Chapter 1 But I prefer to call you...
Half an hour before the end of the workday, leaden-gray clouds already pressed down on the dome of the sky.
Jiang Shiyuan was completely focused on her workbench, her eyelashes casting fluttering shadows in the interplay of light and shadow.
She dipped a small sheep's hair brush in starch paste and applied the paper patch, as delicate and meticulous as if she were creating a work of art.
A rumble of thunder rolled past the window, but she ignored it until it was completely dark and she could no longer see the scraps of paper in her hand. Only then did she snap out of her work, look up, and rub her eyes.
Just then, my phone rang. It was a message from Xie Shuning.
"I'll come pick you up. The weather forecast says it's going to rain heavily soon."
It wasn't a question, but a statement; it was a statement that didn't allow her to refuse.
Jiang Shiyuan thought for a moment and then sent the message "No need" without any further explanation.
She subconsciously felt that she shouldn't get too close to Xie Shuning.
"Who sent the message? Was it your boyfriend?!"
Intern Tang Tang was not only sharp-eyed but also quick to act. Before Jiang Shiyuan could react, she snatched her phone away.
Jiang Shiyuan couldn't win against her, and she still managed to read all the information.
"Isn't this the handsome guy who picked you up from get off work last time? Aren't you two together yet?"
She was slightly annoyed and said, "Xiao Tang, it's very impolite to snatch someone else's phone to read their messages."
Seemingly realizing her intrusion, Tang Tang stuck out her tongue and returned the phone to Jiang Shiyuan.
"I was just curious... By the way, if you don't send a handsome guy to pick you up, how are you going to get home? It's about to pour rain!"
Jiang Shiyuan glanced at the weather outside the window, tidied up the tools on her workbench, and opened her phone to call a taxi home.
"Want to take a taxi? It'll be very difficult to get one in this situation."
Tang Tang glanced at Jiang Shiyuan, whose face was full of worry, and then, as if to play a joke, took out her phone and showed her the ride-hailing information that she had already received an order.
"Luckily, I was quick enough to book in advance. Sister Zhiyu, come with me, I promise to take you home!"
Tang Tang is a new intern at the studio. She is a senior at the Academy of Fine Arts, lively, cute, and straightforward, but she is a bit too direct and doesn't really have any bad intentions.
As it was time to leave work, other colleagues said goodbye and left one after another. Only then did Jiang Shiyuan and Tang Tang walk out of the studio's detached villa together.
The wind and rain were dark and gloomy, and the whole world seemed to be shrouded in a huge gray curtain. Intermittent rain began to fall, and the air was filled with the damp smell of earth.
The two stood on the street in front of the villa for a long time, but still did not see a car with the same license plate pass by.
Jiang Shiyuan couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Tang, where is the driver?"
Tang Tang frowned and kept refreshing the phone screen, but no matter how many times she refreshed, the roads on the map were all bright red and congested, and the vehicle icons remained motionless.
"We've been stuck on the previous street for five minutes..."
Just as Tang Tang finished speaking, the gentle drizzle turned into a sudden downpour, catching the two of them off guard.
Just as they were about to return to the studio downstairs to take shelter from the rain, a black Passat stopped in front of them.
The car window rolled down, revealing the face of a strange man. "Need a ride? I happen to be passing by and can give you a ride. Just pay me the fare."
The man smiled kindly and didn't seem like a bad person, especially since he had asked for the fare at the exit.
The rain was so heavy that Tang Tang didn't have time to think and simply pulled Jiang Shiyuan into the car.
The car door closed, the rain outside was blocked out as a hazy white noise, the fresh scent of the car air freshener wafted in, and soothing music from the stereo gradually entered my ears, making me feel extremely comfortable.
As soon as the two sat down, the driver handed them clean towels.
"Wipe your hands off, don't catch a cold. Where would you two ladies like to go?"
Tang Tang was innocent and naive. After giving the address, she took the soft towel to wipe the rain off her body without any suspicion. However, she glanced at Jiang Shiyuan and saw that he was just holding the towel but not using it. Instead, he took out tissues from his bag.
The driver gave an embarrassed smile. "Miss, I really didn't mean any harm. I just happened to be passing by and wanted to earn some money for the fare."
