Chapter 73 Mom kissed Dad...
Jiang Shiyuan was a little angry and dodged Huo Lan's kiss. "Tuantuan said he misses me, why haven't you brought him over yet?"
Still feeling unsatisfied, she reached inside his coat and pinched his waist and abdomen through his shirt.
Huo Lan gasped, feeling a tingling sensation coming from his lower abdomen, which sent shivers down his spine and filled him with excitement.
"So eager?" His eyes sparkled with excitement, as if Jiang Shiyuan's actions just now were flirting rather than anger. "Don't worry, I'll satisfy you."
With a little force, he pinned her against the car door, his hand like a slippery fish, deftly swimming under her skirt.
The temperature inside the car soared. When Jiang Shiyuan was completely dizzy from the kiss, she quickly regained her senses and touched Huo Lan's forehead.
The two men were in so much pain that they saw stars, but they managed to stop the accidental discharge of the gun inside the car.
Jiang Shiyuan rubbed her forehead. "Huo Lan, we're talking about serious matters!"
"So cruel..." Huo Lan calmed her breathing slightly, loosened her grip on Jiang Shiyuan, leaned back in her chair, and rubbed her forehead. "Did she murder her husband?"
Huo Lan found it somewhat amusing, "They even use tactics that inflict a thousand damage on the enemy while also inflicting a thousand damage on themselves."
Jiang Shiyuan straightened her clothes; if she hadn't woken up in time, she would have been eaten again.
"We're going through a divorce right now, so don't just kiss me like that."
Although the divorce has been going on for more than three years and he has already completed his master's degree, they still haven't gotten a divorce.
"You look beautiful today, and your explanation was excellent. The project should be progressing smoothly." Huo Lan didn't care about the "divorce" in Jiang Shiyuan's words. She suddenly became serious, but after a few words, she changed the subject again, "It's just that the man next to you is a bit out of place."
Jiang Shiyuan had already guessed what he was going to say next, and quickly said, "He's just my fellow disciple. Don't be jealous, and don't try to transfer him away all the time."
Then, remembering something else, she said, "And that girl who just gave a presentation in the library, she's really capable, don't just fire her for no reason."
"When did I say I was going to fire her?" Huo Lan was puzzled. "Did Lin Lang talk bad about me to you again?"
Huo Lan frowned. "It seems you want to receive a letter of dismissal."
Hearing this, Jiang Shiyuan no longer doubted the truthfulness of Lin Lang's words.
"I'll head back now since Tuantuan isn't here. Hurry up and open the car door for me."
"No, please." Huo Lan grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her back into his arms. "Let me hold you for a while, just a little while."
"Does Dr. Jiang look down on me?" Huo Lan kissed her collarbone, his breath hot. "After all, you have a higher degree than me now."
Jiang Shiyuan had no idea what Huo Lan was thinking right now; he always seemed to be on a whim. "If you're insecure, you can go and study for a course too."
Huo Lan snorted, "That won't do. I have to stay home to take care of the kids and I'm too busy to compare with Dr. Jiang."
The two lingered in the car for a while before Huo Lan reluctantly let go of her hand.
When Jiang Shiyuan returned to her office in the afternoon, Lin Shuwan approached her and asked how she knew Huo's special assistant. Jiang Shiyuan simply said that Lin Lang was her friend in Wancheng, and easily convinced them without making up any reasons.
During these three years, Jiang Shiyuan did return to Huo Garden.
The day after leaving Huo Garden, Jiang Shiyuan didn't go anywhere. She just stayed quietly at Cheng Yan's house looking at her phone, but surprisingly, she didn't receive a single message from Huo Lan.
Cheng Yan said this was a good start, indicating that Huo Lan had really let go and she was finally free, but Jiang Shiyuan felt a sense of loss that she couldn't quite explain.
This sense of loss was so strange that it even frightened her.
