Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 565: Chapter 566: Disgusted by You

Yang Chen was puzzled about who could make Liu Mingyu's face suddenly turn cold. This woman was famous in the PR department for her good temper, always speaking gently and with a sweet demeanor since he first met her. The only time he had seen her truly angry was when Qi Kai was still alive. When the two met, Liu Mingyu couldn't control her emotions. Normally, she was always gentle and considerate, the epitome of grace and thoughtfulness. For someone to make her give them the cold shoulder, they must be a real jerk.

When the door opened, a handsome man in a white suit walked in. Yang Chen took one look at him and thought, damn, this guy looks familiar. After thinking for a moment, he remembered—this was Li Minghe, the vice president, and the lover of the "airstrip" Wu Yue!

Li Minghe, in his thirties, had become a dream husband for many women in the company since joining Yulei. Handsome, tall, elegant, and rich, he was a diamond bachelor that anyone would struggle to find even with a lantern. However, his taste in women left many people astonished. His closeness with the CEO's assistant, the cold and ill-tempered Wu Yue, had long been an open secret among Yulei employees.

In a company full of beautiful women, this man with all the advantages didn't choose any of the single beauties in high positions or the glamorous models from the modeling department. Instead, he chose Wu Yue, someone whom nobody else found appealing. This was indeed ironic.

But recently, the vice president seemed to be changing his preferences because he had started gradually getting closer to the new head of the PR department, Liu Mingyu, who was also one of the top single beauties in high positions.

Li Minghe didn't do anything too over-the-top; he just came to the PR department to see Liu Mingyu every couple of days. He didn't bring flowers or gifts, just came to see her. As the company's vice president, Liu Mingyu couldn't outright refuse him entry, so every time Li Minghe entered Liu Mingyu's office, he would linger for about half an hour before coming out.

No one knew what Li Minghe was doing with Liu Mingyu, but everyone noticed he was visiting more frequently. One or two visits might be nothing, but seven or eight, or even a dozen times, made everyone suspect there was something fishy going on.

In fact, many people at Yulei headquarters gossiped that Vice President Li and Minister Liu were actually having an affair, but they were just too embarrassed to make it public because of Assistant Wu's presence.

These rumors were quite convincing because, after all, how could Wu Yue match up to Li Minghe?!

Liu Mingyu, as one of the parties involved, was well aware of the rumors circulating within the company. She felt quite helpless. She knew the truth, but she couldn't explain it; the more she explained, the worse it would get.

Normally, such a problem could be resolved by presenting a legitimate boyfriend. Unfortunately, she was secretly the mistress of a certain bad guy, and this bad guy's wife happened to be her immediate superior!

With things as they were, Liu Mingyu had no other thoughts but to pretend she didn't hear anything.

Fortunately, Liu Mingyu knew that even if these rumors reached Yang Chen's ears, his personality wouldn't let him care. At least he would never blame her, because in some ways, this guy had a paranoid self-confidence.

As Li Minghe entered the room, he was about to greet Liu Mingyu with a cheerful smile when he noticed Yang Chen standing behind her, someone he hadn't seen in days. A fleeting look of surprise crossed his face, but he quickly recovered and greeted warmly, "Director Yang is here too! It's been a while. I heard you went to Paris with Director Lin for Fashion Week. Did you just get back from your trip?"

"Do you need something?" Yang Chen, unwilling to answer his questions, maintained a smile but made it clear he had no interest in chatting with him.

Li Minghe didn't feel embarrassed. He shook his head with a smile and said, "Nothing important, really. I just got into the habit of chatting with Director Liu whenever I have some free time. But it seems you two have something to discuss today, so I won't disturb you."

"If you don't have any business, then please leave," Yang Chen directly showed him the door.

Li Minghe's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly acted as if nothing had happened. He nodded and said, "It seems I'm disturbing you two. I'll leave now. Let's find some time to have a meal together. After all, we are colleagues and should get to know each other better."

After finishing his sentence, Li Minghe walked out and gently closed the door behind him, as if he had no temper at all.

Liu Mingyu, who hadn't spoken from start to finish, finally rolled her eyes at Yang Chen after Li Minghe left. "You're too blunt with him. It's fortunate he can tolerate it. If he lost his temper and argued with you, who would clean up the mess here in the company?"

