《Cold CEO Vs Sweet Wife》


 Chapter 1 - Divorce gift

    Jean wen m??n?d as the sunlight danced across her face. she knew she had to get out of the bed,but her body disagreed. she was exhausted despite how much she had slept.


    As Jean took in her surroundings, she heard a man speaking.when she listened attentively, she realized that he was talking on the phone. from the conversation, it seemed that he was going to leave. she rubbed her eyes as she tried to convince herself to get out of the bed.


    Jean ?r??n?d as she stood and turned to the bedroom door.


    "Zed Qi..." Jean wen whispered when she saw the man. wearing only bedsheets, stood by the door. Jean tapped her b?r? foot on the ground and smiled at the men bashfully as she waited for the man to finish speaking.


    "Okay, I''ll talk to you later at the company." The man ended his conversation abruptly. A beep sounded as the call disconnected. Then he turned to look at the woman by the door.


    Zed Qi''s eyes slowly roamed over Jean''s body. Her pale skin was in subtle contrast to the color of the bedsheet. He particularly liked how her ruffled hair added to her allure. Zed Qi thought Jean looked even more beautiful and charming in the morning light.


    "I''m waiting." the man said in nonchalant tone. he semmed a little inpatient.


    Jean chuckled, "The land in the suburb, could you¡­"


    "No way!" The man reacted immediately. He didn''t even let her finish her request.


    Jean was a little surprised at his reaction. Slowly, she walked toward him and said, "I don''t think you can be sure that the land has potential. Plus, you are already wealthy enough. Why are you so adamant on keeping it?"


    The man frowned. His deep-set eyes reflected a terrifying coldness. He spoke in a low husky voice, "Mrs. Qi, please be careful about what you say. The land is mine, besides... do you always ask for a favor this way?"


    Jean clenched her fists. Although his arrogant and homiletic tone displeased her, she smiled seductively. She needed him to agree to her request!


    "You just got it yesterday..." Jean muttered softly.


    The man didn''t appear to have heard her remark. He finished settling his shirt before grabbing his coat. Then he turned to leave.


    Determined to have her way, Jean doubled over to him and held his arm. She looked at her husband with her most charming expression as she pleaded, "Please, please, do me this favor. I know you are a very generous man. Please promise me that you will leave the land to the Wen family. Promise me, okay? Promise me..."


    "You!" Jean seethed. She couldn''t understand why he was being so stubborn. She couldn''t hide her frustration as she had tried multiple approaches to convince him, and each time Zed refused her.


    Without another word, Zed walked out of the room.


    Since Jean was inappropriately dressed, she didn''t follow him. Instead, she took a few deep breaths and returned to the bedroom.


    Once in the closet, she selected her clothes. As she stood in front of the mirror, Jean couldn''t help cursing, "You are a jerk, Zed. I tried so hard. I even slept with you last night! I can''t believe you won''t even consider my request. Let''s see how you feel if the situation were reversed!"


    As Jean lifted her leg to slide on her pants, she felt a sudden pain between her th??hs. Memories of the previous night flooded her and Jean cursed Zen some more.


    Suddenly, Jean saw a slender hand holding a dress appear in front of her.


    Jean turned back with a frightened look. she had been loudly cursing her husband and now, he was standing with behind her. he looked at her curiously .


    "Can you repeat what you just said?" Zed''s face darkened and a sardonic grin appeared.


    ''I saw him leave! Didn''t I? Why did he return so soon?


    She usually behaved decently and elegantly in front of Zed to please him. ''I suppose he heard everything I said.


    Will he be more reluctant to help me with the land? Oh, it''s all over.''


    Unsure of what Zed might have heard, Jean decided to play dumb. "I didn''t say anything. Did you hear someone talking? I heard nothing." Although embarrassed, Jean casually flicked her hair away from her cheek. She composed herself and managed to squeeze a smile, however, her trembling hands betrayed her.


    Zed''s grim expression worsened. Frightened, Jean shuddered. After glaring at Jean for a while, Zed threw the dress into her arms, before turning to the cabinet and taking the car key.


    ''So he returned for the car key.''


    looking at zed''s back as he walked away. Jean swung her fists in the air and mummered with anger, "If I had known that you will be a heartless jerk,I would have not slept with you!"


    As Jean recalled how wild she had been the previous night, shame and guilt flooded her. she felt nothing but hatred for her actions.


    The marriage between zed and Jean was nothing more than a business deal. This titular marriage was however arranged by Jean''s greedy father. he had coerced Jean to sleep with zed just before their divorce . she felt like a pr?st?tut?.


    And what had got this scheming gotten her? Jean had learned a lesson. zed was not as easy as she had been led to believe .


    once at the wen house, Jean explained her failure to her father. Mr. wen flew into rage and smashed the tea cup onto the ground.


    "you have up so easily? you couldn''t do the one thing that I had asked you to do?"


    Jean lowered head and pushed herself to apologize, "I''m sorry, Father. I did everything I could. There is nothing else for me to do. Zed Qi will divorce me soon. Can I just stay at home now?"


    Their marriage had been quite an unpleasant experience. Zed always seemed cold toward her. Jean couldn''t understand it and the more she tried, the more frustrated and anxious she became. Now, after the crazy night she had with him, Jean felt so embarrassed. She didn''t think she could face him again.


    "No! You are married to the man. You can use the marriage to get what you want. There''s no need to agree to the divorce. Don''t dream about coming back home till you have taken him down!" Mr. Wen threatened before forcing Jean to leave.


    Since Jean had no other choice, she returned to Zed''s house and waited him to arrive. She knew she had to talk to him about the land again.


    she didn''t want to be trapped in this meaningless marriage any more. There had to be a way out.


    Jean spent the night alone in Zed''s massive house. She gave up when she realized that Zed had no intention of returning.


    Alone, Jean was consumed by pity. She felt devastated and couldn''t accept that her effort from the previous night was not even worth a proper discussion about the land.


    When Zed returned the next morning, he looked very tired. After walking through the door, he headed straight for the bedroom.


    "You are back." Jean threw away her dignity and started doting on Zed. She helped hang his coat, and wiped his face with a wet towel. She was determined to make every effort to please him.


    "I''m going to bed." Zed said curtly, before lifting the quilt and lying down. Jean sighed as it looked as though he had no intention to speak with her.


    ''What excuse can I give my father if I fail again?'' As she recalled his advise about her marriage, Jean frowned. The appointment for their divorce procedure was tomorrow, as agreed previously.


    ''There will be no more for chances for me,I have to do it now''


    ''Did you work overnight, zed? you are not looking good. I can give you a little massage. It will help you relax."she purred.


    zed did not react. Jean took his silence as consent and placed her fingers on his shoulders . as she began kneading, she increased she increased pressure so he wouldn''t fall asleep.


    "Although we are getting divorced tomorrow, we have been a couple." Jean blushed and fumbled as she couldn''t bring herself to speak about the previous night. she hesitated before trying again. "we have been, you know, in a husband and wife relationship. could you leave that land as a divorce gift?" Jean closed her eyes as she bit her lips and waited for zed to reply.


    zed opened his eyes although he looked weary, her request seemed to make his eyes sparkle."In return what gift will you give me"? he asked.

 Chapter 2 - All right, Its settled

    "You..." Jean choked as she heard his question. She blushed before she murmured to herself, ''Damn this businessman! The only thing he can think about are conditions.''


    "Leave if you have nothing else to do, I''m going to sleep now, or..." Zed lifted a corner of his quilt and patted the pillow by his side.


    Jean had spent the night preparing arguments for this discussion with her husband. After seeing Zed''s subtle invitation, her mind turned blank.


    she turned away but was reluctant to give up.


    "If you don''t want to give the land to Mr. Wen, then I won''t divorce you!" With no other leverage, Jean was forced to use the divorce to bargain with Zed. After her exclamation, she turned and stared at Zed in anger.


    "All right, it''s settled." His voice was so indifferent that it sounded like he was making deals in the market, quick and decisive.


    "What?" Jean balked as she heard his response. She thought she might have heard it wrong and stared at the man in dismay.


    zed closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.


    "what did he just said?


    stay married "


    Jean was stupefied. She thought she had imagined his response. There was no way that he was happy with this agreement and would want to stay married. She shook her head in disbelief. There was no denying that she heard him say "All right, it''s settled, " in his deep voice.


    ''Is he willing to stay married for that land?'' ''It can''t be that the CEO of a corporation would need the land so badly.''


    "I never thought you would be so petty!" Unable to think of anything else as a retort, Jean clenched her teeth and left the room.


    When Zed heard the door close, he opened his eyes and a faint smile played on his lips.


    Once in the living room, Jean paced back and forth as she nibbled on her finger. From seduction to threats, she had tried everything she could think of. However, Zed remained unmoved. It was like he was immune to everything, good or bad. She had even been used by the heartless Zed Qi! And for what?


    Now, not only she had failed to convince him to give the land to Mr.wen but she also couldn''t get divorced.


    Jean spent the day watching TV in the living room. She hadn''t been paying attention to what she was watching. Instead, she thought about strategies against Zed Qi.


    By the time the sun set, Zed woke. He had slept the whole day! Hearing the shower turning on, Jean Wen snuck into the bedroom. Although upset, she made the effort to select his clothes.


    Jean was convinced that she had to play up to that hateful man in order to get what her father wanted.


    The bathroom door opened and Zed walked out. Towel in hand, he was drying his dripping hair.


    Jean''s eyes widened when she saw Zed appear before her. She had not been expecting him to be dressed only in a towel. He had wrapped it so low around his waist that she could see well past his six-pack abs to his apollo''s belt. Contrary to his character, Zed Qi did have an attractive figure.


    "What are you doing standing there?" The man asked in an indifferent voice before throwing the towel in his hands across his shoulders.


    "Right, your clothes..." Zed''s cold remark brought Jean back to her senses. She lowered her head as she handed the clothes she had picked for him.


    Zed ripped off the towel around his waist without further thought and began dressing in front of her.


    "Ah! You jerk!" Jean turned her head away. She was a smidgen too late though.


    The man smirked. He finished dressing before checking the time on his phone. He frowned when he realized that it was late. He hadn''t thought he''d sleep for so long.


    He walked into the living room with a tie in his hand. When he spotted Jean, he gave the tie to her and ordered, "Help me with my tie."


    Jean was still blushing. She cursed Zed secretly. There was no denying that she wanted him dead. However, Jean had to remain calm and appear pleasant. She smiled as she took the tie.


    standing on tipteo she put the tie around his neck. from a distance the coupled look like they were close and in love.


    Zed glanced at Jean. He noticed her quivering eyelashes. He smiled as she furrowed her brow in concentration. With rose-tinted cheeks and lips pressed, she looked cute.


    Although he appeared indifferent toward her, Zed found Jean endearing.


    "You are blushing. Are you shy?" Zed asked.


    "No!" She promptly answered, but her trembling hands gave her away. She pressed her lips harder to control her emotions.


    "It''s not like you haven''t seen me like that before." Zed enjoyed teasing her.


    "Ouch! Are you trying to murder your husband?" Zed held the tie with one hand and wrapped his other hand around Jean''s waist. He pulled her to him.


    Jean panicked and tried to push him away, but he was too strong. She struggled as he removed all distance between them.


    "Tonight, come to an event with me and if you please me, maybe, I will give the land to your father." Jean felt confused by Zed''s husky tone. He was normally so cold toward her.


    she nodded and followed him without asking him questions about where they were heading .


    on the way, Jean thougt about what zed said.


    Please me, maybe, I will give the land to your father.


    "Could it be that he wants me to entertain his business partners? And help him secure the project? Perhaps if I help him then he will give this land to father..." Jean muttered to herself as she tried to understand why he would suddenly change his mind. All this while, he had been stubborn about the land. He wouldn''t even let her speak when she brought up the topic. Now, he was making her an offer. ''No, it couldn''t be so easy, '' she thought.


    Jean glanced at Zed hoping to judge by his expression. His face was hard and angled, like a sculpture. His brown eyes added a softness to his features that Jean found alluring. However, despite his outward charm, his temper was too much for her to handle.


    "We have arrived, Mr. Qi." The driver said.


    "Get off." Zed spoke as he alighted from the car. Although he spoke in a cold tone, he held the door open for her like a gentleman.


    "hold my arm" he whispered in her ear.


    Jean held his arm as she had been asked. She had to behave well. After all the tricks she had tried to get that land, drinking with his partners would be the least awful thing.


    After they entered the club, an attendant showed them to a private room. Jean looked around and found that in the center of the room stood a decorated table with a seven-tiered cake. Although the room was big, it seemed crowded. Someone was playing the piano. Jean smiled and swayed a little when she recognized that the piece of music was her favourite song.


    " Mr. Qi is here!"


    As someone in the crowd shouted, the music stopped. A woman in white, low cut long dress sashayed towards zed. Jean recognized her to be eva xu . she had been playing piano when they entered. "was it her party"?


    "here you are, zed"? eva greeted him sweetly before she noticed Jean wen standing beside him. eva''s smile froze. she frowned asked, "who is this"?


    "My wife, Jean wen." though zen had murmmerd the room fell silent, as though all party attendants were in shock.

 Chapter 3 - lets go home, my dear wife

    "This is Eva Xu." Zed turned to look at Jean dotingly as he introduced Eva to her.


    Once the initial shock had settled and people''s curiosities had been satisfied, the guests resumed talking and toasting to each other. A musician began playing a melodious song on the violin. Slowly, the tense atmosphere at the party dispelled.


    Eva, however, was still displeased. She raised an eyebrow as she studied Zed''s wife. Jean was dressed in a plain white T-shirt and a shabby pair of jeans. Her baby face was free from makeup and her hair was casually combed. To Eva, Jean looked more like an immature high school student than a CEO''s wife.


    Eva already knew that Zed had married as part of a business agreement. This was the first time that Eva was meeting Mrs. Qi and Jean had failed to make a proper impression. Eva dismissed Jean as someone not worthy of her time and attention. Instead, she turned to Zed.


    "Zed, you are late. The other guests who came late have already had three glasses of wine as a punishment. You better drink some wine and catch up!" Eva smiled seductively and pointed to the wine on the table nearby.


    "no problem ." zed walked Jean to the nearest sofa before taking up eva''s suggestion for drinking some wine.


    Sitting alone on the sofa, Jean watched Zed as he drank and spoke with a crowd of people. The lively scene presented a striking contrast to the loneliness Jean felt.


    ''Who is that woman who was trying to please Zed just now? Did they have an intimate relationship?'' Jean wondered.


    As soon as Zed finished two glasses of wine, Eva sauntered closer to him and gently wiped his mouth with a paper towel. When Zed lifted the third glass of wine, Eva quickly stopped him.


    "You know I was kidding, right? I know you arrived late, but you don''t have to drink three glasses of wine just because I asked." Eva flirted.


    "Eva, you must have a soft spot for Zed. Is he more special to you than your friends? The other guests who arrived late were also asked to drink three glasses of wine. Why does Zed only need to drink two glasses of wine? Are you worried about Zed?" one of the guests teased Eva.


    "It must be true!" said another guest. "Drink, drink, drink!"


    The people around Zed began chanting. Since drinking three glasses of wine was not a challenge for Zed, he smiled and lifted his glass. Eva stepped forward quickly and wrapped her fingers around Zed''s wrist. Then she causally pulled his hand toward her. She raised an eyebrow and gave Zed a seductive smile before drinking from the glass.


    Zed frowned at Eva. This was not his first drinking game and Eva knew that three glasses of wine was something he could handle. ''What is she trying to do?'' he wondered. Now that Eva had helped him finish, Zed put down the glass.


    "Wow! Wow! It is a big surprise for us to see your public display of affection! You were such a cute couple when you were dating. You obviously still like each other. Why not become a couple again?" Eva''s best friend Sue who was standing beside them suggested.


    "Ahem, Sue, don''t talk nonsense. Zed is already married. His wife is here today..." Eva lowered her head and clung to Zed''s arm. She appeared to be a little bit aggrieved.


    Although Eva had just told Sue that Zed was married, it didn''t stop Eva from getting closer to Zed. Jean watched them quietly. Their performance was just like an outdated drama in Jean''s opinion. It wasn''t hard to guess that Eva was Zed''s ex-girlfriend.


    "Sue, don''t blather, otherwise, I will be upset with you." Eva stomped her foot and glared at Sue to emphasize anger coquettishly. Then she glanced at Zed quickly to check his expression. She wanted to see if his reaction would show her where she stood in terms of their relationship. Eva was hoping that Zed would want them to be a couple again.


    since Jean was sitting close by, she heard their conversation quite plainly. she was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear.


    She was quite aware of the conditions of her marriage to Zed. She also knew that the marriage could be terminated easily if Zed chose to do so. Although this was a simple truth, hearing it from strangers at a party hurt Jean.


    "Well, all jokes aside, " Zed said to Eva before pausing. He took a quick look at Jean before continuing, "I am sorry. I forgot to prepare a gift for you as I was in a hurry today. Tell me what you want, and I will make it up to you. Today, I have something else to do, so I am leaving now."


    "Zed!" Eva exclaimed in astonishment. "You came late and you''re leaving in such a hurry." Eva stared at Zed pitifully as she clung to his arm.


    Zed nodded before prying her hands loose.


    Jean was confused by what she was seeing. She could not figure out why Zed had brought her to this place at all. Was Zed using Jean to annoy his ex-girlfriend?


    "Can we talk in private please, Zed?" Eva repressed her indignation and tried to speak tenderly. She glanced at her surroundings to make sure that nobody had noticed them. Then she held Zed''s hand and led him outside the room.


    Although Eva and Zed had left, the atmosphere in the room didn''t change. All people except for Jean were enjoying their time by singing, dancing, and drinking. Still sitting by herself on the sofa, Jean felt kind of foolish.


    Sue walked over to Jean with a glass of champagne in her hand. She stared at Jean in disdain, "I really sympathize with you as you are in a nominal marriage, but I do believe you could free yourself from it quickly. You probably should since Zed and Eva are going to make up."


    Jean smirked at Sue''s words. She wasn''t going to play this game. So she kept quiet and shook her head.


    Even though Jean and Zed had not been together for long, she knew enough about him to be able to see how Zed felt about Eva. According to Zed''s attitude towards Eva, Jean had already realized that he did not plan to revive his relationship with Eva.


    "You don''t believe me?" Sue continued. She smiled, "You can go out and see for yourself if you doubt my words!" Sue was angry at Jean''s dismissive attitude, so she urged Jean to confirm the relationship between Zed and Eva personally.


    "All right!" Jean said as she stood. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the room. The strange people, the noise, being treated with no respect or curtsey, it was all getting too much for Jean. She welcomed the excuse to get some fresh air and satisfy her curiosity at the same time.


    sue decided to follow Jean.


    "Zed, the only present I want is you. Shall we be together again?" Outside the room, Eva had embraced Zed in an intimate hug. Her face was pressing against his ?h?st. She appealed to Zed in a humble manner.


    Jean stepped out of the room just in time to witness this scene. Although she had known what Eva and Sue were trying, Jean hadn''t expected to see Zed like this. She inhaled sharply and took a step back. In the next moment, Jean heard Sue scream.


    "Ah! You stepped on my foot!" As a quick reaction, Sue pushed Jean. Since she had used all of her strength, Jean stumbled forward and almost fell on the ground.


    However, when Sue saw Zed and Eva cuddling intimately, she raised her eyebrows with an air of complacency.


    In contrast, Jean wished that she could vanish into thin air. She doubted whether she made light of the relationship between Zed and Eva. From what she had seen in the room, Zed had shown a total disregard for Eva''s act of affection. Seeing how they were standing now, Jean did not understand why Zed had changed his attitude to Eva so fast. She knew that their marriage was nominal and that she and Zed still had issues, but that didn''t ease the discomfort Jean was feeling. She began wondering whether Zed deliberately brought her here to make Eva Jealous.


    When Jean realized that she was regarded as a catalyst for Zed and Eva''s relationship, anger swelled inside her. She clenched her fists and decided to strike back.


    With a bright smile and ample enthusiasm, Jean walked over to Zed and Eva. She stared at Zed with affection and feigned love, "My dear husband... I''m tired. Shall we go home now?"


    Eva was hurt when Jean referred to Zed as husband. She was even more distressed when Zed pushed her away gently. However, since they were not alone and she had to keep up the pretence, Eva needed to handle the situation calmly.


    "My dear husband, " Jean continued as she smirked at Eva, "Although a roadside flower is beautiful, you don''t need to pick it in my presence. I need your respect." Jean walked closer to Zed and held his arm affectionately. Instead of giving her discomfiture an outlet, she spoke with him in a causal tone.


    Jean decided to use this situation to confront the uncertain fate of her marriage. If Zed dared to show his anger toward her and beat her, she would take the video surveillance of this area to prove Zed''s infidelity. Using the video as a leverage, Jean was confident that she could force Zed to give her that land.


    "zed and eva are couple. how dare you a nominal wife, call eva a road side flower?"


    Although Eva was in a very bad mood, she pretended to be genteel and charming in front of Zed. Sue on the other hand, had no reason to be polite. She spoke with Jean in a bitter tone.


    Jean had pretended to be obedient and gentle in front of Zed all these days. She was unwilling to tolerate and please him any longer. If she could irritate Zed, it would be easier to accomplish her plans. She needed the land and she needed the divorce!


    "Zed, didn''t you get married only for commercial benefit?" Upon hearing Jean''s argument and seeing her confident expression, Eva''s face darkened. She couldn''t help questioning Zed.


    Sue was wide-eyed with astonishment.


    Suddenly, Zed put his arm around Jean''s shoulder, and stared at her apologetically, "My dear wife, I was wrong."


