Chapter 75: Punishing the Disobedient Child...
Jiang Shiyuan was slightly breathless from the kisses, and her body, leaning against the door, became increasingly limp, sliding weakly downwards.
Huo Lan didn't help her up. Instead, he mischievously bent down and fell with her, eventually trapping her between the door panel and him, creating a small space.
The whole world seemed to be filled with the aroma of ebony and sandalwood.
That was Huo Lan's unique scent, seemingly indifferent yet possessing an irresistible strength that enveloped her, leaving her nowhere to escape.
Jiang Shiyuan frowned and squatted down on the ground. After catching her breath, she looked up at Huo Lan, somewhat annoyed but still lowering her voice: "What are you doing? There are so many people outside!"
"Of course, it's to punish a naughty baby who doesn't listen." Huo Lan pressed her slightly swollen lips with her fingertips, her voice a little hoarse, "If you don't listen, I'll keep kissing you until you do."
"How have I been disobedient?" Jiang Shiyuan said, then realized something was wrong and added, "Why should I listen to you? What's it to you?"
"Alright, alright, whatever." Huo Lan gave in, pulled Jiang Shiyuan up, and laughed, "What if someone recognizes you as my wife, the mother of my son? That wouldn't be good... After all, there are so many people online."
Jiang Shiyuan straightened the wrinkles in her skirt, walked to the sofa next to her, sat down, and looked around at the office decor.
Unlike the large, open-plan offices at headquarters, this place lacks the unreal feeling of overlooking the entire city and the various luxurious amenities. The room is empty, with only some essential desks and chairs, clearly a hastily set up place.
Huo Lan felt somewhat uncomfortable, as if a person who is usually meticulous had suddenly been caught looking unkempt, and was a little embarrassed.
Huo Lan tidied up the cushions on the sofa, but after realizing that no matter how she arranged them, they didn't look good, she gave up trying.
"It's not renovated yet. We'll arrange for someone to come over in a few days..." Huo Lan's expression was a little unnatural. Suddenly, he noticed a lucky toad on his desk, and his face darkened even more.
Which employee put it there for him? He hadn't even noticed...
These days, he's only focused on watching Jiang Shiyuan on the office security camera, constantly admiring and marveling at his wife's cuteness and beauty, forgetting that he needs to stop monitoring her.
Seeing that Jiang Shiyuan remained silent and was instead observing the interior decor, Huo Lan sighed and snorted, "I'll fire Lin Lang sooner or later..."
"Huh?" Hearing this, Jiang Shiyuan was a little confused. Why was Lin Lang being fired again? Huo Lan tapped Jiang Shiyuan's forehead, somewhat displeased, "Were you not listening to me just now?"
"Hmm..." She wasn't really listening, but realizing the office decor didn't suit Young Master Huo's vain nature, she still retorted, "No way, it's not like that..."
Huo Lan not only loves beauty himself, but also demands that all the items around him be beautiful, which can be described as demanding.
Therefore, Jiang Shiyuan was very certain that Huo Lan kept her by her side because of her beauty. She had that kind of beauty, and any other pretty girl would have it too. She was not unique.
Even when he later brought her back, it was only because she challenged his authority and went against his will and strong possessiveness. He brought her back to Huo Garden simply to punish her for her disobedience.
Therefore, she had to be very careful and perceptive in maintaining his favor in order to gain a moment of freedom; those days were not easy.
But only now does she realize that he didn't keep her by his side just because of her beauty; she was special to him.
Because I care about her so much, I want to hide her away.
She didn't want to be a caged canary, kept only for Huo Lan's enjoyment; she wanted to shine in what she loved.
Huo Lan has made many concessions over the years, and she knows all of that, but she is still guiding him step by step to continue letting go.
She has conducted numerous field archaeology expeditions and traveled abroad several times with her mentor for academic exchanges, during which time she lost contact with him many times. She has participated in many academic summits, delivered speeches as a representative, and shone brightly in a hall with nearly a thousand people. She has researched and participated in many projects, and Jiang Shiyuan's name has begun to appear in professional books and research reports.
