Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 707: Chapter 710: The Cripple

Yang Chen showed no sign of mercy, seeming to think An Xin's crying wasn't enough. He landed three more solid slaps on her chest.

An Xin's cries burst forth, tears flowing like a river. She even started cursing through her sobs, "Yang Chen, you bastard! You jerk! I hate you, I hate you."

Despite her uncharacteristic outburst, Yang Chen's expression remained unchanged. He lifted An Xin into his arms and kissed her deeply.

An Xin, who had just been cursing him, suddenly found herself breathless from his kiss. Her eyes widened, tears still flowing, making indistinguishable sounds.

They had both drunk a fair amount of alcohol. The faint floral scent of An Xin's breath mixed with the slight sting of alcohol. Yang Chen's tongue touched An Xin's teeth. Though initially reluctant to let the man who had just hit her take advantage, the sight of his tender, loving eyes made her realize his intention.

He wanted her to cry out and release her pent-up grievances, so he hit her. When she felt pain, he must have felt even more.

Touched by this realization, warm tears streamed down her face, mixing with his.

Yang Chen's tongue finally entered her mouth. Despite their many intimate moments, this kiss felt different. In the office, whenever her lover wanted, she would obediently offer her lips. The public displays of affection were not uncommon, but kisses were often mere appetizers, with Yang Chen seldom paying much attention. An Xin understood that in his heart, she wasn't the most loved or his official wife. She knew she had to give more to receive the love she desired.

But this kiss was meticulous and tender, a care she had never experienced. An Xin realized she had misunderstood everything before.

Her gaze softened, not from weakness but from the warmth she felt. Though she exuded charm, she had only been with Yang Chen and didn't know kisses could vary so much.

Her large, bright eyes looked at Yang Chen up close. Yang Chen never looked away, their gazes locked as they passionately kissed.

Yes, he was telling her he loved her just as much as she loved him.

An Xin wished she could melt into the man before her and that this kiss would never end.

But Yang Chen, with strong self-control, gently brought her back to reality. Slowly separating their lips, a silver thread of saliva stretched between them, making the kiss even more enchanting.

Yang Chen gently stroked her back with one hand and her tear-streaked face with the other. "Feel better now that you've cried?"

An Xin turned her face, nuzzling against his hand. "You're so cruel, hitting me once was painful enough, but you hit me four times."

"I did it for your own good," Yang Chen replied with a wry smile. "After the first slap, I couldn't bear to hit you again. But I thought, if I only hit one side, it would swell and look uneven. So I hit the other side. Then I realized I used too much force. To balance it out, I hit the first side again. But that was too hard, so I added a fourth slap. Don't worry, An Xin, both sides are even now."

An Xin, embarrassed and annoyed, couldn't help but laugh at his absurd logic. "Stop it, they're watching," she said, glancing at her stunned bodyguards.

Yang Chen chuckled, "Promise me you won't lie to me again, or I'll really make you swell next time." He gently patted her face.

An Xin quickly moved his hand away, pouting, "Husband, you're so annoying! Always touching my face!"

"It's all your flesh anyway, and it's not dirty," Yang Chen replied nonchalantly.

An Xin felt faint. It was bad enough this happened, but her personal bodyguards witnessing it made it worse. How would she face them later?

As expected, the bodyguards stifled their laughter after realizing what had happened.

"Tell me what's going on," Yang Chen asked seriously, getting to the point.

An Xin's blush faded, replaced by a look of sorrow. She sighed deeply and said, "Actually..."

Before she could continue, the phone of one of her bodyguards rang. Apologetically glancing at Yang Chen, the bodyguard answered the call, listening intently. After a brief conversation, her face flushed with anger. Hanging up, she turned to An Xin and said, "Miss, there's trouble at home. Second Master and several family members are clamoring to divide the family property!"

An Xin's face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed weakly into Yang Chen's arms, as if struck by lightning.

In the eastern district of Zhonghai, under an arched bridge over a river.

The not-so-clean river water flowed slowly along the concrete-lined riverbed, reflecting specks of starlight under the night sky. Even at the end of May in the south, the nights were no longer cool, and the abundance of mosquitoes made this water-rich area particularly infested.

Despite this, the area under the bridge was a favorite sleeping spot for many homeless people. Mosquito bites were a minor inconvenience as long as the nights weren't too hot, and the bridge provided shelter from the occasional southern rain.

At midnight, under the bridge, four bedraggled, unkempt homeless men, who lived by begging, were chatting and laughing. They discussed topics that men never seemed to tire of, speaking in various regional accents.

For them, life was aimless. Society had abandoned them, and they had no aspirations. Their only enjoyment was the freedom to sleep under the sky and on the ground.

"Cripple, can't you read? Why are you out begging with us?" a bearded man leaning against a bridge pillar asked.

The Cripple was a relatively small and thin young beggar. His name was unknown, but his limp earned him the nickname.

Lying on a hard stone, gazing at the night sky, the Cripple chuckled in his central-southern accent, "Would you believe I once passed the college entrance exam? I applied to a top-tier university. But I missed by one point and got nothing! Then my dad died in a car accident, and my mom drank pesticide and followed him when she found out I didn't get in! My leg broke in that same car accident. What can a broke, legless guy like me do but beg?"

"Wow, a high-achieving student!" a dark-skinned, skinny homeless man laughed.

The Cripple proudly said, "That's right. If I were from Zhonghai or Yanjing, my score would've gotten me a scholarship to a top university! But being from a mountain village, far from the capital, with few slots available, and half taken by officials' kids, all those years of study only prepared me for begging. I'd have been better off spending the tuition money hunting wild dog meat with my dad."

"Yeah, right! If you had another chance, you'd still aim for college!" another homeless man scoffed.

The four had just met and were venting their frustrations. They would part ways to beg again tomorrow, so they didn't argue, falling silent as they each had their thoughts.

Just then, the bearded man smacked his lips and said, "Damn it, I haven't touched a woman in two or three months. The price of girls has gone up so much. I saved for three months and barely managed to get one. Now I'm really pent up."

"Yeah, old black beard, you're making me think of it too. Even an ugly one would do," the skinny homeless man agreed.

They laughed wickedly, knowing they couldn't afford even the most promiscuous women in cheap brothels.

At that moment, a shadow suddenly fell from the bridge above. In the dim light of the streetlamp, they saw a strikingly beautiful foreign woman!

Gazing at her tall, sexy figure wrapped in black tight clothing, they swallowed hard, confused.

Could it be that heaven had sent them a woman to quench their thirst, and an imported one at that?

"Finally found suitable ones," Edeline said, amusement in her eyes, speaking in Chinese. "Do you want a woman?"

The four men were stunned. Finally, the quick-thinking Cripple swallowed and asked, "Miss, are you serious?"

Edeline realized they misunderstood and frowned. "Not me, but I have someone good."

With that, Edeline's figure flashed. She jumped back onto the bridge. A few seconds later, she returned, holding a middle-aged woman wrapped in a blanket.

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