DLRAS Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Aftermath of a Romantic Affair.

Listening to her, it became clear this was the lingering aftermath of an affair.

Jiang Wanxia’s face, ravaged by time, looked bitter. She frowned so often that she had developed deep, unyielding vertical lines between her brows. But she must have been beautiful back then. More than a decade ago, Huo Fenglai had been surrounded by throngs of women, and she had been one of them—even bearing him a child.

“Who else knows about this?” Chen Wengang asked in a steady voice. “Does Jiang Cai herself know?”

“Huo Fenglai knew, of course, but that bastard—all he could do was use sweet words. When it came time to take responsibility, he crawled into his shell,” Jiang Wanxia said. “Huo Kaishan knows, too. I was so desperate I ran in front of his car to make him look at the child, and the bodyguards almost laid a hand on me!”

The memory brought a layer of cynicism to her eyes. “But Huo Fenglai left his ‘seeds’ everywhere. That old man, Huo Kaishan, has already taken in several grandsons, but because the one I bore was a girl, he wouldn’t even give her a second look.”

As for her daughter, Jiang Wanxia said: “She’s grown up now. I’m going to tell her about her parentage.”

Chen Wengang sensed that her intention went beyond that. “What are you trying to do?”

“It’s not what I want to do; it’s that I have no choice,” she replied. “You’ve seen it, Teacher Chen. I’m terminally ill. How many more years can I feed Jiang Cai? My family has already cut ties with me. Later, she’ll need to go to college, get married—she’ll be all alone. Apart from letting her go live with her father’s side, what else can I do?”

Chen Wengang watched her under the fluorescent light, his gaze as calm as a pool of clear water.

Jiang Wanxia looked around. “That… Mr. Huo isn’t coming to pick you up today?”

Chen Wengang nodded. “He’s in Zhangcheng. He used to work there; he has to commute between the two places when there’s business.”

She said “Oh,” then steeled her heart, her true intentions finally surfacing: “I know he’s Huo Fenglai’s son—”

Chen Wengang smiled. “So you thought you’d use me to get to him?”

Jiang Wanxia closed her mouth.

He continued: “I don’t know how you found out about our relationship; you’ve probably been keeping an eye on the Huo family’s movements for a while, but that’s not important. Are you looking at Huo Niansheng as a ‘success story’ of returning to the family clan, or do you think that because they share half their blood, he’ll plead on your behalf to have them take Jiang Cai back?”

Jiang Wanxia said: “Don’t you realize that Jiang Cai is his half-sister? Don’t you even have that much sympathy?”

Chen Wengang sighed: “If you need sympathy, I am willing to offer it. But I think Jiang Cai is a child with a very strong sense of pride; she might not accept this at all. If you tell him these things, you’ll end up in a world war with her again.”

Jiang Wanxia said dismissively: “What pride does a child have? When she has no way to make a living, she’ll know better than to be willful.”

The negotiation reached a stalemate.

The culprit was Huo Fenglai, but he was long gone, his bones turned to ash. Even if they dug up his grave now, it would be useless; they had to resolve the matter at hand.

The office was bright as day, but the night outside was pitch black, swallowing the light.

Chen Wengang said: “For the financial difficulties, I can help you apply for any available subsidies, or our colleagues can help initiate a donation drive. However, as for your hope of sending Jiang Cai back to the Huo family, personally, I don’t think it’s very likely.”

Jiang Wanxia refused to give up: “I have to try. She is Huo Fenglai’s daughter. Why shouldn’t she get what belongs to her?”

Legally, that was true.

Chen Wengang capped and uncapped his fountain pen, making a clicking sound.

He recalled that some time ago, Huo Niansheng had investigated the background of Jiang Wanxia and her daughter. Later, because of the incident at the Zheng Corporation, he had forgotten to ask about it. A single mother with no prominent background—tracing her history shouldn’t have been difficult.

But there had been no movement since then, which meant Huo Niansheng had no intention of acting.

Perhaps that was more practical—with Huo Kaishan critically ill and the memory of the reporters swarming them earlier, exposing an illegitimate daughter at this time wouldn’t necessarily be a blessing for the Huo family or for Jiang Wanxia and her daughter. Jiang Wanxia had no backer. On one side were ruthless reporters, and on the other were the on-edge members of the Huo family. She hadn’t considered where she would be putting her daughter by charging in headlong like this.

But Chen Wengang couldn’t intervene that much, so he could only advise her: “I hope you can consider Jiang Cai’s mental well-being.”

Jiang Wanxia asked: “What do you mean?”

Chen Wengang said helplessly: “I’m an outsider, so it’s not my place to say many things. I believe you and Mr. Huo Fenglai had your own history, which might not have been pleasant, but from my perspective, it’s regrettable that Jiang Cai didn’t grow up in a healthy environment. The last time I had even a short interaction with her, I noticed she had some extreme emotions and had befriended some unsavory people. You’re her mother—don’t you worry about this? When you’re fighting for things for her, it’s best not to ignore the care she needs as an individual. That’s what I mean.”

Jiang Wanxia didn’t know if she had taken his words to heart, but at the mention of her daughter, she stopped pestering him and fell silent.

Since it had come to this, Chen Wengang clicked his mouse, and the dormant computer screen woke up.

“Also, if you truly want to help her secure an inheritance, I suggest you find a lawyer to negotiate with the Huo family. But your original plan won’t work. Targeting Huo Niansheng is not a wise idea, and I will not be used by you unconditionally.”

He searched for a news article about Huo Zhenfei attending an economic forum, which included his professional profile.