To test whether Huo Lan had truly stopped sending people to monitor her, she asked Cheng Yan to accompany her on a trip and even accepted the advances of strange men. However, she never saw Huo Lan and received no messages from him.
She is truly free, but there are many things she can't bear to give up.
The worst part is that she misses Tuantuan so much that she can't even eat.
During Tuantuan's 100-day celebration, she finally couldn't resist returning to Huo Garden. From then on, she kept in touch intermittently, and almost never missed Tuantuan's growth.
Perhaps it was Huo Lan's deliberate prompting and practice, but Tuantuan's first word was "Mom."
Unfortunately, Jiang Shiyuan was doing archaeological work in the field at the time and didn't hear the first sound. However, Huo Lan recorded the video, allowing her to hear Tuantuan's first words.
The next morning, Jiang Shiyuan took leave and booked the earliest flight back to Wancheng. After Huo Lan discovered that Jiang Shiyuan was most soft-hearted towards Tuantuan, he began to send Tuantuan photos every day in an attempt to "seduce" her.
To make it easier to find Jiang Shiyuan and for her to return at any time, Huo Lan cleared out a plot of land in Huo Garden and built a helipad. It only takes a little over an hour to travel from Wancheng to the capital.
The two became closer again because of Tuantuan, but they would be separated for a while when Jiang Shiyuan occasionally went to the field for archaeology.
After another busy afternoon at the museum, and a brief meeting with the person in charge of Shiyuan Technology, the weather had turned gloomy.
Jiang Shiyuan only realized that a heavy rain was coming after checking the weather forecast, so she didn't stay to work overtime and went home first.
She bought a single-story apartment in a neighborhood not far from the school. It wasn't very big, but every inch of land was precious. She lived alone, and Huo Lan would occasionally bring Tuantuan over to keep her company, but they wouldn't stay overnight.
Jiang Shiyuan began preparing for her doctoral dissertation before entering her first year of doctoral studies. The pressure of doctoral studies is considerable, with projects, courses, and journal articles all entering a challenging phase.
So after a quick meal, she went into her study to research and begin preparing her thesis.
The rain outside was pouring down harder and harder, showing no signs of stopping, when the doorbell rang.
Jiang Shiyuan went to open the door in confusion and saw a small figure wearing a yellow raincoat through the peephole.
Startled, she quickly opened the door and squatted down.
"Tuantuan, how did you get here? It's raining so hard!"
The little boy stood at the door wearing a raincoat, soaking wet, pushing a suitcase almost as tall as him.
When she saw Jiang Shiyuan open the door, Tuantuan was so happy that she wanted to run over, but she was afraid that the rain on her body would get Jiang Shiyuan's clothes dirty, so she didn't dare to hug her. She just looked up at her with bright eyes.
"Mom, I'm so amazing! I went on a solo adventure and found you all by myself!"
Jiang Shiyuan looked around but didn't see any adults, so she quickly let Tuantuan go inside first.
She took off Tuantuan's raincoat, which was soaked with rain, and placed it on the cabinet next to him. Then she carried him to the bedroom and changed him into a soft set of pajamas. Seeing that he didn't have any signs of catching a cold, and that only his hair on his forehead was wet, she felt relieved and dared to be angry.
"Huo Shu! Why are you here alone? Where is your father?"
Tuantuan straightened up like a little hero, patted her chest, and said, "I came all by myself, Dad didn't know!"
Jiang Shiyuan was trembling with anger and picked up her phone to dial Huo Lan's number.
Tuantuan is only three years old! How could she possibly have traveled all the way from Wancheng to Beijing by herself?
"Shh~" Tuantuan ran up to Jiang Shiyuan and said pitifully, "Don't call Daddy, Daddy doesn't know, Uncle Shiteng brought me here."
He hugged Jiang Shiyuan's neck with his small body, still smelling sweetly of milk. "I missed my mom, so I asked Uncle Shiteng to bring me here. But I went upstairs by myself, pulling my suitcase all by myself!"
