely, her senses were usually sharp, yet she hadn’t heard Shang Zonghai’s footsteps, nor even felt someone approaching.
At that moment, Shang Zonghai stood not far away wearing a white Tai Chi uniform and holding a Tai Chi Sword with a red tassel, watching her.
Li Qiao shed her lethargic manner, walked towards Shang Zonghai at a steady pace, and slightly nodded, "Uncle, good morning."
Shang Zonghai returned his Tai Chi Sword back to rest against his right shoulder blade and took a warm towel from his bodyguard to wipe his forehead, "Have you had breakfast?"
Li Qiao looked up and met Shang Zonghai’s gaze, nodding politely, "I have, Uncle. Have you not eaten yet?"
Shang Zonghai gestured for Li Qiao to follow him inside, and as they walked, he said, "Not yet. You know, as one gets older, if you don’t get a bit of exercise in the morning, even eating doesn’t seem to have any taste."