Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 584: Chapter 585: A Good Man

The next morning, Yang Chen woke up unusually early. Perhaps it was the mental stress, but he had no desire to sleep in. Fortunately, sleep wasn't a necessity for him. Having more time to think about how to handle his relationship issues wasn't a bad idea.

When he went downstairs for breakfast, Wang Ma was busy in the kitchen. Lin Ruoxi, being a Sunday, hadn't come downstairs yet. She had been exhausted from the previous day's activities.

Zhenxiu and Guo Xuehua were already at the dining table. Guo Xuehua treated Zhenxiu like her own daughter, constantly urging her to eat more, wanting to fill her up with as much food as possible.

Seeing Yang Chen come down so early, Guo Xuehua smiled brightly and said, "Son, you're up early. Perfect timing to help out."

Yang Chen was puzzled, "Help with what?"

"Zhenxiu has to go to school today, even though it's Sunday. After breakfast, you can drive her to school. That way, she doesn't have to squeeze onto the bus. You don't have anything else to do anyway," Guo Xuehua said.

Zhenxiu quickly shook her head, "Aunt Guo, it's not necessary. I won't be late if I take the bus."

"It's not about being late. You've lost weight recently with all the studying. Yang Chen is idle most of the time. It's no big deal for him to give you a ride," Guo Xuehua insisted, smiling at Yang Chen. "Isn't that right, good son?"

Could Yang Chen say "no"? Besides, driving Zhenxiu was no trouble, and he was happy to do it. Even if it was just to score some points with Guo Xuehua, hoping she would agree to meet Ma Guifang, Yang Chen had to agree.

Seeing Yang Chen agree so readily, Zhenxiu smiled sweetly at Guo Xuehua.

Yang Chen quickly finished his breakfast, drinking a bowl of porridge and eating a few buns before joining Zhenxiu.

Guo Xuehua escorted them to the courtyard, reminding Zhenxiu to come home early for dinner with a caring tone.

Yang Chen felt a bit depressed. When his relationship with his mother wasn't great, she constantly worried about him. Now that their relationship had improved, Guo Xuehua seemed less concerned about him and more about Zhenxiu.

After getting into the car, Yang Chen started the engine and joked with Zhenxiu, "Little girl, I think you're really like my sister now. Look how my mom treats you. Anyone would think I'm adopted and you're the biological child."

Zhenxiu pouted playfully and gave Yang Chen a sideways glance, "That's because you're so naughty, always making Aunt Guo worry. I'm obedient."

Yang Chen knew what she meant, gave a sheepish smile, and scratched his head, not arguing with her. There wasn't much to argue about on this topic. He sighed, pressed the gas pedal, and drove towards Zhenxiu's school.

In the courtyard, Guo Xuehua watched the car leave, feeling reassured. Every time she saw Yang Chen driving away from home, she felt a sense of security.

After a while, she turned to go back inside, but just then, a middle-aged woman walked out from the neighboring Rose's house.

The woman, dressed simply, looked unfamiliar to Guo Xuehua. However, she could tell from her appearance that she must have been quite beautiful in her younger days.

This woman was Ma Guifang, who had been staying temporarily with her daughter Mo Qianni at Rose's house.

Ma Guifang had been in Zhonghai for a while, but since Guo Xuehua hadn't visited Rose's house recently, they hadn't met.

At this moment, as Ma Guifang walked into the courtyard, she also noticed Guo Xuehua.

Two women of similar age, one dignified and elegant, the other simple and clear, but both could see an unusual depth in each other's eyes.

Since they met and were neighbors, it was only natural to greet each other.

Guo Xuehua walked up to the intricately carved fence and smiled, "Hello, I'm Guo Xuehua, I live here. Sister, I haven't seen you before. Are you new here? Are you Rose's relative?"