Jiang Shiyuan pretended to be serious and said, "Tuantuan, you can't do that in the future. If you miss your mother, you can call her."
"Tuantuan wants to give Mom a surprise." Tuantuan ran off the bed, barefoot, to the entrance to drag her SpongeBob SquarePants suitcase. "Tuantuan wants to celebrate Mom's birthday."
Hearing Tuantuan's words, Jiang Shiyuan's heart softened immediately. She had been busy with the museum project recently and had even forgotten her own birthday, but Tuantuan remembered.
“Mom’s birthday is June 20th, and Tuantuan always remembers it.”
He opened his suitcase, which contained a cluster of slightly wilted hydrangeas and a doll holding a magnifying glass, almost filling the entire suitcase.
"Dad said Mom is a great archaeologist, but Tuantuan doesn't know what archaeology is."
Tuantuan took the doll out of her suitcase. "Dad said that archaeology is about digging for treasure in small pits with all sorts of tools, just like this doll!"
Jiang Shiyuan took the small doll from Tuantuan's hand. The doll was wearing overalls and holding a magnifying glass, but the label on the stitching read "Explorer".
She couldn't help but burst out laughing; Tuantuan was still suffering from her lack of education.
"Ah, Mom really loves the gift Tuantuan gave me." Jiang Shiyuan hugged the doll to her arms and kissed his cheek. "Tuantuan is such a good baby of Mom, such a sweet and soft baby."
Tuantuan frowned and looked at the wilted hydrangea still lying in the suitcase. "But the hydrangea that Tuantuan gave to Mom doesn't look good anymore."
"The hydrangea trees in Huo Garden are all in bloom. Daddy said Mommy loves hydrangeas the most, but we can't see them here." Tuantuan frowned, looking like she was about to cry. "So Tuantuan wants to give Mommy flowers..."
"It's okay, we can put the flowers in a vase, that will look beautiful too."
After Jiang Shiyuan finished speaking, she led Tuantuan to the living room. There were lilies in full bloom in a vase on the coffee table. Without thinking, Jiang Shiyuan took it out and put the hydrangea in it.
Jiang Shiyuan said, "It looks great like this."
Tuantuan then cheered up, her eyes crinkling as she covered her mouth and giggled secretly.
The rain outside showed no signs of stopping, and even lightning flashed, scaring Tuantuan so much that she hid in Jiang Shiyuan's arms.
Just then, the doorbell rang again, and it was obvious who it was.
Jiang Shiyuan swiped open a children's game on the tablet and told him to go back to the bedroom first. He then went to open the door, but Tuantuan was too scared to play.
"Grandma said I can't play games."
Jiang Shiyuan was stunned for a moment, "So Tuantuan is not going to play anymore?"
"Mmm." Tuantuan nodded seriously. "I will listen to Grandma and be a good child."
Xu Feixuan has a knack for managing children. She remembers that last time Tuantuan came over, he played this game and didn't want to let go.
"Tuantuan has been learning Go recently. Mom, can you find me a Go game?"
Wow, they're already learning game theory at such a young age? The Huo family's education is indeed much stricter.
Jiang Shiyuan didn't understand but thought it made sense, so he found a Go game for Tuantuan. After a while, he realized that he had forgotten to open the door.
When the door opened, she saw that Huo Lan was still standing at the door waiting for her.
"It's raining, why did you come here?"
Huo Lan feigned anxiety and said, "Tuantuan is missing, what should we do?"
Jiang Shiyuan pretended to be confused, and made a move to close the door, saying, "Then go find it yourself. It's no use talking to me."
Without Huo Lan's permission, how could Shi Teng dare to bring Tuan Tuan to Beijing to find her?
Huo Lan chuckled to himself at his own clumsy lie and quickly blocked the door that Jiang Shiyuan was about to close.
"Shiyuan, it's still raining outside. You can't just kick me out now, can you?"