Chen Wengang glanced at her and tore off a sticky note, writing down his work email and office landline number for Jiang Wanxia.

“What is this?”

“I’ve met this Huo Zhenfei once, but I don’t have his contact information. Of course, even if I did, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to disclose it without permission,” he said. “As far as I know, his father is the current chairman of the group. Aside from Mr. Huo Kaishan, he should be the person with the most influence in the Huo family. So, try these two contact methods first and go talk to someone who actually has the power to make decisions, okay?”

Jiang Wanxia wasn’t satisfied with being brushed off. Reluctantly, she said: “I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.”

Chen Wengang said: “I feel like Huo Zhenfei is a reasonable man. He’s worth a try.”

“How are you sure he’ll agree to help me find his father?”

“Or you can go directly to the Huo Corporation and make an appointment with the front desk. If you want to see someone, there’s always a way.”

The normally mild-mannered man had a deterrent quality when his face went cold. She took the contact info and left the office.

Chen Wengang let out a long breath as he watched the door close.

The confrontation with Jiang Wanxia felt like fighting a battle—it wasn’t that one couldn’t reason with her. Her tragedy was both pitiable and detestable, but with Jiang Cai caught in the middle—a minor—he didn’t want to be too harsh in his criticisms.

He remembered Jiang Cai blaming her mother for forcing her to kneel to others; he wondered if that included the time she tried to block Huo Kaishan’s car.

In any case, the child’s behavior and mental state were clearly in deep trouble. Chen Wengang still felt a lingering fear when he remembered her screaming and her hatred toward Jiang Wanxia. And yet, Jiang Wanxia wanted to force her into high society—it was hard to say how that would turn out.

The sins were committed by the adults, and it was regrettable that the children were ruined in the process, but what could be done?

Children born out of wedlock indeed had rights; he had no standing to stop Jiang Wanxia.

Chen Wengang put away his professional books, turned off the computer, and headed to the street parking lot to find his car.

The sky was a distinct shade of blue. When he unlocked the car, he received a call from Huo Niansheng.

Huo Niansheng had indeed gone to Zhangcheng. Chen Wengang got into the driver’s seat, connected the Bluetooth, fastened his seatbelt, and told him about what had just happened: “That’s how it is. I’m sorry to Huo Zhenfei for this; you can explain it to him later.”

Huo Niansheng laughed at this: “I’d rather wait until I get back and can see the look on his face in person.”

Chen Wengang also smiled: “What about you? It sounds like you knew. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Huo Niansheng said: “That’s her own secret. If she doesn’t say anything, why should I be a busybody? Since she’s told you, then that’s that.”

Chen Wengang asked: “Is what she said about Jiang Cai’s parentage true?”

Huo Niansheng didn’t care: “If she needs to, I don’t mind getting a DNA test done with her. But the results shouldn’t be a surprise. Witnesses, physical evidence, the timing of the pregnancy, the hospital of birth—it all matches up. She is very likely my father’s child.”

Chen Wengang stared ahead, trying to recall Jiang Cai’s prickly demeanor, and couldn’t find a single similarity with Huo Niansheng. Knowing she was Huo Fenglai’s daughter was one thing; being connected to Huo Niansheng was another. “How does it feel to suddenly have another sister?”

Huo Niansheng said: “How did it feel when Huo Jingsheng suddenly appeared in my life? It’s the same—no difference.”

He really seemed completely indifferent, not even surprised. He had no expectations for family affection, and even less for Huo Fenglai.

It was getting late, and Chen Wengang didn’t want to drive all the way back to the Zheng residence. He changed his route halfway and headed to the Yunding Building.

Huo Niansheng’s apartment lay dormant in the darkness. A beep of his fingerprint verified him as the new owner.

He had been here enough times that, unknowingly, Chen Wengang had moved quite a few things over; his toiletries and changes of clothes were all well-stocked.

The bed had been tidied up by the housekeeping service and held no trace of Huo Niansheng. After showering, he spread out the covers and fell asleep immediately.

The next day at work, during lunch, he heard Luo Suwei and her colleagues discussing how to tactfully issue a final ultimatum to Jiang Wanxia.

Jiang Cai had gone to school. Chen Wengang didn’t know if Jiang Wanxia had told her anything, nor did he see her reaction.

But Jiang Wanxia didn’t have much time left; she would definitely have to harass Huo Zhenfei soon. She was a proud woman. Chen Wengang could tell she didn’t just want to fight for a sum of money for her daughter; she was determined to have her daughter return to the Huo family. This was what Huo Fenglai owed them.

Two days passed without incident, and Huo Niansheng had yet to return from Zhangcheng. Huo Zhenfei contacted Chen Wengang first.

He asked politely: “Can you bring that girl named Jiang Cai out for me to see?”

Chen Wengang paused: “Sorry, I can’t. If you want to meet her, you can do it openly.”

Huo Zhenfei explained: “I just heard you were relatively close to them and wanted to observe her objectively first.”

Chen Wengang asked: “You’ve already heard everything? Did Huo Niansheng tell you the situation, too?”

“Yes, he also knew I would come to you for help,” Huo Zhenfei said courteously. “Can you do it?”

“I don’t think he would,” Chen Wengang smiled. “Young Master Huo, you probably just want to see if she’s well-behaved and obedient. I can’t stop you, but he knows my temperament. Do you really think he said I would help you do something like this?”

Huo Zhenfei seemed a little embarrassed at being seen through. “Then never mind. It seems my request was too presumptuous.”

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