Chapter 77 Standing in the Center of Tens of Thousands of People

Huo Lan received a message from his bodyguard at six o'clock in the morning.

After the dinner party ended last night, Yu Zisen did not go back. Instead, he returned to the hotel and watched as he and Jiang Shiyuan went into the same room. He then waited in the car downstairs all night.

He always got up early, but Jiang Shiyuan, who was beside him, was fast asleep.

Huo Lan gently kissed her forehead, not wanting to wake her. He washed up and got ready on his own before leaving the house, where someone was already waiting to give him instructions.

Downstairs at the building, several bodyguards walked over from all directions, carrying safety hammers for breaking windows, and gently tapped the corner of Yu Zisen's car window.

The glass shattered into countless tiny fragments, like a spider web. Yu Zisen, who was dozing off on the steering wheel, was immediately jolted awake. As soon as he looked up, he was met with a shower of sharp shards falling down, and his face and arms were instantly covered with numerous small cuts.

Before he could react, the car door was opened, and several burly men grabbed him and headed towards the back entrance of the hotel building.

Yu Zisen only then realized his predicament. He was about to shout when someone covered his mouth and several burly men restrained him, leaving him completely powerless to fight back.

After the elevator arrived at the designated floor, several people led him to a spacious and bright lounge.

Inside the lounge, Huo Lan stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking almost the entire street scene of Beijing.

Yu Zisen was pushed in, staggered and fell to the ground. He looked up against the blinding light of the rising sun and could only see a tall figure whose boundaries were blurred by the halo of light.

"Dr. Yu, what happened? Why are there so many scratches on your face?"

The man turned around and walked towards him with his back to the sunlight. Every step he took felt like a tickle to his nerves, making him retreat in fear.

Only when the man stopped did he see his face: noble, aloof, yet with a perfectly timed smile.

“Mr. Huo…” Yu Zisen immediately understood why he had been brought here, but he pretended to be confused. “What are you doing? If you need to find me, you can contact me through my mentor.”

After saying that, he tried to stand up, but Huo Lan pressed down on his shoulder.

The powerful force pressed down on his shoulder, causing indescribable pain, forcing him to remain in a half-kneeling position.

"No need to rush to get up." Huo Lan gradually increased the force, causing Yu Zisen, who was lying on the ground, to gasp in pain several times.

Yu Zisen forced a smile and said, "Mr. Huo, there's still a lot of work to be done on the project, I really have to go back..."

“Dr. Yu’s academic achievements are outstanding. He has published more than a dozen papers in core journals in just a few years.” Huo Lan did not answer his question, but instead brought up another matter.

Yu Zisen's face turned deathly pale instantly, but he still tried his best to remain calm. "Fortunately, there are many people who are more outstanding than me, so this is nothing."

"Really?" Huo Lan pressed his thumb hard against Zi Sen's neck, causing him to groan in pain. "I heard that someone else wrote it for you?"

Upon hearing Huo Lan's words, Yu Zisen was terrified. His mind went blank and his body trembled.

“Mr. Huo, I didn’t mean it. I was just curious about what Jiang Shiyuan was doing.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that Huo Lan's strength had increased, and he could only suppress the pain and lower his head, saying, "I was wrong, Mr. Huo."

"Where did you go wrong?" Huo Lan looked down at Yu Zisen, his hands still radiating ruthlessness, yet his face remained gentle and composed. "Tell me, and you can go back."

“I shouldn’t have followed you and Jiang Shiyuan. I was wrong. I will never do it again.”

Huo Lan then released his grip, straightened up, and took a silk handkerchief from the bodyguard beside him to wipe the area that had touched Yu Zisen.

"Very good, that's right."

Hearing this, Yu Zisen breathed a sigh of relief and was about to stand up when he heard Huo Lan say something else.

"However, starting today, you no longer need to report to the Beijing Museum. Dr. Yu is so passionate about academia; he should do more research and contribute to the development of our archaeology..."

Yu Zisen completely lost the strength to stand up and collapsed to the ground.

