Moreover, he learned practical combat techniques, the key to which is to defeat the opponent as quickly as possible.
But this time, he didn't want to defeat his opponent; he wanted to kill him.
"Later," Huo Shenyan said in a low voice.
A short while later, Ni Jingxi returned from her full-body checkup. She was lying on the white hospital bed, curled up, probably because of the pain. Despite her tall stature, she looked exceptionally fragile.
Her already fair skin was now eerily pale because it was completely bloodless.
The bloodstains on her face hadn't been wiped clean yet; the bloodstains on her pale cheeks looked horrifying.
Xiao Yichen only knew that Ni Jingxi had been beaten, but he was still shocked when he saw Ni Jingxi's appearance. What kind of beast did this?
The person in the lead was a doctor in his fifties. Tang Mian walked up to Huo Shenyan and whispered, "Mr. Huo, this is Director Fang. He came here specifically to examine your wife."
Huo Shenyan stepped forward and extended his hand. Director Fang was surprised by his politeness and shook his hand.
Fortunately, Director Fang was not one to waste words. He immediately described Ni Jingxi's injuries, saying directly, "After a comprehensive examination, most of Mrs. Huo's body has external injuries, but she has fractured ribs and a mild concussion. I will arrange for her to be hospitalized for observation immediately."
In just a few words, each character was like a vine covered in countless thorns, waving and piercing into Huo Shenyan's heart.
Finally, Ni Jingxi settled into a VIP ward at the hospital, a private room with a small meeting room-like area. Having received an IV drip and previously taken sedative medication, Ni Jingxi was now fast asleep.
Tang Mian said softly, "Mr. Huo, I have already found a caregiver to come and help take care of Madam here."
"No need tonight," Huo Shenyan said in a low voice.
As the three stood at the door, Huo Shenyan looked at Xiao Yichen and whispered, "The person who injured Xingxing has been sent to the police station. However, before they were sent there, they confessed that the person who ordered them to do it was indeed Jin Haiyang, the CEO of the health product company that Xingxing reported on."
Xiao Yichen cursed under his breath. Even if it were a complete stranger who had been beaten up like this, let alone Ni Jingxi, he would still curse.
That's utterly worthless.
"This company has serious internal problems..."
Xiao Yichen glanced at him and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, this matter won't just end like this. I've also read Jingxi's report; it's a shady, fraudulent company."
After Xiao Yichen left, Huo Shenyan turned to look at Tang Mian.
He reached up and pinched his brow, then whispered, "Make a call for me to Director Xie of the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce."
Tang Mian was slightly taken aback, but still took out his phone and dialed the number as instructed.
As soon as the call connected, Huo Shenyan spoke first: "I'm sorry to bother you so late, Director Xie."
The middle-aged man opposite me chuckled softly, his tone very gentle and polite.
Although it's said that officials and businessmen should maintain a distance, Hengya Group is a major taxpayer and a top-tier conglomerate with enormous influence. Huo Shenyan, such a young and promising leader, is admired not only by many in the business world but also by the government, which is happy to see such an ambitious and enterprising young man.
"I'm calling tonight because I have something important to tell you."
Hearing the seriousness in his tone, Director Xie immediately said, "Go on."
Huo Shenyan said in an extremely calm and leisurely tone, "I want to file a formal complaint against Dadi Kang Company."
Upon hearing this, Tang Mian stared at him wide-eyed. Huo Shenyan had a hundred ways to resolve this matter, but he chose the most solemn and shocking one.
Director Xie's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately asked, "Dadikang Company?"
"You've probably already seen that report in the Shanghai People's Daily."
Director Xie did not deny that his secretary had shown him the article when it went viral on social media, attracting widespread public attention. Frankly, it wasn't just the Industry and Commerce Bureau that was paying attention; the municipal government was also keeping a close eye on it.
After all, these health product companies that use false advertising to deceive consumers, especially middle-aged and elderly consumers, are simply the worst of the worst.
Huo Shenyan: "The reporter who wrote this report is Ni Jingxi, and she is my wife."
Director Xie considered himself a man who had seen the world, but before he could even exchange a few words on the phone, he was already shocked by one piece of news after another.
Has the CEO of Hengya Group gotten married?
The media hasn't reported on this, has they? Of course, now is not the time to worry about that.
Because Huo Shenyan continued, "My wife was attacked today. The attackers have been taken to the police station by my bodyguards, and they have admitted that they were sent by the head of Dadi Kang."
Even Director Xie couldn't help but feel annoyed at this moment, saying, "These people are really lawless."
In a big city like Shanghai with such good public security, it's unbelievable that someone would dare to do such a thing. This is not just a matter of false advertising.
This is already a crime.
Huo Shenyan: "Public opinion is already extremely dissatisfied with companies like Dadi Kang. If news of my wife being attacked gets out, I'm afraid the public will think that the relevant departments have done nothing."
Relevant departments...
Which department? The Industry and Commerce Bureau is naturally the first to be targeted.
Director Xie's tone now carried a hint of gratitude. After all, Huo Shenyan's report was made under his real name, but it had given them time to act. Otherwise, if news of the reporter being assaulted spreading, it would have caused a huge uproar.
He immediately nodded: "Reporter Ni is a journalist with a social conscience, and we will absolutely not let such a person suffer such treatment in vain. I believe the police will handle the criminal case, as for Dadi Kang Company..."
“We’ll handle it.”
Before hanging up, Huo Shenyan told the other party that Ni Jingxi's computer still contained a large amount of investigation data, which could be submitted to the Industry and Commerce Bureau as supporting materials for a formal complaint, hoping it would be helpful.
