Tong Airui put down the phone and looked at Yi Luowa. "I have to go upstairs for a eting. If you’re tired, go back to the room and get so sleep."
"Okay, you go ahead. I’m not sleepy. I’ll wait here for Mom and Grandma to co back."
"Alright, I’m going up." Tong Airui leaned in to kiss her cheek, then quickly headed upstairs.
The eting Tong Airui attended ran a bit long; it was nearly dinnerti, and he still hadn’t co down. When Long Che returned ho, he went straight upstairs, and the father and son didn’t even co down for dinner.
Yi Luowa stood downstairs, staring upward expectantly.
Tong Yao shook her head helplessly. "Luowa, you’ve been standing there for ages. Sit down and take a break."
"Mom, Dad and Tong Airui still haven’t co down yet. Do you think sothing’s wrong?" Yi Luowa puffed her cheeks and looked at Tong Yao.
"Wait until they co down, and we’ll find out. But no matter what happens, don’t get yourself overly worked up."
"Okay, I won’t."
Normally, Yi Luowa would have gone to bed by this ti, but tonight she seed particularly alert, waiting all the way until nine-thirty.
When Tong Airui ca downstairs and saw her still awake, he quickly walked over. "Why aren’t you asleep yet?"
"I couldn’t fall asleep. You and Dad should eat first." Yi Luowa looked up at him.
"Honey... I have to go back to Shenying. There’s a small issue at the western border that needs my attention." Tong Airui raised his hand to gently touch her face. "When you go to bed, make sure to block the edge of the bed with a pillow, so you don’t roll off."
"Alright." Yi Luowa pursed her lips. "Don’t worry about , I can take care of myself."
"Rui’er, let pack you so food to eat on the way," Tong Yao said as she walked over.
"No ti for that—I can hear the helicopter approaching," Tong Airui said, tilting his head to listen. "I’ll eat when I get to Shenying."
Tong Airui said this while trying to release Yi Luowa’s hand, but she held on tightly. "No matter how busy you are, make sure to eat."
"Alright."
"Don’t worry about . Take care of yourself."
"Alright."
Reluctantly, Yi Luowa released his hand.
Tong Airui smiled and gently ruffled her hair. "You don’t need to worry about either. Whatever you want to eat, just tell Mom."
"Okay." Outside, the helicopter blades buzzed louder and louder. Yi Luowa urged him toward the door. "Go quickly."
After Tong Airui left the house, Yi Luowa stood by the large glass window, watching him board the helicopter. Only after he had flown off did she turn around, dejectedly walking back into the hall.
Long Che saw her puffing her cheeks as she approached him and chuckled. "Don’t worry too much."
"I’m not worried," Yi Luowa said with a pout. "Dad, you should eat."
"The food’s being prepared in the kitchen; they’ll bring it over shortly." Long Che waved her over with a smile. "If you’re not sleepy, why don’t you sit and chat with for a while?"
Yi Luowa smiled and nodded. She had a feeling her father had sothing to tell her about the matter.
Once she sat down, Long Che finally spoke up. "There’s been a small-scale gunfight at the western border. The main cause ca from our side—Ruan Dawang sent quite a few people over to the other side in search of his daughter, which led to the skirmish. Rui’er went back primarily to handle this situation."
Yi Luowa nodded. This was one of those matters that could be either trivial or catastrophic. If handled well, conflict might be avoided entirely; if not, it could escalate into war. If war broke out, Tong Airui likely wouldn’t be coming ho anyti soon.
"What’s Muta’s stance?" Tong Yao asked, looking up at Long Che.
Long Che responded gravely, "They want to resolve it peacefully."
"Do you think Rui’er can suppress the situation with his temper?" Tong Yao asked, sounding concerned.
Long Che smiled. "Don’t underestimate your son. Rui’er is remarkably adaptable."
Yi Luowa pulled Tong Yao’s hand toward her and said with a smile, "Mom, you don’t need to worry too much. Ruan Dawang caused such a commotion at the border—you can bet Tong Airui knows all about it. Letting him stir up trouble was likely all part of the plan. If Rui’er lets it happen, it’s because he’s confident he can control the situation."
Long Che chuckled and glanced at Yi Luowa—this child had a sharp mind.
Tong Yao suddenly understood and laughed. "You can read Rui’er like an open book. If you can guess what he’s thinking, then you must worry about him after all. Get so rest early! How about I keep you company tonight?"
"Mom, I can sleep on my own with no problem." Yi Luowa stood up. "Dad, Mom, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
As Long Che watched her walk into her room, he whispered to Tong Yao, "This kid has a keen sense for military matters. She chose the wrong profession back then."
"Your family only needs the two of you—don’t drag Luowa into your world!"
"Haven’t you figured out your son’s mindset yet? He doesn’t want a woman standing behind him; he wants one standing by his side. If Luowa weren’t pregnant right now, he’d be keeping her by his side all the ti, teaching her bit by bit. If that were the case, Luowa wouldn’t be "Engineer Yi" much longer!"
Tong Yao shook her head helplessly. Luowa being this clever wasn’t necessarily a good thing—it just made her a target of the father and son’s machinations.
Tong Airui didn’t return ho for three days after leaving, though he kept calling every day to ask about Yi Luowa’s health.
By the fourth night, Tong Airui ca back. Seeing the smile on his face, Yi Luowa could tell imdiately that he had succeeded!
As she had predicted, the western border conflict was resolved peacefully, and the instigator—Ruan Dawang—was urgently summoned back to the imperial capital by Muta.