    The three women were shocked when they heard Zed''s apology. As for Jean, she looked at Zed in fear when she realized that she had been naive to think that she could get what she wanted so easily.

 Chapter 4 - lets get divorced

    But that just showed that he was afraid of his wife and he would kneel to satisfy her.


    It was hard to imagine Mr. Qi apologizing for anything.


    According to rumor, Zed Qi never apologized. Even when he made a mistake, Zed would rather fix the situation than admit to having made a mistake.


    "honey, let''s go home." zed said as he lifted Jean in his arms. then he turned and walked out of the club.


    "Zed, you can''t..." Sue tried to stop Zed from leaving but Eva interrupted before Sue could finish her sentence.


    "Was that not humiliating enough for me?" Eva was furious. She glared at Sue.


    "But the wine he just drunk....." Anxious that someone would hear, Eva covered Sue''s mouth with her hand. She raised an eyebrow as a warning to Sue. With no other alternative, Sue silently watched Zed leave.


    Back at the villa, Zed returned to his usual indifferent attitude. He pulled his tie loose and grabbed a bottle of ice water. Then, he headed for the balcony.


    ''Could it be that he still loves Eva? If so, then I did something really terrible.'' Jean was anxious about the night''s events. She nibbled on her nails as she wondered about Zed and Eva. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed that Zed had drunk the whole bottle of ice water. ''Was he cooling himself down?'' She thought.


    ''Wait a minute! Is he going to kill me?


    He can''t blame me for that! It''s his fault that he didn''t tell me first...'' Jean looked down and realized that she had been clutching the curtains so tightly that her nails had almost ripped through the fabric. After the evening they just had, and considering her uncertainty about Zed''s feelings for Eva, Jean was hesitant to ask him about the land.


    Lost in her thoughts, Jean had not noticed that Zed had entered the room. When she finally realized that she wasn''t alone, Jean su?k?d in a deep breath and waited for Zed to say something. When only silence ensued, Jean slowly looked at Zed. The man was slightly drunk and his eyes reflected an emotion she was unfamiliar with.


    At such close proximity, Jean could smell the alcohol on Zed. The smell wasn''t too offensive as it was mixed with the aftershave he was wearing. When she looked at Zed''s face, she realized that his eyes were unfocused. ''Had he drunk too much?''


    Jean was surprised. Although Jean knew she shouldn''t, she asked anyway, "Mr. Qi, are you satisfied with my performance tonight? And do you think that land could... hmm..."


    Suddenly Zed stumbled forward. His broad palm landed on Jean''s mouth and she found herself unable to complete her sentence.


    He frowned as though in great pain.


    "Zed Qi, what are you doing... No, you can''t do that...


    the next day..


    The warm sun sprinkled to the ground through clouds that floated lazily in the sky. It was noon when Jean woke. She saw a file on the night stand and reached for it.


    The words, Land Transfer Contract, were printed on the front page in huge bold letters. Although Jean should have been thrilled at having convinced Zed to leave the land to her father, she did not feel happy.


    After putting down the contract, Jean dragged her sore body to the bathroom. Once in front of the mirror, she studied her reflection. Except her face, Jean''s whole body was covered in marks left by Zed.


    She frowned and took a quick shower before returning to the bedroom to get dressed. In preparation for her visit to the Wen house, she wrapped a silk scarf around her neck to cover the claret-colored hickeys.


    Jean''s father was quite delighted when he saw the contract. He wouldn''t stop referring to her as "My good girl" and praised Jean''s efforts. This was the nicest he had behaved with Jean in a long time.


    "Father, can you give me the Residence Booklet now, please?" Jean felt optimistic. She had acquired the contract as per her father''s wishes. Their divorce procedure would be held today as well. The Residence Booklet was the last item she needed to put an end to this titular marriage.


    "Did Zed ask you to give this to me?" Mr. Wen questioned. It seemed that he didn''t want his daughter to end this marriage so quickly.


    She nodded before speaking, "Yes, he is waiting for me at City Hall, so hurry up. I''m afraid if he gets annoyed, he might cancel this contract..."


    "I''ll go get it." Hearing her explanation, Mr. Wen got up and rushed to his room.


    Jean was secretly relieved. She booked a taxi to City Hall after she got the Residence Booklet. As the taxi sped away from the Wen house, Jean texted Zed.


    "See you at City Hall."


    The whole afternoon went by, but Zed didn''t appear. Jean had waited at the steps to City Hall with the Booklet clutched tightly in her hands. The morning had started so well! The contract had been delivered and the Booklet was in her possession. Now, all she needed was for Zed to show up and liberate her from this sham of a marriage. But Zed never showed and his phone had been busy every time Jean had tried calling. When the evening sun had set and all the officials had left City Hall, Jean finally allowed herself to accept that she wasn''t getting her divorce.


    The whole afternoon went by, but Zed didn''t appear. Jean had waited at the steps to City Hall with the Booklet clutched tightly in her hands. The morning had started so well! The contract had been delivered and the Booklet was in her possession. Now, all she needed was for Zed to show up and liberate her from this sham of a marriage. But Zed never showed and his phone had been busy every time Jean had tried calling. When the evening sun had set and all the officials had left City Hall, Jean finally allowed herself to accept that she wasn''t getting her divorce.


    Furious with Zed, Jean returned to the house to confront him. As she entered, shame and guilt overwhelmed Jean. Everywhere she went, she saw traces of Zed''s actions from the previous night. She couldn''t escape the reminders as they were on the couch, the carpet, in the bathroom and in the bedroom...


    Jean sat on the couch as she waited for Zed''s arrival. She was in a gloomy mood. Now that the contract had been acquired, there was no need for this show to go on. Facing the arrogant and conceited Mr. Qi every day would sooner or later drive her mad. She must divorce him!


    She waited till midnight, but Zed didn''t show. Her anger settled with time and her weary eyes could not stay open.


    "Zed, why didn''t you come to City Hall today?" Jean yawned as she asked. She had woken when she heard Zed entering the house. However, she was so tired that her eyes refused to stay open.


    "Busy." The man was so reticent that he gave Jean short and curt answers.


    "Ok, are you free tomorrow? Let''s get the divorce thing done." Jean rubbed her eyes to drive away the sleep. She looked at the big silent rock standing in front of her.


    Zed didn''t answer her question. Instead, he squatted and lifted her into his arms. Then he strode to the bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed and covered her with the soft quilt. The bed and the quilt felt so comforting that Jean closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly.


    When Zed noticed the Residence Booklet in her arms, he frowned before gently prying it loose. Then he locked it in his safe.


    The next day, Jean woke in a panic. Thoughts of the Booklet flooded her. Where had she kept it? She could have sworn that she had it on her when Zed brought her to the bedroom. Anxious, Jean searched the whole villa but she couldn''t find the Residence Booklet. As usual, Zed had already left for work and so, she couldn''t ask him. Jean was crazy with worry.


    ''Wait. Think hard. Where did I put it last night?'' Jean pushed herself to retrace her steps from the night before. Her face paled when she realized she had absolutely no memory of where she put the Booklet. How could she get divorced without the Residence Booklet?


    Besides, if her father learned that she had lost the Booklet, he would be furious.


    All of a sudden she noticed the monitor at the far corner of the room. Jean had mocked Zed for being paranoid when she had first learned that he had installed monitors in every room. But now, her heart soared with hope.


    With no other alternative, Jean had to call Zed.


    "Zed, what''s the password to your computer?"


    "Why do you need it?"


    "I can''t find my Residence Booklet. I thought I''d check surveillance videos to see where I put it last night."


    "I can''t remember the password."


    "what? can''t remember!" how can you not remember the password to your own computer? are you kidding? wait. did you hid my residence booklet? !" jean was so angry that she threw several questions at zed without giving him time to reply.


    "so what?" zed''s voice was clam and indifferent.


    Jean was stunned,"what? why did you hide my residence booklet? don''t you want the divorce?"


    she had no idea why this man would hide her residence booklet .

 Chapter 5 - she was expecting a boyfriend

    "What?" Jean couldn''t believe what Zed had just said. She was completely stunned.


    ''He... he is not going to divorce me?''


    "You... you can''t take back your word so easily! You agreed to the divorce. Besides, you..." Jean spoke in broken sentences. Zed''s reply had been so unexpected that Jean''s mind was a chaotic mess. Anxiety flooded her and Jean found that she couldn''t arrange her thoughts clearly.


    In response to her anxious tone, zed smiled wickedly as he replied,"I should be responsible for you."


    Frustrated, Jean threw her hands up in the air. She waved them around as she spoke, "No, you don''t have to. I can take care of myself!"


    "But I''m not okay with this." In the meanwhile, Zed powered on his computer and clicked on the real-time monitor in his house. Then he selected on the view of the living room. He frowned when he saw Jean pacing in front of the couch. She was biting her fingernails and looked worried.


    "As a matter of fact, I am very open-minded. As for you, I don''t think you are a fogyish nerd, are you? Society is not as conservative anymore. Nowadays, it''s common for people to make love consensually without considering formalities such as marriage. So, Zed, let''s just complete the divorce procedure. Then neither of us will be detained. That''s the perfect win-win situation."


    ''Detained?''


    bibibi...


    The sound of the call disconnecting left Jean confused. She looked at the phone in her hand.


    ''What the hell are you planning, Zed? Are you still joking about the divorce?'' Furious and helpless, Jean needed to vent her anger. She grabbed the nearest couch cushion and repeatedly hit the wall with it.


    ''Wait, I should calm down and think it over carefully. What on earth is this jerk trying to do? Is he thinking I got the land too easily, and so he will try every means to get even?'' Jean continued pacing in the living room as she muttered to herself.


    ''Zed is just a cold-faced devil. It''s impossible to guess what he is thinking! The only thing I can do now is to play up to him till he signs the divorce papers of his own accord.''


    Having figured out what her next actions should be, Jean quickly headed to the kitchen. She laboriously put together five dishes with meat and vegetables, in addition to a pot of soup.


    Jean was comfortable in the kitchen. It was a place where she had spent most of her childhood and teenage years. It started when she was about four years old. Soon after her parents divorce, her father married Joy Yi. A year later, Joy bore a pigeon pair, which delighted her father very much. However, for Jean, the two new-born babies meant additional responsibilities and more housework. Since then, Jean was treated as a domestic worker. By the time Jean had turned 15, her chores had progressed from cleaning and chopping to preparing full meals.


    The challenges Jean faced in her early years continued well into her college life. As she neared her graduation, Jean dreamed of leaving home and finding a job far away from her family. She even made the effort to search for work opportunities in different cities! But things did not go as planned for her father unexpectedly arranged her marriage with Zed Qi. Her situation had never reversed. She had simply left one mean and controlling man for another.


    Zed walked through the door just as Jean put the pot of soup on the table. This surprised Jean. It was as though he had scheduled his arrival for this meal. Sitting at the table, Jean found that she had lost her appetite. After aimlessly picking at her food, she sat with suspended chopsticks in her hand. Her mind was consumed with thoughts about the divorce. How would she force Zed to honor their previous agreements? She glanced at Zed several times. It seemed as though she was about to ask him for something.


    (*TN: Residence booklet or the Booklet of Registered Permanent Residence is a document held by a Chinese citizen as proof of identity. It is required for marriage and divorce procedures.) Since no one had spoken since Zed''s arrival, Jean''s question broke the silence at the dining table. Jean couldn''t help poking at the bottom of the bowl with her chopsticks. She was so nervous and her movements were so uncoordinated that it seemed as though she might break the bowl.


    "No talking while eating." Zed replied curtly before continuing to eat. Jean frowned and studied her husband. The speed with which he was devouring his meal made it look like he was famished.


    Jean sighed in resignation. there was no point arguing with zed. she swallowed her anger and nodded before continuing to pick at her meal.


    Zed tasted all the dishes that Jean had prepared. He liked the soup so much that he had two helpings.


    "Since there are just two of us, you can make a simpler meal in the future. These dishes are too much for us." Zed remarked after finishing his meal.


    ''future?


    Is he really determined not to divorce her? How dare he say the word, future?'' Jean couldn''t take his games anymore. She raised her voice, "What do you mean, Zed? We agreed on a divorce. You cannot take back your words. You cannot ruin my future. I''m looking forward to getting out of this situation and finding a real boyfriend..." Jean grabbed Zed''s arm as she spoke. She was so overwhelmed with the idea of spending the rest of her life with his heartless man that she nearly burst into tears.


    "Real boyfriend?" ''She is actually considering looking for a new boyfriend! She must think I have no way to make her suffer more, this abandon is the proof.''


    Zed abruptly and forcefully shook off her hands.


    Zed squinted at Jean. When she made eye contact with him, she noted the strong warning he was giving her. Then he spoke, "You are a married woman. If you cheat on me, that will make me a cuckold. I will not stand for something like that. If that happens, you are doomed for sure!"


    Jean shuddered at Zed''s threat. However, she soon regained control of herself. She cleared her mind, straightened her body, and spoke with authority, "If you don''t want to be a cuckold, then divorce me as soon as possible. I cannot guarantee faithfulness in a fake relationship!"


    "Fake? Do you have any proof?" Zed stood and approached Jean threateningly. Soon, his face was just a finger''s distance from hers.


    Zed didn''t have to remind Jean that they had married legally. They had stood before an applicable authority and completed all marriage procedures. They had even consummated their marriage. There was no way left for Jean to claim that their marriage wasn''t real.


    "Why? Why aren''t you honoring the agreement? Why did you change your mind so suddenly? We don''t like each other at all, and you have no feelings for me." Jean was bewildered by Zed''s actions. In all this time, she had not been able to come up with a plausible explanation for why he wanted to continue this charade. There was no other way for her to get answers, except to ask Zed. And so she did. She blurted out all her questions. Aware that Zed wouldn''t take kindly to her behavior, she was too nervous to look at him. She knew that his eyes would be as deep as the sea and as dark as the night sky.


    "I just do what I want."


    Zed turned around and walked toward the bedroom after his careless and less than satisfactory response.


    Jean blinked several times as she tried to make sense of what Zed had just said. He was entitled, yes. He was cold and conceited as well. But did he really think that he could play with a human life?


    She satirized, "Of course, you are the big boss, Zed. You have power, you have money, you can do whatever you want!" The anger coursing through Jean left her shaking. She clenched and unclenched her fists several times in an attempt to calm down. However, nothing helped. She whispered curses at Zed''s retreating form.


    with a clear mind, Jean reached a decision. she dragged out her suitcase and packed a few necessities.


    Then she made her way to the Wen house. When she arrived home and opened the door, she saw Shirley, her half-sister, sitting on the sofa and smoking. Jean studied her half-sister. Shirley''s face was covered in a thick layer of makeup that made her look hideous. It seemed as though her half-sister hadn''t changed in all this time that Jean had been away. Realizing that she had company, Shirley looked up. When she saw Jean, Shirley sneered with disdain, "Look who''s back. Zed must be ruthless for having kicked you out so soon. Perhaps you did something to deserve it?"


    Jean ignored Shirley''s ridicule and headed for her room. The moment she opened the door, Jean was shocked by what she saw. Her bed was overflowing with delivery boxes of various kinds. As she looked around, she realized that her whole room was a mess!


    "The housekeeper will only come tomorrow. I do believe you will have no place to sleep before she comes to clean. Besides, I didn''t expect you to return so soon. The sofa is an alternative place to sleep, don''t you think so?" Shirley''s derisive tone and taunting comments chipped away at Jean''s spirit. She turned to face her half-sister only to find Shirley taking a deep drag of her cigarette before casually tapping the ash onto the floor.


    "Why do I have to sleep on the sofa? This is my room and you have made this mess. If you do not clean it up, then I will use your room. Perhaps I''ll even move this mess to your room when you step out of the house." Jean tried her best to reason with Shirley.


    Annoyed, Shirley threw the burning bu?? of the cigarette toward Jean. As a quick reflex, Jean raised her hand to stop the cigarette end from hitting her face. Although she blocked it, she burnt her hand. Jean whimpered as the stinging sensation from the burn shot through her arm.


    "Huh, funny! Jean Wen, you just cannot win, can you? It would be best if you realized that nothing, not even a grain of dust in this house, belongs to you. How dare you say this is your room? You must have forgotten how this room happened to be yours. Fine, I will remind you. This room was a hand-out from me to you. Since you are married now, you are not welcome here. And so, there is no room left in this house for you. Just get lost!" Shirley, the foul-mouthed woman, didn''t stop there. She went a step further by grabbing the broom resting against the wall. She raised it quickly and whacked Jean with the broom. "Shoo... Shoo" Shirley said as though driving away a stray dog.


    Jean had restrained herself and had been understanding and cooperative right since her father married joy yi. years and years of mockery, beatings and curses had worn Jean down. but now , the pain she felt physically and mentally had engraged her so much that she couldn''t bear it anymore. so she caught the broom and yanked it from Shirley''s hand.


    Shirley had not been expecting such a reaction from Jean. a corner of the broom that had been chipped had scratched on Shirley''s plam. she looked at Jean with frightened eyes, still disbelieving that her sister who had been meek, is rising up against her. as Shirley was trying to snatch the broom from Jean she saw her parents walking towards them . she sat on the floor and started to cry, as she was being bullied.

 Chapter 6 - dont touch me

    Jean was perplexed by the sudden change in Shirley''s behavior. Before she could react, Jean felt someone shoving her. Jean felt a sharp pain as she fell to the ground. As Jean turned to glare at her attacker, she found her father and stepmother, Joy Yi standing at the doorway.


    "Why did you beat your sister, Jean?" Her father screamed.


    "No, I didn''t hit her. I didn''t..." Jean''s explanation was stopped mid-way as her father had raised his hand and slapped her. Before Jean could utter another word in her defense, her father had grabbed the broom. He approached Jean with a malicious expression.


    Knowing what punishment awaited her, Jean cowered in the corner. She tried to protect herself when Mr. Wen started beating her with the broom. Shirley, Jean''s half-sister, was on the other side of the room. When she noticed Jean pleading with her, Shirley made ?bs??n? hand gestures and smiled triumphantly.


    After Mr. Wen was satisfied with the punishment he meted out to Jean, he took away her handbag. Then, he threw Jean out of the house. Covered in bruises and cuts, Jean had no other choice but to walk away. With no phone and no money, she couldn''t even call for a cab. As she walked down the street aimlessly, Jean began wondering how she had found herself in this position.


    She had come to the Wen house to borrow some money from her father. She needed the help to be able to leave Zed and find a job. She hadn''t expected things to go like this. She knew that her father hated her biological mother and that after their divorce, this hatred had been shifted to Jean. Her position in the family had worsened especially after the births of her half-sister, Shirley and half-brother, Winner. However, even though she had often been accused and abused by them, this was the first time that she had been beaten this badly.


    The pain and sadness Jean felt clouded her thoughts. After hours of walking, when she finally paid attention to her surroundings, she was surprised to find herself standing in front of Zed''s villa. A cool wind began blowing. As it skimmed over the cuts on the back of her hand, she felt a dull stinging sensation.


    Zed was watching the real-time feed from the cameras placed outside his villa. He noticed Jean walking up to the gate but turning around without ringing the bell. Zed furrowed his brows as he watched her pace back and forth in front of the gate. It seemed as though she was troubled and trying to reach a decision.


    zed cupped his chin and wondered what was haunting Jean. he zoomed on her as he wanted to study her expression carefully. any clue of what she was thinking would help him decide what action to take.


    He squinted when he saw Jean gently rubbing her hand. As he enlarged the picture, he noticed that Jean''s hand was unusually red. He stood so suddenly that his chair fell backward. Remote in hand, Zed pressed the bu??on that opened the gate.


    A few giant steps later, Zed reached Jean. Before she could hide her hand, Zed grabbed and pulled them toward him. He frowned when he saw the wounds. His eyes simmered with anger as he wondered who had hurt his wife.


    "Who did this?" He asked in a low and angry voice.


    Jean hurriedly pulled her hands away and hid them behind her. She pressed her lips and shook her head.


    Zed frowned as he thought about why Jean would not tell him who hurt her. Decided on an alternate approach, he bent and hugged her instead. With a gentle arm wrapped around her shoulders, Zed led Jean into the villa.


    After seating her on the sofa, Zed went to fetch the medicine box. He squatted in front of her before carefully disinfecting her wound and bandaging it. Jean had never known Zed to be this gentle and caring. Zed frowned from the beginning to the end. It was almost as though he were the one who had been injured.


    "Did you go back home?" Zed asked coldly, as he finished wrapping her wound in gauze.


    Jean lowered her head. She could no longer contain her emotions. Tears freely ran down her cheeks. The combination of sadness, helplessness and anger overwhelmed her. She was heartbroken with how her family had treated her. She wanted to fight back but found herself unable. She had no resources and no one would support and protect her.


    Zed was inspecting Jean''s arms for more wounds when she grabbed his hands and looked at him with great expectation. "Can the contract for that land be withdrawn?" she asked.


    Stunned, Zed felt speechless. After a minute, he nodded.


    Zed rose to his feet and went to his room. He spotted his cell phone on the table. Then he called his secretary.


    "Check the schedule of the land in the suburb."


    "The documents we received earlier this afternoon show that the ownership transfer of that land is scheduled in a little while."


    "stop it!"


    "what do you mean?"


    "tell director Zhang that I cancelled the contract. "


    "okay I''ll do it right away."


    After disconnecting the call, Zed returned to the living room. He stopped at the doorway when he realized that Jean had unbuttoned part of her shirt and was now applying medicine to her shoulder.


    Where all had she been hurt? Who had hurt her? These thoughts consumed Zed. Without thinking, Zed marched forward and began unbuttoning her clothes. He needed to see the full extent of her injuries.


