Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

Dejected, Zed turned and walked toward the bar counter.

"Whisky."

Zed sat down at the counter and requested Zack for a drink. He chose the strongest whisky available.

After twisting off the cap, he immediately gulped down several large mouthfuls.

This surprised Zack. He tilted his head and looked at Zed. His lip corners turned upward, then he said in a concerned yet sarcastic tone, "Zed, I didn't expect that you would be so invested in this relationship. You are so serious this time that you even came here to confront her. Zed, you really surprise me..."

"Shut up!" Zed glared mercilessly at Zack before throwing back another shot of whisky.

The party was livelier than usual. The hall was a cacophony of sounds. With all the people talking and laughing and the loud music being played by the DJ, Zed's head started aching.

While looking at the liquor in the glass, the scene he had seen earlier of Jean and Ethan laughing and talking flashed through Zed's mind.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt in his heart.

Zed finally couldn't bare it anymore. He fiercely slammed the glass in his hand onto the counter, then turned and left the bar.

Zack shook his head and sighed, "Even an extraordinary business talent can be trapped by love."

As Zed walked across the dance floor, his handsome appearance attracted the attention of many women.

However, Zed pushed his way past them and headed straight for the toilet.

Jean hadn't had supper yet. When her stomach rumbled, she decided to go looking for food. As she stepped out of the private room to find something to eat, she saw Zed.

Jean didn't expect that she would meet Zed at the party. Zed's appearance surprised her so much that her heart began pounding. She looked at him with widened eyes.

Zed's gaze had been on the floor. When he smelt Jean's familiar scent, he looked up. Zed's eyes roamed over Jean as he studied her appearance. From her styled hair to the tight dress, and the light makeup, she looked so attractive. A feeling of possessiveness overwhelmed Zed.

As his eyes searched her face for an explanation, Jean shifted her gaze away. Her heart pounded even more strongly and rapidly.

Before she could think of something to say, Jean felt Zed's hands cupping her face.

In the next instant, Zed's warm lips pressed against hers. Before she could fathom what he was doing, Zed's lips forced open Jean's. His kiss was so passionate that it seemed as though he was releasing all his pent up emotions.

This scene, however, was spotted by Eva, who had come to the party after learning that Zed would also attend. She had planned to use this opportunity to charm Zed, but to Eva's surprise, she was shocked by what she had seen. The scene was so disturbing that she felt tears stinging her eyes.

She glared at them sharply as her fingertips dug into the palm of her hands so tightly that they nearly started to bleed.

"Jean Wen, you said you would help me. You are a liar! You are using me to forward your relationship with Zed!! You are a shameless woman! I will make you suffer. Do you really think you could compete with me? Take a careful look at yourself. You are nowhere near as pretty as I am! How dare you challenge me?" Eva glared at Zed and Jean. She was so annoyed that her body trembled. When she got no response, she stomped her foot before turning and leaving.

Jean was overwhelmed by this unexpected kiss. Her brain went completely blank.

"Woo..." She didn't expect that Zed would be so passionate in public. As Jean came to her senses, she realized that almost all the party guests were staring at them.

She tried to push Zed away, however, he wouldn't budge no matter how hard she tried. Panicked, Jean bit Zed's lips. Perhaps she bit too hard, for in the next instance, she could smell and taste blood. Surprised, Zed moved away from Jean. Jean's shoulders sagged when she realized how hard she had bit Zed.

She frowned and tried touching Zed's lips as she felt an inexplicable heartache. However, Zed pushed her hand away fiercely before walking away.

"Zed!" Jean shouted, but Zed didn't react. He held his head high as he marched straight into the crowd.

When Jean lost sight of Zed, she felt a strange sentiment in her heart.

A heavy feeling settled as Jean tried rationalizing, 'I was just protecting myself, why do I feel so bad?

Is this what guilt feels like? Yes, it must be!

Our match is doomed. Moreover, Zed is going to be with Eva. There is no reason for me to take unnecessary challenges. Yes, this is it!'

