Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 557 - 478: Seventeen Updates

Long Che and Tong Yao exchanged a glance, and both of their moods instantly turned complicated.

"Sigh... it’s all the fault of the war. We were separated from our daughter for twenty years. After so much effort to find her, we can only call her our goddaughter for now because the DNA results haven’t arrived yet," the Celestial Emperor explained deliberately.

"And have the results come out now?" Tong Yao asked and then gave an embarrassed smile. "Look at me, asking such a silly question."

"They have," the Celestial Empress said with a smile, pulling Tong Yao’s hand. "Let’s sit over there and talk."

Tong Yao smiled and followed the Celestial Empress to the sofa. As they sat down, they began to chat warmly, though Tong Yao’s gaze occasionally wandered over to Youyou.

Youyou had a childish personality, and Tong Yao really did feel a bit uneasy about her.

Youyou wandered around with Nancy but didn’t get a chance to act. She noticed Tong Yao watching her, her eyes flickering as she casually slung an elbow over Nancy’s shoulder. "Let’s go keep your mom and my aunt company."

Youyou’s action was somewhat bold. Nancy was initially a little uncomfortable, but recalling their interactions earlier, she realized this was just Youyou’s nature, so she didn’t mind too much.

As the two took a few steps, Youyou noticed several noblewomen looking at them and gave a sheepish laugh. "I think I might’ve been a bit rude."

Youyou smiled and removed her hand, but as she did, her diamond ring got caught in Nancy’s hair.

Nancy winced slightly in pain, her brow furrowing just a little.

Youyou’s small face instantly flushed red. "Sorry, sorry."

The more she tried to untangle the hair from the ring in her panic, the tighter it became.

Youyou muttered, "I told them not to buy such a big wedding ring, but no one listens to me. Great, now it’s causing me trouble. Nancy, hold still. Let’s go for a ’clean cut’ approach!"

"Ah... ow!"

"Phew—there we go!" Youyou finally separated the ring from Nancy’s hair. Seven or eight strands of hair ended up in Youyou’s hands. With a flick of her fingers, she slipped them into her sleeve.

Youyou apologized while smoothing Nancy’s hair, even thoughtfully blowing on it a couple of times.

Seeing Youyou behave like a child trying to soothe her, Nancy felt her earlier small grievance melt away completely.

Tong Yao saw the two of them walking over and frowned slightly. "Did something happen again?"

Youyou pouted. "It wasn’t me; it was the ring’s fault."

Nancy smiled. "Lady Biyao, it’s fine. Youyou even blew on it for me just now—it didn’t hurt at all."

Tong Yao pointed at Youyou. "You’re not leaving my side anymore. The moment I take my eyes off you, something happens."

Youyou obediently sat down next to Tong Yao.

When the afternoon banquet ended, Long Che took Tong Yao and Youyou onto a private plane to return to Xiawu.

On the plane, Youyou took the strands of hair out of her sleeve.

Tong Yao smiled and glared playfully at her. "Yanking out that much hair at once must’ve hurt!"

"Hmph! I wanted to pull it all out! It’s so unfair—she looks exactly like my sister. Why can she find her biological parents, but my sister can’t?"

"Maybe this time you’ll find her," Tong Yao said with a comforting smile, trying to calm the agitated Youyou.

"I doubt it! If Nancy turns out to be someone else’s daughter, then my sister might have a chance. But if she’s the Celestial Emperor’s daughter, there’s no hope at all."

"Why do you say that?" Long Che glanced up at Youyou.

"The Celestial Emperor has only one brother and one sister. Du Ma never married and has no children. Kai Di just recently gave birth to a son. The Celestial Empress had one brother, but he died young."

Tong Yao pondered for a moment. "You’re talking about direct relatives. What about collateral ones?"

"Do collateral relatives even look this much alike?" Youyou scratched her head irritably. "Let’s just see if Nancy and my sister have any blood relation. If they do, I’ll head back to the Celestials and pluck them one by one until I find answers!"

Long Che chuckled. Youyou really did have a fiery heart.

By the time the three of them returned to Xiawu, it was already past nine at night. Tong Airui and Mi Chenxuan were waiting outside the airport.

As soon as Youyou got off the plane, Mi Chenxuan drove her to the hospital with Nancy and Yi Luowa’s hair samples.

Tong Airui escorted their parents back to the Duke’s manor.

Yi Luowa had just put her two little ones to sleep when she heard the sound of a car. She hurriedly came out to greet them.

Long Che’s first question upon seeing his daughter-in-law was, "Where’s Sanyu?"