"Will he be demoted?" Yi Luowa asked, clearly focused on the outco. Ruan Dawang was a constant presence near Tong Airui, directly affecting his mood. If Ruan was removed, Airui would genuinely co out ahead.
"Not demoted—he’s resigning due to personal reasons. His obsession over Ruan Jiajia has pushed him to his breaking point. He’s already lost the focus to continue his work. However, when he submitted his resignation, he specifically requested to send soone to find Ruan Jiajia."
Yi Luowa smirked. "He always suspected you, which is probably why he made the request. Did you agree?"
Tong Airui nodded. "I promised him I’d do everything in my power to find Ruan Jiajia. But I also made it clear that I’m not omnipotent. I haven’t even been able to help my wife find her biological mom, so whether I can locate his daughter ultimately depends on fate."
"Did he notice anything peculiar about you?"
"No. Right in front of him and Muta, I made a call to the base, instructing them to spare no effort in finding Ruan Jiajia."
Yi Luowa blinked at him. "So, how many years do you plan to take before ’finding’ her?"
Tong Airui raised an eyebrow slightly. "That depends entirely on how much longer she manages to live."
Yi Luowa chuckled, dropping the topic—she had already guessed his intentions. He wasn’t planning to find Ruan Jiajia as a living person.
...
By the ti Yi Luowa was three months pregnant, her belly was as big as Jimo Shanshan’s at five months.
Yi Luowa had been sowhat troubled these past few days. In just three days, Mi Chenshuo and Joyina would hold their wedding. Yet, the family had unanimously decided that she and Jimo Shanshan should not attend the wedding on Laiwang Island.
Reclining against the soft pillows, Yi Luowa looked at Tong Airui, who was trimming her toenails. "Hubby~"
"Hmm? Hang on—just one more nail to go."
Yi Luowa pouted as she gazed at him. "It’s not about being in a rush over this. Tomorrow, everyone will be leaving, and it’ll be just and Shanshan at ho. That’s so boring!"
Tong Airui chuckled. "I won’t leave tomorrow; I’ll stay ho with you. The day after, I’ll head over to the wedding, and I’ll co back ho the sa night."
Yi Luowa glared at him. "But that’s so much work for you! Why don’t I go with you? I’m three months along now—our baby is healthy, and the doctor said I’m perfectly fine, so flying shouldn’t be an issue."
"Everyone’s only looking out for you!" Tong Airui didn’t say anything more after that. Once he finished clipping her toenails, he cleaned up his tools and walked away!
Yi Luowa chased after him. "Hey, where are you going without washing your hands?"
"I’m going upstairs to wash my hands." Tong Airui didn’t even glance back as he headed up.
"Fine, I won’t go! Why are you mad, though?!" Yi Luowa huffed, glancing down at her already rounded belly. "Baby, did you see that? This is your dad—he hears sothing he doesn’t like and imdiately goes cold on us!"
"..." Tong Airui turned back to look at her, helpless, and walked back over. "Did I say I don’t want you and the baby? I was just going upstairs to wash my hands."
"But there’s a bathroom in the room!" Yi Luowa pursed her lips. "You just don’t want to deal with us!"
Tong Airui chuckled wryly. "I didn’t want to risk splashing water on the floor while washing my hands. What if you accidentally slipped going in there?"
"..." Yi Luowa froze. If he hadn’t ntioned it today, she wouldn’t have realized—since her pregnancy started, Tong Airui had barely used the bathroom in that room.
"Honey... I acted unreasonable again." Yi Luowa bit her lip, looking apologetic as she faced Tong Airui.
Tong Airui grinned. "You haven’t been unreasonable in ages—it’s healthy for you to fuss now and then. But as for Laiwang Island—even if you threw a tantrum big enough to bring the house down, I still wouldn’t let you go. Don’t forget what happened there before. You used to be alone, but now you have two little ones to think about. You absolutely can’t let anything happen again."
"Alright, I won’t go." Yi Luowa sniffled.
"I know you’ve been feeling cooped up these days. Once the weather warms up, I’ll take you on a trip."
"I don’t even want to go anywhere. When you get back, I’ll go with you to the rear courtyard—you’ve worked yourself too thin."
Tong Airui laughed, gently bumping his forehead against hers. "Not angry anymore? If you’re not mad, I’ll go wash my hands now."
"Wash them here. Don’t go upstairs to wash your hands anymore. I’ll be extra careful, and nothing will happen." Yi Luowa insisted, pulling him into the room.
On the day of Mi Chenshuo and Joyina’s wedding, the two pregnant won guarded the empty house, staring at each other for quite so ti.
"I wonder when they’ll co back?" Jimo Shanshan asked sluggishly.
Yi Luowa puffed her cheeks. "Shanshan, every ti you talk, I feel sleepy! Can’t you speak faster?"
"Then I’ll beco a hypnotist tomorrow," Jimo Shanshan said earnestly.
Yi Luowa giggled. "I think that could work! Don’t worry—Dad’s giving his New Year’s address tonight, and Tong Airui has to head back to Shenying to celebrate with his team. They’ll definitely be back soon."
Jimo Shanshan slowly shook her head. "Uncle and Fourth Brother might return quickly, but Maizekai might not."
"Then call him and tell him to co back with Tong Airui..." Yi Luowa was saying when the butler entered. She smiled and asked, "Grandpa Huang, do you need sothing?"
"Madam, Mrs. Ruan requests an audience." The butler noticed Yi Luowa’s montary daze and quickly clarified, "It’s Captain Ruan’s wife."
Yi Luowa furrowed her brow slightly. Why had she co?
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