Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 107: Praising My Wife

The temperature in Zhonghai had gradually cooled down after entering autumn. The autumn wind swept away the heat like fallen leaves, making Yang Chen, who got up early in the morning, even want to snuggle under the blanket.

It's regressing, it's decaying. After returning to the country for half a year, Yang Chen unexpectedly found the word "snuggle under the blanket" appearing in his mind. In the past twenty years or so, he had never thought that he would have such a day.

He could breathe in the morning air with dew while the faint sunlight shone through the window. He could toss and turn in the blanket, smelling the sweet scent of breakfast prepared downstairs. Ah... what a simple atmosphere...

"Bang bang bang," the door was knocked, and Wang Mama's familiar and kind voice came from outside, "Young Master, come down for breakfast. It wouldn't be good if Miss gets anxious waiting at the hospital."

It was only today that they were going to pick up Lin Ruoxi, so Wang Mama hurriedly came to wake Yang Chen up.

Yang Chen quickly put on a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of Adidas sports shorts. He never worried about catching a cold because of sickness, so he dressed as comfortably as he pleased.

After a quick wash, he rushed downstairs to enjoy a hearty breakfast. Prompted by Wang Mama, he hurried out and drove to the hospital.

Passing by the flower shop on the way, Yang Chen hesitated. He thought, "Listening to the advice of the elders ensures one doesn't suffer losses." So, he got out of the car and ran into the flower shop, looking around.

The shopkeeper was a mature and beautiful woman. Seeing Yang Chen enter, she smiled and asked what he needed.

Yang Chen remembered Wang Mama mentioning something about carnations, but he didn't know that carnations also came in different colors! White, red, yellow, purple, and even green!

"Why would a flower have so many strange colors?" Yang Chen thought to himself.

"Young man, each color of carnation has a different meaning. Let me explain them to you before you buy," the shopkeeper said enthusiastically.

But Yang Chen didn't have time to wait for that. He waved his hand domineeringly and said, "No need, just give me one of each color. Saves the trouble!"

The shopkeeper was speechless. It was the first time she had seen someone buy flowers like this. Getting one of each color, was he treating it like coloring with crayons? Scribbling with colorful pens without knowing what's what?

But the customer's request was an order. With a smile, the shopkeeper carefully wrapped a bunch of peculiar multicolored carnations and handed them to Yang Chen.

With so many different carnations bundled together, it was especially hard to calculate the price. Yang Chen threw down a few red bills, not bothering to let the shopkeeper count the money, and hurriedly left the flower shop.

The moment the shopkeeper finished counting, she realized that there was still over a hundred yuan missing. But when she looked up, she saw that Yang Chen's car had already left without a trace, which nearly made her faint with anger.

When they arrived at the hospital, it was precisely the agreed time for Lin Ruoxi to be discharged. The moment Yang Chen stepped into Lin Ruoxi's ward, he saw two long-unseen figures.

"Mr. Yang, nice to see you well." Xu Zhihong still smiled politely, holding a large bunch of pure white orchids in his hands, delicate and dewy.

Beside Xu Zhihong stood a playful-looking ball of fluff, scratching its own butt as if bitten by a mosquito or having grown something it shouldn't have. Lin Ruoxi, dressed in a casual white and blue floral dress, sat quietly on the bed with her neatly packed luggage beside her. She didn't acknowledge Yang Chen's entrance and was quietly filling out some forms, presumably related to hospital discharge.

Yang Chen glanced at Xu Zhihong. This guy was even more enthusiastic than Yang Chen, the husband himself. It seemed he hadn't diminished his thoughts for Lin Ruoxi. Yang Chen responded sulkily, "Mr. Xu is such a busy man but still came to give flowers to my wife. You really honor me."

Xu Zhihong's smile froze for a moment. What does he mean by honoring you? What does it have to do with Yang Chen if I give flowers to Lin Ruoxi?

"Mr. Yang is too polite," Xu Zhihong said with a forced smile, pretending, "I wonder what Mr. Yang's bouquet signifies. I've never seen flowers given like this before."

At this moment, Lin Ruoxi sneakily glanced up and saw Yang Chen's mixed bouquet of carnations. She furrowed her brows. She was curious about what flowers Yang Chen would give her, but seeing the mishmash of carnations, she didn't know what to say. They were supposed to be carnations, but they looked like a bunch of wildflowers. It really left her at a loss for words.

Yang Chen chuckled nonchalantly, "Significance? I wonder what Mr. Xu's orchids represent?"

Proudly, Xu Zhihong declared, "Beauty, nobility. It's my admiration for Ruoxi. The orchids are just a small token of my esteem."

"Thank you for praising my wife," Yang Chen drew out the "my," causing Xu Zhihong to furrow his brows again. Then Yang Chen continued, "The reason this bouquet has so many colors is because I simply didn't know how to praise my little darling Ruoxi. Beauty, kindness, nobility, intelligence, sexiness, virtue, dignity, love, diligence, tolerance... A virtuous wife and loving mother, a role model for labor, the most touching figure of the scorching summer... Ah, you see, don't all these flowers represent our Ruoxi? So I had no choice but to bring them all." Who cares about proper proportion? With so many flowers and so many adjectives, there's bound to be a match! Yang Chen thought with a mischievous grin.

Lin Ruoxi's face blushed slightly at Yang Chen's exaggerated praise and cheesy remarks. What does "the most touching figure of the scorching summer" even mean? It's bad enough that this man has no shame buying flowers, but why does he have to say so many cheesy things?

Xu Zhihong was at a loss for words. He wished he had bought one orchid of each color as well, but even if he did, he doubted he could come up with such nauseating words. He could only force a few laughs and say, "Mr. Yang is indeed knowledgeable and talented."

