When she had an attack in court yesterday, compared to her previous chest pains, she felt an overwhelming sense of panic.
So, when Huo Xiaozheng asked if she wanted to follow, she almost instinctively dropped the snowball in her hand and grabbed the hem of his suit jacket instead.
This gesture spoke volumes.
Huo Xiaozheng bent down to pick her up and instructed Huo Yueze, "You can go back now."
Huo Yueze thought: Uncle is as unsentimental as ever.
Suddenly, Huo Xiaozheng caught sight of a snowman in the distance, along with Huo Ning's usual drawing tools.
His eyes flashed, and he changed his mind, saying, "Actually, wait until we come back to spend some time with your sister. You can leave after dinner tonight."
With that, he carried Huo Ning away without looking back.
Huo Ning, however, turned back to wave goodbye as they walked.
Huo Yueze forced a stiff smile: So the seemingly heartless one has a heart after all.
The butler stepped forward at the right moment: "Young master, the gift prepared for you is on the table in the second-floor guest room."
Huo Yueze's gloom instantly vanished, and he dashed upstairs.
When it came to gift-giving, his uncle had always been generous.
Sure enough, on the table in the guest room sat the latest model of handheld gaming console!
This was the beloved item he had begged his parents for so many times but never received!
His uncle was the best uncle in the whole world!
The butler smiled as he closed the door for him, shutting out the room full of excited screams.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Daddy, where are we going?" Huo Ning, strapped in her child seat, curiously stared at the snow-covered landscape outside.
"Hmm, we're going to eat," Huo Xiaozheng replied concisely.
Huo Ning let out an "Ah" of disappointment: "Then we can only have Auntie Xu's red bean soup tonight."
After the heavy snow, the sky was a clear blue, and everything was adorned with white snowflakes. In the cold atmosphere, the warmth inside the car felt even more comfortable.
Huo Xiaozheng put down his phone and started a conversation.
"Do you like red bean soup that much?"
Huo Ning breathed on the car window, drew a simple heart, and smiled sweetly at Huo Xiaozheng: "I love it."
"What else besides red bean soup?"
Huo Ning counted on her fingers, mumbling: "Sweet cake, I like. Fragrant little buns, I like. Dark red cherries, I like too."
Huo Xiaozheng noticed that all these foods she mentioned were things she had eaten since coming to Panlong Bay Villa.
"What about daddy, what do you like to eat?" Since they would be living under the same roof for over a decade, it seemed necessary to inquire about her roommate's preferences.
Huo Xiaozheng was taken aback.
When dining out for business, Huo Xiaozheng never revealed his preferences and almost never drank alcohol unless absolutely necessary—of course, this was also due to the aftermath of being drugged after mistakenly drinking a glass of wine at Gantang Court years ago.
Suddenly asked like this, Huo Xiaozheng found himself unable to say what he liked.
Seeing that Huo Xiaozheng hadn't responded, Huo Ning tilted her head and looked at him: "Daddy?"
Huo Xiaozheng snapped back to reality: "Hmm, I prefer lighter flavors."
Huo Ning let out a long "Oh": "A light diet leads to a long life~"
Huo Xiaozheng couldn't help but smile: "Did you learn that from cartoons too?"
Huo Ning smiled shyly.
The car stopped in front of a white European-style building.
It was a high-end restaurant. The restaurant was situated in the center of a huge garden, surrounded by plants that provided both privacy and beauty.
Huo Xiaozheng carried Huo Ning along the green path towards the entrance, and someone immediately came to greet them.
"Hello, do you have a reservation?"
"We have a reservation with Miss Qin."
"Certainly, Miss Qin is already waiting."
The waiter understood and led them to a private room.
Qin? Could it be Qin Zhiyi, the female protagonist from the original novel?
Huo Corporation had just won a big victory in this lawsuit. What could Qin Zhiyi's purpose be in seeking out Huo Xiaozheng at this time?
"Please come in."
The waiter opened the door.
Inside the room, a woman wearing a beige knit dress sat by the window, her chestnut-colored curls cascading smoothly over her shoulders. Her features were delicate, and she greeted Huo Xiaozheng with a perfectly appropriate smile, polite and elegant.
"You're here." She stood up, looking at Huo Xiaozheng, then noticed Huo Ning beside him: "Is this the little girl?"
Huo Xiaozheng gave a noncommittal "Mm" and had Huo Ning sit next to him.
"Hello, I'm Qin Zhiyi, a friend of your father's." So it really was the female lead.
Huo Ning glanced at Huo Xiaozheng.
Huo Xiaozheng scoffed and said, "Call her auntie."
Huo Ning obediently said, "Hello, auntie."
Huo Xiaozheng's attitude made Qin Zhiyi feel somewhat embarrassed. She forced a smile at Huo Ning, then sat down on her own, momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing her like this, Huo Xiaozheng felt a twinge of pity. He picked up the teapot, intending to pour her a cup of tea.
Huo Ning immediately spoke up: "Daddy, I'm thirsty."
Huo Xiaozheng's hand paused.
The teapot contained oolong tea.
Huo Xiaozheng put down the teapot and handed her the menu: "What would you like to drink?"
Huo Ning pointed at a wine-red colored drink: "This one!"
The familiar color made Huo Xiaozheng feel somewhat nauseous, but after confirming it was cherry juice, he instructed the waiter not to add ice.
Qin Zhiyi watched Huo Xiaozheng's attentive behavior, feeling momentarily dazed.
Before meeting Jiang Suyuan, she and Huo Xiaozheng had grown up together. The Huo and Qin families were old friends, and until junior high, she and Huo Xiaozheng had been neighbors. After high school, she moved away, and their interactions gradually became limited to school.
She had always known that Huo Xiaozheng liked her, and she enjoyed his affection.
After the college entrance exams, Huo Xiaozheng confessed to her.
Qin Zhiyi, unsure of her own feelings, had put him off, saying she would give him an answer after returning from studying abroad.
This wait lasted several years.
On the day she returned, Huo Xiaozheng had somehow found out her flight information and came to pick her up at the airport.
Qin Zhiyi, in the throes of a new romance, paid little attention to Huo Xiaozheng's feelings and bluntly told him that she didn't like him, that she only saw him as a brother.
Looking back, that day, after being rejected, Huo Xiaozheng hadn't shown much anger.
This had made her wonder if Huo Xiaozheng's confession had been a dream.
"What did you want to see me about?" Huo Xiaozheng asked coldly.
Qin Zhiyi snapped back to the present and stood up to bow to him: "Brother Xiaozheng, I'm here to apologize on Suyuan's behalf."
Huo Ning felt exasperated. Why was everyone calling each other brother and sister everywhere they went?
"Miss Qin, I'm afraid you're mistaken. I wasn't aware that my father had an illegitimate daughter," Huo Xiaozheng said mercilessly.
Qin Zhiyi, stung by his words, reddened at the corners of her eyes, looking on the verge of tears: "Brother Xiaozheng, why must you hurt me like this..."
Huo Xiaozheng let out a cold snort: "Why must I?"
"Why must you come to apologize on Jiang Suyuan's behalf? Why did Jiang Suyuan go so far as to shoot at my daughter?" The angrier Huo Xiaozheng became, the calmer his face appeared: "And what right do you have to call me brother?"
