Volume One, Chapter 33: Ye Sheng’s Divorce Must Have an Untold Reason

The carriage was exceedingly quiet, and the voice from the receiver was clear and distinct.

Huo Cong widened his eyes, nervously swallowing as he scooted closer to Huo Mingtian, wanting to hear more clearly.

Who had been deceived?

Was it her?

Huo Mingtian kept his composure. "Wan Sandao? How could his surname be Wan? Isn’t it supposed to be Huo?"

"What do you mean?" Chu Yue didn’t understand.

Huo Mingtian distinctly remembered the child’s surname was Huo and his name was Bei.

Could he have been mistaken, and the child wasn’t Ye Sheng’s child from outside?

At this thought, a weight in his heart suddenly eased, and he shifted in his seat. "Go on."

"There’s nothing else, that’s all I found." Chu Yue replied.

Huo Mingtian frowned in irritation, making no effort to hide his temper. "You spent all that time and only found this? You, a captain of the criminal investigation squad—what are you even doing?"

"Hey, is that how you ask for help? You dog!"

Chu Yue wasn’t about to indulge him and fired back, "I don’t know how Ye Sheng put up with you for three years. She was right to divorce you—if it were me, I’d leave, too!"

Brothers know best how to wound each other.

Huo Mingtian, exposed and embarrassed, grew even more irritable, barely restraining his anger. "That’s all you found out about the car. What about the research institute? Could it be that Wan’s secret base in the country?"

"Hard to say."

Chu Yue drew on a cigarette. "I asked some friends in foreign police circles—this Wan Sandao has quite a reputation. They call him ‘Third Brother’ in the underworld. Apparently, he started out running errands in Chinatown, and now he’s involved in both the legal and illegal worlds. Frankly, how did your wife end up entangled with such a dangerous figure?"

"How would I know?" Huo Mingtian’s tone was icy.

Chu Yue continued, "You’re her husband and you don’t know? What kind of husband are you?"

Huo Mingtian’s expression grew colder, his voice stiff. "Ye Sheng and I are divorced."

He said it with solemnity, but Chu Yue burst out laughing, his tone mocking. "Oh, so you remember you’re divorced now? I thought you’d forgotten."

"I’ve been meaning to say this—divorced, yet you’re still so hung up on your ex-wife… Huo Mingtian, are you sick?"

"You’re the sick one!" Huo Mingtian, mortified and furious, hung up the phone.

But Huo Cong, face tense and serious, patted his father’s hand. "Get back to the point."

Huo Mingtian paused, realizing the matter was unresolved, and reluctantly called back.

Chu Yue seized the chance to tease him again, "If you’re still hung up, just admit it. Even the best horses return to their old pasture. Nothing shameful about it—the original wife is always the sweetest… Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing, let’s get back to business."

His voice dropped instantly.

"We’ve been keeping an eye on the Meishan research institute. If this Wan Sandao is truly dangerous, he wouldn’t be allowed to commit crimes here. I'll personally lead a team to Meishan in a few days. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know immediately."

Huo Mingtian knew Chu Yue’s team only handled major cases; his seriousness underscored the gravity of the situation.

And… how much danger Ye Sheng was in now.

His throat tightened as he gripped the phone. "Thank you, brother."

"No need for thanks—if we succeed, I’ll owe you one…"

Chu Yue continued, "But honestly, it’s not too late for you to come to your senses and win Ye Sheng back. Are you really comfortable letting her be with that Wan Sandao? What if he hurts her?"

Every word struck at Huo Mingtian’s anxieties, fueling his unrest. He wished he could drag Ye Sheng back right now, keeping her close and never letting her out of his sight.

"Have you ever wondered why Ye Sheng suddenly asked for a divorce three years ago, even leaving the child behind? You didn’t cheat, nor did you pick up any bad habits. At most, you got a bit too close to Qin Minshu, but that alone shouldn’t have led to divorce, especially since you have a child. A child is a mother’s weak point, and Ye Sheng treasured Cong’er so dearly. We all saw how much she loved you—can love just disappear like that?"

Huo Mingtian felt as if his forehead had been struck. "You mean she had a secret she couldn’t reveal?"

"Very likely."

Chu Yue analyzed logically, "I remember when we were in college, Ye Sheng went abroad as an exchange student, to N City. Maybe she met Wan back then, got caught in something, and was threatened, forcing her to leave you?"

A chill crawled up Huo Mingtian’s spine.

He knew his son was eavesdropping, but dared not let him hear more, so he moved the phone further away.

The more he listened to Chu Yue’s analysis, the more plausible it seemed!

Ye Sheng had changed so much in these three years; she would never have looked at him with such cold, indifferent eyes before…

"What should I do? Should I have someone watch her?"

Chu Yue pondered. "Don’t startle the snake—wait until we investigate the Meishan institute first. But if you see Ye Sheng, you can try to sound her out, see if she really has a secret she can’t share."

He couldn’t help but instruct, "Be gentle with her. Don’t act like you used to—cold as an ice cave. Who could stand that?"

Huo Mingtian’s face was a bit awkward. "Enough, you perennial bachelor. Have you ever even dated? Don’t teach me."

"Sure, you’re amazing. You’ve even been divorced once."

They exchanged a few more barbs and ended the call.

"She really has a secret she can’t tell, didn’t deliberately abandon us?"

Huo Cong looked at Huo Mingtian, his expression cool and stubborn, lips tightly pressed together. "Dad, do you trust her?"