"If Mr. Huo wants to take shelter from the rain, he can go downstairs to rest. You should be quite comfortable there."
She lived in a prime location in Beijing with excellent security and privacy. Since it was a one-apartment-per-floor apartment building, she rarely saw any neighbors, yet she had bumped into him downstairs several times.
"You should go live downstairs and not disturb our family time."
"Dad!" Tuantuan heard the noise at the door, stopped playing chess, and ran over barefoot.
He hugged Jiang Shiyuan's leg and swayed it, then looked up at her with an innocent and adorable expression, "Don't send Daddy away, Tuantuan wants to watch cartoons with Mommy and Daddy."
At this point, I no longer feel like playing Go.
Seeing that Jiang Shiyuan did not close the door, Huo Lan slipped in, changed his shoes in the entryway, and then hugged Tuantuan as if he were back in his own home.
"Did Tuantuan make Mommy angry?"
Although Huo Lan was talking to Tuantuan, he kept glancing at Jiang Shiyuan out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that she didn't seem angry, he put Tuantuan on the sofa and turned on the TV to find cartoons.
Tuantuan said, "I gave Mom a birthday present. Did Dad prepare one?"
While searching for cartoons, Huo Lan frowned and said, "Mom probably doesn't want Dad's gift, so Dad didn't prepare one."
Jiang Shiyuan, who was listening nearby, suddenly became a little angry.
Not wanting to and not being prepared are two different things.
However, the next second, Jiang Shiyuan was shocked by Tuantuan's words.
“It’s okay, Daddy can give Mommy a kiss.” Tuantuan said earnestly, “We can make up for the gift later, Mommy will be very happy too.”
"Tuan Tuan!" Jiang Shiyuan walked over with her hands on her hips. "I don't need his kiss. If you mention this again, I'll call your grandma right now and tell her you didn't study Go properly today."
Tuan Tuan stared at Jiang Shiyuan in shock. How could her own mother be so terrifying?
But he was willing to do anything for his father.
"But Rou Rou told me that her mother would be very happy as long as her father kissed her."
Rou Rou is Shi Teng's child, and she is about the same age as Tuan Tuan. Occasionally, Huo Yuan and Tuan Tuan will play together, which also makes it convenient for Feng Teng to take care of her.
Tuantuan frowned, looking pitiful. It was unclear who she had learned it from, but she asked, "Does Mommy not like Tuantuan, which is why she won't let Daddy kiss her?"
Seeing Tuantuan like this, Jiang Shiyuan felt incredibly soft-hearted. "How could that be? Mommy loves Tuantuan the most."
Besides, there doesn't seem to be any connection between the two, does there?
"Then Mommy loves Daddy."
Hoshu changed his mind again.
"Hmm?" Jiang Shiyuan began to suspect that the father and son had planned to come over together.
Huo Lan pretended to be reluctant and sat on the sofa waiting for Jiang Shiyuan to take the initiative. "Since that's the case, I'll let you kiss me."
"No." She'd have to be stupid to let this father and son lead her by the nose. "You watch cartoons with Tuantuan, I'm going to write my thesis."
Just as Jiang Shiyuan was about to leave, she saw Tuantuan start to sob. "I knew Mom didn't like Tuantuan, so she made Tuantuan live alone in Huo Garden."
Jiang Shiyuan's heart suddenly ached. Although Huo Shu was young, he was more sensitive and intelligent than other children his age. He had his own ideas, but he also learned to hide his emotions.
He had never said such things before, but now, in order to bring her closer to Huo Lan, he said what he most wanted to say.
“How could that be…” Jiang Shiyuan walked to the sofa and hugged little Tuantuan in her arms. “Mom loves Tuantuan the most. Mom is just busy with her studies right now and can’t be with Tuantuan all the time.”
Tuantuan wiped her eyes with her little hands, not forgetting her purpose, "Then Mommy will kiss Daddy."
