CHAPTER 634: CHAPTER 540: YOUR FATHER-IN-LAW AND MOTHER-IN-LAW HAVE ARRIVED (FIRST UPDATE)

Long Che stood outside the door and said in a deep voice, "Your father-in-law and mother-in-law have arrived."

Tong Airui froze, "They’re here this early?!"

"They arrived before four o’clock. They never knocked, and the gatekeeper spotted them. They even refused to be announced. If your grandparents hadn’t gone out for a walk and noticed them, they would’ve waited until we were all awake," Long Che glanced at his son, "Hurry up and tidy yourself. Your mom and I are going down first."

Tong Airui responded and returned to the room.

Yi Luowa stared at him blankly, "They’re here!?"

"They’re here." Tong Airui chuckled as he pulled her hand, "Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Get ready so we can go down."

"Oh." Yi Luowa mechanically walked into the bathroom, watching Tong Airui squeezing toothpaste. She asked blankly, "Honey, what should we wear later?"

"Just be casual. We’re at home; there’s no need to dress formally... Are you too nervous? You’ve met them before, why are you so nervous? Silly girl!" Tong Airui laughed and handed her the toothbrush.

Yi Luowa pursed her lips and smiled.

Tong Airui playfully ruffled her hair, "Three-minute military drill, let’s wrap this up quickly."

"Got it~"

The two sped up their pace, and three minutes later, they stepped out of the bathroom ready.

Tong Airui went straight to the wardrobe and grabbed two outfits at random, "Two minutes!"

"I can get dressed in one minute." Yi Luowa laughed, taking the dress he chose for her.

"Don’t get so nervous you wear your pajamas underneath again."

"Honestly, without your reminder, I might have done that." Yi Luowa giggled as she pulled her pajamas off and put on the dress, "You said not to dress formally, yet you handed me a dress. You know I hate wearing dresses when not in formal settings."

"Dresses are easy to put on, and easy to take off!" Tong Airui teased as he finished dressing and helped her zip up, "Alright, let’s go downstairs."

"Okay." Yi Luowa tightly held his hand, and the two walked briskly downstairs.

As they came down, Emperor Haotian and Queen Haotian were just entering the main hall. Yi Luowa looked at them; they were looking at her too.

Yi Luowa’s lips moved slightly, but she didn’t know how to start the conversation.

Queen Haotian, noticing her awkwardness, stood up smiling and stretched her arms out toward her, "Come here, let Mom give you a hug."

Yi Luowa let go of Tong Airui’s hand and dashed forward into Queen Haotian’s arms, "Mom—"

The mother and daughter hugged tightly. Queen Haotian smiled as she stroked her daughter’s head, "Twenty-one years, this is the first time Mom’s hugged you. Let me hold you a little longer."

Yi Luowa sniffled and nodded hard.

Emperor Haotian’s eyes turned red as he stretched his arms and enveloped the mother and daughter, "Today is a happy day. No one in our family is allowed to cry!"

Yi Luowa laughed at the sight of him, "Mom and I are fine, but you—your eyes are red."

"You stubborn kid, can’t you hold back from speaking the truth?" Emperor Haotian laughed and patted her head.

"Dad, Mom, you sure arrived early!" Randy came racing down, wrapping his arms around Dad, Mom, and his sister, "How could this happy moment happen without me."

Tong Airui watched their family reunion and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Tong Yao gestured to him to go forward and greet them.

Tong Airui shook his head, smiling.

Long Che shot him a glare and turned to Emperor Haotian, "Randy, let’s sit down and talk at leisure."

Emperor Haotian nodded smilingly, "Zhi Lan, let’s sit and chat with our daughter."

Queen Haotian pulled her daughter with one hand and her son with the other and guided them onto the sofa.

After they were seated, Tong Airui took the tea handed to him by a servant, and respectfully offered it to Emperor Haotian, "Dad, have some tea."

Emperor Haotian chuckled and took the teacup, "I never dreamed that the famous Duke Airui would become my son-in-law."

"I never imagined I’d one day call you Dad," Tong Airui grinned and respectfully offered tea to Queen Haotian, "Mom, have some tea."

Queen Haotian accepted the tea but didn’t drink immediately. She smiled warmly at Tong Airui, "This tea—you can’t give it for free! Randy..."

Emperor Haotian handed over two thick red envelopes from his subordinate, "This is from your mom and me—not extravagant gifts, but your mom insists that when you hold the wedding, we’ll prepare an even bigger red envelope for you both."

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom." Tong Airui accepted them readily.

Yi Luowa pouted at him, "You just take it like that?"

"Yes, it’d be rude not to accept gifts from Dad and Mom." Tong Airui laughed, pulling her up, "It’s your turn to serve tea to Dad and Mom."

