With You Jia’s arrival, it was like giving Ai Ni a shot of adrenaline; after days of being sluggish, she was back to her energetic self.
Seeing that she no longer needed to cheer Ai Ni up, Yi Luowa went off to Shenying with Tong Airui.
Upon arriving at the factory, the site manager inford them that the people Tong Airui needed were already in place, and that the PCW had delivered the items Yi Luowa requested.
Yi Luowa changed into her work clothes and entered the workshop with Tong Airui, pulling out the blueprint they had prepared earlier to explain it to the team.
After hearing her explanation, everyone was eager to get started. If this car could be manufactured, it wouldn’t just be unique in Xiawu but across all four continents as well.
Seeing the enthusiasm in everyone’s eyes, Yi Luowa smiled and brought out another blueprint. "This one is a slight upgrade from the previous design. Compared to the first car, this one will be about half a ter longer. I’ve added a gym at the rear, which makes the overall design more suitable for elderly users."
Tong Airui chuckled, clearly amused. "My parents really didn’t dote on her for nothing."
"Engineer Yi, let’s start right away. I can’t wait to see the finished product! Just thinking about how soday the Commander and Pri Minister might ride in a car I helped manufacture—it makes thrilled!" said a worker in his forties with a big smile.
"Uncle, just call Luowa. I haven’t even graduated from college yet—what kind of ’engineer’ would that make ?" Yi Luowa giggled as her eyes swept over the thirty or so workers present. She was startled—every single one of them was middle-aged. What was that supposed to an?
It seed Tong Airui understood what she was thinking, or perhaps he felt guilty, so he smiled and explained, "The people I’ve brought over are seasoned veterans with plenty of experience to help you out. If manpower isn’t enough, I’ll bring in more for you."
Yi Luowa smiled knowingly.
When work officially began, Tong Airui discovered a side of his wife he hadn’t known before: her determination. Though petite and delicate, she worked just as hard as any man. Heavy lifting, dirty tasks—she tackled them all without hesitation. She especially took on any detail requiring manual polishing, insisting that she should handle it herself since everyone else was older than her.
Fourth Master started to regret his decision. Why hadn’t he assigned her younger helpers? But then again, if he had, he would have felt uneasy about it. In the end, he decided to let it be and co help out himself whenever he could. That seed like the safer choice.
At four in the afternoon, Tong Yao called and asked the two of them to co ho for dinner.
Yi Luowa glanced around the workshop, delegated the remaining tasks to the others, and then left with Tong Airui in the car.
On the way ho, Tong Airui grumbled, "Driving two hours to have one al—who else would do this?"
"Since You Jia ca, it’s only appropriate to go back. Besides, I haven’t been spending enough ti with my grandparents—if I keep neglecting them, they’ll end up resenting ."
Tong Airui took her hand, examining it to make sure it hadn’t developed any blisters, and felt slightly reassured. "When my dad and granddad are together, do your best to steer clear of them because there’s absolutely no way for you to coexist peacefully with them."
Yi Luowa chuckled. "I’ll do my best to make them get along."
Tong Airui ruffled her hair. "Evasion is the best tactic. Darling, I have a suggestion for you."
Yi Luowa leaned her ear closer. "Tell , I’m all ears."
"Can we take it easy with the work? If you push yourself too hard and end up sick, then what?"
"This counts as pushing myself? Guess you haven’t seen how I used to work in my own little studio. To speed up the process of seeing my race car completed, I once went three full days without sleep—and then I drove that car I made and won my first racing championship."
Tong Airui frowned slightly. "Things are different now. With here, you don’t need to work yourself to the bone. If you keep this up, I won’t even let you set foot in the workshop next ti!"
Yi Luowa’s expression instantly turned gloomy.
"It’s for your own good, and yet you have the nerve to get upset with !" Tong Airui smiled, pinching her cheek lightly.
Yi Luowa pouted, slapping his hand away. "Fine, I’ll take it easy! But there’s still one issue—what about racing in the future? Can I take ti off to compete? And I’ve been out of training for so long; if I were to race now, I’d likely lose."
Tong Airui couldn’t help but laugh. This little rascal was still thinking about her racing.
"You can represent your school. Back then, Aino also competed as part of the Royal Academy’s team. As for practice, you can train on the academy’s race track."
Yi Luowa slumped against the seat in defeat. "Since being with you, I’ve realized my IQ has dropped sharply, my mory’s gotten worse too—I even forgot the Royal Academy has a racing team."
"I’ll rember these things for you. By the way, you didn’t even need an interview or written test to get into the Royal Academy. Actually, it wasn’t because of —they admitted you as a talent-based student."
Yi Luowa puffed her cheeks. "So I didn’t owe it all to you? Why didn’t you tell earlier? I’ve been silently thanking you all this ti."
