Chapter 61 Darling, call me "husband" one more time...
Jiang Shiyuan couldn't understand why she always bumped into Huo Lan's arms every time she turned a corner.
The previous escape attempt resulted in arrest, and the current one is the same. Who was not watching where they were going, and who did it on purpose?
The two people behind her were still watching. Jiang Shiyuan felt a little embarrassed and reached out to pull Huo Lan's hand that was supporting her lower back, but he didn't loosen his grip at all.
Huo Lan sighed softly and raised his hand to stroke her still exquisite hair. "Two hours is still too long. I can't stop thinking about you for a single moment."
Jiang Shiyuan exclaimed "Ah," glancing at the two people behind her who were staring intently at them, each with their own plans.
It was obvious that Huo Lan was deliberately acting intimately with Jiang Shiyuan in front of them to support her.
He lowered his head and affectionately nuzzled her nose, his voice deep and full of just the right amount of doting: "Are you tired? You've been standing for so long, is your back sore?"
As he spoke, his warm hands slid down to her lower back, massaging her gently, as if he were at home, completely ignoring the two astonished and complicated gazes behind him.
Jiang Shiyuan's face flushed slightly, and she tried to avoid him, but his arms were tightly wrapped around her waist.
She looked up and glared at him, only to meet his deep, smiling eyes, which, besides being playful, also held a kind of obsessive "I want everyone to see this."
Liang Yuwei and Mrs. Xu stood there, caught in a dilemma.
Liang Yuwei's face turned pale and then flushed, and her back was covered in cold sweat. It was bad enough that she was caught gossiping behind someone's back, but the key was that Huo Lan was so protective of Jiang Shiyuan, as if he was deliberately trying to let them know how much he doted on her. This intimate interaction was even more embarrassing than being slapped in public.
If Huo Lan were to hear the speculations about her "mistress becoming the wife" or "falling into a trap," it would likely have a real impact on her company's business resources.
Liang Yuwei dared not imagine what she would face when she returned home, so she quickly tried to salvage the situation by offering compliments.
"Mr. Huo is so considerate, Mrs. Huo is so lucky."
Huo Lan seemed to have just noticed them. He looked up and glanced at them, his gaze instantly shifting from gentle to distant. He only lingered on Liang Yuwei for a moment longer. His eyes were devoid of warmth, yet they sent a chill down Liang Yuwei's spine.
He then loosened his grip on Jiang Shiyuan slightly, stood beside her, and looked at the two people standing under the corridor.
"Zhongwang Group's recent expansion project has a good plan, but unfortunately, the people executing it seem to lack vision and strategic thinking." He didn't name names, but everyone could tell who he was referring to.
Liang Yuwei's face turned deathly pale instantly. The Zhongwang Group project was the one her husband valued most and was a crucial part that urgently needed the Huo family's support.
She came to the Huo family today to flatter them several times, hoping to make a good impression on them and make it easier for her husband's family to gain resources in the future. How could she have let herself get away with it and not been able to control her tongue?
Liang Yuwei was unwilling to give up and quickly explained, "Madam must have misunderstood. How could I have said such things? Weren't we having a very pleasant conversation while admiring the flowers and enjoying tea?"
Jiang Shiyuan tilted her head slightly, pretending to look at Liang Yuwei with innocence, not understanding how someone could be so shameless as to lie through their teeth.
It's a pity that although she was blind, she wasn't deaf.
Mrs. Xu, who had just been chiming in, saw the two being so intimate and wisely shut her mouth, afraid of bringing trouble upon herself.
It seems that what the reporter said might not be true. I should ask him properly when I have the chance.
If Mrs. Huo is truly a mistress who rose to power by taking her child, why would the head of the Huo family put on this show in front of them?
It seems they've really bitten off more than they can chew; the Huo family takes this new wife very seriously.
Mrs. Xu thought to herself that after leaving Huo Garden, she would remind the people in her circle who often gathered together not to provoke the newly arrived mistress of the Huo family.
Huo Lan ignored Liang Yuwei and stopped looking at them. He turned around with Jiang Shiyuan in his arms, his tone returning to its previous gentleness, but still clear enough for the people behind him to hear: "Let's go, the maternity nurse is already waiting. From now on, if you don't want to come to these boring tea parties, you don't have to. No one can force you."
He held her close, and they walked steadily away from the corridor.
Only after their figures disappeared at the end of the corridor did Liang Yuwei feel as if all her strength had been drained away. She staggered and leaned against the cold pillar.
Mrs. Xu looked at her, sighed, and said in a low voice, "Give her jewelry or handbags to ease the tension? I'm afraid this Mrs. Huo wouldn't be surprised. You should think of other ways to salvage the situation."
Mrs. Xu's eyes lit up, and she suddenly remembered that Liang Yuwei and Shen Chuqing were on good terms. "Aren't you on good terms with Miss Shen? They're sisters-in-law now, maybe they can help you."
Liang Yuwei's face turned extremely ugly when she thought about how she had completely ignored Shen Chuqing at the tea party.
On the other side, Huo Lan, with Jiang Shiyuan in his arms, passed through the moon gate in the garden and walked onto the wide bluestone road, where they saw a car already waiting at the gate.
