Ou Bai's handsome face instantly darkened—was he just threatened in public?
But he was convinced Li Qiao was just bluffing.
Before he could shoot back with a sarcastic comment, Shang Yu calmly uncrossed his legs, cast a warning glance at Ou Bai, and then placed his warm, broad palm on top of Li Qiao's head, giving it two light pats. "Time to eat."
It was just past 7 p.m.
Whatever irritation Li Qiao had felt melted away the moment Shang Yu made that intimate gesture.
The strange, tangled feelings inside her bloomed like a delicate spring flower—swaying with the wind, a little airy and free.
Later, she trailed behind Shang Yu absentmindedly as they left the bowling alley. The gust of wind from the underground parking lot snapped her back to reality a bit.
Only then did it occur to her—Shang Yu's little head pat felt suspiciously like the way someone might treat a pet dog.
Pet dog Li Qiao: "…"
…
7:30 p.m., Crystal Court.
Located in the heart of the city, Crystal Court Dining Hall sat adjacent to a royal garden area where every square inch was priceless.
It was known for delivering the ultimate high-end, royal-level dining experience. Those who could dine here were either top-tier politicians or aristocrats. Even wealthy elites found it nearly impossible to obtain a dining pass.
Li Qiao followed Shang Yu through a private VIP entrance straight to a suite called Yilan Garden. Liu Yun dutifully trailed behind them, acting like the perfect assistant/tool.
Inside the private room, classical calligraphy and paintings adorned the walls, while the rosewood furniture gave off a distinct scent of wealth.
At a square table, Li Qiao and Shang Yu sat across from each other.
Liu Yun accepted a bamboo scroll menu from a server dressed in full court attire and respectfully handed it to them.
As they browsed the menu, Li Qiao's eyes skimmed the characters on the scroll, but her thoughts were entirely elsewhere—focused on Shang Yu.
In the antique-style room, he sat calmly in a black shirt, his rolled-up sleeves revealing well-defined muscles. Every movement he made exuded a kind of wild elegance.
When he reached for a celadon teapot with looped handles, her gaze locked onto his fingers.
Just now—it was that hand that patted her head.
Tch, even his fingers looked good.
"Don't look at me. Look at the menu," Shang Yu said, sliding a teacup across to her and tapping the bamboo scroll with his fingertip.
Li Qiao made no effort to hide her curiosity. Mimicking his motion, she tapped the scroll too and asked playfully, "Shao Yan, mind a quick interview? When Ou Bai called you a 'takeover guy' earlier, what were you thinking?"
Shang Yu withdrew his hand after serving the tea, poured himself another cup, and let the rising steam blur the amused glint in his eyes. "What do you think I was thinking?"
His counter-question made Li Qiao pause for a few seconds before teasing, "Shouldn't you have shipped him off to Africa to dig for minerals or something?"
Shang Yu gently blew on his tea, his expression calm. "I don't own any mines in Africa."
Ah, so he was covering for his buddy after all?
Li Qiao gave a dissatisfied little smirk and returned her attention to the menu—only to hear Shang Yu's rich, amused voice drift across the table. "You want to send him to dig?"
"Actually, yeah," she answered lazily, resting her chin on one hand and nodding.
Shang Yu set his teacup down, his Adam's apple shifting slightly as he looked into her soft, fawn-like eyes. Raising a brow with interest, he said, "That might be tricky. He's still got three film contracts with Yanhuang Entertainment."
So that meant…
Li Qiao followed that thread of thought and continued to probe, "Then after his contracts are done, it's fair game?"
As soon as those words left her mouth, even their "toolman" Liu Yun couldn't help but glance over.
This Miss Li really doesn't know when to stop.
He could already predict a cold jab or mocking retort was coming next.
Then he heard his boss's low, steady reply:
"Mm, I'll consider it."