Wen Tang was taken aback, clearly puzzled as well.
No sooner had she returned to her desk than her phone rang. It was a policeman she had met during a previous interview.
That's how it is to be a journalist; you can meet all sorts of people, because having more people means having more leads.
The other person smiled and said, "Beautiful Wen, are you alright?"
Wen Tang was quite puzzled by the seemingly random question and replied, "What could be wrong with me?"
"Things haven't been going well at your newspaper lately, so I'm calling to check on you." The other person had previously expressed interest in Wen Tang, but Wen Tang was proud and felt that since she came from a wealthy family, how could she possibly be interested in a lowly policeman?
Wen Tang keenly sensed the hidden meaning in his words and immediately asked, "What do you mean? Has something happened?"
"You didn't know?" The other person seemed a little surprised and immediately said, "Our police station arrested a few people last night for assaulting a female reporter. I only found out today that they were from your Shanghai People's Daily, so I called to check on you as soon as I heard about it."
Shanghai People's Daily? Female reporter?
In a flash, Wen Tang thought of Ni Jingxi. She had suddenly taken a month's leave. Wen Tang had initially thought she was sick, but it turned out she had been injured.
To confirm her identity, Wen Tang deliberately softened her voice and asked with slight surprise, "Is the person who was injured named Ni Jingxi?"
"This case wasn't under my jurisdiction, so I'm not really sure about it," the other party said with some helplessness.
Wen Tang's voice grew even gentler: "Could you help me ask around? There's still no news from the newspaper. I suspect someone is deliberately blocking the news. I'm really worried about her."
The other person was clearly touched by her worried look and immediately said, "Okay, don't worry, I'll definitely ask for you."
After hanging up the phone, the other party sent Wen Tang a message a short while later, confirming that the female reporter who was beaten was indeed named Ni Jingxi.
Wen Tang held her phone for a long time before finally opening Weibo.
*
Ni Jingxi had just rested for a while in the morning and opened her eyes to find Huo Shenyan sitting on the sofa in the outer living room, working.
She smiled, and then her phone, which was on the bedside table, rang.
Ni Jingxi turned her head and saw that it was Hua Zheng calling. She picked up the phone and had just pressed the answer button when she heard a loud voice on the other end shouting, "Jingxi, you...you were hit? What happened? Is it serious? Which hospital are you in? I'll come see you right away, okay?"
Ni Jingxi was taken aback, and it took her a while to come to her senses before she said in a low voice, "How did you know I was hospitalized?"
She even specifically told Lao Zhang not to tell anyone about this.
It wasn't entirely because she felt ashamed; she didn't want her affairs to attract too much attention. Right now, all the public opinion and attention should be focused on the Dadi Kang incident.
Hua Zheng paused for a moment before saying, "It was Wen Tang who posted on Weibo, and it even trended on Weibo."
Ni Jingxi hung up the phone first, then opened Weibo. She didn't even need to look for it, because the top trending topic was about a reporter from the Shanghai People's Daily being beaten.
The top trending Weibo post was made by Wen Tang.
"I think everyone is happy with the developments in the Daichi Kang incident, but no one knows that yesterday our reporter was attacked in retaliation and is now hospitalized. Even if the future is truly dark, I believe that my colleagues and I will persevere. I will continue to report on the Daichi Kang incident and will never back down."
Clearly, there was a chorus of applause from the audience.
"Protect our ladies! What kind of amazing newspaper is Shanghai People's Daily? It has so many beautiful and righteous ladies."
"We believe in you, keep going! We'll be here with you and keep an eye on things."
"Yes, that means we must never back down even a step."
At this moment, the door was gently pushed open, and Huo Shenyan stepped forward, took the phone from her hand, and said in a low voice, "The doctor said that the most important thing for you now is to rest. Don't worry about anything else. I'll handle it."
Ni Jingxi frowned, but then she suddenly thought of something and said, "Grandma."
"Do you think Grandma will see this news?" Ni Jingxi suddenly felt a little anxious. Wen Tang posted this Weibo just to become famous.
Especially her last sentence, that she would continue to follow the Daichi Kang incident...
Haha, back when Ni Jingxi wrote this report, she was extremely sarcastic and sarcastic, implying that Ni Jingxi wanted to show off.
As soon as she was hospitalized, Wen Tang posted this Weibo post trying to steal the credit.
Ni Jingxi didn't care that Wen Tang took the credit; after all, anyone with eyes could see what she had done and what Wen Tang had done. But she was annoyed that Wen Tang had exposed her hospitalization. If her grandmother saw this, the old lady would be worried sick.
"It's alright, I'll handle things with Grandma too." Huo Shenyan gently patted her shoulder.
Huo Shenyan sat down and looked at her, saying, "Are you hungry? Old Xu will bring some food over later. You can only eat liquid food for the next few days, so please bear with it."
Ni Jingxi shook her head, then suddenly looked up and said, "My face hurts."
Actually, she had never dared to ask this question, but just now she glanced at her face in the mirror of her phone, and even though it was just a blurry glimpse, she still saw that it seemed quite serious.
"Will I be disfigured?" Ni Jingxi asked, looking at him.
Huo Shenyan had assumed she would ask this question as soon as she woke up, but he hadn't expected her to ask it now. A slight smile played on his lips as he carefully examined her face from side to side.
