Chapter 65: Re-electing the Head of the Huo Family
After hearing Jiang Chen's words, Jiang Shiyuan felt a slight chill dissipate, but something still felt stuck in her throat.
Huo Lan protected her so tightly, so completely. Was it love, or was it his morbid possessiveness at work?
Perhaps, the two have long been intertwined and inseparable.
She forced a smile at Jiang Chen: "I understand, thank you for telling me all this."
The office fell silent again.
Jiang Shiyuan stopped chatting with Jiang Chen and instead picked up her tablet to watch a few more lessons that she already knew by heart. After a while, she felt a bit suffocated, as if she couldn't breathe.
No matter how breathtaking the view outside the giant glass screen is, it can't alleviate this feeling of boredom.
Jiang Shiyuan looked at Jiang Chen, who was sitting idly by the door, and asked, "Jiang Chen, what's downstairs?"
Jiang Chen paused to think for a moment before replying, "The lower floors should be the offices of several core executives, and the middle section of the floors seems to be the office area for various business units."
Jiang Chen scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I haven't been here much either, so I don't know much about it. But I'm sure that the higher you go, the more core the area of the group is, and the fewer people there are."
Jiang Shiyuan murmured, "No wonder it's so quiet..."
The next sentence made Jiang Chen stand up abruptly from his seat.
"I want to go down and take a look."
Jiang Chen refused outright, saying, "No, Mr. Huo told me to keep a close eye on you and not to leave the office."
Jiang Shiyuan ignored Jiang Chen, straightened her cashmere shawl and hat, picked up her handbag, and headed out.
"Sister Shi Yuan, it really won't work!" Jiang Chen quickly blocked the doorway. "If Mr. Huo comes back and doesn't see you, he'll be frantic with worry."
“But I feel very uncomfortable…” Jiang Shiyuan frowned. “It’s probably because it’s too stuffy here. You could hear a pin drop.”
"Huh? What should we do then?"
"How about..." Jiang Shiyuan said with a smile, "Why don't you come down for a walk with me? You can follow me, I won't wander off. I'll get so bored if we don't go out for a walk."
"This..." Although Jiang Chen was still hesitating, he had already lowered the arm that was blocking her.
Seeing that he was no longer as resolute as before, Jiang Shiyuan squeezed through the gap and said, "Hurry up and keep up, or I, Huo Lan, will punish you."
The regular elevator leading to the top floor was quite far away, and Jiang Shiyuan had to go around in a big circle to find it.
After entering the elevator, I randomly pressed the number for a middle floor.
Jiang Chen was still uneasy. "Sister Shi Yuan, I still don't think it's a good idea. Mr. Huo said you can't leave the office."
Jiang Shiyuan was secretly excited as she straightened her clothes in front of the elevator mirror. "But we're already out. It's not like I'm stopping you from coming with me, so what's there to be afraid of?"
About a minute later, the elevator stopped, and as soon as the doors opened, Jiang Shiyuan saw a crowd of people.
Because there are more people, the temperature in the open office area is higher. After the weather turned cool, the windows were not opened, and the air was filled with a stuffy smell. However, this stuffiness was completely different from that in the top-floor office. It was lively and bustling.
The further inside you go, the clearer the sounds of keyboards, conversations, and printers become. Jiang Shiyuan looks around; this is an office atmosphere completely different from that of the cultural relic restoration studio.
Jiang Shiyuan couldn't help but exclaim, "So many people..."
Jiang Chen became increasingly worried as he looked around, and kept urging Jiang Shiyuan to go back, "Shiyuan, let's go back. There are too many people here, and the air isn't circulating well. It's not good for your health."
"But I think it's great."
Jiang Shiyuan walked around the office area and saw that there were still many employees resting and chatting at the tea break area.
While drinking water at the tea break, the elegantly dressed Alice spotted Jiang Shiyuan strolling around and nudged her colleague with her elbow, saying, "Look at that woman."
The colleague Fianne, who was bumped, put down the coffee beans she was about to grind, turned around, and said with a hint of complaint, "What did you do? You almost spilled my beans."
Following Alice's gaze, Fianne immediately spotted Jiang Shiyuan, who stood out brilliantly in the crowd.
Even among the many glamorous and beautiful women around, it's impossible to ignore that touch of off-white.
Like a fairy who has strayed into the mortal world, every glance seems like a desecration.
Fianne exclaimed, "Who is this? She's so beautiful! Her face is glowing, and it looks like she's not even wearing makeup!"
Alice, exasperated, rolled her eyes at her and continued, "You only look at her face. Look at the bag she's carrying, the clothes she's wearing, and that shawl. I don't recognize the brand, but it's obviously the best cashmere, and the tailoring is top-notch."