Yang Chen squinted, "He's sent by Li Muhua. Li Muhua must have briefed him on something, so he wouldn't confront me, at least not openly."

Liu Mingyu, who knew some of Yang Chen's background, was not surprised. After all, her father, Liu Qingshan, wouldn't easily allow his only daughter to be someone else's mistress without any objection. She then changed the topic, "He's quite patient. Although I don't know what he really wants, he comes here every few days, sits for half an hour each time, chatting about nothing in particular. Even if I ignore him, he can talk a lot of nonsense. Sometimes I wish he would leave quickly, but for the sake of face, I have to endure it."

"Maybe he genuinely likes you and believes that perseverance will win you over," Yang Chen said with a meaningful smile.

Liu Mingyu retorted, "Can't you show a bit of jealousy or urgency? Your indifference makes me feel unattractive, like you don't care about me at all."

Hearing her slightly resentful tone, Yang Chen laughed heartily, "Whenever I think about him being lovey-dovey with that woman Wu Yue, I just don't bother to argue with him."

Mentioning Wu Yue, Liu Mingyu expressed her doubt, "I don't know what Wu Yue is thinking. Li Minghe has been visiting me frequently these days, but Wu Yue seems to have no reaction at all. Could it be that she isn't sincere about him?"

Yang Chen had no interest in discussing Li Minghe any further. He found such a character insignificant and incapable of causing any trouble. Instead, he smiled and said, "Mingyu darling, what do you think of my earlier suggestion? Let's find a time to have a meal with your parents to show my sincerity."

Liu Mingyu nodded, "It's a good idea, but there's no rush. I just moved recently and have a lot to deal with. I'll talk to my parents when I have some free time."

"You moved? Why did you move?" Yang Chen frowned.

Liu Mingyu sighed, "My father bought a new house in Zhonghai after returning, but many people I don't like to interact with often visit. I wasn't comfortable, so I moved out to live on my own."

Yang Chen's eyes lit up. Living alone? That would make things convenient for him. He grinned and said approvingly, "That's the right decision. You, as a girl, shouldn't be around those gangsters all the time."

"Don't think I don't know what you're planning. Until I've got my new place sorted, don't come bothering me," Liu Mingyu glared at Yang Chen, causing him to chuckle foolishly.

After chatting idly in Liu Mingyu's office for a while, Yang Chen was kicked out again. Like Mo Qianni, he had work to do and everyone seemed busier than him, a manager with nothing to do.

Yang Chen didn't mind, thinking there was plenty of time. He decided to first solve the problem of his long-overdue lunch. He headed to the restaurant in the Yulei Building, where he hadn't eaten in a long time, and bought three meals. Sitting alone in a corner, he ignored the odd looks from some employees and devoured his food. Afterward, with a toothpick in his mouth, he hurried back to his office at the entertainment company.

The employees in the company had been gossiping ever since the police had taken him away from the office. Seeing him again as if nothing had happened made them more convinced that this somewhat unreliable director had an extraordinary background.

Returning to his office, Yang Chen found that An Xin, who had run home in the morning, wasn't there either. He dragged a long leather sofa to the floor-to-ceiling window, pulled the curtains open, and let the sunlight stream in through the glass. Yang Chen lazily lay down on the sofa and began his afternoon nap.

Having been busy with various matters recently, Yang Chen finally found some free time. He relished the feeling he had when he used to sell lamb skewers, thinking that returning to his country was all for this. Putting aside the emotional issues that troubled him, he contentedly fell asleep.

In the evening, at the agreed time, Yang Chen met Mo Qianni and got into her car. They headed directly to the place where his mother-in-law, Ma Guifang, was.

Seeing that he was empty-handed, Mo Qianni frowned and asked directly, "Didn't you prepare any gifts?"

Yang Chen slapped his forehead, not because he was stingy, but because he had never had the concept of meeting elders, which seemed like a fantasy to him. He quickly smiled and asked, "Xiao Qianqian, what do you think we should give mom?"

"I can't believe you. You call her 'mom' so frequently, yet you haven't thought about bringing a gift," Mo Qianni said, half amused and half exasperated. She drove to a roadside flower shop, where the staff quickly arranged a bouquet of flowers.

