Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 559: Chapter 560: Be Careful

Yang Chen, who was upstairs, naturally didn't anticipate or have the presence of mind to check if anyone was standing below on the balcony. He didn't expect Lin Ruoxi to suddenly come back early and just happen to stand below the balcony!

Caught up in the moment, Yang Chen carried An Xin to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The commotion from the man and woman upstairs, with their voices reaching the balcony, exploded like a thunderbolt in the ears of the three people downstairs!

Lin Ruoxi stood frozen in place, staring at the position of Yang Chen's room. Gradually, her body began to tremble, her legs weakened, and she took a step back to steady herself.

Her heart, which had just softened, felt as if it was stripped bare and immediately assaulted by a freezing wind, then shattered into pieces!

In a daze, Lin Ruoxi forgot where she was. She only felt the sound of something breaking in her ears, shattering into dust.

So, this was how he "handled" the matter with An Xin, rushing back home. In that case, it was right that she didn't ask him.

Lin Ruoxi suddenly felt ridiculous standing downstairs. Her effort to come home a day early seemed pointless.

The pain of a broken heart was worse than death; or perhaps, she had nothing to grieve over, having always brought this upon herself.

After a brief but excruciating heartache that nearly made her faint, Lin Ruoxi thought numbly.

Guo Xuehua, who had been tense all along, turned her head away. She was too ashamed to face her daughter-in-law, knowing that it was her who had kept An Xin here, and in Yang Chen's room at that!

This boy, couldn't he have chosen a better time?! Was it so unbearable?!

Wang Ma's face also looked grim. Seeing Lin Ruoxi's soulless expression was like a needle stabbing her heart, making her wish she could bear all the negative emotions for Lin Ruoxi.

For the first time, Wang Ma felt such hatred towards Yang Chen. This son-in-law, whom she had always thought highly of, now filled her with strong resentment.

Upstairs, the noise continued unabated.

Guo Xuehua realized that if this continued, the situation would become irreparable. Taking a deep breath, she spoke hesitantly, "Ruoxi, I think..."

"Mom," Lin Ruoxi interrupted Guo Xuehua without any expression, her tone calm and unwavering, "I just remembered there's an urgent matter at the company. I'll be heading there now, and I'll skip breakfast."

With that, Lin Ruoxi took her bag from Wang Ma's hand and headed straight to the garage without any hesitation.

Guo Xuehua's words died in her throat, knowing that saying anything would be futile.

Lin Ruoxi acted as if nothing had happened, quietly driving her red Bentley out of the compound after waving goodbye to Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma.

Guo Xuehua looked up at the sky, which had cleared after the rain, but her heart was covered with dark clouds, prompting a long, helpless sigh.

Yandu, located in the old city near a small hillside, boasts a large, ancient courtyard that seems to be over a hundred years old. Due to meticulous daily maintenance, the elegant and artistic atmosphere of the carved beams and painted rafters remains undiminished.

In the middle of this courtyard, within a study, rows of well-stocked bookshelves illuminated a small area. An elderly man, whose hair was still dyed black despite his age, wearing an old military coat, sat at the desk, holding a photo and staring at it intently.

The light cast on the elderly man's weathered, thin face also illuminated the old photograph. In the photo, the younger version of the elderly man held a kindergarten-aged boy in his arms, with a woman smiling joyfully beside them. The boy clung to the man's neck, giggling.

"Knock, knock, knock," the study door was tapped.

"Come in," the old man said, quietly putting the photo into a desk drawer, his expression becoming complicated and hard to describe.

A middle-aged man in a white shirt and trousers walked into the study with a troubled look on his face. He respectfully addressed the elderly man, "Father, I've spoken to my sister and brother-in-law."

"How is your sister?" the old man asked firmly.

The middle-aged man clenched his fist and said, "The grief of losing her son made her faint. After waking up, she cried and made a scene, begging to see you. I told my brother-in-law to calm her down, explaining that things aren't as simple as they seem. Whether it's to investigate the truth or seek revenge, they shouldn't get involved, or the danger will increase."

The elderly man nodded, "Yunpeng, what do you think about this matter?"

"Father, I don't know. On the surface, it seems like it was Yang Chen from the Yang family who did it. But if you think about it carefully, it's not rational for him to act this way. Plus, the Yang family wouldn't let Yang Chen do such a thing. However, there's no evidence to prove it was someone else or another force."

The elderly man squinted and sighed, "Yang Gongming is an upright man. I, Li Moshen, worked with him for over ten years and never saw him do anything he didn't dare to admit. Whether or not his grandson killed my grandson, as long as the Yang family doesn't stand up and admit it, I will believe it wasn't that boy from the Yang family."

Li Yunpeng looked serious, "If it really wasn't the Yang family, then who is trying to make an enemy of Lu Min? Do they have a grudge against our Li family, or are they trying to frame the Yang family to make us misunderstand?"

Li Moshen snorted, his old eyes full of wisdom, "Whatever the reason, it's a treacherous plot. Yang Chen's true background and identity are known to very few families in Yandu. Among the four major families, aside from our Li family, which handles domestic and international intelligence and knows the details, only the Yang family knows relatively clearly due to their special background. Even the prominent Ning family knows only a little, and the Tang family, which has been focusing on business these years, knows even less.

Some people want our Li family to clash with the Yang family, estimating that our Li family has the ability to take action."

Li Yunpeng thought carefully and speculated, "Could it be the Cai family? Cai Yuncheng is now a general in the Yanhuang Iron Brigade and should know everything. But that doesn't make sense; Cai Yuncheng seems to have a good relationship with Yang Chen and has no motive. Besides, the most crucial thing for a general in the Yanhuang Iron Brigade is to act discreetly. Isn't he afraid of being taken away by a Hongmeng emissary like his predecessor Lin Zhiguo?"