After dropping her off at the flower hall, he didn't leave. Instead, he sat in the car waiting outside for her. Two hours passed in a flash. He got out of the car almost at the last second and couldn't wait to take her back to Bell House.
Even though a long time has passed since she ran away, he still has a similar stress response whenever Jiang Shiyuan leaves his sight, and he can only feel at ease if he stays by her side every moment.
The vehicle slowly drove towards the Bell Pavilion. Huo Lan sat inside the car, holding hands tightly with Jiang Shiyuan, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and joy.
“My Shi Yuan, you did very well today.” He smiled indulgently. “I’m very happy to see that you know how to use the power I gave you to fight back.”
After returning to Bell Pavilion, Huo Lan seemed to be in a very good mood.
He personally helped Jiang Shiyuan take off her flat shoes and put on soft slippers. He then took the warm towel handed to him by the maid and carefully wiped her hands, as if she were some fragile treasure.
"You did very well today." He pulled her to sit down on the sofa, letting her lean against him, his hand stroking her hair gently. "My Shiyuan, you finally know how to use what I gave you."
He was referring to the incident where she had just used her power to pressure Liang Yuwei.
Jiang Shiyuan leaned against his chest and could hear his steady, strong heartbeat.
She didn't like such occasions, nor did she want to use her power to suppress people. She thought she shouldn't have been there in the first place, but since she was, she had become someone like Huo Lan who was adept at using power.
She closed her eyes, sighed softly, and asked, "So, what are your plans for handling the Zhongwang Group situation?"
"Of course it's as you said." Huo Lan gently brushed his chin against the top of her head. "In this circle, there are many people who say one thing to your face and another behind your back. Now that we've seen through them, we can't tolerate it. We always have to pay a price."
He paused, a hint of barely perceptible pleasure in his voice: "However, what I like best is still what you said at the end."
Jiang Shiyuan thought back for a moment, but couldn't recall which of her words would have pleased him.
"What?"
"You said my husband arranged to pick me up at four o'clock." Huo Lan was almost extremely satisfied and couldn't hide her smile. "My husband... um, I really like that title."
He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear: "From now on, you have to call me that when we're out... Of course, calling me 'husband' sounds even better."
Jiang Shiyuan did not respond, but she also did not refute.
She did indeed use the intimidating power of being "Mrs. Huo" today; the feeling was complex and unfamiliar, but not entirely unpleasant.
Huo Lan seemed quite pleased with her docility. He lowered his head and found her lips, kissing her tenderly and lingeringly. When the kiss ended, he pressed his forehead against hers, looking at her with deep eyes: "Call me 'husband' again, hmm? It's been so long since I've heard it."
Jiang Shiyuan simply lay obediently in his arms, remaining silent for a long time.
Huo Lan's heart palpitation only lasted for a moment before he returned to normal. Anyway, they had a long time ahead of them, and they had a lifetime together.
Huo Lan chuckled softly, his fingertips gently tracing the jade necklace on her collarbone, then sliding to the vibrant blue diamond on her finger, his voice husky: "These jewels, no matter how precious, are just inanimate objects. Only when worn by you, and accentuated by your title 'my husband,' do they truly gain value."
His sweet words were always tinged with a strong sense of possession and control. Jiang Shiyuan lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes.
Looking at her like this, Huo Lan felt a mix of love and desire in his heart. He couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her eyes again, coaxing her softly, "Good girl, call me husband one more time, okay?"
Jiang Shiyuan, unable to bear his nagging any longer, called out in a voice barely audible, "Husband..."
Huo Lan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes filled with a deep sense of satisfaction and pride, as if he had obtained the most precious treasure in the world.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, took a deep breath, and inhaled her faint fragrance. He chuckled softly, "Hmm, can I call you my wife from now on?"
He no longer wanted to secretly call her "wife" only after she fell asleep.
Jiang Shiyuan was somewhat annoyed, not understanding why he was so fixated on a particular form of address.
But she had no choice but to nod.
Huo Lan's eyes lit up with joy. He cupped her face and kissed her tenderly, calling her name again and again as if in a spell.
"Wife...wife..."
"Please don't leave me again."
Jiang Shiyuan was a little tired, so she stayed in the same position nestled in his arms.
Although the tea party lasted only two hours, the scheming and flattery among the people were enough to wear down their spirits. And she would be trapped in Huo Garden for the rest of her life, having to deal with these two-faced people.
Huo Lan received no response from Jiang Shiyuan, and then looked down and saw the weariness on her face. He knew very well what she was thinking.
He kissed her gently, as if to comfort her, "Wife, you're different from them. You can do whatever you want."
Jiang Shiyuan opened her eyes, having regained some of her energy. "Can I do whatever I want? Can I leave you? How about we separate for a while? I want to be alone."
Huo Lan's originally calm eyes instantly turned gloomy, and his aura plummeted to freezing point.
He asked, almost word by word, "What did you say?"
Jiang Shiyuan remained stubborn, perhaps because he cared too much about her, or perhaps because she was tired of the social interactions that the Huo family would have to attend frequently in the future, which suddenly gave her the courage to resist.
She climbed out of Huo Lan's arms and looked intently into his eyes.
I said…
I want to be apart from you for a while.
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