    "Why? What do you think I am doing?" Her reaction left Zed dumbfounded. He just wanted to see her injuries. He couldn''t understand why she wouldn''t let him.


    Impatient and furious, Zed reached out and ripped her shirt.


    Jean hurriedly covered her body with the remains of her torn clothes before turning her back to zed and cowering.


    zed''s eyes widened when he saw the bruises on her arms and shoulders . the shape of welt all over her body made it obvious that she had been hit by some sort of bar. anger and love both bubbled in his heart.


    "don''t touch me!" as zed reached to touch Jean, she angrily pushed him away again again. her actions caused her wounds to stretch and cause immense pain.

 Chapter 7 - A gentle touch.

    In pain and uncertain of Zed''s intentions, Jean stood in her corner and glared at the man. She suffered from a number of cuts and bruises but she wouldn''t let Zed get anywhere near her.


    However, Zed was not angry with her. He was torn by the mixed emotions coursing through him. He was furious at whoever had hurt her. But mostly, he was concerned for Jean.


    Every time he saw a new injury, he felt like his whole heart was going to break.


    Zed finally understood that he was not going to earn Jean''s trust by forcing her. He thought about how he should handle the situation. After a little hesitation, Zed went to Jean''s room to get a pair of pajamas for her.


    Jean was in too much pain to notice that Zed had left the room.


    She felt weak and dizzy and decided to sit on the couch. As Jean turned, she was surprised to see Zed standing in front of her. He stretched the pajamas toward her like a peace offering. Jean stood in a daze as Zed helped her wear the pajamas.


    When he was done, Jean grabbed the pajamas as though it was her lifeline.


    Zed squatted in front of her, said, "Babe, let me take a look, okay?"


    His voice was so soft and comforting.


    Jean felt something in her heart change and her whole body couldn''t help but shiver.


    Seeing this, Zed knew that Jean was softening even though she still felt some hesitance. The thought reassured Zed and he decided to soften his expression. He gave Jean a warm smile.


    "Don''t be afraid, you still have me in your life!"


    Soothed by Zed''s gentle persuasion, Jean finally let down her guard. She raised her head slowly.


    He withheld his sadness and anger, and widened his smile.


    This was the first time that Zed had smiled at her since their marriage. Jean was mesmerized.


    "Let me see how many wounds you''ve got. I promise I won''t do anything else. I just want to check your injuries, okay?"


    Jean was confused. Zed usually ordered her around. He never spoke so considerately before.


    She paused and bit her lip as she wondered whether she could trust Zed. Finally, Jean nodded. She had folded her arms in front of her ?h?st as a barrier between Zed and herself. After agreeing to his request, Jean unfolded her arms.


    Zed walked up to her slowly and began unbuttoning her pajamas.


    Zed was extremely cautious. He knew that she was skittish and that any strange or unwanted action from him would put her on the defensive again.


    As the wounds on Jean''s torso came into his view, Zed growled. They were even worse than those on her arms.


    Zed had expected that and now, with the injuries in plain sight, his suspicions had been confirmed. But he couldn''t restrain the anger that rushed through him. He cursed, "Damn!"


    Jean looked at Zed emotionlessly. She didn''t respond to Zed''s outburst. Instead, she watched as Zed applied medicine to her wounds.


    ''He is being so careful, so... Gentle...


    Silent! It is so silent in this big living room. Why is it so silent?'' Jean''s thoughts were random and scattered.


    When Zed had finished attending to Jean''s injuries, he helped her wear her pajamas again.


    All of a sudden, a warm feeling ran through her body.


    For a moment Jean believed the suffering and torture the Wen family dished out to her would be taken care of by Zed.


    "Let me take you back to your room."


    Zed was still being gentle with her.


    Cautious, Jean looked into Zed''s eyes. She wondered if he was being sincere or whether all this was an act. Since his expression seemed genuine, she nodded slowly.


    With Jean''s permission, Zed lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.


    zed''s embrace was warm.


    Jean leaned her head on Zed''s ?h?st.


    Zed looked at Jean, not knowing what she was thinking about.


    He placed Jean on the bed gently and covered her with the quilt. After that, Zed smiled as he said, "Get some sleep!"


    Jean nodded and closed her eyes.


    Maybe it was because she was tired or perhaps it was the effect of the medicine that Zed had applied, but Jean felt her eyes getting heavy. The words, get some sleep, in Zed''s husky voice lulled her to sleep.


    It wasn''t long before Jean was asleep.


    But zed hadn''t left the room.


    He was standing by the door, quietly watching. Once Jean''s breathing indicated that she was asleep, a cold expression settled on Zed''s face.


    That night Jean slept surprisingly well.


    A ray of sunshine peeked through the gap between the curtains. Jean inspected her arms. The redness from the cigarette burn had subsided and her other wounds didn''t hurt as much.


    Jean lay in bed thinking about the events of the previous day. While she was accustomed to her family''s behavior, she found Zed''s actions and concern to be surreal.


    she got up, walked to the curtains , and opened them.


    the sunshine was quite dazzling.


    "hmmmmmmm!"


    The phone buzzed all of sudden.


    Jean picked up her phone and looked at the text on the screen. she frowned.


    it was her father.


    The events of the previous day had changed Jean. Before, she would have trembled with fear and she would have been consumed with thoughts of what her father would do. She was also respectful of her father and stepmother regardless of how they treated her. After all, they were her parents. Today, however, Jean found herself devoid of any such feelings when it came to her family.


    jean answered the phone. before she could say anything, a loud hysterical sound came from other side.


    "you son of... what the heck did you do?"

 Chapter 8 - I am your daughter no matter how shameless I am.

    Having decided to allow Zed to reclaim that piece of land, Jean had already expected that such a thing would happen.


    well, well,well


    nothing less of her father!


    jean suddenly felt that the word "father" is quite ionic to her.


    "Don''t stay silent. Tell me, what have you done? Did you say something to Zed? You are so shameless! I only scolded you a little and you dare pull such stunt on me! I''m warning you, if you don''t get that piece of land back from Zed, consider yourself homeless."


    Even over the phone, Jean could feel her father''s rage from the tone of his voice.


    Jean thought that if they were talking face to face, he would definitely strangle her.


    "Are we clear?"


    jean didn''t speak nor make a sound.


    Her father ?ssumed that Jean wasn''t listening. He raised his voice and shouted: "You''re shameless, you hear me?"


    jean took a calm breath and answered indifferently, "who is the shameless one?"


    "You¡­" Her father paused, his tongue tied. He would have never thought that Jean would talk to him in such ways. He was too shocked to even utter a word.


    Jean smiled. She continued on with her cold and uncaring


    "what about me"? shameless?No matter how shameless I am, I am still your daughter.


    That statement made her father burst with fury, " I hated myself for not strangling you when you were born!"


    that vicious claim sounded like jean was the shame of his life.


    she felt her heart sank. In past, she would feel sad when her father said anything.


    she would think it was unfair and wondered why he would treat Shirley differently even though they were both his children.


    jean sneered "I don''t understand either. If you hated me so much, why did you did you let my mother give birth to me?"


    Traces of taunt can be heard in her tone.


    Mr. wen couldn''t fathom how jean became like this. At least, before thet she have never dared to talk to him in this manner.


    " could it be... because of zed? she thought zed would back her up?


    hmph, even if she has a supporter, " I gave it to her!"


    The more mr wen thought about it, the more he got furious he became. regardless of the reason , he has continued to shout at her over the phone, "you''d better have zed returned that piece of land as soon as possible !


    otherwise..."


    "I am not allowed to go home?"or you would disown me.


    Jean interrupted her father. He felt lost from the sudden cut off. Before he could even utter a respond, Jean spoke again, "Sure, you can decide, as long as you''re happy!"


    On the other end, the phone continues to beep as Mr. Wen tried to make sense of everything.


    ''She''s got balls! She even dare speak to me in such tone now. What will she do to me in the future? She will think of overthrowing me, won''t she?"


    Mr. Wen got angrier the more he dwell on the idea. He unconsciously gripped the phone harder, as if the phone was Jean. With just a little more force, he could crushed Jean to pieces.


    Shirley returned home to see Mr. Wen infuriated. She asked cautiously, "Dad, what happened?"


    "It''s all the fault of that ungrateful daughter Jean!"


    "jean? what did she do?"


    Shirley wasn''t aware of the whole situation but to be able to anger father to such extent, it was probably nothing trivial.


    She couldn''t help but smile a little at that thought, but only for a moment. Her smile faded away and to be replaced by concern and discontent.


    "How can Jean do that? Whatever happens, you are still our father!"


    Without knowing, Mr. Wen became even more enraged after hearing Shirley''s word of comfort. He glared with his eyes wide opened, as if fires were to burst out anytime.


    "Father? I''m not her father! She just asked me to sever our relationship and never to come home again!"


    "dad clam down. is there a misunderstanding?"" After a pause, Shirley continued: "Is it because you hit her last night? But it was Jean who started the fight!"


    With an aggrieved and innocent look, she


    pretended to be as delicate as a white lotus.


    Mr. Wen gave another look to Shirley. He replied back plainly: "This has nothing to do with you".


    Shirley knew that her father would never get angry at her and that made her want to destroy Jean''s impression even more.

 Chapter 9 - there is always a way to deal with jean.

    "Then what makes you so angry?"


    At this time, Shirley did not know why her father had flared up. She did not know that Jean, who had always smiled and borne all hardship from her family, had completely changed. Jean had now become bold enough to directly challenge their father.


    At last, Mr. Wen''s mood became slightly more stable. He turned to face his daughter. He glowered as he spoke, "Zed terminated the process of the land transfer."


    "terminated!"


    When Shirley heard what had happened, her mood worsened. Her expression hardened but her tone gave away the worry she felt.


    No wonder her father was so angry. She knew that her father had worked really hard to get the land.


    "It must be because I beat Jean. She is such a disobedient daughter. After what happened last night, she must have complained to Zed. That must be why Zed stopped the land transfer. It''s the only explanation."


    Mr. Wen was extremely upset. He gnashed his teeth and cursed Jean so much that he did not notice Shirley''s reaction. From his outburst, it was rather obvious that his hatred toward Jean was strong.


    Shirley thought for a moment and then said slowly, "Dad, don''t be cross. You said that Zed only terminated the transfer process, right? This proves that it is not quite over yet. So if we bu??er him up, there might be a chance!"


    "Butter him up? It is by no means easy. Now, whether Zed will see me or not is a different problem altogether. Besides, I kicked Jean out of our home yesterday. She is Zed''s wife. Even if they have a bad relationship, our behavior toward her will bias Zed. That is a fact, " said Mr. Wen.


    He cursed himself for beating Jean the night before. Had he known how Zed would react, he would have controlled the anger he felt when he saw what Jean had done.


    Instead of acting harshly, if he had talked with Jean more calmly, he might have had the chance to change this situation into a better one.


    Mr wen was seized with remorse.


    When Shirley heard her father talk about Jean and Zed, she felt very jealous and resentful. Jean was undeserving of this opportunity to marry such a rich and influential person.


    After a bit of hesitation, Shirley contrived an eager, ingratiating smile and said to Mr. Wen, "Dad, how about letting me talk to Zed."


    The tone of her voice allowed Mr. Wen to guess what she was thinking.


    And since Mr. Wen knew his daughter, he was certain that talking was not the only thing on Shirley''s mind.


    Once he had guessed her intentions, Mr. Wen turned to face his daughter. Her eager expression confirmed his fears.


    So Mr. Wen glared at Shirley, and replied crossly, "That''s enough. Isn''t the situation messy enough already?"


    " I just...."


    Shirley wanted to say something more, but she happened to see her mother Joy coming downstairs leisurely. She suddenly seemed to think of something important, and so she turned to address her mother. "Mom, sister Jean... "


    "Your sister? That woman is not your sister!" said Joy.


    "Oh, I see." Shirley responded meekly before glancing at her father. He still looked gloomy. She knew he must still be thinking about the land.


    Joy also noticed her husband sitting next to Shirley. As she neared, she could feel the awkward silence between father and daughter. She didn''t know why they were behaving like this.


    "Are you troubling your father?"


    Joy asked.


    Shirley feigned innocence. Her lips curled in a frown and sadness reflected in her eyes. She looked like she was about to cry. "Why would I trouble my father? It was my sister, Jean, who asked Zed to take back the land."


    "What?" Joy looked as if she had discovered a new continent. She was certainly shocked that Shirley had referred to Jean as her sister again.


    "I mean, I mean that..." Shirley cast a quick glance at her father before speaking in a low voice, "I mean that woman, Jean, tricked Zed into stopping the land transfer process."


    "What?"


    Joy exclaimed again. Her tone was much sharper than before. It seemed that she couldn''t believe what Shirley had said.


    Then she shifted her gaze to Mr. Wen and asked him anxiously, "Henry, is what Shirley just said true?"


    Mr. Wen was still annoyed by the termination of the transfer process. He was not in the mood to answer her question. Joy''s tone and insolence angered him even more.


    When Joy didn''t get an answer from Mr. Wen, she persisted as she wanted more information. "Is everything that Shirley said true? Did Zed take the land back?"


    He did not give an answer this time either. His face turned dark and his expression was grave.


    Shirley tugged on her mom''s skirt as though silently imploring her mother to stop. Even a blind man could see that Mr. Wen was on the verge of losing his temper. And if he did lose his temper, the consequences would be terrible.


    Joy realized that she had approached her husband too aggressively. Perhaps it was because she had been anxious. She paused and composed herself before speaking in a much gentler tone, "I am sorry, I was too anxious. How do we deal with this situation?"


    "You are asking me? Who am I going to ask?"


    ''Must I visit my son-in-law and beg him to give the land to me?'' thought Henry Wen.


    Shirley leaned forward and whispered, "Actually, I have a solution."


    "I will never allow you to meet Zed. So if your solution is to talk to him, stop daydreaming." Henry Wen knew his present situation. ''If Zed is protecting Jean, anyone from the Wen family who says anything against Jean will not earn any favors from Zed.


    I don''t know what magic Jean has done to earn Zed''s implicit trust. Why is Zed so addicted to her? How does he benefit from canceling the land transfer?'' thought Mr. Wen.


    Shirley smiled and shook her head slightly. She replied, "I know that you certainly won''t let me go to Zed. And you know that he won''t listen to us. We can''t do anything to Zed, but it doesn''t mean that we can''t do anything to Jean!"


    jean!


    when henry wen heard what jean said, he narrowed his eyes.

 Chapter 10 - All The Worlds Stage, And All The Men And Women Are Merely Players.

    Meanwhile, at Zed''s villa, Jean received a phone call from her father, Henry. After she finished speaking with him, Jean tossed the phone on the bed. There was no way that she was going to consider what he had said.


    Jean was still wearing the pajama''s Zed had helped her put on the previous night. She smiled as she thought of how considerate Zed had been. He had insisted on checking her injuries and had applied medicine to her wounds.


    She had expected to be in tremendous pain after the beating. But Zed''s medicine had helped the wounds get better. Most had started scabbing as well. Just as Jean''s body was healing quickly, the wound on her heart was closing as well.


    Jean walked to the closet to find a suit of clean clothes. She picked a chiffon shirt and matched it with a pair of casual pants.


    She then changed out of the pajamas. Although she was still recovering, the casual outfit made her feel much better.


    Jean sauntered around the villa slowly. After a thorough search, she still couldn''t find Zed. Did he leave for work early in the morning?


    And now, it was early noon.


    At the thought, Jean''s stomach rumbled to remind her that she hadn''t eaten anything all day. She stepped into the kitchen to make herself some food. Jean was surprised to see a note stuck to the fridge door.


    Normally, Jean was the only person who frequented the kitchen. Since their marriage, Zed had never entered the kitchen. Who would leave her a note?


    With this in mind, Jean slowly approached the fridge. Since she had no reason to believe that Zed would have left her a note, she was being cautious.


    "there''s some warm food in the pot."


    The note was written simply. As was customary with Zed, he used as few words as possible. However, gentleness and warmth could be sensed from the note.


    Jean stared at the note blankly. She was still trying to come to terms with the change in Zed''s behavior from the previous night. How should she react to the note? Should she be moved? Happy? Feel blessed?


    Considering the circumstances of her marriage with Zed, how could she possibly feel blessed?


    ''Zed probably did this out of some sense of concern for my injuries, '' she rationalized. ''It is not possibly an act of love.


    no, it can''t be for love.''


    After thinking for a while, Jean found it too challenging to figure out Zed''s intentions. So she just gave up. Although still unsure about Zed''s intentions, Jean''s stomach wouldn''t allow her to wait any longer. So she lifted the lid and peeped inside. She smiled when she saw steaming hot red date congee.


    Tentatively Jean took a small taste of the congee. ''It is so unexpectedly good! I thought he had made a common congee. I was so wrong!'' The congee had a generous helping of red dates and longans. The ingredients were common, but they complimented the congee really well. The gruel was neither excessively sweet nor insipid. It was just perfect.


    The effort made by Zed to prepare the special congee not only surprised Jean, it also evoked her appreciation for Zed. It was undeniable that Zed had done a great job, whether with the congee, or with his considerate and consistent care.


    Jean was amazed by Zed. All this while, she had thought of him as entitled and conceited. There were times when he behaved like a child. She would never have imagined that he knew how to cook. What surprised her even more was that he had made it really well.


    Memories of the previous night started popping up in her mind. Zed, the man who was always cold with Jean, had shown her enormous kindness and care when she was hurt.


    Such a gentle and soft Zed was so different to what he had been in the past. It was as if he were a different person.


    ''Any girl who is lucky enough to marry Zed in the future would be very blessed indeed! She will, I''m sure.''


    Jean thought as she settled at the table with the meal. Then she turned her attention to the sweet congee.


    Jean devoured the congee. She had completely forgotten that she had left her phone in the bedroom. The phone rang several times, but Jean couldn''t hear it.


    In the meanwhile, On the topmost floor of the commercial tower in the city center, Zed stood in front of the french windows of the executive office. He frowned as he looked at the phone in his hand.


    ''I have called numerous times, why is she not answering? What is this woman doing? She is still recovering. So, where could she go?


    Maybe her heartless father called her and upset her?''


    As Zed tried rationalizing Jean''s lack of response to his calls, the direction of his thoughts concerned him.


    ''Before I left, I had checked on her condition to make sure the wounds were getting better. She was injured both physically and mentally after her trip to the Wen house. If it happens again, she will be truly traumatized.''


    Realizing how risky Jean''s situation was, Zed immediately hurried out of the commercial tower.


    ....


    At the villa, Jean had just finished devouring the congee. It had been so good that she had eaten multiple servings. Just as she sat staring at her empty bowl, the doorbell rang.


    was it zed ?


    no, if it were zed he would have walked in. he had the key to villa. who could it be then?


    his parents?


    Jean immediately gave up this thought. However, her curiosity about Zed''s parents had been aroused. Although they had been married for a while, Jean had never seen his family.


    "Ding-dong!"


    The bell rang again. Jean had a sense of foreboding. Just as her father had called persistently, the doorbell was ringing repeatedly.


    Jean cleaned the table, and then rushed to the door. She had not even stopped to put on a coat.


    However, as she opened the front door of the villa, the two faces that appeared before Jean were familiar yet strange. Frustrated, she tried closing the door, but couldn''t. There was no way back.


    ''Father? Oh, no! He is no longer my father.


    And Shirley Wen!''


    Jean took a deep breath and forced herself to appear calm and confident. She soon noticed that they held several bottles of tonic in their hands. But their fake smile had betrayed them.


    ''How shameless you are! You turn up at my villa after cutting off all relationships with me on the phone.''


    "Sister Jean!"


    As Jean tried processing her father''s brazenness, Shirley opened her mouth and greeted Jean in a sing-song tone. Probably for considering her father''s decency before his daughter.


    Shirley''s attitude had changed so abruptly that Jean could b?r?ly believe her eyes. Shirley acted so well that her performance could win her an Oscar.


    Jean gave no reply. Instead she looked at them carefully. Her father was clearly not happy about this visit. Shirley was being melodramatic. To Jean, it was as though she were watching a frigid comedy show. And she was still unclear about the purpose of their visit.


    "Sister Jean, we came here to see you. Last night was all my fault. I shouldn''t have said those mean things to you. although it was wrong for you to beat me, it was me who irritated you first. I apologize to you please forgive me !"


    Shirley said sincerely as though she were telling truth. her performance was so convincing that anybody who didn''t know the truth would be easily cheated into thinking that she had been wronged. that would also make her appear generous for apologizing.


    jean was completely stunned by Shirley''s outstanding performance. she finally understood the significance of the saying "All the world''s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players.

 Chapter 11 - Sister, Forgive Me.

    Jean still had no response. She was waiting for her father to speak.


    "Dear..." After a long wait, her father finally spoke.


    It was this word that nearly made Jean burst into laughter.


    Dear? Dear? Dear?


    That was the funniest joke that Jean had ever heard. Jean raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled sardonically.


    "Ha!"


    Jean''s father was stupefied. He had no idea why she was smiling at him like that.


    "Sister, father and I have come here to apologize for our mistakes. We are your family. Why are you behaving like this?"


    ''What a family!


    Did you consider me as a member of the family when you beat me with the broom?'' These thoughts ran through Jean''s mind. She glared at Shirley. Surprised by Jean''s odd behavior, Shirley fidgeted. She didn''t know what else to say to Jean.


    "What am I doing? What have I done?"


    "Jean Wen!"


    The tone of her father''s voice was a clear indicator of how he truly felt. Jean lifted her chin in defiance.