Hearing the name "Lin Zhiguo," Li Moshen's eyes twitched. He said, "It's unlikely to be Cai Yuncheng, but the Hongmeng, which can take away the general of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade, could indeed be a target for some people to leverage. This secret is known to very few in all of Yandu, aside from you and me in the Li family. Who has such great abilities to know that we in Yanxia have the Hongmeng, and is also clearly aware that the Hongmeng will definitely have a restraining influence on Yang Chen?"

Li Yunpeng frowned deeply, unable to figure out who could have done this. He stood there silently.

Under the light, Li Moshen closed his eyes for a while, then said, "Where has Li Dun been these days?"

Hearing a question about his son, Li Yunpeng quickly replied, "That kid is on a mission in Vietnam, hunting down some fugitives. He should be back in Yandu in a few days."

"Tell him about his cousin's murder after he returns, so he doesn't have any unresolved feelings," Li Moshen said, then added, "Prepare the car, I'm going to the Yang family."

"The Yang family?" Li Yunpeng was taken aback, unable to understand his father's intention.

Li Moshen said, "Just go. I'm going to have morning tea with your Uncle Yang. Don't delay."

Li Yunpeng hurriedly turned and left, still feeling baffled. Their grandson might have been harmed by someone from the Yang family, so how could his father still be in the mood to have morning tea with them?

While there was a commotion in Yandu, Yang Chen in Zhonghai felt nothing at all. He had long since stopped caring about who killed Lu Min.

After spending more than half an hour with An Xin in his room, he remembered that people were waiting for him downstairs for breakfast and ended their time together.

After getting dressed, Yang Chen and An Xin went downstairs to the dining table in the living room. Only then did Yang Chen notice that Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma, who were sitting on the sofa, both looked unhappy.

Yang Chen was puzzled. Everything was fine just a while ago, so why did it suddenly feel like the house had been robbed? Neither Guo Xuehua nor Wang Ma reacted when he and An Xin came downstairs.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Yang Chen asked in surprise, with An Xin behind him also looking confused.

Guo Xuehua turned her head expressionlessly and said softly, "Ruoxi came back just now."

"Ruoxi? Wasn't she still in Europe?" Yang Chen recalled hearing the sound of a car leaving the house, but he had been too caught up to pay attention.

An Xin suddenly realized something, her face turning pale. Her eyes showed a thousand emotions, and she nervously clutched the hem of her clothes.

"She said her business in Europe ended early, so she changed her flight back to Zhonghai. Originally, she planned to have breakfast before going to work, but she left shortly after coming home," Guo Xuehua said faintly.

Yang Chen looked at the expressions of Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma. It was the first time they had seemed so suppressed in front of him, like they were holding back from an outburst.

Even if he couldn't figure it out, he now understood what had happened!

Yang Chen irritably rubbed his face, feeling like banging his head against the wall. He had told Lin Ruoxi in Paris that he was returning to Zhonghai to help An Xin with some trouble. But now, Lin Ruoxi had come back to find him and An Xin doing that in her home early in the morning!

Such a situation, Yang Chen thought, even he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't know the context! Regardless of why An Xin was in his room before, he had ultimately done something hurtful in this home, not entirely a misunderstanding. It was indeed cruel to Lin Ruoxi.

Any irritation he had felt towards Lin Ruoxi's cold attitude was now replaced by overwhelming guilt. He pondered how to explain it, or if an explanation would be futile.

At this moment, An Xin, almost in a whisper, said, "I... I'll go home now. Auntie, Wang Ma, I'm sorry!"

An Xin, feeling a thousand twists in her heart and understanding everything, was at a loss for words. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into, especially seeing Guo Xuehua's cold expression. She felt too ashamed to stay.

Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma didn't stop her. To be honest, their not saying anything harsh was already very lenient.

"Have your family pick you up or take a taxi. Be careful," Yang Chen wanted to offer to take An Xin home, but given the situation, he didn't want to further agitate Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma, so he suggested An Xin go home on her own.

An Xin nodded hastily and ran out the door, not daring to stay a moment longer.

After An Xin left, Yang Chen stood in place for a while, then turned and sat down at the dining table without saying a word. He began to eat porridge and dishes in large bites.

Wang Ma finally couldn't hold back. Seeing Yang Chen's calm demeanor, she frowned and said, "Son-in-law, aren't you worried at all?"

Yang Chen swallowed the food in his mouth, sighed, and smiled bitterly, "I am worried, but being worried is useless. I'll go to the company after breakfast and explain everything to Ruoxi. Otherwise, I don't know what else to do."

Guo Xuehua shook her head and sighed, "At this point, what is there to explain? This kind of thing can't be explained away."

"At least I can be honest," Yang Chen said with a self-deprecating smile. Although he had told Lin Ruoxi long ago that he wouldn't give up other women, their ambiguous feelings had continued all this time.

He didn't know when Lin Ruoxi would fully accept him as he was, but Yang Chen knew that aside from being completely honest with Lin Ruoxi, he had no other way to reconcile such conflicts.

Even if Lin Ruoxi didn't see it today, she would eventually see him with other women in the future.

Yang Chen's principles wouldn't allow his women to be secret lovers. It was unfair to those who loved him deeply.

So, the final outcome of their relationship would be up to Lin Ruoxi. He just wanted to have a clear conscience.

Yang Chen devoured almost the entire breakfast like a starving ghost, showing no signs of psychological burden.

After finishing, he wiped his mouth with his hand, stood up, waved to Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma, and strode out of the house.