For several days in a row, Huo Ning had been living like a working professional, following Huo Xiaozheng's nine-to-five schedule. Not only that, but as a workaholic, Huo Xiaozheng often worked overtime, and Huo Ning, accompanying him, frequently returned home under the starlight, feeling disoriented about the time while washing up.
On this weekend day, Huo Xiaozheng woke up early again. Hearing Huo Xiaozheng's movements, Huo Ning opened her eyes and sat up abruptly, half-asleep as she climbed down from the bed, intending to go to the bathroom to start another day in the rat race.
For the sake of his own sleep, Huo Xiaozheng had ordered a small bed with guardrails to be placed next to his for Huo Ning, to prevent her from getting too close to him.
There was a small staircase at the foot of the bed for safe climbing. Huo Ning, still groggy, crawled down the little stairs, fumbling to find her slippers. After putting them on, she drifted towards the bathroom like a wandering soul.
Huo Xiaozheng, tying his tie in front of the mirror, happened to see this scene in the reflection. His hands paused as he glanced at the clock nearby: Sunday, 7:30 AM.
Over the past few days, Huo Ning hadn't experienced any more chest pains. Even when Huo Xiaozheng went out for an hour without her, she didn't seem to feel any discomfort.
Huo Xiaozheng walked to the bathroom door. The little girl, with her messy long hair, stood on a children's foot stool, her face full of sleepiness, soullessly brushing her teeth.
Huo Xiaozheng found it adorable.
He cleared his throat, startling the dozing Huo Ning, who immediately widened her eyes: "Dad?"
"You can stay at home today. If anything comes up, someone can bring you to the company," Huo Xiaozheng said.
Huo Ning was momentarily confused, thinking that Huo Xiaozheng probably found it troublesome to bring a child along, so she obediently replied, "Okay."
After saying this, Huo Ning continued brushing her teeth.
Huo Xiaozheng waited for a while, seeing her wash her face with practiced ease. He hesitated, then said, "It's still early, you can go back to sleep for a bit."
Huo Ning wrung out the small towel halfway, haphazardly wiped her face, and pushed the hair stuck to the corners of her mouth away: "Aunt Xu must have prepared breakfast already. I'll eat first, then sleep."
Huo Xiaozheng thought: It's hard to tell which is more important to her, eating or sleeping.
Since she wasn't going out today, Huo Ning chose a long green dinosaur-patterned loungewear. The buttons were a bit difficult to fasten, and after struggling for a while, Huo Ning simply gave up and pattered downstairs to find Aunt Xu for help.
Huo Xiaozheng, who was putting on his watch while coldly observing this scene, felt a fleeting sense of peculiarity. However, he didn't dwell on it much.
After breakfast, Huo Xiaozheng left for the company alone.
The weather was bright, with some unmelted snow still in the garden. In her previous life, Huo Ning, lying on a hospital bed, found the snowy season only depressing. This life was different; now she just wanted to play in the snow.
Aunt Xu bundled her up until she was round like a ball, carefully wrapping her in a scarf and gloves before letting her play in the garden.
In the garden, ice and snow hung on various green plants. Despite the severe cold, the winter plum blossoms were in full bloom, their red and yellow flowers encased in a layer of ice crystals, a beautiful sight.
Huo Ning crouched by the fence, her small hands laboriously rolling a snowball, then another.
Her little face was flushed red, and as she saw her small snowman taking shape, she became overjoyed. With a yelp, she rushed into the kitchen: "Butler grandpa, give me a carrot!"
Butler Chen, who was polishing some glasses, smiled kindly at her request: "What does the young miss need a carrot for?"
Huo Ning excitedly replied, "I want to make a nose for my little snowman!"
Butler Chen understood and, after rummaging through the refrigerator for a moment, handed her some baby carrots and cherries: "Will these be enough?"
Huo Ning stared at the cherries, swallowing hard: "That's enough!"
With that, she hugged the items and returned to the courtyard.
Huo Ning stuffed cherries into her mouth while trying to stick the thin baby carrot onto the snowman's face. After the carrot, she added the cherries, but it still needed eyebrows and a mouth.
Remembering Huo Xiaozheng's stern expression, she found some dry twigs and arranged them to create a face devoid of emotion and slightly fierce.
The once cute and adorable snowman suddenly looked a bit eerie.
Still unsatisfied, Huo Ning quickly built another snowman lying on the ground next to it. Then she ran back to her room, brought out some paint, and began creating with enthusiasm.
Aunt Xu, having finished cleaning, suddenly realized she hadn't seen Huo Ning for a while, so she went to the garden to look for her.
She arrived just as Huo Ning had finished her creation, hugging a plate of cherries and admiring her handiwork.
