Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 313 - 285: Sprained Ankle? (Second Update)
Tong Aino still hadn’t made any moves, and for now, it was anyone’s guess, because the two of them had been hiding in the room all morning and hadn’t come out by noon.
Tong Yao was worried her son might be hungry and wanted to bring him some food, but Ai Ni quickly stopped her. "My fifth brother hauled everything edible from the kitchen upstairs last night; they won’t go hungry."
"How do you know that?" Tong Yao eyed her daughter suspiciously.
"I helped them both change clothes," Ai Ni giggled. "Mom, just leave them alone. I bet Connie’s probably feeling too embarrassed to come out."
"They’re already about to get engaged; what’s there to be embarrassed about..." Tong Yao suddenly remembered You Jia was still sitting in the living room and quickly switched the topic. "What do you and You Jia want for lunch? I’ll make something for you two."
"Doesn’t matter; anything Mom cooks, I love." Ai Ni hugged her mom’s shoulders, grinning. "Mom, are you happy? If either of your sons slipped up a little, you might become a grandma sooner than expected."
Tong Yao playfully smacked her on the back, "Enough with that nonsense!"
"Mom, the phone." You Jia handed over the phone from the coffee table.
Tong Yao glanced at the number on the screen, and her head immediately started aching.
"For this call, I’d better sit down to take it. Ai Ni, go get Mom a glass of water, so I don’t go hoarse from talking too much later."
Ai Ni watched her mom sit down and smiled, asking, "Is it Auntie’s call?"
"Who else could it be?" Tong Yao said as she raised her hand to hit the answer button.
"Yaoyao, Kaikai ran away! Did she come to you?" As soon as the call connected, Ning Mingxi’s voice came through urgently.
"No. How did she end up running away?" Tong Yao’s hand trembled slightly—clearly, the conflict had escalated if Kaikai was fleeing.
"She said I’m too nagging, said I’m going to drive her to her grave! And who am I doing all this for? That little brat, thinking she’s untouchable..."
Ning Mingxi rambled on like a human rapid-fire gun.
Ai Ni sympathetically glanced at her mom, placing the water cup by her side, then mouthed quietly, "I’ll go call Seventh Brother."
Tong Yao waved her hand, signaling her to hurry off.
Ai Ni quickly got in touch with Mai Zekai. It turned out he really had come to Xiawu but was currently at the hospital consulting on a patient. He said he’d come by in the evening.
Although Ai Ni hung up her call ages ago, Tong Yao was still engrossed in her lengthy conversation with Ning Mingxi.
When the call finally ended, Tong Yao sat speechless with a frown, looking scarily intense.
Ai Ni whispered, "Mom, what’s the matter?"
It took Tong Yao a while to respond. "Call your aunt and have her come over; I have something to discuss with her."
Ai Ni pouted, "Aunt’s been pretty busy lately. Hasn’t she not visited in ages?"
"She’s been out of Xiawu the past few days. She only got back yesterday and doesn’t know you’ve returned." Tong Yao picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then looked up to see Tong Aino wandering downstairs.
Ai Ni heard the footsteps and turned to glance over.
"Good morning~ Fifth Brother."
Tong Aino looked at the sun outside. "It’s not morning anymore."
Ai Ni burst into laughter. "I thought you were so happily lost in the moment you forgot all about time."
Tong Aino walked over and lightly flicked her forehead.
Ai Ni winced in pain, baring her teeth.
You Jia, concerned, pulled her into his arms and gently massaged her forehead.
Tong Aino glanced at the two of them dismissively and then whispered something into Tong Yao’s ear.
Tong Yao suppressed a smile but couldn’t help looking amused. "Your grandmother’s room has it."
Tong Aino hurried off to his grandmother’s bedroom and quickly returned upstairs carrying two boxes of ointment.
Ai Ni looked at her mom inquisitively. "What did Fifth Brother say to you?"
Tong Yao smiled mysteriously. "Tong Aino said Connie drank too much last night and accidentally twisted her ankle. He asked for some ointment to apply."
"Twisted her ankle, huh? Haha... That excuse is so lame!"
You Jia squeezed her hand and Ai Ni quickly held back her laughter. "I’m off to call Aunt."
Seeing her daughter forcing herself to stop laughing, Tong Yao finally couldn’t resist and let out a chuckle herself. These kids really have some antics!
Connie, the "twisted ankle" victim, didn’t show her face until late afternoon. She was carried downstairs by Tong Aino.
Everyone seemed to have reached a mutual understanding—not one dared to laugh; instead, they all wore serious expressions, asking her if she was seriously hurt.
Connie blushed deeply and shook her head repeatedly.
Tong Aino held her chilly hand firmly and told everyone, "I looked it up online—just resting for a day or two should do the trick."
