Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 108: Not Really Recognizing

Early on Monday morning, Yang Chen habitually left half an hour early and headed to the West District market to buy breakfast. This allowed him to arrive at the company on time, taking advantage of the relatively unclogged roads.

As he entered the lobby of the Public Relations Department, a group of well-dressed PR girls were already eagerly awaiting him, their eyes fixed on Yang Chen like hungry tigresses eyeing a fat lamb.

"Yang gege, you finally arrived! I've been feeling so empty without the breakfast you bring!" one exclaimed.

"Quick, give it to me, give it to me, my soup dumplings!" another demanded.

Several girls had already learned to approach Yang Chen to grab his breakfast. It pleased Yang Chen to be surrounded by a group of fragrant women; it was a wonderful treatment not every man could enjoy!

As usual, Zhang Cai, the one who ate the most, grabbed the most. She tore open the bag and immediately stuffed a bun into her mouth. Her chubby lips moved rhythmically, distorting her round face slightly, lacking any semblance of ladylike demeanor as she asked between bites, "Yang Chen, I feel like you've spoiled my appetite. Now, even the breakfast at home tastes bland."

Beside her, a close friend teased, "Cai Cai, I don't think it's just breakfast that's bland for you anymore. Even your man at home must feel bland, right? Why not stick with Yang Chen? He feeds you so well every day, filling your stomach and perhaps other things too."

The conversation took a flirtatious turn. Zhang Cai blushed and pinched the back of her friend's hand. "What nonsense are you talking about! Unlike you, I'm not a lonely spinster, completely empty inside!"

"Who are you kidding? With your figure, at your age, you're not far from those lusty years. Your husband, who looks like a monkey, a university professor, always holding onto his books, how can he satisfy you?" The friend retorted skeptically.

Zhang Cai pouted, unable to come up with a response.

"So, Zhang Cai, your husband is a university professor?" Yang Chen chimed in, surprised. "I never knew that. You ended up marrying a university professor."

"My senior in college, he was quite nice to me. I was a bit absent-minded and ended up marrying him," Zhang Cai explained, rolling her eyes.

At that moment, Liu Mingyu, dressed in a purple suit, gracefully approached, holding a cup of coffee. Her eyes wandered as she said, "We were all quite shocked when Zhang Cai got married. It was like a joke to her; she just decided to get married on a whim."

Zhang Cai stuck out her tongue and continued eating her bun without saying anything.

After chatting with the girls for a while, Yang Chen returned to his seat, opened his computer, and began munching on his fried dough stick.

Normally, Zhao Hongyan would be the first to arrive, but today, Yang Chen felt a bit uneasy as the beautiful female colleague hadn't shown up yet.

Just as he thought about it, Zhao Hongyan's familiar figure appeared at the door. She was wearing a pale pink chiffon shirt, with a delicate pearl necklace hanging around her neck. Her hair was slightly curled, concealing some of her voluptuous figure but exuding a newfound gracefulness.

As soon as she entered, Zhao Hongyan, slightly out of breath, addressed everyone, "Did anyone see the man outside the main entrance just now?"

"A man? Which man?" Several girls asked in confusion. "Hongyan, you're already married, why are you thinking about men?"

"What are you talking about! It's that man who was shouting outside, dressed in tattered clothes," Zhao Hongyan hurriedly clarified.

The group of PR girls looked puzzled, "We didn't see him. What's wrong with that man?"

Wearing a troubled expression, Zhao Hongyan explained, "Just before I entered the company, I heard that man shouting Minister Mo's name and saying something about Minister Mo being 'ungrateful' and 'heartless'... Well, in short, he said a lot of unpleasant things, and many people went downstairs to watch!"

A strange man badmouthing Mo Qianyi?

Not to mention that Mo Qianyi was perceived by everyone as a perfect urban woman, beautiful, competent, serious, and responsible, even with the reputation of Jade International. It wasn't something anyone could just come and rant about. Plus, there were security guards; how could no one manage him?

All the female PR staff immediately stood up. Curious, surprised, shocked, angry, anxious, various emotions surged. After these emotions rose, the women quickly left their seats and ran towards the elevator, intending to go downstairs to see what was happening.

Yang Chen narrowed his eyes, roughly guessing who the man might be. But he hadn't expected Zhang Fugui to come up with such a scheme. It seemed like a desperate move, and they had to be cautious.

But upon careful consideration, if this was indeed Zhang Fugui's doing, it seemed too suspicious. Did he have the ability to come up with such a malicious plan? And how could he act so recklessly without anyone intervening?

Mo Qianyi hadn't arrived yet. If she happened to encounter him, it would complicate things. Without hesitation, Yang Chen got up and ran towards the corridor.

While others took the elevator, he took the stairs. After all, it was faster than the elevator...

