Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 700: Chapter 703: Temper

Seeing Yang Chen suddenly break in, Luo Cuishan didn't show much surprise. She calmly put down her gun, turned around, and said, "You came faster than I expected. It seems you've already discovered this place."

Xue Minghe, seeing that Luo Cuishan didn't continue shooting, finally relaxed his tightly wound nerves. Surviving a near-death experience brought him little joy, and he instinctively retreated to a slightly distant spot, nervously observing everything in front of him.

Yang Chen walked to the center of the hall, coldly looking at Xue Minghe. "Hiding there, thinking it will solve anything? Get up. I promised Ruoxi I wouldn't kill you for now. Go to the police station and confess everything."

Xue Minghe's pupils contracted. Hearing that Lin Ruoxi wanted to spare him, a violent look appeared on his face. "Hmph, I don't need that woman's pity! She and her mother are both hypocritical and venomous! If you want to kill me, do it. I'm afraid of death, but I won't accept your so-called mercy!"

"Weren't you just begging this crazy woman for your life? Now that you're given a chance to live, you act fearless?" Yang Chen frowned. "Even if it means dying, you won't accept leniency. Is your hatred for Ruoxi really that deep?"

Xue Minghe snorted heavily, turning his head away with a defiant attitude, refusing to yield.

Luo Cuishan laughed sharply, "It seems you only know a fraction of the past events. Do you not know what 'good deeds' your mother-in-law, Xue Zijin, did back then?"

"What do you mean?" Yang Chen's face grew serious. The reason he hadn't acted immediately was that he didn't fully understand the events of the past.

Using global intelligence from Haiying, Yang Chen found out within hours that Li Minghe was actually Xue Minghe, who had changed his identity multiple times and moved overseas from Yanjing. It was difficult because someone had manipulated his records, making it hard to trace him. Yang Chen only knew that Xue Minghe was Lin Ruoxi's cousin and that the Xue family had some connections with Yang Ye, the former head of the Yang family, who had supported their rise.

Luo Cuishan twirled the gun in her palm. Despite being a politician, she was clearly skilled with firearms, indicating she wasn't content with being an ordinary woman.

"Since things have reached this point, I might as well tell you everything. After you hear it, you can ponder over it," Luo Cuishan leisurely sat on the sofa, crossing her long legs. "Do you know who originally founded Yulei International?"

Yang Chen didn't expect this sudden question. "Wasn't it Ruoxi's grandmother who established it after returning from studying abroad?"

Luo Cuishan shook her finger. "Wrong."

Suddenly, Xue Minghe, who seemed extremely angry, shouted from the side, "Yulei International originally belonged to the Xue family."

Yang Chen was stunned and thought back. The person who told him about the background of Yulei International was Wang Ma. According to her, the old president created Yulei to elevate her status and secure her position with Lin Kun by leveraging Lin Zhiguo's power. Did Wang Ma lie to him?

Luo Cuishan sneered, "No one would openly admit to their ugly deeds, especially if it's something the outside world wouldn't know unless someone digs it up."

Gradually, Luo Cuishan started recounting old, forgotten memories from decades ago, as if they were trivial matters. Back then, the Xue family was an ordinary small family with little standing in Yanjing. However, the Xue family's eldest son became a close guard of Marshal Yang Ye of the Yang family, earning commendations in wars against Japan and the U.S., which gained him favor and support from the Yang family, leading to the Xue family's gradual prominence in Yanjing.

However, the Xue family did not continue their military development, as Marshal Yang Ye hoped to avoid raising suspicions from the outside world by not having too many trusted followers in the military. Thus, the Xue family focused on business outside Yanjing, with Yulei International in Zhonghai being their largest enterprise.

Lin Ruoxi's grandmother, an elite who returned from studying abroad, entered Yulei due to numerous collaborations between her family and Yulei International in Zhonghai. With her exceptional business acumen, she quickly rose to the position of assistant to the president, developing a good relationship with Xue Zijin's mother, who was the president at the time.

The Xue family's development was smooth until Marshal Yang Ye's death, after which they struggled. Yang Gongming, who inherited the family head position, was preoccupied with political battles, leaving many families dependent on the Yang family in difficult situations.