She was gradually increasing Huo Lan's leniency towards her, helping him overcome withdrawal symptoms when she wasn't around.
She considered this the last time; if he agreed, she would go back to Huo Garden with him.
"So, you won't agree to let me do a live stream online?" Jiang Shiyuan probed. "But I'd really like to try it and challenge myself."
Jiang Shiyuan understood Huo Lan's possessiveness and obsession, and she didn't want him to completely suppress his personality, so she took a step back, "How about this, I'll just show up occasionally... like as a guide for cultural relics?"
"no."
Huo Lan answered directly: attending meetings or competitions was something he could barely agree to, but live streaming was absolutely out of the question.
The people at the summit are all well-known scholars in the field, while the people online are a mixed bag, and who knows what kind of people might appear.
Huo Lan scooped Jiang Shiyuan up and pulled her onto his lap, kneading her shoulders with just the right amount of force.
“Baby, I can agree to anything else, but this is non-negotiable.” Huo Lan started to say, then suddenly remembered something, “Unless…”
Seeing that the live stream was promising, Jiang Shiyuan quickly asked, "Unless what? Tell me!"
"Unless you make me happy." Huo Lan took out his phone and checked the time; it was almost time to leave work. "I've made a reservation at a pretty good French restaurant tonight at eight. Come with me."
Jiang Shiyuan thought for a moment and then refused, "No, I have to make a video call with Tuantuan tonight, I don't have time. Besides, how long has it been since you went back?"
Huo Lan thought about it and realized that he hadn't been back to Huo Garden for a few days. Little Tuantuan had been a left-behind child for several days.
"I'll have Shi Teng bring Tuantuan over tomorrow." Huo Lan mischievously pinched Jiang Shiyuan's earlobe, making her snuggle into his arms. "But I also need to stay with Tuantuan, since she misses her dad..."
Jiang Shiyuan glared at Huo Lan. How could someone be so greedy?
"Sure, you can sleep in the children's room with Tuantuan."
"That's too cruel."
Huo Lan was somewhat dissatisfied. Suddenly, he cupped the back of Jiang Shiyuan's head with one hand and lowered his head to kiss her fair neck.
With almost no effort, he left a series of ambiguous marks on her neck.
He only stopped when Jiang Shiyuan began to struggle, his eyes fixed on his "work".
"They look so beautiful, we should make more of them in the future."
Jiang Shiyuan wanted to touch Huo Lan with her forehead again, but when she thought of the "hurting the enemy a thousand while hurting herself a thousand" incident in the car, she restrained herself and struggled to get up from Huo Lan's legs.
After being freed from Huo Lan's confinement, she smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt, only to find that the marks on her neck were left uncovered.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Jiang Shiyuan said, somewhat annoyed. She wasn't wearing a coat, and her dress had a rather wide round neckline. "It's all your fault. How am I supposed to go out like this?"
Huo Lan leaned back on the sofa, looking at her lazily, "How else can we get out? We have to walk out."
Jiang Shiyuan snorted and turned to leave, just before she heard Huo Lan's teasing voice.
"Miss Jiang, don't forget our appointment at 8 p.m. Tonight, I'll have Lin Lang send you the location information."
Jiang Shiyuan ignored him, opened the door and walked out.
The CEO's office and the staff offices weren't too close, separated by several break rooms, so their voices inside wouldn't be heard by those outside. However, the hickeys on his neck were a bit of a problem...
She could only say that she was bitten by mosquitoes.
A giant mosquito named Huo!
Jiang Shiyuan returned to the planning office somewhat irritably, and before she even entered, she could hear lively conversations inside.
The "Digital Beijing Expo" project is underway, and the office is so busy that we rarely have time to chat, which is quite strange now.
"Thank you so much, senior brother! We've really benefited from your help, hahaha!"