Queen Haotian chuckled, "Airui is right. Gifts from parents should always be accepted."

Yi Luowa smiled and took the tea handed by the servant. She was about to kneel before Emperor Haotian, but he caught her, "Our family doesn’t have such rigid rules—no need to kneel!"

"Dad—"

Emperor Haotian saw tears welling up in his daughter’s eyes and quickly took the tea cup from her hands, "Give the tea to Dad. Dad will drink. Dad will drink."

Yi Luowa’s eyes were rimmed red as she watched her father sip the tea. She then picked up another teacup, but before she could speak, tears started rolling in her eyes, "Mom, have tea."

Queen Haotian quickly took the cup, gently sipped, and pulled her daughter to sit beside her, "No crying—we agreed."

Queen Haotian didn’t finish her sentence before her own tears began falling.

Randy placed his arm around his mother’s shoulders and gently patted her, "Mom, finding my sister is a joyous occasion; no crying allowed. Didn’t you and my sister talk just fine yesterday? What’s going on now?"

"I just can’t hold back." Queen Haotian patted her son’s hand, "I’ll be fine in just a moment."

Tong Airui took tissues and handed them to Yi Luowa, who quickly used them to wipe her mother’s tears.

"Don’t just wipe me—your own..." Queen Haotian raised her hand to gently dry her daughter’s tears, saying lovingly, "No more tears."

Emperor Haotian took two more red envelopes from his subordinate, handing them to his daughter, "These are for you. The children’s will wait until they wake up."

"Dad, I don’t lack anything—I don’t need it."

"Dad knows you don’t lack anything, but this is your mom and my token of affection; you must accept it!"

"Sister, take it." Randy winked playfully at Yi Luowa, "I even have gifts for you."

Randy pulled out a key, handing it to her, "I told you I won a yacht, and you didn’t believe me. Here’s the yacht’s key—it’s yours."

Yi Luowa hurriedly tried to return the key, "I can’t accept this from you!"

"What, Sister, do you look down on me?"

"No...but you’re still young. How can I take gifts from you?"

"Keep it! It’s just a token of affection from your brother." Queen Haotian smiled and pressed the key into her daughter’s hand.

Yi Luowa was about to refuse again when the rest of the family began entering the hall. Before she could introduce them all to her parents, You Jia, Ni Lu, and Jack entered.

Everyone exchanged greetings and eventually sat down.

Emperor Haotian and Queen Haotian looked at the large family. While feeling envious, they were also deeply gratified—their daughter had indeed married into a wonderful family!

After breakfast, the two little ones finally woke up. Queen Haotian held them one in each arm, grinning from ear to ear. She was delighted to see how attached the little ones felt to their grandmother.

Emperor Haotian played with the children for a while before heading to the study with Long Che and Tong Airui. They couldn’t stay long and needed to finalize some matters during this visit.

Once seated, Emperor Haotian got straight to the point, "Before coming, I drafted an announcement. After Zhi Lan and I return, we plan to release the statement declaring that we’ve found our biological daughter. As for when Yi Luowa should return to formally acknowledge her lineage, I’d like to hear your thoughts—mainly based on your schedules."

Long Che reflected for a moment before speaking, "We could spare a day or two, but I’m more concerned about the safety situation on your side. Nancy hasn’t been apprehended, nor has the mastermind hiding behind her been identified... I don’t want Yi Luowa to face any harm—not even a scare. Randy, Yi Luowa is your daughter, but she’s also my daughter-in-law. She’s been through a lot, and I hope you understand my concern."

"I understand. You’re just acting in Yi Luowa’s best interest. But don’t worry about safety—I’ve already ordered Marcus to enforce a citywide lockdown. Right now, the capital is like an iron wall; nothing goes in or out. If anyone tries to stir trouble, they’ll be walking straight into a trap."

Tong Airui glanced at his father-in-law, "This period is the coldest in Haotian. If Yi Luowa returns, she’d need to bring the kids along... Could we wait one or two more months until spring? By then, Ziyuan and Sanyuya will be a bit older, and the weather will be warmer."

Emperor Haotian remained silent for a long while. His initial intention was to have his daughter recognize her lineage as soon as possible, but his son-in-law’s point made him hesitate.

Long Che exchanged a glance with his son and waited quietly.

Emperor Haotian raised his gaze at Tong Airui, "Then let’s wait until March. That way, I could also find time to set up rooms for the little ones."

Long Che raised an eyebrow slightly—setting up rooms! Was Emperor Haotian planning to steal his grandchildren?

"Dad..."

Total silence fell as Tong Airui addressed both fathers. Then he turned with a smile to Long Che, "Dad, I need to speak to my father-in-law for a bit."