Volume One, Chapter 114: How Could I Have Lost Her?

On the way back, Ye Sheng asked Wan Sandao, “Third Brother, did you figure it out?”

Wan Sandao’s lips curved into a meaningful smile. “Madam Qin is no ordinary woman. You play chess; you understand.”

Ye Sheng shook her head softly.

“Madam Qin is the one setting the board; I fear I’m merely a piece on her chessboard.”

But in this lifetime, she would no longer be a pawn.

When two masters meet, the game is on.

This time, she would win.

—

Qin Minshu called Huo Mingting more than a dozen times and sent countless messages.

Huo Mingting neither answered nor looked.

After working for a while, someone knocked on the door. Before he could say “come in,” the door was pushed open.

Knocking is merely a courtesy, a formality.

Only Qin Minshu or his two brothers would dare to barge in like this.

One was Chu Yue, the other Tan Yao.

Chu Yue was still in the hospital, so when Huo Mingting saw Tan Yao’s refined face, he was not surprised.

But whenever Lawyer Tan showed up uninvited, it was never good news.

The last time, dressed sharply in a suit, he had stepped into Huo’s office because Ye Sheng sent a lawyer to sue him for divorce; Tan Yao, as the legal advisor and representative lawyer for the Huo Group, was unavoidable.

“I just visited A Yue at the hospital.”

Unlike the carefree Chu Yue, Tan Yao was the youngest of the three yet mature and steady, with a face and aura that commanded respect.

But that was only to outsiders...

“I heard A Yue risked herself to save my ex-sister-in-law. Captain Chu is braver than you,” Huo Mingting said through gritted teeth, eyeing the sly fox-like glint behind Tan Yao’s frameless glasses.

“Don’t owe me,” Tan Yao retorted.

Huo Mingting was annoyed. “Just get to the point. I’m very busy.”

Tan Yao gave an “OK” gesture.

“Two things.”

He sat opposite him and spoke one by one. “Ye Sheng’s lawyer called me about custody.”

Huo Mingting’s eyes darkened.

“Due to personal reasons, I want to ask... Brother, are you really going to fight Ye Sheng in court? I still have nightmares from our last divorce case and feel uneasy just thinking about it.”

Ye Sheng would rather leave empty-handed than stay with Huo Mingting. Tan Yao remembered how ugly Huo’s expression was back then.

More humiliating than being slapped in court.

“If she wants to fight, what choice do I have?” Huo Mingting said gloomily, slamming the pen onto the desk.

Suddenly, he recalled this pen, which had accompanied him for five or six years and was a gift from Ye Sheng—perhaps for an anniversary or birthday; he couldn’t remember.

Not remembering made him feel even more frustrated.

“I won’t take it to court,” he changed his mind, picking up the pen. “I’ll talk to her again. If we can avoid litigation, I’ll try.”

“Wise decision, Brother,” Tan Yao said, bowing slightly, clearly pleased with the answer.

Huo Mingting chuckled, annoyed. “Don’t get cheeky. What’s the second thing?”

“Oh,” Tan Yao said, pulling two documents from his briefcase. “Speaking of the custody battle, I checked your assets over the years, including those you transferred to Ye Sheng and Cong’er, just in case. But I found something off.”

“Remember the two properties, a shop, and some shares in subsidiaries you transferred to Ye Sheng during the marriage?”

“Yeah.”

Huo Mingting flipped through the documents casually. “What about them?”

“They’ve been transferred out.”

At Tan Yao’s words, Huo Mingting’s hand froze.

“See for yourself. Everything you gave Ye Sheng has been transferred to Cong’er, and it happened just recently.”

Tan Yao looked at Huo Mingting. “Did Ye Sheng know about these transfers?”

Knowing Ye Sheng’s temper, if she had, she probably wouldn’t have left any of it when filing for divorce.

Huo Mingting’s expression turned grim. Was she really determined to sever all ties and refuse everything?

His hand gripping the pen tensed, veins bulging.

Seeing his reaction, Tan Yao sighed deeply.

“Brother, do you understand now? When Ye Sheng married you, many said she schemed and got pregnant just to get your money. But we could all see she truly loved you. For you, for Cong’er, she sacrificed a lot.”

Tan Yao asked earnestly, “How did you let her slip away?”

Huo Mingting suddenly looked up, his face as cold and pale as frost.