"Thank you for the praise. Mr. Xu has indeed noticed even such a small virtue of mine! I've always been modest. If Mr. Xu has nothing else to do, you can leave the flowers here and go about your important business," Yang Chen said politely, making a gesture of invitation.

Xu Zhihong's face alternated between pale and black, almost passing out from rage! Great! He actually took my polite words seriously and shamelessly accepted the praise! He even bluntly told me to put down the flowers and leave! He didn't even use a single dirty word, just smiling like that, leaving me with no outlet for my frustration!

The fluffy ball following Xu Zhihong looked at its master with pity. Chasing after a married woman, and getting himself into this mess, was it really worth it?

"Well... I'll leave my flowers here, congratulations on your discharge. I'll be leaving now," Xu Zhihong said, feeling like he was about to erupt like a volcano, but while others erupted with lava, he would just spew blood.

After Xu Zhihong and his servants left, Lin Ruoxi lifted her head with a faint expression and said, "Don't be so rude to Mr. Xu. He didn't do anything special."

"Didn't do anything special?" Yang Chen exclaimed loudly, "He brought flowers to you faster than your husband did. Isn't that asking for trouble?"

After saying that, Yang Chen walked to the cabinet, picked up Xu Zhihong's orchids, and tossed them directly into the corner trash can. Then he walked satisfied to Lin Ruoxi's side, holding the flowers up to her, "Welcome home, darling."

Being called "darling" made her feel a bit awkward. Out of courtesy instilled in her since childhood, Lin Ruoxi still accepted the flowers and said, "Thank you."

Yang Chen grinned, "No need to thank me. I know you're already deeply moved, but please don't cry. I'm most afraid of women crying in front of me."

Lin Ruoxi sighed softly, he's still so improper. Why cry for no reason?

After completing the formalities and leaving the hospital, Yang Chen drove Lin Ruoxi home for the first time. Although they had previously ridden in the same car, it was always Lin Ruoxi driving her expensive Bentley to pick up Yang Chen.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Lin Ruoxi glanced at the brand-new interior of the BMW M3 and couldn't help but remind, "Yang Chen, the car you're driving now is mine. As a man, don't you feel a little ashamed?"

Yang Chen shook his head, "No shame at all. Since you have plenty of cars, Lin, it would be a waste to keep them all. I'm just helping you eliminate waste. It's an honor!"

"I'm serious," Lin Ruoxi frowned. "As a man, shouldn't you strive to get good cars and houses on your own? Driving a car belonging to a woman, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

Lin Ruoxi earnestly advised, hoping that Yang Chen would feel some shame and strive to work harder.

After a moment of thought, Yang Chen nodded solemnly, "Ruoxi, you're right. I do feel a bit off about it now that you've said that. I'll take the BMW emblem off with a small knife another day, so it won't be considered a BMW anymore and won't be too flashy. What do you think?"

Lin Ruoxi really wanted to grab the steering wheel and force the car to crash into the highway guardrail, killing this scoundrel!

Seeing Yang Chen's playful demeanor, Lin Ruoxi felt her heart turn cold again with disappointment, her expression indifferent, unwilling to say more.

Yang Chen also understood that his wife was angry with him for not being ambitious. He focused on driving, pretending not to know anything.

They arrived home without speaking. Wang Mama was already waiting at the door. Seeing the couple get out of the car, she immediately came forward joyfully to help Lin Ruoxi with her luggage. After they entered, she went to prepare lunch.

Lin Ruoxi ignored Yang Chen and went upstairs to handle business affairs with her secretary Wu Yue, only coming down for lunch at noon.

Wang Mama felt sorry for Lin Ruoxi, telling her not to overwork herself as soon as she got home. But Lin Ruoxi was obviously accustomed to such persuasion, listening but continuing to work.

Wang Mama's culinary skills were excellent. The table was filled with more dishes than usual to welcome Lin Ruoxi home, colorful and fragrant, making Yang Chen drool at the sight.

"Wang Mama, whenever you're free, teach me how to cook. I love your cooking," Yang Chen said eagerly.

Being praised always made people happy. Wang Mama smiled and said, "Young Master, I'm glad you like it. Whenever you have time, I'm always free to teach. An old lady like me is always available."

Seeing this scene and remembering the incident with the car, Lin Ruoxi, who had been persuading Yang Chen to work harder, didn't expect him to not want to work and instead want to learn how to cook like a woman. She couldn't help but feel even more displeased with Yang Chen, her disappointment growing colder in her heart.

Although Wang Mama had prepared a lot of delicious food, Lin Ruoxi felt stifled and only ate a little. Suddenly, she said she had to go out.

Wang Mama tapped Yang Chen under the table with her foot and gave him a meaningful look. Yang Chen understood and asked with a smile, "Where are you going? If it's to the company, do you want me to drive you? It's the weekend, and I have nothing else to do."

Lin Ruoxi gave Yang Chen a cold glance and said expressionlessly, "No need, I'm not going to the company. I can drive myself. You and Wang Mama continue eating."

After saying that, Lin Ruoxi picked up the car keys that had been placed on the table earlier and left without even looking back. "Not going to the company?" Yang Chen felt puzzled. The last time she suddenly went out at night without any reason, although he was curious, Yang Chen wasn't so bored as to follow her. After all, he believed in respecting each other's privacy. Thinking of the look in Lin Ruoxi's eyes when she left, why did it feel like they were back to when they first met, devoid of any emotional color? He thought that things would improve over these days and was looking forward to spending some quality time together after this trip home. But the current situation left Yang Chen feeling helpless and amused at the same time.