At ten o'clock at night, the crystal chandelier in the Li family's living room went dark, leaving only the soft, hazy glow of the floor lamps in the corners, casting a dim amber hue across the room.
Back in her third-floor bedroom, Li Qiao opened the floor-to-ceiling window, and a wave of damp air rushed in.
The night was deep and still. In the distance, the dark sky seemed veiled in a layer of hazy gray gauze—tranquil and cool.
Li Qiao stood in silence for a moment, then leaned against the window frame, pulled out her phone, and opened the search page.
Search keyword: Shang Yu.
A second later, a blank screen displayed a line of text: "Sorry, no webpages found related to 'Shang Yu.'"
Her brow arched with interest. She tried again with the name "Shang Shao Yan," but the result was the same.
"Huh, pretty mysterious." Li Qiao tapped her lips thoughtfully, her gaze fixed on the screen, amusement twinkling in her eyes.
The Overlord of Nanyang—just how domineering and obsessive was he really?
There were too many rumors in the city about him, but her first impression of Shang Yu didn't quite match the talk.
As her thumb brushed across the screen, her thoughts drifted to the aloof, commanding man with that chilling aura.
Just then, a chat bubble popped up on her phone. Seeing the WeChat message, she curved her lips into a smile, replied with an "OK" emoji, and headed for the bathroom.
Half an hour later, Li Qiao entered her walk-in closet. Towel-drying her hair, she scanned the open wardrobe, and after a few seconds of browsing, casually grabbed a black casual outfit.
Tonight, she was feeling black.
…
At 11 PM, a black Mercedes G-Class roared out of the Li family estate, tires skimming over the damp roads as it sped toward the Nanyang Entertainment Club.
As the name suggests, the Entertainment Club was a sprawling venue offering a variety of leisure activities.
Approaching midnight, Li Qiao pulled up at the entrance, tossed the keys to the valet, and headed straight to the third floor.
Inside a private billiards room, the sharp clack of balls colliding greeted her as she pushed open the door.
The large private space featured just one billiards table, where two unfamiliar guys were playing. A girl dressed like a schoolgirl sat on the nearby sofa.
"Well, if it isn't Boss Qiao!"
The girl grinned as she stood up to greet her with a brisk, confident stride—totally mismatched with her schoolgirl outfit.
Li Qiao, one hand in her pocket, eyed her white blouse and plaid skirt up and down. "What's with you?"
The girl, Tang Yiting, was Li Qiao's childhood friend. Loud and easygoing, she'd hated wearing skirts since she was little.
Tang Yiting raised her chin, ignoring the teasing as she circled Li Qiao. "You're asking me what's with me? What about you—what's with this outfit?"
Tonight's all-black Li Qiao wore a cotton-linen black set over a white tee, matched with black sneakers. Her hair was tied into a loose bun, strands drifting by her cheeks, and a black-gold necklace hung at her chest. The whole look was lazy but sharp, brimming with swagger.
Li Qiao gave a crooked smile, sank into the sofa, and glanced up at Tang Yiting. "Doesn't look good?"
"It's good—too good! You're making me question my orientation!" Tang Yiting exclaimed dramatically as she plopped down next to Li Qiao, nudging her with her shoulder. "Hey, I heard… that childhood engagement of yours? It's off?"
Li Qiao raised an eyebrow but didn't respond.
Tang Yiting clutched her chest and took a deep breath, clearly overwhelmed by Li Qiao's cool, commanding aura. "Don't look at me like that—I can't take it!"
Li Qiao pulled her phone from her pocket, slowly running her finger along its edges. "You called me out just for that?"
"Well… partly, yeah. So what really happened? That engagement's been called off just like that? I thought you two were getting married right after college. I even started saving for the wedding gift!"
As she spoke, Tang Yiting glanced over at the two boys playing pool—her classmates, both trying to pursue Li Qiao.
But seeing this now, she figured they didn't stand a chance. If even Shang Lu couldn't win her over, there was no way these baby-faced boys could.
"No particular reason. We just weren't a good match," Li Qiao finally replied in a calm and unhurried tone, like she wasn't the one who'd just been dumped.