Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 60: Quite Good at Finding Places

After a night of tossing and turning, Yang Chen's sleep wasn't affected much. Early the next morning, he made his usual rounds at the breakfast stalls, arriving at the office with bags full of breakfast.

The ladies had been eagerly awaiting him and rushed to grab their favorite snacks as soon as he arrived. A few bold girls even left some damp marks on Yang Chen's face with playful kisses.

Zhao Hongyan teased him with a smile, "Did you volunteer to buy breakfast just to get these perks?"

Yang Chen, unabashed, took a bite of his fried dough stick and laughed, "If you give me a kiss, I'll tell you."

"You just love teasing good women!" Zhao Hongyan rolled her eyes and stopped paying him any attention.

Suddenly remembering something, Yang Chen grabbed a meat bun and walked over to his male colleague Chen Bo's desk. To his surprise, he found Chen Bo dozing off on his desk.

"Hey, Chen Bo, time for breakfast," Yang Chen said, giving him a nudge.

Chen Bo murmured softly, rubbed his red eyes, and sat up, looking quite effeminate. Seeing the bun Yang Chen handed over, he gave a "charming" smile, "Thank you, you bring me breakfast every day."

Yang Chen looked at him with a hint of meaning and said, "Don't overwork yourself. If you need help, just let everyone know. Maybe we can help."

Chen Bo's face turned a bit pale with a hint of fear, and he quickly blinked his eyes. "No... nothing's wrong, just didn't sleep well last night."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Yang Chen said, not pressing further. He patted Chen Bo on the shoulder and returned to his desk to start playing games.

Not long after, a stunning woman walked into the office and approached Liu Mingyu's desk, engaging her in conversation. Dressed in a pale blue suit, Liu Mingyu looked troubled but eventually gathered her documents and left with the woman.

As soon as they left, Zhang Cai, with her round face still munching on a rice cake, hurried over to Zhao Hongyan, looking worried. "Sister Hongyan, do you think Sister Mingyu will be alright? That Director Ma has been pestering her for so long, why won't he give up?"

"Was that woman sent by Director Ma?" Yang Chen asked, puzzled.

Zhao Hongyan frowned and nodded. "That woman is a director under Director Ma. Everyone in the company knows she's his mistress, but no one says anything. I don't know why Director Ma sent for Mingyu this time. He usually comes himself; it's strange he sent that woman."

Yang Chen thought for a moment and then took out his phone to send a text message to Liu Mingyu.

Before long, Liu Mingyu replied to Yang Chen's message.

Yang Chen glanced at his phone, then put it back in his pocket. He picked up two meat buns from his desk and headed out of the office.

"Yang Chen, where are you going?" Zhao Hongyan called out urgently. "If Minister Mo doesn't see you later, you'll be in trouble again."

"My stomach feels a bit off. I'm going to the restroom to eat," Yang Chen replied over his shoulder.

The office full of pretty female public relations officers immediately fell into a chorus of exasperation and giggles.

Of course, Yang Chen wasn't really going to the restroom to eat his buns, though he would still happily devour them. Once out of the PR department's main hall, he headed straight to the elevator and descended to the underground parking lot.

The text he had sent to Liu Mingyu earlier asked where she was headed. Liu Mingyu, understanding Yang Chen's implication, had replied with "Liuyun Hotel."

Although it couldn't be confirmed that this trip was a trap set by Minister Ma, Liu Mingyu, with her strong sense of self-preservation, wisely chose to inform Yang Chen, ensuring that someone knew her whereabouts.

Yang Chen didn't follow her directly to Liuyun Hotel. Instead, he drove there as quickly as possible and, upon arriving, picked up a newspaper and quietly sat on a sofa in the corner of the lobby.

Liuyun Hotel, with its four-star amenities, was one of the well-known business hotels in downtown Zhonghai. The lobby, adorned with gilded decorations, was bustling with guests, making it easy for Yang Chen to blend in while reading his newspaper.

After waiting for about five minutes, Yang Chen noticed two familiar figures entering the hotel. The attractive woman from before was leading Liu Mingyu, who was dressed in her pale blue suit.

Both women were striking, with full, tall figures. Liu Mingyu, who seemed to have freshened up in the car, had her long hair elegantly up, with a few strands of red-tinted hair complementing her mature, bright face, drawing many admiring glances from the men in the lobby.

Upon entering, Liu Mingyu glanced around, looking a bit disappointed when she didn't spot Yang Chen. After a brief conversation with the woman, she hesitated but ultimately followed her into the elevator.

Yang Chen quickly approached the elevator and noted the floors they were stopping on. The elevator went from the first floor to the fifth, paused briefly, then continued to the thirteenth floor before finally reaching the top floor.

Checking the hotel's floor directory, Yang Chen saw that the fifth floor was a leisure and bathing center, the tenth to fifteenth floors were guest rooms, and the top floor was for business offices.

Judging by the stops, they were likely headed to the guest rooms. Yang Chen entered another elevator and, while it ascended, took out his phone to call Liu Mingyu to confirm her exact location.

"The number you are calling is currently switched off..." The automated message gave Yang Chen a bad feeling. Someone like Liu Mingyu, a PR professional, would never turn off her phone easily, especially given she had just sent him a message.

As the elevator reached the thirteenth floor, Yang Chen stepped out into a long, silent corridor with about thirty to forty rooms. It was still morning, so the hallway was deserted, and even the hotel staff were absent from the guest floors.

Without anyone to ask and unable to check each room individually, Yang Chen faced a dilemma. All the room doors were locked with electronic locks, meaning he couldn't physically open them without a key card. Unless he wanted to make the news by smashing the doors open with force, which would certainly get him noticed.

"This Ma guy sure knows how to pick a place..." Yang Chen muttered to himself, considering whether to actually use some force.

Even though he had only known Liu Mingyu for about half a month, they had gotten along well. Emotional bonds between people don't always need a long time to form, especially between men and women. When there's mutual trust, it's worth going out of one's way to help.

Moreover, the thought of that sleazy old man Ma taking advantage of a beautiful and mature woman like Liu Mingyu was more than Yang Chen could bear.

Just as he was contemplating his next move, he heard the sound of a door opening and closing from the far eastern end of the corridor. The woman who had escorted Liu Mingyu upstairs earlier was stepping out, a smile on her face.

Yang Chen quickly approached her, maintaining a calm demeanor. "Excuse me, miss. I'm looking for Liu Mingyu. I was told she came up here. Could you point me to her room?"

The woman looked slightly surprised but quickly composed herself, her smile never faltering. "Oh, Liu Mingyu? She's meeting with someone important right now. I'm afraid you can't see her."

Yang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. "I understand, but it's urgent. Could you at least tell me which room she's in?"

The woman hesitated, clearly sensing that Yang Chen wouldn't give up easily. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. If you have any business with her, you'll have to wait until she's done."

Seeing that persuasion wasn't working, Yang Chen decided to take a more direct approach. He stepped closer, his tone firm. "Listen, I don't want to cause a scene. Just tell me where she is."

The woman's smile faded, replaced by a wary look. "I really can't help you, sir."

Yang Chen sighed inwardly, realizing that talking wasn't going to get him anywhere. He had to find another way to locate Liu Mingyu before it was too late.