"Thank you, senior brother. I wish you all your wishes come true."
"Don't worry, don't worry, we'll definitely help if we can..."
Strange conversations...
Jiang Shiyuan pushed open the door and entered the room, where she saw Yu Zisen distributing coffee to everyone.
Seeing her return, Yu Zisen raised the coffee cup in his hand, "Shiyuan is back. You must be tired from work. Come and have some coffee."
After distributing the coffees, he went to Jiang Shiyuan's workstation and said, "I also ordered you a soufflé. I know you like sweet things."
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of cheers erupted.
"Senior Brother Yu is so considerate, and he's a PhD from Peking University. If it were me, I would marry him."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shiyuan's face turned pale and then flushed, and she was instantly at a loss for what to do.
She pushed the soufflé on the table. "This... I'm not very hungry yet. Why don't you give it to someone who needs it, senior brother?"
Yu Zisen pushed up his glasses and continued with a smile, "It's just a small cake, it won't fill you up. Try it, I queued for ages on West Street to get it."
Another burst of jeers erupted, leaving Jiang Shiyuan flustered and unsure of what to do.
Seeing Jiang Shiyuan's embarrassment, Yu Zisen looked at the group of people who were making a fuss and made a "please let it go" gesture, which finally quieted them down.
“Shi Yuan, let’s have dinner together tonight. You’ve been working really hard here these past few days.” Yu Zisen paused and then said, “I already talked to the director about this, but he didn’t agree and insisted on having you come.”
It was time to leave work, and while other people in the office were starting to pack up, many others were still staying to work overtime.
She was seconded to the company and wasn't originally an employee of either side, so she had no reason to work overtime and started packing her bag.
Why did Li Bozhen insist on having her come? Yu Zisen didn't know, but she knew perfectly well what was going on in her mind.
Her doctoral supervisor knew about her relationship with Huo Lan before she entered the university, and also knew that she had a three-year-old son, but he tacitly helped her keep it a secret.
Now, they also want to create an opportunity for her to reconcile with Huo Lan.
It wasn't meant for Yu Zisen to come and cause trouble.
"I'm sorry, I already have an appointment." Jiang Shiyuan shook her head apologetically and walked out of the office first.
But when they got downstairs, Yu Zisen followed them up.
"Shiyuan, have I caused you any trouble?" He called out to Jiang Shiyuan, completely puzzled as to why she wouldn't accept his advances. "If I've done something wrong, you can tell me, and I'll change."
Jiang Shiyuan was speechless. What he did had nothing to do with her, nor did it need to be changed.
“Senior brother, you don’t need to do these things.” Jiang Shiyuan said bluntly and without any mercy, “I don’t like you, so you don’t need to do these useless things.”
One sentence was enough to make Yu Zisen choke and turn his face red.
“Shi Yuan, we got along really well before…” Yu Zisen was puzzled. “Why did things suddenly change after you were seconded to this company?”
He suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is it that special assistant from the Huo family? Are you with him?"
Yu Zisen remembered that Jiang Shiyuan had said that Lin Lang was her good friend in Wancheng, but he didn't know what kind of good friend she was.
Jiang Shiyuan admired Yu Zisen's imagination and said, "No, senior brother, don't overthink it. Doctoral dissertations are quite difficult to write. You're about to graduate, so you should put more effort into it."
Yu Zisen still didn't want to give up. "Shi Yuan, I want to pursue you. I haven't met anyone who makes my heart flutter in all these years. It's you. Every time I see you, my heart beats uncontrollably."
Jiang Shiyuan felt that this expression was very troubling to her. After hesitating for a moment, she replied, "I have a boyfriend, so I'm sorry."
After saying that, he went to the parking lot to drive his car, while Yu Zisen stood there stunned and did not chase after him.
She originally wanted to say that she had a husband, but now was not the time to tell everyone that she was married, so she could only say that she already had a boyfriend.
After all, the two of them will continue to work together in the future, so it's better for both of them to be straightforward.
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