The second day of the New Year.
Media captured the president of Huo Corporation leaving Anzhen Children's Hospital with an icy expression.
Rumors suggested it was due to recent stock fluctuations in the Huo Group, causing shareholders to put pressure on Huo Xiaozheng.
Meanwhile, the real culprit was currently curled up on Huo Yueze's hospital bed, earnestly drawing a portrait of the sleeping Huo Yueze.
It was just after ten in the morning.
Huo Jing opened the door to find Huo Guining bathed in the warm winter sunlight, sketching with a devout expression.
The subject of the drawing lay on the bed, his curly hair a mess, a white bandage on his head, mouth agape, and drooling.
The sound of the door opening caught Huo Guining's attention.
She called out softly, "Auntie!"
Huo Jing glanced at her eye-searing nephew, then picked up Huo Guining and placed her on the sofa.
"Let auntie take a look, are you alright?"
When the incident with Huo Guining occurred, Huo Jing had been attending an event abroad.
It wasn't until after the event that she saw the news about Huo Guining's situation.
So, as soon as she got off the plane, she rushed to the hospital to visit Huo Guining.
Huo Jing's expression still held traces of fatigue, with some bloodshot veins visible in her eyes.
Huo Guining smiled softly, "I'm fine, really."
She looked bright and adorable, causing Huo Jing's worried heart to settle.
"What about Huo Yueze? What exactly happened yesterday? I was scared to death."
Huo Jing asked about Huo Yueze's condition, but her eyes didn't want to fall on him at all, subtly showing some disdain.
Huo Guining didn't notice.
She recounted everything to Huo Jing, from how she bit through the tape after being kidnapped to how Huo Yueze helped her escape.
"I was really scared at first. But after brother came, I wasn't scared at all!"
Huo Jing felt somewhat emotional.
"You're so brave!" Huo Jing praised, then glanced towards Huo Yueze again: "Huo Yueze is quite gutsy too!"
Huo Guining giggled, continuously praising Huo Yueze until Huo Jing started to feel a bit uneasy.
"Ning Ning, look, this is the gift auntie brought back for you from Country F."
Huo Jing handed her a large blue gift box.
The box was big, too large for Huo Guining's small hands to hold: "What is it, auntie?"
Huo Jing smiled, gesturing for her to open it.
Huo Guining did as told.
Lifting the lid of the gift box and tearing away the outer wrapping paper, a red and white long dress appeared before her.
"Wow..." Huo Guining couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
It was the same style as the blood-red dress she had drawn for Huo Jing last time.
"Auntie! You made it real!" Huo Guining's eyes sparkled.
Her smile was so infectious that Huo Jing couldn't help but smile too. "To be precise, auntie didn't make it, auntie had someone else make it. They made two."
Huo Jing held up two fingers: "Auntie has one too!"
Huo Guining's smile grew even sweeter: "We have matching outfits now!"
Her long hair was braided into two small plaits hanging over her chest. Under her princess-cut bangs, her large eyes shone brightly.
Huo Jing couldn't resist stroking her soft hair: "In the future, we'll have even more matching things."
Huo Yueze's voice rose faintly from behind the two: "Auntie, where's my gift?"
Huo Jing's eyes froze for a moment.
In a flash, she strode to the bedside, grabbed her big nephew's head, shaking it back and forth, and said through gritted teeth:
"Auntie rushed back overnight just to see you, isn't that the best gift?"
Before Huo Guining could stop her, Huo Yueze, unable to bear his aunt's heavy love, let out a "wah" and vomited again.
Huo Jing and Huo Guining were both kicked out of the hospital room.
Huo Jing hadn't anticipated this turn of events. If it weren't for the face mask she wore to avoid the paparazzi, she might have thrown up too.
Feeling a bit awkward, she suggested: "How about auntie takes you for ice cream?"
The sun was shining brightly today, but the outdoor temperature wasn't high.
Huo Guining was silent for a few seconds: "Auntie, you should go home and rest."
It was the first time Huo Jing had been rejected by a child, and she laughed awkwardly: "Alright then, auntie will head back now and come see you again tomorrow."
Huo Guining keenly sensed the change in Huo Jing's mood and said softly: "Auntie, your eyes are so red. Make sure to rest well at home, okay?"
Huo Jing's eyes filled with emotion. She whimpered and moved forward, wanting to hug the little girl and breathe her in.
Huo Guining, looking at the mess on her clothes, silently took a step back.
The deeply hurt Huo Jing wailed on her social media, lamenting how deeply she'd been wounded by her niece and nephew.
Seeing this from afar, Huo Xiaozheng felt somewhat satisfied, and his work efficiency even improved.
Huo Guining was strictly forbidden by the doctor from entering Huo Yueze's room.
She felt a bit bored.
Fortunately, after the lunch break, Huo Xiaozheng returned.
He took Huo Guining back to the psychologist's office.
Originally, due to the New Year holiday, the counseling session was scheduled for next week.
But because of the kidnapping incident, Huo Xiaozheng was worried it might leave new trauma for Huo Guining, so he made an appointment with Xie Lingluo, hoping she could provide some psychological guidance for Huo Guining.
Xie Lingluo readily agreed.
Sitting in the familiar office, Huo Guining still couldn't help feeling nervous.
Just like last time, Xie Lingluo wasn't wearing a white coat, but casual clothes in a low-saturation blue that was very soothing.
"Happy New Year, Ning Ning. How have these past few days been?"
Xie Lingluo's smile was also very gentle.
Huo Guining, small as she was, sat on the soft beige sofa.
She wore a light purple sweater and light khaki woolen pants, with snow boots on her feet. Her white down jacket was placed aside, neatly folded by Huo Xiaozheng.
Huo Guining politely greeted her but didn't answer about her recent situation. Instead, she asked: "Didn't daddy already tell you about my situation?"
This statement carried a hint of aggression.
Xie Lingluo's expression remained unchanged, her gaze calm: "Oh? Are you bothered that your father told me about your situation?"
Huo Guining knew she was referring to the kidnapping incident.
But since she asked this way, Huo Guining could only shake her head: "Not really."
"Hmm? Then why do you seem a bit angry?"
Huo Guining couldn't quite explain it herself.
"Is it because your father told me about your experience without your consent, making you feel disrespected?"
Xie Lingluo's voice was unhurried, her tone still gentle.
It seemed to carry no malice, just an objective desire to understand her feelings.
Huo Guining nodded, then shook her head.
Xie Lingluo didn't rush her, just quietly waited for her answer.
Gentle yet persistent.
Huo Guining gave in, saying somewhat deflated: "I just feel like this makes me seem useless."
This was an answer Xie Lingluo hadn't expected.
Xie Lingluo asked: "Why do you feel useless?"
"When I was kidnapped, I knew that uncle was a stranger, but I still went with him."
"I also caused my brother to get hurt."
"Isn't that being useless?"
