The Husband She Hadn't Seen in Three Years
Chapter 1 The Husband She Hadn't Seen in Three Years**
A funeral was underway at the cemetery on the outskirts of the capital. Dressed in head-to-toe black, Su Wanqing stood beside her father's portrait, her eyes hollow and distant, accepting condolences from his old friends on his behalf.
"Miss Su, please accept our deepest sympathies," someone offered softly.
Su Wanqing's eyes reddened as she thanked them, her voice hoarse. Just over a month ago, the Su Corporation had declared complete bankruptcy, and her father had suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, dying despite efforts to save him. The Su family, once a towering pillar in the capital's business world, had collapsed overnight, a downfall that became a subject of widespread pity and sighs.
Yet, Su Wanqing's own status still commanded a degree of awe and deference from the crowd.
For she was not only the eldest daughter of the Su family but also the wife of Huo Yan, the recently formidable and famed president of the Huo Corporation in business circles. Huo Yan's ruthless business tactics inspired fear; in just a few short years, the Huo Group, which he had built from the ground up, had risen with meteoric force to become an entity in a league of its own within the capital's elite circles. No one dared to underestimate Huo Yan's power.
The funeral lasted until mid-afternoon. People had been stealing glances toward the entrance, but Huo Yan's figure was conspicuously absent. Just as the service was nearing its end, a black sedan pulled up, unhurried, before the cemetery gates.
The driver stepped out and opened the rear door. Huo Yan alighted, the gleam of his polished leather shoes hitting the pavement with a sound that seemed to emit an icy chill. Looking up, one met the man's sharply defined, handsome face—devoid of any expression, carrying only a faint, chilling coldness.
He had actually come!
This was the first time Su Wanqing had laid eyes on Huo Yan in three years of marriage. She never imagined it would be at her father's funeral.
The irony was a bitter pill to swallow.
Everyone who had come to pay their respects held flowers. Huo Yan, however, arrived empty-handed, bringing nothing.
"Huo Yan."
More surprising still, the passenger door of the sedan opened. A beautiful woman in a vibrant red dress stepped out. With a radiant smile, she walked to Huo Yan's side and linked her arm with his. "Shall I go in with you?"
Seeing her, Huo Yan's expression softened noticeably, a hint of a smile even touching his lips. "No need. It's not a pleasant place inside. Wait for me here."
"Alright, but don't be long," the woman replied, her eyes sparkling like stars. She rose on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek.
The scene was a stinging slap to Su Wanqing's face, a public humiliation that stripped her of all dignity.
Today was her father's funeral! Not only was this woman wearing a bold red dress, but she had also kissed her husband right in front of everyone.
Su Wanqing dug her nails sharply into her palms, forcing herself to maintain composure.
Over there, Huo Yan had already begun walking toward her. The sound of his shoes on the stone steps was unnerving. He stopped before her, his icy gaze piercing into her like needles.
He was exceptionally tall, and the oppressive aura he carried made it hard for Su Wanqing to breathe.
"Three years, and have you gone mute?"
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her body tense, knowing from the start that Huo Yan's intentions were far from good.
"What am I doing here?" Huo Yan's lips curved into a smile, but the coldness in his eyes intensified. "I'm here, of course, to pay my respects to my father-in-law, who met such a... *sudden* end."
The woman before him paled drastically.
Su Wanqing had to admit that Su Zhenfeng's daughter was exceptionally beautiful. Three years had only made her more stunningly radiant. Her luminous eyes, now blazing with anger directed at him, glistened with unshed tears—a sight that could effortlessly stir any man's heartstrings.
If she weren't the daughter of his enemy, perhaps they could have had a good marriage.
No. If not for that, he would never have married SuWanqing in the first place. He had wed this woman for one purpose only: revenge against Su Zhenfeng, that ungrateful trash.
"Everyone, out." Huo Yan's long, elegant fingers casually loosened his tie. At his command, the surrounding people hastily scattered, not one daring to provoke him.
Soon, only Su Wanqing remained.
She opened her mouth to demand what he thought he was doing, but a searing pain shot through her wrist. Huo Yan viciously yanked her into a small adjacent room
