Chapter 78 Husband...
Huo Lan sat in his office and turned on his computer to watch Jiang Shiyuan's live stream.
Under the spotlight, Jiang Shiyuan radiated beauty. Her skin was flawless and her eyes sparkled as she confidently and gracefully explained the various cultural relics in the museum.
Huo Lan was somewhat unhappy. His wife should belong to him alone, but now he had to admire her beauty with hundreds of thousands of people.
But what could be done? Jiang Shiyuan belonged to him.
Huo Lan unconsciously reached out and stroked the smiling Jiang Shiyuan on the screen, yet felt incredibly fortunate.
Fortunately, wherever she was, she was his, his legally recognized wife, bound by an unbreakable blood tie.
"My wife is amazing, she explained it so well..." Huo Lan smiled, still stroking her cheek, "No wonder she's our family's Dr. Jiang..."
Suddenly remembering something, his face darkened again. "Could someone else touch my wife's face like I have?"
Huo Lan suddenly felt a little annoyed.
I really want my wife to finish her story and end the broadcast quickly.
The live stream screen was constantly scrolling with comments, and during the interactive segment, Jiang Shiyuan had to answer random questions from the comments.
Because there were too many comments to read, the host took screenshots to read them.
Because of her stunning looks, Jiang Shiyuan's appearance on the show brought another surge in popularity to the live stream. The barrage of comments praising her beauty almost filled the entire screen, and I couldn't capture any useful questions even after several attempts.
Qi Yun watched the scrolling comments on the screen below, her hands trembling with excitement.
She originally thought that such a charity-oriented live stream wouldn't attract viewers, so she wanted to use Jiang Shiyuan's beauty to generate buzz and maximize the popularity while minimizing investment.
Unexpectedly, the Huo family spent money without batting an eye, allocating hundreds of millions of yuan in budget, turning Jiang Shiyuan's beauty from a lifeline into an added bonus.
Seeing the screen full of praise, Jiang Shiyuan smiled gently, and the camera zoomed in on her flawless face, magnifying her beauty once again.
"Sister, awsl"
"Sister Shiyuan, please open a separate account! I want to follow you!!"
"Can my sister, who isn't a man, have you?"
......
Someone in an office was so angry that their face turned black. They quickly registered an account and started posting comments.
"Jiang Shiyuan is mine!"
The scrolling screen was instantly captured, and the host began reading the first three questions.
Host: "A netizen with the ID 'Little Rabbit Pujiji' asked: 'I always feel that archaeology is far removed from us. Besides putting these cultural relics in museums for appreciation, what other use are they?'"
Jiang Shiyuan nodded and replied with a smile, "The little rabbit's question is very meaningful! These unremarkable cultural relics embody the aesthetics, technology, systems, and thoughts of the ancients. It is these cultural relics that have built our cultural identity and confidence. They tell us that the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization has continued uninterrupted. This is not a legend, but has countless solid material evidence. This confidence, which comes from the depths of our blood, is the most valuable practical use that cultural relics bring us."
The live chat exploded with comments again, and the host's eyes lit up as he eagerly read the next question.
Host: "A netizen with the ID 'Yaoyao Le' asked: Is restoring cultural relics similar to putting together a jigsaw puzzle? For example, those pottery jars, is it just about finding the fragments and then gluing them together?"
Jiang Shiyuan feigned surprise and replied, "The analogy of the rock-paper-scissors is quite interesting, but the actual restoration process is much more complicated because the puzzle has blueprints, while we don't know what the final form of these broken cultural relics will look like, so we have to use some techniques to repeatedly deduce and verify."
After Jiang Shiyuan finished answering, the host began to read the third question, but hesitated for a long time. However, since everyone had seen the screenshot, she had no choice but to read it.
Host: "A netizen with the ID 'Jiang Shiyuan is mine' said: Jiang Shiyuan is mine..."
The host coughed lightly to salvage the situation, "Dr. Jiang's time is now everyone's; please feel free to ask any further questions!"
As Jiang Shiyuan's segment was drawing to a close, the scrolling comments began to express their reluctance to leave, but then a very discordant voice emerged.
"Jiang Shiyuan is a third party, the mistress of the boss behind the scenes!"
Because there were too many scrolling entries, discordant comments were quickly submerged in the sea of text, but within minutes, the exact same phrases resurfaced.
