Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 318 - 289: Who Stubbed Their Own Toe (Third Update)

Chapter 318: Chapter 289: Who Stubbed Their Own Toe (Third Update)

"Your dad’s going through menopause right now. He doesn’t need anyone to provoke him—he can get mad all by himself," Tong Yao said with a laugh as she walked in.

Long Che snorted at her back.

"Mom, what’s going on?" Ai Ni blinked with curiosity.

"He says Bert lacks taste—so many good girls, and he doesn’t fancy any of them." Tong Yao put down her handbag and glanced at Connie, who was still standing awkwardly like a fool, and laughed, "Kid, who told you to stand there like you’re being punished?"

Connie gave an embarrassed smile and sat down, looking like a child caught doing something wrong.

When Ai Ni saw her dad walk in, she raised an eyebrow slightly, "Dad, you’re throwing quite the tantrum. You didn’t even eat lunch at the palace?"

"Couldn’t swallow a bite! If Bert were my son, I’d beat him up. I let him choose, and let’s see what kind of disaster he ends up picking! Probably the worst of the worst!" Long Che stormed into the study, puffing with anger as he spoke.

Tong Yao curled her lips, "Don’t pay him any mind."

"Mom, Bert’s not being picky, right? Could it be that those girls were just too bad?" Tong Aino asked with suspicion.

"I thought they were fine, but the tastes of young people these days are definitely different from ours." Tong Yao glanced around, "Where are your brother and sister-in-law?"

"My sister-in-law got dragged off to do homework by my brother," Ai Ni said, amused.

Tong Yao shook her head helplessly, "Go call them down for dinner. Honestly, sitting around watching your dad brood is a waste. They went out to eat lunch but came back starving."

At that moment, Long Che opened the study door and came out. "Hungry? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Hurry up and eat!"

Tong Yao smiled wryly. That’s just how he was—grumpy one moment, sunny the next.

After lunch, Yuan Hang arrived. Upon seeing him, Yi Luowa smiled, "Brother Yuan Hang, I heard you’ve been promoted to team leader. You have to treat us to something!"

"Say the word. What do you want to eat? It’s on me." Yuan Hang chuckled and handed a document to Tong Airui.

Tong Airui glanced at it and placed it aside casually, "Just now, someone was pestering me to eat strawberries—why don’t you go buy some for her?"

"Sure, I’ll go right now," Yuan Hang said, taking him seriously as he turned around to leave.

Yi Luowa called after him, laughing, "He’s joking with you. You actually believed him?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Messing with me is fun, huh?" Yuan Hang gave Tong Airui a sidelong glance.

Tong Airui smirked, "Looks like you have way too much free time."

"I’m so free it’s boring. What should I do?"

"Go find something to do, like maybe find a woman. Once you have a woman, then kids, you’ll be too busy to breathe!" Tong Airui said with a mischievous grin.

Yuan Hang scratched his head, "There are only a handful of women in the entire Shen Ying team, and they all seem to have their eyes on you. Who’d ever notice me?"

Yi Luowa shot a sharp look at Tong Airui. Didn’t getting engaged and registering their marriage mean no one would be after him anymore?

Noticing his wife’s displeasure, Tong Airui picked up a throw pillow and hurled it at Yuan Hang, "Get lost!"

Yuan Hang caught the pillow with ease, smiling as he stepped back out of reach.

Hmm? What just jabbed his foot?

Yuan Hang looked down and saw a little girl glaring at him fiercely.

"New here?" He hadn’t seen this girl before, but he could tell in a glance—she was a fighter.

Yi Luowa noticed Kou’er still glaring at Yuan Hang and smiled, "Kou’er, introduce yourself. This is the Yuan Hang brother you admire the most."

"I don’t admire him anymore. He’s rude. He stepped on my foot and didn’t even say sorry, nor did he move!"

Yuan Hang looked down at his foot, quickly moving it away. "Sorry!"

"Too late!" Kou’er pouted as she handed Yi Luowa a book. "Sister Luowa, these are the materials I found for you. The key points are marked in red pen."

"Well, aren’t you capable, Kou’er!" Yi Luowa said, affectionately patting her on the cheek.

"Sister Luowa, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out." After getting Yi Luowa’s nod, Kou’er stubbornly walked away.

Yuan Hang amusedly watched Kou’er leave. This little girl has quite the personality. Once she was gone, he asked, still smiling, "How does this little girl know me?"

"She said when she came to the base, you were leaving it. She grew up hearing your stories," Yi Luowa explained with a laugh. "In her eyes, you’re an old veteran."

"Am I that old?" Yuan Hang set the pillow aside and asked.

Tong Airui gave him a sidelong glance, "Well, you’re certainly not young!"

They bantered a while before Yuan Hang took his leave.

Tong Airui said, "Come pick me up on Monday."

Yuan Hang grinned, "Are you letting me come back, boss?"

"I’ve given you enough time off. You’ve been loafing around the camp all this time; you might as well come out and meet people with me. Who knows? Maybe some woman with poor taste will fall for you, and one of my worries will be resolved." Tong Airui pointed at the document folder on the coffee table and smiled. "Didn’t you bring this over for that reason, too?"

