CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 162: ARE THEY TRYING TO MAKE NUMBER FIVE COMMIT A CRIME? (PART 6)

"Didn’t talk." The other party replied in a deep voice.

Tong Airui pinched the bridge of his nose. "Observe silently, see if there’s any communication through eye contact or gestures."

"Understood!"

Once Tong Airui heard the response, he hung up the phone, muttering to himself, "Looks like this troublesome peach blossom actually has some background."

Tong Airui closed his eyes. His body was resting, but his mind was racing—so many matters awaited his attention, both work-related and family affairs. He had to think them all through carefully.

"Beep, beep..." Just as he lay quietly for a while, the phone rang again.

Tong Airui glanced at the caller ID and answered the call. "Ai Ni, when are you guys coming back?"

"I want to come back today, but Grandpa won’t let me." Ai Ni pouted, sounding unhappy. "The military parade is just a few days away. You Jia, as the representative from S Country, is attending the ceremony, and he still has a lot to prepare for."

"Grandpa’s keeping you, not him. Just let him come back on his own, problem solved." Tong Airui frowned slightly. "Is Grandpa treating You Jia better?"

"He’s not yelling at him anymore, but he still doesn’t like talking to him."

"If you ask me, You Jia is just a masochist. He’d rather take the heat than leave you alone." Tong Airui chuckled, anticipating his sister’s reaction. Before she could retort, he went on, "What about your Fifth Brother?"

"He went to the factory with Uncle. They said the sample production for the batch of weapons you wanted is completed, so he went to check it out. Bro, I’m actually calling to talk to you about Fifth Brother."

"What about him?" Tong Airui gripped the phone tightly.

"I overheard Grandpa talking to Aunt. It sounds like they’re trying to set up Fifth Brother with Connie."

Tong Airui’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably. "Connie’s still so young, isn’t she? She’s not even an adult yet, right? Are they trying to get Old Five arrested?"

Ai Ni burst out laughing. "Bro, in your memory, is Connie still stuck at being a teenager?"

"Connie doesn’t even feature in my memory!" Tong Airui snorted. "How old is she?"

"She’s almost twenty now. Technically, she’s a few months older than Sis-in-law."

"Does Fifth Brother know about this?"

"Nope, but I don’t think he’d agree to it. He doesn’t even pay her much attention. I mentioned bringing Connie to our house and Fifth Brother wasn’t happy about it."

Tong Airui rubbed his forehead. "So why are you calling me? You want me to persuade Fifth Brother, or are you just keeping me in the loop?"

"I’m just bored and wanted to chat with you. What, you’re annoyed now? Hmph! I knew it—since you’ve got Sis-in-law, you don’t need me, your little sister, anymore!" Ai Ni grumbled loudly over the phone.

Though his sister couldn’t see his expression, Tong Airui still plastered on a smile and said, "Dear Ni’er, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to get your opinion so I can handle things the way you want. Be good, don’t act like a child."

"I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Where’s Sis-in-law? I’ll chat with her instead."

"She’s not here; she went to her second uncle’s hospital room." Tong Airui turned to glance at the door.

Once Ai Ni heard that Yi Luowa wasn’t around, she continued chatting with Tong Airui. "Bro, you and Fifth Brother seem to have some kind of telepathic connection. Tell me, are you sure Fifth Brother has zero feelings for Connie?"

"That, I don’t feel any instincts about. Ai Ni, this matchmaking thing was decided by Grandpa and Aunt, right? They haven’t told Dad or Mom yet, have they?"

"Not yet. Aunt said she’d wait for Fifth Brother to come back, get his opinion, and then talk to Mom about it."

"Since you’re not at home, let me tell you something interesting. Mom tried to play matchmaker for Old Seven and Shanshan, but it didn’t work. Old Seven outright rejected it."

"Ah!" Ai Ni giggled for a long time before saying, "Shanshan is two years older than Old Seven. But judging by appearance, she looks younger. Why wouldn’t Old Seven want Shanshan?"

"You can ask Old Seven yourself when you’re back. By the way, regarding Fifth Brother, drop him a hint about this matchmaking thing so he’s mentally prepared. But based on my gut feeling, he and Connie won’t work out."

"Bro, I have to go now; Grandpa’s calling for me outside." Ai Ni hung up the phone hurriedly.

Tong Airui shook his head in resignation. His wife wanted him to rest, but with phone calls piling up, how was he supposed to rest?

Just as Tong Airui was about to get out of bed, Yi Luowa walked in. "I knew you wouldn’t listen. Caught you red-handed, didn’t I?"

"I really wanted to rest, but Ai Ni called..."

"Did Ai Ni say when she’d be coming back?" Yi Luowa walked over and pushed him back onto the bed.

"Grandpa isn’t letting her come back." Tong Airui pulled her down to sit beside him. "Why did you come back so quickly?"

"I discussed early discharge with Second Uncle. He said it’s fine since Uncle Li’s side is already moving out. They’ll finish cleaning up in about two days. But I’m worried about Second Uncle’s health, so I wanted to talk to Old Seven about it. But as I was approaching the office, I heard him arguing with Dr. Ji Mo inside."

"Did they fight?" Tong Airui’s face lit up with schadenfreude. "Could you tell what they were arguing about?"

Yi Luowa gave him a disdainful look. "You and Old Seven clearly don’t have the same bloodline. He’s over there in an argument, and you’re here gloating while lying down."