Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 305 - 279: She Still Can’t Beat Me (Three Updates)
Yi Luowa truly started preparing attentively; as long as she had time, she would go to the academy’s racetrack to practice driving.
Originally, she intended to invite Tong Aino along, but with the company expanding the market in Beidi, Tong Aino was too busy to spare any time, reluctantly missing this opportunity.
Not long afterward, Yi Luowa successfully won her sixth trophy. At this point, the New Year was fast approaching.
On the eve of the New Year, Tong Ai Ni and You Jia returned together. However, their arrival didn’t bring cheer to the household; instead, tension mounted, ready to erupt into conflict.
Long Che cast a cold gaze upon his daughter and son-in-law. "Since the engagement until now, Tong Ai Ni has only returned once. And now you come back to tell me that for this New Year, Tong Ai Ni is staying in S Country?"
Tong Ai Ni pouted as she faced her furious father. "Dad, it’s not what I want either. But during the New Year, royal family members must join the citizens in celebrating. If I returned during this time, it would be hard to explain."
"You’re merely engaged, not yet married. What royal family member are you even talking about?" Long Che slapped the table three times in quick succession out of fury.
"Dad..."
The moment You Jia spoke, Long Che’s eyes immediately widened, "Don’t call me Dad!"
You Jia apologized, "Uncle Che, it’s my fault. There have been a lot of diplomatic events recently, and I’ve been dragging Ai Ni around the skies without properly accompanying you and Aunt Yao Yao. Once the New Year passes, there will be fewer commitments, and at that time, we’ll come back and spend more time with both of you."
Long Che gave him a sinister glare while reaching for the teacup.
Tong Yao quickly pressed his hand down tightly, knowing that if she didn’t, the teacup would surely be flung at You Jia.
Sitting nearby, Connie glanced at Tong Aino awkwardly, then gently shook her head.
Tong Aino pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking to himself how he had planned to accompany Connie back to Raman for the New Year. But now, under no circumstances, would he dare say that aloud.
Long Che’s hand was firmly restrained by Tong Yao. After trying several times to pull it free, he gave up. Unable to strike, he resorted to words.
"Both of you, get out of my sight now! And don’t bother coming back again in the future!"
Tong Ai Ni’s eyes welled up with tears. She looked deeply at her father before standing up.
"Mom, I’m leaving." Tong Ai Ni cried as she turned to Tong Yao.
"Sit down!" Tong Yao reprimanded sharply. "No matter how wrong your father is, he’s still your dad. Can’t take a bit of scolding? You’ve been away for so many days; have you even thought about how we’ve been feeling all this time?!"
You Jia pulled Tong Ai Ni to sit down. Both of them lowered their heads remorsefully.
Tong Yao turned her gaze toward Long Che. "Long Che, people say daughters shouldn’t always stay by their parents’ sides. When they reach the age to marry, they should be married off. Otherwise, keeping them too long may lead to enmity. If you listen to me, let’s marry her off after the New Year. Once she becomes part of another household, we won’t have to constantly worry about her every day."
Long Che furrowed his brows, remaining silent. He too wrestled with the dilemma. Whether to marry her off or not, either way, it left him unsettled. If he didn’t, he feared she’d follow in her aunt’s footsteps; if he did, he couldn’t bear to let her go.
At this pivotal moment, Yi Luowa entered with her backpack, humming a tune. Though she could clearly sense the tense atmosphere in the hall, she pretended not to notice. Looking at Tong Ai Ni, she smiled.
"Ai Ni is back!"
Tong Ai Ni, teary-eyed, glanced at her. "Sister-in-law, you’re back."
"Mm." Yi Luowa grinned at her. "Got homesick enough to cry?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Tong Ai Ni sniffled. "No, I got scolded into tears."
Yi Luowa pouted. "Serves you right! Who told you to stay away for so many days? Even I wanted to scold you."
Tong Ai Ni puckered her lips as tears streamed down her face.
"Go ahead, cry. I’m not comforting you!" Yi Luowa angrily plopped onto the sofa opposite her, sneaking a glance at Long Che before speaking again. "Dad and Mom have been worried about you these days, missing you and holding onto thoughts of you, only able to see you on TV. Haven’t you noticed they’ve both lost weight?"
Tong Ai Ni sniffled deeply and nodded. "I’ve seen that, but before I could say a word, I already got scolded."
Yi Luowa shoved a tissue toward her with a pout. "Scolding you shows they care! You’ve been attending so many diplomatic events with You Jia these days; you must be exhausted. Dad and Mom feel so distressed watching you on TV. Oh, by the way, I heard there’s a tradition in S Country where royal family members celebrate New Year with the citizens. You’re definitely taking part, right? Why didn’t you wait for the festivities to end before coming home?"
