"Did your mom really never mention me?" Qin Ningyi pondered, deciding to tackle the issue from the root.
If Huo Rou's attitude towards him was so cold, it could only mean their initial encounter had not been pleasant.
He had never seen Huo Rou like this before!
An An nodded, indeed never having heard his mother mention anything about Qin Ningyi.
Including Qin Ningyi himself.
"Your mother might have a misunderstanding about me, and doesn't want me to speak with her," Qin Ningyi stated truthfully.
"Then Daddy should coax Mom," An An said matter-of-factly. "I've seen older sisters get angry, and they always want their brothers to tug at their sleeves and give them flowers to appease them."
An An, full of experience, declared, "Daddy, you must have angered Mom sometime, and that's why she doesn't want to talk to you. Just buy her some flowers, and she'll surely be happy."
"Giving flowers used to always make Mom happy when I angered her," An An shared his experience.
Qin Ningyi chuckled wryly. Was he now being coached by his son on how to pursue the boy's mother?
"What kind of flowers?" Although finding it somewhat hard to accept, Qin Ningyi followed An An's lead and asked.
"It's..." This stumped An An. "I used to pick flowers from the roadside, but there aren't any nice ones here. Daddy, buy a bouquet from a flower shop!"
"Get peonies!" An An exclaimed excitedly. "Peonies are beautiful! Just like Mom."
Qin Ningyi felt pleased and nodded, picking up his phone to call Xiao Konglin.
Xiao Konglin on the other end sounded hesitant, "Mr. Qin, isn't it past the peony season now? We might not be able to get peonies."
An An leaned closer to the phone and heard Xiao Konglin's response. An An felt a bit dejected, how had he not considered that it was past the flowering season?
What flowers should they get now?
Qin Ningyi simply said, "There must be somewhere where peonies are in season, get them flown over for me!"
With that, he hung up the phone, leaving the rest to Xiao Konglin.
An An expressed his encouragement for his father's persistence, "That's right, Daddy, we need pretty flowers!"
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a nurse pushed in a meal cart.
"Miss Huo, this is your breakfast. You just woke up, and Dr. Wang said you can eat small portions and shouldn't overexert yourself."
Qin Ningyi and An An walked out to see Huo Rou smiling with her eyebrows curved, replying, "Okay, thank you."
Indeed, she harbored hostility towards him. Qin Ningyi thought to himself.
Huo Rou took small sips of the porridge, while An An gently blew on it for her.
Qin Ningyi sat by the bedside, unsure of what to do. They seemed to be like strangers to each other.
An An, seeing Qin Ningyi just sitting there, nudged him and gestured for him to take over his task.
Qin Ningyi didn't object to helping Huo Rou eat, but he glanced at her expression. Her eyes were gradually losing their warmth.
She clearly didn't want his help.
He shook his head at An An. An An was conflicted. Why was his usually smart and capable father being so clueless?
Mom usually wasn't angry, but when she was, it definitely meant she needed coaxing!
Silly Daddy.
"Miss Huo, do you have any misunderstanding about me?" Qin Ningyi felt it was time for a frank conversation.
Huo Rou, however, had no intention of acknowledging him. Upon hearing his question, she quietly continued eating.
"How did An An come about?" Qin Ningyi continued to probe, thinking that something must have gone wrong somewhere.
He hadn't met her before. If there was a misunderstanding, it must be related to An An's origin.
Huo Rou shot him a cold glance, but remained silent.
Her gaze was nothing like her outwardly docile and gentle demeanor, which reminded Qin Ningyi of the knife and gunshot wounds on her body.
"How did you get injured? And how did you get shot..." Before Qin Ningyi could finish his sentence, Huo Rou quickly glanced at An An and interrupted him.
"Can you stop talking?" Huo Rou's eyes held a hint of displeasure.
This was the first emotion besides coldness that Qin Ningyi had seen directed at him.
It felt somewhat unfair, as he only wanted to understand the whole story, to know why she disliked him so much.
Seeing that Huo Rou was on the verge of anger, An An quickly interjected, "Mom, let me tell you, when I first arrived at Daddy's company..."
Huo Rou always had more patience with An An. She chewed her food slowly while listening to An An recount the events that had happened since he arrived in Yu Chang City.
The atmosphere in the ward finally eased.
Huo Rou finished eating and put down her bowl and chopsticks. As she was about to reach for the tissues by the bed, Qin Ningyi was a step ahead, offering them to her.
Facing An An's inquisitive and eager eyes, Huo Rou's expression was cold, but she smiled faintly and took the tissues.
An An, satisfied, continued his story.
"That Aunt Tang framed me, and Daddy said he'd check the surveillance footage to identify her. She immediately had nothing to say..."
"Tang?" Huo Rou asked.
"Her name is Tang Zhenzhen, the aunt who pushed me," An An explained.
"Who is Tang Zhenzhen?" Huo Rou finally spoke to Qin Ningyi.
"She's the daughter of the Tang Mei Company. An An's aunt mentioned that she has high design talent, so she was kept in the design department as a designer," Qin Ningyi mused, his normally sharp mind retrieving information about Tang Zhenzhen.
"Talent." Huo Rou chuckled, a beautiful smile gracing her lips, though her eyes were filled with mockery. "Heh."
"An An, if you encounter her again in the future, remember to keep your distance. You're still young and don't have the ability to protect yourself," Huo Rou patiently explained to An An.
"Mmm, mmm. An An understands," An An obediently replied. "Mom, it's my fault for making you fall into the water to save me and catch a cold."
Huo Rou endured the pain in her back and nodded, "Yes, colds are very uncomfortable. An An, you need to take good care of yourself."
Qin Ningyi gazed at Huo Rou's slightly coquettish expression and was instantly captivated, stunned for a moment.
"Arrou! You're awake!" Xia Qingxue pushed open the door and saw Huo Rou sitting up and chatting with An An. She hurried over.
"You worried me to death, Arrou!" Xia Qingxue approached Huo Rou with a smile, but was met with a roll of Huo Rou's eyes.
"Don't think this matter of you taking my son around will be forgotten so easily," Huo Rou said in a gentle tone. Xia Qingxue knew that Huo Rou didn't get angry easily and quickly apologized.
After some lighthearted banter, the atmosphere in the ward improved.
Qin Ningyi couldn't join the conversation, but seeing Huo Rou and An An laughing heartily together, a sense of contentment welled up in his heart.
Perhaps... he could have a wife.