Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 496: Bun Face

Lin Ruoxi's skin was exceptionally smooth and delicate, like top-quality silk, which Yang Chen thoroughly enjoyed touching. The sudden contact made Lin Ruoxi's face flush red. Yang Chen's playful action felt like he was teasing her as if she were a little girl.

"What... what are you doing!" Lin Ruoxi said angrily, relieved that no one else was around to witness the dignified CEO of a multinational company being treated like a little girl.

Yang Chen laughed heartily and changed the subject, "Oh, look ahead, Ruoxi dear! We're approaching the city, there are lights. Want to grab something to eat? How about some fast food like McDonald's, Wendy's, or Burger King? After all, we're abroad, so we might as well experience the local fast food. Or should we head back to Paris for a proper Western meal? It's all up to you, haha..."

Lin Ruoxi gritted her teeth, knowing he was trying to change the topic. But something suddenly came to mind, and she asked, "By the way, how did you know this place is Romilly? Have you been here before?"

Yang Chen sighed in relief, glad she didn't dwell on the face-touching. He explained, "Although the driver who brought us here initially headed northeast to confuse us, he later switched directions to southeast once it got dark, choosing forest roads without towns. It was a very meticulous kidnapping plan, ensuring we couldn't notify the outside world while maintaining secrecy.

In normal thinking, given the route and time, we should have ended up in the Esbly area northeast of Paris. But such tricks don't fool me easily. So, I calculated the distance and deduced we were in Romilly. I also felt the heavy moisture in the air and heard faint sounds of a river, leading me to guess we were near the Seine River in Romilly. As for how I knew these places, it's not because I've been here, but because I've memorized the world map."

Memorized the world map?!

Even Lin Ruoxi, who had seen many brilliant people in the business world, found it hard to comprehend how Yang Chen managed this. She looked at him with a complex expression, finding it hard to believe this man was her husband, whom she had "picked up" from the market.

Lin Ruoxi turned her head to look at the dazzling city lights ahead. As the car approached the city center, she muttered to herself, "The more you explain, the more questions I have."

Yang Chen shrugged, took another drag from his cigarette, and tossed the butt out the window. "It's quite simple. Don't think of me as a human; just consider me a monster, and everything will make sense."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lin Ruoxi suddenly raised her voice, reprimanding him.

Yang Chen was stunned, not understanding why Lin Ruoxi reacted so strongly.

"You," Lin Ruoxi knew she had overreacted, but she still spoke clearly, "You are not a monster. No matter how others see you, I don't see you that way, and you shouldn't see yourself that way either."

Looking at her beautiful eyes, which were serious and had a touch of brightness, Yang Chen smiled, "Silly girl..."

"You're the silly one!" Lin Ruoxi said sternly.

"Yes, yes, you're a silly girl, and I'm a silly guy. We're a couple of silly people," Yang Chen laughed heartily, accelerating the car as they drove towards the city center of Romilly.

In the thirteenth district of Paris, amidst a sparse scattering of lights, there lies an ordinary residential area. The houses here mostly have decades of history, their exquisite and delicate designs each showcasing the country's long-standing charm.

In one of these houses, a two-story building with grey walls and a red roof, a family of three was gathered around an oval dining table, enjoying a simple meal of bacon, mashed potatoes, and toast.

Under the warm, soft lighting, a ten-year-old boy with curly blond hair put down his spoon and looked up at the tall man beside him. "Daddy, can we go to Disneyland on Sunday? Many kids in my class have been there."

"Harry, don't be silly. Daddy is very busy these days," his mother gently scolded, pretending to be angry.

The burly man, Harry's father, with a bushy beard, motioned for his wife not to frighten the boy. He turned to his son with a warm smile, "Daddy's work is really busy right now, but after this month, Daddy will take you to Disneyland to see the car show. How about that?"

Little Harry pouted, "But Daddy is always busy."

Hearing his son's disappointed voice, a flicker of guilt flashed in the man's eyes. His wife, feeling equally helpless and heartbroken, said nothing more.

At that moment, the man's phone rang on the table. He glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and answered the call.

"This is Fordsar. What is it?"

An urgent voice reported from the other end, "Deputy Director! We just received news from the police that the missing businessmen and nobles were found at a warehouse by the Seine River in Romilly. The tip came from an anonymous witness. We've already instructed the police to keep it quiet and have rescued the important guests as quickly as possible, but many of them are very angry and emotionally unstable."

Fordsar was silent for a moment before asking, "Have you identified the kidnappers?"

"Yes, as we suspected, it was done by people under Apollo's 'Realm of Gods.' The deceased kidnappers bore the 'Golden Sun Totem.' However, these individuals were also connected to the 'Hellhound' organization. Our analysis suggests that the 'Hellhound' may have already submitted to the 'Realm of Gods.'"

"Hellhound?" A sharp gleam flashed in Fordsar's eyes. "Wasn't that organization on the verge of disbanding?"

"That's what we believed, but it appears we only hit a fake elite force. The core strength of the real Hellhound wasn't eliminated."

Upon hearing this, Fordsar clenched his fist tightly. "Got it. Keep the guests calm; we can't let this escalate. I'm heading to the scene now. Does Director Deipne know about this?"

The staff on the other end hesitated before replying softly, "Director Deipne said you should handle it as you see fit and report back once it's done."

Fordsar's face darkened, and he took a deep breath before ending the call.

Seeing her husband's troubled expression, the woman asked worriedly, "Darling, is something wrong?"

Realizing he was still at home, Fordsar forced a smile. "Don't worry. I'll handle it. You two continue eating; I have to go out."

