Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 605 - 519: It’s Not You Anyway! (Second Update)
"Duke Airui!" Tong Airui had already stepped out of the door when Denton chased after him. "Can you wait a few minutes before leaving?"
Tong Airui turned to look at him. "What’s the matter?"
"I’ll make the call! I don’t want you and Chieftain Lance to be put in a difficult position."
Tong Airui smiled. "You’ll make the call? What do you plan to say?"
Denton forced a bitter smile. "I’ll just speak the truth. I overheard the conversation between you and Chieftain Lance earlier, and I truly envy the rare bond your family shares.
When my second uncle passed away, I grieved for a long time. When my aunt went to prison, I grieved again. When I discovered my aunt was the one who poisoned me... though it grieved me, I still didn’t wish for her death, because, after all, I’m still alive.
Yet the familial bonds I’ve been trying to maintain crumble completely in the face of the true unity your family has. My father and I have been trying to protect our family’s ties, but in truth, it was just wishful thinking on our part. Those who share a bloodline with us care far more about power and profit."
"It’s good that you’ve come to understand this. Finish your midnight snack, then give your parents a call. Share your thoughts with them; they’ll be glad to see how you’ve grown."
"Alright. This matter is entirely my fault. I won’t let you or Chieftain Lance take any of the blame. Besides, my parents aren’t that kind of people—they know their son is not very capable."
Tong Airui chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Who says you’re not capable? You’re already outstanding! Take good care of your injuries. When you return to the Duke’s estate, you’d better make sure your sister Luo Wa doesn’t notice you’ve been hurt; otherwise, I’ll be dragged into her scolding with you."
"I promise I won’t let Sister Luo Wa scold you," Denton replied with a radiant smile.
"I’m off now." Tong Airui boarded the helicopter parked nearby with a smile.
Denton returned to the courtyard, seeing Lance and the others there. He pressed his lips into a soft smile.
Yuu gave him a thumbs up. "Like a real man!"
Mi Chenxuan frowned slightly and flicked her forehead lightly with his finger. "Be mindful of your words in the future—don’t give Fourth Sister-in-law an excuse to knock some sense into you."
Yuu pouted in dissatisfaction, "My sister wouldn’t dare hit me! But you, you always take advantage to bully me physically."
Qiqi laughed as she pulled Yuu into the hall.
Denton ended up following Tong Airui’s advice, waiting until after his midnight snack to call his mother. He tested the waters by letting the phone ring only once before hanging up. If his mother wasn’t asleep, she would call back herself; otherwise, he planned to call again in the morning.
Queen Haotian’s call soon came through. "Son, I heard you were injured—was it serious?"
Denton was taken aback, recalling Tong Airui’s instruction. He smiled and asked, "Did Duke Airui say he was responsible for my injuries this time?"
"That’s exactly what he said on the phone. But I know he did all he could. If you had followed all his arrangements, you surely wouldn’t have gotten hurt, right?"
"Right! Although I suffered a minor injury this time, I’ve learned a profound lesson: don’t overexert myself when I’m not strong enough, lest I burden others."
"Son, it wasn’t for nothing this time—you’ve matured at least." Queen Haotian wept tears of joy.
Denton chuckled, "Mom, please don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll want to cry too. Did Duke Airui tell you who wanted me dead this time?"
"He didn’t. He said you would tell us. His call was purely to apologize, saying he hadn’t taken good care of you."
"He’s already taken excellent care of me, Mom. This time, and during the last attack on Sister Luo Wa and me—the culprits were sent by Kai Di."
Denton recounted the incident’s details, then repeated his conversation with Tong Airui.
Queen Haotian listened to her son while crying and laughing. When he finished, she smiled through her tears. "Son, you’ve finally grown up. These lessons were things I couldn’t teach you, but you understood them yourself. With such maturity, even if I were to close my eyes for good now, I wouldn’t be afraid. Denton, I can tell you something now—Kai Di is dead."
Denton froze. "When did she die?"
"The day I bombed Jinniu Mountain. She tried to kill me but was shot to death."
Denton’s chest tightened. After exhaling a deep breath, he asked, "Why did she want to kill you?"
"She claimed Yoseph was poisoned, and that I was the one who poisoned him."
