Shang Yu withdrew his gaze and casually placed the towel on the stone table.
His voice was low and deep. "What do you want from me?"
Shang Lu, who had taken a seat boldly across from him, didn't hesitate to complain,
"Big brother, I want to call off the engagement, but she keeps clinging to me. What am I supposed to do?"
Shameless.
Qiao Li shot him a blank glance. She was just about to speak when the phone clutched in her hand suddenly rang.
"Sorry," she murmured, glancing down.
It was her second brother, Li Yan.
She hesitated for a moment, then unconsciously looked to Shang Yu.
He lowered his lashes with a faint, indifferent motion—as if granting silent permission.
Taking that as a yes, Qiao Li answered the call.
"Qiaoqiao, where are you? Have you seen Shang Lu yet?" came Li Yan's cheerful voice through the receiver.
Qiao Li glanced at Shang Lu, who looked like he was trying to breathe through his nose like a proud rooster, and lazily curved her lips.
"Yeah. I've seen him."
"And? Any sparks?"
Oh, plenty of sparks…
She didn't say it out loud.
Before she could respond, a soft click broke the quiet.
A wisp of white smoke curled from Shang Yu's lips, swirling in the cool air.
Through the drifting haze, their eyes met again.
"Qiaoqiao?" Li Yan prompted gently. "Tell you what, once you're done with him, come find me. I'm waiting in the private gallery."
After hanging up, Qiao Li calmly turned to Shang Lu.
"I told you—I agreed to break off the engagement."
"You sure about that?" Shang Lu raised an eyebrow, his voice thick with suspicion and arrogance.
"If you agreed, why are you here looking for me? Think before you lie."
Qiao Li sighed with something like pity.
"If I was here for you, I'm pretty sure your brother would know."
She ignored the way Shang Lu nearly leapt out of his seat and shifted her gaze to Shang Yu again.
Something tickled in her throat.
Qiao Li had a hunch—when she'd wandered into this area earlier, Shang Shaoyan had already noticed her.
This man, known by everyone as the mysterious lord of Nanyang…
Even without the fearsome power he wielded, that face alone was enough to shake the world.
Even someone as handsomely striking as Shang Lu faded next to him.
Shang Yu sat with perfect posture, his long, narrow eyes deep and unreadable.
His strong brow ridge and sharply defined features were noble and cold—every inch a man born to command.
The raw, lethal energy etched into his bones made him look like a battlefield king dressed in silk and shadow.
Qiao Li stared for a while, then lowered her eyes—something unreadable flickering behind them.
That face… was kind of handsome.
Just then, Shang Yu flicked the ash from his cigarette, his voice indifferent and cool.
"She didn't come here to see you."
"No one's allowed to come see anyone!" Shang Lu snapped, stiffening his neck and eyeing Qiao Li like she might pounce at any moment.
"I don't care who she's here for. I'm calling off this engagement, and you agreed, big brother! You can't go back on your word now!"
Shang Yu looked at Qiao Li and curved his lips into a faint, detached smile.
"Then call it off."
That was all it took for Shang Lu to puff up triumphantly.
"See? You heard that! My brother agrees. What more do you want?"
Qiao Li had a lazy sort of temperament, but she wasn't spineless.
She looked down at the fading trace of blood at her feet and smiled faintly.
"Mr. Shang Lu, did you know? I've always had very good eyesight."
With that, she turned and began walking back down the path.
As she parted the banana leaves once more, she paused and glanced back.
Her eyes locked with Shang Yu's, deep and unreadable like the sea.
"Hello," she said softly. "I'm Qiao Li."
Something shifted in Shang Yu's expression—subtle, but unmistakably darker.
The rain had stopped. Droplets still slid from the corners of the pavilion, hitting the ground with soft drips.
Shang Lu stared after her, confused.
"What does her eyesight have to do with anything?"
"She has good eyesight," Shang Yu said quietly, his gaze still fixed in the direction she had gone, voice low and contemplative.
"That's why she couldn't possibly fall for you."