Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 749: Chapter 752: Who Would Have Thought

On a morning in Zhonghai, in the top-floor CEO office of Yulei International's headquarters, Zhao Hongyan, newly appointed as the CEO's assistant, was dressed in a black round-necked blazer paired with a bright red skirt, accentuating her long, slender legs. The strong contrast between the red and black, especially with the black stockings, was quite alluring.

Yulei International doesn't enforce strict dress codes or require employees to wear uniforms, as long as their attire isn't overly flamboyant or vulgar. Fashionable or casual outfits are all acceptable.

Zhao Hongyan was somewhat nervous, barely daring to breathe as she carefully carried a tray with several cups of freshly brewed green tea. She gently placed the cups on the coffee table beside the sofas of several senior executives, her face showing a somewhat stiff smile.

Lin Ruoxi was discussing the latest acquisition project with a few senior executives. Meetings like this were attended only by the core decision-makers, and Zhao Hongyan, as the CEO's assistant, was the only one with the opportunity to catch a glimpse of these discussions.

Yulei International now has tens of thousands of employees globally. In addition to its established areas in fashion apparel, luxury goods, and cosmetics, the company has also made significant inroads into the entertainment, tourism, and real estate industries.

Projects involving billions of dollars are often handled at the headquarters, a scale that might take years for other companies to develop, but at Yulei International, such projects are frequently executed.

Previously, Zhao Hongyan was just a small employee in the public relations department. Even though she worked at the headquarters, she rarely had the chance to see the CEO, let alone access such confidential information.

Since taking on the role in recent days, Zhao Hongyan has been overwhelmed by the frequent mention of figures in the billions, making her head spin! Especially when she had to help Lin Ruoxi photocopy some documents, and saw plans that could have a massive impact in the future, her hands would tremble.

No wonder Wu Yue, the former assistant, was so confident and proud—she was more trusted by the CEO than some department heads!

Zhao Hongyan grew increasingly impressed with her boss. This woman, who spoke no more than ten sentences a day in the office outside of meetings, could effortlessly sign off on expenditures involving mountains of money!

Zhao Hongyan thought that if she had that much money, she wouldn't be happy—she'd go crazy.

After refilling the tea for the senior executives, Zhao Hongyan quietly retreated. She didn't dare stay in the office longer than necessary. Although Lin Ruoxi wouldn't mind, Zhao Hongyan felt suffocated by just hearing a few more words.

Once the office door was closed, Liu Mingyu, who was sitting to Lin Ruoxi's right, smiled and said, "For years, Wu Yue has been the assistant, and now it's suddenly Hongyan. Although they're both familiar faces, it's quite an adjustment."

Because all the senior executives present were women, the conversation was more relaxed than Zhao Hongyan had imagined.

Another woman, a department head in marketing, nodded with a smile, "It's all because the public relations department keeps producing talent that Lin always notices. But to be honest, I didn't expect Wu Yue to get married and have a baby with Vice President Li in Sam's country. Now seeing Hongyan as the assistant, I'm still not quite used to it."

Lin Ruoxi, dressed in a new spring-summer Chanel sequin tweed jacket with a matching plain dress, and accessorized with a pearl waist chain, looked particularly elegant.

Holding her usual Montblanc gold pen, Lin Ruoxi casually circled a few points on the documents and said indifferently, "My assistant is not someone you need to get used to."

This remark left Liu Mingyu and the others speechless, and they naturally fell silent.

From start to finish, only Mo Qianni, sitting to Lin Ruoxi's left, seemed distracted and didn't participate much in the conversation, despite wearing makeup that couldn't fully conceal her dark circles from fatigue.

Lin Ruoxi didn't say anything to her, and after giving Liu Mingyu and the others a few key points to focus on, she announced the end of the brief office meeting.

As the female executives gradually left, Mo Qianni deliberately slowed her pace and stayed behind.

Holding her documents, Mo Qianni, looking somewhat pale, glanced at Lin Ruoxi, who was still deep in thought, and softly called out, "Ruoxi—"

Lin Ruoxi looked up with a calm expression and said, "Your health doesn't seem well. If you're under too much work pressure or lack sleep, I can approve a few days off for you. Anyway, the upcoming resort acquisitions are mainly Mingyu and Kris's responsibility. You don't need to feel obligated."