Jean felt a little better after she convinced herself that she and Zed did not have a future. However, she was still absent-minded.

Later during the party, Ethan drank a lot. Though Jean was reluctant to continue staying at the party, she was embarrassed to tell him the truth.

When the party ended, Ethan finally offered to have Jean dropped at her hotel.

When they arrived, Ethan didn't go back home. Instead, he got off the car and walked Jean to her door.

"Thank you. Tonight was wonderful. However, you drank a lot. You should get some rest," Jean smiled. "Can I come in and talk with you?"

Although Jean could smell the alcohol on Ethan, he seemed as though he was not affected by how much he had drunk. Jean didn't want to place herself in a situation that would be seen as encouragement by Ethan.

The Weibo incident was still causing ripples and if they were seen entering a hotel room together more misunderstandings would arise. And so, Jean shook her head as she replied, "Sorry, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep."

Ethan was certain that Jean would not refuse him. When her reply registered, his eyes drooped. He finally nodded, "Okay, then sleep well. Good night!"

Once safely inside, and the door closed behind her, Jean felt relieved. She then took off her high heels before heading to the bathroom.

Despite the tiresome day she had, the long party, and her enthusiasm over studying with Sonny, Jean didn't sleep well.

When she woke up the next morning, her eyes were red and swollen.

She had spent the previous night thinking of Zed. Jean remembered feeling inexplicably sad. She couldn't figure out the reason.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Jean shook her head and thought, 'This is the life I have always wished for, right?

I've got a job, I've got my freedom... And I have almost recovered.

Now I need a new attitude to face the challenges before me and I need to stop thinking about unnecessary things!'

She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, then got cleaned and dressed.

Jean spent the next two days looking for an apartment for a single person. Once she had found a suitable place, she completed the formalities and moved in. A trip to the market followed as she needed some necessities and clothes. Once she was settled, Jean went to Sonny's company.

The first day, however, was not as easy and smooth as she had expected. It was not because of the work itself, but for... the rumors.

During the day, Jean was assigned to her position and she introduced herself to her colleagues. Later, she heard the whisperings among her colleagues.

"This woman looks very like Jean Wen who is currently a hot topic on Weibo. They even have the same name. Could it be her?" Among the whisperers, an obese woman spoke loudly to her colleague sitting alongside her.

"Probably, yes. The hot spot girl has actually been hired by our company. What was the boss thinking?"

"Right, she is not that pretty! How dare she cheat on Zed? She is so licentious..."

"Do you think she has an intimate relationship with our boss?"

"I think there is a good possibility of that. She is a wanton woman..."

"Sh, stop! We will get into trouble if the boss hears our chat."

Jean felt upset after hearing her colleagues speak so callously about her. After all, the Weibo incident had been caused by Shirley and Winner. There was no truth to it. She wasn't a wanton woman professing her love for another man despite being married! She had heard that all the employees at Sonny's company were elites and that they handled enormous quantities of business every day. So they were basically always busy.

Jean sat at her desk and waited for someone to arrange work for her. A few minutes later, she saw Sonny striding out of his office. An assistance carrying photography paraphernalia followed close behind. It seemed as though they were leaving for an assignment. "Jean, we are going to shoot an advertising video. Come with me!"

"Err?" Jean was stunned. She became even more conscious when her colleagues stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

She was acutely aware that once she left, they would gossip about how her personal relationship with Sonny had earned her an invitation to a video shoot despite this being her first day at work....

"Let's go!" Sonny ordered. He didn't allow Jean to think. Instead, he doubled his step.

Jean followed in a hurry. She made a conscious effort to forget about the gossip. The excitement about shooting a video with Sonny on her first working day was too great to allow her to wallow in self-pity. Her face reflected the excitement and happiness she felt. However, Sonny's next few words, astonished Jean and she felt herself spiraling into an abyss of despair.

"Today, we are going to shoot for Qi Group."☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