"Was Yoseph really poisoned?"
"The doctor diagnosed him with acute pneumonia as the cause of death."
"Yoseph... is dead?!" Denton’s chest felt like it had been struck by a heavy blunt object, the pain nearly suffocating.
"Son!" After hearing nothing from him for a while, Queen Haotian called out to him in concern.
"Mom, give me a moment to catch my breath," Denton replied weakly.
"Son, if you hadn’t said those things earlier, I wouldn’t have told you any of this. I thought you’d matured and could understand... Yoseph’s death was orchestrated entirely by your aunt. On such a cold day, she carried Yoseph into Jinniu Mountain. When his illness was still mild, she didn’t leave. When the child stopped breathing, only then did she carry him out.
Even on her deathbed, she still tried to sow discord between me and your father. Thankfully, your father didn’t believe her this time. However, to prove my innocence, I’ve already sent for an autopsy—I want to confirm whether Yoseph was truly poisoned."
Beside her, Emperor Haotian froze slightly. When had his wife gone to conduct an autopsy on Yoseph? Why had he heard nothing about it?
Queen Haotian glanced at him, then tightly gripped the phone. "Son, once the test results come back, I’ll tell you."
"Mom, there’s no need to tell me—I trust you. If you really wanted to kill my aunt and Yoseph, you’d have done it long ago." Denton sniffled. "It’s late now; you and Dad should get some rest."
"Alright, you rest too. Whether it’s a minor or major injury, take good care of yourself."
"I will, Mom. I won’t make you and Dad worry anymore."
Queen Haotian set down the phone anxiously and was about to speak to Emperor Haotian when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
A servant entered in response. "Your Majesty, here is the freshly obtained autopsy report for Yoseph."
Queen Haotian took the report. "You may leave."
After the servant exited, Queen Haotian carefully examined the document. Her brows furrowed deeper as she read.
Emperor Haotian approached. "What does it say?"
"Randy, Yoseph was definitely poisoned!"
Emperor Haotian staggered slightly. "Are you sure there’s no mistake?"
"None. It clearly states so, and the poison is identical to the one Denton suffered from."
Emperor Haotian narrowed his eyes slightly. "Can I call this karma? Though, truth be told, it’s not my place as the elder brother and uncle to say such things."
"Randy, don’t you want to know who administered the poison?"
"As long as it wasn’t you."
Queen Haotian’s mind raced as she picked up the phone to call a maid who had cared for Yoseph.
Soon, the maid arrived.
Queen Haotian got straight to the point. "Before Kai Di took Yoseph out of the palace, who visited the peach orchard?"
The maid thought for a moment. "Princess Nancy visited, which Your Majesty already knows about. Later, Xia Rou also visited."
Queen Haotian frowned. "Xia Rou visited? For what purpose?"
"Xia Rou was overseeing the construction of a banquet pavilion nearby. The weather was freezing, so she went to the chamber to warm up. She didn’t stay long before leaving."
"Did Nancy and Xia Rou both interact with Yoseph?"
The maid recalled carefully. "They both did. Yoseph cried that day, and Princess Nancy held him. When Xia Rou visited, Yoseph was crying uncontrollably, and she also held him."
"Go retrieve the surveillance footage from the past month as quickly as possible."
"Understood!"
After the maid withdrew, Emperor Haotian rubbed his temples. "You’re not suspecting Nancy and Xia Rou of poisoning Yoseph, are you?"
"It’s hard to say, but for now, they’re the only leads."
Queen Haotian glanced at the computer display, seeing Nancy tossing and turning in bed before sitting up. She shook her head helplessly.
"Nancy and Xia Rou—I’m completely baffled by them. Earlier, when I interrogated the florist, he claimed the note was dictated by Xia Rou, who supposedly urged Nancy to stop stirring trouble and obey my instructions in her voice. But if the note really contained those words, why would Nancy become agitated after reading it?"
"Not asleep yet? Could she be hungry?" Emperor Haotian leaned in. "What’s she looking for? Rummaging through drawers."
The couple both focused on the scene. Soon enough, Nancy retrieved pen and paper, then sat on the sofa to write fervently.
"What’s she writing?" Emperor Haotian asked with suspicion.
Queen Haotian sighed. "We’ll know once she’s finished."