Mo Qianni smiled and shook her head, "No, I'm not asking for leave."

"Hmm?"

Mo Qianni bit her lower lip, her gaze dropping as she hesitated to meet the eyes of her long-time friend. "Why is his phone unreachable?"

"Who?" Lin Ruoxi asked, her face expressionless.

Mo Qianni's voice dropped even lower, "Yang Chen—"

A cold sharpness flashed across Lin Ruoxi's face. "Vice President Mo, I don't think it's appropriate for you to inquire about my husband's private matters during work hours."

Mo Qianni's eyes dimmed, her body trembling slightly as she struggled to hold back the bitterness in her nose, forcing a smile, "I apologize for my thoughtlessness. I'll get back to work."

After quietly lowering her head in apology, Mo Qianni turned and walked toward the door.

Just as she reached the door, Lin Ruoxi's voice sounded from behind.

"He's in Sam's country, with his friend Christine." Mo Qianni's footsteps paused, her eyes reddening. "Thank you."

With that, Mo Qianni quickly left the office and closed the door behind her.

She hurried to the elevator, wiping her eyes with a trembling hand, a bitter smile forming at the corners of her mouth. "Could it be that you're so unwilling to face what's between us that you'd rather hide abroad?"

But the woman didn't linger for long. When the elevator arrived, she walked in, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Mo Qianni, you're a girl who came to this big city all alone at the age of thirteen, struggling to survive. You've endured all kinds of hardships, so you won't be easily defeated just because a man's feelings for you waver. Mo Qianni silently reminded herself in her heart.

What she didn't know was that after she left the office, Lin Ruoxi, who appeared calm and composed, also showed signs of fatigue. Her body weakened, and she slumped back onto the sofa.

Looking up at the ceiling, Lin Ruoxi's complex gaze lacked focus as she muttered to herself, "Lin Ruoxi, you can't afford to be soft-hearted with them... you can't..."

Meanwhile, far away in Los Angeles, Sam's country, Yang Chen had no idea that his negligence in not taking his phone with him when he went out to eat had led to an unimaginable level of misunderstanding among the women back in China.

However, at this moment, he had no time to worry about his relationship with Mo Qianni.

"Sir, please show me your identification," a black patrol officer in uniform said seriously, stopping Yang Chen's car just as he got onto the main road.

Yang Chen spread his hands helplessly and said, "Sorry, I didn't bring it because I just came out for a meal." Yang Chen didn't have any identification documents since he was technically an "illegal immigrant."

The black officer gave him a suspicious look and said, "In that case, I have every reason to suspect that you stole this car. Please come to the station for further questioning."

Yang Chen smiled wryly and said, "Officer, there's no need to work so hard. It's getting dark; you should go home, hold your woman, and make babies."

"Please refrain from using insulting language, or I could charge you with assault," the black officer glared at Yang Chen and opened the door of the convertible Porsche, signaling Yang Chen to sit in the police car.

Yang Chen sighed, thinking that wasn't insulting at all, but he had no choice. He reluctantly turned off the car, pulled out the keys, handed them to the officer, and then got into the police car.

Once inside, the young white officer driving didn't say a word. He simply started the car and drove down a side road, heading west.

Yang Chen sat quietly in the back seat, looking bored. "Officer, I haven't even had dinner yet. Do you have any bread to tide me over?"

Neither of the officers responded, as if they hadn't heard him. Yang Chen, seeing no one was interested, stopped talking.

After the police car drove through a few streets, they arrived at a small port. Ahead, there were only a few warehouses and not a single person in sight, let alone any police stations.

Yang Chen looked puzzled. "Hey, officer, did you take a wrong turn? This doesn't look like a place with a police station."

This time, the young white officer finally spoke. He turned around with a mocking smile and said, "I never thought the mighty, iron-blooded Hades, who once made the whole world bow down, would one day be reduced to the point where he can't even recognize his enemies."

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