Bending down to enter the chess game

Chapter 10 Fake Divorce

"Yes." Fu Congnan glanced at her expression. "After I joined the public security system, I've been investigating my aunt's whereabouts. I thought it would be quick. But probably because of the one-child policy in the 1990s, there were too many people who concealed or failed to report their information. I haven't made any progress. If it weren't for the coincidence of working together on this gold case, I wouldn't have found out. I should have realized it sooner; she changed her name."

"Are you sure...it's my mom?" Fu Congnan: "80% chance."

"Appearance?"

"A part."

Yu Xingge sighed: "You're speaking haltingly, is there a confidentiality requirement?"

"Hmm. The case isn't closed yet, so I can't say too much, but I'm 80% certain that the person wanted for trafficking in cultural relics is your mother, Yu Dongdong."

"Have you seen her? Where is she now?" Yu Xingge pressed.

Fu Congnan shook his head: "No, the police didn't catch them. However, in the past two years, the surveillance network has become increasingly extensive. The last time they tracked them was in Ganjiang City, a mountainous area, and we haven't heard any new news about it lately."

"Mountain town. She really knows how to hide herself well in the mountains..."

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

"Ganjiang City, I understand." Yu Xingge nodded to himself and stood up.

Fu Congnan quickly grabbed her arm: "What are you doing? Are you going?"

"Otherwise what?" Yu Xingge retorted, "I finally got news about her. Do you know how many years I've waited for this day?"

"If the police can't find someone, do you think you can? There are over 30 million people; finding one person is like finding a needle in a haystack. Are you expecting us to knock on every door?"

"Yes!" Yu Xingge's eyes reddened, and she gasped for breath to keep her heart from bursting out of her chest. "I'll knock on every door, I'll find her!"

"Finding someone by yourself is incredibly difficult. The police have manpower over there; trust them. They'll definitely be faster than you..." Before he could finish speaking, his arm, which had just gone limp, struggled violently outwards. He realized he had said the wrong thing. His fair skin became red and swollen from the pulling. Fu Congnan felt extremely distressed and dared not pull any further.

"Xiao Ge, trust me. I promise you, I'll let you know as soon as I have any news, okay?" A sense of helplessness welled up inside her.

After a long while, Yu Xingge's hoarse voice rang out: "Given her ability to disappear without a trace back then, when I get there, she might be the one to find me first."

"Then you absolutely cannot go." Fu Congnan's expression was serious. "If she discovers your whereabouts first, won't she run away? Once she runs away, you'll never find her. Even if you want to ask about what happened back then, it's only on the premise that she's willing to tell you. After all these years, if she really wanted to find you, wouldn't she be able to? If you alert her, all your efforts will be wasted."

Yu Xingge gradually calmed down. Yes, she couldn't be too hasty. They had come this far over the years; they couldn't afford to fail at the last hurdle.

Fu Congnan stared intently at her, and Yu Xingge seemed to sense something, raising his head. He then turned his gaze to the armrest of the sofa.

Fu Congnan resembled his aunt, Xing Sanchang, with a fair complexion. His androgynous features were somewhat delicate, and his round eyes, inherited from his father, added a touch of innocence. However, she also disliked those eyes the most. She stood up, her slightly moist eyes now dry.

"Okay. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"So eager?" Fu Congnan turned his head. "It's been so long since we last met. How about we grab a bite to eat? I'll invite them along. I know a place nearby that serves your favorite sesame rice noodles; it's really good."

"I'm not eating." Yu Xingge shook her head. "And don't introduce me to your colleagues. There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. The fewer people who know about our relationship, the better."

"Why?" Fu Congnan asked casually, "Would I embarrass you?"

Yu Xingge laughed.

"No, it's not that bad, but I appreciate the thought. Let's have dinner another time."

Fu Congnan couldn't hide his disappointment. "Then I'll take you back."

"No need," Yu Xingge refused again. "I've said it before, the fewer people who know about our relationship, the better. You can stay in the office, don't see me out."

Yu Xingge picked up her bag and went out. Fu Congnan saw her turn and go downstairs, so he quickly crossed the office corridor and stood by the window of the office opposite.

In the summer, there wasn't a single tree in the police compound, and the grass along the walls had been trampled bare by people coming and going. "Captain Fu, what are you looking at?" Li Jiang, who was behind the desk, stood up and looked outside as well.

Feng Tan, who shared an office with Fu Congnan, was close to him. Although Fu Congnan never spoke of his own affairs, Feng Tan vaguely guessed that Fu had a long-time crush on him. He stood up: "Judging from your posture, it seems your crush has come over?"

Just then, Xingge walked through the office compound.

"What? Captain Fu's sweetheart?" The three of them crowded around the window. "Where? Where?"

In the sparse crowd, Yu Xingge, dressed in a white suit and sporting black hair, stood out. Li Jiang looked her over carefully and said, "I never expected this, Captain Fu. You actually have someone you can't have? The line of people trying to set you up with could stretch from our office to the front door. Unbelievable! Why don't you go see your sweetheart off? She's a real beauty!"