Yi Luowa smiled softly and replied, "Sanyu and Ziyan just went to sleep. I told them you and mom would be back soon, but those little rascals just wouldn’t listen."

Tong Yao tugged lightly at Long Che’s sleeve, smiling. "See? Going out and leaving your grandkids behind even makes you restless. Now they’ve gone to bed and left you hanging!"

Long Che gave her a half-annoyed humph.

Yi Luowa chuckled. "Dad, they really can’t sleep without you around. In the nursery, they were crying, but as soon as they were taken to your room, they stopped."

Long Che’s face instantly lit up with a grin. "I’m going to check on them." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

As Connie and Tong Aino came downstairs, they crossed paths with their father. Connie was about to greet him, but Long Che was already headed up the stairs.

Tong Aino pursed her lips. "The kids are already asleep; what’s the rush?"

"Let him be. On the plane, he could hardly sit still. He’d have flown back on his own if it meant seeing his precious grandkids sooner."

Tong Yao gathered everyone to sit down. Not long after, Yan Zi and Mi Xiaotian, Lady Jing Ya, and Prince Charles came out from their rooms as well.

"Sis-in-law, how’d it go? Did Youyou get the hair sample?" Yan Zi shouted from halfway down the stairs.

Tong Yao smiled. "Our Youyou was too aggressive! She yanked out seven or eight strands of hair."

Yi Luowa’s lips twitched slightly. "That much? The other person didn’t get mad?"

"With her sweet little harmless face and those acting skills of hers, who could get mad at her?" Tong Yao laughed and glanced around the room. "I know you’re all anxious for news, so I’ll cut to the chase. Youyou went to the hospital with Chen Xuan. We’ll get the results first thing tomorrow."

Yan Zi asked curiously, "Does Nancy look like Luowa?"

"She does!" Tong Yao looked at her daughter-in-law. "Nancy isn’t just the Celestial Empress’s goddaughter; she’s the biological daughter of the Celestial Emperor and Empress. According to the Empress, Nancy went missing shortly after birth due to the war, and only recently was she found. After confirming her identity through DNA testing, they publicly announced her as their princess."

This time, Yi Luowa looked the calmest as she smiled and asked, "The Celestial Empress must have been overjoyed."

Tong Yao nodded. "Extremely. There were a few times I almost told her how much you and Nancy look alike, but then I thought, it’s their day of celebration for reuniting with their child. If I brought it up, it might’ve spoiled their mood."

"Mom, until things are investigated thoroughly, let’s keep it under wraps," Tong Airui finally said, breaking his silence. "Everyone, get some rest. We’ll know the results by morning."

Yi Luowa glanced at him. He had been fine before they left, but after picking them up, he seemed troubled and dispirited.

Not just her—everyone noticed his mood. Bidding one another goodnight, they all retreated to their rooms.

Once inside, Tong Airui sank into the sofa, zoning out. Yi Luowa waved her hand back and forth in front of him several times, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Unable to help herself, Yi Luowa poked his cheek. "What are you thinking about?"

"The world is full of mysteries, so many things I can’t figure out." Tong Airui leaned back into the sofa, looking despondent. "Wife, maybe we should just follow your advice and stop looking. I’ll treat you as my daughter for the rest of my life."

"Taking advantage of me!" Yi Luowa pouted playfully, glaring at him. "If I call you dad, will you dare to answer?"

"Try me. See if I dare."

"I’ll do it when dad’s around!" Yi Luowa huffed and sat down, puffing her cheeks. "Now tell me, what’s gotten into you this time?"

"Xiaolu has been investigating Xia Rou and Nancy’s background as well. He said it’s as if the two of them just appeared out of thin air at the edge of the Celestial Empire. The villagers only know what the two of them told them, meaning their story’s entirely self-reported. Xia Rou claimed she and Nancy lived in a small farmstead in North Di for twenty-something years. I asked Juste about it, and he had no recollection, but he’s helping me look into it."

"You’re actually bothering Juste for something so minor—really, you! Forget it. Stop worrying about their business." Yi Luowa laughed and pulled him up. "Let’s go to bed."

Tong Airui stood up. "Even if it’s someone else’s matter, I rarely take such an interest in it. Who knows? It might even have something to do with you."

Yi Luowa shook her head. "Just because someone looks like me, that doesn’t mean we’re connected. Honestly, this is the one time I have the least hope."

Tong Airui picked her up by the waist. "Enough brain work for today. At this hour, it’s time to cuddle my wife and sleep."