"Jiang Shiyuan is a third party, the mistress of the boss behind the scenes!"
Jiang Shiyuan was stunned for a moment. At this time, the host had already started introducing the next segment and wanted to end the event abruptly. But then, more than a dozen people with different nicknames started sending the same sentence, causing the comment section to explode instantly.
"No way, why would such a pretty girl be so foolish as to become a mistress?"
"Yeah, she's beautiful and highly educated, she has everything she could want."
"If you're not pretty, you can't become a mistress. Who would turn down money?"
"Who knows if even a doctoral degree was bought..."
The back-end operations team began rapidly blocking certain accounts. Jiang Shiyuan wanted to explain on the spot, but the host quickly moved on to the next segment and asked her to leave the stage first.
The offensive comments on the live stream continued for several more minutes before gradually subsiding. Jiang Shiyuan sat in the lounge, unable to understand why such comments had been made.
In his office, Huo Lan, his face grim, sent messages to his subordinates to investigate the identities of those accounts.
The response was that the IP address originated from overseas, and no specific information could be found at the moment, making it impossible to quickly identify the suspicious person.
Lin Lang knew the seriousness of the situation and immediately sought out top-notch cyber hackers to break through the defenses, but it would take some time.
Huo Lan handed the matter over to Lin Lang and went out of the office to find Jiang Shiyuan.
The company's employees had sensed something was off between the two and suspected something based on the company name, but they didn't dare to think too much about it. It was only through today's live stream that they confirmed that there was indeed an unspeakable relationship between the two.
The oppressive atmosphere created by the boss made them dare to think but not to speak, and they could only keep their heads down and continue working in silence.
Qi Yun didn't believe the slander in the comments and always thought that Jiang Shiyuan was Huo Lan's real girlfriend. However, after seeing the wedding ring on Huo Lan's hand, she began to have doubts again.
Jiang Shiyuan never wore a ring on her ring finger from beginning to end.
Could it be that he really is keeping a lover outside the home, and he can't let his wife at home know?
No way!!
Qi Yun put aside what was happening on the live stream and came over to comfort Jiang Shiyuan, "Sister Shiyuan, don't take it to heart. The internet is just like that, a mess."
Jiang Shiyuan didn't think anything of it, and simply asked, "When is the next live stream?"
Qi Yun asked in confusion, "Seven o'clock the day after tomorrow? What's wrong?"
She thought of something and added, "It's okay, we can have Dr. Lin Shuwan speak instead. She has also done her homework and can take over."
Jiang Shiyuan smiled and said, "No, I was just asking about the time so I could make preparations."
Two female colleagues were whispering to each other in the restroom near the company elevator.
"Have you heard? Jiang Shiyuan is having an affair with our boss. Everyone knows the boss is married."
"Do I even need to hear that? The live stream chat is flooded with comments saying that Jiang Shiyuan is Huo's mistress. No wonder our company is named that way and we're investing so much in a project that doesn't make any money."
"She only managed to get into bed without being kicked off because of her looks and figure, hahaha..."
The malicious chatter and laughter from the bathroom reached Tuantuan's ears as she came up at the elevator entrance.
Tuantuan tugged at Shi Teng's trouser leg and asked, "Are they talking about my mother?"
Shi Teng wanted to go in and tell the two people to leave, but it was inconvenient because it was a women's restroom. So he bent down, looked into Tuan Tuan's eyes, and replied, "Tuan Tuan, you don't need to listen to these people."
Tuantuan looked towards the bathroom with a sullen face. Although she didn't understand much of what they said, she knew their words were unfriendly. "They spoke so rudely. Has no one taught them manners?"
Shi Teng had rarely seen Huo Shu with such an expression on his face; it seemed out of place for his age.
After considering his words for a moment, he replied, "They were blinded by some information, which is why they said such hurtful things. We don't need to take it to heart."
"How can that be?" Tuantuan looked at Shi Teng, her face dark. "Wouldn't Mom have suffered for nothing?"
After saying that, he started walking towards the office.
Shi Teng took Tuan Tuan with Huo Lan's instructions. He originally planned to take Tuan Tuan directly to his home in Beijing, but Tuan Tuan was anxious to find his mother, so he could only bring him to the company to find Huo Lan first. However, he did not expect to encounter this kind of thing.