Fu Congnan was both amused and exasperated. He wanted to say something but then remembered Yu Xingge's instructions. He wanted to give her a cigarette, but... He took out a cigarette, held it between his fingers, sighed, and watched Yu Xingge's departing figure with a sense of loss.

Yu Xingge was completely unaware of the gazes behind her. An unfamiliar number called in—it was a cell phone number!

"Excuse me, are you Attorney Zhou?"

"I'm not..." she paused, then continued, "Hello, may I ask who you are?"

"My name is Liang Hui. My husband and I went through a fake divorce and I wanted to inquire about the risks. I saw that you left me a message saying that you could call me to discuss it."

"Oh." Yu Xingge remembered. She got into the car, moved back to a more comfortable position, and thought that this client had returned the call quite quickly: "I know you. I'm Yu Xingge, Attorney Zhou's assistant. You can briefly tell me about your situation."

"Attorney Yu? Here's the thing, I gambled a lot of money recently and owe a lot. The debt collectors are calling me threateningly every day, so my husband and I are thinking of getting a fake divorce to prevent them from suing for the money. Are there any risks involved?"

"Playing cards? What kind of cards? How much money do you owe?"

"It's that online card game called 'Dou Dizhu'. I owe millions."

"How much?" Yu Xingge sat up straight. "Several million? Has the money already been paid or is it still owed?" As she asked, she opened an online search, feeling very puzzled. Could you really lose millions playing cards normally? This money can no longer be called winning or losing in cards; it's gambling money, isn't it?

"They gave me a portion, several hundred thousand yuan, I had cash on hand at the time. But they haven't given me the majority."

"You can lose nearly a million dollars playing cards normally? Is that considered gambling? If the debt is incurred due to gambling, it is considered illegal debt and is not recognized by law, so you don't have to pay it."

"It wasn't gambling," Liang Hui muttered. "It was a normal game of cards. We're all friends. Paying back debts is a matter of course. How could I not pay?"

Yu Xingge sat back down. It seemed this was another story, and the person involved was unwilling to tell the truth.

"What joint property do you and your husband own? Does your husband acknowledge this joint debt?"

"What is joint property? I don't work, but my husband is a teacher. We have high expenses and haven't saved much money. Neither of us has any money."

"What about large movable and immovable assets like cars and houses?"

"After getting married, I bought a small electric car worth tens of thousands of yuan to take my son to and from school; it's not worth much. As for the house, I own one, which was given to me by my parents before we got married as compensation for our family's demolition. Is that considered joint property?"

"Was it divided before marriage? And is the property deed in your name only?"

"right."

"No, this is your personal property."

"My husband is worried that we really can't pay the debt, and then they will forcibly seize the house under my name. This house is very valuable now, it's located near the power plant in the eastern suburbs."

Yu Xingge nodded silently. The East Suburb Power Plant requisitioned land more than ten years ago, demolishing a large area of ​​villages. Since then, everyone in the nearby villages has lived a comfortable life with at least two houses and rent from their cars. The fact that she, an outsider, knew so much about this was thanks to the cleaning lady at the law firm.

Aunt Lu was taciturn and simply dressed, but she was a skilled worker. She was an early resident of the CBD, where land was incredibly valuable, and her daughter-in-law was a resident of the eastern suburbs who had also received compensation for her demolished property.

Where is your husband?

"He's from out of town, and he has an old house in his hometown that's not worth much. He doesn't own a car or a house locally, and the car we drove after we got married is registered in my name."

"The car was bought after your marriage, so even if it's registered in your name, it's still considered marital property," Yu Xingge said. "Based on your description, firstly, you don't have any other marital property besides the car; secondly, you own a valuable property; and thirdly, if you believe this debt must be repaid and implicitly consider it a joint debt between you and your husband, then a fake divorce wouldn't be too risky..."

"Right? I knew it. Looks like I was just scaring myself." Liang Hui breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"But if I may be frank, since you don't have any more marital property, there's nothing to enforce against you even if you try to collect debts. So why go through with a fake divorce?"

"My house is valuable."

"But your house isn't considered marital property. Whether you get divorced or not doesn't affect its ownership. What's the point of a fake divorce? Unless you give the house to your husband during the divorce proceedings."

"That's right! I need to get the house transferred to him through a fake divorce, otherwise why would I need to get a fake divorce?"

Yu Xingge sighed deeply. "In that case, there's a risk. This house is your personal property, no matter what. If you transfer the house to your husband through a fake divorce, it will no longer belong to you. Can you bear that risk?"

"It's nothing..." Liang Hui's voice clearly wavered: "We have a son, and when I get old, all my things will go to him anyway. Besides, I trust my husband."

If you believe it, why seek consultation?

Yu Xingge wanted to sigh again.

Liang Hui continued, "My husband is the smartest man ever. Over the years, listening to him on everything, big or small, is always the right thing to do. Since he proposed a fake divorce, it must be for the benefit of the family."

"Wait a minute," Yu Xingge said, "You said your husband proposed a fake divorce? Not you?"