    ''Ha, he couldn''t pretend any longer, could he? Didn''t you call me dear just now? How quickly he reveals his true nature!''


    Jean looked at Shirley before glancing at her father. The expression in her eyes was so cold.


    It was a sunny day but somehow, Jean''s father felt a shiver travel through his body. It was almost as though someone had poured a basin of ice-cold water over him.


    "So, why are you here?"


    Since her father had lost his patience, Jean felt there was no need to be civil either.


    Although Jean was fully aware of their intentions, she didn''t plan on letting them know.


    However, her father was burning with anger. It was beneath him to humiliate himself before Jean like this. He would have slapped her for her disrespectful behavior had it not been for that land.


    "I..."


    After another long pause, that was all that Henry could bring himself to say to Jean. Jean knew that her father was having a difficult time expressing himself because he could notswallow his pride. He scolded her on the phone. He called her unfilial. He had said that she wasn''t his family anymore. And now, he had to apologize. Knowing her father, Jean wondered if he would ever be able to admit that he was wrong.


    Henry was over fifty years old. Jean studied his face. The only indicator of his age was the graying hair at his temples. In all his years, and with all his wisdom, this was how her father behaved? This was the first time that Jean felt that the man standing in front of her was pretty pathetic.


    Despite her resolution not to forgive her family for all the hurt they had caused over the years, Jean''s heart quivered.


    She seemed to be a little hesitant.


    When Henry refused to speak, Jean decided she had wasted enough of her time. And so, she spoke first, "Since there is nothing to talk about, I shall leave."


    Jean nodded and took a step back. As she swung the door close, Shirley quickly stepped forward and stopped the door. She was aware of why her father couldn''t bring himself to apologize. However, they had a plan to manipulate Zed into completing the land transfer process. It was imperative that they make peace with Jean. And so she smiled and held Jean''s arm. With a sweet smile she said, "Sister, don''t be angry.You see, our father has come to apologize. Besides, there cannot be any hatred between a father and his daughter, can there? After all, he is still our father even though he made a mistake, right?" ''So, as per Shirley''s explanation, I''m to blame for everything?''


    Jean was a little puzzled. She looked at Shirley and then glanced at Shirley''s hand that was holding her.


    She was in no mood to forgive her sister who had framed her yesterday and gave an insincere apology today. On top of everything, Shirley was still lying about Jean hitting her with the broom!


    "Since when has our relationship been so close?" The disgusted look on Jean''s face and her cold words were a clear indication that their plot had failed.


    Jean removed Shirley''s grip on her arm as she spoke.


    Shirley was too embarrassed to keep smiling. She wondered why Jean was behaving so differently. This person was not her sister. At least, Jean wasn''t a forgiving, meek person as before.


    Her father was very displeased with Jean''s attitude toward Shirley, but he was helpless. He could not afford to get angry with Jean.


    They were in this mess because he let his anger get the better of him. Now, he had to wait.He would take care of this bitch after he got the land.


    He forced himself to smile despite what he was thinking.


    "Dear daughter, I know you are still upset with me. After Shirley told me what happened and I understood that she was at fault, I realized that you were right to teach her a lesson. You are her elder sister and she didn''t show you any respect."


    Jean supposed that these two hypocritical people would go away after she had made her feelings clear. But she had underestimated their impudicity.


    "Yeah, I know I was wrong, sister. Forgive me, please!" Shirley repeated after Henry hadstopped speaking. "Would you forgive me if I stab you with a knife and then apologize?"


    Jean''s expression was sour and both, Shirley and her father had nothing to say to her hypothetical question.


    Although Henry and Shirley could see from Jean''s expressions that she was cold and unforgiving, what they didn''t know was that her heart was breaking. It had taken an immense amount of courage to stand up to her family.


    Not far away, a man sat in a fancy car. He watched this whole sordid exchange between Jean, Shirley, and their father. He smiled at how Jean stood her ground and refused to her family manipulate her. This woman seems to have changed!

 Chapter 12 - Save your breath and talk to my attorney.

    Henry couldn''t stand Jean''s insolence anymore. He raised his hand and slapped Jean across her face. The sound from the slap was so loud that it echoed through the quite halls of the villa and its surroundings.


    Henry''s action infuriated Zed. His eyes widened and his handsome face contorted with rage. Despite what Jean''s father had done, Zed had to sit quietly in the car and watch.


    Zed had parked in a space that was not clearly visible from the door of the villa. However,everything being said by Shirley, Henry, and Jean could be clearly heard. At this moment, Henry was abusing and cursing Jean.


    "Jean, I am giving you one last opportunity to avoid embarrassing yourself. And this will be the last chance I give you to secure that land for me. We have come to admit our mistakes. And your sister, Shirley has already apologized to you. What else do you want? Just tell me what on earth you could possibly want in exchange. I will try to get it for you so long as you ask Zed to give me that piece of land." Obviously, Henry could no longer control himself.


    Jean''s face burned from the impact of the slap and from humiliation. She buried her face in her hands. She could feel thehot sting of tears as they trickled down her face.


    Although Jean had already known that it would end like this, she was still expecting that her father would be a little kinder to her.


    ''Jean, how silly you are!'' Jean thought to herself, ''How quickly you forgot the insults you received in your father''s house last night. You should not have longed for your father''s approval.''


    Henry was so upset with Jean that he could b?r?ly breathe. He placed a hand on his ?h?st to calm his breathing. It seemed as though he was undergoing untold suffering and pain.


    Shirley seized the opportunity to sharply criticize Jean for being disobedient and making their father suffer.


    "Sister, I know you hate us deeply. But our father is getting older and weaker. You should not treat him like this. If you want, vent your anger and hatred on me. You know that our father has tried so hard and made so many sacrifices to get that land. Even his health deteriorated in the process. How can you be so hardhearted? Why do you want to continue to hurt him and make him suffer?" Shirley pretended to be a considerate and caring daughter. She listed Jean''s wrongdoings out of malice, while gently comforting Henry with back pats.


    "Are you quite finished?" she asked Shirley. "If you came here just to show me this performance, then I am sorry to tell you, I am not interested in your excuses. Get out of here! Or I will call the police!" said Jean.


    The only thing Jean wanted to do in this moment was to slam the door and separate herself from her disgusting father and half-sister. Only by doing so, could mean clam down


    Since there was nothing left to say, Jean decided to shut the door. Henry stopped her. He offered a very expensive health-care food product that he had brought to please Zed. Jean had considered her father to be shameless. With this act, he had shown how far he would go. Jean was disappointed with his behavior.


    Jean shook her head and refused to take her father''s gifts. It was this move that completely angered Henry.


    Henry quickly reached forward and violently pulled Jean out of the villa.


    Jean did not expect this to happen. In an instant, pain exploded across all injuries covering her body. Along with the pain, Jean felt extremely distressed. Taken completely off-guard, she almost fell when Henry pulled her. She stumbled and tried to balance herself but the sudden movements left her feeling dizzy.


    Just when Jean thought she would fall, strong arms held her steady.


    Even without looking at her savior, Jean was sure that Zed had come to her rescue.


    "I am going to beat you to death..."


    Enfolded in Zed''s arms, Jean finally felt safe. She trembled as relief flooded her. Zed felt her body shake and a deep sense of protectiveness coursed through him. His heart melted.


    Zed stayed silent. Consumed by worry for Jean, he took a moment to inspect his wife. He remembered thinking that she had changed. With the way that she had handled herself earlier, he thought she wouldn''t let her family abuse her. Judging from the bruise on her face, he knew that she remained unchanged and was still pure enough to be hurt by her malicious family.


    Jean''s left cheek was red and swollen. And a hand print was clearly visible on her fair face. Zed furrowed his eyebrows as he thought of how much pain Jean must be feeling. It was almost as if he could feel her pain.


    Jean did not remember how many times Zed had frowned since their marriage. Usually he frowned when she said or did something that troubled him. This time, however, she was happy and grateful that the frown was because he was worried about her. That consoled Jean.


    "Zed, I think there must be some misunderstanding between us. I don''t know what my daughter told you, which made you terminate the land transfer process."


    Since Zed would determine whether or not the land would be transferred, Henry had to play nice. Even though he was extremely upset, Henry had to hold back his anger and show some respect to Zed.


    However, Zed did not pay any attention to Henry. His focus was on Jean''s cheek. Henry realized that he should not have slapped Jean. He had a presentiment that it would become far more difficult for him to regain that land.


    "Let us go inside. I am going to ice your cheek." Zed said in a soft tone. Zed was surprised by his concern and the gentleness he was showing toward Jean. Although he knew he cared about her, the magnitude of his feelings toward Jean startled Zed.


    After hearing what Zed said and seeing Zed''s worried expression, Shirley, who was standing on the side, became resentful. She envied Jean for having such a considerate, handsome, and rich husband. So she scowled at Jean.


    If the hatred in Shirley''s eyes could kill, Jean would have died hundreds of thousands of times.


    Jean was well aware of what Shirley was thinking simply by the look her half-sister was giving her.


    However, she just ignored Shirley. She no longer wished to be involved.


    Jean found that she couldn''t bring herself to speak. She gave a curt nod to let Zed know that she was ready to leave.


    Shirley watched this silent dialogue between Jean and Zed. Having understood her sister''s intentions, she decided to speak up.


    "Sister, you can''t go. If you leave without settling this, how will father get the land?"


    Shirley knew that talking about the land at a time like this might annoy Zed, but she just could not let such a good opportunity slip from her fingers. If Jean left now, and in this mood, it would be impossible for them to regain that piece of land.


    More importantly, if she missed speaking up, Shirley was afraid that she would never find another chance to talk to Zed.


    Shirley was of the opinion that Zed and Jean had gotten married only for commercial purposes. They did not love each other and would get divorced later.


    Zed was so extraordinary and charming. He would never fall in love with Jean, who was absolutely no good.


    Shirley had convinced herself that some benefit would come from speaking with Zed. She was absolutely certain that Zed and Jean''s relationship was not real.


    At this point, Zed wrapped a protective arm around Jean''s shoulder before leading her into the villa.


    Henry froze when he realized that he had lost all chances of getting that land. Zed was indifferent to everything the Wen family had to say.


    Fortunately, after Shirley said Jean''s name, Zed stopped.


    Henry''s hopes soared as he thought Zed''s reaction might be an indicator that he would reconsider his previous decision.


    "Zed, there are some misunderstandings between me and Jean." Henry was quick to offer an apologetic excuse for his actions. Perhaps a little humility would sway Zed completely.


    Zed spoke with a cold tone, "Save your breath and talk to my attorney. We will determine whether or not this was a misunderstanding at a later date when we review the recording from the cameras placed outside my villa."


    Zed continued into the villa after his statement. Even before Henry and Shirley could process what Zed had said, the door in front of them was slammed shut.

 Chapter 13 - A Divorce Who Said That

    Henry and Shirley couldn''t believe how they had ended up in this situation. They had come with the intention of apologizing to Jean and manipulating her into speaking with Zed about completing the land transfer process. And yet, here they stood, outside the villa with neither Jean nor Zed willing to speak with them.


    "Dad, why does Jean seem totally different? Is it because Zed is supporting her? Does she think she can do anything at will?"


    Shirley didn''t really care about Jean very much. She seemed to enjoy other''s misfortune. However, in this case, it seemed impossible to convince Zed to give up that land without the help of Jean Wen.


    Henry glared at Shirley. As per him, none of this would have transpired had it not been for Shirley''s idea.


    "This is all your fault. If you had not suggested coming here, I would not have to bear such insult from Zed."


    "Ermm....."


    Shirley snorted before replying, "I didn''t know that Zed would come back so suddenly. I heard that Zed goes to the company early every day and that he rarely returns home."


    Her information had been obtained from an employee at Zed''s company. The person who had confided in Shirley had sworn that Zed''s routine never changed.


    "You know what? I shouldn''t have come here today. If it were not for your falling out with Jean, Zed would still respect me, even if it was only because of his interest in Jean. But now..."


    It seemed that Henry could no longer see a way to salvage the situation. His pride would also not let him admit that he had been at fault for slapping Jean. It was simply easier to blame someone else.


    "Dad, do you think it is strange? How did Jean change so much overnight?"


    To be honest, Shirley still couldn''t believe the arrogant woman was her older sister. Jean had quietly suffered all her bullying all of these years.


    Henry shook his head. He couldn''t believe Shirley was so fixated on this one issue. He walked toward his car and ignored what Shirley had just said.


    Only after Henry had walked halfway down the driveway did Shirley realize that she was alone. She had been so lost in her thoughts about Jean and Zed that she hadn''t noticed when her father had walked away. She turned and quickly followed her father.


    ...


    As soon as they had stepped into the living room, Zed loosened his grip on Jean''s arm. He sat her on the sofa before disappearing into the kitchen.


    Jean had no idea what Zed was going to do. She had been surprised by Zed''s early arrival and found herself curious about this change in his routine.


    Why had Zed returned?


    How was it that he showed up just when she needed him?


    Was it possible that he had returned to fetch some important documents that he might have left at home and that Jean was reading too much into this coincidence?


    Yes, that''s the most plausible reason. Very rational.


    After sorting through things in her mind, Jean got comfortable on the sofa. A while passed and Zed hadn''t returned. Bored, she opened the Weibo app on her mobile phone. At the moment, the pain she felt on her cheek was slowly subsiding.


    His slender but strong body interrupted the sunlight that was lighting up Jean''s face. Jean was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn''t noticed Zed''s return. She was reflecting on her feelings for Zed. His consideration, tenderness, and care seemed to be softening her attitude. She wouldn''t go so far as to say she loved him, but she felt something special for him. She couldn''t explain it. However, Jean felt that she could be more confident with Zed in her life.


    Or, maybe it was just a sense of security that she couldn''t really explain.


    Jean finally felt Zed''s presence and fidgeted from nervousness. Since she couldn''t rationalize her change in feelings for Zed, she felt anxious.


    Her hands clenched and unclenched involuntarily and she didn''t have the courage to look at Zed.


    Zed stood for a long time but received no response from her. So he squatted to be able to look at Jean.


    Once Zed had lowered himself, Jean noticed the ice bag in his hand. Her eyes widened when she realized why Zed had gone to the kitchen. His thoughtfulness warmed her heart.


    "Put this on your injury."


    Jean''s shoulders sagged at Zed''s cold tone. To her, it seemed that he didn''t care about Jean.


    Couldn''t it be.... that his gentleness was feigned?


    Zed wondered why Jean hadn''t taken the ice from him. What could be stopping her? "Would you prefer it if I put the ice for you?" he asked.


    Without waiting for her reply, Zed stretched his hand and gently placed the ice bag on her face. Jean was flustered by his action and quickly reached out and took the bag from Zed.


    "They..."


    Jean planned to explain why her father and half-sister had come to visit. Just as she started her explanation, Zed stood up. It seemed that he didn''t care to hear about it. Since he wasn''t interested, Jean stopped speaking.


    ''He probably has more important things to think about.''


    "I returned to fetch my things. I don''t like surprise visitors at my villa."


    Zed replied curtly. Jean nodded absentmindedly. His explanation had settled Jean''s curiosity.


    Since Jean had already considered this as a plausible reason for his return, she simply replied with "I know."


    "I don''t want this to happen again. My wife shouldn''t be manipulated and abused by her family. I will be disgraced if other people learn of this."


    " What?" Jean was stunned. ''What did he just say?


    My wife?''


    "But we agreed on a divorce!"


    Jean reminded Zed. She was surprised by his continued insistence that they remain married .''why didn''t he stick to his earlier agreement?'' If zed had not taken away the booklet, she would have left him a long time ago.


    " A divorce? who said that?"

 Chapter 14 - Zeds Ex-girlfriend Came Looking For Him.

    Zed glared at Jean. Although he was confused, a part of him felt elated because Jean was well enough to argue with him. The thought settled Zed''s concerns as he felt that she hadn''t suffered any major injuries or mental anguish from her most recent ordeal.


    "Me! I said that we''re getting divorced. And we reached an agreement about it, right?"


    Jean felt a little helpless. Several days ago, they had talked about the divorce. They had even agreed to go to City Hall. However, Zed had not appeared for their first appointment. That same day, he had taken and hidden Jean''s Residence Booklet. Without it, she could not get divorced.


    "We had an agreement? Not that I recall." Zed raised his eyebrows and asked with a flirty smile.


    Jean was astonished with Zed''s playfulness. She couldn''t stop thinking about how handsome he looked when he smiled. His delicate cheeks and deep eyes had truly captivated her. ''I''m so lucky to be his wife.''


    Jean was surprised by her thought. She grew anxious and nervous, and found that she couldn''t look at Zed.


    Shifting her gaze to the floor, she replied meekly, "Yes, we had an agreement. We have discussed this many times before. I even negotiated with my father to give me the Residence Booklet! Why are you doing this to me?"


    "Well, so what?"


    Zed responded. He scratched his chin in feigned contemplation. "I want to reconsider. If you insist, you''re free to find a lawyer to draft the divorce papers. But I won''t sign."


    "You..." Jean felt speechless.


    She thought, ''Zed is such a jerk!''


    Jean was outraged by what Zed had said. After the initial shock had passed, Jean figured she would not benefit from quarreling with Zed. Since her father still hadn''t acquired the land he had been yearning for, Jean was sure that her family would cause trouble for her again.


    An old idiom flashed through Jean''s mind and provided her with some comfort. ''Great trees are good for shade.'' Jean knew that Zed would be the perfect ''great tree''. She was weak, had no money, and no support. To become stronger, she would need his protection.


    "What is it going to take to convince you to go forward with the divorce? I swear I will not ask for anything. I don''t need your house, your car, or your money. The only thing that I seek, is the divorce."


    Jean said in a soft tone. Although her thoughts were causing her to blush from embarrassment, she felt happy at having thought of an alternative.


    Zed glared at Jean disdainfully before walking away. He acted like nothing had happened.


    ''Hmm, don''t get ???ky. Let''s wait and see. Sooner or later, I''ll make you sign the divorce papers, '' Jean thought.


    Jean scowled at Zed to ease the anger she felt.


    Zed, who had reached the door, sensed Jean''s actions. Instinctively, he turned to look at his wife. Jean hadn''t expected such a reaction and swiftly moved the ice pack to hide her expression. She avoided eye contact with Zed as though nothing had happened.


    Jean didn''t dare to open her mouth until she was sure that Zed had left. Once alone, Jean was able to think clearly. ''Zed mentioned that he had returned for something. But he left empty-handed.''


    Jean could sense that Zed was not being entirely honest with her. Frustrated, she threw the ice pack on to the coffee table.


    Although annoyed with Zed, Jean was touched by his gesture. It was thoughtful of him to make her an ice pack for her injury.


    The first thing Zed did after he returned to his office was to order his secretary to call his lawyer. Then Zed described what had happened outside his villa to the lawyer before asking for a legal notice to be sent to Mr. Henry Wen.


    After settling affairs, Zed finally had a few moments to introspect and calm down.


    ''Jean is such a nice girl. I must make sure that no one hurts her. Even if the people who want to hurt her are her family. And if someone dares to hurt Jean, they must suffer in return!''


    Zed was determined to protect Jean. As he thought of Jean''s father and his actions, Zed''s expression turned cold.


    All of a sudden, a noise from the outside disturbed Zed. He frowned at the interference.


    In the next moment, Zed''s secretary could be heard politely speaking to a visitor, "Miss Xu, you can''t enter the office without permission."


    "Why can''t I? Your boss and I have been friends for many years. Moreover, I called before coming here."


    As Eva Xu''s voice filled Zed''s office, he cringed.


    He wondered, ''What is she doing here?''


    "Miss, miss, " the secretary cried.


    "Boom!"


    Eva forced the door with such strength that it slammed into the wall. She hurried into Zed''s office. The secretary, who had followed her into the office, looked anxious. He was worried that Mr. Qi would punish him for not stopping Eva.


    "Mr. Qi, I am sorry but there was nothing that I could say to stop her." The secretary said apologetically.


    Zed leaned back in his chair. He raised his chin and studied the two people who had entered his office.


    Eva was pleased to see that Zed was looking at her. "Zed, " she said with as much charm as she could muster.


    This was a calculated step by Eva. She called Zed by his name instead of adhering to his formal title, Mr. Qi, as she wanted to remind him of their previous intimate relationship. This was not the first time that the secretary had been confronted with such a situation. After all, Mr. Qi was a successful young man. He was also very handsome. Over the years, many ladies had made up all kinds of excuses to meet him. However, most of the time, Zed would ask his secretary to send them away.


    When he realized the difference, the secretary intended to leave the office without being noticed.


    However, Zed stopped his secretary before he could step away. "I remember telling you that no one should enter my office without my permission. Did you forget?" Zed questioned the secretary.


    Although Zed was speaking to his secretary, everyone in the room knew that Zed''s remark was for Eva''s benefit. He was indirectly admonishing her for forcing her way into his office.


    Instinctively, the secretary took a look at Eva. But when he sensed that Eva was not going to leave, the secretary didn''t know what to do.


    Eva felt extremely insulted. Her face turned pale with embarrassment.


    "Zed, I came here for you, " Eva coaxed. Eva had presumed that Zed, like other men, would submit to her persistence.


    However, to her surprise, Zed remained unmoved. It was as though he was as cold as ice.


    Zed replied, "You came here for me? Miss Xu, if you came here to discuss a personal matter, then I don''t have anything to say to you. But if you came here for business, please contact my secretary first. He will check my schedule and then arrange an official meeting for when I am available. Regardless of the situation, it is inappropriate for you to enter my office without an appointment today."


    No matter how intimate and personal Eva pretended to be, Zed behaved as though he was speaking to a stranger.


