Warm Marriage in a Rich Family: Mr. Huo's Spoiled Wife Will Turn the World Upside Down - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Identical Rings

It’s just a pity that she’s already Taken, so no matter how lush and tender the grass outside may be, she can only look and indulge in the fantasy.

The only consolation is that her scoundrel of a husband is quite handsome. Though she can’t recall his exact appearance now, knowing he’s good-looking is enough it doesn’t embarrass her to mention it.

Ah, Zhou Lai shook her head and stood under the air vent, goosebumps rising on her arms. Huo Ya’s figure vaguely surfaced in her mind, and she felt that the demeanor of the handsome man before her somewhat overlapped with his!

She must be drunk without even drinking. So much so that now, with a handsome man right in front of her, she had no interest in drinking with him, completely killing her appetite.

The handsome man across from her looked her up and down and replied in a low voice, “You’re welcome.”

Zhou Lai: “…”

A man looking like this is truly a menace!

She found Song Ci twisting and turning on the dance floor and, under Song Ci’s expression full of pity for her yet tinged with a bit of shyness, lamented all the way home.

The first thing she did upon returning home was to take a shower. She removed her carefully applied makeup, changed into the pink floral dress she hated the most, and hurried to the storage room with small, quick steps. She remembered his personal items were there. Right, the marriage certificate would show his picture, it had a photo of both.

She rummaged through everything but couldn’t find the marriage certificate. She distinctly remembered throwing it there. How could it not be found?

After turning the place upside down, she didn’t find the marriage certificate but instead stumbled upon their wedding rings.

…Well, she might as well wear the ring for appearances. She had tossed it into the storage room the day after their wedding, and she wasn’t sure if her fingers had gotten any chubbier since.

Opening the ring box, a familiar ring appeared before her eyes. Zhou Lai snapped the box shut with a “pop,” and an image surfaced in her mind: a pair of clean, slender hands and a ring on the ring finger. Th-this… wasn’t this the same ring the handsome man at the nightclub wore? Oh no, no it was the ring worn by the handsome man at the nightclub.

Now she finally understood why the ring looked familiar at first glance.

This was her and Huo Ya’s wedding ring!

She stood frozen in place. It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it? Clinging to a sliver of hope, she trudged downstairs dejectedly and saw a faint shadowy figure on the lower floor from the second floor.

Had Huo Ya returned? Her heart instantly leaped into her throat.

Li Jie emerged from the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a soup ladle, greeting her warmly.

Zhou Lai’s racing heart settled slightly.

Li Jie was an old servant of the Huo family, having worked there even before Huo Ya was born. Huo Ya particularly loved her cooking, so after he got married, Li Jie moved out with them.

“Young Madam, you’re back. The soup will be ready soon; you can have it in about half an hour.”

“You”?

Zhou Lai keenly caught Li Jie’s wording. In this house, it had always been just her and Li Jie. Aside from Li Jie, who else could “you” refer to?

Could it be…

“Li Jie, who else is coming?”

Li Jie replied cheerfully, “No one else is coming… It’s just for you and the young master…”

Just as she was starting to relax, Li Jie’s following words made her heart race again. Well, what must be faced will eventually have to be faced. She took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, pushed open the bedroom door, and heard running water from the bathroom.

A coat lay on the bed. When she picked it up, a faint scent of cologne wafted toward her. On the bedside table were a phone, wallet, watch, and a ring identical to the one on her finger.

How unpredictable life was, fate truly worked in mysterious ways. Huo Ya had returned early, and they’d run into each other at the club! And she hadn’t even recognized her own husband!

Zhou Lai just wanted to find a place to lie down and disappear.

He hadn’t recognized her, but she wondered if Huo Ya had recognized her. When she saw him at the club tonight, she’d been wearing makeup standard club makeup with finely drawn eyeliner. Now, with her bare face and changed clothes, she looked every bit at the proper young lady, a world apart from her club appearance.

The sound of water from the bathroom stopped, followed by the door opening. She turned toward the bathroom, offering a well-practiced smile.

As expected, the handsome man emerging from the bathroom was coldly elegant and strikingly good-looking who else could it be but that green tea? He paused slightly upon seeing her.

Whether he recognized her or not it didn’t matter, she just needed to deny everything.

“Brother Huo Ya, why did you return early?” Zhou Lai steadied herself, deciding to respond with unwavering composure.

Brother it made her want to vomit. This form of address was purely something she used to disgust him and to appear obedient in front of Lin Jing.

This “brother”… never mind, she didn’t know how to describe it.

Huo Ya curled the corner of his mouth nonchalantly, his smile subtle and inscrutable, exactly like when he’d stared at her from the club bar tonight.

His damp bangs dripped water as he wiped them with a towel. Even this simple, haphazard motion was executed with unparalleled elegance.

“Hmm, it seems you’re rather disappointed?”

“Brother Huo Ya still enjoys joking with me. I’ve been waiting for your return all along.”

She shyly lowered her head, staring at her toes.

So, you do have some self-awareness. The moment you return, I must play the part of the wealthy socialite wife for you do you think I’m disappointed or not?

This is practically going to be the death of me!

Both sets of parents thought they were perfectly matched, but only the two of them knew there wasn’t an ounce of genuine feeling between them. If they had to scrape together some trace of connection from this void, it would be their mutual dislike and aversion.

She had lived with her mother in Fucheng since childhood and only heard Huo Ya’s name when she entered middle school. She’d never met him, but Zhou Ning talked about him constantly.

Perhaps from years of being oppressed by Lin Jing during her childhood, she had developed a rebellious streak deep in her bones. She particularly hated being compared to positive role models, and with Zhou Ning constantly gushing about “Brother Ya,” she began silently resenting him even before they’d officially met.

Later, she finally met the “Brother Ya” Zhou Ning always talked about. He was truly dignified and talented, breathtaking at first glance, and still breathtaking upon the second. But no matter how stunning he was, they existed in different worlds, because at that time, he was busy playing out a childhood sweetheart narrative with her younger sister, Zhou Ning.

Zhou Lai was only one month older than Zhou Ning. Without needing much speculation, it was clear this was one of those hidden, unspeakable stories of wealthy families.

Not long after Lin Jing became pregnant, Father Zhou’s mistress also became pregnant at the same time. If she were just an ordinary wealthy family’s daughter-in-law, most would choose to turn a blind eye or take the child back to raising. However, Lin Jing was not one to endure humiliation. Once she finished her postpartum confinement, she personally went to confront Liu Ruyu. During the argument, she pushed Liu Ruyu to the ground. Whether it was Zhou Ning’s fate being resilient or tough, Liu Ruyu, covered in blood, went to the hospital, and the seven-month premature baby stayed in an incubator for a while before being discharged.

From then on, she had a half-sister.