Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 424 - 371 Side by Side in Battle (Part 2)

Yi Luowa waited until everyone had dispersed before asking, "Brother Yuan Hang, where’s Kou’er?"

"She’s gathering over there, coming along with us as a healthcare officer. Right now, she’s waiting for us in the car." Yuan Hang tidied up his folders, then glanced at Yi Luowa with a smile. "You look better in a uniform than anything else!"

Tong Airui walked over with a stern face, "Why are you so full of nonsense every day?"

Yuan Hang chuckled, "Hop in, we’ll be assembling shortly."

Tong Airui cast a dark, piercing look at him, "Cut back on the nonsense in the future!"

"I’ll paste a seal on my mouth later." Yuan Hang laughed and swung open the RV door. "First time taking this beast on a mission—on the battlefield, we might not even need to fight; it could scare them to death by itself."

Yi Luowa climbed into the car with a smile, "Before you paste that seal, you’ve got to say at least one more nonsense line! I’m still stressing over how we’re transporting this massive thing."

"We’re taking the sea route," Tong Airui replied as he followed her onboard.

"Oh. I don’t even know where we’re headed yet."

"It’ll be announced before departure." Tong Airui grinned and pinched her cheek.

"Report!" Kou’er stepped out of the restroom, dressed in uniform.

"Kou’er! Hahaha... once you put on that uniform, I almost didn’t recognize you." Yi Luowa glanced at Kou’er’s shoulder insignia, "Huh! Kou’er, did you get promoted to squad leader right after joining?"

Tong Airui laughed, "Wherever Dad’s people are assigned, they’re directly given ranks. That’s because the soldiers in the base are House Soldiers of the Aldrich family—it’s a way of honoring the Aldrich lineage."

Yi Luowa pressed her lips tightly together, feeling a surge of pride unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. As a member of the Aldrich family heading into battle, she vowed not to bring shame to the family name.

The vehicle slowly rolled into the camp, and Yi Luowa followed Tong Airui into the office building.

Before they even reached the door, laughter echoed out from inside.

"Dapeng, it’s a miracle you made it back alive—cherish these good times!"

"Fourth Brother is still the best. As soon as I reported to him, he ordered me to evacuate immediately. If I’d left just one minute later, that bomb really might’ve sent me sky-high." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Dapeng, later those experts over there were taken down by Fourth Brother too, right?"

"Little Mule, wasn’t it you? I’d always thought it was you!"

"I went in, but couldn’t beat them. They even hacked my computer in retaliation."

"This time, we’ve got to learn properly from Fourth Brother. After all, we hang the banner of being one of the Duke Estate’s ’Ten Little Tigers.’ We absolutely can’t embarrass ourselves! At critical moments, whoever messes up, I’ll deal with them!" That voice, Yi Luowa recognized immediately—it was Silly Xuan.

"Brother Xuan, tell me—what’s left that our Fourth Brother can’t do? I feel like Fourth Brother is practically turning into a god!"

Mi Chenxuan laughed, "Fourth Brother can’t have babies!"

Hahaha...

The people in the office instantly burst into laughter.

Tong Airui’s mouth twitched slightly, signaling Yuan Hang with a look.

Yuan Hang pushed open the door and shouted, "Squad Leader is here! Stand at attention!"

Mi Chenxuan, Dapeng, and the others immediately straightened into a row, wiping away their smiles.

Tong Airui entered with a stern face, "Look at yourselves! I could hear your racket as soon as I got upstairs!"

The group stared ahead stiffly, not daring to speak.

Yi Luowa stood at the door and stuck her tongue out at Mi Chenxuan.

Mi Chenxuan glanced at her briefly before quickly shifting his eyes away.

Yi Luowa pushed her nose upward with her hand, twisting her head in a teasing motion toward Mi Chenxuan.

Mi Chenxuan couldn’t hold back and let out a laugh.

Dapeng and Little Mule chuckled as well, unable to resist.

Tong Airui cast a dark glance at them all, then slowly turned his head to look outside the door.

By the time he’d sought her out, Yi Luowa had already hidden behind the door.

Tong Airui knew full well that it was his wife’s antics to blame, but he couldn’t bring himself to admonish her. He turned back to face Mi Chenxuan and the others instead, "What’s so funny?! Laugh at the ocean for an hour straight after deployment if you’re so amused!"

Mi Chenxuan pointed toward the doorway, "Squad Leader, we weren’t laughing at nothing. There’s a female team member teasing us outside."

"A female team member outside?" Tong Airui furrowed his brows slightly. "Stop making up nonsense excuses. You think you’re good-looking enough to warrant someone teasing you? If you’re on the battlefield and the enemy smiles at you, are you planning to run off with them instead of fighting?"

Mi Chenxuan rubbed his nose sheepishly, ready to apologize, when he saw Yi Luowa poke her head out halfway and grin at him.

Tong Airui noticed their gazes drifting outside again and shouted loudly, "About-face!"

Mi Chenxuan and the others swiftly spun in unison to face backward.

Tong Airui walked to the front of the group and spoke firmly, "From now on, no laughing or goofing off in serious settings like this! You want to mess around, wait until we win the battle—I’ll join you then. For now, head to the training field and assemble immediately."

"Yes!" they responded in unison, lining up and marching away briskly.

Yi Luowa watched them blink repeatedly, seeing Dapeng and the others suppressing their smiles without saying a word to her.

As Mi Chenxuan passed by her last, he snorted coldly and said, "Just wait till my Fourth Brother deals with you!"

"Yi Luowa, come in!" Tong Airui’s voice floated out from the room.

Yi Luowa pouted and trudged into the room reluctantly.

Tong Airui furrowed his brows slightly, "Mi Chenxuan said you were teasing him—how do you explain that?"

"Is he better-looking than you? Is he worth teasing?" Yi Luowa pouted, her face tight as she retorted.

Tong Airui’s expression darkened a bit, "Why is it that whenever someone calls you out, your mouth runs off like this? You need to stay serious during your time with the Shen Ying unit. Every word and action of yours represents Shen Ying’s image. Moreover, the weight you carry is heavier than others because you’re a member of the Aldrich family!"

"Honey, I understand now. Don’t be mad, alright?" Yi Luowa gently grabbed Tong Airui’s hand and gave it a small sway.

"I’m not mad. I just want to help you grow quickly. Wife, you’re Airui Aldrich’s partner; you’re part of the Aldrich family. Remember that, and you won’t need my guidance—you’ll figure it all out on your own.

Look at your insignia. Never forget the symbol on it. During this drill, you’ll encounter many soldiers wearing the same insignia as you. Watch how they perform on the battlefield, and you’ll understand why the Aldrich family commands such respect in Xiawu."

Yi Luowa tilted her head to look at her insignia, which bore the design of a sword pointing into darkness.

"Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?" Yi Luowa asked, a tinge of regret in her voice.

Tong Airui furrowed his brows slightly, wanting to say that if he’d told her earlier, she might have balked at the weight of responsibility and not joined him.

"Telling you earlier would’ve been like telling a story—you would’ve heard it and forgotten it. Telling you now, while you’re experiencing it for yourself, will ensure you remember it for the rest of your life."

What profound words from Fourth Lord!

Yi Luowa nodded emphatically after hearing him. "I’ll remember it all!"

Tong Airui patted her shoulder lightly. "Wife, starting now, we’ll be fighting side by side. Are you ready?"

"I’m ready! I won’t bring shame to the Aldrich family!"

Tong Airui smiled warmly in approval.