As Huo Ning had anticipated, it didn't take long for the news to break. Within a few days, headlines about the Jiang Corporation's CEO instigating child abuse appeared, and under Huo Xiaozheng's guidance, the topic remained trending.
Simultaneously, the Jiang Corporation swiftly counterattacked, falsely claiming that this incident was entirely staged by the Huo Corporation's CEO.
In this battle between two tigers, the Huo Corporation showed no mercy, directly suing the Jiang Corporation in court under the name of Huo Ning's father.
As both Huo and Jiang families were leading enterprises in the Capital City, the lawsuit quickly progressed to the day of the court hearing.
The lawyers on both sides were evenly matched. Since Jiang Suyuan had long planned for this, the Jiang Corporation completely distanced itself from the incident, claiming that Li Zhiyuan was lying. When the court summoned Li Zhiyuan, he firmly insisted that this was entirely his personal action.
Huo Xiaozheng found himself at a disadvantage for the moment.
However, Huo Ning saw through it clearly.
The Jiang Corporation's instigation was true, and so was the novel world's favoritism towards the male protagonist.
If Huo Ning had died on that snowy night, Huo Xiaozheng would have undoubtedly suffered a crushing blow this time.
After work that day, Xi Chuan hurriedly entered Huo Xiaozheng's study with some people. They didn't come out even after Huo Ning had finished dinner and taken a bath.
Seeing her constantly staring at the study, Aunt Xu teased her, "Is Miss Ning worried that Mr. Huo hasn't had dinner?"
Huo Ning nodded, "Uncle Xi Chuan has been in there for so long..."
Aunt Xu, who had heard about the recent news, noticed the worry in Huo Ning's voice and comforted her, "Don't worry, Mr. Huo is so capable, he'll definitely solve this. Miss Ning just needs to eat well and grow up healthy!"
This comment reminded Huo Ning of something.
If Huo Xiaozheng lost to Jiang Suyuan this time, wouldn't his hatred towards the male and female protagonists only deepen? Wouldn't that make her task of softening him even more difficult?
Thinking of this, Huo Ning's little face tensed up.
Just then, Xi Chuan came out of the study with the others. As he passed through the living room, he greeted Huo Ning before hurriedly heading out.
"Lawyer Zheng, for tomorrow's court appearance, you should..." Xi Chuan was discussing with the person next to him as they walked.
Just as they were about to get in the car, someone tugged at Xi Chuan's coat.
"Miss Ning?"
Huo Ning was panting, clearly having run all the way out.
"Uncle Xi Chuan, can I ask you a question?"
Xi Chuan turned and crouched down to Huo Ning's level: "Of course, but only one, okay? Uncle still has work to do."
Huo Ning nodded obediently: "Is the video they took of me not useful?"
This out-of-the-blue question confused Xi Chuan.
"The one that the photographer sister took that day..." Huo Ning reminded him.
Xi Chuan suddenly realized: "Oh, that one..."
It was supposed to be crucial evidence to corner the other party. However, for some reason, Mr. Huo suddenly ordered that the video not be made public. This put them in a passive position.
"Is this something that can't be talked about?" Huo Ning asked.
Xi Chuan didn't know how to explain, so he just said, "Yes, we can't use this evidence for now, so..."
Can't be used? Huo Ning didn't quite understand. Did the court not accept this kind of video evidence?
Nevertheless, she moved on.
"Then what if I testify in court?" the little girl suddenly blurted out.
This startled Xi Chuan. After the initial shock, Lawyer Zheng whispered something in his ear.
After listening, Xi Chuan looked at Huo Ning with a complex expression: "This isn't something we can decide. It mainly depends on Mr. Huo's side..."
Seeing the lawyer's eyes light up for a moment, Huo Ning knew this approach was effective. As for Huo Xiaozheng, Huo Ning guessed it might be the plot deliberately hindering him, trying to make him lose the initiative.
"What if I go to court without telling Dad?" Seeing their hesitation, Huo Ning added, "As long as we can catch the bad people who bullied me, Dad won't be angry."
Huo Ning deliberately spoke childishly, ultimately aiming for a 'act first, report later' strategy.
Xi Chuan remained silent, while Lawyer Zheng seemed tempted. He stepped forward and crouched down in front of Huo Ning, mimicking Xi Chuan: "Do you know the name of the bad person who bullied you?"
Huo Ning nodded: "Li Zhiyuan."
Lawyer Zheng looked disappointed. Li Zhiyuan's abuse was already a foregone conclusion; what they needed was a breakthrough regarding the Jiang Corporation.
"And Jiang Suyuan."
Huo Ning's words were like a bolt from the blue, even making Xi Chuan straighten his back.
"Ning, how do you know this name?"
Lawyer Zheng also showed a hopeful expression.
"At first, Li Zhiyuan just liked to make me run errands for him and didn't give me food. Later, I heard him on the phone with Jiang Suyuan, and after that, he started hitting me."
Upon hearing this, Lawyer Zheng's face lit up with joy. If this was true, with this evidence plus the transfer records between Jiang Corporation and Li Zhiyuan, they would essentially have it in the bag. Thinking of this, he excitedly patted Xi Chuan: "Assistant Xi, this is truly a blessing in disguise..."
Seeing Xi Chuan's sympathetic gaze, Lawyer Zheng quickly suppressed his smile.
"Ning, are you sure it was Jiang Suyuan?" Xi Chuan asked cautiously. "Is it possible that you've heard this name in the news these past few days and..."
Huo Ning shook her head firmly: "I have evidence."
Xi Chuan was shocked again: "What?"
"Once, to curry favor with Jiang Suyuan, Li Zhiyuan recorded a video while beating me. He even said Jiang Suyuan's name." Huo Ning dropped another bombshell.
Huo Ning had indeed inherited the original host's memories, but perhaps due to her young age, she could only recall certain things when encountering relevant people.
If it weren't for Huo Xiaozheng's inability to compete with the original male lead using the video, Huo Ning wouldn't have wanted to recall those memories of abuse at all.
Although this was good news, Xi Chuan still had to pour cold water on it: "Ning, you might not fully understand what evidence means. Although you, as the person involved, can narrate this part completely, in court, we need something concrete, like that video, to prove the truth of this matter."
Hearing Xi Chuan's words, Huo Ning pursed her lips.
She quickly racked her brain, trying to search for any information about the whereabouts of that video in the original host's memories. However... she came up empty-handed.
Huo Ning apologized dejectedly: "I'm sorry for wasting your time."
Xi Chuan gave her an encouraging smile: "You haven't wasted our time. If you can testify in court, it would be greatly beneficial for us."
Lawyer Zheng gave Xi Chuan a puzzled look, to which Xi Chuan subtly shook his head.
"Alright, it's cold outside. Ning, you should go back now," Xi Chuan gently coaxed.
Huo Ning said goodbye to the two men glumly.
"Where did you go so late?" As soon as she entered the door, Huo Xiaozheng's voice sounded from above.
Huo Ning avoided his gaze: "I went to look at my snowmen."
Mentioning the snowmen in the garden, Huo Xiaozheng recalled how they looked when he saw them that day: except for one grumpy-faced snowman standing properly, the rest were lying around with missing arms and legs, covered all over with a color as thick as blood.
Seeing these snowmen late at night, even Huo Xiaozheng felt a chill run down his spine.
"Ahem!" Huo Xiaozheng cleared his throat: "If you don't know how to build snowmen, I'll find someone to teach you in a few days."
Huo Ning couldn't help but give him a "have you gone mad" look.
With such pressing matters at hand, why was he still concerned about those snowmen?
Huo Xiaozheng: "?"