Just as Ni Jingxi was getting annoyed by his gaze, he reached out and gently cupped her cheeks, whispering, "Such a beautiful fairy is actually mine."
Looking into his sincere eyes, Ni Jingxi was momentarily swayed by his comforting words.
Just then, a soft cough came from the doorway.
When they turned around, they found that Zhong Lan and Aunt Zhou had somehow moved from the visiting room to the door of the ward.
Ni Jingxi blinked, her face immediately turning red.
Zhong Lan was initially furious and angry, but after witnessing this scene in the ward, she was left only with embarrassment.
"Mom, what brings you here?" Huo Shenyan stood up and asked.
Zhong Lan snorted coldly: "Such a big thing, and you didn't even tell me. Don't call me Mom anymore."
Ni Jingxi bit her lip lightly, unsure of what to say.
When Zhong Lan walked up to her and looked at her a few times, her previously cold face was now filled with anger and heartache. She blurted out, "These people deserve to die. How could they beat such a pretty girl like this?"
Ni Jingxi: "..."
Zhong Lan was truly protective of her own, and besides, Ni Jingxi hadn't done anything wrong at all. Zhong Lan had also seen her article and thought it was exceptionally well-written.
Who would have thought such a thing would happen? Although Zhong Lan was angry that they had kept it from their elders.
However, I understand their good intentions; they simply don't want me to worry.
Zhong Lan brought food for Ni Jingxi, but she didn't stay there for long, since she couldn't see that Ni Jingxi was in very good spirits.
After she got up to leave, Huo Shenyan saw her out.
As soon as he reached the door, Zhong Lan glanced at him and said indifferently, "Alright, don't bother seeing me off."
"Go back and be with your little fairy," Zhong Lan said calmly.
Huo Shenyan hadn't spoken yet; he just stood there.
Seeing him standing there in a daze, Zhong Lan immediately said, "Don't think I'm being sarcastic. Your dad is also very good at sweet talk."
Huo Shenyan: "..."
Author's Note: Mother-in-law: I'm not jealous, not jealous at all.
*
Chapter 31
Ni Jingxi sat on the hospital bed and watched Huo Shenyan come back in. There was a dining table on her bed with porridge that Zhong Lan had asked someone to cook.
"No appetite?" Huo Shenyan asked directly when he came in and saw that she hadn't eaten.
Ni Jingxi was silent for a few seconds, then smiled and whispered, "Is Mom angry?"
She asked, a little uncertainly.
Huo Shenyan lowered his eyes to look at her and slowly said, "Why do you say that?"
What else could it be? She had just been taken back to the police station a few days ago for fighting. Although Huo Shenyan was reprimanded but not her, it was because Zhong Lan and Huo Zhenzhong were both people of status and couldn't bring themselves to make things difficult for their daughter-in-law.
She's in the hospital again now, this time not for fighting, but for being beaten.
Not to mention Zhong Lan, even she herself felt like she was going to fight every single one of her life's battles lately.
Even if Zhong Lan gets angry about her somewhat troublesome daughter-in-law, she seems quite understandable.
Ni Jingxi was holding a spoon in her hand. As she stirred the food in the lunchbox, she let out a long sigh and said softly, "I've been in trouble lately."
"Do you think she'll be angry with you because of this?" Huo Shenyan asked in a low voice.
Ni Jingxi took a deep breath. "Couldn't it be?"
Don't elders usually prefer a daughter-in-law who is obedient and well-behaved? She's completely unrelated to the words "obedient" and "well-behaved."
Huo Shenyan looked down at her. Ni Jingxi was wearing a hospital gown, which was very loose and baggy, making her already thin body appear even more frail. At this moment, her head was slightly lowered, and her slender, snow-white neck was bent, revealing an extremely long and beautiful line.
Judging from this, she really does look like a frail little girl.
But his personality is so cool, almost too cool.
Ni Jingxi looked up at him, her big, dark eyes pleading, when he asked her that question. "Really? I'm such a hassle, aren't I?"
Her voice was unusually soft, a little uncertain yet filled with a hope that he would deny it.
It's quite contradictory.
Huo Shenyan stared at her, their gazes meeting for what seemed like an eternity, before slowly approaching her and saying in a low voice, "Just now at the door, she told me to take good care of my little fairy."
“So how could you be a nuisance?” Huo Shenyan reached out and gently stroked the top of her head twice, then bent down and softly kissed her forehead: “You’re my darling.”
Ni Jingxi felt his large hand gently stroking the top of her head, making her cheeks feel a little hot.
She licked her lips almost imperceptibly, making them appear full and soft, which had been somewhat dry.
Finally, she looked up at him again, smiled, and said, "I've almost forgotten how I got by before you came along?"
Because of your presence, even when faced with great difficulties, I feel that I have someone to rely on.
So much so that she forgot how she survived those years alone before he came into her life.
Huo Shenyan looked at her, his dark eyes deep: "No need to remember."
Just remember the happy times; you don't need to remember the sad, painful, lonely, or even the times when you had to grit your teeth and persevere.
*
After Wen Tang posted on Weibo, not only did she attract attention, but more importantly, the incident of Ni Jingxi being beaten sparked even greater discussion.