At 9:00 PM, the night was cool and still, and the bright moon hung high in the sky.
After washing up, Chaochao was already sound asleep in her bedroom, hugging her little rabbit plush toy. Her long eyelashes cast delicate shadows on her chubby cheeks, and she occasionally smacked her lips, perhaps dreaming of some delicious treat.
Inside the study, Huo Qin stood quietly by the window, his brow bone casting a deep shadow in the cold moonlight, his expression unreadable.
Lin Cheng stood to the side, his breathing unconsciously becoming extremely shallow—he couldn't discern President Huo's thoughts either.
The truth is, a colleague from the overseas department left a message a few days ago, saying that a partner in a small project had tried to inquire about Mr. Huo's private affairs. It wasn't until Mr. Huo appeared on a variety show that the woman was completely certain of her suspicions.
Perhaps, after tonight, the Huo family will have a mistress again.
--Time is up.
Lin Cheng answered the phone and whispered, "Ms. Wen, please wait a moment. I will now transfer the call to President Huo."
The man standing by the window turned indifferently upon hearing the sound, and took the phone with his well-defined knuckles.
After the door closed softly, a gentle yet tense female voice came through the receiver: "Hello, Mr. Huo. This is Wen Nian."
If Lin Cheng were present, he would have noticed that Huo Qin's eyes were as calm as a still pond: "Speak."
This single word instantly shattered all pleasantries.
Hearing the other party's extremely cold response, as if they were complete strangers, although not unexpected, the woman felt an uncontrollable sense of loss. She then rallied her spirits and briefly recounted the absurd events of that night: the unexpected encounter between two strangers, and her hasty escape.
Finally, with a glimmer of hope, the woman made her request.
She wanted to meet with Chaochao.
She didn't force Chaochao to accept her.
Wen Nian heard a faint sneer come from the receiver, followed by two very cold and crisp words.
"no."
This unwavering refusal was met with a surprised question from the woman: "What?"
“…Mr. Huo, don’t forget,” Wen Nian said, barely managing to control her emotions, “I am Chaochao’s mother.”
"Ms. Wen."
The man's deep, cold voice spoke each word deliberately, carrying an undeniable air of authority. This was the first time he had formally addressed her, speaking as if delivering a final verdict—
"You abandoned her."
He gazed at the night outside the window.
"On a snowy night with temperatures below zero."
The other end of the phone suddenly went silent.
After a ten-second silence, all that could be heard on the other end was the sound of someone struggling to keep their breathing steady.
“I… regretted it very quickly after I let her go… I went back to look for her, but I didn’t find her… I’ve been thinking about her for the past three years.”
Huo Qin smiled, the silver light falling into his eyes like a sharp, cold glint, as icy as frost and snow.
After searching unsuccessfully, can one then leave the country without any worries?
After several conversations, it was enough for the other party to understand each other's attitudes and shatter the last bit of false illusion.
As the other side gradually calmed down, the woman coldly reiterated her demands.
She said the whole internet is looking for Chaochao's mother, and if she really wants to see Chaochao, he probably won't be able to stop her.
Mr. Huo only said a few words about it.
“Abandonment, three years.” His voice was eerily calm. “If charged with attempted murder—ten years.”
At the same time, a comprehensive package of evidence was sent to the other party's email address.
Huo Qin's gaze fell on the empty space outside the window, his dark eyes seemingly merging with the boundless night. He listened to the long, deathly silence on the other end of the phone.
Hunters are never short of patience until they have their prey.
It might be a minute, or it might be five minutes.
After a long silence, the other party made its first feeble sound.
Huo Qin's pale, distinct knuckles tapped casually on the windowsill.
Now it's his turn to make a request.
After Huo Qin finished speaking, the other party suppressed his humiliation and anger and said firmly, "I will not agree."
“Ms. Wen, the advance payments for overseas projects,” Huo Qin said calmly, “have flowed into third-party accounts suspected of transnational crime.”
"And the person who signed it was you, Director Wen."
She instantly lost her composure: "Impossible! It was the Huo family who tacitly approved it back then—"
She suddenly fell silent.
Wen Nian suddenly realized that the words Huo's family used to talk to the other party were actually a trap they were setting for her.
Compared to the other person's loss of control, Huo Qin appeared remarkably calm. Regarding Wen Nian's statement that it was impossible, he simply said—
"Anytime is fine."
It all depends on whether her answer satisfies him.
If the Huo family were to pursue the matter, Wen Nian would face prosecution in an overseas court and a long prison sentence.
Huo Qin had little connection with his family. Apart from valuing Chaochao more than his own life and giving a few glances to the Huo family, he saw no other people in the world as different.
Not to mention the women who had abandoned Chaochao in the past.
Her fate could be no different from that of Chen Feifei, Gu Kai, and others.
An embarrassed and dejected voice trembled as it came through the receiver.
"What exactly... do you want?"
Half an hour after the call ended.
The man leaned back in his armchair with a calm expression. On the spotless table lay a "Declaration of Voluntary Relinquishment of Custody." Huo Qin's eyelids were slightly lowered, but he didn't spare it any attention. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on a photograph placed next to it.
That photo was taken when Chaochao was just born.
The tiny baby was wrapped in a white swaddle provided by the hospital. It had a pert nose, long eyelashes, and big, dark eyes like water grapes, staring curiously and innocently at the camera.
She looks like she's smiling.
Huo Qin couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile.
It's about 70% similar to the present.
At the end of the unequal conversation, Wen Nian asked him, frustrated, if he wanted anything else. The man's voice was calm at that moment, and he only asked her if she had any photos of Chaochao from when she was born.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