While academic papers are important, he also needs national projects to back him up. If he gets kicked out of a project midway through, he will become a laughing stock that everyone in the field can use to fool him.

Huo Lan was satisfied with Yu Zisen's condition and ignored him. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Yu Zisen ask a question in a low voice.

"Mr. Huo is married? Whose daughter is his wife?"

Huo Lan stopped and unconsciously stroked the diamond ring on his ring finger. Without responding, he led his men out of the room.

Jiang Chen was still furious, so instead of going out with Huo Lan, he stayed in the lounge and slapped Yu Zisen again.

"Stop asking about Mr. Huo's affairs." Jiang Chen's slap was somewhat driven by personal grudges, and it instantly swelled up half of Yu Zisen's face.

“You…” Yu Zisen swallowed hard. He couldn’t afford to offend Huo Lan, but he wasn’t afraid of such a small bodyguard. “I will call the police. You smashed my car window without permission and beat me. The injuries on my face are evidence!”

Jiang Chen, however, was not afraid. He patted Yu Zisen's face in a roguish manner and said, "But you were the one who followed me first. It's not certain who will go in first. Besides, do you think you have the chance?"

Yu Zisen stood up, gritted his teeth, and knew he could only endure the slap.

Jiang Chen waved his fist again, startling Yu Zisen into instinctively protecting his head, but the fist didn't land. "Stop trying to curry favor with my sister Shi Yuan. I've seen you several times already. Stay away from Sister Shi Yuan!"

After saying that, he quickly followed her out.

Yu Zisen remained in the lounge, his anger simmering with nowhere to go. He wanted to throw a table or chair, but the hotel facilities were too expensive, so he reluctantly put it down after just lifting it up, and went downstairs, clutching his swollen cheek.

It was nearly eight o'clock when Jiang Shiyuan woke up from her sleep.

The carpet in the suite was soft, and she went to find Huo Lan barefoot.

Still a little groggy from just waking up, she was somewhat taken aback when she saw Huo Lan setting out breakfast for her in the restaurant.

It felt like returning to Bell House, but instead of feeling confined, it carried a sense of...family warmth.

"You're awake?" Huo Lan noticed her first. "Come and eat."

Jiang Shiyuan rubbed his eyes and walked over, teasingly saying, "Young Master Huo, you still get up so early."

"Miss Jiang got up very early too." Huo Lan pretended to be polite, acting as if he didn't know her well. "Don't let anyone see us when we go out later, otherwise it will be hard to explain our relationship."

Huo Lan pulled out a dining chair for Jiang Shiyuan and said with a smile, "But Miss Jiang was quite adept at calling her husband last night."

Jiang Shiyuan blushed instantly, pursed her lips, snorted, and sat down to eat.

After the meal, she and Huo Lan consciously stepped off the elevator one after the other, afraid of being seen by acquaintances.

They were clearly a married couple, yet they still managed to have an affair.

When Jiang Shiyuan returned to the museum, she heard Yu Zisen's decision to voluntarily withdraw from the project. When she met him back at school, Yu Zisen ignored her and avoided her as if she were a plague god.

Jiang Shiyuan didn't pay much attention, only thinking that he would feel awkward meeting her after being rejected.

But she also knew Yu Zisen somewhat; he had always valued this project highly, and it would be strange if he withdrew so easily just for this reason.

Two months later, the "Beijing Museum Cloud Exhibition Hall" was officially delivered, and Shiyuan Technology set up a live broadcast room in the museum's unused office to conduct online promotion.

Prior to this, Shiyuan Technology had already invested heavily in inviting celebrities from various regions to promote the company through videos, and had signed annual marketing agreements with several of the most popular platforms; they had also placed extensive advertisements in high-traffic areas such as bus stops and subway stations.

In no time, the name "Digital Beijing Museum" became widely known.

The "Digital Jingbo" live stream even released a preview of a 10 million yuan prize draw. In just two days, more than 100,000 people made reservations for the live stream, putting the entire company into a state of high alert.

