Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 91: Who Are You?

Every time Yang Chen went out with Mo Qian Ni, they ended up in some peculiar places.

The first time they went to a rogue company, the second time to a bustling street food stall. By the third time, Yang Chen was mentally prepared. But upon arriving at their destination, he still stood dumbfounded for a moment.

"Central South Engineering Construction Limited Company"... This was indeed a company, but where they stood was not the company's location; it was a construction site contracted by the company.

Rusty brown steel bars, dusty cement, various rock fragments piled up on one side, and the air was filled with dust, appearing hazy under the sunlight. Surrounding them were construction workers wearing yellow helmets; many were working shirtless, revealing their tanned and lean muscles covered in sticky sweat, drenching their pants as well. Their faces were smeared with mud and dirt, making them seem like they were crying even when they smiled.

People often say that farmers' sweat irrigates the fields, but isn't it also the sweat of construction workers that builds skyscrapers?

"Um, Miss Mo, are you sure you're in the right place?" Yang Chen looked at Mo Qian Ni, who was elegantly dressed, carefully navigating the uneven stone path. He doubted how long her high heels could hold up.

Mo Qian Ni wiped the sweat from her forehead and said impatiently, "I brought you here, so stop talking!"

Yang Chen just smiled and didn't take offense.

Ignoring him, Mo Qian Ni continued walking until she reached a middle-aged man who appeared to be a foreman. He was wearing the blue work uniform of Central South Company, directing a few workers to move cement.

"Excuse me, where is the office for this construction site?" Mo Qian Ni asked politely.

The foreman looked at her in surprise, wondering why such a beautiful lady would come to this dirty construction site and ask for the company's office. Guessing she might be a government official from some department, he greeted her warmly and readily told her the location of the office.

The so-called office was a temporary plywood structure, but for a large construction company like this, it still had decent facilities. Inside, apart from being a bit spacious, it didn't differ much from a real office, equipped with air conditioning and a television.

There was only one large wooden desk in the office, and a middle-aged man with a protruding belly, wearing a makeshift gray suit, was on the phone speaking in the local dialect. When he saw Mo Qian Ni and Yang Chen enter, he was momentarily stunned by Mo Qian Ni's elegance, then looked thoughtfully at the two of them.

After quickly hanging up the phone, the chubby man flashed a somewhat hearty smile and approached Mo Qian Ni, extending his hand, "May I help you with something, miss?"

Mo Qian Ni naturally ignored the man's outstretched hand and replied in a calm tone, "Where is Zhang Fugui? I'm here to take him back."

The chubby man missed the handshake but wasn't embarrassed. Upon hearing the name "Zhang Fugui," his eyes squinted, almost disappearing, "You're Zhang Fugui's daughter?"

Mo Qian Ni frowned slightly but nodded, "Yes."

Yang Chen, standing behind, observed the scene with curiosity. He hadn't expected Mo Qian Ni's father to be here, apparently involved in some trouble. He remembered Mo Qian Ni telling him earlier that her biological father had passed away long ago, which meant that this Zhang Fugui was likely her stepfather.

Yang Chen remained silent, quietly watching the situation unfold, lighting a cigarette and smoking it in silence.

"Did you bring the money?" The chubby man suddenly changed his demeanor, looking somewhat arrogant as he stared at Mo Qian Ni, as if he had become superior in an instant.

Mo Qian Ni silently took out a stack of red banknotes from her purse. It looked substantial. She said, "Here is five thousand Yanxia coins. Release him."

"Five thousand?" The chubby man burst into laughter, "Five thousand was the amount a while ago. Since your gambling-addicted old man called you, it's been quite some time. Now he owes more than just five thousand!"

"What?!" Mo Qian Ni's face turned even uglier as she suppressed her anger and asked, "He lost again?!"

The chubby man snorted a few times, took a long drag of his cigarette, and pointed to the adjacent room, "Go in and see for yourself how much he lost."

Mo Qian Ni stormed out of the office like a whirlwind and pushed open the door to the next room with force.

A strong smell of smoke and alcohol hit her, causing her to cough a few times from the nauseating odor. She then saw the condition of the room.

Inside the room, only a few tables and benches were placed haphazardly. Playing cards, mahjong tiles, and dice were scattered everywhere. The cement floor was littered with cigarette butts and empty beer bottles. Two flickering incandescent light bulbs emitted dim light.

At this moment, seven or eight casually dressed men gathered around the largest table in the room, with one person sitting at each end.

One man had a long face, wore an unbuttoned white shirt, his hair standing on end as he smoked leisurely, one foot propped up on a stool, appearing relaxed.

On the opposite end of the table, another figure was trembling. He wore a pale yellow short-sleeved shirt, his face gray and wrinkled, his eyes and forehead marked with numerous lines. His cheeks were sunken, giving his thin face an even more pronounced appearance of defeat.

