Chapter 668: Keeping Her Options Open
Translator: Yunyi Editor: Yunyi
"What happened?" Tangning asked curiously, "We were just talking on the phone last night..."
"Remain calm..." Mo Ting held onto Tangning as he handed her his phone.
The news was already out: the supermodel Huo Jingjing had been attacked by a dog while protecting her daughter. She had bites all over her leg and was at risk of amputation.
The incident happened too sudden. It was a bit hard for Tangning to accept, "Could it be someone with a similar name?"
"Huo Jingjing is currently at the hospital. I'll take you there in a moment," Mo Ting suggested. He knew that she'd want to confirm Huo Jingjing's condition personally.
"Wait a bit, Ting...I'm still in shock."
Tangning sat down on the edge of her bed and looked at the phone in detail again.
"This was an accident. They've already found the owner of the dog. It happened because the owner owns an aggressive breed of dog, but forgot to chain it up."
Tangning tried to process the information, but her heart was in extreme discomfort because of what Huo Jingjing had told her the night before. However, the news had already detailed the entire incident and confirmed that it was just an accident. Plus, the owner of the dog had already offered to make a compensation.
But...compensation?
A model's career had been completely destroyed. How was he to compensate?
What if Huo Jingjing could never walk again?
Seeing the serious expression on Tanging's face, Mo Ting knelt down and brushed his hand across her cheeks comfortingly, "Fang Yu will make work arrangements for her and try his best to reduce the impact."
"OK," Tangning nodded. After breakfast, she headed to Huo Jingjing's hospital with Mo Ting.
As the incident happened the night before, the surgery was already finished. But, Huo Jingjing was still unconscious.
Fang Yu was sleeping on the sofa with Fang Yue. The father and daughter were obviously tired.
"Daddy, someone is here," Fang Yue had been awoken and was tugging on Fang Yu's sleeve. As soon as he spotted Tangning, Fang Yu immediately sat up.
"We've barely managed to save her legs from amputation, but the scars will forever remain. This is the least of her matters. The worst thing is, she might never be able to walk on the runway again."
Hearing her father's words, Fang Yue burst into tears, "This happened to Mommy because she was trying to save me."
Huo Jingjing was awoken by the crying. As she opened her eyes and looked at the snowy white ceiling, it took her a while before she recalled what had happened the day before.
"Xiao Yue..."
"Mommy, I'm here," Fang Yue immediately ran over.
Seeing Fang Yue was OK, Huo Jingjing was relieved.
At this moment, Tangning approached Huo Jingjing and looked at her as she said, "You may not be able to walk on the runway for a while. There will be scars left on your leg."
"Oh, really..." Huo Jingjing appeared indifferent. However, Tangning could hear the sound of her heart break. Although Huo Jingjing often said that she didn't want to walk the runway anymore and no longer wanted to be a model, now that she was finally stripped of the ability, the sadness and disappointment still consumed her.
"Jingjing," Fang Yu also approached her and held onto her hand, "I won't give up."
"It's fine. As long as Xiao Yue is OK, it doesn't matter what happens to me. Tangning, you should go home in case you contract any diseases from the hospital. It's no joke," Huo Jingjing tried her best to send the people in the room away. "You should all leave. Don't make it harder for me."
Tangning nodded. She understood that Huo Jingjing needed some time on her own, so she did not insist on staying. However, on the way home, she received a message from Huo Jingjing, "Don't worry about me."
Apart from feeling worried, Tangning was also overcome by another feeling: the realization that life was unpredictable.
She had just been on the phone with Huo Jingjing yesterday, but today...
Worst of all, no matter how much Fang Yu tried to help Huo Jingjing, the fact that she was hurt was already a sign that she had lost all chances of advancing in the future. People were always coming and going in the industry. If they were to wait until Huo Jingjing fully recovered, who would still remember her?
"Ting, Jingjing is a proud person. We need to keep her options open."
Mo Ting was speechless. He simply wrapped his arm around Tangning's shoulder and pulled her into his arms
...
That sunny afternoon, at the Song Household.
Song Xin had just woken up and found her assistant waiting for her in the living room.
"I've done what you asked me to do. It was spectacular." Song Xin's assistant was not arranged by Hai Rui, she was a close friend from high school who followed Song Xin into the industry after she debuted.
"I've overestimated Tangning and her friends," Song Xin sat down on the sofa with a head of messy hair, "Squeezing them to death isn't as hard as I anticipated."
"Huo Jingjing was easy to deal with because no one knew the dog rushed towards her daughter because of a small bone hidden in her daughter's pocket. But, what should we do about Tangning?"
Song Xin supported her chin as she fell into deep thought amongst the warmth of the sun, "Let me think about it..."
"Tangning can't be dealt with using a simple dog."
"Her child!" Song Xin suddenly remembered. "If she suddenly lost it...what would she do?"
"But...her child is almost 8 months old."
"When my mother forced my father's mistress to have an abortion, nothing happened to her. She just suffered a slight mental breakdown," Song Xin replied. To her, as long as a child wasn't born yet, it wasn't considered a life.
"But...we have no chance to make a move," the assistant said helplessly.
"How do we not have a chance? Tangning and her mother-in-law are on bad terms. Isn't this the perfect opportunity to get rid of our enemy using someone else's hands?"
Song Xin was referring to Hua Wenfeng.
"But, hasn't Hua Wenfeng suffered enough because of Tangning?"
"It's because she is suffering, that's why we can make use of her anger," Song Xin said leisurely. "A matter like this is easy to handle. I just need you to set the wheels in motion."
"What do you mean?" the assistant was a little confused.
"You are now a part of Hai Rui, so you naturally know what's going on in the agency. You simply need to make up a story and leak it to Hua Wenfeng."
"But, what story should I make up?"
"Something like getting Hua Wenfeng to be a maid after the child is born; kicking her out of Beijing; or perhaps, forcing her to donate her organs if the child is actually born unwell. Weren't there rumors that Hua Wenfeng said Tangning's child would be unhealthy?"
The assistant looked at Song Xin. After a few minutes, she pointed to her and said, "You're truly as evil as ever."
"That's why we never fail," Song Xin scoffed. "I hate it when people block my way. What I'm doing will reduce the burden on Tangning. She should be thanking me."
Although the assistant felt a cold chill down her spine, she still did what Song Xin asked.
They had been working together for many years. So, she understood Song Xin's temper well.
Their target was Tangning's child, but Tangning viewed this child more importantly than herself. What if they slipped up?