Hearing Guo Xuehua call her "sister" made Ma Guifang feel a sense of warmth and closeness. She was unfamiliar with Zhonghai and, meeting a neighbor of a similar age, she immediately felt a desire to befriend her. Moreover, given her age and experience, she could tell that Guo Xuehua had a good character.

"Oh, I'm Ma Guifang. I'm not related to Rose; I'm Mo Qianni's mother," Ma Guifang said with a smile. "I recently moved here because I wasn't feeling well and couldn't stay alone back home, so I came to rely on my daughter."

From Ma Guifang's accent, Guo Xuehua could tell she was from Sichuan Province. Looking closely, she could see the resemblance to Mo Qianni and smiled. "So you're Qianni's mother! I've heard her mention that she only has her mother back home. It's great that you're here. Our children are busy during the day, and it's just me and Wang Ma at home, which can be quite boring. With you here, we have someone to chat with."

Hearing this, Ma Guifang smiled warmly. "Since you call me sister, I'll call you Snow Flower (Xuehua) sister. I had no idea you knew my daughter. Qianni never told me who our neighbors were."

"Qianni is busy. She's a beautiful and capable girl. You're fortunate to have such a wonderful daughter. It must be thanks to your good looks that Qianni turned out so pretty," Guo Xuehua complimented.

Ma Guifang, whose greatest pride was her successful daughter, was particularly pleased by this. Her eyes crinkled into lines as she said, "You're too kind, Snow Flower sister. I'm just a simple person from the mountains. Qianni's achievements are all due to her own hard work. By the way, do you have a son or a daughter?"

Ma Guifang had been on her way to work at Xiang's Sichuan restaurant but got so engrossed in conversation with Guo Xuehua that she forgot about it.

As women of their age often do when they meet someone they click with, the conversation flowed effortlessly.

Guo Xuehua talked about her children but avoided mentioning too much about the special background of the Yang family. She only said she had a son and now lived with her son and daughter-in-law.

When she mentioned that her daughter-in-law was Qianni's good friend and also the president of Qianni's company, Ma Guifang was surprised. She mentally scolded Mo Qianni for not telling her that Lin Ruoxi lived next door.

Ma Guifang knew that the former president of Yulei had helped Mo Qianni, so she was aware that the current president was Lin Ruoxi. She had no idea that Mo Qianni hadn't told her because she didn't want her to know that Lin Ruoxi and Yang Chen were married.

Mo Qianni had been anxious these past days, fearing her mother would find out. But without a good reason to keep her mother from staying with her, she had to just hope Yang Chen would resolve the issue.

During their conversation, Guo Xuehua skillfully avoided certain topics, while Ma Guifang had no reason to hide anything.

When Guo Xuehua asked about finding a match for Mo Qianni, Ma Guifang smiled and said, "My daughter already found someone. He's a good young man and doesn't look down on us from the countryside. Just a few days ago, we talked about arranging a meeting between the families. The other family is probably busy, so we haven't set a date yet."

"That's wonderful! I've always thought Qianni is a great girl. If my son hadn't married early, I might have tried to match Qianni with him," Guo Xuehua said with a smile. "But it turns out Qianni already has someone special. That girl didn't mention it when I asked her before."

A few days ago, Guo Xuehua might have felt a bit regretful, as she always thought Mo Qianni would make a better daughter-in-law than Lin Ruoxi. But now, with Lin Ruoxi's impeccable behavior, she was genuinely happy for Mo Qianni and just wished her well.

Ma Guifang then went on to praise her future son-in-law, though she didn't mention his name. She described his countless virtues, making him sound like the perfect, devoted man.

Listening to this, Guo Xuehua also felt that this young man must be exceptional. No wonder Mo Qianni was attracted to him—he seemed much better than her own wayward son, Yang Chen!

Guo Xuehua, filled with admiration and a bit of regret, had no idea that the "good man" Ma Guifang was talking about was actually her own son, Yang Chen, the same one she thought was always causing trouble with women!

In reality, they were discussing the same person all along.