When the people in the room saw the door pushed open and a charming woman entering, their eyes lit up with excitement.

The only exception was the middle-aged man who was hunched over, his eyes dull. When he saw Mo Qian Ni, he displayed a look of ecstasy, as if he had suddenly ascended from the mud to the clouds. He lunged towards Mo Qian Ni, grabbing her shoulders forcefully and shaking her while yelling, "Ni Zi! Give me money! Give me money! I want to turn the tables! Hurry!"

Mo Qian Ni's shoulders hurt from the grip, but she didn't struggle. She just smiled bitterly through teary eyes and asked, "How much money do you need?"

"As much as you have! I want to turn the tables!" The man yelled, as if injected with adrenaline.

At this moment, the other men also understood. The man with the standing hair sneered, "Little girl, you must be the daughter Zhang Fugui mentioned. Your old man Zhang Fugui still owes my big army twenty thousand in gambling debts. Help him pay it back, then you can gamble with me."

Zhang Fugui's face turned red, and he shouted back, "Da Jun, don't get cocky! I'll get the money and gamble with you later! I'll make you owe me twenty thousand by then!"

"Twenty thousand..." Mo Qian Ni's face turned pale for a moment as she watched Zhang Fugui's frenzied figure. She said, "Just half an hour ago, you went from five thousand to twenty thousand? Do you even realize what you're doing?!"

"I..." Zhang Fugui turned around and saw Mo Qian Ni's tearful eyes. Finally realizing something was wrong, he gritted his teeth and tried to maintain his composure. "I just made a mistake. Ni Zi, please don't worry. I'll win it all back immediately!"

"A mistake? How short was your moment of mistake? How many years has it been? How much money have I given you? Do you even realize that all that money could buy a house in Zhonghai?!" Mo Qian Ni couldn't hold back her anger any longer and yelled.

Zhang Fugui wanted to argue, but considering he had no money and had to face his supposedly daughter, he could only smile apologetically. "Ni Zi, you can't say that. Everyone has bad luck sometimes. Stop crying. It's useless! If I lost the money, I'll win it back!"

"You told me you came to Zhonghai to work! You said you were working as a cement mason on the construction site! But you started gambling after just one day!" Mo Qian Ni screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Money is earned, not won! How long will it take for you to understand?!"

Unable to come up with a retort, Zhang Fugui shouted in frustration, "Stop nagging! Give me the money!"

"I won't! Even if I give it to you, you'll just gamble it away again! You deal with it yourself!" Mo Qian Ni's anger surged, and she forcefully pushed Zhang Fugui away, ready to leave.

Zhang Fugui panicked and grabbed Mo Qian Ni's hand, trying to snatch her purse, shouting frantically, "Give it to me!"

"You! Let go!" Mo Qian Ni was ultimately a woman, how could she compete with a man's strength? Her purse was about to be snatched away inch by inch.

The men in the room saw this scene and burst into laughter, reveling in their misfortune.

"Zhang Fugui, you're really useless. Your daughter doesn't even listen to you!"

"Your daughter doesn't even bother to save you, you old gambler deserved it! Haha..."

Zhang Fugui's anger surged. Losing money and face, he suddenly felt a rush of blood to his head and raised his hand to slap Mo Qian Ni!

Mo Qian Ni also noticed that Zhang Fugui was about to hit her, but she couldn't let go of her purse. She could only turn her head sideways to avoid being hit, closing her eyes in horror, her face filled with pain and bitterness.

Just then, before Zhang Fugui's hand could fall, it was grabbed from mid-air by another hand, halting its movement.

"Hey, it's not like your daughter took your money. Why are you hitting her?" Yang Chen stood in front of Mo Qian Ni, intervening to stop Zhang Fugui's action.

Zhang Fugui was stunned, panting heavily, and asked, "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is you can't hit her, and you can't take her money," Yang Chen said firmly.

"This is my family affair. Why do you care if I take money from my daughter? Why can't I hit my daughter?" Zhang Fugui yelled arrogantly.

"If you're so tough, why don't you go fight those people over there? And from what I know, Mo Qian Ni isn't your biological daughter. You're just a stepfather. Don't take yourself too seriously," Yang Chen said coldly, then squeezed Zhang Fugui's hand hard, causing him to stagger back several steps.

Mo Qian Ni, who had just prepared to be hit, looked up and saw Yang Chen standing in front of her. The not-so-broad back made her breathe a sigh of relief, and a warm feeling surged in her heart.

However, thinking about this gambling-addicted stepfather who was not only rude to his daughter who came to save him but also resorted to violence, Mo Qian Ni couldn't help but feel sorrowful. Countless grievances accumulated over the years burst out uncontrollably, and she sobbed uncontrollably.

Yang Chen looked at the woman who could no longer hold back her tears, realizing why Mo Qian Ni had brought him here. This situation, any woman would be afraid to come alone.