Chapter 99: The chain of evidence is complete; preparations for prosecution.

At Sheng Huating Residential Area, when Chen Ang woke up, there was no movement from the master bedroom.

He finished washing up, changed his clothes, and headed out, not pausing for a moment as he passed the door of the master bedroom.

He did not know what time Wen Huilin had returned last night, and he did not want to know.

As for who was taking Chen Zetian today, he cared even less.

However, when he caught a glimpse of Chen Zetian's schoolbag sitting on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, its zipper unfastened, revealing half of a Fencing wrist guard, Chen Ang inexplicably smiled.

He silently gave a thumbs-up, called out a "Good luck," and left the house in a pleasant mood.

By the time he arrived at the law firm, Shen Pianran was already in the office.

She was wearing light makeup today, very exquisite, especially the light pink lip gloss, which made Chen Ang pause in his tracks, his mind involuntarily recalling the scene from that night in Hong Kong.

Shen Pianran looked up at him, gathered a few documents from her desk, and stood up. "The litigation team is next door, just waiting for you."

She had completely shaken off the emotional disturbance of that night, seemingly returning to the way they had interacted at the very beginning.

Chen Ang nodded and followed her out.

He couldn't help but feel that this woman was truly someone who did what she said—using him and then casting him aside.

Without time to overthink, he entered the conference room and saw three people sitting inside: two men and one woman, all around forty years old, dressed in business suits, with laptops and folders laid out in front of them.

They were the litigation team Shen Pianran had hired, specializing in marital property disputes.

The middle-aged man leading the team was surnamed Xu; he had graying hair and a slight southern accent, speaking at a measured pace but enunciating every word clearly.

Lawyer Xu pushed a bound document toward Chen Ang, the cover printed with the words "Compensation List."

Chen Ang opened it. The first page was a table of contents, with the corresponding evidence reference numbers and estimated amounts noted after each item.

Lawyer Xu waited for him to flip through a few pages before speaking: "Mr. Chen, the items on this list are all claims we can make based on the existing evidence. Let's go through them one by one."

He picked up a document and pointed to it, saying: "The refund of child support; this is the core claim for fraudulent parenting."

"From the time the child was born until now, a full six years, including delivery costs, postpartum care expenses, formula, diapers, medical bills, clothing, education, and all other direct expenditures."

"Based on the receipts and bank statements you provided, this portion totals approximately 430,000."

"Additionally, the three extracurricular classes you enrolled the child in have complete payment vouchers, and the compensation for Chen Zetian's injury of others also came from joint assets, totaling 238,000 yuan; we are claiming a refund of half of that."

Chen Ang was very satisfied with the team's professionalism and nodded, asking: "What about compensation for mental distress?"

Lawyer Xu gathered the files and replied calmly: "The tortious nature of fraudulent parenting dictates that compensation for mental distress is an independent claim, which can be pursued in parallel with divorce damages."

Pausing for a moment, he looked up at Chen Ang. "Considering the duration of the infringement has lasted for six years, the degree of mental harm caused to you, and the degree of the other party's malice, we should claim the maximum compensation for mental distress: 100,000."

"For divorce damages, the statutory standard is within 50,000. However, given that Wen Huilin committed adultery during the marriage and gave birth to a child, with egregious circumstances, we recommend claiming the full 50,000 directly."

Chen Ang continued to nod, his expression unchanged, and then asked about the issue of property division.

Lawyer Xu did not mince words. "All the funds you transferred to Wen Huilin during the marriage, including the 8,000 yuan monthly household allowance totaling approximately 670,000, as well as all time deposit certificates and cash in her name, should all be included in the marital joint property for division."

"As for the two properties, the one in the old district is pre-marital property, so there's no need to worry about that; the new home was paid for with your housing provident fund during the marriage, so you can claim that she is not entitled to a share."

"She cheated during the marriage and concealed the fact that the child was not biologically yours, making her the statutory at-fault party; therefore, she should receive less or nothing during the division."

Chen Ang nodded frequently and then asked about the betrothal gift.

Lawyer Xu thought for a moment and said slowly: "Regarding the return of the betrothal gift, since you entered into the marriage due to fraud, you have the right to claim a full refund. However, we might need some direct evidence of the fraud."

As he spoke, he flipped the list to the last page and pointed his finger at the total amount. "The above items total approximately 1.83 million."

"Additionally, for the bmw x5 purchased during the marriage, you can claim compensation during the division for the portion of the car loan that was originally supposed to be borne by Wen Huilin."

After Lawyer Xu had finished explaining all the details, Chen Ang read the list from beginning to end once more and closed the folder. "This is acceptable. Does every item on here have corresponding evidence?"

"Every single one. Paternity test report, bank statements, payment vouchers, car purchase contract, insurance policy, credit card records, intimate photos, and bed photos."

Lawyer Guo lowered his head to open his notebook and added: "Once the chat records are obtained, the chain of evidence will be complete."

Then, he looked up. "As for Tu Yuandong, as the third party in the tort, he committed adultery with Wen Huilin and fathered a child while knowing she was married, constituting an infringement of your spousal rights. You can file a separate tort compensation lawsuit against him and claim compensation for mental distress."

Just as he was speaking, Chen Ang's phone lit up.

He gestured for Lawyer Xu to wait a moment, opened his phone, and saw a message from Yu Liang that said only one sentence: "The chat records have been obtained and sent to your email."

Curling his lips, Chen Ang immediately handed the phone to Shen Pianran, who opened the email and quickly browsed through it.

Then she handed the phone to Lawyer Xu, who lowered his head to read it.

The chat records spanned over two years, with Wen Huilin and Tu Yuandong calling each other husband and wife, discussing when they could get divorced, and debating the upbringing of Chen Zetian.

In several key messages, Tu Yuandong explicitly mentioned "my son," and Wen Huilin replied, "Don't worry, he won't know."

A few minutes later, Lawyer Xu returned the phone to Chen Ang and turned to the litigation team. "The chat records have been obtained; it's a smoking gun. From now on, the chain of evidence is complete. Everyone, organize all the materials you have on hand once more."

After giving instructions, he made a note in his notebook. "Now that the evidence is complete, I suggest formally submitting the complaint to the court in three days. Regarding litigation strategy, my recommendation is to combine the divorce lawsuit and the tort claim for fraudulent parenting, and handle the tort compensation claim against Tu Yuandong as a separate case. This will result in the shortest trial cycle for the main lawsuit."

Chen Ang finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in response. "Let's do that."

The litigation team packed up their documents, and Lawyer Xu left a copy of the compensation list with Chen Ang before leaving with the team.

Shen Pianran returned after seeing them off, leaned against the conference table, and took a sip of the coffee that had already gone cold.

"Now, can you finally set your mind at ease?"

Chen Ang chuckled. "More or less. Actually, I wasn't that worried; after all, we prepared so much in advance."

"I have to say, you are the most thorough person I have ever met. You are very good at enduring."

Shen Pianran held the cup with both hands, observing Chen Ang through a strand of hair falling over her forehead.

Chen Ang grinned. "Is that so? People are always forced into it."

Thinking of Chen Ang's past, Shen Pianran nodded.

She withdrew her gaze from Chen Ang and looked down at the coffee cup in her hands.

The two of them fell into a brief silence.

And the atmosphere was inexplicably a bit awkward.

A moment later, she sat up straight and said: "Regarding Antai Leasing, Tan Xiaolei's team has already been set up."

Hearing her change the subject, Chen Ang also straightened his posture. "What has he done? How is he doing?"