Tong Yao turned her face away to hide her laughter. "Connie shouldn’t go to the company these two days; let her rest properly at home."
Tong Aino promptly agreed, "Yeah, I’ll stay home the next two days to take care of her."
"Mom, Aunt’s here!" At that moment, Yi Luowa walked in arm-in-arm with Yan Zi.
Tong Yao quickly shifted her focus to Yan Zi’s face. "I have to say, now that you’ve spruced up a bit, you look much younger than before."
Yan Zi smiled, "Next time, I’ll bring you along."
Long Che glared at her, "Don’t try to rope your sister-in-law into this!"
Ai Ni was bewildered, "Aunt, where did you go to get yourself looking so youthful?"
"I went to H Country and got a lift. I’ve been worn out lately, thanks to your third brother—and wrinkles were starting to set in. I’m the same age as your mom, but standing next to her made me look three or four years older." Yan Zi smiled at Ai Ni. "Aunt also brought back cosmetics for you kids."
"Thank you, Aunt!" Ai Ni helped Yan Zi to sit down.
Yan Zi looked at Tong Yao slyly, "Sister-in-law, guess who I saw in H Country?"
Tong Yao glared at her. "How am I supposed to know who you saw? Stop teasing before I decide not to feed you tonight!"
Yan Zi asked suspiciously, "Yi Luowa, has your mom been taking some kind of mood-enhancing pills?"
Yi Luowa giggled, "Auntie, you know my mom’s got a fiery personality. You should just spill the beans quickly."
Yan Zi pouted, "Well, I refuse to say anything today!"
"Aunt~" Ai Ni clung to Yan Zi’s arm, shaking it non-stop. "I want to know who you saw too! If you won’t tell Mom, at least you can tell me."
Yan Zi laughed, "It’s someone you all don’t want to hear about anyway. I might as well keep quiet."
Tong Yao snorted. "Other than Ni Lu and Shiqing, who else could you have run into over there!"
"Haha... Ai Ni, your mom’s not just sharp-eyed, she’s also a clever guesser! Although, I didn’t see Ni Lu; I only bumped into Shiqing." Yan Zi pursed her lips. "This girl, what can I say, she’s kind of lucky after all. Not only did she escape getting scars, she also had her face turned into one of those influencer-style looks."
As soon as Yan Zi finished speaking, the room instantly fell silent.
Yan Zi, unconcerned, added, "I knew I shouldn’t have brought her up! You Jia, did Shiqing switch servants recently? She had a pretty and delicate young girl with her, but it was obvious that girl’s had work done."
You Jia froze slightly. "I haven’t heard anything about her changing servants."
Long Che spoke grumpily, "Sister-in-law has serious matters to discuss with you; why are you mentioning her?"
Yan Zi turned to Tong Yao, "What serious matters?"
Tong Yao stood up, "Come to the study with me; I’ll tell you about Kaikai. Before he shows up, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page."
"Another troublesome case!" Yan Zi sighed as she followed Tong Yao to the study.
Yi Luowa looked at Ai Ni blankly, "I just went to class, and it looks like I’ve missed so much!"
Ai Ni winked at her, "Yes, you missed quite a bit. Connie twisted her ankle and can’t walk on her own. Plus, Seventh Brother is in Xiawu now; he’ll be here soon."
Yi Luowa turned to Connie with a concerned expression, "How did you end up twisting your ankle? You didn’t go to the hospital?"
Connie quickly lowered her head, blushing as she said, "No need for a hospital. It’ll be fine soon."
Ai Ni stifled her laughter and nudged Yi Luowa’s foot.
Yi Luowa blinked several times and then lit up with realization, casting a mischievous look at Tong Aino.
Tong Aino pretended to be indifferent, glancing around at random and avoiding her gaze.
"Haha... Gotcha!" Yi Luowa couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Long Che curled his lip into a subtle smile and headed to the study. Looks like there’ll be some home remodeling soon.
Mai Zekai was always the slowest; by the time he arrived at the Duke’s estate, Lance and Qiqi had already shown up.
The laid-back "Mr. Slow" walked in and immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere—everyone was present, which rarely happened, and their expressions were far too serious.
After greeting everyone, "Mr. Slow" casually settled down. He scanned each face, then chuckled, "The culprit has arrived; Honorable Judges, let the trial commence!"
Tong Yao cracked a wry smile, "Who said we were putting you under interrogation!"
"No interrogation?" Mai Zekai shook his head with a grin. "Don’t hold back; I came prepared for this."
Long Che glanced up at him, "Stop with the jokes! Your mom and dad are both worried sick, and you’re still goofing around!"
Mai Zekai immediately straightened his posture and wiped the smile off his face. "Uncle, I was wrong. Whatever guidance you have, I’m all ears."
