CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 171: TREMENDOUSLY OWED! (THIRD UPDATE)

"Fourth, Fourth Brother..." Yi Luowa’s face instantly turned bright red as she recalled what happened last night.

Tong Airui chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Seeing me is exciting, but not enough to make you stutter, right?"

Yi Luowa pouted and hid her face behind Duoduo’s head.

Connie smiled and handed over a plate of desserts. "Fourth Brother, want to try some?"

"Your Fifth Brother loves sweets. You should take it to him," Tong Airui said with a laugh. "Making a princess like you step into the kitchen—what a faux pas."

Seeing that he wouldn’t take it, Connie placed the plate on the table. "What princess? I’m just your little sister."

"You’re not taking it to Fifth Brother?" Tong Airui teased.

Connie’s face instantly turned as red as an apple.

Duoduo leaned over with his little body to grab the freshly made dessert. "Eat, eat..."

"You little foodie! Don’t trouble your aunt like that. Come sit here and eat," Tong Airui said, helping Yi Luowa to sit down. "Duoduo’s just starting to grow teeth; eating too many sweets isn’t good for him. Be mindful and don’t let him have too much."

"Got it," Yi Luowa replied. She couldn’t help but admire him—he didn’t seem the least bit affected by last night. Maybe he really had been joking. With that thought, she no longer felt as embarrassed.

Tong Airui glanced at the table full of delicious food. "Mom, that’s enough. Don’t tire yourself out. Otherwise, Dad will start fussing over you again."

Tong Yao turned to look at her son. "Why aren’t you with your father?"

Tong Airui raised an eyebrow. "Dad has two sons-in-law with him. I’m here to eat with you."

"You’re here to keep me company, or to keep your wife company?" Tong Yao asked with a smile as she washed her hands. "We’ll just make these dishes for lunch. Let the help take care of the rest."

A light drizzle started. Little Raindrop peeked under the pot lid. "Mom, you all go out first. The foie gras still needs a bit more time."

"Alright, alright, you all head out. I’ll just feed Duoduo a little more." Yi Luowa scooped up a small piece of cake and brought it to Duoduo’s mouth.

"Don’t overfeed him," Tong Airui said worriedly, leaning over to watch Duoduo chewing away happily.

Duoduo scrunched his little nose and glared at his uncle. Then, he opened his mouth and said, "Hit! Hit!"

Tong Airui placed both hands on Yi Luowa’s shoulders and said with a mock-serious tone, "You little rascal! Say that again, and I’ll make sure your aunt stops holding you!"

"Hee hee..." Duoduo instantly put on a cheeky grin.

"He understands everything!" Yi Luowa said, smiling, as though she’d just discovered a new world.

"What a little smarty!" Ai Ni said, taking another bite of dessert with her little fork.

Tong Yao shook her head helplessly. This was fine at home, but if Ai Ni married into a family in S country and still stood around the kitchen eating like this, how would You Jia’s mother take it? It seemed she’d need to teach her daughter some things before getting married. As for her daughters-in-law, she wouldn’t impose too many rules. Someone like Luowa—free-spirited and unrestrained—seemed just fine.

"Sis, now that Aunt Yueya’s birthday has passed, come back to Xiawu with us for a few days!" Tong Airui turned to Little Raindrop, who was still busying around.

"Nah, Jack called this morning saying he missed us so much he was nearly crying. I’ll go back and see him. When Ai Ni’s engagement comes up, I’ll return to Xiawu," Little Raindrop sighed softly. "Now, more than ever, I understand how Mom felt back then. You can’t have too many kids—every one is like a piece of your heart, and the more you have, the more worried you’ll be."

Tong Airui patted Yi Luowa on the shoulder. "Wife, how about we just have one then?"

"There you go again!" Yi Luowa grabbed Duoduo’s little hand and playfully smacked the big hand resting on her shoulder.

Duoduo let out a series of giggles, but as soon as Tong Airui’s face darkened, he quickly stopped, burying his little face in Yi Luowa’s shoulder.

Without even looking, Yi Luowa could tell Tong Airui was pretending to scare Duoduo again. "All you do is bully Duoduo!"

"It’s good for little kids to have someone to fear; otherwise, they’ll be hard to manage when they grow up," Tong Yao remarked as she stroked Duoduo’s head, then left the room with Connie.

Once she was gone, Yi Luowa turned to Ai Ni and asked in a hushed tone, "I think Connie’s pretty great. Why doesn’t your Fifth Brother like her?"

"Who knows!" Ai Ni shrugged. "There’s no forcing these things. Maybe my Fifth Brother just wants to experience the thrill of conquest."

Yi Luowa looked up at Tong Airui and asked with a smile, "Is Ai Ni right?"

"She’s got a point," Tong Airui said with a chuckle. "But we should try not to meddle with Ai Nuo’s affairs."

Yi Luowa nodded in agreement. "You’re right. This is a huge decision for his happiness. Let him make his own choice. Oh, Fourth Brother, I heard from Aunt that there’s no hope for Old Seventh and Shanshan either."

"Just because there’s no hope now doesn’t mean there won’t be any in the future," Tong Airui replied, curling his lips into a smirk. "I’m heading upstairs to get changed. Be right back."

"Should I help?" Yi Luowa asked, glancing guiltily at his waist.

"No need. Since you abandoned me for so many days, I had no choice but to learn to manage on my own."

Ai Ni gagged dramatically. "Brother! Can you stop being so disgusting around me?"

"Such a grown-up lady, and you’re fake-gagging like this. People might misunderstand!" Tong Airui grinned mischievously as he left the room.

"So annoying!" Ai Ni huffed. "If I can’t deal with you, I’ll deal with your wife!"

Hearing this, Tong Airui quickly came back inside and grabbed Yi Luowa’s hand. "Come upstairs with me, so she doesn’t bully you."

Yi Luowa made a face at Ai Ni and went upstairs with Tong Airui, holding Duoduo in her arms.

Ai Ni’s lips twitched. Fourth Brother was simply too pampering to his wife!

"Sis, have you noticed something about my brother? He’s changed!"

Little Raindrop nodded. "He’s gotten chattier."

"That’s one change. An even bigger one is that, except for my Fourth Sister-in-law, he doesn’t seem to see anyone else anymore."

Little Raindrop smiled. "That’s what happens when someone’s in love. You Jia was the same; you just didn’t notice."

Ai Ni thought about it and realized it was true. Laughing, she took out her phone and started scrolling through the news.

Little Raindrop came over. "Check what kind of gossip is trending about our Third Brother."

"Whoa! He actually took a woman to the OB-GYN!"