Volume One, Chapter 82: Ye Sheng Marrying Me Is a Step Down

Huo Mingting sat by the window all night, trying to digest the findings Chu Yue had uncovered for him.

The sheer volume of information overwhelmed him, completely overturning everything he thought he knew. After three years of marriage to Ye Sheng, Huo Mingting suddenly realized this night... that he and his wife were, in truth, strangers.

There were countless things Ye Sheng had never told him, and he had never cared to ask. In the end, who was to blame?

He drank alone in silence, the phone resting on the coffee table, vibrating incessantly. The caller ID displayed “Minshu,” but Huo Mingting had no intention of answering.

He waited until the phone ran out of battery entirely and shut down. Huo Mingting returned to his room to find a charger, worried that if anything happened to Huo Cong, Ye Sheng wouldn’t be able to reach him by phone.

Such a mistake would not repeat itself.

Two knocks came at the door. Huo Mingting called out, “Come in,” and Lady Huo entered, her face etched with worry.

She wanted to speak, but hesitation lingered in her gaze.

“Qin Minshu called you, didn’t she?”

Huo Mingting plugged in his phone, replying coolly, “If you’re here to plead for her, there’s no need. I won’t pursue the matter for now, but I have no intention of letting it go.”

Lady Huo let out a deep sigh.

“If the matter with the hat truly was Minshu’s doing, it was indeed excessive. I also—”

“Excessive?” Huo Mingting straightened, his expression stern. “It wasn’t just excessive—it was outrageous! Mom, everyone makes small mistakes, but if it was deliberate and touches on morality, the nature of it changes entirely.”

Lady Huo found herself at a loss for words.

That afternoon, she had taken drastic measures, interrogating every servant and reviewing every scrap of surveillance footage. Finally, in a hidden corner, she unearthed the truth.

Normally, there wasn’t a camera on the balcony, but the housekeeper had once bought an extra one and, finding no place for it, tucked it away in a concealed spot. It was so well-hidden, she nearly forgot about it—until today’s thorough search revealed that secret “eye.”

That camera captured everything in sharp detail.

Qin Minshu, smiling as she sent Xiao Ying away, then took scissors to the blue hat Ye Sheng had knitted for Huo Cong, shredding it to pieces... The high-definition footage showed her expressions with chilling clarity.

Had they not seen it with their own eyes, neither Chairman Huo nor Lady Huo would have believed that the young woman who always appeared so gentle and proper before them could reveal such a malicious side.

She seemed... like a witch, a demon.

After watching the video from start to finish, Huo Mingting’s face was so grim it could have dripped water.

“Minshu, after all, is the heiress of the Qin family, but her outlook is still narrow,” Lady Huo shook her head, disappointment clouding her eyes. “She’s not the child of upright people; the roots are flawed.”

“But this matter shouldn’t be made public. No matter what, the Huo family and the Qin family have business ties, especially in recent years, with our interests tightly bound. Your father and I originally set our sights on Qin Minshu as a daughter-in-law. She’s been good to Cong’er, and devoted these years; Cong’er likes her. Perhaps you should reconsider—think about whether she deserves another chance?”

Huo Mingting remained unmoved, his brows icy and sharp.

“Mom, do you truly believe Qin Minshu is fit to be Cong’er’s mother? To leave such a two-faced, superficial woman in our home—can I ever feel at ease?”

Lady Huo’s expression changed at his words.

For a household, the mistress is crucial—especially in a family of their stature. A woman’s influence spans three generations; she must be chosen with utmost care.

“But Ye Sheng, after all, comes from a modest background,” Lady Huo pursed her lips, “I’m not prejudiced, but marriage isn’t the same as romance. You’re the heir to the Huo family, the future helmsman of the Huo Corporation; your partner is vital.”

Huo Mingting had heard these words from his mother countless times before—his ears had grown calloused from her complaints about Ye Sheng’s family.

Previously, he’d never defended Ye Sheng, thinking simply that he was willing to marry her.

But now, he couldn’t help but speak up for her.

“Mom, Ye Sheng isn’t from some humble background.”

He met his mother’s puzzled gaze, and asked, “Have you heard of the Ye family from Shangzhou?”

“How could I not? Huatai Pharmaceuticals belongs to the Ye family, doesn’t it?” Lady Huo spoke confidently, a hint of admiration in her eyes. “The Ye family is renowned for its loyalty and sacrifice. Not to mention the late Academician Ye, even his son and daughter-in-law were heroes who gave their lives...”

She paused suddenly, sensing something, and looked up at Huo Mingting in disbelief.

“The Ye family?” Her heart skipped a beat. “Ye Sheng—could she be...”

“Yes,” Huo Mingting replied, his eyes deep and resolute. “If you truly wish to speak of matching status, it is our Huo family who has married above our station. When Ye Sheng wed me, it was she who lowered herself. Mom, all these years, she has been the one wronged.”