Li Qiao stared expressionlessly at Li Shaoquan, her eyes sweeping over the alarm devices on the floor.
"Aren't you going to turn those off?"
Li Shaoquan froze for two seconds. "Oh, right!"
He tossed the baseball bat onto the sofa and jogged over to reset the alarms.
Finally, the world went quiet.
Whether he was genuinely scared or just being dramatic—Li Qiao wasn't sure.
She rubbed her temple, looking at him with an indescribable expression.
"You got a screw loose or something? Three alarm devices? Seriously?"
Li Shaoquan awkwardly shut the door, his head hanging as he scratched it in frustration.
"I was just scared they'd come after me again…"
The two walked into the living room one after the other.
Li Qiao wrinkled her nose at the thick smell of cigarette smoke—it was definitely not the same pleasant scent as Shang Yu's cigarettes.
"Talk. What's your plan?"
Li Shaoquan slouched into the sofa, guiltily hugging a throw pillow and mumbling,
"What plan?"
"Guan Mingyu."
At the mention of her name, Li Shaoquan shot upright like he'd been electrocuted.
His expression turned serious.
"What does she want now? She doesn't expect me to take responsibility, does she? Damn it, I didn't even touch her hand. I—"
Before he could finish, Li Qiao raised her hand, cutting him off impatiently.
"I'm asking if you really intend to cut ties with Guan Mingyu completely.
I've seen your chat history—you kept sweet-talking her and begging to meet up. Do I need to remind you of that?"
While the Guan siblings clearly bore some responsibility for the situation,
Li Shaoquan had clearly been the initiator—a textbook scumbag move.
Li Shaoquan instantly raised three fingers in a solemn oath.
"Totally cutting her off. No more contact. I can do it—I swear!"
It had all started because of her photos.
He'd decided—never again would he trust online relationships.
Li Qiao stared at his overly sincere expression for a few seconds, then silently turned and left the Jiangjing Luxury Residence.
⸻
…
Meanwhile, at Yanhuang HQ, Room 101.
It wasn't even 6:30 yet, but the board meeting had just ended.
Shang Yu returned to his office with his three top aides.
Outside, the sunset dyed the sky in glorious gold and red.
Shang Yu sat down behind his massive executive desk.
The three assistants stood quietly where they were.
Wang Yue stepped forward with a calm expression.
"Boss, the Red Hackers are about to start recruiting again.
There are only three spots this year.
I've shortlisted a few strong candidates and sent their files to your inbox.
Please take a look when you have time."
Shang Yu didn't respond immediately.
His eyes, lit faintly by the sunset, were fixed on a yellow sticky note on his desk.
His lips curled slightly, and the tension in his jaw slowly eased.
The handwriting on the note was neat and elegant, but with a certain sharp flair.
Yan Ye, off work now. See you tomorrow.
(with a curved little smiley face at the end)
Shang Yu picked up the note, not lifting his head as he gave a soft "Mm" in response to Wang Yue.
Liu Yun stepped forward to report a few more items.
After getting a response, he quietly stepped back.
Then, Shang Yu slowly looked up, placing the sticky note where he could see it easily.
His deep, cool gaze swept toward Luo Yu.
"You stay."
With that, Liu Yun and Wang Yue exchanged a glance and silently left the room.
In the office, Shang Yu leaned back in his chair, unfastening one of the buttons at his collar as he casually lit a cigarette.
The swirling smoke made his expression look slightly blurred.
"What about the Parma project? Has the handover to Zhui Feng been completed?"
"Yes," Luo Yu replied with a nod, his tone steady and precise.
"Most of it has been handled.
If there's anything he's unsure about, we'll coordinate remotely."
"Mm." Shang Yu hummed in response, drawing the sound out as he exhaled a puff of smoke.
Then he asked casually,
"About this afternoon—do you have anything to say?"
At the mention of "this afternoon," Luo Yu's eyes paused for a moment, but he didn't hesitate.
"Boss, with all due respect… from what I can tell right now—she's not worthy of you."