Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 721 - 607: I’ll Reward You Tonight (Part 1)_2
Tong Airui had just looked at a few pages when a knock sounded at the door.
He turned his head towards the door and said, "Come in."
The butler entered. "Duke Airui, a few of the Queen’s classmates heard she was discharged from the hospital and want to come visit her. However, at the moment, the Queen and King Randy are filming, so I didn’t dare to disturb them. I’ve come to ask you—would today be a suitable day for the Queen to see visitors?"
Tong Airui curled his lips slightly. "Let them wait until the filming is done before entering."
"Understood."
"Before they go inside, remind them to avoid saying anything that might trigger my father- and mother-in-law emotionally."
"Understood." The butler responded respectfully and then withdrew. After the filming was done, the butler guided the visitors waiting in the side hall to the back sleeping chambers.
The Queen of Haotian stood up and smiled as soon as she saw them come in. "I’ve heard from Luowa that you’ve visited the hospital several times. I’ve been meaning to call you once I got back to let you know I’m alright, but things came up and I lost track of time."
Xiao Meng glanced at her, his nose reddening, choking back tears as he said, "Seeing that you’re okay puts my heart at ease. I was really afraid, with one crisis after another, you’d struggle to recover."
Yuan Sha chuckled and nudged her arm. "Zhi Lan’s fine now, so you don’t need to shed tears here."
"Zhi Lan, what happened? You and King Randy suddenly ended up in the hospital?" Xiao Meng asked in confusion after sitting down.
The Queen’s eyes dimmed slightly. "Don’t even get me started. It came out of nowhere—I barely had time to process it, it scared me so badly."
Joel gave her a long, quiet look. "Don’t overthink it. At our age, health is what matters most. Live happily however you can. After working hard for half your life, now might be the perfect opportunity to rest and recuperate."
The Queen sighed lightly. "Though that’s true, if Randy and I were to merely enjoy ourselves, then Luowa would end up in misery."
"Zhi Lan, speaking of Luowa—there’s something you might not know yet, given that you’ve just been discharged. Your daughter is absolutely extraordinary!" Xiao Meng moved closer with a grin. "Nowadays, when the common folk speak of Luowa, there’s not a single person who doesn’t give her a thumbs up. She’s efficient, capable, and always thinking of the people. But there’s just one thing..."
"One thing?" Zhi Lan’s prior reaction was all smiles, but she froze mid-motion, clearly sensing something unpleasant about to follow.
"What on earth is it!" Yuan Sha glared at Xiao Meng. "You sure find ways to stir things up with that mouth of yours!"
The Queen extended a hand to draw Xiao Meng closer. "We’ve been friends for years. If you’ve got something to say, don’t hold back or keep secrets from me."
"I...was just saying, she’s a married woman, yet the people’s support for her in Haotian has completely overshadowed Danton’s. That’s not necessarily a good thing. You should’ve let Danton take the political helm earlier."
In the inner room, Haotian’s Emperor furrowed his brows and attempted to stand, but Yi Luowa hurriedly pressed him back into his seat, whispering softly, "Dad, they’re not wrong. If you don’t want to hear this, I can take you home to rest."
"I’m not leaving! With them chatting like this, I’m worried they might upset your mother further! I need to keep an eye on them!"
Yi Luowa pursed her lips momentarily. "This is just how close friends talk—it’s all done out of concern for you, Mom, and Danton."
"Talking without knowing the facts—if I don’t go out and drive them away, I won’t tolerate this!"
The Emperor attempted to rise again, but Yi Luowa wrinkled her nose at him. "Disobey me, and I won’t care about you anymore!"
Faced with his daughter’s stern expression, the Emperor instantly deflated, grumbling, "Fine, I’ll keep listening. But if they say one more unpleasant thing, they’re banned from the palace in the future!"
Yi Luowa sighed and gently stroked her father’s chest to relax him.
The room fell quiet for a while before the Queen finally spoke. "I worry about Luowa too, but with Danton overseas, unable to return in time, we had no choice but to let Luowa take charge.