Tuantuan continued walking forward. Although she was not familiar with the area, she could identify the office areas by the facilities.
Jiang Shiyuan finished her broadcast, changed her clothes in the break room, and prepared to go home. As soon as she entered the staff office area, she saw Tuantuan.
When Tuantuan saw Jiang Shiyuan, her eyes lit up, and she ran over crying, unable to hide her tears again.
Jiang Shiyuan's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking about how she had met him here, she quickly squatted down and hugged Tuantuan in her arms.
"Mom, it's been so long since you let Tuantuan come to Beijing to see you!"
Huo Shu's voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone in the quiet, open-plan office to hear clearly.
Upon hearing Huo Shu address Jiang Shiyuan, the others in the office couldn't help but turn around frequently and whisper among themselves.
Wasn't it just rumored that Jiang Shiyuan was the boss's mistress? How come a child is now calling her "Mom"?
The scandal has escalated? The mistress not only was she kept by a sugar daddy, but she even had a child with him?!
Huo Shu said, "Mom, it's too stuffy in Huo Garden, so I flew all the way from Wancheng!"
Knowing Huo Shu's purpose, Shi Teng also chimed in, "Yes, the young master really missed you terribly while he was at Huo Garden."
Everyone accurately caught the two characters "Huo Yuan".
Oh my, the child is being raised at Huo Garden? What's going on here???
Huo Lan also came out of the office at this time and happened to see the two embracing. Seeing that Jiang Shiyuan did not avoid her relationship with Huo Shu, he was overjoyed.
Huo Lan pretended to be calm and asked, "Tuantuan, what brings you here?"
Tuantuan then lifted her head from Jiang Shiyuan's embrace and ran towards Huo Lan, who picked her up in his arms.
Tuantuan said innocently, "I'm here to find my mom."
Huo Lan glanced at Jiang Shiyuan subconsciously, and raised an eyebrow when he saw that the other party did not seem to be acting strangely.
This could be considered an open admission of her relationship with him, right?
Huo Lan was afraid that Jiang Shiyuan would be angry, so he didn't dare to admit it directly. He just hugged Tuantuan and coaxed her, "Then Tuantuan can't cry anymore when she sees it."
Tuantuan sniffed and said, "Of course, but Dad, Tuantuan has a question."
"Um?"
Tuantuan asked, "Isn't it bad to talk badly about others behind their backs?"
Huo Lan nodded, realizing that something seemed to be wrong. "Yes, why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Tuantuan pointed at the two women who had just come out of the restroom and were trying to remain silent and avoid the boss, and raised her voice: "These two aunties were just talking about my mother in the restroom, saying that my mother and father are not a couple!"
Huo Lan looked at Jiang Shiyuan, still hesitating whether to continue the conversation with Tuantuan.
This wasn't a relationship he brought up voluntarily; his son insisted on saying it in public, and he couldn't stop him.
His gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked at the two people who were trying to quietly return to their workstations.
"Is Tuantuan referring to these two people?"
“Yes, yes!” Tuantuan nodded vigorously. “How could they be so mean, talking badly about my mother behind her back?”
Jiang Shiyuan also looked over and basically understood what the two people were talking about her.
She didn't have much emotion, just some sadness, that these harsh words had been heard by young Tuantuan.
Jiang Shiyuan took Tuantuan from Huo Lan's arms, not having time to investigate what the two had said.
"Come here, Tuantuan, Mommy will carry you home."
After saying that, he wanted to leave with his son first, but then he saw Tuantuan shout at the two of them.
"Auntie, what does 'lover' mean?"
Jiang Shiyuan was startled, and a fire suddenly ignited in her heart.
It doesn't matter what they talk about her, but how can such a young child hear it?
Jiang Shiyuan had just stopped walking when she heard Huo Lan speak from behind her, his voice chillingly cold.
"Lover?" Huo Lan looked at the two of them with icy eyes, but a smile played on his lips. "Why can't Jiang Shiyuan be my wife?"
"Honey, let's go home quickly, Tuantuan must be hungry."
Jiang Shiyuan suddenly spoke up, which made Huo Lan freeze in place, and his anger immediately subsided.
He thought she would refuse to admit it.