Jiang Shiyuan nodded but did not respond. She looked up and saw a missing person poster displayed on the tablet next to the driver's seat.
The poster features a beautiful woman in a peach-pink cheongsam. She has delicate features, snow-white skin, and stunning beauty. She looks young and has a soft, delicate appearance that makes her exceptionally endearing.
The text next to the beautiful woman only listed the reward for finding her and her contact information, without any other extra information.
She couldn't count how many zeros there were, but in short, it was so well-off that it was enough for an ordinary person to live a lifetime.
Tang Tang stared at the poster carefully, sighing from time to time.
"Sister Zhiyu, wouldn't it be great if I could find this beauty? Why would I still be an intern? I'd just buy the Dream Sky Cultural Relics Restoration Studio and take you all on vacation to the Maldives!"
The driver, who was focused on driving, smiled and said, "I heard that she is the woman of the head of the Huo family in Wancheng. She ran away from the Huo family garden three years ago and has been missing ever since."
Seeing that Jiang Shiyuan did not react, the driver added, "Three years ago, Wancheng was quite a scene. Almost every news media outlet in the city was vying to report on and search for this beauty. Tell me, what was wrong with this girl? Why did she have to leave her comfortable and pampered life behind and run away?"
Tang Tang became interested at this moment. Although she was in Linjiang City, which was thousands of miles away from Wancheng, she had heard of the Huo family.
The Huo family of Wancheng is almost a mythical existence. There are many aristocratic families in the world, but only the Huo family has been able to pass down its lineage for nearly a thousand years.
The Huo family has produced many heroes in its ancestors, and their lineage can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty.
The highest-ranking official once held the position of Grand Secretary of the capital, wielding immense power and influence. He remained in power for hundreds of years, his influence deeply entrenched, to the point that people who have benefited from the Huo family's protection are now found almost everywhere in the world.
Some people once said that if the Huo family shook their heads, half of Wancheng would change, and that was indeed the case.
Nowadays, the Huo family's businesses span numerous sectors, with a strong presence in both traditional and emerging industries, amassing wealth across the globe.
No one dares to estimate the Huo family's wealth, and it is difficult to predict it, because in addition to the various industries under their name, the Huo family also has an ancestral property that has been guarded by their ancestors for generations—the extremely luxurious Huo Family Garden, which covers more than 2,000 acres in the suburbs of Wancheng and has been passed down for dozens of generations.
With wealth, power, and a family heritage spanning thousands of years, the Huo family has attracted countless people in Wancheng who aspire to rise above them.
As for Huo Lan, the head of the Huo family, he was an even more aloof and precious figure, rumored to be as pure as snow on a high mountain, despising worldly things, rarely attending events of fame and fortune, and having no interest in women and desires.
So when the missing person notice for the woman in the cheongsam was posted, no one contacted the Huo family at all. It wasn't until later, as time went on, that these details began to emerge, but even then, not many people knew about it.
This driver seems to know a lot about this stuff.
Jiang Shiyuan couldn't help but glance at him a few more times through the rearview mirror inside the car.
Before she could speak, Tang Tang interjected, "Why do I think this beauty looks a lot like Sister Zhiyu?"
Tang Tang's gaze kept shifting between Jiang Shiyuan and the woman in the cheongsam, her suspicions growing deeper.
"They really do look alike!"
Jiang Shiyuan lowered her head and curled up in her loose black hoodie.
She had long, smooth, slightly wavy black hair, with wispy bangs that partially obscured her face. Because her face was small and delicate, and she wore thick, black-rimmed glasses, her facial features were less noticeable.
"They really do look alike, Sister Zhiyu... no, they're exactly the same!"
After Tang Tang finished speaking, she reached out to brush away the stray hairs on Jiang Shiyuan's forehead, but Jiang Shiyuan dodged her.
Jiang Shiyuan blocked Tang Tang's mischievous hands and said helplessly, "It doesn't look like her at all."
However, Tang Tang persisted, "They really do look alike, except that Sister Zhiyu's skin isn't as fair, and she's not wearing makeup. Sister Zhiyu is beautiful too! Her eyelashes are so long, her eyes are so pretty, and when she looks at you, it's like she can draw you in, making you mesmerized without you even realizing it..."