As Jiang Shiyuan stayed longer, she noticed the increasing whispers around her.
Her steps faltered slightly as she sensed the constant stares and commotion from within the office area.
"Who is that? I've never seen him before..."
"Judging from his demeanor and attire, he's definitely not an ordinary person."
"Someone just saw him come down from the top floor. At first, they thought it was the person from upstairs coming down to check on things. They were terrified."
"Could it be... the rumored Mrs. Huo?"
At that moment, a woman's voice, clearly mocking and arrogant, rang out from behind, silencing the half-floor office area.
"Oh, I thought it was some distinguished guest who had disturbed our entire office area. It turns out to be Miss Jiang."
Jiang Shiyuan paused, then slowly turned around.
Huo Rou appeared at the entrance of the tea break area at some point, arms crossed, watching her with a leisurely and mocking expression.
Jiang Shiyuan inwardly cried out in alarm, wondering why she had run into her here.
Huo Rou is the daughter of Huo's second uncle. She likes to eat, drink, have fun, and enjoy life. How did she end up at the company?
Seeing Huo Rou's unfriendly attitude, Jiang Chen immediately stepped in front of Jiang Shiyuan, "Miss Huo, please watch your words!"
"Heh." Huo Rou glanced at Jiang Chen. "Aren't you the dog she replaced? Why are you still protecting her?"
Jiang Chen was young and impetuous, and upon hearing her words, he was immediately enraged. However, considering that she was a woman and the eldest daughter of the Huo family, he ultimately did not take action.
"What are you glaring at me for?" Knowing that Jiang Chen couldn't do anything about her, Huo Rou became even more audacious. "It feels good to have climbed up Huo Lan's high branch, doesn't it?"
Huo Rou stepped forward, her gaze sweeping critically over Jiang Shiyuan's entire body, her tone harsh, "Indeed, someone who climbed up without any title or status should dress up properly, otherwise how can they be worthy of standing beside the Huo family?"
Her gaze then fell on Jiang Shiyuan's lower abdomen, and she said sarcastically, "I heard you're pregnant and have already registered your marriage with Huo Lan. You've got some pretty impressive skills. Even Xu Feixuan has acknowledged your identity and introduced you to people in the industry."
At this point, Huo Rou suddenly recalled the scene not long ago when she mocked Jiang Shiyuan in front of her brother Huo Qi.
Surprisingly, Huo Qi spoke up for Jiang Shiyuan, telling her not to cause her any more trouble. Huo Rou felt even more strongly that this person was good at bewitching people.
"No matter who agrees to let you into the Huo family, my father and I will never agree."
After hearing Huo Rou's words, Alice quietly left the tea room and ran to the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor for the first time.
Mrs. Huo has been bullied? This needs to be reported to the boss immediately; a promotion is in the works!
Meanwhile, in the giant screen conference room on the top floor, the atmosphere was equally tense.
For the first half of the meeting, things were proceeding normally. After several core executives finished their work reports for the year, the directors at the conference table began exchanging glances.
After what seemed like a long period of back-and-forth, someone finally spoke up, though their voice was still trembling.
"Huo Lan, you got married without the family's consent. You really don't respect us old folks!"
Huo Lan merely raised his eyelids and glanced at the man, who then dared not utter another word.
Huo Lan said in a deep voice, "We are discussing work matters. Are you deliberately bringing up my personal life to delay our meeting?"
Seeing that the person who had started the trouble had fallen silent again, Huo Lianyu gave that person a look of exasperation and began to attack Huo Lan.
“Xiao Lan, he is your uncle by seniority, you should respect your elders.”
Huo Lan didn't speak, but just looked at Huo Lianyu quietly, signaling him to continue. However, the invisible pressure made him feel a little stressed, so he couldn't help but adjust his posture and sit up straight.
He's just a young man under thirty, so why does he give people the creeps when he stares at them?
Huo Lianyu adjusted his bow tie, feigning kindness, and said, "What he said is not wrong. Your marriage should have been based on the interests of the family. You married a woman from an unclear family background without even discussing it with your family. It really chills the hearts of the elders."
Huo Lianyu took the lead in provoking them, and the other members of the gang seemed to have found their leader and began to attack Huo Lan.
"That's right. You haven't really taken care of the company in the past six months, and you haven't cared about the Huo family's affairs at all."
"If this continues, the Huo family will be finished sooner or later!"
Huo Lan listened quietly, remaining calm and composed.
"That's right. With your actions, which do not prioritize the interests of the Huo family, what right do you have to continue to hold power in the Huo family?"
