Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 463: Peculiar

On the other end of the phone, Tang Wan's voice was slightly tired and languid. "What, can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?"

"You know I didn't mean it that way," Yang Chen said helplessly, wondering why women always liked to have these little outbursts.

Seeing Yang Chen on the phone, An Xin decided not to stay and listen. She quietly left the office.

"I know, you don't really care about me. My Fenglin Group has provided your company with so many competition venues, which makes us a major partner of Yulei Star. But you had a banquet yesterday and didn't even invite me," Tang Wan complained a bit.

Yang Chen smiled awkwardly. "That kind of event, you wouldn't have liked it. Don't bring it up with me."

Yang Chen didn't want to say that Lin Ruoxi had planned everything and that it had nothing to do with him. Lin Ruoxi had always been dismissive of Tang Wan's status.

Tang Wan was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed softly. "Let's get to the point. There's something I really don't know how to handle. The only person I can think of who can help and whom I trust seems to be you. So I want to ask you to come and take a look."

Hearing the heavy tone in Tang Wan's voice, Yang Chen couldn't help but wonder. Since knowing Tang Wan, except for that dangerous moment at the bank, she had never shown any weakness. After all, given her status and financial power, very few problems could stump this mature woman.

"What's the matter? Where are you?" Yang Chen asked directly.

"It's very complicated. I'll tell you when you get here. It's at the Ivy Care Center on Dongsheng Road. If you don't know where it is, I can send someone to pick you up," Tang Wan said.

Yang Chen didn't know where that place was, but fortunately, his car had GPS, so it wouldn't be hard to find.

After a brief conversation with An Xin, Yang Chen quickly drove to the location Tang Wan mentioned.

Despite the ambiguous nature of his relationship with Tang Wan, Yang Chen didn't hesitate at all. It seemed that something was gradually taking root in his heart.

Following the route on the electronic map, Yang Chen drove for over half an hour before slowly entering a quiet asphalt road.

Dense bushes lined both sides of the road, and the spring atmosphere was slowly spreading. The bushes were lush and green, with few cars on the road. Occasionally, small cars passed by. Along the road, there were occasional intersections leading to small museums and nursing homes.

After driving a few kilometers, Yang Chen turned into a relatively wide intersection. At the end of the forest, not far ahead, was the Ivy Care Center that Tang Wan had mentioned.

The care center wasn't very large, but the simple and bright buildings and elegant, unique environment suggested it was more than just an ordinary care center.

Yang Chen didn't think Tang Wan would be staying here for health reasons; this was a place for patients and the elderly, so his heart was filled with questions.

When he arrived near the care center, Yang Chen noticed with suspicion that besides some sleek cars parked outside the main gate, there were three police cars and several guards stationed at the entrance.

The situation seemed increasingly peculiar. Yang Chen got out of the car and walked straight to the gate.

Two stern-faced guards immediately approached and blocked Yang Chen's way. One of the officers said, "Sir, I'm sorry, but no entry is allowed at the moment."

"I was invited here, I'm a friend of Mr. Tang," Yang Chen noticed that these were criminal police officers, which meant that something serious must have happened at the sanatorium.

The two officers exchanged a glance, and one of them took out a walkie-talkie to confirm with a colleague inside. After getting confirmation, Yang Chen was allowed to enter the sanatorium, but one officer still followed him inside.

After walking through two corridors, Yang Chen was wondering where Tang Wan was when he saw a familiar silhouette coming out of a white building.

Tang Wan was wearing a simple light purple long-sleeved shirt and white cropped pants, her slightly curly hair loose. The plain outfit made her look less sharp than usual, instead exuding the charm and maturity of her age, like a beautiful housewife.

Her always appropriately made-up face looked a bit haggard at the moment. If it weren't for the few traces of joy in her bright eyes upon seeing Yang Chen, she would have seemed rather gloomy.

"Thank you for coming. I thought I would have to wait a bit longer," Tang Wan said with a smile.

"What happened?" Yang Chen asked with a frown.

Tang Wan gave a pale smile, looking very weary, "Come with me."

Following Tang Wan's lead, Yang Chen walked into the white building.

As soon as they entered the hallway, Yang Chen saw several serious-looking criminal police officers moving around, seemingly investigating something, while Tang Wan slowly began to explain the background of the sanatorium.

"This Ivy Sanatorium is a small brand under our Fenglin Group. It mainly sets up boutique sanatoriums in some southern cities. Usually, not many people come in. Those who do are high-end consumers, some are elderly celebrities and politicians. This branch in Zhonghai has only about a dozen elderly residents. The sanatorium is well-equipped, with standard hospital facilities, including an operating room and an emergency room, all to serve these elderly people."

