Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love
Chapter 214 - 204: Dying So Easily Would Be Letting You Off Cheap! (2)

Chapter 214: Chapter 204: Dying So Easily Would Be Letting You Off Cheap! (2)

Before long, Lan Ji, dressed in a red gown, followed Yan Zi into the room.

Lan Ji’s beautiful oval-shaped face was adorned with delicate makeup, and her short chestnut-colored hair added to her sharp and capable aura.

Upon entering, Lan Ji greeted everyone politely. Although they didn’t meet often, every year at the royal gathering, everyone managed to have fairly pleasant conversations.

Yi Luowa tried to stand up but was gently pressed back into her seat by Tong Yao. "Your leg is injured, Lan Ji won’t mind."

Lan Ji walked over, "Auntie Yan Zi told me you were injured. Are you feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you." Yi Luowa smiled. "Please sit down; otherwise, it feels awkward for me to be sitting while you’re standing."

Lan Ji chuckled lightly and sat down on a single sofa.

Yi Luowa exchanged a glance with Connie, and both of them smiled without saying anything.

The servant served the tea. Yan Zi, smiling warmly, looked at Lan Ji and said, "Shuoshuo can be here by four o’clock."

Lan Ji’s eyes flicked slightly, hesitated for a moment, and replied, "I came to see everyone; it doesn’t matter when he comes back. Auntie, I saw your press conference. Mi Chenshuo said he’s stepping back to work behind the scenes; is that true?"

"Yes, he’s grown tired of that circle. It’s better for him to stay behind the scenes given his position. There are too many people scheming against him. Out of nowhere, someone almost dragged him into a scandal about a child. That child wasn’t even his. We made everything clear at the press conference, didn’t you see it?" Yan Zi explained cautiously, afraid that Lan Ji might misunderstand her son.

"I saw parts of it." Lan Ji lowered her gaze, brushing her hair by her ear, her expression seeming somewhat displeased.

Yan Zi sneaked a glance at Tong Yao, but Tong Yao ignored her. Who could blame the girl? That matter just got resolved, and she was rushed here. At least give her some time to adjust.

An awkward silence fell upon the room. Lan Ji raised her eyes towards Yan Zi and asked, "Is Ai Ni the Duke not here?"

"She went out with Prince You Jia. They should be back shortly." Yan Zi replied with an awkward smile.

Another silence descended, and Jimo Shanshan, looking bored, grabbed Yi Luowa’s hand and said, "You need to change your dressing."

Yi Luowa froze. Connie quickly helped her up. "The doctor said you need to change your bandages. How come you’re such a disobedient patient?"

Yi Luowa pursed her lips and smiled. These two troublemakers were even worse than her—using her as an excuse to escape the situation in the room.

The three of them burst into laughter as they entered the bedroom. Yi Luowa nudged Jimo Shanshan and teased, "You’re so mischievous!"

"It was so awkward." Jimo Shanshan pouted. "I think Lan Ji isn’t on the same wavelength as us. When she came in, she sat on a single sofa, clearly not trying to get close to us. Also, did you notice? The corners of her eyes slant upward; people like that are hard to get along with."

"When did you switch careers?" Yi Luowa joked, looking at her.

"Seeing so many patients every day, you start picking up these things." Jimo Shanshan shook her head. "But let’s stop gossiping; it’s not my style. I dragged you in here because I noticed your leg has been stiff for a while. That’s bad for your wound—get onto the bed quickly."

"Yes, Dr. Jimo." Yi Luowa laughed as she got onto the bed. "Shanshan, have you and the seventh prince made any progress? The other day, when you twisted your ankle, I noticed he was quite concerned about you."

"That counts as concern?" Jimo Shanshan scoffed. "Once he found out my ankle was fine, he ran faster than a rabbit."

Yi Luowa glanced at Connie and laughed, "He was running quickly because he needed to help Connie settle Tong Laowu."

"That guy..." Jimo Shanshan broke into laughter herself. "Did he succeed?"

"It’s clearer than before. The rest is up to our Princess Connie herself to handle." Yi Luowa pointed at Connie teasingly.

Connie shook her head, "Effort is wasted anyway. He’s always showing me attitude and constantly threatening me. It’s so annoying."

Yi Luowa sprawled on the bed helplessly and sighed, "Just wait until Tong Airui comes back. I’ll make him deal with everyone for you."

"Oh, poor thing!" Connie sat down beside her and gently patted her head. "If fourth brother comes back, he should focus on keeping you company. Look at the days you’ve been living recently—always sitting there staring into space. It’d be fine if you could go out normally, but with your injury, you can’t even leave the house to have fun."

Yi Luowa pouted, "Pending arrival, but don’t count on it. By the way, where did the seventh and eighth princes go?"

"They said they were buying you a wheelchair. They’ve been gone for half the day. They don’t want you to be stuck at home and intend to take you out for some fun." Connie replied.

"I’ve barely used a wheelchair for a few days." Yi Luowa rubbed her head. "Let’s hope fourth brother doesn’t come back now—I don’t want him to see me in such a disheveled state."

Jimo Shanshan laughed, "Beauty in the eye of the beholder—you’ll always be the most beautiful in Tong Airui’s eyes!"

