Warm Marriage in a Rich Family: Mr. Huo's Spoiled Wife Will Turn the World Upside Down - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 It’s Her Favorite Dish

When Zhou Lai appeared in the private room, she was stunned.

A pink bubble-sleeved dress paired with off-white high heels made her the picture of a proper young lady. Her good friend Song Ci was stunned for two seconds before bursting into laughter.

“Zhou Lai, are you kidding me? You’re going clubbing dressed… so girlishly?”

Faced with her friend’s teasing, she shook her head helplessly. “I just came from the art gallery. I’ve been immersed in art all evening, and it’s left me feeling intoxicated.”

The owner of the gallery was a close friend of her mother, Lin Jing. In front of adults, she had to maintain her good girl image.

“You’re drunk without even drinking? You’d better take it easy tonight.”

“That kind of high-class artistic taste really doesn’t suit me.” She paused. “I’m going to start quitting drinking. Tonight is the last time I won’t stop until I’m drunk.”

Song Ci rolled her eyes. “Come on, isn’t your heartless husband only returning next week?”

“I need time to adjust.”

She was nearly going crazy. Huo Ya was coming back. His overseas project had concluded, and he was shifting his focus to domestic development. This meant her carefree, wild lifestyle was coming to an end.

Who was Huo Ya? He was her husband who had flown overseas the day after their wedding. Mother Huo had delightedly shared the good news with her, grinning from ear to ear.

Zhou Lai felt her smile stiffen. Her marriage to Huo Ya was arranged. Lin Jing had always reminded her: “Be a proper young madam of a wealthy family. Act dutifully, live steadily, never be rude or impatient, and never disgrace the face I’ve worked so hard to cultivate in you.”

The days Huo Ya spent in France were the happiest of her 25 years. Free from family control and without a husband around, she spent her days eating and drinking with Song Ci, dining at Western restaurants in the early evening and clubbing until the early hours. She could hardly even remember what Huo Ya looked like.

But now Huo Ya was returning. It took her a whole night to accept this fact, and she could only sigh in despair. She was finally going to become the wealthy family daughter-in-law Lin Jing had always talked about. Forget drinking and clubbing according to the standards of a wealthy wife, she would have to smile without showing her teeth, wear dignified and conservative clothes every day, stay at home to support her husband and raise children, and play the part of a wealthy couple with Huo Ya.

For her, this was harder than climbing to the sky!

Digging through her oversized backpack, she pulled out her “battle attire.” Someone had been in the private restroom for what felt like ages, and she couldn’t wait any longer, so she headed to the main hall’s restroom.

The pent-up restlessness she had suppressed all evening stirred as she passed the deafening music of the dance floor. After applying her club makeup and changing clothes, she eagerly rushed into the crowd.

Zhou Lai was dancing energetically when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a handsome young man holding a cigarette, sitting at the bar and staring intently at her. Then, he curled his lips into a careless smile.

That smile was too irritating!

She grabbed Song Ci beside her and said with feigned seriousness, “That handsome guy just gave me a look and then laughed at me. Such blatant provocation has ignited my fighting spirit I’m going to take him down.”

Song Ci squinted as she assessed the situation and said uncertainly, “Girl… doesn’t that guy look a lot like your heartless husband?”

“Impossible. That heartless husband of mine isn’t nearly that handsome,” she retorted dismissively.

“True, you couldn’t possibly fail to recognize your own husband.”

She really had forgotten. In her memory, he was always cold and rigid, as if everyone owed him millions though he was quite handsome…

Tonight, when she got back, she needed to dig out Huo Ya’s photo and seriously recall what her husband looked like.

It wasn’t entirely her fault for forgetting her husband’s appearance. Aside from seeing him a few times at the Zhou residence during middle school, they didn’t meet again until ten years later when they obtained their marriage certificate and had a meal together. At that time, she had been so resentful toward him that she couldn’t bring herself to pay him any attention.

“So handsome, it’s practically criminal! If I don’t make a move tonight, I’ll regret it for life!”

Several beautiful women surrounded the handsome man, but he politely declined each one. This only fueled her desire to conquer. Tossing her hair, she prepared to make her approach.

But before she could take a step, her mother’s call came through. Not daring to ignore it, she hurried to a quiet corner, escaping the deafening music.

Before the other party could speak, she already imagined what would be said. Eager to brush off Lin Jing so she could return to dancing, she spoke first:

“Mom, I just left the art gallery and am heading for full body treatment. I specifically asked the owner to use the rose petals flown in from France this morning. I’ll be all fragrant I thought since my husband has spent so long in that romantic country, he’d appreciate it.”

The respectful reply came from Mother Huo’s secretary.

“Miss, Chairwoman Lin asked me to inform you that the young master has returned to the country earlier than expected. While seeing off a client at the airport, he happened to run into the young master who had just landed.”

Zhou Lai froze on the spot, unable to describe her feelings. The wineglass in her hand fell onto the red-carpeted floor, rolling several times before stopping in front of a pair of black leather shoes.

It was the handsome man.

The man picked up the fallen glass, twirling it lightly between his fingers before handing it back to her.

As the glass appeared before Zhou Lai’s eyes, a faint scent of cologne drifted through the air. Being someone who noticed hands first, her initial focus was on his clean, slender fingers. Squinting, she noticed the ring on his ring finger looked rather familiar.

Noises came from the phone as the secretary switched to speakerphone. Her mother’s voice came through while she flipped through documents, chastising her:

“Zhou Lai, I hope you remember what I told you. You are now the young madam of the Huo family your words and actions are under scrutiny. Regardless of how Huo Ya was before, from now on, you two must get along properly.”

“Oh, alright,” she replied respectfully, but Lin Jing wasn’t satisfied.

“Don’t act foolish. Do you think ‘oh’ is an appropriate response to an elder? Mind your status and your language.”

“Okay, Mother, I understand what to do.” Zhou Lai didn’t dare argue and agreed softly.

Satisfied with the response, Lin Jing fell silent. The secretary hung up, and listening to the dial tone, Zhou Lai sighed quietly. Her mother was too fixated on formalities. In the Huo household, she felt incredibly free Mother Huo was kind and never put on airs. In contrast, around her own mother, she always had to tread carefully, as if walking on thin ice.

The man standing opposite her gently swirled his glass, drawing her back to the present.

Zhou Lai softly expressed her thanks as she accepted the wine glass, her gaze unconsciously drifting to the other person’s fingers. Such beautiful fingers it would truly be a shame not to take a second look. Neatly trimmed, fair, and distinctly jointed, that was exactly how a man’s hands should look.

His figure was tall and upright, clad in an expensive white long-sleeved shirt on top and sharply pressed black trousers below, with a suit jacket draped over his wrist. His handsome face appeared both restrained and aloof, yet elegantly refined…

Hmm, he was absolutely her type!