Li Qiao rounded the entryway and stood at the entrance to the living room, instantly sensing an atmosphere far more serious than usual.
The room was unusually quiet.
The Li couple sat on a loveseat to the side, their expressions solemn, postures noticeably stiff and formal.
At the head seat sat a man in his fifties—Shang Yu's father, Shang Zonghai, the reigning patriarch of the Shang family in Parma.
Dressed in a gray Tang suit, he sat with impeccable composure. His temples were streaked with white, and his facial features bore a clear resemblance to Shang Yu.
Wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, he had deep creases between his brows and was calmly fingering a string of black prayer beads. Though his demeanor seemed tranquil, the aura he exuded was unmistakably one of long-held authority and gravitas.
Shang Yu, on the other hand, sat next to him with one leg crossed over the other—languid and casual, a sharp contrast to the elder's disciplined bearing.
The moment Li Qiao appeared, Shang Zonghai's sharp eyes scrutinized her through his lenses.
"Come sit," said Shang Yu.
At his words, the Li couple finally turned their heads in realization. Seeing Li Qiao there, they both subtly sighed in relief.
With a composed and unhurried air, Li Qiao stepped into the living room and took a seat in a single armchair. As she scanned the room discreetly, she noticed that her three older brothers were absent—and even the servants had vanished.
At that moment, Shang Zonghai adjusted his glasses.
"You are Li Qiao?"
"It's our first meeting. Apologies for my late arrival, Old Master Shang," Li Qiao replied with calm poise, slightly nodding to him. Her manners were impeccable.
Hearing this, Shang Zonghai pressed his lips together in visible satisfaction. His gaze then turned to Li Guangming.
"Guangming, since the child is back, shall we talk about the marriage?"
Li Guangming straightened his posture, eyes full of deference as he looked at Shang Zonghai.
"Of course. As for the engagement… we'll follow your lead, Old Master."
Li Qiao lowered her gaze slightly, suspicion surfacing in her eyes.
Wasn't her father being a little too deferential to Shang Zonghai?
Especially considering they were about the same age—yet the way they addressed each other was completely unequal.
Shang Zonghai casually turned the beads in his fingers and said in a regretful tone,
"I've heard most of what happened. Shang Lu has always been unruly since young—and after falling seriously ill, became even more difficult. It seems now the engagement was indeed hasty."
Li Guangming exchanged glances with Duan Shuyuan. After a brief silence, he asked cautiously,
"Then what does Old Master Shang propose…?"
Shang Zonghai's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he turned his gaze back to Li Qiao. After several seconds of thought, he made a decisive statement:
"Let's annul it. Do you still have the original betrothal agreement?"
A marriage contract?
Li Qiao narrowed her eyes and looked at Li Guangming. Even Duan Shuyuan appeared visibly surprised.
Li Guangming nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I still have it."
"Good. Bring it here. Since the engagement is off, the contract should be voided too."
Li Guangming promptly got up and headed to the study on the second floor.
In the meantime, the living room fell into silence again.
Li Qiao sat alone, her eyes quietly sizing up Shang Zonghai.
It was said the Shang family in Parma came from a long line of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners—but this elder bore no trace of a healer's compassion.
Even with prayer beads in hand, he couldn't conceal the cold and deeply calculating look in his eyes.
Li Qiao finally looked away from Shang Zonghai, only for her peripheral vision to lock perfectly with Shang Yu's cold gaze.
They stared at each other from across the room, and in the depths of his ink-dark eyes was a faint, unreadable smile.
Just then, Shang Zonghai picked up a celadon teacup from the table. As he stirred the tea leaves with the lid, he suddenly asked:
"Girl, have you ever been to Parma before?"