"Okay." Jiang Shiyuan nodded, not expecting that she would be so easily manipulated by three-year-old Tuantuan.
She gave Huo Lan a light kiss on the cheek, but Tuan Tuan was not satisfied.
"I want a kiss."
Jiang Shiyuan finally awakened her maternal instincts, rolled up her sleeves, and then burrowed into Huo Lan's arms in fright, "Mommy, I want to continue watching cartoons with Daddy!"
Huo Lan smiled and hugged Tuan Tuan tightly, whispering in his ear, but the words also drifted into Jiang Shiyuan's ears.
"It's okay, Daddy already kissed Mommy during the day."
"Oh! Really?" Tuantuan covered her mouth with surprise and continued to whisper to Huo Lan, "Then is Mommy happy?"
Huo Lan looked up at Jiang Shiyuan, then said to Tuantuan, "I'm happy."
Tuantuan cheered up and clung to Jiang Shiyuan to watch cartoons together. Not long after, she fell asleep in her arms.
"Shh~" Jiang Shiyuan gestured for Huo Lan to turn off the TV, and quietly carried Tuantuan back to the children's room.
Because Tuantuan would often come to Beijing to visit her, she cleaned up the guest room and renovated it into a children's room.
Tuantuan's toys and picture books are all in the room, and her wardrobe is updated with seasonal clothes from time to time.
However, when she returned to her bedroom, someone followed her all the way.
Jiang Shiyuan said, "You can go back to the other side now."
"That won't do. What if Tuantuan wakes up and can't see me, and starts crying?"
Jiang Shiyuan refused to let Huo Lan into the master bedroom, saying, "You can't sleep with me either. You can sleep in the guest room."
"The guest room isn't ready yet, it's freezing cold." Huo Lan laughed. "Would you have pity on me, my dear?"
Huo Lan was always so good at acting cute, but she couldn't do anything about it.
But she knew that if she let him in, he would be completely devoured, so she hardened her heart.
"I don't have a condom at home... Don't even think about it."
Huo Lan's eyes lit up. Before he even said what he was going to do, she had already thought of something. Wouldn't it be impolite if he didn't go along with it?
"It's alright, I'll have Shi Teng bring it up."
Jiang Shiyuan slammed the door shut in anger, and all hope was dashed.
Huo Lan shook his head and went to the sofa to make do for the night. Sleeping in the living room was better than going back to the deserted suite across the street alone. At least his wife and son were here, although his wife was not willing to admit that she was his wife yet and kept talking about divorce.
In the early hours of the morning, Jiang Shiyuan opened the door and came to the living room to find him.
She gently tugged at his sleeve, and he woke up.
Jiang Shiyuan knew he was sensitive to sleeping in unfamiliar beds; after all, he was the young master of the peas.
Jiang Shiyuan, unusually, relented, "Go to bed, but behave yourself."
Huo Lan laughed and got up, but she dodged his kiss.
He wasn't annoyed, but went to the entrance to change his shoes.
Jiang Shiyuan asked in confusion, "Where are you going?"
Huo Lan said calmly, "I'll go downstairs and get you your birthday present."
Otherwise he'd just sulk again. He couldn't afford to upset his wife, who had already been threatening to divorce him.
Huo Lan didn't close the door, but took the elevator downstairs. A little while later, Jiang Shiyuan heard the door close, and Huo Lan entered the bedroom with an exquisite gift box.
"What is it?" Jiang Shiyuan looked on expectantly, though she didn't want to appear too eager. "Jewelry and such can't buy me anything."
"You'll like it." Huo Lan handed her the gift box. "Open it and see."
Jiang Shiyuan sat on the bed and opened the gift box. In the middle was an exquisitely crafted cloisonné enamel silver teapot, entirely indigo blue and incredibly beautiful. Two teacups were also placed next to it.
Jiang Shiyuan's eyes lit up. "Beautiful! How did you know I've been researching cloisonné enamel lately?"
