Huo Ning returned to the filming location feeling light and unburdened.
She bumped into Xu Fanzhen, who grabbed her excitedly and called out behind her, "I found her, she's here!"
Huo Ning was a bit dazed: "Sister Xu..."
Xu Fanzhen spoke urgently: "Where did you go? I couldn't find you when I came back, I was so worried."
"I went to the bathroom..."
Before she could finish, Huo Jing rushed over.
Huo Jing pulled Huo Ning close and looked her up and down: "Are you alright?"
Huo Ning shook her head,
"I just needed to use the bathroom urgently, so I went by myself."
Huo Jing sighed in relief.
"I'm glad you're okay. Are you hungry? I had Fanzhen buy you some strawberry milk."
Huo Ning let Huo Jing hold her hand, listening to her ramble on about how next time, she must not leave the adults' sight, how there are so many child abductors nowadays, and so on and so forth.
She held the strawberry milk with the straw already inserted, feeling a bit conflicted: "Auntie, can I take off my mask now?"
Huo Jing was taken aback.
No wonder she felt something was off.
"Of course you can, why have you been wearing it all this time? Isn't it stuffy?"
Huo Ning finally removed her mask: "Didn't Dad say not to let reporters photograph me? I was worried about causing trouble for you, so I didn't take it off."
She took a deep breath and a big sip of strawberry milk, looking satisfied.
Huo Jing's expression was complex.
"Auntie, your outfit looks a lot like mine," Huo Ning remarked curiously as she examined Huo Jing's attire, a navy blue vintage check suit set, very similar to her own Chanel-style outfit.
Huo Jing smiled: "You're right, doesn't it look like we're wearing matching outfits?"
Huo Ning nodded with a sweet smile: "It does. But Auntie, you look cooler."
On a whim, Huo Jing asked the photographer to take a set of portraits of herself and Ning Ning.
Huo Ning, thrust into the spotlight, appeared a bit awkward in front of the camera.
"Good, baby, look at Auntie and smile!"
She turned up the corners of her mouth, flashing a big toothy grin at Huo Jing.
When selecting photos, Huo Jing specifically posted this picture in the family group chat.
Caption: "Mother-daughter photo."
Huo Xiaozheng, who had just finished a meeting and was buried in work in his office, received the message and smirked, clicking save.
After saving it, he felt Huo Jing was an eyesore, so he edited the photo, cropping out Huo Jing's part and turning it into a solo shot of Huo Ning. Only then was he satisfied.
Huo Jing was oblivious to this, happily praising Huo Ning's photogenic nature in the family group chat.
The morning shoot ended around 11 o'clock.
By the time Huo Jing had packed up, Huo Xiaozheng was already waiting downstairs.
"Dad!" Huo Ning spotted Huo Xiaozheng and ran happily towards the car.
Huo Xiaozheng got out of the car, squatted down to lift her into the vehicle, and fastened her seatbelt.
"Did you have fun?"
"Yes! It was fun! Auntie and I took photos together, they look great!" Huo Ning was eager to show off their photos, but her smartwatch screen was too small to see clearly.
"Auntie posted them in the group chat, I saw them. You're very photogenic."
Huo Ning smiled shyly.
Huo Jing got into the car as well, expressing her disdain for Huo Xiaozheng's plagiarism of her complimentary vocabulary.
Huo Xiaozheng ignored her.
After lunch, Huo Jing had other engagements and left first.
Huo Ning went with Huo Xiaozheng back to the company for a nap.
Huo Xiaozheng didn't have a habit of napping.
Huo Ning, on the other hand, slept until half past five, when it was already dark.
She climbed out of bed and sat there somewhat dazed, unsure of the time.
Since transmigrating into the book, perhaps because her body was that of a child, her perceptions and actions had become childlike.
Shi Lili and Li Zhiyuan had been dealt with and could no longer cause trouble; the risk of Huo Xiaozheng turning evil should have been averted, as both Jiang Suyuan and Qin Zhiyi had publicly apologized.
From now on, she just needed to cherish this life.
This healthy life without cancer.
It was as if her life had been reset.
"Awake?" Huo Xiaozheng pushed open the door to find the little bundle sitting alone, lost in thought.
The dim bedside lamp was still on, casting her small shadow on the wall. Huo Xiaozheng lowered his voice: "It's time to go home."
Huo Ning snapped back to reality and smiled brightly: "Okay, let's go home."
However, this peace didn't last long.
As they took the elevator to the underground parking lot, they were stopped by a balding old man.
"Xiaozheng, just getting off work?"
Huo Ning recognized him as Huo Jingyi's father.
Huo Xiaozheng reached out his hand to pull Huo Ning behind him: "What's the matter?"
The balding man's face clouded over, but he quickly masked it, smiling ingratiatingly: "I just received a transfer notice from the company. We're all family, it's embarrassing for things to end up like this, don't you think?"
Huo Xiaozheng remained unmoved: "I made myself very clear last time. Did you not understand, or do you think Africa is too close?"
The balding man's expression changed slightly: "Don't be so harsh. Jingyi just accidentally forgot Ning Ning in the closet, how does that warrant such anger from you?"
Before Huo Xiaozheng could respond, the balding man continued: "I heard Ning Ning's health isn't too good. Children at this age need companionship from peers. My Jingyi is just the right age, and she's her sister, so you see..."
Huo Xiaozheng's face darkened: "Who told you Ning Ning's health is poor?"
The balding man thought Huo Xiaozheng was softening: "Do we need someone else to tell us? After being..."
He made a lewd gesture.
"Like that... how could her health be good?... Ah!"
It happened too fast. Huo Ning only saw the balding man fly out like a parabola.
Huo Xiaozheng gave his bodyguard a look.
The bodyguard immediately understood, knowing exactly how to beat someone to make them suffer without causing hospitalization or permanent injury.
Huo Xiaozheng bent down to pick up Huo Ning, got in the car, locked the doors, and left, all in one smooth motion.
Huo Ning quietly peeked out from behind his hand, listening to the balding man's curses and imagining the beating scene in her mind.
Before long, the balding man was curled up with his hands over his head, barely able to even whimper.
The bodyguards stopped, satisfied, and left.
In a quiet corner, the balding man loosened his grip on his tie clip. At the top of the small tie clip, a red light was flashing.
He spat and growled viciously: "Huo Xiaozheng, I gave you a chance. Since you won't be kind, don't blame me for being unkind!"
After leaving the parking lot, Huo Xiaozheng solemnly educated the child.
"Violence is not a good way to solve problems."
"Then why did you use violence?"
"I momentarily lost control of my emotions, that was my mistake," Huo Xiaozheng said unconvincingly: "Don't learn from me."
Violence can't solve problems, but when faced with some scumbags, violence is the only way to save your own sanity.
Huo Ning thought to herself.
