Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 514: Chapter 514: Headache

The baroque-style restaurant blended seamlessly with the surrounding shops, exuding an understated luxury. Even if one didn't enter to have an expensive meal, many people stopped to take pictures.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Ruoxi quietly withdrew her hand from Yang Chen's grip, her blush fading as if nothing had happened.

Yang Chen admired women's natural acting talent inwardly. Just as he was about to enter the restaurant with Stern and Alice, a small figure ran up to him, blocking his path.

"Uncle, would you like to buy some flowers?" a boy asked in crisp English with a French accent.

Yang Chen looked down and saw a boy, no more than ten years old, with a thin frame. His blonde hair, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, along with a few freckles on his cheeks, made him look very endearing.

The boy held several bunches of flowers tied with red strings, but these weren't the usual roses, tulips, or lilies seen in flower shops. They were wildflowers commonly found in French gardens and roadsides.

Before Yang Chen could respond, Lin Ruoxi crouched down beside the boy, smiling gently, "Little friend, what kind of flowers are you selling, and how much are they?"

Seeing Lin Ruoxi's rare display of tenderness, Yang Chen rubbed his eyes and then smiled bitterly. This woman hadn't visited the orphanage in a long time, and it seemed her hidden affection was about to overflow in Paris.

Usually, Lin Ruoxi's imposing aura made her intimidating, but when she encountered children, she transformed into a sweet, approachable figure, making her very popular among the kids at the Zhonghai orphanage.

Sure enough, the boy's bright eyes sparkled, and in his childlike voice, he said, "Sister, you are so beautiful."

Lin Ruoxi's smile grew even brighter at the compliment. She affectionately touched the boy's curly blonde hair, "You are very cute too. What's your name?"

"Harry, my name is Harry. Sister, are you a foreigner?" Little Harry asked.

"Yes, I'm from Yanxia," Lin Ruoxi replied.

"Where is Yanxia?" Harry asked curiously.

Lin Ruoxi thought for a moment, "It's a very faraway place. You have to take an airplane to get there."

"An airplane?" Harry said excitedly. "Sister, is flying in an airplane fun? I always wanted my dad to take me on an airplane, but he's very busy and rarely takes me out. But he said he would take me to Disneyland in a few days, and we can watch the stunt car show there. I don't know if a stunt car is like an airplane. Sister, have you seen it?"

Because Harry's English included some French words, Lin Ruoxi frowned slightly and looked to Yang Chen for help.

Yang Chen sighed inwardly, thinking how nice it would be if she treated him half as well as she treated the boy. He translated for Harry.

Understanding, Lin Ruoxi continued, "Sister hasn't seen the stunt car show at Disneyland, but I'm sure it's very exciting. Harry will have a lot of fun."

Harry nodded vigorously, "I think so too. Mom is coming with us, and we can ride the pirate ship and the roller coaster together. But I'm a little scared. What if the roller coaster is too high and Dad calls me a coward?"

"Little guy, weren't you selling flowers? How did we get to roller coasters?" Yang Chen, losing patience with Harry's near-monologue, interjected.

Lin Ruoxi glared at Yang Chen, "Why are you interrupting? The child is talking to me, not you. Why take it out on him?"

"I'm not taking it out on him. We still have to eat lunch," Yang Chen said, feeling frustrated.

"If you want to eat, go inside yourself. No one is stopping you," Lin Ruoxi, annoyed by Yang Chen's impatience, turned back to Harry with a smile. "Don't mind this bad uncle, Harry. You can talk to me."

Harry blinked his eyes, stuck out his tongue at Yang Chen, and made a face before saying to Lin Ruoxi, "Sister, you are so nice!"

Yang Chen felt like his lungs were going to explode. This little rascal called Lin Ruoxi "sister" and him "uncle," which made him seem like Lin Ruoxi's elder. But Harry, reminded by Yang Chen, picked up his bouquet. "Sister, which flowers do you like?"

The bouquets were just simple wildflowers, and Lin Ruoxi didn't recognize any of them. She picked a relatively pretty bunch of blue and purple flowers and asked with a smile, "What are these flowers? They're quite beautiful. I'll take this one."

Harry beamed, "It's only one euro!"

Yang Chen clicked his tongue, "Little guy, selling roadside flowers for one euro? You're sure to be a future businessman."

"Why are you still standing here? Go inside the restaurant," Lin Ruoxi said coldly to Yang Chen. She then took out her wallet from her bag and pulled out a dark brown five-euro bill.