Aunt Xu lovingly wiped the juice stains from her chest: "Young Miss Ning is so clever, building all those..."
As Aunt Xu's gaze turned towards the snowmen, her voice seemed to be choked off, and she swallowed the rest of her words.
Huo Ning looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Aunt Xu, what's wrong?"
Aunt Xu's mouth twitched, forcing an awkward smile: "Nothing... it's too cold out here, let's go back inside."
Huo Ning nodded and, after saying goodbye to her snowman friends, followed the stiffly moving Aunt Xu back into the house.
The warmth inside made Huo Ning sigh contentedly.
Aunt Xu stared at the adorable little face for several minutes before gradually coming back to her senses.
"Young Miss Ning, wash your hands. It's time for lunch."
The clock pointed to 11:30. Huo Ning had lost track of time while playing, and now not only felt hungry, but also noticed the chest discomfort that had been ignored earlier was subtly intensifying.
"Aunt Xu, I'd like to bring lunch to Dad and eat with him," Huo Ning came up with a good plan. Over the past few days, she had discovered a pattern: if she was too far from Huo Xiaozheng, her chest pain would flare up.
If that was the case, if the mountain wouldn't come to her, she'd go to the mountain.
After all, Huo Xiaozheng had said before leaving that if anything came up, she could come to the company to find him, right?
Aunt Xu's face lit up with approval: "Oh, that's wonderful! I'll pack it up right away, and then have Uncle Zhou drive you to the company!"
Considering the outing, after packing the lunch boxes, Aunt Xu efficiently changed Huo Ning into a mint green short down jacket paired with oatmeal-colored thick wide-leg pants. Before leaving, she also put woolen ankle boots on her, dressing her up full of energy before sending her off in the car.
By this time, Huo Ning could already feel a needle-like pain in her chest, coming in waves.
"Uncle Zhou, can you drive a bit faster?" Huo Ning asked weakly, slumped in her child seat.
Zhou Liqiang had heard bits and pieces about Huo Ning from the butler. Although her complexion seemed a bit off, the little girl's cute and sweet appearance, with her bright almond eyes, made her incredibly likable.
He glanced at Huo Ning in the rearview mirror and smiled, "Is the little miss eager to see her father?"
Misunderstood, Huo Ning nodded numbly: "Yes, that's right."
Zhou Liqiang chuckled, "Alright then, I'll get you to your father right away!" With that, he pressed harder on the gas pedal...
Feeling that something was off about this conversation, Huo Ning thought: Thanks, I appreciate the sentiment.
Zhou Liqiang lived up to his reputation as an experienced driver. A journey that usually took 50 minutes was completed in less than half an hour.
The pain in Huo Ning's chest was still bearable. She allowed Zhou Liqiang to hold her hand as they took the elevator to Huo Xiaozheng's office.
Being Sunday, there weren't many people in the company, and Huo Xiaozheng wasn't in his office either.
Noticing that the dull pain in her chest wasn't getting worse, Huo Ning told Uncle Zhou to leave first, while she sat on the sofa waiting for Huo Xiaozheng.
Since she had come under the pretense of bringing lunch, she might as well play the part fully.
After a week in this world, Huo Ning had more or less adapted to her young body. As for the progress of the storyline, judging from Huo Xiaozheng's current state, it probably hadn't reached the crucial point yet.
The gray-toned decor made the entire office appear solemn and unapproachable. Sunlight poured through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows onto the carpet, cool and clear. Looking down from the window, the entire city was visible.
An overwhelming sense of vastness washed over her, and Huo Ning recalled her previous life, where the hospital had been practically her home.
Back then, Huo Ning's spirits were always low, both yearning for and resenting the sunlight outside her window.
Over time, she grew to dislike sunny days.
Huo Xiaozheng pushed open the door and immediately spotted Huo Ning, standing alone like a bean sprout in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing absent-mindedly at the bustling streets below.
"Why did you come here?"
Huo Ning snapped back to reality and walked obediently to the sofa: "I brought you lunch."
Huo Xiaozheng sat down at his desk, understanding that she might have come because she was feeling unwell, but he didn't point it out: "Thank you. You can eat first."
Huo Ning had been playing all morning, and her stomach was already growling with hunger. Hearing his words, she no longer hesitated and took out the pink lunchbox from her bag, carrying it to the adjacent reception room.
Huo Xiaozheng's hand paused mid-motion as he recalled Huo Ning's keen powers of observation. He gazed meaningfully at her small retreating figure.
As usual, she ate with the speed of a whirlwind. After finishing her meal, Huo Ning still felt a bit of tightness in her chest. She returned to the office, taking out a small pillow and blanket from the rest area, spreading them out to lie down.