As Yang Chen practically jumped down the stairs and arrived at the lobby of the first floor, indeed the women from the elevator were still descending. Outside the main entrance, there was already a crowd of at least twenty to thirty Jade International employees, of all ages and genders, pointing and whispering to each other.

Yang Chen pushed through the crowd and finally saw the man surrounded in the middle. Sure enough, it was the disheveled Zhang Fugui.

Zhang Fugui's eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks sunken, his hair disheveled. He sat on the cement floor, shouting at the people around him incessantly.

"Mo Qianyi is ungrateful! Mo Qianyi made money and abandoned me, her father! I curse that slut to die... Back in the day, it was I who raised her and her mother with great effort. How could she treat me like this today? Mo Qianyi, your conscience has been eaten by dogs..."

Zhang Fugui, in his madness, kept recounting how he had shown kindness to Mo Qianyi in the past and how she had heartlessly treated him, preferring the rich and kicking him out of Zhonghai, cutting ties with him, and so on.

More and more people passed by, and upon seeing this scene, some didn't believe, but those who were usually jealous of Mo Qianyi began to think of ways to make others believe that it was true, painting Mo Qianyi as a venomous femme fatale.

When Zhang Fugui saw Yang Chen appear on the sidelines, he suddenly rushed to Yang Chen and grabbed his trouser leg, shouting hoarsely, "Everyone, look! This man is the lover of that slut Mo Qianyi! They conspired to bully me on the construction site... Pity my old and frail body, how could I fight against young people... My life is so bitter..."

Zhang Fugui cried out, tears and voice combining, truly looking like a father in distress, causing even those who didn't believe before to start doubting, giving Yang Chen strange looks.

Yang Chen furrowed his brow and kicked Zhang Fugui away. "Do you think this will change anything? You're too naive. If you really want the truth to come out, I don't mind sending you to court."

Zhang Fugui rolled on the ground, turning pale at the mention of court.

"No need!"

A familiar voice came from the crowd, which gradually parted. Mo Qianyi, wearing a light blue knitted coat, a white camisole, and a tight black skirt, walked in with an unfriendly expression. Her delicate face was now frosty as she stared straight at the fallen Zhang Fugui, sneering, "You say I'm heartless? That I bullied you?"

Zhang Fugui seemed to be afraid of Mo Qianyi's cold expression. He stepped back slightly, but forced himself to continue, "Y-yes... that's how it is! Do you think I wouldn't dare say it?"

"Fine, since you dare to say it, then I'll really have to bully you a bit." With that, Mo Qianyi approached and her high-heeled foot suddenly stomped on Zhang Fugui's thigh!

"Ahh!"

The sharp heel pierced Zhang Fugui's thigh flesh, causing him to faint from the pain!

The people present were all shocked. None of them had expected Mo Qianni to be so straightforward right from the start, using such a ruthless method to deal with this unfamiliar man. Looking at Mo Qianni's gaze with a hint of fear, it seemed as if they didn't recognize her anymore.

Mo Qianni withdrew her foot, and the heel was already stained with red blood, dripping onto the ground, appearing grim and cruel.

At this moment, the female staff from the Public Relations Department also rushed to the scene. Seeing this scene, they all exclaimed in disbelief, as if they couldn't believe Mo Qianni would do such a thing.

Mo Qianni's cold gaze swept over the crowd, finally fixing on Yang Chen's face, revealing a mysterious and charming smile. She walked up to Yang Chen, her breath fragrant, and asked, "Yang Chen, are you alright? This crazy dog bites people randomly. If you were bitten, I would feel sorry for you."

This sentence wasn't said lightly. After hearing it, the people present became even more convinced of one thing—there was something going on between Yang Chen and Mo Qianni!

Yang Chen smiled faintly and pointed to Zhao Hongyan, who was closest and looked shocked, asking, "Minister Mo, do you know her?"

Mo Qianni's expression changed slightly. She glanced at Zhao Hongyan and giggled, "Hate it when you bring up other women."

The Mo Qianni in front of them emitted an unprecedented charm, but Yang Chen wasn't in the mood to appreciate it. He shook his head and sighed, "I think we should find a place where there's nobody around to talk properly. What do you say?"

"Alright, follow me," Mo Qianni agreed readily, leading the way towards the parking lot.

As Yang Chen followed Mo Qianni away from the scene, the staff present looked at each other in confusion and began discussing.

Zhang Cai, puzzled, asked the people around her, "What's wrong with Minister Mo? It's like she's a different person. Also, when did she and Yang Chen get together? Doesn't Yang Chen have a wife?"

"I don't know, it's strange. I don't even recognize her anymore," another female staff member agreed, nodding.

"The things they said are all so strange."

Zhao Hongyan found it particularly bewildering and asked Liu Mingyu beside her, "Sister Mingyu, why does Minister Mo not recognize me as if she's pretending?"

Liu Mingyu frowned, pondered for a moment, and shook her head, saying, "Doesn't seem like it. I feel like she genuinely doesn't recognize you..."