You wouldn’t believe it—the sight could break your heart. She doesn’t even have time for her own children, rushing back and forth to help here. Those two little ones cry daily for their mom... So, no matter how immense her public support might be—even if it overshadows Randy and me—I don’t want to hear any accusations against her."
Feeling remorseful, Xiao Meng looked at the Queen. "I wasn’t questioning her—I just blurted it out without thinking. Zhi Lan, don’t be mad at me. I’m simple-minded, I say whatever comes to my mind."
"Who you are, I know all too well!" The Queen smiled. "I’m not blaming you, but your thoughts do reflect a segment of public opinion. Which makes it all the more important I defend my daughter. What does she seek? To come here and suffer? To spend lavishly?
She’s poured all her own savings into this, and her in-laws haven’t hesitated to join the effort. Money and disaster relief supplies keep flowing in—none of this was ever disclosed to me. If it hadn’t been Marcus the Prime Minister who informed me, I’d be just as clueless as all of you.
Haotian suffered natural disasters followed by human calamities. Without Luowa, Airui, and her former schoolmate—the Prince of Beidi—we’d already be wiped out as a nation. Do you think we’d still be here casually chatting over tea?"
Yuan Sha remarked passionately, "This child is truly remarkable, accomplishing so much without ever mentioning it. That day in the disaster area, her speech focused solely on you, King Randy, and Danton—she didn’t highlight her own contributions one bit. But the people see through everything clearly. Even if she doesn’t say it, they’ll remember her good works!"
Joel nodded approvingly with a smile. "This child takes after Zhi Lan—everything she does is thoroughly considered, and she’s decisive in her actions. I’ve heard the reconstruction plans for the disaster zone’s new district have already started."
Haotian’s Queen nodded. "She’s anxious to ensure the displaced people have homes before winter arrives."
Joel exclaimed with heartfelt praise, "Princess Luowa’s major is car manufacturing, isn’t it? Who would’ve thought she’d excel in military strategy too? Truly impressive!"
The Queen laughed. "She’s just a little rascal! It’s not like she studied seriously. Everything she knows, she learned from Airui!"
Joel quipped jokingly, "Seems Duke Airui put in a lot of effort teaching Princess Luowa."
Xiao Meng joked, "Teach her a skill a day—she wouldn’t even need to learn the full set before being able to handle R Nation’s troublemakers easily! This battle was such a satisfying victory!"
Joel glanced at her, smiled warmly, but didn’t reply.
The Queen grinned and asked the group, "Hey? Where’s Xiang Zuo? The few of you visit me often—he’s never missed out once."
Xiao Meng froze. "You don’t know?!"
"Ahem..." Joel cleared his throat lightly.
Yuan Sha pinched Xiao Meng sharply from behind.
Xiao Meng winced in pain.
The Queen looked at them skeptically. "Are the three of you hiding something from me?"
"Nothing’s going on—we’ve always been open with you," Joel glanced at the clock, "Seeing that you’re doing well puts us at ease. Rest up properly, and we’ll take our leave."
Joel stood up as he spoke.
Unhappy, the Queen glared at him. "If you still consider me a friend, sit back down!"
Joel looked at her hesitantly before slowly taking his seat again.
"What happened to Xiang Zuo? Has something happened to him?" The Queen asked nervously.
"Even if something did happen, it’s his own fault. Don’t inquire further," Xiao Meng said sullenly. "You keep telling me not to say anything, but now you won’t talk yourselves. Are you trying to drive Zhi Lan crazy with worry?"
Yuan Sha shot her an exasperated glare. "We told you not to talk too much, but have you held back even a little? Zhi Lan just got out of the hospital, and here you are spilling all this negative information. Isn’t that intentionally making her feel worse? Next time we visit Zhi Lan, you’d better stay put at home—don’t come along!"
The Queen shook her head at Yuan Sha. "Yuan Sha, don’t blame her—I need someone like Xiao Meng around to let me hear things I wouldn’t otherwise know. If you truly consider me your friend, tell me honestly: what’s been going on?"