"Don't lie down immediately after eating," Huo Xiaozheng interrupted her actions.
"I've already watched an episode of anime in the rest area," she replied.
This was unexpected for Huo Xiaozheng, though given how quickly she usually ate, it seemed plausible.
"Regarding your guardianship issue, someone will come by later. You'll need to record a video proving that Shi Li abused you," Huo Xiaozheng said.
Huo Ning asked, puzzled, "Record a video?"
Huo Xiaozheng's expression was inscrutable as he said, "Just like you did at the police station."
Huo Ning immediately understood his meaning: "Like at the police station, taking off my clothes to show where it hurts?"
Hearing these childish words, Huo Xiaozheng couldn't respond immediately.
"Alright, can I still take a nap?" she asked.
Huo Xiaozheng nodded, "Yes, when you wake up, Xi Chuan will come to take you."
Hearing she could nap, Huo Ning felt relieved.
After her nap, the tightness in Huo Ning's chest had completely disappeared. Soon after, Xi Chuan came to fetch her, leading her to another room where a short-haired brunette woman was waiting with a DSLR camera.
"Miss Ning, this is the photographer who will be recording you. The photographer will take some videos of you, okay?" Xi Chuan explained, crouching down to Huo Ning's level.
Huo Ning nodded.
Although Huo Ning was just a child, to avoid any impropriety, Xi Chuan left after giving his instructions.
The photographer had been strictly warned beforehand to just record the video and not to say or ask anything else.
It would be a lie to say Huo Ning wasn't nervous about undressing in front of a stranger. She could only keep reassuring herself internally that this was Huo Xiaozheng's territory and that this kind of recording was safe.
Even so, the filming took nearly an hour to complete. During the process, Huo Ning was also asked to explain that these injuries came from Shi Li.
After the recording finished, Huo Ning put her clothes back on with the photographer's help. When she opened the door, she saw Yin Su.
"Sister Yin, I thought you weren't working today?" Huo Ning's eyes lit up upon seeing Yin Su.
Yin Su masked her emotions and walked forward gently, taking Huo Ning's hand. "I am working. I bought some dorayaki on my way to the office. Would you like some, Miss Ning?"
"Yes!" Huo Ning smiled, her eyes crinkling with joy.
In the break room, Huo Ning sat on a chair, her slender legs swinging happily as she brought a dorayaki to her mouth.
With one bite, the sweet aroma of red bean paste rushed to her head, and Huo Ning blissfully narrowed her eyes.
Seeing how easily satisfied she was, Yin Su felt increasingly heartbroken.
"Miss Ning, were you scared during the photo shoot?" Yin Su asked.
"A little bit," Huo Ning answered honestly.
Yin Su had no intention of prying into the secrets of the wealthy family, and Xi Chuan had only instructed her to keep the little girl company. But at the door, she had heard the girl's timid voice describing the abuse she had suffered.
Having worked as a secretary under Mr. Huo for years, Yin Su instantly understood what was happening.
"You know, if you had said you didn't want to do it, Mr. Huo probably wouldn't have forced you," Yin Su said, then immediately chided herself. Huo Ning was only five years old, how much could she understand?
Huo Ning swallowed her mouthful of dorayaki and shook her head seriously. "I know that Dad wants to use this video to take me away from my mom. Making a video is the easiest way."
Yin Su was shocked.
"You know...?"
Huo Ning met Yin Su's eyes. "Yes. I can understand why he's doing this."
For a five-year-old to say this was enough to leave Yin Su stunned. But for her to say she could understand Mr. Huo's actions, well...
"Why?" Yin Su murmured.
"Sister Yin should know, right? Before this, Dad wasn't my dad. So I can understand and accept that Dad doesn't love me."
As Huo Ning said these words, she was completely speaking from the perspective of an observer, commenting on Huo Xiaozheng's actions towards 'Shi Ning'.
She tossed away the dorayaki wrapper and smiled, patting Yin Su's head. "Sister Yin doesn't need to feel sad for me. I'm doing very well now."
Indeed she was. Compared to the original owner freezing to death in the snow and then being used as a weapon to attack Huo Xiaozheng, her current situation was already quite good.
Yin Su was completely shocked by Huo Ning's mature words, her heart filled with an indescribable sourness.
Suddenly, a 'click' sound from the door interrupted their conversation.
Yin Su discreetly wiped the corner of her eye and got up to open the door.
"Who's there?" she called out.
The hallway was empty, but one of the white pebbles used to decorate the potted plants had fallen to the ground.
Yin Su bent down to pick up the stone.
In an unnoticed corner, a tall figure stood straight as a pillar. In eyes that were usually as calm as still water, a hint of turbulence could be seen.
