CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 69: SOMETHING IS BREWING

Looking at the doctors and nurses patrolling the corridor, Huo Feng frowned. They couldn’t watch the video here.

He led Yue Ning into a private room, closing the door behind them. His phone chimed again.

"I just received a text from my men," he informed. His voice was calm, but there was an underneath current beneath it.

Yue Ning leaned slightly forward, asking. "What did they say?"

"They couldn’t find the footage on the local system at the mansion. It seems someone removed it," Huo Feng explained, his brows knitting.

A flicker of concern appeared on Yue Ning’s face. "So it’s gone?" She asked with worry. It seems they won’t be able to catch the culprit.

Huo Feng shook his head. "Not entirely. My men contacted the security company that manages the CCTV system in our mansion. They confirmed that backups exist in their cloud storage."

Yue Ning exhaled quietly, relief mixing with apprehension. "That’s good... at least we can see what really happened."

"Exactly," Huo Feng replied. He tapped on his phone, and moments later, a file appeared on his screen.

"Here it is. The footage has been sent securely from the security company. My men ensured the chain of custody remains intact so there’s no tampering."

Yue Ning leaned closer, her eyes narrowing as the video began to play. The living room of the ancestral mansion appeared blurry as shadows moved across the frame.

At first, it was just a blur, a silhouette of someone near the stairs. But then, a clearer shape became visible. Zhang Yuxiu with her figure just recognizable, leaned forward toward Old Madam Huo.

In a split second, the old lady’s form tumbled down the stairs. The blurry, distorted image captured the moment, but it was unmistakable. The push had come from Zhang Yuxiu’s silhouette!

Yue Ning’s lips parted. Her eyes reflected her shock, but she remained composed. Huo Feng’s jaw tightened, the silent rage in his eyes burning brighter.

"Zhang Yuxiu is unaware of what we’ve just discovered," Yue Ning murmured.

Huo Feng nodded, voice low and deadly calm. "Once this is verified, we confront her. But for now, we wait."

Yue Ning nodded. She understood what Huo Feng was saying. The video wasn’t clear. If they rushed in to confront Zhang Yuxiu, then it would only backfire on them.

"I will make her pay." Huo Feng vowed, his voice sounding every bit determined.

Yue Ning was quiet, but the hand holding Huo Feng was testament that she stood by him completely.

Both of them returned to the ward after sorting out their emotions. Zhang Yuxiu watched them sit, and her brows furrowed. They were giving her strange looks.

’Did they discover something?’ She thought to herself, and her heart skipped a bit.

’Impossible. Mingjie wiped the tape clean. Then why are they looking at me like that?’ She mused, while still staring at them. She couldn’t help but feel that something big was about to happen, and it will indirectly affect her.

Huo Yan was oblivious to the undercurrents between the trio. Rather, she was focused on her grandmother.

Soon, night fell. Zhang Yuxiu and Huo Yan returned to the ancestral mansion. Zhang Yuxiu knew she couldn’t convince them to leave.

If something were to happen to the old lady, she would be blamed. She didn’t want to take any chances, so she offered to go home.

After they left, Yue Ning and Huo Feng remained in the ward.

"Huo Feng, you haven’t had anything to eat all day. Do you want me to order a meal for you?" Yue Ning asked worriedly.

He shook his head. "I am not hungry."

"Grandmother will want to see you healthy if she wakes up. So it would be best for you to have something to eat, even if it’s little." She tried convincing him.

Huo Feng turned to stare at her, and he was quick to catch the flicker of worry in her eyes.

"What about you? Won’t you have something to eat?"

"How can I eat when you’ve not eaten?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but due to the proximity between them, Huo Feng heard her clearly.

His heart skipped a bit. This was the first time someone would starve themselves because of him. It was a new feeling, and he couldn’t fully grasp the emotion.

He blinked, trying to return to his senses.

"The hospital should have a cafeteria. You can get two servings for us," he finally gave in.

A victorious smile appeared on Yue Ning’s face after she was able to convince him.

"I will be right back." She said, and rushed out of the ward.

Huo Feng’s gaze turned to his grandmother who was peacefully sleeping, and he breathed out shakily. "Grandmother, you have to survive. Xiao Yan and I have only you left in this world."

"You shouldn’t worry as well. I will make sure to punish the culprit." His eyes flashed with a determined glint as he mumbled to himself.

Meanwhile, Yue Ning who had obtained directors from a nurse walked to the cafeteria. It was bustling as patients, nurses and doctors moved around.

’Host, you seem to be in a good mood. Care to tell me what’s making you smile all of a sudden?’

That’s right! Yue Ning had a silly smile as she walked into the cafeteria.

"What do you know? You are just a machine who can’t feel." Yue Ning retorted calmly while looking at the aunty behind the counter with a smile.

’Oh my goodness!’ The system feigned hurt. ’I might be a machine, but I also feel. After all, you are bound to me and I can feel your every emotion.’

’Just like how I know you are smiling because of Huo Feng. You both should admit that you’ve fallen in love with each other.’

"When did you learn to speak so much?" Yue Ning chuckled.

’Maybe since I was bound to you. My previous hosts didn’t act like you,’ the system replied, and there was a scoff at the end of its words.

Yue Ning rolled her eyes, and took the food. "Thank you." She smiled at the lady before she walked away.

As Yue Ning returned to the ward, chatting lightly with the system, a sudden bump knocked into her shoulder.

"Sorry! Sorry!" a man muttered hurriedly, barely glancing at her before sprinting down the corridor.

Yue Ning froze, her eyes narrowing. In the split second she saw him, a flash of something metallic glinted in his hand before he vanished around the corner.

"Something’s wrong," she muttered under her breath as a chill crawled up her spine.

’Do you get weird vibes from him?’ the system asked.

"Yes," Yue Ning whispered, instinctively clutching the bento boxes closer. "I have a bad feeling. Something huge is about to happen... but I don’t know what."

Her heart thudded against her chest, the feeling growing stronger with each passing second.