Huo Xiaozheng's sudden question left Huo Guining bewildered.
Noticing his unusual expression, she cautiously asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"
Huo Xiaozheng repeated himself.
Huo Guining widened her eyes and replied sincerely, "If you weren't pressing so hard, it wouldn't hurt."
Huo Xiaozheng felt a bit agitated. He didn't respond further, silently finished applying the medicine, and then got up to go to the bathroom.
Huo Guining, still caught up in their cross-purposes conversation, looked slightly dazed.
Zheng Jinxiu cast a meaningful glance at Huo Xiaozheng's retreating figure. She wanted to say something but swallowed her words. Instead, she chose to sit down beside Huo Guining's bed.
She began pulling items out of the large and small packages the steward had brought:
Abalone porridge, shrimp dumplings, steamed chicken feet, pea pudding, Buddha's hand pastries, brown sugar cake, egg rolls, Chinese herbal bone broth, walnut and almond milk, cherries, sliced mangoes, strawberries...
The table was soon filled to overflowing.
"You must be starving, Ning-ning. Eat up!" Zheng Jinxiu urged.
Huo Guining's mouth formed an O shape. "This is amazing!"
She flashed Zheng Jinxiu a sugar-sweet smile and immediately dug in, almost burying herself in the food.
Old Master Huo, seeing the child eat so voraciously for the first time, grew a bit anxious. He kept mumbling, "Slow down, eat slowly..."
Zheng Jinxiu watched her with a benevolent expression, occasionally wiping her mouth.
By the time Huo Xiaozheng had composed himself and emerged from the bathroom, Huo Guining's stomach was already round and full.
Huo Xiaozheng said with resignation, "You shouldn't eat any more. Be careful not to get indigestion."
Huo Guining looked down at her belly blankly, realizing he was right.
She gave a shy smile and obeyed Huo Xiaozheng, stopping her feast.
The steward came forward with a smile to clear away the leftovers.
"Do the police have any results yet?" Old Master Huo inquired.
Huo Xiaozheng nodded.
The police had interrogated through the night, and their findings were similar to the initial investigation.
Years ago, after Xu Jin was fired from his company, he had intended to join the Huo Corporation.
Huo Xiaozheng had rebuffed him with a curt "We don't take Jiang Corporation's discarded trash."
In the midst of his dejection, Xu Jin's wife died in a car accident.
Under the weight of these compounded pressures, Xu Jin broke down.
One day, he accidentally learned that Huo Xiaozheng had a daughter. Blinded by hatred, he couldn't bear the fact that while he had lost his job and his wife had left him, Huo Xiaozheng still had a daughter to dote on.
Thus, he decided to take revenge on Huo Xiaozheng.
And the most heart-wrenching way to do so was to make Huo Xiaozheng experience the pain of losing a daughter.
"It's easier to dodge a spear than a hidden arrow," Old Master Huo sighed. "It seems not only I, but you too have security issues."
Huo Xiaozheng didn't argue.
He had always believed in trusting those he employed without suspicion.
This time, although it was partly due to the negligence of the person in charge, he couldn't shirk his own responsibility.
Moreover, ultimately, Ning-ning's ordeal was because of him.
Although legal measures had been taken to ensure Xu Jin received due punishment, Huo Xiaozheng still couldn't find peace.
He looked at Huo Guining on the hospital bed, showing her drawings on a tablet to Zheng Jinxiu, his expression inscrutable.
"Bang!"
With a loud noise, Huo Yueze, his head wrapped in white gauze, came rushing in, pushing an IV stand.
"Sister! I'm so glad you're okay!"
Huo Guining's eyes lit up. "Brother!"
She flew into Huo Yueze's arms like a bird returning to its nest.
Huo Xiaozheng separated them with a dark face, saying pompously, "Don't touch your brother's wounds."
Huo Yueze replied innocently, "It's fine, these little wounds don't hurt at all!"
Huo Xiaozheng was at a loss for words.
Seeing Huo Yueze in this state, Zheng Jinxiu's eyes reddened again. "Poor child, how did you get so injured?"
Huo Yueze was wearing a hospital gown, with bandages not only on his head but also various scrapes on his face, neck, and hands.
"Grandma, I'm fine!" he assured her.
"That's my Huo family's good boy!" Old Master Huo said proudly. "This is how you should protect your sister!"
Huo Yueze straightened his back. "Of course! No one can bully my sister!"
Elder Madam Huo pushed open the door, hurriedly saying, "Look at you! The doctor said not to run around! Go back and lie down!"
Huo Yueze's eyes drooped. He scratched his head, "Yesterday, sister was tied up alone in the basement for so long, I was worried about her and wanted to come see her."
He sat down on Huo Guining's bed. "Sister, you're not scared anymore, right?"
Huo Guining shook her head.
The usually carefree Huo Yueze promised her solemnly, "See, I didn't lie to you. I'll always protect you in the future, I promise!"
Huo Guining felt a lump in her throat.
She threw herself into Huo Yueze's arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, bro— Ah!"
Huo Yueze, whose concussion hadn't fully healed, was hit by Huo Guining's sudden embrace. His stomach churned, and with a "Wah!", he threw up.
Huo Xiaozheng, who had been watching the two closely, quickly pulled Huo Guining away, saving her from the mess.
Zheng Jinxiu wasn't so lucky.
Her dark red jacket was now covered in vomit.
Elder Madam Huo's eyes darted around, not daring to look directly.
For a moment, the hospital room was filled with an unpleasant odor.
Huo Yueze was pushed back to his room in a wheelchair by Elder Madam Huo.
After examining Huo Yueze, the doctor stated that the patient was not in serious condition.
"But please follow my instructions. Don't get up on your own, avoid emotional excitement, and refrain from strenuous activities."
Huo Yueze lay obediently on the hospital bed, blinking rapidly to show he wouldn't dare disobey again.
Worried about Huo Yueze, Huo Guining kept running to his room.
By now, Huo Yueze had been given a simple wash and changed into fresh clothes.
Huo Guining sat on his hospital bed, propping up her tablet computer so they could watch her favorite anime together.
Huo Xiaozheng thought to himself: This looks rather irritating.
Seeing that both children were not in serious condition, Old Master Huo and Zheng Jinxiu returned to the family mansion at Elder Madam Huo's urging.
As for Huo Xiaozheng...
"Uncle, you can go to work. I can take care of Ning-ning," Huo Yueze suggested, thinking he was being considerate.
Ever since entering the hospital room, Huo Xiaozheng's phone had been ringing non-stop.
Huo Xiaozheng took a deep breath and closed his eyes: This big fool saved Ning-ning, he saved Ning-ning.
Opening his eyes again, Huo Xiaozheng smiled, "You're still a patient yourself, how can you take care of your sister? Come on, Ning-ning, let's go to the office with Dad."
Huo Guining, already tired of her work life, felt conflicted.
She didn't want to go, preferring to stay with her savior. But if she didn't go, her chest would hurt.
Suddenly, Huo Guining remembered that when she was locked in the basement yesterday, her chest had hurt too.
But later, it seemed that with Huo Yueze's arrival, the chest pain hadn't been as severe as usual.
Huo Guining's eyes brightened. She got up, walked to the foot of the bed, and gestured for Huo Xiaozheng to bend down.
Huo Xiaozheng complied.
Huo Guining whispered, "Dad, I've noticed that when brother is with me, my chest doesn't hurt."