Next door, after Li Qiao stepped out, Qiu Huan and Ou Bai walked over to Shang Yu's side.
Three elite men—each handsome and distinguished—sitting together was truly a sight to behold.
At that moment, Qiu Huan sprawled carelessly in his chair, chin slightly lifted as he looked at Shang Yu with a serious expression. "She's the one Shang Lu is calling off the engagement with?"
Aloofness flickered in Shang Yu's proud eyes as he took a slow drag from his cigarette. "Mm. What are you getting at?"
Qiu Huan choked a little on his own words and gave a sheepish grin. "What could I possibly say? You brought her here to meet us. Don't tell me this is just some whim."
Just then, Ou Bai knocked his knuckles against the table in surprise. "So you're saying… she's Shang Lu's childhood fiancée?"
Even though Li Qiao had introduced herself earlier, Ou Bai hadn't connected her to Shang Lu at all.
He thought back carefully—Li Cheng, that bastard from the borderlands, really did have only one sister.
Qiu Huan clicked his tongue and shot him a disdainful look. "Do you even know what a 'childhood fiancée' means?"
Ou Bai rolled his eyes, grabbed a cigarette from the table, and brought it to his nose for a sniff. "So, Shao Yan… what's going on? Your brother doesn't want her, and you're stepping in to take over?"
Rude as it sounded, Ou Bai considered his tone already quite restrained.
After all, what that damn bandit Li Cheng had done to him back in the day was beyond human cruelty.
After Ou Bai spoke, the court fell into a long, heavy silence.
Shang Yu said nothing, but the storm in his sharp gaze was enough to freeze the air.
A chill crept over Ou Bai's skin and into his bones, making him shiver uncontrollably.
Qiu Huan sighed and propped a hand against his forehead, glancing sideways at the bewildered Ou Bai. Then he kicked him under the table. "Did you feed your brain to a dog?"
Anyone Shang Yu personally brought over, no matter who they were, wasn't someone you could just badmouth.
But Ou Bai… Good-looking, well-born, sure—but that mouth of his was a menace. No wonder Li Cheng once tied him to a tree overnight to be eaten alive by mosquitoes. He had it coming!
The chill in the air around Shang Yu intensified, as if winter snow had swept across the entire court.
Ou Bai started to panic. He realized he'd crossed a line and, feeling guilty, sneaked a look at Shang Yu while racking his brain for a way to make it right.
He'd been impulsive, no doubt.
Everyone in their circle knew—when Nanyang's Shang Shao Yan got angry, blood was usually spilled.
Ou Bai was even considering whether he should cut his own finger as an offering to appease the man's wrath—when suddenly, the murderous chill vanished from Shang Yu completely.
Then, Ou Bai heard a cold, arrogant voice from behind him:
"Mr. Ou, that's not how you use the word 'takeover,' either."
Li Qiao was back.
And unfortunately for him, she'd heard Ou Bai's little jab.
Calling Shang Yu a "takeover guy"? How dare he?
Ou Bai turned around in horror and saw Li Qiao. Her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes instantly sharpened with haughty arrogance as she snapped, "Why do you care how I use that word?"
Li Qiao strolled back to Shang Yu's side unhurriedly. As she sat down, she crossed one leg over the other, leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, and gave Ou Bai a chilly, half-smiling glance. "Mr. Ou, do you have a problem with me?"
"So what if I do?" Ou Bai might fear Shang Yu, but that didn't mean he was afraid of her.
Especially knowing she was Li Cheng's sister—he couldn't help but project his resentment.
"Sure, why not?" Li Qiao lazily flexed her fingers, her gaze settling coolly on Ou Bai's face, a wicked glint flashing in her eyes. "But if you do have a problem, I suggest you keep it to yourself. After all… I'm guessing you probably can't beat my third brother. And he… can't beat me."