Jiang Shiyuan sighed. What kind of nonsensical adjectives are these?
As they talked, the car had already arrived near Tang Tang's residential area, and the rain outside had lessened considerably.
Tang Tang immediately took out her phone from her bag. "Driver, I'll pay. Just pay the ride-hailing price. I won't shortchange you."
The driver didn't refuse and directly took out his phone for Tang Tang to scan the code.
She scanned an extra ten yuan and paid for Jiang Shiyuan's share as well. "Sister Zhiyu, I've already transferred your share. Consider it my apology for taking your phone."
As if she wasn't giving up, she added, "That brother Xie Shuning is so handsome, and he's so nice to you. Next time, let him pick you up from get off work!"
Before Jiang Shiyuan could say anything, Tang Tang had already opened the car door as if fleeing a disaster, and ran into the residential area in the rain, holding her clothes up.
Once she and the driver were alone in the car, she began to feel increasingly uncomfortable.
It feels like something's about to happen...
"Is Ms. Jiang a restorer at Mengkong Cultural Relics Restoration Studio?"
Jiang Shiyuan suddenly looked up. She didn't know where the driver had gotten her information or why he was asking this question.
She gave a thoughtful hum, concealing the turmoil in her heart, and said nothing more about her situation.
"I've heard that DreamSky has very strict requirements for its artifact restorers, but unfortunately, the salary doesn't seem to be very high..."
Jiang Shiyuan could no longer listen to what the driver was saying; a strong sense of panic gradually spread through her, leaving her feeling completely disoriented.
"Miss Jiang, we've arrived at your home."
The car stopped outside Yinhai Apartment, and the driver took an umbrella from the passenger seat and handed it to Jiang Shiyuan.
Jiang Shiyuan struggled internally for a long time before finally accepting the umbrella. After a long silence, she asked, "Are you one of his people?"
The driver smiled and replied, "Miss Jiang, please go home quickly, don't keep Mr. Huo waiting."
After saying that, he got out of the car and opened the back door for her in the rain, skillfully reaching out to hold the top of the door, looking as meek and obedient as a servant in her household.
She followed the driver's gaze into the distance, where a series of dark shadows stood in the rain, all looking at her, creating a strong sense of oppression, seemingly unafraid of the thunder and rain.
Jiang Shiyuan felt a chord snap; she was absolutely certain that at this moment, there was not even the slightest possibility of escaping.
After hesitating for a long time, I finally got off the bus. At that moment, lightning flashed across the sky, making the dim street scene as bright as day for a moment. Then came a series of thunderclaps, and the surrounding scene became more and more gloomy.
The men in suits lined up, their black umbrellas spreading like ink washes, winding their way to her residence. Their eyes were fixed on her, never leaving her for a moment.
The cold rain seeped through the gaps under the umbrella and hit my wrists, sending a chill through me, but it was nothing compared to the suffocating sight before me.
Jiang Shiyuan gripped the umbrella handle tightly, blocking half of her view to avoid seeing those disturbing scenes.
The rain seemed to have intensified again, with rapid raindrops pounding against the umbrella.
Even under the umbrella, she could still clearly hear her own heart pounding like a drum.
She didn't know how long she had mentally prepared herself, or how slowly she walked, but she finally arrived at the apartment door.
The sound of the combination lock being opened rang out. Jiang Shiyuan breathed a sigh of relief, slowly pushed open the door, and walked in.
A handsome man dressed in a silk embroidered Chinese-style shirt was leaning back on the sofa, seemingly dozing. His chest rose and fell slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed, as if he was calming his turbulent emotions.
The low, soft sofa couldn't support his long, slender legs under his suit trousers, causing him to sink into it, yet his imposing stature was undeniable.
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, the man paused in the act of twirling his prayer beads. His lips twitched slightly, his long eyelashes trembled, and after a long while, he opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Shiyuan, who stood at the doorway, hesitant to move forward.
Huo Lan's eyes were dark and calm, his usual languid demeanor returning. He chuckled softly, "Jiang Zhiyu? What an interesting name... but I prefer to call you..."
"Jiang Shiyuan."
A note from the author:
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