Everything happened too quickly.
Qin Zhiyi and Jiang Suyuan didn't have time to react before Huo Xiaozheng had already left with his people.
"What a pity," Jiang Suyuan sighed softly.
At that moment, all thoughts of weddings and romance were cast aside by Huo Xiaozheng.
Upon receiving the news, Xi Chuan rushed over, and the group hurriedly left the venue, leaving the surrounding reporters bewildered.
Huo Ning was fully shielded, making it impossible for outsiders to capture her face.
Huo Xiaozheng held her with one arm while pressing her head against his shoulder with the other.
The person who had been so emotionally charged earlier now seemed like a lifeless doll, slumped limp in his arms.
"What did Shen Shiyan say?"
While keeping an eye on the road, Xi Chuan replied, "Dr. Shen is on his way with his team."
"And the other matter?"
Xi Chuan realized he was referring to Shi Lili: "People have been dispatched to make preparations."
As they spoke, Huo Ning remained limp in Huo Xiaozheng's arms, her entire being in a daze.
Huo Xiaozheng's brow was furrowed so tightly it could twist into a pretzel.
"Drive faster."
Beads of cold sweat formed on Xi Chuan's temples as he pressed down harder on the accelerator...
Before long, the car came to a stop in front of the detention center.
Having made prior arrangements, Huo Xiaozheng carried Huo Ning to the meeting room, led by a lawyer.
Inside the room, a stainless steel curtain separated Shi Lili from them.
Her hair was disheveled, her eyes dim, her complexion sallow – she looked as if all her energy had been drained.
Huo Xiaozheng sat down opposite her, still holding Huo Ning.
Shi Lili immediately became agitated, crying out loudly, "Mr. Huo, please be merciful! For the sake of me being Ning Ning's mother, I beg you to let me go! Ning Ning and I have relied on each other since she was little, she can't live without me!"
"Quiet!"
The staff member reprimanded.
Shi Lili's body trembled, and she dared not shout again.
Her eyes, full of pleading, looked at Huo Xiaozheng.
Huo Xiaozheng ignored her, gently patting Huo Ning in his arms. "Ning Ning, wake up."
Huo Ning wasn't asleep, just staring blankly into space.
Shi Lili's voice was hoarse, and Huo Ning didn't recognize it at first.
She sat up straight, looking directly at Shi Lili, and gave a smile.
"Hi, long time no see."
Shi Lili's eyes lit up, instantly bursting with excitement.
"Ning Ning! Mommy's precious! I knew you wouldn't bear to see your mom suffer like this." Towards the end, Shi Lili began to sob, reaching out her hands, wanting to touch Huo Ning's face.
The staff member promptly stopped her.
Huo Ning patted Huo Xiaozheng's arm, signaling him to put her down.
Huo Xiaozheng complied.
She stepped forward, maintaining a distance that allowed her to clearly see Shi Lili's facial expressions but prevented Shi Lili from touching her.
"You..." Huo Ning uttered one word before her throat constricted, making it difficult to continue.
The Huo Ning who had been hiding in a corner of her consciousness connected with the original host, understanding what she wanted to ask.
She softly told the original host, "Be brave, you did nothing wrong."
The original host seemed to hear Huo Ning's words. She took a deep breath and asked with a strained voice, "That day, when I told you Uncle Li touched me and made me uncomfortable, did you really think I was lying?"
Shi Lili's facial expression froze, almost losing her composure.
"What are you talking about touching? He was just playing with you."
Shi Lili's words were directed at the original host, but she gave an awkward smile to Huo Xiaozheng.
"If it was just playing, why were you so angry when Uncle Li put makeup on me?"
Huo Ning's tone was soft, as if she was merely seeking an answer and would leave once she got it.
Shi Lili looked annoyed, "You little vixen, always seducing people since you were young..."
Huo Xiaozheng's face darkened ominously, as if a storm was brewing. Seeing this, the staff member opposite quickly covered Shi Lili's mouth.