Without saying anything more, Jiang Shiyuan carried Tuantuan to the elevator.
Huo Lan dialed Lin Lang's number directly and arranged personnel changes for the two people, scaring them so much that they turned pale but were unable to defend themselves.
The boss's son has already pointed his finger at them and said it out loud, how can they still have the nerve to beg to stay?
Almost immediately, the head of the human resources department came over and began urging the two to complete their resignation handover.
Huo Lan had no time to pay attention to them. With a sense of joy at being acknowledged, he strode towards the elevator and accompanied Jiang Shiyuan downstairs.
Jiang Shiyuan didn't go to her own parking space. Instead, she walked to the black Cayenne parked downstairs and asked Huo Lan to open the door.
Huo Lan unlocked the door and smiled, "Mrs. Huo, would you like to come home with me?"
Seeing that Jiang Shiyuan did not object, he pressed his advantage and said, "Why don't we just take a helicopter back to Huo Garden? It only takes a little over an hour."
Jiang Shiyuan said, "Let's go back to the neighborhood."
They really do bloom as soon as they're given a little sunshine.
Tuantuan sat excitedly in Jiang Shiyuan's lap, "Are Mommy and Daddy going to get back together?"
Jiang Shiyuan frowned as she looked at the little boy in her arms, unable to understand how his tiny head contained so many words.
"Huo Shu, you're not allowed to learn any more useless words!" Jiang Shiyuan started using her motherly skills. "Got it?"
"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Tuantuan nodded, but kept smiling and snuggling into Jiang Shiyuan's arms. "Then, can Mommy stay with Tuantuan all the time from now on?"
Huo Lan, who was driving, glanced over out of the corner of his eye, pretending to be indifferent even though he was incredibly curious.
Huo Lan said, "Tuantuan, Mom is busy with her studies."
This is also the excuse that Jiang Shiyuan has always used.
Jiang Shiyuan replied, "As long as Tuantuan is obedient, Mom will always stay with Tuantuan and we will never be apart."
He then said, "How about we go back to Huo Garden with Tuantuan this weekend?"
Those few words felt incredibly hot to Huo Lan's ears, and his hands, gripping the steering wheel, trembled with excitement.
As soon as the green light turned, Huo Lan braked and pulled the car to the side of the road, then pulled Jiang Shiyuan into his arms.
"Guai Shiyuan, you're not lying to me, are you?"
Tuantuan covered her mouth and laughed, then moved aside to give the two of them some space.
Jiang Shiyuan gently stroked Huo Lan's back and whispered, "Husband, I think you should call me wife, right?"
Late at night, Lin Lang sent the information he had gathered to Huo Lan's email address.
The name and photo of "Yu Zisen" were clearly visible.
Huo Lan looked at the person on the screen in his study, twirled the pen in his hand, and dialed Li Bozhen's number.
Li Bozhen is a light sleeper. She woke up almost as soon as she heard her phone ring. She was a little confused when she saw that it was Huo Lan calling.
Why are you calling him so late at night? Did something happen?
Huo Lan greeted him politely, "Professor Li, I'm sorry to bother you by calling so late..."
The next sentence almost made Li Bozhen jump out of bed.
"Regarding your student Yu Zisen, all of his dozen or so papers were written by others. I wonder if you were aware of this?"
"Academic misconduct should result in expulsion from the school..."
In the dead of night, Yu Zisen was fast asleep in his apartment when he heard a series of urgent knocks on the door.
He opened the door impatiently, only to have his mouth covered by several people, who then forced him into the room.
An hour later, a scream erupted in the apartment, but no one knew what had happened. The next day, the usually refined Dr. Yu was seen wearing a baseball cap and a mask when he came downstairs, and his eyes, which were exposed, looked like they had been punched and were red and swollen.
A few days later, I never saw Dr. Yu again.
Much later, I only heard that he was forcibly expelled from school and, after joining a company, was assigned to a very difficult project in South Africa.
*
The live broadcast proceeded as scheduled on the third day. After two nights of public opinion fermentation, the rumors about Jiang Shiyuan and the head of the Huo family became increasingly unpleasant.
Everyone thought Jiang Shiyuan would no longer explain the artifacts in the digital museum, but unexpectedly, she still appeared in front of the public as promised, dressed elegantly and beautifully.