As Lin Ruoxi took the flowers, she didn't immediately hand the money to Harry but instead asked, "I'll buy the flowers, but can you tell me why you're selling flowers to make money? If you tell me, I'll give you all five euros."

Seeing such a young child selling wildflowers on the street for money made Lin Ruoxi wonder if he had been abducted or was being exploited by some illegal gang.

Harry looked eagerly at the five-euro bill in Lin Ruoxi's hand and answered softly, "I saw that my dad's sock had a hole in it, and he was still wearing it. I want to buy him a new sock. But I want to surprise him, so I can't ask my mom for allowance. That's why I thought of selling flowers."

Harry's English was not very good, likely because one of his parents spoke it at home without formal education. Despite his heavy French accent, Lin Ruoxi could understand his simple phrases.

Lin Ruoxi's eyes were full of affection as she listened to Harry's explanation. She touched his curly hair again and handed him the five euros.

"Thank you, sister," Harry said with a bright smile, "Now I have enough money!"

"Socks are not sold one at a time. You have to buy a pair," Lin Ruoxi said, tweaking Harry's nose with a smile.

Harry's eyes widened in disappointment at this "unfortunate" news. "I can't buy just one? I thought they could be sold separately."

Faced with the child's innocent expression, Lin Ruoxi couldn't resist. She took out a red ten-euro bill from her wallet and said, "Here's another ten euros. Socks for your dad are really expensive. I didn't know socks in France were so pricey."

Harry's face lit up before he hesitated and didn't take the money. "Mom told me not to take gifts from strangers."

Yang Chen laughed, "Christmas socks? Your dad must have big feet."

"Dad's feet are big," Harry insisted.

Lin Ruoxi didn't laugh at Harry's choice but understood why he needed such an expensive pair of socks. It was for a Christmas gift. Although Christmas had long passed, for children, timing wasn't a concern.

"Take this money, Harry. Consider it a gift from me," Lin Ruoxi said, placing the ten euros in Harry's hand.

Harry hesitated and said, "Mom told me not to take gifts from strangers."

Seeing the boy's troubled expression, Lin Ruoxi thought for a moment and said, "How about this, Harry? If you give your sister a kiss, we can consider it an exchange."

Yang Chen, hearing this, almost wanted to cry. He frowned and said, "Honey, you can't be serious! Why does this little kid get to kiss you and even get money for it? Meanwhile, I, your husband, need to go through so much approval just to kiss you, and it rarely gets approved!"

Lin Ruoxi glanced around, relieved that no one was paying attention to Yang Chen's loud complaints. She glared at him with blushing cheeks, "Why are you yelling? What's there to argue about with a child? You, a grown man, always doing shameless things. Even the kids at the orphanage are more likable than you. If you want a kiss, behave as well as Harry someday, and then I'll consider it!"

Yang Chen felt like his heart was breaking.

Harry, meanwhile, leaned in and gave Lin Ruoxi a peck on the cheek. "Sister, I kissed you. Is that right?" he said happily.

Lin Ruoxi nodded, "Good boy, Harry. Now our deal is complete, and you can go buy socks for your dad."

Harry excitedly nodded, then put the fifteen euros into his pocket, which was already bulging with coins from his flower sales.

"Bye, sister! Bye, uncle!" Harry waved to both Lin Ruoxi and Yang Chen before running off.

Lin Ruoxi watched until Harry was out of sight, then stood up and entered the restaurant.

Yang Chen couldn't help but smile and said, "You love kids so much; why not have one of your own?"

Lin Ruoxi's heart fluttered. Though she did love children, the idea of having her own was something she was too shy to consider. She pretended not to hear Yang Chen and walked into the restaurant, looking for Stern and Alice.

Yang Chen shrugged it off but couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity. Although having a child with Lin Ruoxi wasn't realistic yet, considering they hadn't even shared a bed, he wondered why, despite having unprotected sex with Rose, Mo Qianni, Liu Mingyu, An Xin, and others, none had become pregnant. Particularly with Rose, having a child would fulfill her greatly, and she no longer had the same threats from her past in the underworld.

It seemed that as his power grew, his ability to father children had somehow become mysteriously hindered. Otherwise, he couldn't understand why only Seventeen had ever conceived his child. He didn't always take precautions. Was this somehow related to the "Divine Stone"?

Thinking about these things gave Yang Chen a headache.