Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 691: Chapter 694: With Dignity

Every ten steps there was a sentry, heavily armed soldiers densely stationed in the area. This was not a military official's residence but a place where many retired officials spent their twilight years. Such places were numerous nationwide, so most of the villas were vacant.

In one such villa near the coast, the ground floor hall was brightly lit.

Thick pine wood floors were covered with broad, intricate Mediterranean-patterned carpets. Between light brown leather sofas stood valuable mahogany furniture. The corners of the room displayed works by famous sculptors, and several paintings worth millions adorned the walls.

A large wall-mounted television was showing financial information from foreign satellite signals. Beside the TV, several smaller screens continuously updated stock market data.

Lying sprawled on a plush sofa with his shirt collar unbuttoned was a man, holding a glass of red wine, watching the news with a smug smile.

Nearby, a slender, pale-faced woman watched the same news, her expression one of anxiety and worry.

These were none other than Li Minghe, who had come here to temporarily escape the spotlight, and Wu Yue, whom he had forcibly brought along after knocking her out.

The TV broadcast the latest news about Yulei's stocks on the Nasdaq, indicating small-scale acquisitions.

Li Minghe laughed heartily. "It seems Lin Ruoxi has reached the end of her rope. Does she think buying in small amounts with scattered accounts can turn the tide? What a joke! Yue, look at your admired President Lin. She's just an ordinary person, desperate and grasping at straws, ha ha..."

Wu Yue turned back sorrowfully. "Minghe, why are you doing this? What good does Yulei's downfall do for you?"

Li Minghe sneered, "I'm not trying to bring Yulei down. I just want to bring Lin Ruoxi down. Once my plan is complete, Lin Ruoxi won't be able to continue as Yulei's chairman and CEO. Only I can save Yulei!"

Wu Yue was shocked and exclaimed, "You want to take over Yulei?!"

Li Minghe snorted, "Yulei International is nothing. You underestimate my ambitions. Besides, it should have been mine in the first place! I'm just taking what is rightfully mine."

"You've gone mad!" Wu Yue, feeling increasingly fearful of the man before her, stood up in panic. "Minghe, I have to go back and help President Lin! Even if it can't be salvaged, I'll do everything I can! You won't succeed!"

With that, Wu Yue turned and ran toward the villa door.

Li Minghe threw his wine glass, spilling red wine everywhere, and lunged to grab her.

Wu Yue struggled but couldn't break free from his grip. In desperation, she even bit Li Minghe's arm, but he didn't budge.

Finally, Wu Yue began to sob, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Minghe, let me go. Please don't do this."

Li Minghe's eyes burned. "Why? Don't you love me? Don't you want me to become stronger? Is Lin Ruoxi more important to you than I am?"

Wu Yue stared at him blankly, then shook her head. "It's different. President Lin is my respected senior, and you are the man I love. But I can't let you sink into this madness. I can't stand by and do nothing."

Li Minghe declared, "You know, in my plan, you were just a pawn to be discarded after use."

Wu Yue flinched, pain flashing in her eyes.

"But!" Li Minghe took a deep breath. "I brought you here with me."

Wu Yue's body trembled slightly, her breath quickening.

Li Minghe smiled bitterly. "Yue, don't you understand my feelings for you? I did use you, but now I truly want to be with you. Trust me, stay with me. When I become Yulei's chairman and achieve even greater success, you'll be Mrs. Li. Isn't that better than being a lowly assistant?"

Tears fell onto the carpet as Wu Yue kept her head down. After a long silence, she looked up with a sorrowful smile. "Thank you. Just hearing you say that is enough for me. No matter what you've done or become, I'll always love you."

Li Minghe's face lit up with joy. "So you..."

"Sorry!" Wu Yue interrupted. "Even though I want to be with you, I must go back to Yulei and help President Lin. Even if I'm just a useless assistant."

"Why! After all my sincerity, why do you want to help the person I hate?" Li Minghe shook her violently.

Wu Yue suddenly looked at him with infinite tenderness and said, "Because I want our child to have a father they can be proud of."

A deathly silence filled the hall, leaving only the sound of the news broadcast on TV.

Li Minghe stood frozen, his eyes filled with confusion and shock.

Under the same night sky, outside Zhonghai Police Station.

Yang Chen, having composed himself, got out of the car and headed towards the police station. Feeling a bit frustrated, he thought about his frequent "affinity" with police stations. He pondered how to negotiate with the police and how to comfort Liu Mingyu, but before he reached the entrance, he saw a familiar figure walking out gracefully.

Liu Mingyu, still in her office attire, looked just as she had at noon, except her eyes now held a trace of exhaustion.

Seeing the man standing at the bottom of the steps, Liu Mingyu paused momentarily in surprise before smiling brightly and hurrying down. "Yang Chen, why are you here?"

"Don't run, especially in high heels," Yang Chen said, catching her by the waist. He quickly looked her over, confirming she hadn't been mistreated, then curiously asked, "I found evidence proving it's not your fault, so I came right away to get you. But what about you? Did the police let you go?"

Liu Mingyu asked excitedly, "Who? What evidence?"

Yang Chen briefly explained Li Minghe's actions involving the copier's built-in hard drive but omitted the detail about Lin Ruoxi being poisoned, not wanting to upset Liu Mingyu.

Liu Mingyu smiled sweetly. "I always suspected something was off with him coming to my office, but I didn't realize it was just a distraction. I wouldn't have been so cautious if I'd known. Those days were exhausting, dealing with him wasn't easy."

"You haven't said how you got out," Yang Chen said, looking around but not seeing anyone else.

Liu Mingyu replied gratefully, "Actually, right after I got to the police station, President Lin had already sent a lawyer to protect my rights. I wasn't mistreated, just asked some basic questions."

"Ruoxi sent a lawyer?" Yang Chen asked in surprise. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Liu Mingyu gave him a reproachful look. "You really don't understand President Lin at all! How could you embarrass her in front of everyone during the meeting at noon? Any wife would be angry! President Lin was just calm and didn't react too strongly. If it were me, I'd have stomped on your foot with my high heel!"

Yang Chen smiled awkwardly. "I was just worried about you being wronged; everyone was targeting you."

"What could I do? The evidence pointed to me," Liu Mingyu said. "Even though it was unfair, I had to endure it for the greater good. President Lin having the police take me away was also a way to protect me, giving me a chance to clear my name. Do you really think your wife is stupid? If you could figure out I was innocent, don't you think she knew too? It was just a necessary action given the circumstances. So President Lin sent me here while hiring her personal lawyer, Zhang, to help resolve things. This way, the situation could be managed smoothly."

Yang Chen felt a bit guilty, realizing he had been impulsive. Even though his cultivation had skyrocketed, he was still somewhat young in spirit, especially when it came to matters involving his loved ones.

Liu Mingyu continued, "So don't blame President Lin for not telling you. After you made her so angry, it's no wonder she didn't."

Yang Chen pouted and gave her a gentle squeeze, making Liu Mingyu yelp and glance around nervously to see if anyone was watching.

"Alright, you've scolded me enough. Give me a break, okay? I'm not perfect; I make mistakes too," Yang Chen said with a chuckle. "Ruoxi sent me to pick you up, probably wanting you to give me a piece of her mind. But don't overdo it. Since you're fine, let's head back to the company. Yulei is in serious trouble right now."

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Liu Mingyu nodded, the playful tone disappearing as she got into the car. They drove back to Yulei headquarters.

Not long into the drive, Yang Chen received another text message, this time from Edlin, who was tracking Li Minghe.