Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 587: Chapter 588: Stolen

Yang Chen was dumbfounded. To be honest, he was a bit taken aback. He never expected that the man who was only related to him by blood and had no emotional bond would have such a devoted side.

Guo Xuehua smiled gracefully, "Actually, before you appeared, my relationship with him was always good. I know that a man like him must have many temptations around him. I was not by his side most of the time for many years, and it is so precious that he could remain so devoted to me.

You might not know, the reason I have been dedicated to charity work for so many years, opening orphanages, and setting up foundations, is largely to make up for the guilt of losing you. I hope that by being kind to those orphans, the heavens will also be kind to you, wherever you are. I do not ask for you to return to my side, but I hope that you are safe.

At first, my idea was opposed by your grandfather. After all, I am the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yang family, the only daughter-in-law. It did not sound good to be seen outside instead of hosting domestic affairs and serving the elderly at home. But thanks to that man's repeated persuasion, your grandfather finally agreed to my charity work.

To be honest, from the time we got married to now, over twenty years, I have always felt I owed him, but he has never hurt me. If it weren't for you, I would actually be full of gratitude towards him."

"Do you regret it?" Yang Chen asked faintly.

"Regret? Regret what?"

"Regret leaving a husband who loved you so much, just because of a troublesome son like me," Yang Chen smiled self-deprecatingly.

Guo Xuehua rolled her eyes at Yang Chen, "How can that be related to regret? To me, Yang Pojun is indeed a good husband, but that is only for me as his wife. But as a father, he has utterly disappointed me. I am not just his wife, but also your mother.

When I was young, I abandoned you once for the sake of my husband and the family. I gave birth to two boys for the Yang family, and I am not ashamed before the ancestors of the Yang family. Now I am almost fifty years old. How can I, for those reasons, let you slip away from me again?"

Only then did Yang Chen feel a bit relieved. He thought he should be more filial to his mother in the future. She left a husband who loved her so much for his sake; he couldn't let her down.

However, this "filial piety" did not include how to handle issues of romance.

Yang Chen continued, smiling as he leaned closer, "Mom, now that we have talked this far, I will be filial to you in the future. But you also have to help your son find happiness, right? My women are not just picked up randomly on the street. We have feelings for each other and have gone through some things together to be where we are. How can I just let them go? Anyway, I won't let go of any of them. Please help me and meet my mother-in-law."

Guo Xuehua's relaxed expression immediately turned into a frown, "Yang Chen, it's nice that many girls like you, and mom is happy about it, but we don't live in ancient times where a man can openly have multiple wives. You are not like some people who secretly keep mistresses after making money. You openly have relationships with other women. If this gets out, how will those girls face people?

Moreover, it would be fine if Ruoxi didn't know about this. I wouldn't mind helping you keep it a secret. But you never intended to hide it from Ruoxi. She is not blind or heartless. How can Ruoxi endure this?"

Yang Chen smiled bitterly, "Mom, to be honest with you, when Ruoxi and I got married, she never intended to stay with me long-term. So she didn't care whether I had women outside. Who knew things would turn out this way?"

"What do you mean?" Guo Xuehua asked puzzled, "What do you mean by 'not intending to stay long-term'? How did you and Ruoxi meet and get married? This is not a child's play. Besides, Ruoxi is such a smart girl. How could she easily marry a man?"

Yang Chen touched his nose, feeling quite awkward, but he knew he had to tell his mother eventually since Guo Xuehua wouldn't spread it around.

So, Yang Chen recounted how he was selling mutton skewers when he first returned to the country, then how he went to a bar where he accidentally met Lin Ruoxi, who was feeling low because of Lin Kun. She was drugged in the bar, and he saved her but mistook her for a hostess.

When Guo Xuehua heard that Yang Chen had mistakenly taken Lin Ruoxi, a girl he saved, for a prostitute and had taken her chastity, her mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg!

In the end, Guo Xuehua, both laughing and crying, quickly patted Yang Chen a few times in annoyance, "You child, what kind of eyesight and brain do you have?! Do you think a woman who would do that kind of work would need to be drugged? If she was already doing that job, why would she need to be drugged? Besides, a girl as beautiful as Ruoxi, how could she be doing such things?!"