    The secretary was pretty happy with what Mr. Qi said. He thought, ''Everyone knows that Mr. Qi had married Miss Wen, the daughter of the Wen Group. Although the rumor was that they had married for business, the agreement brought no commercial benefit to Mr. Qi. Since Mr. Qi doesn''t need the Wen Group at all, he must have married Jean Wen for love.''


    "Zed, I..."


    Eva was very upset with the harsh treatment she was receiving. This meeting was certainly not going as planned. She felt scorned and couldn''t understand why Zed was behaving in such a manner.


    What was worse was that he doing all this in front of the secretary on purpose? This added to Eva''s embarrassment.


    Eva was in a dilemma right now. On the one hand, she didn''t want to speak more intimately in front of the secretary. On the other, she didn''t want to leave without implementing her plan.


    Zed asked, "Well, Miss Xu, do you have anything else to say to me?"


    Miss Xu?


    Miss Xu!


    Why would Zed insist on addressing her so formally? Eva was baffled. She pursed her lips, and her eyes filled with tears.


    When the secretary saw her reaction, he shook his head helplessly. As a red-blooded man, he couldn''t bear to see a woman cry, even if that woman was a stranger to him.


    "Zed, Can I say something, please? Just let me talk for a second, okay? It won''t take up too much of your time, "


    Said Eva in a broken voice.


    The secretary immediately turned to look at Zed.


    However, Zed didn''t pay any attention to what Eva had said.


    When the secretary turned to look at Eva, he happened to make direct eye contact with her.


    Eva''s eyes were filled with tears, which made the secretary uneasy. It seemed as though she was imploring him to help. But he could do nothing for her.

 Chapter 15 - Dear, Whats For Dinner.

    The secretary knew that Eva wanted him to leave the room so that she could speak privately with Zed. But she was expecting the impossible from the secretary. Mr. Qi was the CEO of the company and he, the secretary, was in no position to tell the CEO what to do.


    Eva got annoyed when she got no response from the secretary, but she couldn''t do anything about it. She kept thinking about the night when Zed and Jean were together. Why Jean? Eva felt more annoyed as she continued to think about that. Jean was so simple and plain that there was no way Eva could accept that she was being ignored for Jean. She had decided during the birthday party that she needed to sabotage the relationship between Zed and Jean before he actually fell in love with her.


    "Zed, I promise it won''t take long. I just have a few words that I want to say to you. That''s all."


    Eva burst into tears and her voice conveyed the sadness she felt.


    Zed squinted and looked at Eva. He knew she wouldn''t accept his decision so easily. And so, he decided to try a different approach. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. He pretended as though he hadn''t heard what Eva had said.


    "Zed..." Eva lowered her voice and sobbed out his name.


    ...


    The phone rang twice. Jean answered the call. She had been surprised to see that Zed was calling her. However, she rationalized by thinking that Zed had come to his senses and was going to agree to the divorce. It would be great as she could then be free of this man. After a little hesitation, Jean spoke, "Do you agree with the divorce?" Jean managed to squeeze in her question before Zed could say a word. She sounded genuine and eager. When Zed heard Jean''s question, His knitted eyebrows finally smoothened out. A happy smile played on his face. It seemed as though he was speaking with someone who was important to him. Someone for whom Zed felt a tremendous amount of tenderness. Gone was the cold expression that usually graced Zed''s attractive face.


    Seeing this, anger filled Eva. Zed had never treated her like that before.


    "Honey..."


    After hearing Zed speak like that, Eva knew that she had lost.


    The secretary smiled at Mr. Qi''s tactics. He''d seen people handle difficult women, but he had never seen anyone manage the way Zed did. With the understanding that there was nothing she could say to Zed, Eva felt as though she needed to leave the room. She knew for sure that the person on the phone with Zed was Jean.


    "I''ll be back early today. Just as I promised, I will be home as soon as I get off work! Hmm, I want to have braised fish, sweet and sour fillet..."


    Zed talked with Jean about daily trifles as if he was alone in his office.


    What Eva did not know was that Zed''s comments had left Jean completely confused.


    Honey? Braised fish? Sweet and sour fillet? What was his problem? Did he hit his head and lose his mind?


    "Do you agree to divorce me if I make you braised fish and sweet and sour fillet?" she asked gingerly. She had no idea why Zed was saying these things to her and she certainly could not see how it was related to the topic of the divorce.


    "You said that if I behave as you requested, you will cook special dishes for me."


    Last time?


    Jean looked at the phone in confusion. The number showing on the screen was definitely Zed''s. It was most certainly his voice. But why would he say something like that? Jean wondered whether he was trying to subtly hint at something. Behave as she requested?


    Jean quickly went through every conversation she had with Zed in recent days. Finally she recalled the incident where she had asked Zed to cancel the land transfer process. Was he talking about that?


    "How about I cook you an additional dish of braised pork?"


    Hearing this, Zed''s mouth twitched and replied, "Braised pork is too greasy, I''d like to have something light..."


    Eva couldn''t stand this humiliation anymore. And so she stamped her foot and stormed out of the room.


    Jean quickly went through every conversation she had with Zed in recent days. Finally she recalled the incident where she had asked Zed to cancel the land transfer process. Was he talking about that?


    "How about I cook you an additional dish of braised pork?" Hearing this, Zed''s mouth twitched and replied, "Braised pork is too greasy, I''d like to have something light..."


    Eva couldn''t stand this humiliation anymore. And so she stamped her foot and stormed out of the room.


    After a while, Zed smiled with satisfaction. Reluctant to interrupt Zed, the secretary withheld his smile, and turned to leave the office. He closed the office door without making a sound.


    On the phone, Jean was still bargaining with Zed. She thought if Zed wanted her to cook in exchange for the divorce, then she would be happy to please him. And so, she offered to make the dishes she was confident about. "You think braised pork is too greasy? We can have other dishes if you don''t like that suggestion. How about some vegetables. Do you like lettuce, n?k?d oat, or spinach?


    Zed closed his eyes and smiled.


    Jean seemed to be in the mood. She continued talking without waiting for Zed''s reply.


    "How about cabbage? What else do you like? I will go to the farmer''s market and then prepare dinner."


    Zed remained silent as he imagined Jean pottering around the kitchen putting together all these wonderful dishes. He fantasized about the moment that he would reach home and sit before a table full of dishes prepared by Jean.


    If some day, Jean could cook for him of her own accord...


    "Hey, are you still there?"


    Jean''s voice pulled Zed back to reality.


    Zed paused a bit before replying in a flat tone, "Whatever you like!"


    Jean didn''t detect the overtone in his reply. She really thought that Zed wanted her to select from the options she had given.


    "Ok, I''ll make something special for you for dinner. Now I am going to the farmer''s market. Do you have anything else to say to me?"


    "No!"


    Although Zed still spoke in a flat tone, he didn''t want the Although Zed still spoke in a flat tone, he didn''t want the conversation to end. His purpose to drive Eva away had been achieved. However, he had missed Jean and was enjoying speaking with her.


    "I''ll hang up now. Wait! Does what you just promised me still count?"


    "What did I promise you?"


    "You promised me that if I cook you dinner, make you braised fish, and sweet and sour fillet, you will ..."


    "Have dinner together? Well, of course, I remember it."


    Zed interrupted Jean before she could mention the divorce again. Then he ended the call quickly thus leaving no chance for Jean to refute him.


    Jean looked at the phone in confusion for a long time. She tried to make sense of their conversation, but found that she could not. She shook her head.


    Did Zed... Agree with the arrangment or not?


    It was so very confusing! But on second thought, he had promised to have dinner with her, which meant that she still had a chance to talk about the divorce.


    At the worst, she could repeat what she had done the last time.


    Jean suddenly felt as though her purpose in life was to please this disagreeable man to get her freedom after the divorce.


    Could married life be more strange?


    Meanwhile, at the Wen house, Henry sat staring at his desk in his study. He was at a complete loss. Although he held an envelope in his hands, he was lost in his thoughts. The envelope contained the legal notice that Zed had asked his lawyer to send.


    Henry was having a hard time believing that Zed had really sent him a legal notice along with the surveillance video.


    The notice was quite clear. Zed required Henry to apologize to Jean otherwise Zed would charge him with intentional ?ssault.


    The surveillance video had recorded Henry slapping Jean.


    Henry knew of Zed''s power and status. Even without this surveillance video as evidence, Zed could make things very difficult for Henry if he wanted to teach him a lesson. And there was nothing Henry could do to get away with it.


    Had he known that something like this would happen, he wouldn''t have gone to the villa to meet Jean. Although he would have lost an opportunity to speak with his daughter, at least he wouldn''t have found himself in this mess. His only loss would be the land. But now, things were not that simple.


    Henry''s weathered face looked even more melancholic.


    Should he really apologize to Jean in person?


    Never once in his ?du?t life had Henry imagined that he would end up in this position.


    "Ah!"


    A long sigh suddenly echoed through his silent study.


    Joy had been standing at the door. She had been watching Henry through the little gap between the door and the frame. From this angle, she had a clear view of Henry''s face.


    They had eating dinner happily a few minutes ago . suddenly the phone rang . when Henry face paled, joy knew something was wrong.


    seeing how Henry was sitting in his study and looking morose , joy was know more certain that something had happened.

 Chapter 16 - If She Refuses, I Will Beat Her Up.

    "Henry, you didn''t eat much just now, I made some porridge for you. Eat some, alright?"


    Joy walked up to Henry with a dedicate rice bowl in her hands. The porridge in the bowl was exuding hot steam.


    Henry only glanced up at Joy and shook his head. Then, he buried his head down again.


    Joy took a step forward, carefully placing down the bowl of porridge on his desk, and subconsciously glanced at the letter on the desk.


    She didn''t know what it was, but seeing just now how Henry was staring at this letter without even blinking, she figured it must be this letter that made him this depressed.


    "I don''t want to eat. Where is Shirley?"


    "Shirley keeps telling me that she doesn''t have the face to see you. What happened today was all because of the bad idea she came up with. Without it, you wouldn''t have gotten into trouble like this."


    "Oh!"


    Henry absentmindedly replied. Soon after, he was lost in thought again.


    After a long while, Joy took the lead in breaking the silence.


    "Shirley told me everything. This matter can''t be blamed on her. It''s all that whore Jean''s fault. She must have said something in front of Zed. How about I go teach her a lesson or two."


    Joy originally intended on comforting Henry, but she didn''t expect that her words darkened Henry''s face even more.


    "You don''t need to say anymore. In the end, Jean is also my daughter, so I will deal with the issue myself. You don''t need to bother with it. Also, make Shirley thoroughly give up thinking about seducing Zed. Zed won''t take a fancy to Shirley."


    "I know Jean is your biological daughter, but does she regard you as her father? If she still considers you as her father from the bottom of her heart, then you wouldn''t be sitting here sighing and groaning. Henry, I only hoped to live a stable life when I married you, steadily waiting for our daughter Shirley and our son Winner to get married someday. During this time, I don''t want to see Jean destroy our peaceful life. Right now by your side, you only have one daughter, our daughter, nothing else."


    Joy was wearing a housedress, just like a typical housewife.


    How could Henry not understand what she''s saying. However, Jean is also his biological daughter, this is an indisputable fact.


    And it was precisely for this reason that Henry felt it was exceptionally difficult to act as Zed requested. It would be a big shame for him to apologize to his own daughter.


    "Alright, don''t say anymore. I am currently quite vexed! Also, you better have a serious talk with your precious son. Don''t let him be so idle all day. Other than eating, drinking, and playing, he doesn''t know anything else. Doesn''t he know to find some decent work to do? I need him to help me manage my big company, but he''s so useless all the time. How can I be at ease leaving my company to him?"


    As soon as Henry mentioned his son, Winner, he became even more depressed.


    Winner was born a few minutes after Shirley. As the youngest and the only son of the Wen family, he had gotten preferential treatment from Joy since childhood. Being decorated from head to toe by famous brands and equipped with ultra-luxurious cars as he got older, Winner was no doubt a hedonist. Therefore, Henry didn''t believe that Winner would be a qualified successor and only appointed him as the nominal deputy general manager after Joy''s repeated request.


    "Don''t worry, I already talked to Winner. He''s an ?du?t now, and I believe he will correct his mistakes and have a fresh start, just like we''d hoped."


    Henry gave Joy an angry stare and said," I hope so, otherwise my company would..."


    "Don''t you still have our daughter Shirley? Although Shirley is female, I believe she is capable enough to run the company."


    Joy was afraid that Henry had the intention of handing over the company to Jean, so she interrupted him quickly by expressing her opinion first.


    "I hope so!"


    Henry emotionlessly replied, and then returned his attention back to the letter on the desk before him.


    This matter really was difficult to deal with!


    Joy walked around the desk to stand behind Henry. She then slowly stretched out her hands to rest on Henry''s shoulders.


    "How do you plan on dealing with today''s matter?"


    "To apologize to Jean!"


    Joy was astonished by Henry''s decision. She also didn''t expect that Zed would suddenly treat Jean with such great kindness and consideration and even dared to stand up to sue the Wen family for Jean.


    "Zed had said that if Jean accepts my apology and decides to stop suing me, he would reconsider transferring the land over to me. He also asked me to promise that I would never again bother Jean."


    "But..." Joy wanted to say something, but stopped.


    "But what?"


    "Can you really swallow your pride and personally look for Jean to ask for forgiveness?"


    "Is there anything else even more important than the interest of my company?" Henry said with a heavy voice, like a cunning fox. In the depths of his eyes, showed an unknown.


    Henry and Joy continued talking to each other like this and didn''t notice that someone was eavesdropping on their conversation outside the study door.


    Finally, that person couldn''t help but furiously push open the door and shout at Henry," Daddy, why are you going to apologize to Jean? Sherry told me that you both went to Jean today. Did you go to look for her because of the matter last night? Sherry also said that Zed retracted the land after he listened to Jean''s poisonous words?"


    Wearing a printed shirt, a rivet embellished ripped jeans, and with an ordinary appearance, the person was no doubt Winner Wen.


    Winner was so angry that he vehemently slandered Jean.


    "Daddy, how about this, I''ll go find Jean tomorrow, and I''ll make her go beg zed. If she Refuses, I''ll beat her up."


    "you still don''t think the trouble is serious enough? last time, you got some girl pregnant, have you solved this problem yet?"


    henry broke his heart so many times for this ignorant son.


    winner smirked and said ." the child has already been aborted , but her family is tough to deal with. That''s why I came to ask for your help. her family keeps bothering me and won''t let go. they want me to give them money or they won''t leave."


    As soon as winner opened his mouth , henry already knew winners true purpose of coming.

 Chapter 17 - You Have To Deal With By Yourself.

    "Daddy, as you see, I have been well-behaved recently. I have not caused any trouble for a period of time except for getting that woman pregnant. Also, I have tried to solve the problem independently by giving that woman a lot of money. However, I did not foresee that her family would be so greedy. I don''t have enough money to meet their huge demands because you haven''t given me money recently."


    Not long ago, Henry had frozen Winner''s bank account in case he got into trouble outside home. Consequently...


    Winner was unaware of the severe situation he was in. He still believed that his father would treat him the same as before. Although his father appeared to be indifferent to his situation, Winner was confident that his father would help him clear the mess without complaint.


    "Daddy, you can rest ?ssured. I promise you that it would be the last trouble caused by me. After the matter is settled, I will return to the company and support you with all my heart. What do you say? How about it?"


    Winner had not paid any attention to his father''s expression as he rattled on. If Winner had studied his father''s expression, he would have been startled. Henry looked as somber as the gloomy day before a storm came.


    "Winner, stop talking!"


    Aware that something was wrong, Joy was more observant of her husband''s expressions. She knew that Henry had a bad temper and in his current state of mind, Henry would not be very forgiving. She quickly grabbed the corner of Winner''s shirt and tugged at it. It was obviously a signal for Winner to shut up.


    Winner didn''t understand why his mother had grabbed his shirt. So he glanced at her, and complained," Mom, you need to help me persuade daddy. That woman''s family members are all barbarians. Her big brother came to me with an axe. If I don''t give him the large amount of money quickly as he has asked, he will definitely kill me."


    Joy glanced at her husband and was scared by Henry''s outraged expression.


    Considering all the trouble Jean had caused and Henry losing out on the land he so desperately wanted, Joy knew that her husband would not have the patience to deal with their unreliable son, Winner.


    "All right, shut up!" Worried about Henry''s temper and annoyed with Winner''s lack of respect, Joy flew into a rage and shouted at her son.


    "Mom, what''s up? Did something happen?" Joy''s reaction stunned Winner. Although confused, he was curious about why his family was behaving like this.


    "I will help you solve the problem. But you need to leave right now. Your daddy is trying to deal with much more important issues."


    Winner had intended to question what issue was annoying his father. However, when he noticed his father''s cold expression, Winner was too scared to speak.


    He stood in the study, motionless and silent.


    Joy was afraid that Henry would unleash his fury on Winner. So, she smiled and tried to pacify her husband. "Henry, Winner has already admitted to his fault. He also seems determined to turn over a new leaf. Please forgive him. What he wants is only a small amount of money from us. If you don''t want to help him, I could use my personal money to help Winner get rid of the woman''s family. Put your mind to rest."


    Personal money?


    Henry suddenly raised his head and glared at Joy. He had not expected that Joy had personal savings.


    As soon as Joy finished speaking, she realized that she should not have mentioned her money. Since it was impossible for her to take back her words, she needed to come up with some kind of explanation to settle her husband''s anger. Joy simpered under Henry''s intense stare as she thought of a plausible reason.


    "I don''t mean that. What I am saying is that I have a habit of saving the loose change from the money you give me for daily expenses. Take my cosmetics for example, I buy the inexpensive kind. Looking for deals like this helps me keep the household expenses to a minimum."


    It was a lucky day for Joy as Henry was not in a mood to find out whether Joy''s cosmetics were cheap or not.


    As for Winner, he was still impervious to the severe situation he was in. With his father''s anger being shifted to his mother, Winner felt certain that he could resume talking to his father.


    "Daddy, you can see that mom has confidence in me. Why don''t you trust me? I promise you that I..."


    "Get out!"


    Henry interrupted Winner before he could say anything else.


    It seemed that Henry had finally had enough. He began unleashing all his fury on Winner.


    "You stupid fellow, why are you still here? I don''t want to see you. You might as well disappear!


    Henry spoke with such force that everyone else in the room went quite. Henry was so furious that he was short of breath. If Winner were not his only son, Henry would have abandoned him to his fate.


    Although Winner knew he would suffer grave consequences if he did not come up with the money, he needed to stop begging his father. He knew his father''s temper after all. Winner had heard from Shirley that Jean had been badly beaten by Henry when she returned home. Since Henry could be so cold-blooded to his weak, vulnerable daughter, he would no doubt be much more ruthless with Winner, who was a strong man.


    "I know that I was wrong. Since you are upset, I will not bother you. I am going to leave now so that you can calm down. I would like to finish speaking with you when you can spare a moment for me."


    "Get out quickly! I must have committed serious crimes in my previous lifetime, which is why in this lifetime, I have been punished with such incompetent children!"


    The foolishness of his children fueled Henry''s fury. He was so upset that the veins on his forehead throbbed.


    According to Henry''s statement, Winner was able to gauge that Henry was also angry with his sisters. It wasn''t just Winner''s mistake that had angered their father.


    "You must keep in mind that it was you who got that woman pregnant. So if her family is forcing you to compensate them with money, it is your responsibility to deal with it. It is none of my business, and I will not pay for your mistakes. From this day on, I do not care about you. Don''t expect any sympathy from me just because you believe someone might want to kill you."


    Henry spoke seriously with Winner. He stressed that he would ignore Winner''s existence.


    Since the situation was worsening, Joy wanted Winner to leave the room. She turned to face her son and winked at him repeatedly as a signal. Meanwhile, she talked to Henry flatteringly," Don''t be so angry dear husband. This is not a serious situation. Anger, would worsen your anxiety, and ruin your health.


    After winner snuck out, the tense and confrontational atmosphere in the study gradually.

 Chapter 18 - What Else Do You Want To Do.

    Winner stepped out of his father''s study. He was resentful for receiving no monetary ?ssistance from his father. He hadn''t imagined that he would leave empty-handed. Being scolded by his father had irritated him more.


    Suddenly, Winner''s cell phone rang. He took it out from his rear pocket and glanced at the message. It was from the woman''s family. The message was quite clear. Winner had to pay for his cynicism and cruelty. He had forced a girl to have an abortion. The sender was the woman''s brother who had hreatened him the last time.


    Winner sighed and re-read the message. "Believe it or not, if you don''t take responsible for my sister, I will definitely make you pay the price for your stupidity."


    Winner was afraid that he would be accosted by a member of the girl''s family. He was so paranoid that he had stopped leaving the house. He was worried that they''d find him walking on the streets and confront him if he didn''t give them a large amount of money.


    "Damn it!"


    Winner stood by a window and thought over his options. His anger was noticed by his sister Shirley, who had just returned home. Shirley sneered hearing Winner curse. She was able to tell what was bothering him.


    "Just look at yourself. I can tell from your expression that you have gotten yourself into trouble again. What''s wrong with you? Which poor girl is having your child this time?" Shirley spoke sardonically.


    Winner was always getting into trouble with women. And so, it was easy for Shirley to guess why her brother was upset. Since she enjoyed watching other people''s misery, Shirley gloated and tried to make the situation more unpleasant for Winner.


    Winner raised an eyebrow and turned to face his sister. He looked her up and down. He noticed that Shirley was wearing heavy makeup, a tank top, and a denim mini-skirt. Her long wavy blonde hair straggled over her shoulders. She looked no better than a streetwalker.