Yuan Hang gave him a thumbs up. "Boss, no one understands me better than you!"

The days flew by, and before they knew it, it was the end of the month.

Ai Ni went to Country S with You Jia.

Tong Aino took Connie to Laman.

The house suddenly felt much quieter.

Long Che even had the youngest son’s room renovated for soundproofing. After finishing that, it was just a day away from their travel plans.

On the afternoon of December 31st, Yi Weiyang and Huo Li arrived. The two, who used to be frail and sickly, now walked into the Duke’s residence looking as healthy as ever.

Tong Yao warmly welcomed them, ushering them into the living room.

"Long Che and Airui aren’t back yet?" Yi Weiyang asked when he saw only Tong Yao and Yi Luowa in the house.

Tong Yao shook her head helplessly, "The closer it gets to New Year, the busier those two get. Right now, they’re probably recording New Year greetings. Long Che might come back a little earlier, but Airui has to celebrate with his team until the wee hours. Thank goodness you and Huo Li came; otherwise, it would’ve just been Luowa and me celebrating the New Year this time."

Huo Li smiled, "Auntie, now that my uncle and I are here, I hope we’re not inconveniencing you."

"Not at all! You’re not bothering us one bit. If you don’t mind, we can celebrate every New Year together from now on," Tong Yao said, standing up. "I’ll check on things in the kitchen; you two keep chatting."

It had been a while since Luowa had visited her uncle’s place, and Tong Yao wanted to give them some time to catch up.

"When are your grandparents coming back?" Yi Weiyang asked.

"They said they’d come back after New Year. My mom and my aunt said they’d go pick them up." Yi Luowa pouted. "It’s really all for Jacques’ sake that they stayed there so long. He’s still little and already learning such advanced statecraft. The poor kid’s fallen ill several times from the stress. If I had a son, I wouldn’t let him suffer like that! Thankfully, I don’t have the chance anyway—haha..."

Realizing she was laughing a bit too loudly, Yi Luowa covered her mouth and sneaked a glance toward the kitchen.

Huo Li laughed and gave her a playful nudge. "So, you’re afraid of someone after all!"

Yi Luowa wrinkled her nose, "It’s not fear—it’s respect! You’ve seen how wonderful my mother-in-law is. Where else can you find one like her? When you find a man in the future, make sure his mom is just as good. The man can be mediocre, but the mother-in-law is key!"

"I’ll just find one without a mother-in-law!" Huo Li quipped, grinning.

Yi Weiyang, watching the two young women, shook his head and smiled. These two, together, were always up to no good!

After dinner, the four of them sat in the living room watching TV. After King Muta’s speech, it was Long Che’s turn, and finally, Tong Airui’s. Yi Luowa stared eagerly at the screen—her husband was already strikingly handsome on an ordinary day, but in uniform, he was absolutely stunning.

"You’re drooling," Huo Li teased, handing her a tissue.

Yi Luowa, eyes fixed on the screen, wiped the corner of her mouth absentmindedly.

"Haha... Yi Weiyang, look at Luowa. She’s completely smitten!" Huo Li clutched her stomach, laughing.

Yi Weiyang glanced at Yi Luowa and couldn’t help but laugh along.

Only then did Yi Luowa realize she’d been tricked. She balled up the tissue and tossed it at Huo Li.

Huo Li quickly ducked behind Yi Weiyang, grabbing his arm for protection. "Yi Weiyang, help me!"

Tong Yao, watching them, chuckled. But hearing Huo Li address Yi Weiyang by his first name twice, she paused slightly.

Yi Luowa reacted even more sharply. She reached out and pulled Huo Li onto her lap, pinning her down with a flurry of light smacks. "That’s for being disrespectful and calling your uncle by his first name! How many times have I told you that in Z Country, it’s extremely rude to address elders so casually? Why don’t you ever learn!"

Tong Yao stifled a laugh. Clearly, she’d been too sensitive and had forgotten that Huo Li was from F Country. Over there, calling people by their first names was perfectly normal.

"Slip of the tongue! Haha... Stop hitting me, you little lunatic, or your auntie might have Airui divorce you!" Huo Li laughed as she wriggled free from Yi Luowa.

Yi Luowa, with a serious expression, pressed on, "I’m being serious. The cultures of Xiawu and Z Country are deeply intertwined. In many places, we’re very much alike. You might get away with calling your uncle whatever you like, but if you do it with others, they might make fun of him, saying he didn’t raise you properly."

Huo Li pouted, "Got it, I’ll be more careful from now on."

Tong Yao, noticing the late hour, said to Yi Weiyang, "Are you feeling okay? Do you want to rest a bit earlier?"

Yi Weiyang smiled, "Wouldn’t it be rude to leave before Long Che gets back?"

"We’re already family. Why are you still being so polite!" Long Che joked as he walked in.

Tong Yao noticed something off about the way Long Che was walking; her brows furrowed slightly. She sniffed the air, faintly detecting the scent of blood.

"Long Che..."

Long Che subtly shook his head, signaling her not to say anything.