Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 258 - 246: Don’t Compete with a Gentleman to Do Work (Second Update)

After Tong Yao entered the room, she secretly passed on her son’s top-secret directive.

Everyone rested for a little while and then set off for the Mirola Mall in Xia Witch’s area.

"Not a single one fits," Ai Ni sighed after checking out a few brand stores, shaking her head non-stop. "If I had known this earlier, I would have modified the wedding dress I designed with my sister and let my sister-in-law wear it."

"All talk! What were you doing at the time? A few days ago, you looked soulless, and over the past few days, you’ve been out of the house all the time," Tong Yao retorted with a half-joking glare at her.

Ai Ni hooked her arm around Qiqi’s and pouted, "Mom keeps looking at me like that... It makes my heart feel icy cold."

Qiqi patted her slender hand, "That’s a look of love from Mom."

Yi Luowa laughed, "Why don’t we just give up? I can wear the gown I brought from Z Country. No need to waste everyone’s time."

"I love shopping malls. Come on, I’ll go with you to take another look at the shop ahead." Connie grabbed Yi Luowa’s hand and dashed into another store.

Raindrop nudged Tong Yao’s arm, "Mom, these two will probably never quarrel in the future, so that’s one less worry for you."

"No worries about the daughter-in-law, but I’ll have to worry about your two good younger brothers for a lifetime," Tong Yao sighed.

"Once they get married, let them mind their own business. Mom, you just sit back and enjoy your peace and happiness!" Yan Zi quipped with a smile.

Tong Yao’s mouth twitched slightly. The younger ones might find someone to take care of them, but the older ones? She’d still have to look after them herself. Her whole life was destined to be full of worrying!

After everyone’s careful selection, they finally settled on a knee-length strapless red dress for Yi Luowa. To be honest, she wasn’t a fan of the color, but with everyone else praising it, she reluctantly agreed.

Now that her own gown was chosen, Yi Luowa realized that no one else had bought anything. Turns out this trip was exclusively for her.

Yi Luowa felt a little embarrassed, "You all pick a few things too. I’ll pay later."

Ai Ni chuckled, "Sister-in-law, with our mom, the walking cash machine, here, when would it ever be our turn to pay?"

Yi Luowa glanced at Tong Yao with a grin. Ai Ni’s reminder brought her back to reality—she had almost forgotten. Her mother-in-law came loaded with tens of billions inherited from her maternal family. Now that’s a real financial backer!

Tong Yao smiled, "Now that we’ve picked out something for Luowa, why don’t you all go choose something for yourselves? And don’t forget to buy a few pieces for your grandmother, your two grandmothers-in-law, and Aunt Xixi."

"Mom, what about yours?" Raindrop asked quickly, worried her mother might revert to her old habit of not spending on herself.

"Afraid I can’t bear to buy for myself?" Tong Yao easily read her daughter’s concerns and smiled. "I’ll shop leisurely with your aunt. You all go focus on your own shopping."

This time, Tong Yao indeed did not relapse into her miserly tendencies. Mainly, she was in an excellent mood. With her son’s engagement on the horizon, she wanted to look radiant.

After nearly three hours of picking out women’s clothing, everyone lugged their bags and moved on to Langshi Men’s Wear, buying two sets of outfits for each man in the family. By the time they wrapped up their shopping spree, it was almost dark.

The men at home were growing restless. Led by Long Che, they all had phones in hand—texting and calling—to hurry their ladies home.

Tong Airui arrived home late. Just as he stepped inside, Yi Luowa and the others came through the door.

Seeing her carrying no fewer than ten bags, Tong Airui took them with a chuckle, "Did you raid the mall?"

"Close enough," Yi Luowa replied with a helpless tone.

The other men hurried to take the bags from the women except for Tong Aino, who casually sat there, unmoved.

Tong Yao shot him a sharp glare, and only then did he lazily rise. Looming over Connie, he quipped, "You already have enough clothes to fill a train. Why buy more that you’ll never end up wearing?"

Connie’s brows knitted tighter and tighter. "Did I spend your money? You’re awfully nosy!"

Tong Yao slapped her son across the back of his head. "If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Connie only got herself two dresses today—the rest are all yours!"

"With her tastes, do you think I’d wear anything she picked out for me?" Tong Aino retorted, tugging the bags from Connie’s hand. He pulled out a suit and examined it. "Not bad. But clearly not something you picked."

Connie, puffing with anger, took the clothing back and stuffed it into the bag. Turning to Mi Chenshuo, who was snickering the whole time, she asked, "Third brother, did you pick up the ledger book?"

Mi Chenshuo nodded. "Yes, I brought it back and put it in your room. Thanks for the effort!"

Tong Aino turned his head toward Mi Chenshuo. "What’s that supposed to mean? You went into Connie’s room? She doesn’t even let me in. How did you manage?"

"The housekeepers helped, of course. Do you think I’d do it myself?" Mi Chenshuo shrugged, handing the bags he took from his mom to his dad. "Oops, stole Dad’s chore just now."

Yan Zi beamed at her son. Finally, after all these days, he had learned how to crack jokes.

Yi Luowa stole a quick glance at Mi Chenshuo, wondering how things were progressing on his end.

"Third brother, it’s no big deal. This just happens to be my expertise. I’ll go upstairs and check now," Connie said as she grabbed her bag and headed toward the stairs.