    Just as Shirley knew Winner well enough to guess what kind of trouble he had gotten into, Winner knew enough about Shirley to ?ssume where she had been. She had probably spent her time drinking at bars or somewhere noisy and crazy. It was also highly likely that Shirley had lured a random stranger and shared p???sur? with him.


    "Why do we have to provoke each other when we are two birds of the same feather? You know, I''m still trying to figure out why you''re so different from Jean. She is leading a decent life. But look at you."


    jean!


    When Shirley heard Winner say her half-sister''s name, it was like Jean herself was standing in front of her in the room. Just the thought disgusted Shirley. She absolutely loathed Jean and could not even bear to hear others mention her.


    "Don''t mention that bitch!" Shirley spat out.


    "What did she do? Tell me everything!" Winner said with great curiosity. He had happened to hear his parents talking about Jean before he had entered the study. His father had flown into a rage before they could finish their conversation. Winner had not been able to figure out what Jean had done to evoke such fury from their father.


    "Why should I tell you? What will you do after you find out about our parents'' problems? Will you be like Zed? Will you help? The only thing you can do is make trouble. You are totally ignorant and don''t even know what industries dad''s company involves. You are just daydreaming about being a business genius. I advise you to continue living your privileged life and indulging yourself in dissipation while you still can. Now, I have better things to do. So, if I were you, I would leave and go to find several beautiful girls to flirt with," teased Shirley.


    Winner curled his lips. He smiled instead of becoming infuriated. He replied," I have long been aware that all of you look down upon me. However, if taunting me satisfies you, then go ahead and do what you like. Perhaps one of these days you''ll figure out that you are not as perfect as you think. You have always been jealous of Jean. Finally, you succeeded in throwing her out of this house. But what happened to her then? She married a handsome zillionaire. Maybe now she is the one laughing at you."


    "You..." Shirley didn''t want to argue with Winner. In her eyes, her younger brother was just a playboy and an idle good-for-nothing. Sooner or later, their father''s business would be ruined by him.


    "What is the matter with me? Let us make a deal. As our dad is angry now, so I dare not ask him for money. I know that in all these years, you must have saved some money. If you give me the money to help me settle this problem, whenever you need my ?ssistance, I will come to your rescue at once. What do you think of this deal?" Winner interrupted with the hope of getting money from her.


    Winner had no intention of keeping up his end of the bargain. He only wanted to get enough money as soon as possible to get out of the situation in which he had found himself. His safety was the only issue that he was really concerned about. To him, it didn''t matter where the money came from.


    "Zed said that he would sue our father. Do you have any ideas of how to change his mind? Zed is planning to indict our father. And the only reason Zed is doing is to please Jean. That vicious woman." said Shirley in hatred.


    Shirley could not conceal her envy of Jean. Even Winner sensed her jealousy.


    Winner narrowed his eyes and looked at Shirley. A scheme formed in his mind.


    After considering his plan, Winner walked up to Shirley and lowered his head to whisper something in her ear.


    At first, Shirley was surprised, and then worry crossed her face.


    "Will it be successful? If it fails, Zed will definitely punish us. What''s worse is that we are likely to lose our lives." Shirley said with uncertainty.


    "Put yourself at ease. I will do it secretly without leaving any evidence that would suggest our involvement. Since I''m confident of my plan, you should take out some money and be prepared to pay me." Winner knew Shirley was tempted.


    ...


    The sky outside the window gradually darkened.


    In order to prepare for the dinner, Jean spent three hours at the farmer''s market shopping for the things she would need.


    Since Zed had mentioned that he wanted to eat braised fish and sweet and sour fillet, Jean ensured that she picked up all the correct supplies. He hadn''t been clear about what else he would like to eat and had left the decision to Jean. And so, Jean walked around the whole market searching for ingredients.


    Maybe... If Zed enjoys the dinner she made, miracles might happen again. Jean found herself driven by this thought. She figured she could convince Zed to give her the key to his safe box just as easily as she had acquired the land transfer contract last time. As Jean thought over that idea, she felt it would be better to get her Residence Booklet directly from Zed.


    Once she had the Booklet, she could get divorced from Zed. With such positive thoughts and high hopes, Jean felt energetic and delighted. She returned to Zed''s villa with many bags of ingredients. Then she charged into the kitchen and began her preparations.


    First, Jean cleaned the fish and then she used some cooking wine to suppress the unwanted smell...


    Jean was a very skillful cook and it didn''t take her long to complete her preparations.


    As she put pots on the stove and sprinkled herbs and seasoning, Jean found that the feeling of preparing dinner for someone was not so bad. Since she was cooking with a specific purpose in mind, she didn''t feel tired. She seemed happy.


    Jean didn''t know when Zed would come home. She had hoped that the dinner would be finished just before his arrival. Seeing a table full of delicious dishes would please him and start the evening on a good note.


    Jean was shocked when she realized what she was thinking and expecting.


    Could... Could she be content with this? Jean wondered if she would be happy passing every day planning and cooking meals for Zed and then spending the evening enjoying his favorite dishes together.


    Jean was simmering with happiness as she imagined such a life.


    It was a pity... Thoughts of her inevitable divorce with Zed filled Jean''s mind. She also thought of Eva and Zed''s relationship. She couldn''t be sure of how Zed felt about Eva. But it was likely that they still had feelings for each other. Such thoughts dampened Jean''s mood as she felt that her imagined life would never be a reality. Jean couldn''t help but let out a long sigh.


    When Zed returned home, he saw Jean in the kitchen. She wore an apron on top of her day clothes. Her long brown hair was casually tied up.


    She was busy cooking in the kitchen and hadn''t noticed Zed''s arrival.


    Zed enjoyed watching Jean. He leaned against the kitchen doorway and folded his arms over his ?h?st. A tiny smile danced on his lips as Jean danced to and fro between the stove and counter, chopping, peeling, and putting ingredients in simmering pots. Zed surprised himself when he thought that Jean was a good wife and would make a good mother.


    Zed''s smile turned into a grin when he remembered being teased by his colleagues earlier that day. He had rushed through several meetings and refused invitations to dine with his partners and clients. He had asked Jean to cook for him and he intended to keep his promise of having dinner together. Upon learning of his homely evening plans, Zed''s partners and clients had playfully remarked that he was afraid of his wife. Zed didn''t mind at all. He had even driven home quickly to avoid keeping Jean waiting.


    And it had been worth it! Zed could feel the warmth Jean brought to his villa. Just like the sunshine, Jean''s presence had begun to thaw the ice and snow in his heart. He could feel that his heart was becoming softer and softer.


    The next day, Jean was awakened by the persistent ringing of her phone. As she rolled over to check her phone, she was astonished to see that it was midday. However, she was even more surprised to see that Eva was calling her.


    Cautiously Jean answered the call. Eva, however, began in an aggressive tone. Somewhere in all of Eva''s blabbering Jean was able to understand that Eva wanted to meet as she had something important to discuss. Jean knew what Eva wanted to talk about. So she consented without hesitation. After agreeing on the time and place, Jean ended the call.


    The meeting had been scheduled at SD Coffee House in the heart of the city in an hour.


    Since there wasn''t much time before the meeting, Jean rushed to the bathroom to dress.


    When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, Jean was surprised to see that she looked tired and haggard. She even had dark circles under her attractive hazel eyes. She frowned when she realized that she looked rather terrible.


    Jean cursed Zed for her appearance. She had been naive in thinking that dinner would go the way she had planned. If she had known that Zed would go rogue, she might have been better prepared. Jean had truly believed that a good home-cooked meal would satisfy Zed.


    Last night, Jean didn''t know Zed was standing behind her until she had finished saut¨¦ing the final dish of green vegetables.


    When she noticed that he had reached home, Jean cheerfully went to fill a bowl with rice for Zed before putting food onto his plate. The service offered by Jean was extremely thoughtful.


    Jean had expected light dinner conversation. She wanted to bring up the divorce topic. However, from the beginning to the end of dinner, Zed just smiled and did not say anything. He enjoyed the food quietly, and neither gave praise nor criticism to Jean.


    Many times, Jean was about to ask Zed whether he would give the Residence Booklet back to her after dinner. But as she saw that Zed was focused on eating, she didn''t have the heart to spoil his mood. So Jean waited patiently for Zed to finish his dinner. On seeing Zed put down his chopsticks, Jean asked eagerly," I have cooked the braised fish and sweet and sour fillet just as you asked. Although the taste may not be as good as the delicacies you have had before, at least, I have prepared them with all my heart. So..."


    "So, I decide to reward you with a hug!" said Zed seriously.


    And he actually did so! He stood from his chair, walked toward Jean, and wrapped his arms around her tightly.


    jean was shocked. It took a long time for her to gather her composure. What was going on? Just a hug? That''s all?


    No! Jean had worked so hard to prepare this supper. How could it end like this? She still wanted to get her Residence Booklet from Zed.


    So Jean immediately poked her head out from under Zed''s arms, managed a smile, and said," I don''t want a hug. I just want ..."


    "Oh, one is not enough? Then I will hold you all night when we go to bed!" Zed interrupted before Jean could finish her sentence.


    "No, I don''t ..."


    zed raised his eyebrows and interrupted jean again. "what else do you want? I am afraid that l can''t meet your needs today as the wounds on body have not healed yet."

 Chapter 19 - I Will Fix You Two Up.

    Jean was upset with the lack of seriousness on Zed''s behalf. She couldn''t understand why he was so determined to avoid talking about the Residence Booklet. Annoyed, she pushed Zed away. Then she glared at Zed while she thought of how to approach the topic again.


    Zed ignored Jean''s reaction. He flashed her a charming smile before teasing her," Are you upset with me? Did I say something wrong?" Zed stopped to raise an eyebrow before continuing," Is this your subtle way of telling me that you''ve recovered and that you are expecting strenuous exercise? Hmm.. let me see. Does s?x count as exercise?"


    Hearing that, Jean didn''t argue with him anymore.


    Once Jean crawled into bed, Zed wrapped his arms around her and cuddled. Jean waited nervously for Zed to fall asleep so that she could wiggle out of his grasp, but to her dismay, Zed held her the whole night. While Zed awoke feeling well-rested and completely refreshed, Jean was exhausted as she hadn''t been able to fall asleep before the early hours of the next day.


    Jean sighed as she began the tiresome task of applying concealer to cover the dark circles under her eyes. Then she slipped into a white shirt and a sky-blue knee-length skirt. Finally, she tied her long hair into a ponytail. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she felt a measure of satisfaction. Although plain, she looked pretty.


    In contrast, Eva seemed to be garishly dressed.


    Jean had arrived at the Coffee House a few minutes before Eva. She had just finished placing her order when Jean saw Eva walking toward her. She was surprised to see the heavy makeup and flashy clothes Eva had chosen for a mid-afternoon t¨ºte-¨¤-t¨ºte.


    "I didn''t know what you would like to eat. So I ordered for myself. Would you like something to drink?"


    Although Jean was trying to be civil, Eva ignored Jean''s politeness. After sitting down, Eva played with her mobile phone for a few seconds before she looked at Jean and asked," Is your marriage to Zed for commercial benefit or not? The last time we met, you implied that it was not. How and why would Zed fall in love with a plain woman like you?"


    Was she questioning? Was she confused? Was she complaining? Jean couldn''t understand from Eva''s tone whether she was asking rhetorical questions or whether Eva actually expected Jean to reply.


    Knowing that Eva was jealous, Jean didn''t get defensive about the questions. Aware that Eva was her best chance to get rid of Zed, Jean decided to play along nd be nice.


    "He doesn''t love me. Our marriage is just a business deal. And we will divorce soon. So, you don''t have to worry too much about this."


    On the contrary, Eva seemed to be quite excited. Despite the happiness she felt, Eva was unsure of whether she could trust Jean.


    "Are you telling the truth?"


    Jean furrowed her brows and looked at Eva in confusion," Why would I lie to you? How does a lie benefit me? "


    At that moment, Eva was so happy that she almost cried out. Her expression softened. But she resisted the urge to hold Jean''s hands and thank her.


    Instead, she said," You better not lie to me. If I find out that you are being dishonest, I will not spare you."


    It sounded very much like a threat. However, Eva''s tone was not as aggressive as before.


    Jean smiled and said," Well, I didn''t lie to you. What I have said is true. I got married with Zed because the Wen Group would benefit from the arrangement. Moreover, there is no love between Zed and I. So it is best for us both to divorce as soon as possible."


    jean looked very calm and sincere as she spoke.


    Eva carefully studied Jean''s expression and found no reason to doubt her.


    ''Jean is so ordinary! She won''t be able to keep Zed interested for too long!


    I am the perfect match for Zed and we are destined to be together in this lifetime.''


    Thinking about that, Eva smiled coldly and then said," Have you finished?"


    "Yes, that''s all!" Jean nodded. She was still smiling sincerely.


    "What changed your mind? The last time we met, you were determined to prove to me that your marriage to Zed was more than a business deal."


    Despite how happy Eva was to hear Jean''s explanation, she did feel that Jean had an ulterior motive. No matter how badly Eva wanted Jean''s explanation to be true, this was a feeling that she just couldn''t shake.


    Compared with Jean''s sincerity and indifference, Eva seemed to be more arrogant. This attitude and her sense of natural superiority was Eva''s weakness.


    While Eva came from a rich background, Jean''s father owned the Wen Group, a comparatively smaller company. Eva was certain that Jean''s modest background, her plain looks, and her boring personality were no match for her. In fact Eva was so confident that she wouldn''t consider a woman who had a similar family background to hers, as competition. For her, the fact that she once held Zed''s interest was the only significant factor.


    "I don''t have any hidden agenda, Eva. I know that you still love Zed, don''t you?"


    Since Eva had come straight to the point, Jean felt that she didn''t need to talk in a roundabout way.


    "Yes, I love Zed. He is perfect for me. And yes, I am aware that many women consider him to be a suitable match as well. I have introspected on our relationship in the time that we have been separate. Our breakup truly devastated me. In the beginning, I comforted myself by thinking that he is just a man. I even went so far as to convince myself that I could be with any man that I choose. After all, I am very rich and desirable. But I gradually realized that I wouldn''t care about other men the way that I care about Zed. None of the men I have dated since my breakup with Zed have helped me forget about him. There is something special about Zed indeed."


    Eva''s words revealed her true sentiments. Jean did not feel that Eva was being dishonest. What she had said was right. It was very difficult to forget about a person for whom one had deep feelings.


    For example¡­ Zed!


    Jean felt a little shocked about her thought and when she looked at Eva, a mixture of emotions threatened to spread across her face.


    But Jean kept smiling so that Eva wouldn''t doubt her sincerity.


    "I love him. I loved him in the past and I love him now. And I will continue to love him in the future!"


    Eva said that with conviction. At that moment, Jean felt a bit of reverence for Eva.


    At least¡­ Eva can bravely fight for love. But what about her?


    "Well, that''s all!"


    "Lady, here is the pasta you ordered."


    Eva quietened when the waiter walked to their table with the dish in hand. Although a little absent-minded, Jean quickly remembered that she had been so hungry that she had ordered food for herself.


    "Thank you!"


    Jean''s overzealous thank you was said not only to express her gratitude to the waiter, but also to conceal her guilty conscience.


    Jean smiled brightly again. What else could she say?


    After this conversation, Jean was clear of Eva''s intention to make Zed her own.


    And Jean was also very clear about the distance between Zed and herself.


    "Did you understand what I said?" Eva asked tentatively.


    Jean nodded quickly and seemed to be a little embarrassed. She said," I heard. Since¡­ you love him so much, how about we make a deal?"


    "Yeah. A deal. You can rest ?ssured. I am not asking for money. After divorcing Zed, I intend to move to a different city and find a job to earn for myself. Once I am settled, I will stay far away from Zed and will not interfere in your relationship. So how about it? I will help you get back with Zed."


    As Jean voiced her plan, she felt a little unsure of herself. She was no longer confident that she really wanted this.


    "Why do you want to help me?"


    Eva was dubious about Jean''s offer.

 Chapter 20 - Threat

    Jean Wen shook her head, seemlingly without any concern," No, it''s not that I''m kind. If you were to forever stay by the side of a man, who doesn''t have any feelings for you, even if this man is extremely outstanding and remarkable, he won''t love you, would you be happy? To me, a marriage of convenience, without any love, is just a cage. But it is not the same for you. To you, he will be like a nest, a nest full of love. Inside, you will have completely different feelings and emotions."


    Saying this, Jean Wen couldn''t help taking in a deep breath.


    "Are you sure you won''t regret it?" In the end, Eva Xu still felt uneasy about Jean Wen. Jean Wen shook her head again and replied with a firm look," What is there to regret? There is no medicine for regret in this world. As long as I can leave Zed Qi, I''ll be very happy."


    "Alright. I will do it."


    "Thank you." After saying this, Jean Wen softly smiled.


    "If, and I mean if, Zed Qi and I really get back together, I will definitely be very grateful to you." At the thought of reconciling with Zed Qi, Eva Xu couldn''t hold back the excitement inside her heart. She appeared exceptionally happy. Her tender white face instantly flushed red.


    Jean Wen?was still wearing the same smile on her face, but the smile did not reach her eyes.


    In her ?h?stnut-colored eyes, there was an unknown sorrow that she did not even know it existed.


    "There is no need to thank me. I''m just helping myself."


    "Alright, then from now on, we''ll be good friends. Let me know if you run into any problems. I will definitely help you without any hesitation. The things that happened that night were my fault. But to be honest, I really didn''t like you very much. Will you forgive me?"


    She''s already starting to worm her way into being friends and cottoning up to her?


    This change was too fast!


    Seeing Jean Wen not saying anything, Eva Xu turned off the recorder on her cellphone while Jean Wen wasn''t paying attention. After Eva Xu finished of all this, she said," If you don''t talk, I will take it as your tacit approval. It was Sue Mi that put aphrodisiac in the drinks that night. She originally wanted to set me up with Zed Qi, but she didn''t expect that..."


    Jean Wen suddenly stopped her right hand that was holding the pasta on her fork. The air seemed to have solidified at that moment as well.


    So that night, it was like that... Zed Qi was drugged with aphrodisiac!


    His behavior that night was just the result of being drugged with aphrodisiac and losing his mind. Therefore, even if it was another girl, that kind of thing was going to happen anyway.


    After Jean Wen realized this, her heart indescribably sank.


    "As a result, he didn''t realize that you two..." Eva Xu swallowed the unspoken words. It seemed like she had a whole stomach of words to say, yet was too embarrassed to open her mouth.


    Jean Wen looked up and stared at her without a word.


    Being stared at by Jean Wen, Eva Xu felt a little awkward and was even more embarrassed to ask her anything else.


    As a matter of fact, Eva Xu desperately wanted to know whether or not something that shouldn''t have happened, but did happen, between Zed Qi and Jean Wen.


    "What I mean is..." Eva Xu paused, but felt like something was stuck in her throat.


    Jean Wen thought for a moment and spoke first," You know men. They only want to have fun. As long as his heart is here with you, then it''s more than enough."


    Jean Wen''s intentions were already very clear.


    Eva Xu was so upset in her heart that her teeth itched. But she had nowhere else to take it out on, and she could only blame everything on Sue Mi. If she had not put aphrodisiac in Zed Qi''s drink on her own accord, how would they have...


    "Alright. Since we have made it clear, there is nothing left to say. Just wait for my good news."


    Upon hearing this, Eva Xu immediately nodded her head repeatedly.


    Jean Wen glanced at her cellphone and realized that she had been out for a while now. Anyways, everything she needed to say, she''d already said very clearly.


    Fortunately, this was a peaceful meeting. After saying goodbye to Eva Xu, Jean Wen left the cafe first.


    The sunlight outside was just right.


    As the wind blew, the air seemed to be mixed with a slight fragrance of flowers.


    Jean Wen didn''t really know whether she should be happy or not. Those words Eva Xu just said to her still seemed to be echoing in her ear. Eva Xu was right. Some things were just destined to be like they were.


    As if consoling herself, Jean Wen felt much better in her heart.


    Unknowingly, there was a man in black casual-wear staking her out nearby for a while now. He''d been following Jean Wen ever since she left home. Just, he didn''t find any chances to make a move.


    He had already lost his patience after waiting outside the cafe for such a long time. As soon as he saw Jean Wen was alone, and there was no one else within several meters, he rushed out instantly.


    A knife was pressed against Jean Wen''s waist.


    Jean Wen''s first thought was to call for help, but when the sharp tip of the knife pricked into her skin, that distinct feeling made her clearly realize her situation.


    Robbery? Kidnapping? Revenge?


    Jean Wen had tons of doubts. She was extremely terrified, but she needed to calm herself down first.


    "Hey, handsome, whatever it is, let''s talk it out. Isn''t this kind of behavior not too good? Do we know each other? If you are just looking for money, I have a blank check in my bag..."


    The man holding the knife was standing behind Jean Wen, so she didn''t know what he looked like.


    "Tsk tsk, it truly is different to be around with Zed Qi."


    Upon hearing his voice, a cold shiver uncontrollably ran down Jean Wen''s spine.


    This voice... It''s Winner Wen!


    The ignorant and useless son of the Wen''s.


    Shirley Wen was already enough for Jean Wen to take. She didn''t expect that now came another Wen.


    Heh, truly never-ending!


    "What do you want?"


    Jean Wen didn''t look back. Under this kind of circumstance, to actually be able to be this calm, it was somewhat scary.


    Winner Wen coldly smiled and answered rudely," What do you think I want? I heard Zed Qi took back the land that he was going to transfer to the Wen Group. As our father''s son, I should try to solve this problem for our father, right?"


