Chapter 10 should be about kidney essence deficiency...
Huo Lan's gaze lingered on her tense back for a moment. Seeing that she didn't intend to pay attention to him, his expression turned slightly annoyed, and then he didn't look at her again.
He calmly took off his well-tailored suit jacket and handed it to his assistant Lin Lang beside him. As he casually unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, he walked into the dining room.
"I'm in Linjiang City taking care of some business, and I just happened to stop by to meet everyone."
Huo Lan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to every corner, carrying a natural sense of oppression from someone in a superior position. "It's lunchtime, so let's have a casual meal together. Lin Lang will follow up on the project matters. Everyone, relax today and chat casually."
Seeing that he didn't steer the conversation towards her, Jiang Shiyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, shut her mouth, and stood aside with her other silent colleagues. Old Chen quickly stepped forward with a beaming smile to greet her.
"Mr. Huo, it's really kind of you to go to such lengths and take the time to come over. Actually, there's no need to go to such lengths to treat the studio to a meal. We will definitely complete the Huo Garden collection restoration project with our utmost care and confidence." Huo Lan nodded slightly, a faint smile curving his lips, as a response to Old Chen's enthusiasm.
Tang Tang stared wide-eyed at Huo Lan, her gaze seemingly glued to him. She tugged at Jiang Shiyuan's sleeve and whispered in astonishment, "Good heavens! My heart is pounding! The rumored head of the Huo family is actually so handsome! That face! That height! That physique!!"
After being shocked three times, Tang Tang continued to exclaim, "What an abstinent and handsome man! Who can resist him? Xie Shuning has dropped from second place on my list of the most handsome men. Who did he give that 460 million blue diamond to? I really want to know!"
Jiang Shiyuan sighed softly, straightened her petticoat which Tang Tang had wrinkled, and did not respond to her words.
Old Chen remained attentive by Huo Lan's side, trying to find topics to talk about.
Ever since receiving the huge order from Huo Yuan, he began to inquire about this young head of the Huo family. He learned that he was gentle and polite, but his business methods were completely different from his personality, and he was ruthless and vicious.
Old Chen could understand it. After all, this Huo family head was only in his twenties and had already experienced the successive deaths of his relatives and the threat of power grabs from his collateral relatives. It would be difficult to establish authority and command respect without being ruthless.
What I can't understand is that Wancheng is also an ancient city with countless excellent studios and museums deeply engaged in the field of cultural relic restoration. Why did they travel all the way to Linjiang City and choose Mengkong? From any perspective, Mengkong should not be on the Huo family's list of choices.
Old Chen still hasn't figured it out, so he simply gave up on thinking about it. After all, the Huoyuan project was a huge opportunity for Mengkong, so he took Huo Lan's hospitality even more seriously.
After Huo Lan sat comfortably in the main seat, the invisible pressure dissipated slightly, and the others then carefully took their seats one by one.
Jiang Shiyuan sat down far away from Huo Lan, four seats away from him. When she looked up, she saw Huo Lan staring at her with a knowing smile in his eyes.
The sound of her panting from this morning seemed to echo in her ears again. Jiang Shiyuan turned her face away, trying to pretend she didn't see it, and lowered her head to fiddle with her handbag, pretending to look for something.
However, Huo Lan had no intention of letting her go this time.
He was in a good mood today, and his tone was rather light and cheerful: "Why are you sitting so far away from me?"
A rather ambiguous remark caused the entire audience to hold their breath, as if watching a good show, and all turned to look at Jiang Shiyuan.
Could it be that there is some unspeakable relationship between Jiang Zhiyu and Huo Lan?
Jiang Shiyuan maintained a respectful yet aloof demeanor, looked up at Huo Lan, and smiled, "Mr. Huo, I am just an ancient book restorer, it is not appropriate for me to sit too close."
Huo Lan's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment upon hearing this unfamiliar address, and a short, suppressed sneer escaped his throat: "President Huo?"