During this challenging time, Xue Zijin fell in love with Ning Guangyao from the illustrious Ning family. However, with the Xue family's limited wealth and no political or military power, they were not a suitable match for the Ning family. The Ning family sought marriage alliances with prominent families like the Lin, Luo, Zeng, and Yan families, making Luo Cuishan, a classmate of Ning Guangyao, the best candidate.

Luo Cuishan, with her aristocratic upbringing and keen political sense, was seen as a valuable partner for Ning Guangyao's development, a match the Ning family elders couldn't ignore. Luo Cuishan, confident and willing to marry Ning Guangyao, didn't mind his affair with Xue Zijin, believing that time and circumstances would change emotions, and only tangible benefits were persuasive.

Despite Ning Guangyao's reluctance to give up Xue Zijin, he eventually succumbed to the allure of becoming the family head, the pressure from his elders, and the competition for a bright future within the family.

Faced with a choice between an ordinary woman and the leader of Yanxia's future and the head of its strongest family, it's hard to say Ning Guangyao was cold-hearted. The gap between these two options was indeed vast.

When the Ning family and the Luo family confirmed their marriage alliance, the Xue family in Yanjing became an eyesore. Everyone in Yanjing's major families knew that the Xue family's daughter was Ning Guangyao's lover. If such gossip interfered with Ning Guangyao's career, it would be fatal! Furthermore, the Luo family wouldn't want their daughter to suffer any indignity after marriage. If Ning Guangyao and Xue Zijin secretly met in Yanjing, the Luo family couldn't do anything to Ning Guangyao.

Thus, the target became the Xue family, and it was best for the Xue family to leave Yanjing or even Yanxia altogether. The Xue family's only support, the Yang family, was in trouble at that time and couldn't protect them. Helpless, the Xue family left Yanjing in a short time. Meanwhile, the Luo family's elders manipulated the situation, retaining a large portion of the Xue family's assets in the country to prevent them from ever bouncing back with vengeance in mind.

Despite this, Xue Zijin stubbornly refused to go abroad with her family. She was determined that even if she died, she wouldn't leave her homeland and the man she loved.

Amid this mess, Lin Zhiguo of the Lin family, to elevate his lover's status, made a deal with the Xue family. After negotiating several conditions, the Xue family relinquished their last domestic asset, Yulei International, to Lin Ruoxi's grandmother.

Lin Ruoxi's grandmother, who already had close ties with the Xue family, was perceived as a relative by the outside world. Combined with her abilities, everything proceeded smoothly.

The crucial condition for the Xue family to hand over Yulei International was the old Xue patriarch's wish to ensure his beloved daughter Xue Zijin could live safely in Yanxia. Even though most Xue family members hated Xue Zijin, blaming her stubbornness for their downfall by the Ning and Luo families, the old patriarch insisted on protecting his daughter.

Thus, Lin Ruoxi's grandmother and Lin Zhiguo protected Xue Zijin, who married Lin Zhiguo's illegitimate son, Lin Kun. They left Yanjing and spent the rest of their lives in Zhonghai.

Hearing all this, Yang Chen's emotions were tumultuous. He could sense Luo Cuishan's lingering hatred towards Xue Zijin, likely because Ning Guangyao still loved her.

However, this cleared up some of Yang Chen's doubts. Why did Xue Zijin, far away in Yanjing, suddenly marry Lin Kun in Zhonghai? It was too abrupt. It didn't make sense for the old president to go out of his way to find the isolated Xue Zijin as a daughter-in-law!

Moreover, the rapid development of Yulei International was too swift. The old president's family had no significant reputation, making their sudden rise questionable. If the Xue family initially laid the foundation, it made sense.

Furthermore, the Xue family's long-term relocation overseas and lack of contact with Lin Ruoxi also became understandable. Except for the old patriarch, likely no one liked Xue Zijin and her daughter, who caused their exile.

Reflecting on his mother-in-law Xue Zijin's personality, Yang Chen didn't know whether to admire or shake his head at her stubbornness. For the sake of Ning Guangyao, who had abandoned her, she was willing to do anything. This obstinacy seemed to have been inherited by Lin Ruoxi.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8