    As expected! It was still for that land.


    Shirley Wen and their father had purposefully visited Jean Wen earlier for that land, putting on a pretentious front with ill-intentions behind it. And now, Winner Wen''s behavior was just plain violence.


    she was pretty sure that it would take Winner wen a lot of guts to provoke Zed Qi. even if he had the guts, he would not have the power.


    Winner wen pursed his lips and than said in dissatisfaction " Do you think I wouldn''t know what you are thinking right now? you must be thinking that I wouldn''t have dared to provoke Zed Qi. so you''re pushing all the blame to him , right ? Do you think I am stupid? If you didn''t say anything why would Zed Qi take the land back and land that was already under transfer process?"


    As soon as Winner wen''s voice dropped, jean snorted .


    "How important do you think I am to zed Qi. what makes you think that zed Qi would listen to me?"

 Chapter 21 - Getting Abducted

    "I have no idea how important you are to Zed, but if you want to stay safe and sound, you better obediently listen to me."


    "What do you want me to do?"


    Jean realized that he probably wouldn''t let her go so easily this time. Although Winner was the Vice General Manager of Wen Group, he seldom involved himself in the management of the company and rarely cared about the business. At worst, even if the company collapsed some day, as for the influence on Winner, it was nothing more than getting his living expenses cut.


    From this, Jean came to the conclusion that the reason Winner came to find her today, the only possibility, was because their father froze his bank accounts.


    "Dad--- "Your dad froze your account, and with no money to spend, you come to me for a solution, right? You want to make Zed transfer the land to Wen Group through me. When you succeed, your dad will be pleased, and you will probably be rewarded. Thus, your debauched life will be sustained as well. Winner, you are really a scum." Jean spat out Winner''s whole plan.


    Just like.... Henry Wen


    Towards Jean''s accusation, Winner didn''t take it to mind too much. Rather, he happily accepted it.


    "Yes, so I''m a scum. What can you do about it? Regardless, I still appear before you all the same, and you still need to obediently listen to my orders, isn''t that so? If it wasn''t for you, our family right now would still definitely be steady and peaceful. Do you know, because of you, dad is anxious to death at home right now."


    "Hah, a piece of land really does matter more to him than his own biological daughter."


    As time went by, Winner checked the surroundings with couple of quick glances. Since they had been in this state for a while now, their abnormal behavior had attracted some pedestrians'' attention.


    ''Looks like I need to find a place to lock her up.


    If Zed finds out I''ve abducted Jean, afraid when the time comes, I won''t even know how I would die.''


    "Go, get into the car with me!"


    Winner spoke in a low voice as he abruptly increased the strength on his knife-holding hand, as a result, the knife tip pierced through Jean''s shirt and grazed her skin.


    Ouch!


    However, the pain made her recall her memories of the night she was at the Wen''s house. Humiliation arose in her heart.


    "Where are we going?" Jean cautiously asked.


    Winner, however, didn''t reply. Considering their long maintained abnormal position of one following closely after another had already made some pedestrians suspect, he didn''t want to waste time answering her at the risk of raising the pedestrians'' more suspicion.


    He couldn''t waste anymore time.


    "Just quickly get into the car, or else, I can''t guarantee that my knife won''t injure you."


    Left with no other choice under Winner''s threat, Jean could only follow his orders and climbed into the passenger seat.


    After settling Jean, Winner temporarily locked the car, quickly went around to the driver-side door, unlocked the car again, sat down in the driver''s seat, started the engine, and with one foot on the pedal, the car took off.


    "You better know your place. In the past, I didn''t give you too much trouble, but this time the situation is different, I have no choice."


    Unlike the attitude he had with Jean in the streets, Winner''s voice was quite soft, like he had some sorrows in his words.


    Perceiving Winner''s change in attitude, Jean felt somewhat relieved.


    "What I said earlier wasn''t a lie. I have a blank check on me, aren''t you short on money? Take it and fill it with whatever you want. You can just regard it as a gift given by me, your big sister. But if you really do kidnap me, then that''s kidnapping!"


    ''Hah, blackmail! Who doesn''t know how!''


    Winner didn''t speak.


    However Jean wasn''t impatient either. Winner was probably just wanting to use her to threaten Zed.


    In the end, it was still all because of that land.


    When the time came, Winner could use this to take credit before Henry. Who knows, maybe at Henry''s delight, he would even directly give some of the company''s stocks to him.


    No matter how big of a crime he committed, Winner was still the only son of her father.


    Jean was deeply aware of this.


    "I would advise you to keep quiet. If you accidentally say anything that will get on my nerves, then the consequences will be even more severe." Winner''s tone returned to what it was like before, cold and ruthless. The softness disappeared completely. "Call Zed, I don''t care what method you use, you must make Zed transfer the land to the Wen Group as soon as possible. Of course, if you''re not willing, I don''t mind calling for you."


    Jean turned and glanced at Winner.


    She just saw Winner''s eyes focusing ahead, his grave and stern face appeared unbearably vicious.


    Nothing like his usual sloppy appearance, at this moment, Winner appeared more ruthless.


    Immediately, Jean seized the opportunity and instantly pulled open the door, jumping out without hesitation.


    At a speed of 60 mph!


    Fortunately, there was a speed limit on this road, otherwise Winner would have driven at a racing speed like he usually did. If Jean had jumped out at that speed, she would have been dead for sure.


    The moment Jean jumped out of the car, air gushed into the car together with the stinging noise of wind, making Winner hastily look to Jean. However, it was already too late, Jean had already disappeared. He just felt like his head was about to explode.


    ''This woman is insane!


    She must be insane!''


    Because of the monitoring system along the road, Winner didn''t have intention to drive back to check on Jean''s condition. He just sped up and rushed away.


    However, Jean was not that stupid to jump on the asphalt roadway. She''d actually selected a place where she could safely land. And before she jumped, she had already prepared very well. The place where she jumped was close to a piece of lawn. At the moment, when she jumped out of the car and before she landed, she bent her knees to buffer the reacting force. Then she exerted her strength onto her legs to try to move towards the lawn. Finally, she made it onto the lawn.


    After a few tumbles, Jean felt she was mostly fine. Then seeing that Winner''s car had already gone far, she attempted to get up.


    ''Risky but worthy! Thank heavens for blessing me.''


    Supposedly, Winner had intentionally chosen this roadway probably because it was in a remote and thinly populated area, and to prevent from being caught. However, it allowed Jean an opportunity to get away too. Although it was risky, judging from the result, it was worth it," Hah!


    Jean slightly tidied her unkempt hair and cleaned the mud stains off her clothes. After making sure that there were no wounds on her body, she then limped out of the lawn, before walking alongside the roadway in the opposite direction.


    ''If¡­


    At this time, Zed suddenly appeared, then how great would that be?


    Zed.


    Starting from when, has this name started to occupy my heart and mind. But I clearly don''t like him! Clearly don''t like....''


    Although Jean tried to resist the memories she shared with Zed, she couldn''t help recalling his voice and face.


    As Zed''s image constantly popped up in Jean''s mind, she felt as if he was really standing in front of her when she looked up.


    However, his figure was so dim that little by little, it faded away. After all this time, Jean was so exhausted both emotionally and physically that she hallucinated.


    Jean''s mind finally gave up on her body and she went unconscious.


    The second she closed her eyes, she seemingly could still see Zed''s face right in front of her eyes.


    ¡­


    When Jean woke up, she found herself in a hospital.


    ''Hospital!''


    She quickly sat up and examined her own body. After making sure everything was in order, Jean finally relaxed.


    It was indeed unlucky. After finally painstakingly getting rid of Eva Xu, that big trouble, she unexpectedly ran into Winner right after walking out the cafe and was immediately kidnapped. But Jean really didn''t want to see Winner use her well-being to blackmail Zed.


    Before successfully matchmaking Eva and Zed, Jean was extremely unwilling to have any other connections with Zed.


    The expansive hospital room was so quiet that it somewhat was scary.


    ''I don''t even need to think, it must be Zed that sent me to this luxury high-end ward.


    Well, at least, I am free of being bothered now.''


    " how is her condition?"


    behind the door of the ward came zed''s voice.

 Chapter 22 - why are you so close

    Jean closed her eyes again. She wondered what would Zed''s reactions be if he found out that she was kidnapped and had jumped out of a moving car to get away.


    "Mr. Qi, her injuries are not serious, however she is a little weak and needs to stay in the hospital so that we can make sure she''ll have a full recovery. After that, she can be discharged."


    ''A woman''s voice, sounds like a doctor of this hospital.''


    "What about her wounds? Are you sure everything is alright?"


    "Yes, the car wasn''t moving too fast when she jumped out of the car, and besides, she landed on the lawn, which cushioned the impact for her. In addition to her previously healed injury, all she has is just some bruises."


    Jean, who was pretending to sleep, was shocked. Did Zed know she jumped out of the car?


    For Zed, he naturally knew what the previous injury the doctor was talking about was. After a few seconds of silence, Zed replied," Alright, I understand!"


    "Then I will be leaving, if anything happens please call me anytime."


    This time, Zed didn''t make a sound. His gloomy eyes had been fixated on the person in bed the whole time.


    The doctor tactfully left the patient''s room.


    The room returned to silence once again. The silence made Jean nervous for some reason.


    At the same time, her heartbeat rose rapidly. Jean could even hear her own heartbeat loudly.


    And the approaching footsteps.


    Suddenly the footsteps stopped,


    and Zed''s breathing got heavier.


    So awkward!


    Jean suddenly didn''t know what to do next. Should she continue pretending to be asleep, or should she wake up now?


    Right when Jean had no idea of what to do, in this room, where there was only the two of them, the vibrating sound of a cellphone suddenly sounded.


    Zed reached for his phone in his coat pocket. It was from his secretary. A mixed feeling came to him.


    Zed had asked his secretary to get the surveillance video, he must have gotten it!


    Zed glanced at Jean subconsciously, before he clenched his phone and left the room.


    Hearing the door close, Jean let out a breath of relief.


    luckily, he didn''t notice!


    Just, it was unknown if Zed would find out that it was Winner that was behind all of this. Whatever, forget it! Anyways, now that whatever Winner was planning had turned into failure, no further movements should be made. Jean felt that she should come up with a way to give Zed back to Eva, instead of thinking about the Wens.


    Right, Eva! Right now, Zed was at the hospital. Eva sure wouldn''t let go of this chance to have an encounter with Zed.


    Just do it!


    Jean sent Eva a message without hesitation telling her that Zed was at the hospital.


    Just as Jean had expected, Eva first showed her worries and when she learned that it was Jean who was in hospital, her worries swiftly changed to nothing.


    She hung up the phone after a few words. Jean started to picture Eva hugging and kissing Zed.


    ...


    As the crack in the door pulled open wider, Shirley Wen''s face gradually approached Winner.


    "Spit it out, what do you want? Or did you just come to make fun of me?"


    "What nonsense are you saying, why would I want to make fun of you? I just think that you''ve been acting weird recently, it''s not your style. You used to disappear for days, and everyday you would go out before sunrise and don''t return home until it''s very late. Tsk tsk, I wonder what has changed you? Staying at home every day, aren''t you feeling dull?" There was a sense of mockery in these teasing words.


    Shirley knew it herself that Winner was in big trouble this time.


    "I''ve had enough fun out there. I suddenly want to stay at home and nicely rest for some time, so what? Not allowed?"


    Winner shrugged his shoulders and acted as if it was none of his business.


    Instead of getting angitated, Shirley laughed.


    "No, of course not. Yesterday I heard mom say that you really became m?tur?. You stay at home and keep mom and dad company. You also go work at dad''s company and share his burden. Our mother is really happy about your changes, just out of curiosity, how would she react if she finds out the truth?"


    Winner''s heart skipped a beat, and he began shivering, exuding helplessness and fear.


    "Do you still remember our deal? If you get rid of Jean, I will give you some money to help you get out of your dilemma."


    Naturally Winner remembered what Shirley had said.


    It was her words that made him irrational...


    "Okay, you can tell me now. What have you done recently? Why are you staying at home everyday, not daring to go out?"


    Winner feigned an innocent look and glanced at Shirley. Staring blankly for a moment, then suddenly as if he''d remembered something important, irrelevantly replied," I didn''t do anything though. What can I do? Last time, I agreed to help you rough up Jean Wen, but then after thinking about it, she''s also my big sister after all, so I gave up after all, I''ve spent too much time fooling around, how could I grow up if I continue doing so?"


    It sounded quite reasonable.


    Shirley had already experienced her brother''s eloquence. Even when the evidence was presented before him, he could still convince the police officers to give it up, let alone just tell a blank lie without even blinking.


    It seemed she would have to attend to this matter personally if she wanted to teach Jean a lesson. It was a mistake to rely on Winner.


    "Shirley, what do you think our father has been up to recently?"


    Getting no response from Shirley, Winner got closer subconciously and asked with caution.


    Shirley was thinking how to deal with jean, After all last time she was humiliated by jean,was still vivid in her mind. she must find a way to take revenge on jean for such an embarrassment.


    suddenly Winner''s came up to her, startled she cursed," do you want to die? don''t you know how to speak properly? why are you so close?"


    A flattering smile appeared on Winner''s face, and he said, I just saw you were distracted and you didn''t hear me clearly, so I came up closer to ask you what dad has been up to lately?"


    Shirley rolled her eyes at Winner and said, "didn''t I tell you last time? zed is suing dad, and dad doesn''t know what to do . you confidently swore that you would take care of this matter , I thought that you''d really come up with some brilliant plan, but it turns out that I was wrong. "

 Chapter 23 - Henry Hits Wing

    "Hehehe!"


    Winner gave a small sad chuckle. His heart skipped a beat and a guilty look appeared on his face.


    Winner thought, ''If Shirley figures out that I tried but failed to kidnap Jean, the consequences would be terrible.''


    "What''s wrong with you?" Shirley asked. Sensing something was wrong with her bother, Shirley studied Winner.


    Winner replied," Well, it''s okay. I''m fine. I''m just trying to come up with a plan to help father. Unfortunately, I don''t have what it takes to do something like that." Winner stopped to rub his chin before continuing," Sister, I believe you are smarter than me. You are capable of accomplishing such an important task. As for me, I''d like to continue my computer games and management studies. One day if our father falls ill, I would take over his company. I have to learn so that I have the ability to manage our company. Don''t you think so? Am I right?"


    As Winner finished speaking, he began imagining what it would be like to manage such a big company. He forgot about his guilt as he thought of what he would do with the money and how the women would flock to him once they learned of his status. A smile grew on his face as he thought, ''If Zed sues father and the shock causes father''s health to deteriorate, the responsibility of running the company would come to me. status. A smile grew on his face as he thought, ''If Zed sues father and the shock causes father''s health to deteriorate, the responsibility of running the company would come to me.


    That would be awesome!'' Winner was excited by this thought.


    Shirley glared at Winner. She was a little disappointed in her brother.


    She cried out loud," Winner, you''re such a bad son!"


    Shirley''s high-pitched scream shook Winner to the bone. He snapped out of his day-dreaming and gazed at his sister. He was at a loss for what to do.


    "What''s the matter with you?"


    Winner asked in his usual casual tone.


    Upon hearing what Winner had said, Shirley''s blood boiled. She stuck her finger on his nose, gritted her teeth, and said," How can you say that about our father? You would not be living a comfortable life right now if it wasn''t for his hard work and money. How dare you put a curse on our father? What could be more wrong than that?"


    Winner knew that Shirley was really angry with him right now. But he was not afraid of her at all. He burst into laughter after glancing at her furious face. He couldn''t believe she had taken something like that so seriously. Then, he scoffed," Sister, if there is something wrong with me, then there is something wrong with you. You have been trying your best to drive Jean over the edge. Finally, you succeeded in getting her out of the house. Our parents love you, so they always believed you when you complained about her


    However, you are no better than me. You''re in no position to accuse me."


    Winner''s face still wore a casual smile.


    Shirley couldn''t understand why Winner wouldn''t take her seriously. She was too angry to say another word.


    At that moment, someone kicked the door wide open.


    "Bang!"


    Upon hearing the loud noise, Shirley and Winner turned around at the same time. Shirley gasped when she saw their father''s furious face. She had rarely seen him that angry before.


    Shirley''s heart gave a horrible jolt and Winner also got a bad feeling.


    As far as they could remember, the only time their father got so angry was when Jean had done something wrong.


    Shirley forced a smile after the shock she had felt, settled. Then, she asked tentatively," Dad, what are you doing home? Aren''t you supposed to be at the office? By the way, where is our mom?"


    After asking those questions, Shirley looked out the door hoping to see their mother.


    Shirley frowned when she didn''t see Joy.


    When Henry didn''t answer Shirley, Winner thought he could distract their father.


    And so, Winner smiled and asked Henry," Well, dad, what are you doing back? Are you OK? You were supposed to be at the company dealing with something important, weren''t you?"


    "What did you say just now? Do you dare to repeat it?"


    Henry didn''t pay any attention to Winner''s question. Instead, he dared Winner to speak again


    Then he turned his eyes upon his son with a deadly look.


    Winner was sure that their father had heard both, his and Shirley''s questions. Winner could also guess why their father was upset. He thought, ''What do I do?''


    Winner decided to ease attention away from himself. And so, he gave Shirley a little push. Since she was standing close to Winner, he thought their father would not be able to see him.


    Unluckily, Winner''s movement was seen by Henry.


    "What did you do just now? You never cease to amaze me! Always causing trouble and never taking any responsibility for your actions. Well, I have had enough. I don''t care who tries to defend you, I will punish you. Tell me, son, what horrid things did you do a few days ago? Do you still remember?"


    Henry was so angry that he howled at his son. He looked around as though in search of something.


    When he didn''t find the object he was looking for, Henry stormed out of the room. After Henry left, Winner drew a breath of relief. He gasped and hurriedly turned to Shirley for help.


    "Sister, please help me. You know I always say the wrong thing to people. You also know that I never mean it. I didn''t curse our father on purpose. Please say some nice things about me to dad, okay?"


    Shirley was utterly confused by what she had seen and heard. She was still processing what was happening when Winner asked for her help. Considering how angry their father was, she realized that he might have made a very serious mistake.


    Both Shirley and Henry knew that Winner was only rude to his family members. When he was in front of outsiders, he could be very charming and kind.


    "Are you hiding something from our father? You did a rotten thing, didn''t you?" Shirley asked.


    Shirley stared at Winner after composing herself. Winner didn''t retort and was unable to give a clear answer. It seemed that he had a secret that was too terrible to share with his sister.


    "You..."


    Shirley would have liked to reprove her brother. But before she got the chance to do so, their father had stomped back into the room. This time, he carried a broom in his hand.


    "Dad, what are you going to do?" Shirley asked.


    Shirley had understood what Henry was going to do, so she quickly stepped forward and grabbed the broom. Meanwhile, she gestured at Winner to leave.


    Winner thought, ''Shirley is my biological sister. Although we don''t get along well with each other, when either of us is in danger, the other one will be ready to help.''


    When Winner saw that his sister was helping him, a smug look appeared on his face. However, at that moment, Henry yelled at Shirley," If you dare to stand in my way today, I will beat you as well."


    "Dad, ..."


    Shirley''s heart skipped a beat. Then, she looked up and met her father''s eyes.


    ''What is going on with dad?'' she wondered.


    "Dad, what happened to make you so angry?" Shirley softened her tone and asked her father. Meanwhile, she held the broom as tightly as she could


    "I am going to beat Winner to death today," replied Henry.


    Henry didn''t tell Shirley why he was so angry. Of course, he didn''t mention the unforgivable mistake his son had made, either. He pushed Shirley away, rushed toward Winner, and swung the broom.


    As a young man, Winner was not as weak as Jean. He remembered that when Jean came home last time, their father beat her till she could b?r?ly walk. Not wanting to be in that position, Winner dodged the blow.


    "Dad, what''s the matter with you? If I did something wrong, please tell me. Okay?"


    "How dare you ask me what the matter is? Don''t you know what you did?"


    This time Winner failed to dodge and the broom made contact with his face.


    "Hiss!"


    Winner gasped as pain exploded across his face. Henry stopped to gape at what he had done. Winner took advantage and quickly ran to the entrance of the bedroom.


    Winner cried out," Dad, what mistake did I make to get you this mad?"


    Henry screeched," What mistake? I can''t believe you have not figured out your mistake till now."


    Henry felt exhausted and gasped for breath. His anger and sudden movements had consumed much of his energy.


    After a moment''s hesitation, Winner looked at his father and said coldly," Dad, I know you don''t like me. In your eyes, I am an ignoramus. No matter what I do, you are always dissatisfied with me. Since that is the case, it is meaningless for me to stay in this house any longer. I''d better leave before it''s too late. "

 Chapter 24 - Blushing

    Henry Wen did not expect that Winner would say such rebellious words to him.


    He meant to let the matter settle once Winner had admitted to his mistake and promised to fix all this. He had even considered forcing Winner to ask Jean for forgiveness. Considering how soft-hearted she was, the apology might have settled Jean.


    What kind of man was Winner...


    "Get out of here. Get out. Don''t call me father from now on."


    Henry Wen screamed hysterically. His wrinkled face turned red from the exertion.


    Shirley who had been standing right beside them all this time, did not dare to make a sound. She didn''t even move! She was afraid that their father would take his anger out on her. So she only watched them without saying a word.


    It seemed that she could not do anything except wait for their father to calm down and their mother to return home, so that Henry and Joy could speak and decide how to deal with the situation caused by Winner.


    "Fine. I will just leave. Do you think I am proud to be your son?"


    The room suddenly got quiet.


    It was so silent that Shirley could hear her father''s heavy breathing.


