What to Do If I Become the Villain's Daughter

16.

Shi Lili was suddenly thrown to the ground, the rough pebbles scraping her arms and sending a piercing pain through her body. The combination of old wounds not yet healed and new pain, along with the memory of recent suffering, filled her with such hatred that she nearly ground her teeth to dust.

Anger surged within Shi Lili. Her bangs covered her fierce eyes as she lay on the ground. In an instant, she put on a facade of maternal affection.

"Ning, Mommy knows she was wrong, truly wrong," Shi Lili said tearfully, her words dripping with anguish. She appeared as if Huo Ning had broken her heart.

Huo Ning remained unmoved. She wasn't really five years old; how could she believe these crocodile tears?

"You're not my mother," she stated flatly, as if merely stating an established fact.

Just then, Aunt Xu arrived with a cloak. Huo Xiaozheng took it and draped it over Huo Ning's shoulders. Though the small child's face remained impassive, her little fists were clenched tightly, as if she were trying hard to endure something.

Seeing no reaction from Huo Ning, Shi Lili crawled desperately towards her. "Ning, don't you remember how much you loved the sunflower and smiley-face egg dishes Mommy made for you? Come home with Mommy, and I'll make them for you again, okay?"

Shi Lili's performance grew increasingly earnest, fully embodying the image of a mother deeply in love with her daughter.

Huo Ning seemed to freeze at these words.

Recalling the information Xi Chuan had uncovered, the coldness in Huo Xiaozheng's eyes intensified. He covered Huo Ning's ears to shield her from Shi Lili's manipulative words and signaled to his bodyguards.

The bodyguards immediately moved forward to drag Shi Lili away.

"Mommy..."

Large tears formed in Huo Ning's eyes and fell one by one. She looked in Shi Lili's direction, her eyes filled with reminiscence, reluctance, and a hint of inner struggle.

There was an almost bewitched quality to her demeanor.

Huo Xiaozheng halted the bodyguards' actions. He crouched down, turning Huo Ning to face him. "Ning, do you want to talk to her?"

Huo Ning mechanically rolled her eyes, still muttering "Mom... mom..." in a daze.

Left with no choice, Huo Xiaozheng picked up Huo Ning and had the bodyguards bring Shi Lili back to the hospital room.

Seeing Huo Ning's reaction, Shi Lili felt a sense of triumph.

This child had always loved her deeply and been extremely dependent on her. Whatever she said, Ning would comply 100%.

Sure enough, all it took was a little act of pity for her daughter to soften.

A fleeting smile crossed Shi Lili's face.

Huo Xiaozheng asked Aunt Xu to find Shen Shiyan while he stayed in the room. Unsure of Huo Ning's condition, he decided to go along with her wishes for now.

"Ning, your... mother... is here. You can talk to her," Huo Xiaozheng said. Worried that Shi Lili might harm her, he added, "I'll be right here, not disturbing you."

He settled Huo Ning on the bed in a half-lying position and moved to give Shi Lili the spot by the bedside.

"If you truly consider her your daughter, don't try any tricks," Huo Xiaozheng warned coldly.

Shi Lili inwardly scoffed. Seeing Huo Xiaozheng's demeanor, she thought: as long as she had Ning under her thumb, what couldn't she achieve?

Lying on the bed, Huo Ning didn't miss a single change in Shi Lili's expression.