Old Chen hadn't attended many dinner parties like this before, and for a moment he didn't know how to negotiate. He just watched helplessly, letting the situation become incredibly awkward.
But why did he get so angry after I called him "President Huo"?
Qiao Wei was the first to raise her glass and stand up, trying to smooth things over, "Oh, Mr. Huo, Zhiyu is just too dedicated!"
Qiao Wei smiled and said, "Ever since I took on the Huo Garden project, Zhiyu has been thinking about the restoration plan for the ancient books in Huo Garden. My mind is full of things like insects, mold, glue and so on. I'm afraid that if I get too close to you, I might get distracted and neglect you, which would be a huge sin!"
Seeing that Huo Lan was still looking at Jiang Shiyuan with a dark expression, Qiao Wei continued to flatter her: "It's alright, it's alright, I'll keep President Huo company."
After saying that, he raised his glass and downed it in one gulp.
Huo Lan didn't look at Jiang Shiyuan anymore, and in fact, he didn't take Qiao Wei's few polite words to heart. His face grew darker and darker, and the temperature around him almost dropped to freezing.
A few seconds later, he replied to Qiao Wei, "Lady, please feel free. I don't have any rules about serving drinks here, and besides, I don't drink either."
Qiao Wei smiled awkwardly and sat back down in her seat.
This person is much as described in the rumors: refined and courteous, except that he is not interested in women...
Qiao Wei recalled the look in Huo Lan's eyes when he came into the room and looked at Jiang Zhiyu, and she cursed him a thousand times in her heart.
She has met all sorts of people, and she can tell what some men are thinking just by looking into their eyes.
Huo Lan's gaze toward Jiang Zhiyu was not innocent.
Qiao Wei snorted coldly. Everyone said that Huo Lanqing, the head of the Huo family, was as aloof as a Buddha, the most upright and self-disciplined. But in her eyes, he was just a seemingly well-dressed but actually a scoundrel.
If he dares to lay a hand on Jiang Zhiyu later, she'll let him taste the power of a fourth-degree black belt in women's Sanda (Chinese kickboxing).
If a project fails, it fails; but if someone is bullied, they must get their revenge!
Qiao Wei was having a very rich inner monologue, while Lao Chen was only just realizing what was happening. He quickly put on a smile and introduced Jiang Shiyuan: "This is Jiang Zhiyu, the ancient book restorer in our studio. As you should know, Mr. Huo, those of us in this line of work are more or less fond of studying things and are not very good at social drinking parties."
Huo Lan nodded slightly in agreement, but then suddenly changed the subject, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips, "Miss Jiang doesn't look too well. Have you been resting poorly lately?"
Jiang Shiyuan stared blankly at Huo Lan, wondering what prank he was planning to play this time.
Why does she look pale? Doesn't he know best why?
"Miss Jiang, you must get some rest tonight. I studied some traditional Chinese medicine principles for a while and can roughly tell some hidden health conditions from a person's complexion."
To avoid an awkward silence from the patron, Old Chen quickly chimed in, like a straight man: "Oh, is there something wrong with Zhiyu's health?"
Everyone turned to look at Jiang Shiyuan, and began to scrutinize her complexion.
Feeling guilty, she quickly lowered her head and slowly ate the food in front of her.
I should have put on heavy makeup before coming out, then I'd have no reason to tease her.
Huo Lan's gaze remained fixed on Jiang Shiyuan, and the playfulness in his tone became even more pronounced. "Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. Miss Jiang looks unwell, with dark circles under her eyes and pale lips. She should be suffering from kidney deficiency and liver qi stagnation."
These incomprehensible words excited Tang Tang again. She lowered her head and whispered to Jiang Shiyuan, "My goodness, how can Huo Jinzhu know everything? I've always heard that Huo Lan can do calligraphy and painting, and can also appraise cultural relics and antiques. Now how come he even knows traditional Chinese medicine? What kind of god is he reincarnated?"