    After a while, Shirley finally summoned the courage to step forward. She gently took the broom out of her father''s hand and whispered," Dad."


    Lost in his thoughts, Henry did not seem to have heard her.


    ...


    At the hospital, Jean wh?n?d," When can I be discharged from the hospital?"


    Jean got bored of fiddling with her cellphone. All of a sudden, she seemed to realize something very important and looked at the man beside her with a big smile


    During Jean''s stay in the hospital, Zed Qi kept her company. Even when there were extremely urgent issues at the company for him to take care of in person, he would ask his secretary to send the important documents to the hospital.


    Hence, whenever Jean Wen was lying in bed and getting bored, she would turn and speak with Zed. No matter what time of the day or night, he would sit beside her and quietly process files.


    At this moment, his long, slender eyes had narrowed to a slit. To her, the expression seemed to add depth and charm to his face. He was wearing a slight smile on his lips, a sly one.


    She was indeed fascinated.


    Jean Wen could not stop her mind from its naughty thoughts.


    Of course, it was just for a moment.


    "Hey, when can I be discharged?" she asked again when Zed didn''t reply.


    "The doctor says you are still too weak to leave the hospital." Zed replied in a cold tone.


    "But I feel that I''m well enough already. See, I am fine." Jean continued to wh?n? when she didn''t get a proper response.


    "Are you?"


    Zed lifted his eyebrows and glanced at Jean. He had been through this argument with her so many times that he no longer took her questions seriously.


    "It''s my body after all. Wouldn''t I be the best judge of how I feel?" Jean muttered.


    To convince Zed, Jean smiled like a blossomed flower. When she received no reaction, she spoke with Zed Qi in a pretty flattering tone," I am fine. Really! Nothing to worry about. If you don''t believe me, you can check. I just got a small scrape on my leg. Everything else is a superficial wound. Besides, I have been in the hospital for so long. Even if anything serious had happened, it should have healed by now, right?"


    On hearing this, Zed fell into a thoughtful silence.


    Jean''s heart soared as she took his silence as an indicator that he was considering whether or not to believe her. Her face instantly turned radiant with joy and expectation.


    If Zed agreed with her about leaving the hospital, she could find herself a job and then look for a house...


    Thus, she could completely get rid of her family and... Zed Qi!


    Zed lifted the corners of his lips. The smile he wore now conveyed where his thoughts were headed. Zed slowly put down the file in his hand, stood, and walked to her bedside. He leaned over and stopped right before her face.


    Jane''s breath hitched when she realized what Zed was about to do. As he neared her bedside, she found herself struggling to breathe.


    Damn it!


    "What... What are you doing!"


    Zed Qi raised his eyebrows again and said in a hoarse voice. The low rumble made him more attractive.


    "What do you think I am doing?"


    "I..."


    What a shame! So overwhelmed was Jean that she could not even speak a word!


    Jean Wen forced herself to calm down, however, her heart continued to beat faster and faster. Her pale cheeks also blushed crimson at once.


    "You what?" Zed murmured with his eyes half closed.


    "I... Nothing! I am leaving the hospital! I... I am all right now and I don''t like the hospital. It''s full of the disgusting smell of medicine."


    Jean Wen randomly found an excuse. The excuse suited her purpose as she knew that the sooner she left the hospital, the sooner she could get rid of these troubles.


    What''s more, Eva Xu was still in need of her help.


    Zed Qi remained silent as he studied Jean''s face. His eyes were full of tenderness. So sincere and fervent.


    "Is that so?" he mumbled as his eyes locked on to her soft lips.


    "I am not going to let you leave the hospital until the doctor says you are well enough."


    His voice was so magnetic that Jean Wen could not help feeling entranced. She believed that she would die of shock if she kept talking to him.


    "But..." Jean''s mind was so consumed with what Zed was going to do that she took his statement to mean that he would agree with her. Jean felt a glimmer of hope and she gave up struggling.


    "But what?"


    Zed looked at Jean flirtatiously, daring her to explain herself.


    Jean blushed as she knew what thoughts were running through Zed''s mind. This was all a big game to him. He was using his close proximity and seductive charm to keep her from thinking clearly. And it was working! Indeed it was. The smile on his face grew," But if you can prove to me that you are truly all right, then I will trust that you have healed completely."


    Jean looked at him sheepishly. A look of disbelief crossed her face. This is not what she had intended when she had asked him to check.


    "Really?"


    Zed slowly inched closer till there was b?r?ly any distance between their lips. "Mm-hmm," he m??n?d.


    "How... how do you want me to prove it to you?" Jean breathed out.


    "I have an idea," Zed murmured.


    At that moment, Jean Wen thought her heart was going to jump out of her ?h?st.


    Before she could process what he had said, Zed reached out and carefully grabbed her arms. Then he pushed Jean down on the bed. With her restrained, he grinned and said,"


    What do you think?"


    The sudden movement scared Jean. She was already on edge considering his flirtatious words. His warm breath sent shivers up and down her spine. All of this stirred Jean''s heart.


    "That is enough, Mr. Qi!"


    jean tried to speak forcefully with Zed. She knew that Zed was dangerously close to kissing her. With whatever sense still remained, Jean knew she needed to stop him.


    However, Zed suddenly laughed out and said sardonically," What were you thinking I was going to do? Are you blushing? Are you embarrassed?"


    "I am not.... blushing!"


    Despite Jean''s protest, Zed knew that she was lying. He knew exactly what kind of effect he had on Jean. But Zed did not expose her lie. He just sat up and then said blandly," Actually, I was going to say that once you don''t look pale, I will agree to your request. However, just before you blushed, you still looked pale. As the doctor said, you are too weak. So you need to stay in the hospital to recover."


    weak? zed had often mentioned to jean that she hasn''t recovered completely. however, she was feeling , jean believed otherwise. so, how many times zed said she was weak she was unconvinced . Thus, zed needed to find a different approach, one that would convince jean.


    ''wait! was he trying to show me how weak I am? Is that all supposed to accomplish? he wasn''t actually going to try and kiss me?


    so I was overthinking just now ?''

 Chapter 25 - bewitched followers

    "you"


    Jean was boiling with rage, but she had no way to release it. She finally accepted that Zed''s tactics had hurt her pride.


    Before she could say anything to Zed, the night nurse appeared. Jean hadn''t realized that it was time for her medicines. Unwilling to make a scene in front of strangers, Jean tempered her anger and frustration. Zed was lucky that the nurse had picked this very moment to arrive. Had it not been for this interruption, Jean would have grabbed the cup on the bedside table and hurled it at Zed.


    It at Zed.


    "Mrs. Qi, it''s time for you to take your pills!" Jean spared one last glare at Zed before pretending as though nothing had happened between them.


    The interesting thing was that the nurse was obsessed with the handsome Zed. Every time she made a round of the wards, she would try to find a reason to stay in Jean''s room. In doing so, the nurse would have the opportunity to appreciate Zed''s beautiful face at the pretext of inquiring after Jean''s health. It was also obvious that the nurse was envious of Jean. Just before stepping out the door, the nurse would say something sarcastic to Jean.


    "Mrs. Qi, you have a lovely husband! You two look so sweet together." The nurse plastered a fake smile on her face before speaking with Jean. Then she stretched her hand forward. She held a paper cup full of pills prescribed by the doctor.


    "Sweet?" Jean was a little surprised by the nurse''s compliment. She shook her head as she picked up the little paper cup. Then she raised her head before putting all the pills into her mouth.


    The nurse handed a glass of water to Jean and then added with smile," Yes. Everyone at the hospital has seen how your husband dotes on you and they all wish they were you. We envy you so much. Your husband is so good to you. How we wish to be as lucky as you to have a husband like yours!"


    Jean didn''t react to the nurse''s statements. All this feigned flattery and compliments by the nurse left Jean feeling embarrassed. To hide her feelings, Jean managed to squeeze a smile. However, the smile was too stiff to fool anyone.


    "The whole time that you have been at the hospital, we have witnessed how your husband has stayed by your side. He has looked after you and brought you meals. This is a very rare scene in our hospital. Plus, he is so young and capable. He is handsome and brilliant as well. There is no reason for us not to admire him. Don''t you think so?" The nurse continued without noticing that Jean was uncomfortable with this conversation.


    As a result, Jean became even more flustered.


    Jean tried to think of a response, but she failed. After all, nothing the nurse had to say was about Jean. This was simply an opportunity to indirectly praise Zed. Jean was clear about the nurse''s intentions. The nurse was actually using her compliments to satirize Jean. She ostensibly appreciated Jean''s luck, however, her actual meaning was that Jean was not deserving of Zed.


    Their match was a mistake by the Lord. It was the kind of affair that could only happen in fairy tales.


    As Jean ?ssumed what the nurse was thinking, she sighed to herself.


    ''You like him so much, don''t you? Then you can have him!''


    Jean spared Zed a sidelong glance. To her disappointment, Zed was studying her with great interest. It was almost as though he was watching an intriguing drama on the television.


    ''Is he just going to sit there and let me handle this situation?''


    Jean made a humph sound, then said awkwardly," Em... Any other pills for me to take?"


    Jean''s question reminded the nurse that her work in Jean''s room was finished and that there was no need for her to stay. In addition, it seemed she had talked so much that the couple appeared to be displeased. To confirm her suspicions, she then studied Zed''s face. He was frowning.


    "No, that''s all. Rest well! I still have work to do. Good night!" The nurse then left in a sensible manner.


    Jean fixed her eyes on the nurse''s retreating form until she had stepped out and closed the door behind her. Finally Jean felt as though she could breathe. When she reflected on what had made her so uncomfortable, Jean realized she was upset because another woman was complimenting Zed.


    "You have quite a few bewitched followers!" Jean commented.


    Zed, however, raised his hands and shrugged in a helpless gesture.


    "Are you jealous?" Zed carefully studied the sulking woman sitting on the bed.


    "Jealous? Are you kidding me?"


    Jean retorted promptly. However, her flat tone contradicted her words. The truth was that she was jealous indeed.


    Zed smiled faintly.


    He didn''t feel it was necessary to point out that Jean was denying her true feelings.


    ...


    "Mom, father cast me out!"


    Winner wh?n?d to his mother as he stood in front of the villa.


    However, Joy Yi wasn''t surprised to hear Winner''s pathetic tone. In fact, a few minutes before Winner''s phone call, Joy had received a message from Shirley.


    "Tell me, what did you do?"


    "I..." Winner couldn''t think of anything to say. His mouth stayed open as he tried to think of a way to conceal the truth.


    Joy didn''t give him any time to come up with excuses. She simply continued speaking firmly," If you still want to live at home, then be frank and tell me the truth."


    Joy''s threat caused Winner to tremble. With no one else left to help him, Winner decided to tell his mother about all matters pertaining to Jean''s abduction.


    "Mom, you must help me, I still have an urgent debt to pay. If I fail to pay them in time, they will hurt me. They said that they will break my legs. Mom, you wouldn''t like to see me get hurt, would you?"


    Whether pleading or threatening, Winner didn''t care what method he used to get the help he needed. He was also certain that Joy would not refuse to help him.


    However, to Winners surprise, phone went silent.


    Joy didn''t reply to him.


    "Mom, are you listening? You wouldn''t like to see me die, would you? If they break my legs, I don''t want to live like that. I''d rather die!"


    Joy stayed silent.


    Winner got anxious and urged in a sobbing tone," Mom, are you listening to me? Please tell me what I should do."


    "Come with me to apologize to Jean. Only if she forgives you will you be able to get the land for your father. As long as you can get the land, your father will forgive you for sure." Joy replied to Winner softly after the thinking for a long while.


    Winner was stunned by Joy''s advice. He was not willing to do what she asked. It was his reluctance to apologize to Jean that forced him to come to Joy for help.


    ''Apologize to Jean? Who does she think she is? Why should I apologize to her?


    '' These thoughts floated around in Winner''s mind. He stayed silent as he mulled over his mother''s instructions.


    "Just do what I tell you, okay?"


    Joy said impatiently. In fact, she didn''t want Winner to apologize to Jean. Since Jean was her step-daughter, Joy always regarded her as an outsider not as a part of the Wen family. This was why Joy was reluctant to let her son bow before Jean. However, she had heard that Jean, backed by Zed, had toughened her attitude toward the Wen family.


    Winner, who was still in a daze, grunted in response to Joy''s command. It seemed he had neither accepted nor rejected her suggestion.


    "Your sister will update me about Jean''s health and other developments. If everything goes smoothly, we can do it tomorrow. Keep this a secret from your father. He is still angry with you, so perhaps, it''s best if you don''t come home too soon. I am not sure how he will treat you. Find a hotel and stay there tonight. I just transferred some money to your other account. It''s enough to support you for couple of days. And, the girl you ?mpr??n?t?d? I have settled that situation for you."


    Instead of patiently and earnestly advising Winner as she usually did, Joy said in a grim tone.


    It was as though she felt extremely disappointed with Winner.


    Winner, however, knowing Joy was his last hope, didn''t want to offend her. He knew that his life would no longer be peaceful if he displeased her.


    As the sun gradually settled and he wind started to blow, it got colder.


    When Winner left home in the morning, he wore a T-shirt as the sun had been shining brightly. He could feel the warmth brought about by the sunlight at that time.


    Now the sun had set, and the sky was completely dark. The temperature had lowered and a single T-shirt was not enough to fight the cold he was feeling.


    "Thank you, mom, I will be cautious in the future." Winner''s teeth chattered as he replied to his mother.


    "Cautious about what? Don''t talk about the future. If you cannot handle this situation well for your father, I am not sure whether he will allow you back home in the future, do you understand?"


    "Yes!"


    "Okay, then find yourself a hotel and settle down. Remember, leave me a message to let me know that you are safe."


    "Okay..."


    However, after ending the call, Winner was in quite a good mood. He was happy as one of his problems had been addressed. The girl he had ?mpr??n?t?d would never bother him again. Compared to the threats from the girl''s family, Jean was much easier to deal with.


    ''Apologizing is nothing to me. Only those who can drain the cup of humiliation are real men.


    I am a real man!''


    Winner consoled himself. Meanwhile, he found the number of his family''s private driver and then called him. After a while, the driver arrived. Winner then got into the car and instructed the driver to head to the best hotel.


    ...


    Jean looked out the window. The tree that grew in front of her window obscured most of the sky. However, she saw a waning moon that was b?r?ly lighting up the night sky.


    Another day had ended. And yet, Zed stayed and looked after Jean. Ever since Jean had been brought to the hospital, Zed had remained by her side. He hadn''t left.


    While Jean found that she wasn''t drowsy, Zed had fallen asleep on the sofa. Whether it was because of his work or his efforts to take care of Jean, Zed was exhausted.


    Since the sofa was opposite to Jean''s bed, she had a clear view of Zed.


    Lying in bed, Jean cupped her chin with her hands and focused her gaze on Zed.


    This man... Though asleep, he was still charismatic and graceful. He was seated upright on the sofa with his head tilted sideways. He had placed a small cushion to prevent his head from rolling around while he slept. His eyes were closed and he wasn''t frowning.


    besides him lay a heap of papers on which he was working .


    how scrupulous he was !


    before napping, zed had made the effort to arrange his papers properly !


    such a scene made jean feel a sense of adoration she reached out and grazed zed''s lips with her finger''s

 Chapter 26 - An empty apology

    You have to admit, Zed Qi was very handsome. Delicate facial features and distinct outline are so attractive, yet don''t diminish his masculinity.


    Not to mention those dark pupils in his eyes could always easily steal one''s soul.


    For some reason, the memory with Zed Qi that night suddenly surfaced in Jean Wen''s mind. She was thrown out by the Wens that night and experienced many hardships. Zed at the time was so gentle.


    As she was contemplating, Jean Wen saw Zed Qi slightly move his hand, looking as if he was about to wake up.


    Jean Wen closed her eyes immediately, and her heartbeat sped up at once, just like a child who''d done something wrong.


    Fortunately, Zed Qi didn''t wake up. Perhaps it was because the sitting position was too uncomfortable, or because he had currently maintained that position for too long. That''s why he deliberately adjusted his sitting position.


    Jean Wen didn''t hear any movements. She thought that he might have fallen asleep again.


    After a while, Jean Wen slowly opened her eyes again. As expected, Zed Qi moved his body down a little. Half of his body was almost lying down on the couch, and his head rested on the cushion in a more comfortable manner.


    Jean Wen inwardly took a deep breath. A smile gradually appeared on her lips.


    ''If this man... can watch over by my side like this forever, how wonderful would it be!''


    With such hopes and beautiful dreams, Jean Wen finally fell asleep again. Even if she was asleep, a look of happiness could still be seen on her face.


    Early in the morning, the first ray of sunshine shone into the ward, lazily bringing in a bit of warmth.


    Zed Qi was still sitting on the couch, reading the unfinished documents from yesterday, seemingly unconcerned.


    Actually, he''d already woken up before it was bright outside, only to find his neck stiff and waist sore.


    The woman on the bed was restless. She didn''t even notice that the quilt had already fallen to the ground.


    Zed Qi stood up and covered her up with the quilt. Seeing that it was almost dawn, Zed Qi''s sleepiness completely went away. He might as well not sleep anymore and go out to buy some breakfast for Jean Wen.


    The doctor said that she can''t eat excessively greasy foods these days.


    Seeing that the time was still early, Zed Qi drove to a restaurant that was 30 kilometers away to buy breakfast. He remembered that Jean Wen once said the porridge at this restaurant tasted great.


    Originally, he thought that Jean would have woken up by the time he''d return to the hospital.


    Zed Qi waited for a long time, but didn''t see any signs of Jean Wen waking up.


    So he tried to wake her up. But once he saw the smile revealed on her face, he stopped. Seeing her looking so happy and content, Zed Qi couldn''t bear to disturb her.


    In fact, this was the most peaceful sleep Jean Wen has slept recently. She didn''t know starting from when, as long as Zed Qi was around her, she would have an inexplicable sense of security.


    Eventually she was waken by the sounds of quarreling outside the ward.


    The voices outside the door were from Joy Yi and Winner Wen.


    "We are Jean''s family. How can you stop us from visiting her?" Joy Yi was as arrogant and insolent as ever.


    As expected, Winner Wen, just like his mother, immediately added," Yeah, that''s right!"


    "Our CEO has already said, if..."


    A soft female voice sounded. Jean Wen knew that the person speaking was Zed Qi''s secretary.


    "If what? We are Jean''s family. What makes you think that you can block us? Even if your CEO is inside there today, I''m still going in to see my daughter!"


    When Jean, who was faintly resting with her eyes closed, heard Joy Yi say this word, she couldn''t help trembling from the bottom of her heart. Afterwards, goosebumps ran all over her.


    She had truly learned the saying birds of a feather flock together. Looking at it now, it seemed her father was indeed a perfect match for Joy Yi.


    Jean Wen pretended to be sound asleep and didn''t open her eyes even once.


    She had already seen how shameless her father was and also learned how much Shirley Wen love scheming and manipulating. But she realized she still hadn''t truly known the Wens until Joy Yi showed up outside the ward. She didn''t know that someone could be this shameless.


    Her heart felt as if she''d been splashed by a bowl of cold water.


    Unbearable freezing.


    Zed Qi obviously heard the ruckus outside the door. His brows were furrowed into a knot, appearing extremely annoyed. He subconsciously looked at Jean Wen, who was still sleeping beside him and did not mean to wake up. Zed Qi knew that Jean Wen would be waken up eventually by the noise if he did not stop Joy Yi at once.


    He absolutely couldn''t let anyone disturb Jean Wen''s rest. Not even for a second!


    Suddenly, Zed Qi rose from the couch with a strong aura around him. A burst of fire came out from his eyes.


    Zed Qi slightly raised the corners of his mouth. A demonic smile surfaced on his already malicious face.


    Jean Wen heard Zed Qi''s footsteps getting further away, seemingly reaching the door and then she heard the door open.


    Instantly, Joy Yi''s voice got much louder.


    "See? See? This is your CEO, right? I wasn''t wrong, was I? Right now, he''s our Wen family''s son-in-law!"


    At the sight of Zed Qi, Joy Yi ?ssumed that he''d specially came out to welcome her. Her words towards the secretary became more arrogant, trying to intimidate the other with her powerful connections.


    Winner Wen was more deferential and put on a smile immediately. It was like he''d bent over backwards for Zed Qi. He spoke to Zed Qi with a big smile," Brother-in-law, we''re here to see my big sister and talk to her about some things. Your secretary just now thought my mother and I were the bad guys and wouldn''t let us in. See, I didn''t know you were in there too. If I had known that you were in there, I would have directly talked to you first, right?"


    Winner Win''s fawning words and his flattering face only gave Zed Qi an even worse impression on the Wens.


    Zed Qi glanced at Winner Wen with a loathing expression on his face. His haughty attitude made him like a high and mighty king. Although Winner Wen was discontent, he didn''t dare to show any of it on the outside.


    After all... It directly depended on Jean Wen''s attitude towards him, whether he could return to the Wens and smoothly inherit the Wen''s property.


    No matter how ?sshole Winner Wen was, he knew the stakes. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have came along with Joy Yi to apologize to Jean Wen.


    He lowered his voice a bit and spoke to Zed Qi with a bigger smile," Brother-in-law, how is my big sister?"


    This call of ''brother-in-law'' sounded rather sweet.


    Zed Qi took another glance at Winner wen with an evident smile on his lips. To be accurate, it was a contemptuous sneer.


    From his dark eyes shot out two cold light, unexpectedly making hard to breathe


    joy yi saw that zed qi wasn''t speaking . In her heart , she was worried that Winner said something wrong and made zed unhappy.