With that, Fordsar stood up, put on his coat, and was about to leave. But after a few steps, he stopped again.

Fordsar turned back and looked at his son Harry, who was gazing at him with hopeful eyes. He gave a loving smile and said, "Harry, I promise you, after this month, I'll take you to Disneyland. And during your summer vacation, we'll go on a Mediterranean cruise. How does that sound?"

"Really?!" The boy, who had been on the verge of tears, suddenly lit up with joy.

Fordsar nodded firmly, smiled at his wife, and then left the house.

Meanwhile, on the N4 highway from Romilly to Paris, the scene inside the Bentley with Yang Chen and his companions was quite different.

In the middle of the car, Goodman sat with a dazed expression, holding a bag of McDonald's meals. Opposite him, Stern and Alice were also holding bags of McDonald's, enthusiastically munching on their chicken burgers.

Just a few minutes earlier, Yang Chen had driven through a McDonald's drive-thru on the outskirts of the city and bought several bags of meals. Naturally, everyone in the car got a portion.

"Mr. Goodman, aren't you eating? Burgers can be quite tasty," Alice said with interest.

Growing up in a prominent family, the siblings rarely had the chance to eat such cheap fast food, so they were quite excited.

Goodman, however, grumbled, "I don't know what he was thinking, buying this kind of food. How can Ruoxi eat such cheap stuff? And how can this be used to entertain you two?"

Stern paid no attention to Goodman's complaints. After finishing his burger, he smacked his lips, unsatisfied, and seeing Goodman not eating, he grabbed his bag.

"Mr. Goodman, if you're not eating, I'll take yours," Stern said, cheerfully pulling out another burger from the bag.

"Yes, and give me the fries. McDonald's fries are pretty good," Alice added happily.

Goodman widened his eyes, on the verge of tears. While he found the food too low-class, it didn't mean he wasn't hungry!

At that moment, Lin Ruoxi, whom Goodman believed to be "suffering," was sitting in the front passenger seat. She held the double cheeseburger that Yang Chen had bought for her but hesitated to take a bite.

Lin Ruoxi couldn't remember if she had ever eaten a burger before. In China, such food was considered trendy by many, with people enjoying their meals in McDonald's or KFC. But abroad, the primary function of fast food was quick purchase and consumption. Most people just drove through, bought their food, and ate it in their cars, with nothing particularly special about it.

Price-wise, considering Lin Ruoxi's status, this kind of food was far too low-class.

"Why aren't you eating? Your stomach was growling just now. Aren't you hungry?" Yang Chen asked, puzzled as he took a big bite of his burger while driving.

Lin Ruoxi bit her lip. Of course, she was hungry. She hadn't eaten anything since getting off the plane, and it had been more than half a day.

"Did you do this on purpose?" Lin Ruoxi asked.

"What do you mean?"

Lin Ruoxi pointed at the thick double cheeseburger in her hand, "This burger is so thick. How am I supposed to eat it?"

"Of course, you just open your mouth wide and take a bite, like this," Yang Chen said, taking another big bite of his burger.

"But... but doing that..." Lin Ruoxi hesitated, thinking about how she would have to open her mouth wide to bite into the burger, finding it particularly hard to do.

Yang Chen, in a teasing tone, said, "Oh, so your stomach is growling with hunger, but you still care about looking ladylike? Do you look down on eating burgers? I guess only rough guys like me eat this stuff. Seems like my dear Ruoxi has a bit of a princess complex."

"You're the one with the princess complex! Don't treat me like a child. I don't need reverse psychology. It's just a burger, how childish," Lin Ruoxi retorted, feeling stung by Yang Chen's sarcasm. She glared at him and then turned her attention back to the burger in her hand.

Finally, Lin Ruoxi closed her eyes, opened her mouth as wide as she could, and took a big bite.

To be honest, the cheeseburger was really delicious, despite its tendency to cause weight gain. The rich flavor was irresistible, especially to a starving person like Lin Ruoxi. After the first bite, she couldn't help but take another big bite.

It was the first time Yang Chen saw Lin Ruoxi eating with her cheeks puffed out, making her originally beautiful face look a bit like a "bun face."

"Look at you, what a mess," Yang Chen said with a mix of amusement and helplessness. He finished his food and reached out to wipe the corners of Lin Ruoxi's mouth with his finger.

Apparently, she had eaten so quickly that some white sauce had smeared around her mouth.

Seeing Yang Chen's finger covered with sauce scraped from her mouth, Lin Ruoxi wanted to jump out of the car in embarrassment. It was mortifying.

What happened next made Lin Ruoxi want to die of embarrassment even more. Yang Chen nonchalantly put his sauce-covered finger in his mouth and licked it clean!

Lin Ruoxi blushed deeply, nearly choking in the process.

Yang Chen realized that his action might have seemed quite suggestive and intimate, but he didn't mind. With his thick skin, he just grinned at Lin Ruoxi, whose ears were already turning red in the dim light. He said playfully, "What's the big deal? It's not like we haven't kissed before. If you feel wronged, you can smear some sauce on my face and lick it off?"

Lin Ruoxi felt like she might faint. How could anyone be so shameless? Realizing that arguing would only make things worse for herself, she vented all her frustration on the burger, taking big, angry bites. This time, she turned her back to Yang Chen, not giving him any chance to touch her face again.

Yang Chen, understanding that Lin Ruoxi was genuinely hungry, decided not to joke anymore. Everything had its limit. He focused on the road ahead, and the Bentley sped towards the city center of Paris.