Volume One, Chapter 79: The Man Behind Ye Sheng... It's Him!

An ordinary knitted hat—at first, the Huo family paid it no mind. No one expected that such a simple hat would stir such a commotion; especially after Ninth Master’s comment, Chairman Huo and his wife grew deeply concerned.

Huo Lintong and Ye Sheng left together.

Each held a child by the hand as they walked out. Huo Mingtian’s gaze followed Ye Sheng and Huo Cong, an uneasy feeling gnawing at him.

For the past three years since the divorce, Huo Mingtian had raised his child alone, pouring himself into the task. Whether working or traveling for business, he brought his son along whenever possible, driven by a sense of compensation.

Though his mother had left, at least he still had his father.

Yet three years of being both father and mother had given Huo Mingtian a new understanding of Ye Sheng’s hardships in the past.

Today, when Ye Sheng sat down to calmly discuss their child’s education, Huo Mingtian was suffused with a rare warmth—a solid reassurance he’d only ever felt when she was still at home by his side.

Only, back then, he hadn’t known that feeling was called “reassurance.”

It was only after it vanished that he realized, too late, what he’d lost.

And now, it seemed almost impossible to recover.

Yet today, Ye Sheng’s gestures gave him a sense—perhaps there was hope of regaining it.

So he agreed to let Ye Sheng take the child for a few days.

Huo Mingtian harbored his own calculations. They still shared a child, a blood bond; he refused to believe he could be outdone by the man standing beside Ye Sheng now.

“Goodbye!”

Huo Xiaobei waved politely to the family before climbing into the car first.

Huo Cong also waved to his father and grandparents. For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, following Ye Sheng away like this made him feel a bit embarrassed, as though he were betraying the Huo family.

He comforted himself: he was only staying for a few days, he’d be back soon. He was going because of Huo Xiaobei, to be his neighbor—not because of Ye Sheng...

“Come on up,” Huo Xiaobei called, reaching out a hand. Huo Cong stopped hesitating, reached out, and climbed into the car as well.

The Maybach was spacious.

Huo Lintong stood by the car, gentlemanly shielding Ye Sheng’s head as she stepped in first. Only then did he turn to the family, give them a slight wave, and duck inside himself.

Huo Mingtian frowned, his unease intensifying.

Something felt wrong, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Chairman Huo and his wife escorted them all the way to the gate of the Huo residence, watching the two cars disappear from sight before turning back.

Although Huo Lintong’s return had been sudden and he’d said little, even scolded them a bit, the chairman and his wife were radiant with pride. This meant Ninth Uncle was willing to be close to them.

After all, they were the main branch of the Huo family. No matter how the other branches tried to curry favor with Ninth Master, they would never catch his eye.

“Mingtian, what are you standing there for?”

Madam Huo called to him. Huo Mingtian silently turned to follow, but as he stepped onto the stairs, he suddenly froze.

He remembered!

No wonder the sight of Ninth Master’s back looked so familiar. It was the tall figure he’d seen at the hotel, holding a child in his arms.

And that fleeting glimpse of a coat tail in the car when he went to pick up Ye Sheng at Haici Hospital.

And... countless other moments when he and that man had brushed past each other.

Huo Mingtian spun around, staring after the cars that had just left. As realization exploded in his mind, his thoughts went blank for an instant.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest, sending his head spinning.

The whole world seemed to tilt, unravel, and go mad.

Had he been wrong all along?

Could it be that the man behind Ye Sheng wasn’t Wan Sandao, nor Boss Ye, but...

His own Ninth Uncle—Huo Lintong?!