Inside the private bowling suite, Shang Yu's tall and striking figure slowly came to a stop near the lounge area. With one hand, he pulled out a chair and sat down calmly.
Across from him sat a man whose features were almost unnaturally striking.
Dressed casually in a button-down shirt and slacks, he had one leg draped over the other and casually wiggled his foot. "You're late," he said lazily.
Shang Yu didn't reply immediately. He lowered his gaze slightly and started rolling up his sleeves. As he glanced toward the empty chair beside him, he lifted his chin a fraction and said to Li Qiao, "Come, sit."
Li Qiao didn't hesitate. Hooking the chair leg with the tip of her shoe, she pulled it out and sat down with ease.
Meanwhile, the man who'd been standing nearby—and thoroughly ignored—looked left and right, then leaned in slightly and pointed a thumb at himself.
"Shang Shaoyan, I was talking to you. Didn't you see me?"
Li Qiao's gaze flickered at the sound of that tone. Anyone who could call Shang Yu by name like that clearly wasn't just an acquaintance.
Shang Yu calmly smoothed out a wrinkle on his sleeve, raised his eyes just a bit, and lazily introduced the two men to Li Qiao: "Qiu Huan, Ou Bai."
The man still standing—so, he was Qiu Huan?
So that's the young heir of Nanyang Mechanical Holdings.
Li Qiao remembered the name. He was a frequent guest of her eldest brother, Li Jun, and one of the top taxpayers in Nanyang.
As for Ou Bai… the name rang a bell, but she couldn't recall where she'd heard it before.
Still with her hands in her jacket pockets, Li Qiao leaned back against the chair and offered a neutral, polite introduction, "Nice to meet you both. I'm Li Qiao."
Qiu Huan raised a brow with obvious mischief, then leaned across the table toward her. "So it's little Qiao, huh? A pleasure. Just call me Brother Qiu."
Little Qiao?
At that nickname, Li Qiao's lashes dipped slightly, and a faint look of distaste flashed across her face.
At the same time, the dazzlingly handsome Ou Bai stared at her, unblinking…
He scrutinized her for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What's your relationship with Li Cheng?"
Li Qiao turned her gaze to meet Ou Bai's sharp, piercing eyes. In that instant, she caught a flicker of anger hiding in those seductive, almond-shaped eyes.
Did he have some beef with Third Brother?
Keeping her expression neutral, she coolly replied, "He's my third brother. Mr. Ou, do you know him?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ou Bai's expression shifted into something… odd.
What now?
Ou Bai instinctively turned and locked eyes with Qiu Huan. Then Qiu Huan pointed at him and looked at Li Qiao. "Sis, did you just call him Mr. Ou? You seriously don't know who he is?"
Li Qiao returned a cool look. "Should I?"
Qiu Huan fell silent, while Ou Bai clenched his teeth, grabbed his coffee, and downed it in one go, trying to look unfazed.
Li Qiao had no clue what was going on—and frankly didn't care. She turned casually to glance at Shang Yu, only to catch sight of an unexpected smile tugging at the corners of his crimson-tinted lips.
This man, always so aloof and distant in her mind, had suddenly softened. That faint smile was like sunlight breaking through clouds—warm, radiant, and breathtaking.
He was smiling. She was watching.
A strange silence settled over the lounge.
After a few beats, Qiu Huan grabbed two bottles of water from the table. Ou Bai stood up stiffly, muttering, "I need some air."
Qiu Huan blinked, then quickly said, "Hey, I'll come too!"
The two of them left the private suite one after the other.
Li Qiao crossed her legs uncomfortably and looked at Shang Yu. "Is it really that strange I don't know who Ou Bai is?"
The smile on Shang Yu's lips deepened. Clearly in a good mood, he teased her for once, "You're the first girl I've met who doesn't."
Ou Bai was that famous?
Li Qiao frowned in thought, pulled out her phone, and searched his name.
Ou Bai: National idol. Top-tier celebrity. Pop king. Street-style guru…
There were over a dozen flashy titles, and Li Qiao couldn't be bothered to read them all.
Her conclusion?
So extra.