Chapter 2 The Sucker? Very well…

At 5:30 PM, the entrance to Bin City No. 3 Experimental Elementary School was packed with parents and nanny cars.

Chen Ang parked his Magotan in a temporary parking space across the street, got out, and looked up at the entrance of the stationery store, where Chen Zetian usually waited for him after school.

Then he stopped.

He saw Chen Zetian smiling, not the polite smile of a child seeing a parent come to pick him up, but a smile from the heart, filled with intimacy.

His eyes were curved, the corners of his mouth turned up, and his whole little face was glowing.

It seemed he hadn't smiled at him like that in a very, very long time.

Squatting in front of him was a man in his early thirties, wearing a dark gray jacket, holding two toy gift boxes in his hands.

The man was smiling and whispering something to Chen Zetian, but the distance was too great to hear.

Then, however, Chen Ang heard his son's voice.

"Dad, we promised to go to the amusement park next week. You can't go back on your word."

The word "Dad," clear as a knife.

The man smiled and ruffled Chen Zetian's hair: "Did your mom agree?"

Chen Ang stood frozen in place, as if petrified. Beneath his feet was concrete, but he felt it was soft, like stepping into mud, and it was about to fail to support his body.

In an instant, the chatter of parents, the noise of the children, and the honking of car horns all suddenly seemed to fade into the distance.

He watched the man hold Chen Zetian's hand and walk toward a black Audi Q7 by the roadside.

The man opened the car door, and Chen Zetian climbed in, his movements as practiced as if he had done it countless times.

The car started, merged into traffic, its taillights flashed twice in the sunset, turned the corner, and disappeared.

Chen Ang did not chase, but silently memorized the license plate number.

His hands were in his pockets, his thumb pressing hard against the second joint of his index finger, pinching until his knuckles ached.

Only now did he understand that between suspicion and seeing it with one's own eyes lies an entire hell.

Back in the car, he sat quietly, trying his best to soothe the urge to smash the steering wheel and curse out loud.

He suppressed his anger, humiliation, and hatred, pressing them deep into his heart until there was no expression left on his face.

After the crowd at the school gate dispersed, he started the car.

His phone rang; it was Wen Huilin.

He didn't answer. It rang again, and he still didn't answer. It wasn't until the third time it was halfway through ringing that he pressed the answer button.

"Why do you never answer the phone?" Wen Huilin complained, her voice so calm that no abnormality could be detected. "What is Xiao Tian eating tonight?"

Chen Ang rolled down the car window a crack, letting the cool breeze blow in. "Whatever there is, I guess."

"Then make braised pork ribs. Xiao Tian loves them. I'll be back a little late; I have some things to do at the company."

"If Xiao Tian loves them, then I'll make them."

As he said this, his left hand gripped the steering wheel, the veins on the back of his hand bulging one by one.

After hanging up, he suddenly smiled while waiting for a red light.

It was very light, so light that he didn't even notice it himself.

Braised pork ribs. His son really did love them.

He still remembered the first time Chen Zetian ate the ribs he made, his mouth covered in oil, saying, "Dad's cooking is better than Mom's." That day, he had been happy all night.

Motherfucker.

Upon returning home, he went straight to the kitchen, picking up a knife and chopping the ribs with a loud, rhythmic thudding.

When the aroma drifted out, Chen Zetian poked his head out from the study: "Dad, is dinner ready? I'm starving."

Chen Ang didn't stop his hands, replying with a grunt: "Hmm."

He listened to that "Dad" and remembered the "Dad" from over an hour ago at the school gate.

The same title, addressed to two different men. One gave toys, the other gave ribs.

The one who gave the ribs was an idiot.

He put down the plate, turned, walked into the bathroom, and closed the door.

The person in the mirror had dark circles under his eyes, hadn't shaved in two days, and was wearing a washed-out, faded windbreaker.

Seven years ago, he wasn't like this.

Seven years ago, he wore Zegna, Burberry, and Gucci; he wore cologne, wore luxury watches, and would spend five minutes styling his hair in front of the mirror before going out.

He stared at the down-and-out man in the mirror for a long time.

Then he opened the cabinet, took out a sealed bag, removed the brush head of Chen Zetian's electric toothbrush, and replaced it with a new one.

His movements were slow and steady. The brush head was still stained with toothpaste. He sealed the bag and tucked it into the inner pocket of his jacket.

It was as steady as if he were passing a death sentence on something.

Tomorrow, he had to go to the paternity testing center.

Wen Huilin returned during dinner. Chen Zetian clumsily ran over to help her take her bag and hand her slippers.

That kind of attentiveness was something Chen Ang had never enjoyed. He held his bowl, watching it all, but said nothing.

Wen Huilin seemed to sense something was wrong. She sat down in her chair and looked at Chen Ang: "What's wrong with you? Is there something the matter?"

Chen Ang picked up a piece of rib and put it into his mouth, saying vaguely: "Nothing, just feeling a bit melancholy thinking that I won't have you guys in the future."

Wen Huilin's eyebrow twitched. It was very slight, but Chen Ang saw it.

"Isn't this what you chose yourself?" She struggled to steady her voice. "Prioritizing the bigger picture and sacrificing the family."

"Let's eat; the food is getting cold."

Chen Ang didn't say anything more. That sentence just now wasn't said casually; it was bait he intentionally set, and he caught the trace of panic that Wen Huilin revealed.

What was she afraid of? Afraid that he would go back on his word and not divorce?

Since you are afraid, then I am even less afraid.

With two billion as a safety net, Chen Ang felt that many people and things would no longer be important.

He had never been a good person, and certainly not a moral saint.

After dinner, Wen Huilin offered to wash the dishes. In their seven years of marriage, she could count the number of times she had entered the kitchen on her fingers.

Chen Ang sat on the sofa with great composure, watching her back.

This woman had climbed into his bed when he was at his lowest, and had lived a normal life with him for seven years.

Although he had no feelings for her, his son was a source of solace for him.

Therefore, he left both houses to them.

Now, Chen Ang was thinking about something else: calculation.

The divorce agreement was drafted by her, and the terms were very "fair": the houses went to her and their son, and the debts went to him. Their son went to her, and the child support also went to him.

At the time, he had signed without hesitation. Now that he thought about it, every word seemed written to target his weak points.

Then, on that night seven years ago, was she also calculating?

Wen Huilin's phone rang in the kitchen.

She glanced at the caller, quickly pressed mute, and peeked through the glass door at Chen Ang on the sofa. Seeing no reaction, she lowered her head to edit a WeChat message.

Chen Ang saw it, but remained calm.

He also picked up his phone and sent a message to the number Yu Liang had introduced: "Is this Lawyer Shen? I was introduced by Yu Liang. Let's set a time to meet in person tomorrow."

The reply came quickly, set for 2:00 PM tomorrow.

Chen Ang opened his phone again and started looking up information on private investigators; he needed to gather more evidence.

Near 10:00 PM, the mother and son returned to their respective rooms at some point.

Chen Ang also got up to wash and returned to his room. Leaning against the bed, he opened his notes and wrote down the first step: Stabilize Wen Huilin, do not divorce, and prevent the division of existing assets.

Then he wrote down the second step: Investigate the status of the Audi Q7 owner and wait for the paternity test results.