Volume 1, Chapter 123: He Knew She Had Him in Her Heart

If Ye Sheng had not been absolutely certain that Huo Mingting held no feelings for her, she might have misunderstood his words.

"Oh. So that’s why Huo Shuting brought up the house at the Donglin Hotel that day, claiming I was asking you for it. It all makes sense now."

The mystery was solved.

Huo Mingting’s brow furrowed slightly. "That girl is erratic. Don't pay her any mind."

Ye Sheng offered a noncommittal tug of her lips. She used to yield to Huo Shuting because she was her sister-in-law, but now that the connection was severed, there was no need to concede anymore.

Huo Mingting coughed lightly. "My mother asked me to pass on a message: she would like to invite you to the house for dinner whenever you are free."

Ye Sheng was truly stunned. "Your mother? Inviting me?" She spoke as if she had heard a tall tale. "Has the sun risen in the west?"

Huo Mingting looked sheepish. He knew well that his mother and sister had often looked down on Ye Sheng’s background, always feeling she was unworthy of him. The only reason his mother was extending an invitation now was because of her status as the heiress of the Ye family. Regardless of the motive, however, if their relationship could be mended, it would be a good thing.

Ye Sheng ignored the offer entirely. "Go ahead and move your things. I’m heading up."

As she turned to leave, Huo Mingting called out, "Ye Sheng."

He took a step closer. "Regarding the custody issue, let’s avoid a lawsuit if we can. Tell me what you need, and we can discuss it calmly."

Ye Sheng stared directly at him. What was wrong with him today? His behavior from start to finish was so out of character; he seemed like a different person. His attitude had softened, his words were measured, and the overbearing man she once knew was gone.

"However," Huo Mingting’s expression darkened with a hint of helplessness, "why did you transfer the properties and shares to Cong'er? Do you dislike my things that much?"

Ye Sheng replied coolly, "You said it yourself—they are your things. Why would I want them?"

Huo Mingting was silent.

"If we were still married, I might have been happy knowing you had given me those things. But I only found out a few days ago. It feels uncomfortable to keep them, but it felt wrong to return them, so giving them to our son seemed best." Ye Sheng added, "In any case, everything I have will eventually be Cong'er's anyway."

Huo Mingting lowered his gaze, momentarily at a loss for words. She said she would have been happy if he had told her while they were still married... but why hadn't he told her back then? He couldn't even understand his past self or his own thinking. If he could go back in time, he would certainly crack his own skull open to see what exactly was inside it!

"As for the custody, it is best if you are willing to take a step back. I don't want to fight you in court either." Ye Sheng shifted her tone. "But I will say it again: if you marry Qin Minshu, I will do everything in my power to fight for Cong'er's custody. As I am now, I have the strength to do so."

Wasn't all the momentum and high-profile activity of the past few months aimed precisely at this?

Her past marriage had taught Ye Sheng that a woman, no matter where or when, must never relinquish her power; once she lost it, she would be at the mercy of others. Once upon a time, she had tried hard to shed the label of "Heiress of the Shangzhou Ye Family," wanting to live as her own person with her own name. When she married Huo Mingting, she had hoped for a simple life. She had wanted the man, not his status.

She had been too naive, forgetting that the more prominent the family, the more they cared about social standing. Her origins might not have mattered to her, but in the eyes of Huo Mingting and his mother, they were everything. They hadn't looked down on Ye Sheng herself; they had looked down on a Ye Sheng from a modest background.

She was fundamentally the same person she had always been, yet the attitudes of Huo Mingting and his mother had shifted from one extreme to the other.

*Sigh...* Her brother was right. Power, status, and prestige were neutral terms—neither good nor bad; it all depended on how one utilized them.

Huo Mingting, however, misinterpreted her meaning. As he listened to her, his eyes brightened. "You... are you really that bothered by Qin Minshu's presence?"

*Bothered?* Ye Sheng thought to herself: *If I weren't worried about Cong'er being led astray by her, you could marry whoever you wanted for all I cared.*

Seeing Ye Sheng's resentful expression, Huo Mingting chuckled inwardly. When a woman gets jealous, she really can be quite petty. But this, he reasoned, was proof that she still had feelings for him.