Tong Aino pulled her back. "Eat dinner first, then look."

Connie gave him a sidelong glance. "I’m already too full from being frustrated by you!"

"Oh, I have such a skill?" Tong Aino turned to Tong Yao with a grin. "Mom, I saved the family a meal. Shouldn’t you reward me?"

Tong Airui raised his hand and gave him a light whack. "I’ll reward you on Mom’s behalf!"

"I’d like to reward you too!" Yi Luowa joked, waving her fist in mock threat. "With your mouth, it’s only a matter of time before you get into real trouble."

"When that day comes, don’t come crying to me!" Tong Airui said as he carried the bags and followed Yi Luowa upstairs.

Tong Yao called after them, "Change into something more comfortable and come down for dinner."

"Okay," Yi Luowa replied, turning back to help carry the bags. Tong Airui smiled and said, "Don’t argue with a gentleman over chores."

Tong Yao noticed her youngest son tilting his head, watching his older brother and sister-in-law. She raised her hand and gave him another light slap. "Watch and learn from your brother! Now go take those things upstairs!"

"Learn what—how to annoy people to death and remain unapologetic?" Tong Aino muttered, snatching Connie’s bags and trudging up the stairs under his breath.

"Connie, don’t bother arguing with him. I’ll deal with him later," Tong Yao reassured, pulling Connie’s hand with a warm smile.

Connie shook her head with a laugh. "Auntie, that’s just how he is. If I seriously argued with him, I’d have driven myself mad long ago. I’ll go change and come down shortly."

"Alright, off you go," Tong Yao replied, pressing her temples. In her past life, she must have owed these three headaches of hers a debt because they all came to collect in this one.

Yi Luowa followed Tong Airui upstairs. As soon as they entered the room, she plopped onto the couch. "I’m exhausted!"

Tong Airui set the shopping bags aside and gave a laugh as he walked over. "Do you want me to rub your shoulders?"

"No, just let me sit for a moment," Yi Luowa said, gulping from her water cup. "Airui, let me tell you—your family’s women are absolutely wild when it comes to shopping. I kept saying I only needed one evening gown, but by the time we were leaving, they’d forced five or six more on me. And those spawned even more accessories like shoes, bags, and jewelry... My head feels like it’s going to explode."

Tong Airui chuckled as he gently pressed her shoulders. "I understand. You’re a minimalist by nature, but there are times when going with the flow isn’t a bad thing. I’ll help you gradually adjust."

Yi Luowa leaned into his chest, drained of energy. "Honestly, this isn’t something a small-town girl like me can adapt to."

"Small-town girl? You’re no small-town girl. You’re the honorable daughter-in-law of the Aldridge family!"

Yi Luowa sighed worriedly, "I just hope I don’t embarrass you."

Tong Airui patted her head and reassured her, "Honey, stop stressing. Just live as you’re comfortable. You don’t need to conform to anyone."

Yi Luowa pouted slightly. "Alright, enough talk. I’ll go wash up; we can’t leave everyone waiting for too long."

"Go ahead." Tong Airui opened the closet and started hanging up their new clothes. This was a habit he’d picked up during his time in the military—rooms had to be neat and organized.

"I’ll tidy up later," Yi Luowa said, catching him sorting their clothes as she came back into the room.

"No need. You wash up. By the time you’re done, I’ll already be finished."

Watching him expertly hang another piece of clothing, Yi Luowa smiled. "There really are perks to dating a former soldier—at least you’re self-sufficient."

"You know it!"

The two exchanged an affectionate smile before Yi Luowa headed into the bathroom.

After dinner, Tong Yao called out to Yi Luowa and Tong Airui, stopping them as they tried to retreat to their room to rest. "You two, come here for a moment."

Curious what her mother-in-law was up to, Tong Airui followed her into the bedroom, pulling Yi Luowa along with him.

On the coffee table rested several golden phoebe wooden jewelry boxes. Tong Yao pointed at them and said, "Airui, these are selected by me and your grandmother to give to Luowa. Take them back with you later."

Tong Airui glanced at the smallest box and said, "Thanks, Mom. We’ll accept the rest, but the Xia Witch Star—please, you keep that."

Tong Yao shook her head with a smile, "There’s no way I’ll hold onto it. As the eldest grandson, this belongs to Luowa."

"But I was hoping you’d keep the Xia Witch Star and personally pass it down to your great-granddaughter-in-law one day."

Tong Yao chuckled at her son’s sentiment. "It’s enough for me to know you have such filial piety in mind. But meeting my great-granddaughter-in-law is still fifty years in the future. Who knows if I’ll even be around then?"

"You’ll definitely live to see it!" Tong Airui said with confident certainty.

Yi Luowa, smiling warmly, chimed in, "Mom, I’m still in school. I probably won’t be needing any of these anytime soon. Why don’t you just keep them for me for now?"

"No way! This is family tradition—you must take them. And one day, when you have your own daughter-in-law, you’ll pass it on to her," Tong Yao insisted, playfully patting her son’s arm. "Now, hurry up and take them. Everyone’s tired after today, so let’s let Luowa get some rest."

Carrying the jewelry boxes into his arms, Tong Airui left behind only the Xia Witch Star before heading out.

Tong Yao had just opened her mouth to stop him when a loud roar erupted from the hallway, "GET OUT!"