She was startled and a little scared. "You've sent someone to spy on me again?"
Huo Lan chuckled helplessly. Why, even after three years, did she still refuse to believe him?
"The archaeological project you were working on recently unearthed a cloisonné enamelware from the Ming Dynasty, which is a very valuable artifact for research. I bet you'll like it soon."
Huo Lan leaned down and pinched her cheek. "You little ingrate, why don't you believe me?"
"Oh, oh, oh." Jiang Shiyuan knew she had wronged Huo Lan, but refused to admit it. "So what? It's your past record."
Jiang Shiyuan happily took out the silver pot to play with and admire it for a while before putting it away and placing it on the bedside table.
“I really like your gift today.” After saying that, Jiang Shiyuan took out a delicate little box from the last drawer of the table next to her and handed it to Huo Lan, “It’s only fair to return the favor.”
Huo Lan's eyes lit up with surprise, but he pretended not to care. "I lack nothing and need nothing."
After saying that, he lifted a corner of the blanket and lay down with his back to her as if nothing had happened.
"Fine, if you don't want it, then forget it..." Though she said this, she didn't move. Then Huo Lan quickly turned around. "Who said you don't want it?"
Huo Lan sat up and opened the box in front of Jiang Shiyuan. Inside was a string of high-quality small-leaf sandalwood beads.
"Do you like it? It's covered in gold stars, no worse than your old, tattered one."
She still remembered the one he used to love the most, which he cruelly broke apart after catching her that night. In fact, he knew that he had always liked that Buddhist rosary.
“I went to a nearby temple and had it blessed by a master.”
She had originally planned to give it to him after she finished her doctoral studies and returned to Wancheng, but now she couldn't wait any longer.
Huo Lan stared at the beads in the box for a long time, and only when she came to her senses did she realize that her eyes were wet.
He quickly closed the box and placed it on the bedside table, pretending not to care. "Mmm, I like it very much."
"Give me a hug?" Huo Lan didn't continue sleeping. Instead, he stretched out his arms. "Good girl, Shi Yuan, hurry up, or I'll kiss you."
Jiang Shiyuan reluctantly snuggled closer to Huo Lan, but as soon as she touched him, she was pulled into his arms.
Before she could even adjust her position, a hand gripped her chin, forcing her to open her mouth to receive his hot and urgent kiss.
"Stick out your tongue..." Huo Lan demanded forcefully between breaths, "Don't you dare? Don't beg for mercy later."
Before Jiang Shiyuan could respond, he rolled over and kissed her collarbone, tearing at each button of her pajamas.
"No... I already said I don't have any condoms..."
Jiang Shiyuan pushed against his chest, but was kissed so hard that she lost all strength and melted into a soft, yielding pool of spring water.
"Tuantuan said she wants a little sister..."
"Huh?" Jiang Shiyuan was slightly stunned. Before she could react, she was taken in and lost the ability to think.
"Huo Lan..."
The scratch marks on his back became clearer, and the breathing in the room was rapid and heavy.
"shameless......"
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Author's note: Please bear with me a little longer, the main story will be finished soon!
As for the side stories, I plan to write a few more chapters about the post-marriage period (I'm brainstorming how to make them sweet without being cloying [laughing and crying emoji]). After the post-marriage chapters are finished, there will be a few separate, non-continuous sweet anime chapters. If you still want to read them, I'm considering writing a "what if" story, titled "If Jiang Shiyuan Hadn't Agreed to Be a Canary Back Then," a college-themed story. If not many people are interested, I won't write it and will go prepare a new story. Of course, if there are any other side stories you'd like to see, please let me know in the comments.
My next book is "Sick Moonlight," because some lovely readers expressed their desire to read it on Weibo, and of course I'll oblige, haha. However, given that I'm not a very diligent author, "Sick Moonlight" will be kept in its entirety until next year before I start writing it.
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