Qi Yun, who was in charge of the planning, never expected things to develop in this way. She underestimated the Huo family's wealth and didn't expect them to be so willing to spend money on the "Digital Jingbo" project.

As the contractor for the project, not only did they not collect any technical service fees from the client, but they also spent a huge amount of their own money on advertising...

Qi Yun couldn't understand it, only assuming that Huo Lan was interested in public welfare.

Jiang Shiyuan prepared methodically in the dressing room.

Huo Lan did not allow her to appear on live stream for extended periods, but agreed to allow her to appear for a limited time to provide professional answers to questions about cultural relics.

The makeup artist chose a cross-collar shirt and a horse-face skirt for Jiang Shiyuan, and took out the wooden embroidered ball jade hairpin that Huo Lan had given her when he was about to get engaged to her from the box.

Jiang Shiyuan stared at it blankly for a long time. She had once put it on someone else's hair, wanting to escape from his side. Now, looking at this hairpin, she was willing to use it to tie her hair up.

Qi Yun was giving the live streamer her final instructions when she saw the jade hairpin in Jiang Shiyuan's hair and her eyes lit up. She walked over to her.

"Ah, Sister Shiyuan, this hairpin is so beautiful! It looks so expensive."

Before Jiang Shiyuan could speak, the makeup artist said, "Of course, this was specially commissioned by Mr. Huo for Miss Jiang by a national-level master craftsman. It must cost at least seven figures! Mr. Huo even drew the design himself!"

The makeup artist had been in charge of her makeup since the time she was at Huo Garden, so she naturally knew everything about the jade hairpin.

Qi Yun waved her hand and counted several zeros, then gasped.

Fortunately, the Huo family offered a high salary, enough to afford it after working for half a lifetime.

"Sister Shi Yuan, what's going on between you and Mr. Huo...?" Qi Yun suddenly had a flash of inspiration and patted her head. "No wonder our company is called that. At first, I thought it was a coincidence!"

"No wonder, no wonder..." No wonder he's so willing to spend money, he's chasing after his sweetheart! Qi Yun's eyes lit up, and she suddenly blurted out, "Sister Shi Yuan, just give in to our boss! If you keep chasing like this, I'm afraid the Huo family will go bankrupt."

After all, museums don't make much money. Although they have started producing cultural and creative products in recent years, sales have been mediocre.

Even if the museum is promoted now, it will take some time to recoup the investment.

Fearing that Qi Yun would continue talking, Jiang Shiyuan quickly interrupted and changed the subject, "Alright, alright, why don't you tell me about the precautions for later? This is my first time doing live streaming, and I'm still a bit unfamiliar with it."

Qi Yun immediately returned to work mode, saying, "Don't be nervous, you just need to give a professional explanation."

"However, some comments also need to be interacted with and responded to." Qi Yun encouraged Jiang Shiyuan, "Don't worry, no one will make things difficult for the beautiful lady."

"Even if there are unfriendly comments, don't be afraid. There are a lot of people in the live stream, and they will be wiped out quickly."

Jiang Shiyuan couldn't help but laugh at Qi Yun's antics, which temporarily put her at ease.

Jiang Shiyuan's appearance was later in the broadcast. The atmosphere was very lively from the start, with occasional discordant comments that were quickly swept away by the screen. The majority of the comments were expressions of appreciation and anticipation for the cultural relics.

When technology is integrated into museums, people can appreciate the charm of cultural relics without leaving home, no matter where they are. This is the significance of "Digital Beijing Museum".

Jiang Shiyuan loves her current job. It's a feeling of being reborn after experiencing all kinds of suppression and confinement, which makes her cherish her current life even more.

As the explanation progressed, the director switched to the cloud exhibition hall of the Digital Beijing Museum, and soon it was Jiang Shiyuan's turn to give the explanation.

After the host warmed up the audience and transitioned the conversation, she finally stood in the center of the spotlight, where tens of thousands of people were watching.