"..." Tong Ai Ni peeked nervously at Long Che, too scared to respond.
Yi Luowa gave her a look. "Tong Ai Ni, are you and You Jia planning to invite Dad and Mom to S Country for the New Year? I’m warning you, I’ve already organized New Year plans. Your brother and I are taking Dad and Mom, along with my second uncle, on a trip. You can’t steal them away!"
Tong Ai Ni froze, then saw Yi Luowa winking at her repeatedly. Pouting, she replied, "On the way here, You Jia did want to discuss bringing Dad and Mom over for New Year, but I said they definitely wouldn’t go. Bringing it up would only earn us another scolding, so we might as well not mention it."
"Good thing you didn’t say anything." Yi Luowa laughed, turning toward Long Che. "Dad, at midnight, you and Mr. Muta have speeches to deliver, and Tong Airui will be welcoming the New Year with others at Shen Ying. Once everyone’s done, we’ll take your flashy car on a road trip. We’ll go wherever you want, stopping to camp whenever we spot a scenic place."
"Just hearing that sounds so much fun! Sister-in-law, take me and Tong Aino along," Connie interjected.
Yi Luowa chuckled. "Not taking you. Haven’t you noticed how much Dad and Mom miss Ai Ni? Your parents definitely miss you too. Isn’t this a good chance for you to visit them?"
Connie pouted. "Of course I miss them, but with Tong Aino’s father this angry, how dare I even say I want to go?"
"I’m not going back either. Grandpa and Grandma aren’t coming home this New Year, there aren’t many people left at the house. If I leave too, there’d be even fewer."
Long Che paused for a moment, then looked toward Tong Aino. "Stay with Connie for these New Year days and visit her family. Also, finalize your engagement date."
Tong Aino immediately shook his head. "I’ll stay home with you and Mom while Ai Ni goes to S Country."
"Both of you can leave too. Your mom and I are going with your brother and sister-in-law on a trip."
Phew—
Even though his tone wasn’t pleasant, the matter was set.
"The two of you better not make me worry!" Long Che glared at You Jia slyly. "Go back and tell your father to prepare your marriage ceremony for Labor Day."
You Jia and Tong Ai Ni exchanged glances and promptly stood. "Dad..."
Before they could say more, Long Che rose, looked toward Yi Luowa, and said, "Come to the study with me; let’s decide on the best route."
"OK!" Yi Luowa cheerfully followed Long Che into the study, making a victory gesture toward the others in the living room just before closing the door.
"Am I just completely overlooked now?" Tong Ai Ni blinked at her mom.
Tong Yao smirked. "You have the nerve to compete for favor with your sister-in-law? Without her, do you think your dad would agree that quickly?"
Tong Aino laughed. "My sister-in-law also solved a big dilemma for me. I was worried about whether I should go to Raman."
"Stop pretending! You clearly already wanted to go but didn’t dare say so." Tong Ai Ni pouted, then walked over to Tong Yao, grabbing her arm and acting coquettish. "Mom, were you only pretending to be angry earlier?"
Tong Yao brushed her hand off disdainfully. "Who said I was pretending! Your dad has already given his consent. After you and You Jia return, hurry up and iron out the details. I’ll take care of your grandfather."
Tong Ai Ni laughed. "No need to trouble yourself about Grandpa. He said everything’s decided; he won’t comment anymore. Wherever I go in the future, he’ll follow. In fact, he’s planning to set up a new home in S Country. This time he and Grandma are going back to discuss the matter with my two uncles."
Tong Aino chuckled. "Our brother joked the other day that if You Jia marries you, it’d be a buy-one-get-one-free deal. As I see it, it’s a buy-one-get-three since Grandma’s included too. Hahaha..."
You Jia smiled warmly. "If no one minds, they can all come. I’ll take good care of the elders."
"Give it a rest! Our family’s elders have me and my brother. Who do you think you are? Go sit quietly somewhere!" Tong Aino glared at him irritably. "Ai Ni’s marrying you, and I worry about nothing else except your precious cousin’s attitude. Let me warn you, if Shi Qing dares give Ai Ni trouble, she’ll have me to answer to!"
You Jia gazed at him with sincerity. "Ai Ni is more important to me than my own life. I wouldn’t let her bear even the slightest wrong."
Tong Ai Ni smiled brightly. "For the time being, don’t worry about Shi Qing. She went to H Country for cosmetic surgery and probably won’t be back for half a year. Even if she returns, I’m not afraid. With her petty tricks, she’s no match for me."
