Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 724: Chapter 727: Blue

After a "glutinous rice ball feast," Lin Ruoxi's face was flushed with a rosy glow. She was in high spirits, especially since she got to sit outside the shop, eating rice balls while watching Korean dramas. If it weren't for the task of delivering gifts, Yang Chen suspected Lin Ruoxi could have stayed there until evening.

Yang Chen was amazed that seven substantial rice balls managed to fit into Lin Ruoxi's stomach. He didn't dare interrupt his wife's enjoyment and helped her pack up the remaining rice balls before they both left the building and drove to the orphanage.

With such a large pile of gifts, it was obvious they weren't just for one orphanage. They visited three orphanages in total, all located in the suburbs of Zhonghai City. After getting out of the car, Lin Ruoxi warmly greeted the children and played simple games with them.

Yang Chen, on the other hand, served as the muscle, hauling boxes of toys and snacks into the orphanages. The task of distributing the gifts, however, was left to the orphanage staff and Lin Ruoxi, as the children weren't very interested in Yang Chen. They largely ignored the ordinary-looking man.

Yang Chen had hoped to play with the children like Lin Ruoxi, perhaps showing a bit of "tough-guy tenderness." But not only the girls, even the boys kept their distance from him, as if afraid he would take advantage of them. Seeing Yang Chen's frustration, the orphanage staff and Lin Ruoxi couldn't help but laugh.

Though Yang Chen was a bit frustrated, seeing Lin Ruoxi smile more than usual made it all worthwhile. He only regretted that due to his current condition, it would likely take a long time before they could have a child. He would have to find a way to improve his women's health before they could have a baby. After all, not only did Lin Ruoxi love children, but both Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma had been anxious for a long time.

The last orphanage they visited was New Hope Orphanage, the one founded by Guo Xuehua and the one Lin Ruoxi visited most frequently.

When they arrived, the children were noisily playing a game of "Eagle and Chicks." Upon seeing Lin Ruoxi, they swarmed around her, sweetly calling out her name.

Lin Ruoxi, full of energy and tireless, immediately joined in as the "mother hen" for the children.

While Yang Chen was busy unloading the last few boxes of gifts, the orphanage director approached him with a smile. "Thank you so much. We're all women here, and not very strong."

Yang Chen recognized the director, an old acquaintance, as she was the one who had raised Zhenxiu. Naturally, Yang Chen treated her with respect.

"It's nothing. All I can do is the heavy lifting. The kids don't seem to like me much," Yang Chen joked self-deprecatingly and then asked, "Has my mom been here?"

The director, knowing that Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi were Guo Xuehua's son and daughter-in-law, nodded with a smile. "She came by earlier. She's very busy today, going from one orphanage to another. She also told me that Zhenxiu is about to take her college entrance exam, so she won't be back until after it's over. Guo is a very considerate person."

Yang Chen nodded thoughtfully, just as he was about to find a place to rest and wait for Lin Ruoxi, he noticed a small figure standing at the orphanage's entrance from the corner of his eye.

It was a little girl, about three or four years old, wearing a light blue polka-dot dress with white dots. Her fair little legs were exposed, and she wore red leather sandals. Her short, shiny black hair was cut into a round mushroom shape, with straight bangs in the front, accentuating her delicate and charming face. Her large, clear eyes were like pools of pure water.

The little girl leaned against the door, her expression devoid of the usual innocence children have. Her gaze was fixed on Lin Ruoxi, who was among the children.

The girl's eyes, which should have been full of carefree joy, held a hint of complex contemplation.

Yang Chen squinted, feeling something was odd about the little girl, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. However, he felt a strong sense of affection for her, not because she was as exquisite as a porcelain doll, but due to an indescribable feeling.

"Director, is that little girl also from this orphanage?" Yang Chen asked the elderly woman beside him.

The director glanced over and smiled with a trace of affection. "Oh, what a pretty little girl, like a doll. No, she's not from our orphanage. You can tell from her clothes that she's from a wealthy family. Maybe her parents happened to pass by and she came to see the other kids playing."

Yang Chen nodded, just as he was about to take some snacks over to talk to the girl, when a woman who appeared to be her nanny rushed over to the girl. The nanny, looking concerned, held the little girl's hand and seemed to be gently persuading her as she led her away.

Even as they were leaving, the little girl looked back longingly at Lin Ruoxi.

"It seems that girl really likes Ruoxi. Ruoxi has always had a way with children," the director observed with a warm smile.

