CHAPTER 611: CHAPTER 524 I’M NOT A GOOD MOTHER (THREE MORE UPDATES)_2

"Have you sent people to the border?" Tong Airui paused for a moment. "If you haven’t sent them yet, don’t bother. We don’t want to alert the snake before it’s caught."

"I thought the same, so after receiving the files you sent me, I recalled the team."

Tong Airui curled his lips ever so slightly. Dealing with smart people was always easy. "The one pulling the strings has been orchestrating this for a long time, and everything so far seems to be unfolding according to his plan. But I think Nancy’s part of the setup is undoubtedly his fatal flaw."

The Queen Hao Tian was stunned. "Oh? Why do you say that?"

"Perhaps because he was rushed for time, he couldn’t place Xia Rou and Nancy in Beidi twenty years ago. Or, to put it another way, when they switched the children back then, he didn’t account for Yi Luowa marrying me. He only realized in these past two years that Luowa is the biggest threat to his entire plan. He’s tried to assassinate Luowa—more than once—but he couldn’t succeed. So, he found a substitute."

"Nancy is fake, which means everything Xia Rou said is a lie. She lied... then Joel..."

"Buzz buzz..." The phone on the desk rang as Queen Hao Tian and Tong Airui were analyzing the matter.

Tong Airui said in a calm tone, "You answer the call first. Once you’re done, we can continue."

With that, Tong Airui hung up the call.

As he waited for the phone call, Yi Luowa knocked on the door and walked in.

Tong Airui looked at her and smiled. "Well, aren’t you being polite now? Knocking before you come in?"

"I don’t want to overhear anything I shouldn’t and end up getting into a fight with you. What were you talking about with Dad and women? I saw Mom drag Dad upstairs by the arm just earlier."

Tong Airui burst out laughing. "They really got into a fight? Haha... Actually, we were just having a little discussion about whether power or women hold greater allure in a man’s eyes."

"No conclusion yet, but your daughter came along and disrupted the call."

"What’s the greatest temptation in your eyes?"

"You!"

Yi Luowa pressed her lips into a smile. "Doesn’t matter if you’re lying or telling the truth—I’ll believe it, because it’s what I want to hear."

Tong Airui said seriously, "The truth! Absolutely the truth."

"Dinner’s ready. How much longer will you be busy?"

"Just waiting for a very important call. Once I finish the call, I’ll be done. You all go ahead and eat; don’t wait for me."

"Dad and Mom aren’t downstairs yet, no rush. Take your time with that call—I’ll be outside taking care of the kids."

"Honey..."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to call you."

"You’re crazy!" Yi Luowa laughed as she walked out the door.

Ten minutes later, Queen Hao Tian’s call came through. This time, Tong Airui picked it up almost instantly; he wanted to wrap up the conversation quickly.

"The previous call was from Joel. What he said confirmed our suspicions. That day, he was forced to lie. But after speaking the lie, it started eating away at him, so just now he told me the truth."

"The woman Xia Rou keeps mentioning doesn’t exist; she made her up. Back when the fire broke out, Xia Rou abandoned Youyou and ran off on her own. Youyou was saved by Du Ma, who always thought the child was mine. He couldn’t stand the sight of her and dumped her at the base."

"...Can I ask who forced Joel to lie?"

"Xia Rou! She was genuinely threatened by Kai Di back then. After the children were swapped, she never swapped them back. I only learned this from Joel. Xia Rou has hated me for over twenty years."

"What’s her status that she could threaten Joel? And why does she hate you?"

"Ai... It’s really a long story! Xia Rou has been by my side since she was a teenager, taking care of me. Even when I went to university, she followed me to campus. All these years, I never realized she’s been deeply in love with Du Ma. Because of Du Ma, she developed hatred toward me. Joel said Xia Rou never actually went to Beidi; she’s been living at the border under protection from some of Du Ma’s loyal old subordinates all these years."

"Why would Du Ma’s old subordinates protect her?" Tong Airui asked, finding the situation increasingly absurd as he listened.

"I asked the same question. Joel said they weren’t protecting Xia Rou, but Xia Rou’s daughter Nancy! Nancy is Du Ma and Xia Rou’s daughter."

"Even Joel has supported Nancy and Xia Rou financially because Nancy is Du Ma’s daughter. This time, they forced Joel to lie by threatening to kill themselves."

"Hold on—either Joel is lying, or Xia Rou is lying."

"Do you have any additional information?"

"Because Nancy and Luowa look so alike, I conducted a DNA test on them. If Nancy were Du Ma’s daughter, she wouldn’t have zero blood relation to Luowa."

"...Whatever’s going on, let’s not overthink it for now. I’ve already sent people to capture Xia Rou. Once she’s caught, everything will become clear."

"Alright. Did Joel mention what Xia Rou intends to achieve by bringing Nancy back to ’reconnect’ with family this time?"

"She wants to reclaim the throne for Du Ma."

"Du Ma has been dead for over two years. Why is she only now thinking about reclaiming the throne?"

"Previously, only Danton was the heir to the throne, but he was perpetually ill, so she didn’t feel there was much threat. She had been plotting all along, but once Kai Di gave birth to Yosef, Xia Rou started getting anxious. She wants to enter the palace and eliminate Danton and Yosef so Nancy can take the throne as soon as possible."

Tong Airui kneaded his temples; he could only believe about a third of what he was hearing. The source of the remaining two-thirds of the fabricated story was something he could likely uncover only after Xia Rou was captured.

"Has Nancy always looked like this?" Tong Airui was fixated on this question. The mere thought of someone resembling his wife unsettled him.

Not only did the question unsettle him, but it also rattled Queen Hao Tian. "I asked Joel. Joel said no—she only started resembling me more over the last couple of years."

"Probably plastic surgery."

"I’ve already ordered Nancy to be captured. Once she’s brought in, I’ll have people check her bones. If she’s had cosmetic surgery, it’ll be evident with a single examination."

"Alright, I’ll wait for your update. I’ll be spending time with the kids later, so I might not be able to take calls. If anything comes up, just text me, and I’ll respond when I can."

"Alright, you go ahead and do your thing." Mentioning the children brought a rare smile to Queen Hao Tian’s otherwise troubled face.

At this point, there was no need for DNA testing to confirm Queen Hao Tian was truly Luowa’s biological mother. Tong Airui felt significantly relieved. As for the messy affairs of Hao Tian’s side, he didn’t plan on intervening much—after all, it was their fault for not being able to keep track of their own children, leaving his wife to suffer so much. They deserved the panic and stress they were experiencing!

Fourth Lord hummed a little tune as he stepped out the door. Looking up, he saw his mother and father coming downstairs, each carrying a beaming Sang Yu. No need to ask—it was clear his mother had received news and was overjoyed!

"Eldest daughter, let Daddy hold you." Tong Airui reached out to embrace Sang Yu.

Long Che smacked his son’s hand away. "Don’t we get a say? You can’t just decide to hold her because you feel like it!"

Tong Airui leaned his face close to his daughter’s. "Dear Sang Yu, let Daddy hold you, please~"

Sang Yu stared blankly at her father for a moment, then quickly turned her head toward Grandpa. Shortly after, her gaze swiftly shifted back to her father’s face.

Tong Airui laughed and reached out his hand again. "Come on, give Daddy a little bit of face. Let me hold you."

After a moment’s hesitation, Sang Yu extended her tiny hand toward her father.

Tong Airui was filled with satisfaction as he held his daughter close. The instant Sang Yu’s soft little body curled up in his arms, he carefully shielded her, as if afraid someone might come and snatch her away.