Yang Chen scratched the back of his head and thought, indeed, it seemed that back then he was so blinded by lust that he didn't consider Lin Ruoxi's real identity at all. In hindsight, he realized he was no different from those ruffians like Zhang Hu. This was quite embarrassing!

"So, I see now, your wife was actually stolen by you, you rascal!" Guo Xuehua tapped Yang Chen's forehead with her finger. "I always wondered how such a proper girl like Ruoxi could fall for a mischievous boy like you!"

Yang Chen laughed awkwardly and said, "It's not like I didn't take responsibility. We got married, didn't we? And things have turned out fine in the end."

"This is what you call fine? You two are still sleeping in separate rooms. When will I ever get to hold a grandchild?" Guo Xuehua said, feigning anger.

Yang Chen replied, "Mom, these things can't be rushed. I'm ready anytime, but Ruoxi insists that I cut ties with the other women before she'll share a room with me. Isn't that asking for my life?"

"What's wrong with that? She's forcing you to make a firm decision, to cut the Gordian knot," Guo Xuehua said.

Yang Chen gritted his teeth and said, "Mom, why do you always side with Lin Ruoxi? If I had more women, wouldn't that increase the chances of you having more little Yang Chens? Besides, the Ruoxi you've seen these past few days isn't the real her. There's no way she could transform from a workaholic into a domestic goddess so quickly. She's deliberately making you and Aunt Wang take her side to gang up on me!"

Yang Chen, in desperation, started to reveal Lin Ruoxi's ploy, hoping to discredit her a bit.

Unexpectedly, Guo Xuehua chuckled, "My dear son, do you really think your mom and Aunt Wang are so old and foolish?"

"What?" Yang Chen was confused.

Guo Xuehua sighed and shook her head, "I am Ruoxi's mother-in-law, but I am also a woman. Of course, I understand Ruoxi better than you do. These past few days, Ruoxi suddenly became so well-behaved and likable. Do you think I really don't know why? Aunt Wang and I have talked privately about how clever Ruoxi is to think of ways to win our favor."

Yang Chen was enlightened. Guo Xuehua had long been aware of Lin Ruoxi's intentions. He asked puzzledly, "Then why...?"

"Because even though Ruoxi might be playing a little trick, her intentions are good. She is genuinely trying to be filial to us and is working hard to earn what she deserves," Guo Xuehua smiled. "Since her actions are beneficial to our family, why should we expose her?"

Yang Chen was speechless, pulling a long face and lamenting, "You all are comfortable, but I'm being put on a tightrope over a cliff."

Guo Xuehua, smiling, said, "These issues are beyond my help. I just want our family to live peacefully and happily. If you have the ability, make Ruoxi accept your choices. If you don't, at least don't turn this house into a mess."

Guo Xuehua's words indicated that she wouldn't interfere too much with Yang Chen's private life. After all, a son is not a husband, and she had no reason to fear her son having multiple women. Furthermore, Guo Xuehua was not from an ordinary family, and she had seen many such situations.

Yang Chen pondered for a while and then said, "I can't guarantee the future, but I will definitely try to make everyone around me happy. The immediate concern is that my mother-in-law is waiting to meet you. Mom, please help me and meet her. With your social skills, it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

This time, he even used flattery.

Guo Xuehua shook her head with a smile and glanced helplessly at Yang Chen, "You've convinced me. Choose a date and place, and I'll go meet her. By the way, what's the family name of your mother-in-law?"

Yang Chen's face lit up with joy, and he chuckled, "I knew you were on my side. My mother-in-law's surname is Ma. She is a very simple person, so I'm sure you'll get along well."

"It's not about getting along. I'm just worried that when she learns about your situation, she might turn hostile," Guo Xuehua said, still feeling uneasy.

Yang Chen knew that the truth would come out eventually. He had always faced things head-on and believed there would be a way to solve everything.

Having settled the matter of the parents meeting, Yang Chen was in a good mood. He was about to make some tea for Guo Xuehua to show his appreciation when he saw Aunt Wang, who had gone out to buy groceries, returning with Lin Ruoxi.