Upon hearing the words "kidney essence deficiency," Jiang Shiyuan nearly lost his balance. Hearing Tang Tang's rapid-fire praise of Huo Lan only made him more frustrated, and he almost mashed the fish in front of him into a lump of fish paste.
Ignoring Tang Tang, Jiang Shiyuan looked up at Huo Lan and smiled, quickly correcting the situation to prevent her colleagues from making assumptions, "Yes, I did stay up late last night and didn't sleep well."
He seemed somewhat resentful, but still maintained a polite and friendly demeanor.
"Ms. Jiang, you've really worked hard. You're so dedicated to the Huo Garden project that you're even working overtime at night."
Huo Lan's words had a double meaning, and his tone was somewhat relaxed and cheerful, as if he was amused by Jiang Shiyuan's reaction. He then added fuel to the fire by saying, "It seems like you didn't get any rest this morning either?"
Jiang Shiyuan was almost laughing in anger, but she still maintained a polite smile, "...Mr. Huo guessed very accurately."
Huo Lan's expression softened after hearing Jiang Shiyuan stop addressing him as President Huo, and he stopped trying to cause trouble.
Old Chen watched as Jiang Shiyuan and Huo Lan chatted back and forth, becoming even more convinced of Huo Lan's medical skills. "Oh? Mr. Huo can even see that? Zhiyu did indeed ask for leave for me this morning."
Old Chen didn't think too much about it, but he admired the Huo family patriarch again and again in his heart. The patriarch of the Huo family was indeed no ordinary person, as if he had opened his eyes to the heavens.
Huo Lan did not respond to Lao Chen, but seeing that Jiang Shiyuan looked rather haggard, he instructed his assistant Lin Lang to order another soup from outside.
"Then let's add another red date and black chicken soup for Miss Jiang to replenish her qi and blood."
Huo Lan didn't finish his sentence, and looked at Jiang Shiyuan meaningfully: "After all, we might have to work hard again tonight..."
Jiang Shiyuan didn't know why, but her lower back started to ache again.
Soon after, a unique bowl of black chicken soup was served to Jiang Shiyuan. The delicate soup bowl, about the size of a palm, also contained ginseng and other nourishing ingredients, making it look very nutritious.
However, the fact that the black chicken soup was given to Jiang Shiyuan alone inevitably led her colleagues in the studio to speculate about the relationship between Jiang Shiyuan and Huo Lan.
Huo Lan enjoyed this ambiguous feeling. He liked to mark her as his possession anytime, anywhere, whether openly or in this subtle atmosphere.
Afterwards, Lao Chen enthusiastically introduced the other restorers in the studio, but Huo Lan responded with little interest. It wasn't until the end of the meal that he had a moment to pick up his phone and immediately replied to Jiang Shiyuan's message.
[After the dinner, go directly back to Cloud Realm; no need to go back to the apartment.]
When the message notification sounded and Jiang Shiyuan saw that it was from Huo Lan, her face darkened.
No, I want to go home and sleep tonight.
Then I'll just have to pull you up with me.
One sentence was enough to defeat Jiang Shiyuan's rejection.
She typed a lot of words in the editing bar, but then deleted them one by one, finally replying with just "Oh".
Old Chen and the others saw Huo Lan off, while Jiang Shiyuan sat in place to wait, to prevent herself from repeating Huo Lan's route home and being discovered.
Qiao Wei, however, did not leave. She waited until the private room was empty before approaching, looking worried.
"Zhiyu, you need to be careful of that Huo Lan!"
Jiang Shiyuan exclaimed, wondering why Qiao Wei suddenly said that.
I think he's got his eye on you!
A note from the author:
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Thank you everyone for your comments and nutrient solutions, the author has seen them all [fireworks]
Thank you to [Only Love and TFBOYS] for the 63 bottles of nutrient solution! I noticed that the system didn't record this, so I'm manually thanking them!
P.S.: If you like possessive and obsessive male protagonists, then this novel will definitely be to your liking. [doge emoji with rose in hand]
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