"Core equity should be handed over to someone more capable and more mindful of the overall situation, such as Lian Yu!"
Hearing this, Huo Lan finally looked at the group of people who were shouting enthusiastically; they had finally gotten to the point about their ultimate goal.
Huo Lianyu sat to the side, feigning composure, but seeing the increasingly intense scene before him, his eyes were filled with determination.
He stood up from his seat, raised his hand to silence the clamor, and then looked at Huo Lan. His face was still kind and benevolent, but his gaze was like that of a venomous snake.
“Xiao Lan, you’ve heard it too, everyone’s been quite resentful lately.” He sat down again and said, “In that case, let everyone vote and elect a new leader for the Huo family.”
Huo Lianyu's supporters naturally applauded, while others who held significant shares in the Huo family remained on the sidelines.
"Why wasn't this important matter mentioned before the meeting? It's too rushed to vote now."
Director Xu was previously a confidant of Grandpa Huo Lan, and later received Huo Lan's care, so he immediately stepped forward at this critical moment.
"I think it's inappropriate. Besides, everyone can see Huo Lan's abilities."
Immediately, many people rallied to Huo Lan's defense.
Facing the barrage of words from the crowd, Huo Lan leaned back in his chair with composure, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.
After the noise subsided, he spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice as cold as ice: "Are you done?"
He nodded slightly to Lin Lang behind him, and Lin Lang immediately stepped forward and projected a slide onto the huge screen.
"Second Uncle, how about we talk about how you misappropriated project funds, set up shell companies overseas to transfer assets, and... your secretary who recently gave birth to your illegitimate child?"
The first page of the slideshow featured several blurry, erotic photos taken by a private investigator, which immediately changed Huo Lianyu's expression. "Turn it off right now! You're leaking my privacy!"
"Alright, alright." Huo Lan raised his hand to signal Lin Lang to switch the photos. "Then take a look at these reports. The data will show whether my good second uncle is someone who cares about the interests of the Huo family."
The evidence was clearly displayed on the screen, and Huo Lianyu's face suddenly turned deathly pale.
Huo Lan's eyes were sharp as he scanned the entire room. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
"It's only been three years since I officially took control of the Huo family. In these three years, the Huo family's annual profits have grown to nearly 400 billion, its business empire has expanded globally, and its market value has more than quadrupled. It is I who have transformed the Huo family from a declining Wancheng tycoon into a force to be reckoned with in the global business world. And now you're talking to me about qualifications? About interests?"
He stood up, his voice not loud, but his icy aura made everyone almost unable to breathe.
"As for my wife Jiang Shiyuan, she is my legally recognized wife and the only mistress of the Huo family. No one can shake her position. Anyone who dares to show her the slightest disrespect is an enemy of me, Huo Lan."
The entire conference room fell silent, and those who had previously launched the attack all turned ashen-faced.
"Since there are no other important matters to discuss, let's adjourn the meeting here." Huo Lan glanced at Huo Lianyu, who was frozen in place. "As for Huo Lianyu's transfer of assets, someone will handle it soon."
After Huo Lan finished speaking, he left the conference room.
After resolving the company's issues, Huo Lan felt much more at ease.
But as soon as he pushed open the door to the top-floor office, his heart sank.
Jiang Shiyuan was nowhere to be seen, neither in the room nor in the lounge, and even Jiang Chen was nowhere to be found.
Huo Lan felt himself gradually losing his breath, and his heart, which hadn't ached in a long time, started to clench and throb with pain again, making him dizzy.
Just as he took out his phone to call Jiang Chen, who was in charge of guarding Jiang Shiyuan, someone knocked on the office door.
Huo Lan clutched his aching heart and shouted angrily, "Come in!"
Alice pushed open the door somewhat timidly. Seeing Huo Lan's anxious expression, she didn't dare to look at the extremely luxurious top-floor office and went straight to the point: "Mr. Huo, did you bring your wife with you to the company this time?"
Upon hearing Alice mention Jiang Shiyuan, Huo Lan's eyes lit up, and he immediately rushed to her side, "Tell me, where is she?"
Seeing Huo Lan's anxious expression, even the usually bold Alice couldn't help but feel nervous and stammer, "Madam is in the office area on the 33rd floor. Miss Huo Rou is here too, and she's... she's provoking her, saying some really nasty things..."
Before Alice could finish speaking, Huo Lan rushed to the elevator and pressed the buttons until they were almost bursting. His heart was still throbbing with pain, and he was covered in a cold sweat.
Jiang Shiyuan, didn't I tell you to wait for me to come back in the office?
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