Yang Chen smiled softly, thinking the same. No matter how much he speculated, it was impossible for such a young girl to have any special thoughts about Lin Ruoxi. Perhaps he was just overthinking it.

With that, Yang Chen let the matter drop and continued chatting with the director as time passed.

Not far from the orphanage, in a quiet teahouse, the little girl, who seemed like a fairy, was now climbing the slightly old wooden stairs, her small feet moving quickly up to the second floor.

"Miss Lanlan, be careful! Don't hurt yourself. Oh my, my little lady," the nanny hurriedly followed, worried that the girl might trip and fall.

The girl's puffy dress fluttered as she agilely ran upstairs, showing no sign of stumbling. She paid no mind to the worried nanny and quickly ran to a table near the teahouse balcony. Climbing onto a chair, she grabbed a cup of cold tea and, like a little adult, gulped it down with her rosy lips.

Across from her sat a handsome, relaxed-looking man with a mature air. He wore a striped shirt, a string of prayer beads around one wrist, and held a folding fan in the other. He watched the girl drink the tea with a loving smile and gently asked, "Lanlan, you didn't bully the other children, did you?"

The girl, called Lanlan, put down the cup and looked at the man with a blank expression. Her voice was as clear as a yellow warbler. "Grandpa, there was an auntie who looked a lot like my mommy."

The girl's voice had no trace of emotion, but if anyone else were present, they would be shocked to hear her call this seemingly young man "Grandpa," marveling at how well the man had preserved his youthful appearance since he looked no older than his early thirties.

The man turned his head toward the nanny, who had caught up and was now out of breath, clearly asking her what Lanlan meant.

The nanny smiled wryly and explained, "Sir, Miss Lanlan saw a very beautiful lady at the orphanage playing with the children and thought that lady looked like her mother."

The man was silent for a moment, then closed his fan and spoke in a serious tone. "Lanlan, Grandpa knows you miss your mommy very much. But I've told you many times, your mommy went to a very faraway place and won't be coming back. When the time is right, Grandpa will take you to meet your daddy. Then you'll have a daddy who loves you and a new mommy."

"Lanlan has a mommy! Mommy wouldn't abandon Lanlan!" the little girl stubbornly protested, her big, bright eyes filled with determination.

The man paused, sighed softly, and reached out to gently stroke the girl's smooth hair. "Alright, alright. Lanlan's mommy will come back. Grandpa won't say otherwise."

Only then did Lanlan puff out her cheeks, seemingly forgiving him. Without a smile, she reached out her chubby little hand, picked up a piece of green bean cake from the table, and began nibbling on it silently.

Watching her round face enjoying the cake, the man's eyes softened with affection. He gently asked, "Lanlan, we're going to settle down in Zhonghai from now on. Do you like it here?"

Lanlan blinked her big eyes and asked softly, "Grandpa, you said you'd take me to see Daddy. Now that we're not leaving, does that mean Daddy is here?"

The man was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled wryly, "You clever little thing."

"Then why don't we go see Daddy now?" the girl tilted her head, puzzled.

The man tapped his fan lightly on his head in slight frustration. "Lanlan, Grandpa has his reasons. It's for your good and for Daddy's good. We'll go see Daddy in a few days, okay?"

Lanlan silently looked at the man for a moment, then obediently nodded.

The nanny, watching the child's obedient and understanding demeanor, couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion, her nose tingling as she wiped away a tear.

More than half an hour later, Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi bid farewell to the director of the orphanage. Unbeknownst to them, the afternoon had passed, and they needed to head home for dinner, as keeping everyone waiting too long wouldn't be good.

Yang Chen opened the car door for Lin Ruoxi like a gentleman, letting her in first. As he walked to the driver's side, he suddenly felt something, a subtle intuition.

He paused and looked up, gazing toward the distant street where the teahouse was located, frowning slightly.

"What's wrong? Did you see someone you know?" Lin Ruoxi asked curiously from inside the car.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Yang Chen's expression quickly softened into a lighthearted smile. "Nothing, I was just pretending to be deep."

Lin Ruoxi rolled her eyes at him. "Hurry up and drive. Don't keep Mom and the others waiting too long."

Yang Chen teased with a grin, "You could just say you're eager to get back to those leftover glutinous rice balls."

This time, Lin Ruoxi didn't respond. She turned her head to look out the window, seemingly indifferent, though the slight blush on her ears betrayed her true thoughts.

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