Huo Ning turned back to look at Huo Xiaozheng, giving a weak smile, "I want to hear what she has to say."
Huo Xiaozheng disapproved.
Huo Ning insisted on listening.
Huo Xiaozheng shot Shi Lili a warning glance.
The staff member released Shi Lili.
Knowing there was no hope for redemption, Shi Lili stopped struggling and reverted to her true self.
"Don't blame me for being heartless. That year, I had my eye on Jiang Suyuan. I used every trick in the book to get into his bed. Not long after, I found out I was pregnant. I thought the child was Jiang Suyuan's."
"At that time, Jiang Suyuan was in a passionate relationship with the Qin family's daughter. I didn't dare reveal anything, so I gave birth to you in secret, planning to do a paternity test when the time was right and then marry Jiang Suyuan. This wait lasted three years."
At this point, Shi Lili's gaze turned vicious.
"Who would have thought, you weren't Jiang Suyuan's child after all. How could you not be his child?!"
Although she already knew the truth, hearing it directly from the person involved was still painful for both the original host and Huo Ning.
"Can you call me Coco one more time?" The original host seemed to be falling apart.
Huo Ning was startled.
Was the original host's nickname Coco? This detail hadn't been mentioned in the original story.
Shi Lili gave a mocking smile, her tone venomous, "Before you were three, you were my hot chocolate Coco, my ticket into the Jiang family, a necessity. After you turned three, I changed your name to Shi Ning. Didn't the other kids already tell you what that name means? Hahahaha..."
"What use are you? You might as well die, wouldn't it be better if you were dead!"
Sensing something was wrong, Huo Xiaozheng quickly covered Huo Ning's ears and pulled her into his embrace, turning her away.
"Shi Lili, are you even human?!" Huo Xiaozheng berated harshly.
Huo Ning struggled free from Huo Xiaozheng's grasp and faced Shi Lili again.
"Do you know where you are now?"
Shi Lili's smug expression froze.
"I'll come to visit you often in the future."
Shi Lili raged, "You little hussy! I saw through you long ago, you're no innocent! You even went and found your own father, look how capable you've become! If it weren't for me, you..."
Huo Ning smiled brightly, "That's right, if it weren't for you, how could I have sent all those who bullied me to a place like this?"
"My dear mother."
With that, Huo Ning ignored Shi Lili and tugged at Huo Xiaozheng's clothes, asking to leave.
Compared to the lifeless doll from before, Huo Ning now seemed much more animated.
"Don't worry, Daddy will have the lawyer uncle take good care of her," he said as he picked up Huo Ning and walked out.
He completely disregarded Shi Lili's frenzied curses behind them.
As they walked out of the detention center's main gate, they ran into Shen Shiyan.
Huo Xiaozheng shook his head slightly at him, indicating that Huo Ning was fine.
Shen Shiyan wasn't entirely convinced and followed them into Huo Xiaozheng's car.
Huo Ning still had the energy to greet him, "Hello, Uncle Shen."
"Hello, Ning Ning. Have you been well lately?"
Huo Ning was still nestled in Huo Xiaozheng's arms, refusing to come down, and Huo Xiaozheng seemed to be enjoying her unprecedented dependence.
However, Shen Shiyan noticed that her hands were trembling slightly. He discreetly signaled to Xi Chuan in the driver's seat.
"I've been very well," Huo Ning nodded in affirmation. "I just went to see mom."
Seeing that she brought up Shi Lili on her own, Shen Shiyan asked, "Oh? Was it a happy meeting?"
Huo Ning's little eyes darted around as she pondered, then she nodded again, "Yes, happy!"
After saying this, she buried her entire face in Huo Xiaozheng's chest and started giggling. However, her laughter went on for an unusually long time.
Sensing something was amiss, Huo Xiaozheng frowned, "Ning Ning, if you don't want to laugh, you don't have to."
Like someone who had endured endless cold and frost suddenly touching a hint of warmth, Huo Ning, still buried in his embrace, began to sob like a wounded animal in response to Huo Xiaozheng's words.
