Chapter 38 — Post-Divorce Rebound: Claiming My Daughter and Starting Over

Stay right where you are.

Do not go anywhere.

Wait for my instructions.

Remember this well.

This is your only chance.

Do not try any tricks.

Otherwise, you know exactly what the consequences will be.

I hung up immediately. My palms were slick with cold sweat, and my heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Pretending to be the one in control, acting as the primary negotiator—it was far more draining than I had ever anticipated. Shen Yu Ming and Su Qing both looked at me, their eyes filled with genuine admiration. Su Qing quickly grabbed another phone, lowered her voice, and began coordinating her team.

Will she stay put and play along? I asked, still harboring a sliver of doubt.

She has completely broken down, Shen Yu Ming replied, adjusting his glasses with a calm, clinical air. The things she confessed moments ago are highly likely to be the truth. Besides, while she is obediently waiting where we told her, our people will be 'inviting' her to a much safer location to assist with the investigation. That way, we can ensure she does not change her mind or get snatched up by Gu Ting Shen’s people first.

Before long, word came back. Lam Vy Vy had been successfully retrieved from a secret apartment in the heart of the city. Everything was proceeding with remarkable smoothness. Simultaneously, two teams set off on their separate missions. One group headed to the old house in the countryside, while the other went to the city library to retrieve the oilcloth parcel and the micro SD card.

Inside the oilcloth parcel was a dense stack of documents. There were copies, and even original receipts, recording the vast sums of money Gu Ting Shen had funneled to Lam Vy Vy. There were exchanges of correspondence and draft agreements between Lam Vy Vy and a middleman regarding so-called special medical services. There were even photocopies of critical medical records, all leading directly back to the illegal organization that had already been dismantled. Most chilling of all was a short, handwritten note detailing the origins of the three children. When cross-referenced with other evidence, the truth revealed itself with a cold, terrifying clarity.

The contents of the SD card were even more explosive. Beyond the ledger printouts and screenshots of email threads, there were several audio recordings of conversations between Lam Vy Vy and Gu Ting Shen. In the recordings, Gu Ting Shen explicitly directed Lam Vy Vy through private channels on how to sanitize the books. He mentioned the need for grease and hush money several times. Though the audio quality was somewhat muffled, Gu Ting Shen’s voice was unmistakable. It was irrefutable evidence.

Shen Yu Ming and Su Qing stayed up the entire night organizing every scrap of evidence. They cross-referenced it with earlier clues, eventually forging a complete and unbreakable chain of proof. These findings would not only secure my maximum leverage in the divorce proceedings, clearly exposing Gu Ting Shen’s fraudulent behavior and gross misconduct, but they possessed enough weight to push both him and the entire Gu Conglomerate into the abyss.

Lam Vy Vy would be protected under the status of a key witness. Her testimony, combined with the comprehensive evidence she had provided, would become a sharp blade plunged straight into Gu Ting Shen’s armor. Events unfolded with a speed that defied imagination. Barely a day after Lam Vy Vy was taken into protective custody, the stock price of the Gu Conglomerate hit its lower limit the moment the market opened. Rumors that Chairman Gu Ting Shen was under investigation for a litany of offenses spread like wildfire. Business partners who had once been hesitant immediately announced the termination of their contracts or the suspension of ongoing projects. Between the bank’s demands for repayment and the abrupt withdrawal of lines of credit, the seemingly impregnable commercial empire of the Gu family began to crumble piece by piece.

When Gu Ting Shen attempted to flee the country, he was intercepted by authorities right at the airport to assist in the investigation. That moment served as the definitive signal that the case had been formally brought to prosecution. Chu Bich Hoa was also officially charged and detained, facing counts of kidnapping and intentional infliction of bodily harm. Now, all that remained for her was the cold, unyielding judgment of the law.