Yang Chen, holding the bouquet, was frustrated. Flowers can't be eaten and will wither in a few days. He thought a few scallion pancakes from a roadside stall would have been more appealing. If Mo Qianni knew he was considering scallion pancakes as a gift, she would probably mistake the brakes for the accelerator while driving.

When the car reached a pedestrian street near Zhonghai, Mo Qianni found a parking spot and got out.

Yang Chen followed, looking around and seeing many people. The shops were mainly small to medium-sized restaurants. As night fell, the street lights and neon signs gradually lit up, creating a lively atmosphere in the commercial area.

Mo Qianni took Yang Chen's arm, showing a bit of affection. It was unclear whether she liked it herself or wanted to show her mother. In any case, she seemed in a good mood, smiling as she pulled Yang Chen into the pedestrian street.

"Is mom here?" Yang Chen asked curiously.

Mo Qianni nodded. "Do you remember Sister Xiang?"

Thinking for a moment, Yang Chen asked hesitantly, "Isn't she the owner of the riverside food stall, your old acquaintance?"

"Yes, that's her," Mo Qianni said. "Sister Xiang's food stall made quite a bit of money over the years, so she rented a shop here and turned the Sichuan food stall into a small Sichuan restaurant. My mom can't sit idle in Zhonghai, so I helped her find some work. I asked Sister Xiang to let my mom do some simple tasks in the restaurant. Even though her back isn't great, as long as it's not too tiring, it should be fine."

Yang Chen understood, knowing that someone who had been busy with farm work all their life would easily fall ill without something to do in a big city.

Mentioning Sister Xiang's name brought a flood of memories to Yang Chen's mind. He recalled the early days after he had just met Mo Qianni. Back then, after rescuing her from Lin Kun, she had taken him to the food stall for a meal. Later, they had met there several times. Smiling, Yang Chen said, "It's hard to believe so much time has passed. I remember after that meal, you suddenly asked me, 'Can I hug you?' You have no idea how scared I was, thinking I'd run into a female hooligan trying to take advantage of me."

"Hmph, who was trying to take advantage of you?" Mo Qianni certainly remembered that time. She had been feeling lonely and hurt and had inexplicably asked Yang Chen that question.

Yang Chen teased, "And then, someone let me sleep in her living room, and in the middle of the night, while I was asleep, she snuck up and tried to kiss me. I almost heroically sacrificed myself for her."

"Stop it!" Mo Qianni's face turned a lovely shade of red. She remembered that night when she had inexplicably gone to the living room, intending to kiss him in the dark. Later, this shameless guy pretended not to know anything and just let her kiss him. If she hadn't accidentally touched a sensitive part of his body, she might have been fooled by him!

Yang Chen, unfazed by Mo Qianni's embarrassment, continued, "I remember our relationship was strained for a while. If it weren't for that business trip to Hong Kong with Mu Yun Group, someone would have probably held a grudge against me forever."

Thinking of their time in Hong Kong, Mo Qianni's expression also grew complicated. Their relationship had indeed solidified during those days. For a moment, both fell silent, walking down the street as if the bustling crowd around them had disappeared, leaving only the two of them in the world.

Yang Chen's thoughts drifted to the past. He remembered their trip to Sichuan Province, the leisurely journey on the train, Mo Qianni waiting for him at Kunshan Village, and that snowy winter day when they climbed the hill by the sea. She had foolishly said she wanted to be a woman like the sea, putting herself in the lowest position.

It was also that night that their relationship became real. The next morning, she woke up early, saying she wanted to be ready and dressed by the time he woke up. Scene after scene flooded his mind, bringing both joy and sorrow. The past was like a finely aged wine, intoxicating him with its bittersweet emotions.

With a wry smile, Yang Chen thought to himself, how could he possibly give up on them?

"You silly woman, no matter what, I can't stop you. Of all the people you could have chosen, you had to choose me," Yang Chen said, shaking his head with a smile.

Mo Qianni, leaning against him, pouted. "What, are you tired of me already?"

"Yes, I am," Yang Chen replied, turning his head away. But before Mo Qianni could get angry, he added with a smile, "Tired of the fact that you came into my life too late."