"Regarding last night's public opinion, I have to leave early due to the scheduling of the next segment."
Jiang Shiyuan, poised and graceful, smiled and extended her hand to show everyone the platinum wedding ring on her ring finger, as well as the dazzling blue diamond that cost hundreds of millions and made headlines countless times after being auctioned off.
"My husband and I have a stable relationship and have been married for many years. Thank you for your concern."
"By the way, my husband and I also have a lovely son, nicknamed Tuantuan, who just turned three."
......
Thank you everyone for your blessings...
"Please continue to follow our Digital Beijing Museum... using cultural relics to awaken historical memories, allowing more people to see and understand these relics..."
In the Bell Pavilion of Huo Garden, Huo Lan held Tuantuan and watched the live broadcast of Digital Beijing Museum intently, then unconsciously began to stroke Jiang Shiyuan's cheek.
"I really don't want my wife to be seen by other people..."
Tuantuan frowned, looking unhappy. "I'm not looked at by so many people like my mom. Mom belongs to me!"
"You're wrong, Tuantuan. Jiang Shiyuan belongs to Huo Lan."
"No, Jiang Shiyuan belongs to Huo Shu!"
“I’ve already told you, Tuantuan, Jiang Shiyuan belongs to Huo Lan.”
"No, it's not! It belongs to Huo Shu!!"
The father and son almost started fighting. In the end, Tuantuan clung to Huo Lan's clothes, looking sleepy.
Is Mom coming home tonight?
"Of course, my wife is going to sleep with me tonight."
"It's about sleeping with me!!"
"Wife wants to sleep with her husband!!"
"......"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Hooray! The main story ends here. Thank you all for your continued support!
A Letter to Readers
It's been almost four months since I started writing this in July. I never imagined it would take this long. I thought I could maintain daily updates and finish quickly, but I overestimated my abilities. I want to apologize to all the lovely readers. Thank you so much for reading. Although my inconsistent updates have caused a lot of readers to come and go, I'm still incredibly grateful that everyone has continued to support this novel. Thank you all so much!
Actually, before starting this piece, I hadn't written a novel for a long time. It was only around March or April that I suddenly started reading a few contemporary romance novels, and I found myself increasingly drawn to many authors' works, so I began writing myself. It started out of interest, and although it's not perfect, it's still a significant step forward for me. At least I know how to write a story to make it more engaging. Of course, there are still many flaws to resolve and much plot development to refine...
I apologize for informing everyone that the updates for the side stories will be on hold for a while, as the author is preparing for the civil service exam. From July to October, because my foundation was relatively solid, I didn't need to devote too much attention and still had the energy and resources to maintain updates. However, the closer I get to the exam, the greater the pressure becomes, and it's increasingly difficult to balance the pressure of both things. It's not just time that affects updates, but more so my emotions. Most of my absences stem from negative emotions; I experience chest tightness, headaches, and a throbbing headache, to the point that I can't come up with any ideas. In these last few days, this "illness" has worsened, and I even feel that the story is getting worse and worse. Seeing many readers' subscription rates stagnate makes me increasingly doubt myself.
So I need time to rest—no, not rest, but to prepare for the civil service exam. Most of my negative emotions stem from this exam. It puts immense pressure on me, and I want to win, so I have to sacrifice another part of my life. Otherwise, the exam and my creative work will be unbalanced and mutually reinforcing, ultimately preventing me from doing anything well.
Thank you for reading. Finally, I apologize that the promised bonus chapter will have to be postponed, as I must devote all my energy to another matter.
After the written exam, I will save up some chapters for a while, trying to accumulate as many extra chapters as possible to make the updates more stable and reduce the inconvenience for everyone's reading. All the promised extra chapters will be updated!! I'll be back around the end of December!
I know you all won't wait that long, but I still should explain the reasons clearly. I'm truly grateful that you've read this far; this is probably the happiness of being an author...
At the end of the main text, of course, there has to be a giveaway! I'll do it when I have some free time during the day and give away some coins. I was originally going to give away physical prizes, but I don't have time to ship them out right now.
Broken branch sweet pear
2025/10/24
By the way, I'll delete this letter to readers when I come back to update; I'm a human being...
Could you please be less critical of me? When I update the side story, I'll definitely be back with a stockpile of chapters!
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