"Beauty? More like eye boogers!" Yi Luowa clawed at the bedsheet lightly. "Fourth brother, I miss you so much, but please don’t come back too soon."

Connie and Jimo Shanshan exchanged glances and simultaneously shook their heads. If this continued, the girl was bound to end up depressed.

They tried their best to cheer her up. After a while, Yi Luowa said she was tired. Connie and Jimo Shanshan tucked her in, held hands, and left the room.

As the door closed, tears silently made their way down Yi Luowa’s cheeks. "Fourth brother, I’m so troublesome, always needing people to take care of me. If you were home, it’d be so much more convenient for me."

Far away in Haotian, Tong Airui’s heart inexplicably ached. His eyes, fixed on the screen, stung slightly. Closing them for a moment, Tong Airui steadied himself. When he reopened them, Kai Di’s house’s back door was open.

Tong Airui picked up the earpiece and said gravely, "Keep your eyes on the back door of the princess’s residence."

"Understood."

"Sir, it’s a garbage truck exiting."

"Have the personnel get out of the truck for inspection."

"Yes!"

Tong Airui stared at the two individuals stepping out of the driver’s cabin. They were both dressed in blue uniforms and wearing hats and masks—nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

"Sir, the princess is deliberately messing with us. After the war, there’s so much to handle, yet she’s not addressing it. Instead, she’s got us circling the artificial lake with her." Another voice came through another channel.

Tong Airui frowned slightly, "Play along with her, increase visibility—turn the covert team into the overt team. The more people, the better."

"Understood."

Switching channels on the earpiece, Tong Airui asked, "Any suspicious signs at the princess’s residence?"

"None."

"Let them pass!" Tong Airui massaged his brow. If things went on like this, when would he ever get to go back?

"Sir, I’ll stand watch for a while." Yuan Hang handed him a cup of coffee.

"You handle your own tasks—I’ll keep watch here myself." Tong Airui took the coffee and took a sip.

"Then I’ll call someone in to take over for you."

"Not necessary." Tong Airui glanced at the garbage truck, which had already started its engine. Picking up his earpiece again, he asked, "Did you inspect the garbage on the truck?"

"Poked it a couple of times, didn’t find anything out of place."

Tong Airui’s voice turned sharp, "Stop the truck. Re-inspect!"

They immediately intercepted the garbage truck. A squad leader shouted, "Unload all the trash from the truck!"

The two workers exchanged glances. "Unload all of this?"

The squad leader nodded.

One of the workers pleaded in misery, "Sir, isn’t this unreasonable? You know the princess’s temper. If we unload all this garbage at the entrance of the princess’s residence, she’ll have us fired."

The squad leader shot him a glance and reached into the vehicle.

"Sir!" The worker who was speaking earlier saw him reaching for the red button and immediately grabbed him in panic. "Please, don’t press it!"

"Step aside!" The squad leader barked fiercely, shoving the man away. "Detain them!"

"I’d like to see who dares!" A squad of soldiers burst out from the princess’s residence.

Tong Airui watched as each of them held weapons in their hands. Frowning, he declared, "Any resistance will be dealt with mercilessly—that is the authority granted to us by Emperor Haotian."

Just as his words fell, members of the concealed Shen Ying unit emerged, armed with submachine guns.

The standoff continued until an elderly man, hunched over, stepped out of the front entrance of the princess’s residence. Tong Airui glanced at the screen, his eyes lighting up instantly. "Du Ma!"

Yuan Hang stared at the man visible on the screen and said skeptically, "Sir, that’s just an older man—it can’t possibly be Du Ma."

"Did you forget what my mother specialized in?" Holding his chin with his fist, Tong Airui said in a low voice, "Attention to the front entrance of the princess’s residence—apprehend the elder. Be cautious—do not get injured during the process."

"Sir, you’ve inherited your mother’s skills!"

"Just the basics." Tong Airui grabbed his cap and swiftly stepped out.

"Sir, where are you headed?"

"To personally execute my nemesis!" Tong Airui selected a unit, boarded a vehicle, and headed straight for the princess’s residence. Du Ma had faked his death; Tong Airui intended to make it final.

The front entrance of the princess’s residence was even more chaotic than the rear. Dozens of soldiers stood within arm’s reach of Du Ma but didn’t dare approach. Why? Because Du Ma’s exposed clothing revealed a bomb strapped to his waist. His right hand was raised high, and he bellowed arrogantly, "Come on, accompany me to hell!"

"Bang." Only one gunshot was heard; yet, both Du Ma’s wrist and forehead were hit.

Watching Du Ma collapse to the ground, Tong Airui holstered his two pistols. "You should be grateful to my wife—otherwise, I wouldn’t have let you die this quickly."

The commander had arrived!? No one saw when he came or how he entered the princess’s residence. The precision of those two shots—one severing the tendons of Du Ma’s wrist and the other entering through the forehead and exiting the back—left no room for Du Ma’s resistance.

"Second brother!" From far away, Kai Di’s heart-wrenching cries echoed.

Tong Airui sneered coldly and spoke into his earpiece, "Remain combat-ready! Xiao Han, bring everyone out. I want to see—what matters more in Kai Di’s eyes: her brother, or all of this!"

"Understood!" Xiao Han responded and gestured towards the courtyard gate.