As Tang Wan spoke, she led Yang Chen to the second floor. Not far from a room, the entrance was cordoned off with yellow police tape, marking the area as a restricted zone.

"Last week, I brought my grandfather to Zhonghai to recuperate here," Tang Wan said.

Looking at the room surrounded by police, Yang Chen asked, "Your grandfather? Do you mean the head of the Tang family?"

Yang Chen remembered that Tang Wan had mentioned before that the head of the Tang family, one of the four major families in Yandu, was her grandfather, Tang Zhechen. However, the fact that Mr. Tang came to the sanatorium seemed unusual.

"Yes," Tang Wan nodded, "You remember I went back to Yandu for a long time a couple of months ago. It was partly because of the New Year and partly because my grandfather's mental state was deteriorating. I was anxious to see how he was doing."

"Mr. Tang wouldn't happen to have dementia, would he?" Yang Chen couldn't help but ask.

"If it were that, it might have been easier to accept," Tang Wan slowed her pace and explained the situation.

It turned out that before the New Year, Mr. Tang suddenly began to show signs of mental confusion, occasionally forgetting many things. At first, everyone thought it was the onset of dementia. However, as this phenomenon became more frequent, it caught the family's attention. Tang Wan, worried about her grandfather, put aside many things and rushed back to Yandu, staying there for over two months.

After medical examinations, the doctors found no other causes apart from the early signs of dementia. It was as if Mr. Tang had suddenly started to lose his mind. He himself had no recollection of his episodes, but his mood began to fluctuate, becoming irritable at first, and later, he became withdrawn and unwilling to speak.

Recently, his mental state became so chaotic that he needed constant supervision. Several times, he almost jumped off a building or ran into walls, and it was only thanks to the protection of others that he remained safe.

Due to the limitations of domestic medical expertise, Tang Wan decided to invite Professor Andre, a renowned mental health expert from Johns Hopkins in the United States, to examine and treat her grandfather. As one of the world's most famous mental health scientists, Professor Andre accepted the job after Tang Wan offered a substantial reward.

"As they say, family scandals should not be publicized. I didn't mention this before, and I hope you don't mind," Tang Wan apologized with a smile.

Yang Chen shook his head, "Of course not, that's understandable. But what was Professor Andre's diagnosis, and why are the police here? What happened?"

Tang Wan's face showed a mix of pain and anger, her eyebrows knitted together. "Professor Andre is an excellent doctor. After he arrived, he quickly identified some issues. Just yesterday, he privately told me that he planned to discuss my grandfather's condition with his colleagues abroad. However, this morning, the medical staff found Professor Andre dead in his room."

As she spoke, they reached the entrance to Professor Andre's room, cordoned off with yellow tape. Inside, several police officers were searching for evidence with various instruments, and a tall man in plain clothes was carefully examining something.

Yang Chen pondered and asked, "Did you ask me to come because you suspect someone is targeting your family, but you're not sure who the enemy is, so you didn't dare to ask others for help and thought of me, as I know more about these unusual situations?"

"I've been developing our family's business in Zhonghai for years. Although I know many people, you're the only one adept at handling such matters, and others may not be as capable," Tang Wan nodded silently. "The police have been here since morning and haven't found any clues. They only know that Professor Andre was poisoned, but how he was poisoned and with what remains unclear.

Also, our sanatorium strictly controls food. If Professor Andre's food had an issue, it would have been detected immediately. And why was he killed right after discovering some issues with my grandfather's condition, rather than when he first arrived? It's clear that someone knew he had found something and couldn't hold back from taking action. But Professor Andre only talked to me about it privately."

Tang Wan's eyes were filled with sorrow and indignation, but she seemed helplessly frustrated.

Yang Chen thought for a moment and asked, "Where is Professor Andre's body?"

"The police have taken it away. If Johns Hopkins finds out that Professor Andre was poisoned at our sanatorium, they won't let it go easily. A lawsuit is inevitable. The person who poisoned him clearly doesn't want us to have any respite," Tang Wan said angrily.

"Where did Professor Andre tell you about your grandfather's condition?" Yang Chen asked again.

Tang Wan pointed to the room opposite, "In the professor's room. Yesterday, when I came to ask, he personally told me that there was hope for treating my grandfather's condition."

Yang Chen glanced around the room. The conditions in the sanatorium were indeed excellent. Professor Andre's living quarters looked like a presidential suite, spanning over sixty square meters with neatly arranged equipment.

"I'll go in and take a look. Maybe I'll find something," Yang Chen said. He bent down and ducked under the police tape, heading into the room.

However, just as he was about to enter, the tall plainclothes officer stepped in front of him, his face stern, eyebrows furrowed, and questioned, "Who are you? This is a crime scene, no unauthorized personnel allowed!"