Tong Airui ruffled her hair again, smiling. "I kept it from you on purpose. If you knew, you wouldn’t have been this calm and would’ve run off to focus on your racing instead of staying by my side. By the way, I’m planning to form a racing team at Shenying. Care to join?"
"Trying to recruit !" Yi Luowa laughed and pinched his arm.
"I’m not sure you could beat my team," Tong Airui teased with a grin. "They rarely make an appearance, but when they do, the world takes notice."
Yi Luowa gave him a side-eye. "Even using reverse psychology on now."
Tong Airui embraced her with a laugh.
When they arrived ho, Connie and Tong Laowu were already back. Ai Ni and You Jia called to say they were on their way.
Long Che’s expression was sour; as soon as Yi Luowa saw him, she knew his mood was fouled up because of You Jia’s visit.
Before long, Yan Zi and Mi Xiaotian arrived. Tong Aino, feeling as if he’d seen a savior, imdiately dashed to Mi Xiaotian. "Uncle, you’ve finally shown up."
Mi Xiaotian smiled warmly, patting his shoulder. "Every ti you do this, it’s because you want sothing from . Go ahead, what favor do you need?"
"Please help out for another year, just one more year. If this keeps up, I’ll lose my mind." Tong Aino carefully escorted Mi Xiaotian to a seat.
Mi Xiaotian chuckled and gave him a light slap on the back. "I’m not so frail old man—you don’t need to baby ."
"Of course not! Uncle, you’re in your pri, which is exactly why you must co back to the company to help ." Tong Aino cozied up beside him, kneading his shoulders. "I’m not trying to bad-mouth my third brother in front of you and Aunt Yan Zi, but as a vice-chairman, he hasn’t even stepped foot in the company once yet..."
"Ahem..." Tong Airui cleared his throat, picking up a tea cup to take a sip.
Tong Aino caught the cue and quickly changed the subject, refraining from ntioning Mi Chenshuo again, then kept pestering Mi Xiaotian. "Just one year—if I keep you beyond that, you can slap ."
Mi Xiaotian glanced at Long Che, who furrowed his brows slightly. "If you’re not in any rush to travel the world with Yan Zi, why not take them under your wing for a while? Honestly, these kids are hopeless. Back when we were twenty-four or twenty-five, we were capable of handling things ourselves. Look at them—they’re a ss."
Mi Xiaotian shook his head with amusent. "You can’t lump everyone together like that. Look at Rui’er; he’s never been a problem for you."
For the first ti that day, the corners of Long Che’s lips lifted faintly, his mood visibly brightening. "He’s no saint either."
Yi Luowa nodded in agreent.
Tong Airui chuckled, playfully ssing up her hair.
Long Che noticed her now-ssy hair and glared at his son with a teasing smile.
"Uncle, my Dad’s already agreed to it—can you start at the company tomorrow?" Tong Aino pressed.
Mi Xiaotian nodded. "Fine! I’ll head over tomorrow. Look at how restless you are!"
Tong Aino bead, turning to Connie. "Quick, pour Uncle so tea."
Mi Xiaotian gave a polite refusal, smiling. "That’s not necessary—Connie’s practically royalty..."
Connie smiled and stood up, pouring Mi Xiaotian a cup of tea with utmost respect. Seeing this, Tong Aino quickly added, "There are no princesses in this family. Just think of her as your niece-in-law. Drink, Uncle—this cup’s non-negotiable!"
"Niece-in-law!" Connie’s face lit up even brighter. "Uncle, please drink the tea. Just think of as an ordinary employee. I still need to learn a lot from you."
"Even though I haven’t been to the company in person, I’ve heard about your excellent performance." Mi Xiaotian finally accepted the cup and took a small sip. "I’m getting old, and I probably can’t help much, but when I get to the company, big or small, you’ll handle everything—I’ll just be a consultant. Aino, to tell the truth, you’re wasting Connie’s talent by keeping her stuck in a tiny accounting office. She studied managent—why wouldn’t you use such a capable helper and instead rely on an old man like ?"
"I wanted her to experience the hardships of the working class first. Otherwise, with her deanor, who could she manage in the future?" Tong Aino quipped with a sly smile. "That said, she may look soft on the outside, but she’s proven she can handle tough situations when they arise. After being oppressed for long enough, she sotis fights back—like today when Supervisor Sun really gave her a hard ti. That guy licks his superiors’ boots while trampling on those below him, never actually doing any work himself—he’s been fired."
Mi Xiaotian paused in surprise before laughing aloud. "You little rascal, why go through such an elaborate set-up just to fire soone?"
Connie glanced at Tong Aino suspiciously.
Tong Aino grinned mischievously. "She’s worked under you for so many years—I needed a legitimate excuse to let her go. I didn’t consult you on this; you aren’t upset, are you?"
Yan Zi smirked from the sidelines. "Not upset, but probably a little heartbroken! Having seen her around for so many years, it’s only natural to miss her now."
"Hahaha..." Everyone in the room burst into laughter.
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