Director Xie went on and on about expressing his gratitude.
After hanging up the phone, Huo Shenyan looked at Tang Mian and instructed, "Go to my house. Jing Xi left a USB drive at home, which should contain the evidence she has collected. Make a copy and personally deliver it to Director Xie."
Tang Mian nodded: "Understood, President Huo."
Huo Shenyan knew Ni Jingxi's habit; she would put all the collected information on a USB drive. He had previously seen her reviewing this evidence at home.
After Tang Mian left, Huo Shenyan stood at the door for a while. Making a public accusation—this was exactly what a press conference would do. So, as her husband, a reporter, doing this was a way of bringing her honor, wasn't it?
Huo Shenyan knew he was using his influence, because no one would disregard Huo Shenyan's words from Hengye Group.
He wants these people to be finished.
Such a cold and restrained person, when truly ruthless, will leave no room for leniency.
After everything was done, Huo Shenyan gently pushed open the door and went inside.
The ward was dark, with only a dim light from outside casting a soft glow. He slowly walked to the bedside; she lay quietly, though in an uncomfortable position.
Huo Shenyan sat on the edge of the bed, watching her cautiously. The room was quiet, with only the very faint sound of the machine monitoring vital signs and the IV drip hanging by the bed.
He reached out and touched Ni Jingxi's palm; it was ice-cold, probably because she had been on an IV drip.
Huo Shenyan carefully and gently lifted her hand and placed it in his palm. He kept his hands slightly clasped together, not daring to touch the needle on the back of her hand, but still trying his best to warm her palm.
He looked down at her face and noticed that her brows were slightly furrowed, and she seemed a little sad even in her sleep.
The doctor said she would have a particularly tough night because she would be in a lot of pain.
When Huo Shenyan thought of the word "hard work," he suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
His star seemed to have had a tough time all along. She thought that with him around, she could always protect her and stop her from having to suffer those setbacks and pains.
But he failed.
Self-blame and guilt are extremely terrible emotions, so terrible that even he almost couldn't bear them.
Huo Shenyan barely closed her eyes all night. In the morning, a nurse came in and removed her IV. Seeing his red eyes, she couldn't help but whisper, "Why don't you rest for a while?"
"Thank you," Huo Shenyan said politely.
But he remained quietly sitting by the bedside, watching over her, until Ni Jingxi's body moved slightly. She had moved quite a few times that night, probably because of the pain.
But then her eyelashes trembled slightly, her thick, long lashes fluttering like two small fans before finally lifting slowly.
Even though Ni Jingxi managed to open her eyes, her eyelids felt incredibly heavy, so heavy that she couldn't help but want to close them again as soon as she opened them.
But her eyes still tried to focus on the person sitting by the bed.
Little by little, his dark eyes stopped being unfocused and gradually regained their luster until he could see him clearly.
The two gazed at each other silently, as if neither wanted to look away.
Until Ni Jingxi gently opened her lips and called out in an extremely hoarse voice, "Huo Shenyan."
Just like when she called his name before she fainted, at that moment she felt that as long as she called his name, she would be fearless.
Even now, she still calls his name.
It wasn't awkward, but rather a feeling of boundless peace of mind.
Huo Shenyan immediately asked the nurse to come in and examine her again, and changed the gauze in the wound once more. He also told them that Ni Jingxi should only eat liquid food for the next two days, because the inside of her mouth was also broken, although it was not serious, it would greatly affect her eating.
After the nurse left, Ni Jingxi was already half-lying on the bed.
She looked at Huo Shenyan and said, "I'm sorry."
Huo Shenyan was taken aback.
Ni Jingxi gave a wry smile. "I was too overconfident. Even Tang Mi reminded me that I should be more careful. But I was still so careless."
She was fearless and knew that reporters were often retaliated against.
But she was convinced that since she dared to write such an article, she wasn't afraid of retaliation.
"Apologize for what?" Huo Shenyan lowered his head slightly, staring straight at her.
He understood; she felt she hadn't handled the situation well and had caused trouble for others.
Ni Jingxi didn't know what to say. Was it that she felt sorry for herself, or that she had been too careless and made him worry, or was there some other reason?
Huo Shenyan reached out and gently placed his hand on the back of her hand, saying in a very firm voice, "Xingxing, look up."
After saying sorry, Ni Jingxi, who had been looking down, raised her head.
Huo Shenyan looked at her seriously and said, "Xingxing, you are a reporter, and you published an article. You did everything you were supposed to do, upholding your journalistic ethics and professional conscience. No one can ask you to do more, to write excellent articles while also handling two people at once."
“I didn’t take on two people at once, but I still managed to take one down.” Ni Jingxi still remembered how she used a spray to make one of them unable to get up.
Huo Shenyan reached out and patted her head, chuckling softly, "You're amazing."
Unexpectedly, Ni Jingxi suddenly remembered something and said, "I haven't asked for leave yet."
In such a tense moment, even Huo Shenyan was impressed by her dedication; what she actually thought of was asking for leave...
Huo Shenyan looked at her helplessly, while Ni Jingxi looked at him expectantly, "Give me my phone first, at least let me ask for leave."
"I'll have Tang Mian help you ask for leave."
No sooner had Huo Shenyan finished speaking than Ni Jingxi immediately said, "No need, I can do it myself."
Ni Jingxi certainly wouldn't dare let Tang Mian ask for leave for her, as that would expose her relationship with Huo Shenyan. Seeing her expression, even Huo Shenyan could guess what she was thinking.