Zuo Qinfang felt heartbroken upon hearing Huo Guining's words.
After Huo Yueze was born, she had neglected him due to her poor health.
When her health improved, she wanted to make it up to Huo Yueze every moment.
Not to mention Ningning's situation now.
What kind of mother would be heartless enough to let her child stay home alone without company?
Zuo Qinfang and Huo Yueze, mother and son, were not on the same page, so their expressions naturally differed.
Huo Guining found it difficult to interpret their reactions.
Fortunately, Zuo Qinfang didn't let Huo Yueze get carried away, but instead took Huo Guining back to her room to sleep.
"Ningning, would you like Auntie to tell you a bedtime story?"
Zuo Qinfang felt very sorry for her, so she wanted to give her as much warmth as possible.
Huo Guining shook her head: "No need, I'm not used to that."
Upon hearing this, Zuo Qinfang's expression became even more sympathetic.
However, Huo Guining didn't think much of it.
After finishing her bedtime routine, Zuo Qinfang adjusted the room temperature for her, checked if the windows were properly closed, turned off the lights, and walked out.
Huo Guining patiently waited for a while, and after making sure Zuo Qinfang had left, she got up and took out a small white pill from the inside of her schoolbag.
She picked up the glass of water from the bedside table and swallowed the pill.
Then, she slowly closed her eyes.
......
Online, the video of Huo Guining and Huo Yueze was still causing a stir.
The PR company was doing its best to delete it, but some marketing accounts still managed to trace clues and discover Huo Guining's identity.
Unlike last time, things were different now.
Huo Guining had been officially recognized by her family, and marketing accounts aware of the inside story didn't dare to offend the Huo Group.
However, there were still some stubborn companies wanting to capitalize on this hot topic for traffic.
They found the Eyeglasses Couple for an interview.
Seeing that the matter had blown up, the Eyeglasses Couple was initially a bit scared of the truth being exposed.
But when they were told about Huo Guining sending her birth mother to prison, the couple suddenly felt they were on moral high ground.
So they collaborated with the marketing accounts to keep hyping up the story of Huo Guining beating up an innocent boy.
Faced with the overwhelming reports, the Huo Group's PR company found the situation rather thorny.
"Times are changing, and people are starting to question the concept that human nature is inherently good."
"Last time, when Miss Huo sent her birth mother to prison, we only focused on deleting photos without fully clarifying the facts."
"This led to more and more malicious speculation about Miss Huo from netizens."
"And now, this..."
Xi Chuan played the video for Huo Xiaozheng: "Right here, Miss Huo's expression has been over-interpreted."
"The comment section has been led astray, they're all saying Miss Huo is..."
Xi Chuan stammered, afraid to continue.
Huo Xiaozheng coldly glanced over: "Just say it."
"The comments are saying Miss Huo is born evil."
"Crash!"
At that moment, even the roar of an airplane couldn't compare to the sound of glass shattering in Huo Xiaozheng's hand.
Huo Xiaozheng's expression was as cold as ice, his eyes seeming to spit fire.
Xi Chuan hadn't seen Huo Xiaozheng this angry in a long time. He lowered his head, not daring to speak for a long while.
Huo Xiaozheng spoke: "Find someone to release the complete video."
Xi Chuan reluctantly said: "We've already done that, but public opinion is not on our side."
The PR department's view was that this wave of traffic was huge, and marketing companies had invested heavily in steering the narrative.
The current situation was that the complete video had been released, but netizens had already formed preconceptions and believed that Huo Guining's side was trying to whitewash the situation.
Huo Xiaozheng gave a cold laugh: "Contact the amusement park and tell them we have some business to discuss."
Moreover, Huo Xiaozheng instructed Xi Chuan to offer a reward on public media, asking for more people to provide videos from that day.
The base price was 100,000 yuan.
The higher the quality of the video provided, the higher the reward.
Where there's a big reward, there are bound to be brave takers.
The public hadn't expected this money-making opportunity, and suddenly, all sorts of accounts claiming to be onlookers started uploading videos to the official blog.
Some spectators also stated that they were at the scene that day, and the facts didn't match the Eyeglasses Couple's description.
Of course, that's a story for later.
At 4 AM, Huo Xiaozheng arrived in South City.
"Mr. Huo, shall I take you back to Panlong Bay?" Xi Chuan asked.
Huo Xiaozheng tiredly rubbed his eyes: "No need, let's go to my brother's house to pick up Ningning first."
Xi Chuan hesitated: "At this hour, Miss Ningning should still be asleep..."
Huo Xiaozheng paused, realizing he had forgotten about the time in his eagerness to bring her home.
"Then let's go back to the villa first."
Huo Xiaozheng dozed off in the car for a while, and after returning home and freshening up, it was already 6 AM.
Because Ningning wasn't home, Aunt Xu hadn't prepared breakfast recently.
Seeing Huo Xiaozheng this morning, she was a bit flustered: "Mr. Huo, you're back. What would you like for breakfast?"
Huo Xiaozheng shook his head, about to refuse, but then thought: "Make something Ningning likes."
He would go pick her up later.
However, things don't always go as planned.
The PR department said that the person in charge from the amusement park would arrive at the company at 8 AM and hoped to have a face-to-face meeting with Huo Xiaozheng.
After pondering for a moment, Huo Xiaozheng still decided to go to the company.
......
Meanwhile, Huo Guining didn't know that Huo Xiaozheng had already returned.
She touched her chest, feeling her heart beating steadily, and breathed a sigh of relief.
After getting dressed and completing her morning routine alone, she opened the door and walked out.
It was still Huo Yanqin making breakfast.
"Good morning, Uncle," Huo Guining greeted softly.
Huo Yanqin smiled and responded: "Good morning, Ningning. Are you hungry?"
Huo Guining got goosebumps from his affected tone.
She nodded.
Today's breakfast was small shepherd's purse wonton. The skin was thin and the filling was plentiful. One bite released a burst of juicy, fragrant flavor.
Huo Guining gave a thumbs up.
Huo Yanqin smiled gently.
"Ningning, didn't you sleep well last night?"
Huo Yanqin suddenly asked: "Why do your lips look so pale?"
Huo Guining's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained calm: "Not really, maybe I'm just a bit tired from going out yesterday."
Huo Yanqin nodded: "After breakfast, let your brother take you out for some exercise to build up your stamina."
Huo Guining nodded perfunctorily.
Huo Yueze didn't go to school again today.
When Huo Guining asked him for his phone, he still acted like a miser and didn't want to give it.
But having promised earlier, he had no choice but to hand it over.
Seeing this, Zuo Qinfang said: "The weather is nice today. Yueze, why don't you take your sister out to sketch nearby?"
The park in the community had nice scenery, and the winter plum blossoms were in full bloom, making it indeed a good time for plum blossom appreciation.
After breakfast, Huo Yueze carried his drawing board and pulled a small camping cart to the lakeside to set up a tent.
The community was very private, so Huo Yueze wasn't worried about anyone coming to bother them.
He set up the tent, turned on the heating equipment, and placed a chair at the tent entrance, letting Huo Guining sketch the lakeside scenery.
Huo Guining really enjoyed this moment.
She didn't have to think about her situation, and the tragic experiences of "Shi Ning" no longer haunted her.
At this moment, she was free.
Huo Yueze was organizing her small bag that she never left behind, filled with various snacks, tissues, cute little dolls, and...
Holding the instruction manual in his hand, Huo Yueze looked at Huo Guining, who was engrossed in drawing, with a complex expression.
