Huo Guining lay in Huo Xiaozheng's arms, her once-thin face having gained some flesh in recent times.
Her eyelashes were long and thick, likely inherited from Shi Lili.
With her eyes closed, her features bore some resemblance to Huo Xiaozheng.
It was hard to imagine how such a small person could carry such heavy thoughts.
Huo Xiaozheng's brows were furrowed, unable to fully empathize with her.
Everything would have to wait until she woke up.
That night, Shen Shiyan happened to be on duty at the hospital.
Huo Xiaozheng rushed there with Huo Guining.
After a brief examination, Shen Shiyan confirmed there was no immediate danger to her life and sent her for further tests.
He then got up to make a cup of coffee for the dejected tall man sitting nearby.
"Here, I made it myself. Drink up," he said.
Huo Xiaozheng was in no mood for small talk and set the coffee aside.
"Why did Ning Ning secretly take that medicine?" he asked.
Huo Xiaozheng couldn't understand. Previously, Ning Ning had almost frozen to death in the wilderness after being force-fed an overdose of antiallergic medication.
Now, why would she voluntarily take antiallergic drugs?
"By the way, why didn't you take Ning Ning with you on this business trip?" Shen Shiyan inquired.
When Ning Ning was hospitalized last time due to the kidnapping incident, Shen Shiyan had coincidentally been abroad for an academic conference.
So he didn't know that during her hospital stay, Ning Ning had actually spent time with Huo Yueze.
Naturally, he was also unaware that being with Huo Yueze could alleviate Ning Ning's chest pain symptoms.
Huo Xiaozheng explained the whole situation to him.
"So, you're saying that Ning Ning doesn't have episodes when she's with Yueze?"
Huo Xiaozheng nodded.
Shen Shiyan frowned, "That's not impossible. After all, we've always considered Ning Ning's condition to be psychosomatic."
"But if that's the case, it's very strange that Ning Ning would take antiallergic medication."
Shen Shiyan was thoroughly perplexed.
Huo Xiaozheng had a vague suspicion, but rather than discussing it with Shen Shiyan, he preferred to let Ning Ning explain it herself.
Remembering the previous psychological consultation, he thought Ning Ning's pride might prevent her from wanting others to know about this.
"How much will the medication affect her health?" Huo Xiaozheng asked.
Shen Shiyan replied, "We won't know until the test results come back. After all, we don't know how much she took or for how long."
This reminded Huo Xiaozheng of someone. He called Aunt Xu.
"How many times did you buy medicine for her?"
"Just twice?"
"How many boxes each time? ... Alright, I understand."
Shen Shiyan approached and asked, "Who was that?"
Huo Xiaozheng didn't hide it: "Aunt Xu, who's responsible for taking care of Ning Ning."
"Aunt Xu said that the first time she bought it, Ning Ning gave her the drug name on her phone and asked her to buy it from the pharmacy."
"Not only that, she told Aunt Xu that she had allergic rhinitis and her nose was very blocked at night, so she needed this medicine."
Shen Shiyan nodded, "This medication isn't strictly controlled, it's generally available in pharmacies."
He changed the subject, "But how did Ning Ning know about this drug's effects?"
Huo Xiaozheng remained silent.
Why else? It was because she had almost lost her life because of it.
But if she knew this, why would she still take the medicine?
Huo Xiaozheng couldn't understand.
Seeing his expression, Shen Shiyan knew he had some idea and didn't ask further.
After Huo Guining was brought back to the hospital room and Shen Shiyan administered some medication, he left Huo Xiaozheng alone in the room to wait for Ning Ning to wake up.
It was now 9:30 PM.
The familiar hospital room, the familiar scene, but Huo Xiaozheng's state of mind was completely different.
The room's light was soft, and Huo Guining lay pale but peaceful on the hospital bed.
During this time, Huo Xiaozheng returned a few phone calls – from Huo Yanqin, Old Master Huo, and Xi Chuan regarding work matters.
After responding to each, the room fell back into silence.
On the hospital bed, Huo Guining's breathing became shallow and quick, her eyelashes fluttering like raven feathers.
Huo Xiaozheng sighed silently.
"If you're awake, let's talk," he said.
Huo Guining's heart skipped a beat, and she resignedly opened her eyes.
She had actually been woken up by the sound of Huo Xiaozheng opening and closing the door a few minutes ago.
But she hadn't figured out how to explain things to Huo Xiaozheng yet.
So she had been afraid to open her eyes.
Now, her lips still somewhat pale, she immediately put on a smile when she saw Huo Xiaozheng. "Hi, Dad," she said.
Huo Xiaozheng brought her a glass of water and helped her take a few sips.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
Huo Guining shook her head.
"Then let's talk. Why did you take that medicine?"
Huo Guining's face fell, and she lowered her head.
After a while, she looked up and said weakly, "These past couple of days... I've had a bit of a cold..."
Huo Xiaozheng crossed his long legs and leaned back in the sofa. "So you asked Aunt Xu to buy you medicine?"
Huo Guining's face froze. "You already know about that?"
It had been a long time since Huo Xiaozheng had heard such a formal address from her.
Hearing it now, he almost laughed out of frustration.
"I don't know everything. For instance, when did you catch this cold?"
"And the last time you took this medicine, was it also because of a cold?"
"I know nothing about any of this."
He emphasized each word of the last sentence.
Huo Guining hadn't seen him this serious and cold in a long time.
She felt a bit panicked, her pupils trembling, clearly struggling internally.
Huo Xiaozheng felt some reluctance, but he truly had no other option.
Ning Ning was more stubborn than anyone, and she never learned to rely on him.
They remained at an impasse.
One was determined to get answers, while the other struggled desperately.
Huo Xiaozheng, being older, was the first to lower his head.
He softened his voice and said:
"Ning Ning, do you know that children shouldn't take this medicine carelessly?"
Huo Guining's eyes reddened. She glanced timidly at Huo Xiaozheng and hesitantly nodded.
Huo Xiaozheng's heart felt heavy.
"So, even though you knew this medicine would be bad for your health, you chose to harm yourself to avoid causing me trouble?"
"Is that right?"
Huo Guining's eyes widened in shock.
So, Huo Xiaozheng had already guessed.
Her reaction was as good as an answer to Huo Xiaozheng, and it felt like a stinging slap to his face.
"So, when you said earlier that you wouldn't have chest pains when you were with your brother, was that a lie?"
Huo Guining nodded tearfully and said in a choked voice:
"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through. At that time, I saw how busy you were, and I thought if I followed you around every day, it would cause you a lot of trouble."
Huo Xiaozheng asked with disappointment, "How could you think of telling such a lie?"
Huo Guining was at a loss. Being labeled a "liar" by Huo Xiaozheng was tantamount to being cast in the role of a deceiver.
She hurriedly explained, "I didn't lie. On the day I was kidnapped, I was in chest pain the whole time."
"But after my brother came, my chest pain eased a bit."
Huo Xiaozheng questioned, "How much is 'a bit'? Was it enough for you to manage daily life?"