Chapter 6 Meeting Xiao Liang

After leaving the law firm, Chen Ang got into his car and checked the time; it was not yet three o'clock.

He sent a message to Yu Liang: "At the office? I'll be there in half an hour."

Yu Liang replied instantly: "Come on over."

At the Linshui District Public Security Bureau, Chen Ang parked the car, walked up to the third floor with practiced ease, knocked, entered, and called out: "Ah Liang."

Yu Liang was sitting behind his desk writing reports. He looked up, saw Chen Ang, threw down his pen, and said: "Watch your language, damn it. This is the Public Security Bureau. Call me Director Yu."

Chen Ang ignored him, walked straight to the sofa, sat down, and started making tea himself.

The two of them had known each other since they were in diapers. After high school, Yu Liang went to the police academy, while Chen Ang attended university in Bin City.

One went from a grassroots police officer to deputy director of the district bureau, while the other went from a rich second-generation heir to a corporate slave.

Yu Liang walked out from behind his desk and tossed a cigarette over. "Why did you come here today?"

Chen Ang caught the cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, let the smoke circulate in his lungs, and slowly exhaled.

He didn't rush to speak. He had spent the whole trip over thinking about how to bring it up, but now that he was sitting on the sofa, he didn't know how to say it.

"I'm planning to get a divorce."

Yu Liang, who had just sat down, was stunned. "Is it still because of the family debt? No wonder you hired a lawyer. Do you need me to lend you some? Three million is hard, but I can scrape together two million."

Chen Ang shook his head. He pressed the cigarette into the ashtray and ground it forcefully twice. He pressed so hard his knuckles turned white. The cigarette butt was crushed into pieces, but he kept grinding.

"Brother..."

The casual look on Yu Liang's face vanished. The last time Chen Ang had called him "brother" was seven years ago, the night his family went bankrupt, when he had crouched by the roadside to call him, his voice trembling.

"Chen Zetian is not my biological son."

The cigarette butt in the ashtray was completely pulverized.

The atmosphere in the office seemed to suddenly thin out; it was very quiet and empty.

Yu Liang didn't move, watching Chen Ang. Chen Ang didn't move either, watching the pile of ash in the ashtray.

"Did you get the test done?" Yu Liang's voice was half an octave lower than usual.

"Yes, it's ruled out."

Yu Liang took a deep breath and stood up, walking to the window. Outside was the street view of Linshui District. It was late October, and the afternoon sun was already beginning to tilt westward. Police cars below drove out with their lights flashing, but no sirens.

Standing with his back to Chen Ang for about ten seconds, he turned around and asked: "Does your wife know that you know?"

"No."

"What do you plan to do?"

Chen Ang finally looked up. "I'm definitely getting a divorce. The two houses have already been transferred to her name; I need to get them back. The money I gave her over these seven years also needs to be returned."

His voice was very calm when he said this—so calm that Yu Liang stared at him for several seconds.

Yu Liang recognized that look. After the bankruptcy seven years ago, Chen Ang had spoken exactly like this; he would hide all his emotions.

"Is there enough evidence?"

"I have the private paternity test results. I also have information on the man." Chen Ang paused. "Tu Yuandong, thirty-two, runs a renovation company, recently divorced. A private investigator is looking into him."

Yu Liang walked back to the sofa and sat down. He picked up the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table, pulled one out, tapped it twice on the table, and lit it.

There was silence again. It wasn't until the cigarette was almost halfway burned that he spoke:

"In Wen Huilin's case, it's difficult to constitute the crime of bigamy. This requires specific evidence to support it—the fact that she lived with him under the pretense of being husband and wife, and also records like neighbor testimony and property management logs."

He took a drag of his cigarette and continued: "However, you can sue her in civil court for fraudulent support, claiming the return of child support payments and compensation for mental distress. If this lawsuit is handled well, you could make her pay hundreds of thousands or even a million."

"Therefore, you need three things: voluntary or notarized proof of paternity, evidence of Wen Huilin's fraud, and proof of child support expenditures."

Listening to this, Chen Ang felt more confident. Yu Liang had been in the police force for ten years; the legal judgment coming out of his mouth was a hundred times more reliable than anything he could look up online.

"I have one more thing I need your help with."

"Speak."

"Chat logs, between her and that man."

Yu Liang flicked the ash. "If you need them, I'll find a way. I can arrange to pull server backups from the cybersecurity division. If the account hasn't been deleted, I can recover logs from as far back as three years ago."

Chen Ang let out a sigh of relief and leaned back into the sofa.

Yu Liang picked up the kettle to pour tea. White steam rose from the spout of the purple clay teapot, and the aroma of tea wafted out.

He poured a cup for Chen Ang and one for himself. Both of them held their cups, but neither drank.

"By the way," Yu Liang suddenly said, changing the subject, "a few high school classmates came by a while ago for a get-together. During the meal, Director Xu Qingwan was mentioned..."

Chen Ang's fingers paused on the rim of his cup.

Director Xu Qingwan.

This name floated up from the depths of his memory once again, carrying the chill of early winter when he was twenty-four.

In front of the municipal government staff residential building that day, she hadn't tied her hair in a ponytail but stood under a red maple tree waiting for him with long hair flowing, her eyes full of tears.

He remembered that after he brought up the breakup, she had lunged at him, hugged him, and kissed him frantically.

It was as if the faint fragrance of her lips still lingered on the corners of his mouth, and the scent of her body still wafted in his nose.

Afterward, his family's company declared bankruptcy, and he was unexpectedly forced into marriage. Those memories had been covered up layer by layer, buried at the very bottom, and covered in dust.

"The past is meaningless." Chen Ang's eyes darkened slightly. He drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, stood up, and said: "I'm leaving. I have to go tell Chen Zetian about the heavy weight of a father's love."

How could Yu Liang not know his childhood friend? He stood up as well and said seriously: "Don't do anything reckless. If something happens, I can't cover for you."

"Would I do anything illegal? I still want to lie flat and live out the rest of my life in peace." Chen Ang smiled and turned to open the door.

He had two billion now; only an idiot would commit a crime. Wen Huilin and Tu Yuandong weren't worth him dirtying his hands.

The bmw x5 drove toward the Third Experimental Primary School.

Although Linshui District was large, it was only a ten-minute drive from the Public Security Bureau to the school. Chen Ang parked the car in a parking spot next to the school.

After getting out of the car, he looked up and scanned the dense array of various training institutions.

He walked past them one by one, his gaze lingering on the award photos of children in the display windows, his smiling expression looking exactly like a good father.

He pushed open the door to the Fencing training center, picked up a brochure, and then went to the Robotics class next door to fill out an enrollment form.

The receptionist at the Cello class was a young woman who enthusiastically added him on WeChat, saying he could book a trial lesson.

He stood by the side of the street, looking at the stack of colorful flyers in his hand, and suddenly smiled.

Learning a bit more is always good; children shouldn't lose at the starting line.

Chen Zetian is six years old this year, just the right age to learn things; well-rounded cultivation is the way to go.

Cello can cultivate one's character, the Robotics class improves logical thinking, and Fencing builds physical fitness.

With comprehensive and well-rounded development, this child's future will surely be brilliant.

He folded the flyers and tucked them into his pocket.

Arriving at the school gate while waiting for Chen Zetian to come out, his phone vibrated. It was a message from Shen Pianran.

"Nine o'clock tomorrow morning, direct flight to Hong Kong. The tickets are booked. Remember to bring your ID."

Wait one more day, and there would be a result with the bitcoin. After the first deposit of twenty-five million US dollars arrived, many things could finally begin.