Huo Xiaozheng sprang to his feet with a start.
"What's going on?"
He strode quickly downstairs, his tone urgent.
Aunt Xu had never quite gotten used to Huo Xiaozheng's handsome but excessively cold face.
Now, seeing his furious expression, Aunt Xu felt like crying: "I'm not sure either. The young miss was just eating breakfast, and in the time it took me to warm up some milk for her, I came out to find her slumped over the table."
Fortunately, Huo Ning's dining chair was custom-made, which prevented her from falling off.
Otherwise...
Aunt Xu stole a glance at Huo Xiaozheng's face, not daring to think further.
Huo Ning lay on the living room sofa. Huo Xiaozheng called her name several times, but she showed no signs of waking.
On the coffee table, Ningning's frequently used iPad was still playing cartoons.
Huo Xiaozheng opened the background pages.
That news article appeared in his line of sight.
Huo Xiaozheng's hand, gripping the iPad, showed bulging veins.
"Mr. Huo, shouldn't we take Ningning to the hospital first?" Xi Chuan, seeing the situation, immediately advised.
Huo Xiaozheng grunted in agreement.
"Xi Chuan, go back to the company and calm down those protesting employees. Find out what's really going on and call me if anything comes up."
Xi Chuan looked troubled: "Mr. Huo, at this critical moment, if you're not there..."
Huo Xiaozheng glared at him: "If the company would collapse without me, why am I paying you all so much?"
Xi Chuan was left speechless, not daring to argue further.
Huo Xiaozheng drove the car like it was an airplane, arriving at Anzhen Children's Hospital with a screech of tires that left a cloud of dust in its wake.
Medical staff were already waiting at the emergency entrance.
Huo Xiaozheng carried Huo Ning out of the car and handed her over to the medical personnel.
No sooner had they entered the ward than Shen Shiyan followed close behind.
He put on his white coat while asking, "What happened?"
Huo Xiaozheng briefly explained the situation.
Shen Shiyan: "This shouldn't be happening. Emotional fluctuations are normal, but for chest pain to occur again..."
He frowned, unable to figure it out for the moment.
"Dr. Shen, the child's vital signs are all stable. The physical examination shows no abnormalities so far, and the ECG doesn't indicate any signs of myocardial infarction," the attending physician reported.
It was as Shen Shiyan had expected. He nodded and performed his own examination.
"The patient's main symptoms are chest pain and syncope. Please further rule out any cardiac and cerebral issues."
"Understood."
After giving instructions, Shen Shiyan took Huo Xiaozheng aside.
Huo Xiaozheng asked, "How is she?"
Shen Shiyan gave him a reassuring look: "It's probably the old problem. Nothing too serious."
"By the way, I set up an appointment with a psychologist for you last time. Why didn't you bring Ningning?"
Bringing this up, Shen Shiyan was quite dissatisfied.
Huo Xiaozheng was usually a man of his word, rarely dropping the ball like this.
"Ningning is very resistant to psychologists," Huo Xiaozheng said.
Shen Shiyan's eyes widened in surprise: "You didn't directly tell Ningning you were taking her to see a psychologist, did you?"
Huo Xiaozheng looked puzzled: "How did you know?"
Shen Shiyan was speechless: "Children don't like doctors, whether they're psychologists, physicians, or dentists. They don't like any of them."
"Have you forgotten about Ningning's experience with the dentist last time?"
Of course Huo Xiaozheng hadn't forgotten. Not only had he not forgotten, but the memory was still vivid.
"It's precisely because of the dentist incident that I'd rather she didn't have to face unknown fears," Huo Xiaozheng explained calmly. "Moreover, I'll always be by her side."
Shen Shiyan thought: In some ways, this father and daughter pair are equally naive.
"Let's be frank, Ningning is ill," Shen Shiyan said bluntly. "If you continue to avoid treatment or let Ningning do as she pleases, the frequency of episodes will only increase."
Huo Xiaozheng fell silent.
Originally, he thought that as long as Ningning stayed by his side, she wouldn't have any episodes.
But this morning's incident was clearly unexpected.
"Every time Ningning talks about her experiences of being molested or abused, she has the detached calmness of an observer," Shen Shiyan analyzed. "This situation is actually more serious."
"Last time when she cried, it was a good thing. It would have been a great opportunity to see a psychologist then, and there might have been more progress."
"And you dropped the ball at the crucial moment."
After venting his righteous indignation, Shen Shiyan belatedly met Huo Xiaozheng's icy gaze and felt a bit intimidated.
Huo Xiaozheng rarely experienced moments of being scolded to his face, but at this moment, even though he was angry, he could only swallow his dissatisfaction.
Huo Xiaozheng closed his eyes briefly, calming his emotions.
"Let's do it today. Set up an appointment with the doctor. We'll start treatment when Ningning wakes up."
Having pulled the tiger's whiskers, Shen Shiyan composed himself and agreed.
Huo Ning, still unconscious, was oblivious to all this.
At that moment, she found herself in an enormous maze.
She wandered around in circles, unable to find the exit.
Just as she was getting desperate and sweating profusely, she encountered a girl.
A girl who looked exactly like her former self, but appeared to be only 5 or 6 years old.
She wore a white dress with several sunflowers embroidered on the chest, lacking color.
"Who are you?" Huo Ning asked warily.
The girl smiled, revealing a pair of cute little fangs, looking quite mischievous, identical to her childhood self.
"I'm you," she said.
Huo Ning was bewildered: "If you're me, then who am I?"
The girl laughed again: "You're me!"
"What?" Huo Ning was confused by her riddles. "What kind of puzzle are you playing?"
The girl floated to her side like a sprite, leaning in to whisper in her ear: "You regret it, don't you? We both have our missing pieces. Why don't we complement each other?"
Huo Ning was completely baffled: "I don't understand what you're saying..."
The girl stopped looking at her and walked deeper into the maze with her hands behind her back. She was muttering something, but Huo Ning couldn't hear clearly. As the 'beep beep' sound grew clearer, Huo Ning completely emerged from her dream.
Huo Ning opened her eyes and saw the familiar hospital room again.
"So it was just a dream," she murmured, a bit dazed.
In contrast to the chaotic atmosphere surrounding Huo Xiaozheng, on the other side, Huo Siyuan stared at Huo Corporation's stock with a sly smile.
"Huo Xiaozheng, oh Huo Xiaozheng, you're not the only shareholder in Huo Corporation."
His assistant stood to the side, bowing obsequiously: "Your move was brilliant, sir. Taking advantage of Huo Jing's scandal, then dropping the news about Mr. Huo's daughter. Huo Xiaozheng has to put out fires on both fronts while also dealing with the employee protests."
"Even Huo Xiaozheng can't perform miracles."
This string of flattery left Huo Siyuan feeling thoroughly pleased.
"You've taken care of the employee protest situation, right?" he asked.
"The illegal layoff documents were signed by people from headquarters. There's no way it can be traced back to you. You can rest absolutely assured," the assistant said confidently.
Huo Siyuan let out a cold laugh, raising his hand to stroke his smooth bald head: "Huo Xiaozheng, I'm waiting for you to come begging me."
