Xie Lingluo looked at her encouragingly and said, "Say it."
Huo Guining's lips trembled as she spoke, "The life I have now is very good for me."
After Xie Lingluo left, Huo Guining sat alone in the studio for a long time.
Before leaving, Xie Lingluo had told her that they wouldn't need to meet as frequently in the future.
Did Xie Lingluo mean that she was now free?
Initially, she had been diagnosed with a psychological disorder, which was why Huo Xiaozheng had taken her to see a psychologist.
Huo Guining had always felt that their judgment was wrong. So, she had been waiting for this day, the day she would be released.
However, this day came unexpectedly.
When Huo Xiaozheng pushed open the door to the studio, he saw Guining sitting in front of the easel, her paintbrush dangling in her hand.
The owner of the brush seemed lost in thought, unaware of her surroundings.
Huo Xiaozheng approached quietly and said softly, "Guining, it's time for lunch."
Huo Guining looked up, her eyes a bit dazed. "Oh, I'll clean up my painting supplies."
Huo Xiaozheng frowned. Hadn't Xie Lingluo said that Guining's condition had improved?
As Huo Guining was tidying up, she noticed from the corner of her eye the paint that had dripped onto the floor earlier.
Red and blue, now congealed into a small puddle.
She suddenly turned to Huo Xiaozheng with a smile. "Dad, Dr. Xie said I'm almost better."
Huo Xiaozheng felt a wave of relief wash over him and smiled back. "That's wonderful news. What would you like as a reward?"
Huo Guining was taken aback. "I can get a reward for this?"
Huo Xiaozheng recalled the key points about child psychology from the books he had read.
He immediately affirmed, "Of course. This is the result of your hard work, and it should definitely be encouraged."
Huo Guining beamed, grabbing the hem of Huo Xiaozheng's shirt and pulling him towards the door. "Then I'll have to think carefully about what I want!"
Huo Xiaozheng followed her steps, speaking gently, "Alright, take your time to think about it. But for now, let's go eat."
"Grandma's medicinal soup just arrived downstairs. We'll take it to the dining hall later..."
"I love Grandma," Huo Guining said, her little face scrunching up. "But Dad, how much longer do I have to drink this medicinal soup?"
Huo Xiaozheng was silent for a moment before replying, "Well... we might have to ask Grandma about that."
A thought suddenly flashed through Huo Guining's mind. "Oh, I've decided on my reward! I want Grandma's medicinal soup in the future to..."
Huo Xiaozheng quickly covered her mouth with his hand. "No, you haven't decided yet."
Huo Guining thought to herself: Adults' words are full of lies.
...
Old Mr. Qin moved quickly. Within a few days, news about Huo Xiaozheng bribing officials in Yun City appeared online.
According to reports, the acquisition price paid by Huo Group was far higher than the initial listing price for the suburban land in Yun City.
This allowed Huo Group to outbid several competing companies and not only acquire that piece of land.
Moreover, according to reliable sources, Huo Group planned to use the land for heavy industry development.
When this news broke, the local netizens of Yun City were the first to react.
Yun City was famous for its tourism, with its biggest selling point being its clean environment and fresh air.
If Huo Group really had such intentions, it would inevitably deal a heavy blow to the local tourism industry.
All at once, discussions criticizing Huo Group flooded the internet.
Some people with ulterior motives even dug up photos of Huo Xiaozheng and Huo Guining in Yun City.
Using the principle of "start with one picture, make up the whole story," they concocted an elaborate tale about how Huo Xiaozheng had meticulously planned to transition into heavy industry.
The plot twists were so dramatic that even the late Mr. Jin Yong would have felt humbled.
The incident developed and spread so quickly that Huo Xiaozheng barely had time to react.
The news quickly caught the attention of national authorities.
It was rumored that the Discipline Inspection Commission had sent people to Yun City to investigate the involved officials.
Old Mr. Qin was very pleased with this development.
Jiang Suyuan, however, had a completely different reaction.
"Dad, what are you doing?!" As soon as he got the news, Jiang Suyuan rushed to the Qin family's old residence.
At present, Old Mr. Qin was leisurely sipping tea, seemingly oblivious to his son-in-law's anxiety.
After a while, he finally spoke, "What am I doing? Can't you see for yourself?"
"Now that we've caught the attention of the higher-ups, I want to see what good will come to Huo Xiaozheng."
Jiang Suyuan paced back and forth anxiously. "Dad! Even if you're angry, you should have asked for my opinion before doing something like this!"
Old Mr. Qin slammed his teacup on the table, making a harsh sound.
"I don't need you to make decisions about my affairs!"
The Qin family, known for their scholarly tradition, abhorred disregard for seniority and hierarchy.
At this moment, Jiang Suyuan's words and actions, in Old Mr. Qin's eyes, were bordering on audacity.
"Dad, do you know why Huo Xiaozheng bought that land at such a high price?" Jiang Suyuan blurted out, unable to hold back. "He's building a private holiday villa for his daughter, purely for personal use!"
Old Mr. Qin's anger deflated a bit, but he still stubbornly argued, "So what?"
"Regardless, he bought government auction land at several times the market price. That's suspicious!"
"The Discipline Inspection Commission is involved now. How could it be false?"
Jiang Suyuan was nearly driven to despair by Old Mr. Qin's stubbornness. "We'd better hope that the Commission actually finds something, otherwise..."
Jiang Suyuan had received information that the Yun City officials were set to take up important positions in South City next month.
This was one of the reasons why Jiang Suyuan had wanted to secure that piece of land in the first place.
If things turned out this way, with the Commission finding no issues and the official taking up his new post normally, only to later discover that Old Mr. Qin was behind all this...
Jiang Suyuan didn't dare to think further.
He tried to persuade Old Mr. Qin earnestly, "Dad, please stop while there's still room to maneuver."
Being repeatedly contradicted by his son-in-law in his own home, Old Mr. Qin's face showed signs of displeasure.
"I don't need a young upstart like you to teach me how to handle my affairs."
With that, he was ready to show his guest out.
Jiang Suyuan took a deep breath and left, throwing up his hands in frustration.
Since this approach didn't work, he had no choice but to appeal to Huo Xiaozheng.
Far away at Huo Group, when Huo Xiaozheng learned of this news, his eyes gleamed with determination.
"Dad, aren't you worried?" After work, Huo Guining and Huo Xiaozheng returned to the Huo family's old residence together.
In the car, Huo Guining tilted her head curiously and asked Huo Xiaozheng.
Huo Xiaozheng shook his head. "It's nothing major. But what about you? How are you planning to talk to Grandma later?"
Huo Guining pondered for a moment, then looked up with a spirited expression. "Grandma! Look, I've got muscles now. I don't need to drink the medicine anymore!"
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeve, trying to show off her biceps.
Huo Xiaozheng gave her a thumbs up.
However...
"Oh my, Guining has muscles now! That old Chinese doctor's prescription really worked. Grandma will go get three more courses tomorrow!" Zheng Jinxiu said with a beaming smile.
Guining: Game over.