Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

"And so, you mean that Juan has agreed with your straightforward requests, just because he wants to repay you for saving his life?" Jean asked stunned and in disbelief.

"Yes, that's one way of putting it. But in fact, I think he has agreed in that outright manner, mostly because he knows that I am married. So he wants to come here to see you," said Zed, furrowing his eyebrows. "I am not sure how and when I will be able to get away from him once he is here. I am sure he'll keep on pestering me. Jean, do remember to give Juan a cold shoulder." "What?" Jean was completely taken by surprise. Wide-eyed, she asked, "Are you sure you are friends and not enemies?"

"You have to trust me. It will be extremely difficult for you to get away from him if you don't ignore him and take my advice," Zed replied with authority.

Jean cast a doubtful look at Zed, wondering if she should believe him or not. After spending some moments in silence, she responded, "Okay. I have got it. Don't you have to go back to work? Then, you go first!"

"Well, then you..." Zed deeply cared about Jean and was worried where she was heading next. With her in this condition, her safety and comfort were always on the top of his mind. But before he could drop the question on her, Jean replied, "I am going back home." Noticing Zed's concern, Jean exclaimed, "Zed, you can begin to relax, you know! Toby will be with me."

"Okay. Then, I am leaving first," answered and nodded Zed in agreement. Zed embraced Jean tightly in his arms to feel her. Some minutes passed by, but to Zed it felt as if he had to pry his hands from her body to get himself to part. At last, he walked towards his car, got into the driver's seat and drove away.

Zed's sudden going away jolted Jean out of the reverie of thoughts she was lost in. She didn't start to walk outside until Zed's car was out of her sight.

When she reached the gate, she found Toby waiting for her to drive her around in their attractive Bugatti car.

Unknowingly, Jean smiled seeing the irony. Toby's prompt appearance just at the mention of his name made her feel suspicious. Seeing this part of her life, she speculated if Toby had mounted a tracker in her.

Jean wondered why Toby always showed up in front of her on time even when she didn't call him.

After Jean got into the car and sat comfortably, Toby politely asked, "Mrs. Jean, are you going home?"

Jean had originally planned to go back, but the atmosphere between them was suddenly uneasy. Toby's exact guess had left her furious inside. And so, she retorted, "Who told you that I am going back home? Drive and show me around."

"Mrs. Jean, where should I take you then?" Very politely, Toby asked again.

"Just go to the Wanda Plaza!" Jean casually said the first name that came to her. Honestly, she couldn't think of anywhere else to go.

"Okay." Toby nodded, made a turn and drove in that direction.

Jean was staring outside the car window the whole way. Looking at the crowds surging past her car, loneliness wrapped itself around her. Yes, she was really lonely.

Zed was always busy with work.

Previously, Moore would go shopping or hang out with her. But now, this had become impossible, because he had Avery now.

The only option she was left with was to go shopping alone.

It felt like an ordeal to her, so dull and boring that Jean yawned. Despite seeing all the new collections of high-end luxury brands, she bought nothing.

Jean felt overwhelmed by her solitude. After ambling around for what felt like a long time, Jean developed sore feet. With a cold drink in one hand, she sat down in a corner of the corridor and opened her drink. Sipping her beverage quietly, she looked around at the happy faces walking by. Still, there weren't very many people. It was neither a holiday nor a weekend today. Most people were at work.

The Wanda Plaza felt quiet and dreary to her for this reason.

'Isn't there anything fun that I can do to kill some time?' thought Jean.

She looked and felt dispirited. Deep down inside, she was unclear why she was so reluctant to go back home at that moment.

Of course, there would be no one at home. It'd be empty.

But, Jean didn't want to go to Zed's office either.

She would do nothing there and rather, affect his schedule since Zed was usually very busy.

It was nearly impossible for her to find Moore now.

Jean had been trying hard to bring Moore and Avery together. And so, she couldn't just show up and interrupt them when they were spending time to get closer.

Ticking off one option after another, Jean realized she had no choice but to sit there alone. Again strangers walked indifferently in front of her, as she sipped her chilled beverage. "You are..."

Suddenly Jean heard a stranger's voice addressing her.

She involuntarily knitted her eyebrows and turned around to look who it was, somewhat impatiently.

A tall and handsome man stood right in front of her, making her gape at him in astonishment.

'Who is this man? I don't know him!' thought Jean.

With her eyebrows furrowed tightly, Jean speculated that perhaps this man too was bored like her and was trying to casually strike up a conversation with her. "You are Jean... Wen?"

asked the man with a tinge of joy in a shivering voice. The tremor was clearly noticeable.

'He knows my name?' mumbled Jean to herself.

Jean's confusion deepened at this and she unknowingly opened her eyes wider to take in the person standing in front of her.

A broad forehead, bushy black eyebrows, big eyes and healthy wheatish complexion... the man in front of her would be easily more than 1.8m tall.

At a glance, he looked handsome, healthy, opportunistic and a little shy.

Shy?

Jean really felt that man looked shy.

This thought made Jean chuckle to herself. She felt funny thinking that a man could be even shy in front of a woman. Looking him up and down and judging him from different angles, Jean answered back, "Do you know me?" She stared at him in bewilderment, confused why this strange man knew her.

"You are really Jean? Have you forgotten me? I am Ronald Zhang!" The man introduced himself very excitedly and joyfully as he walked closer to Jean.

"Ronald..." Jean mumbled this name again. Looking at this man, she felt a little familiar with this figure, but she just couldn't recall the whereabouts.

"Yes, I am Ronald. When we were little kids, your pronunciation wasn't completely developed. In fact, you often failed to say my name correctly. Do you remember?" reminded a visibly excited Ronald.

"Ronald..." After repeating the name to herself, a faint memory suddenly lit up in her mind. Thrilled to have finally placed him, she stared at Ronald in shock and asked, "You are the fat boy Ronald? How can that be possible? When you were a little kid, you were so fat that it was hard to make out the shape of your eyes. How did you become so..."

"Exactly, that boy was me." As Jean tried to digest this bizarre truth, Ronald revealed a happy smile and continued, "How time flies! It has been 15 years since we met last time. You were still a little girl when I left. But now, you have grown up to be graceful, sweet and beautiful..."

"I wasn't a little girl," Jean retorted disapprovingly. "Compared to my batchmates, I wasn't little at all, or else how would I have been able to help you when I saw that you were ridiculed for being overweight."

"Yes, I don't know how much of confidence I would have lost if it hadn't been for you. I really regretted my parents immigrating to Canada. When I got to know that I was going to leave you, I cried for three days and nights. I even went on a hunger strike to get them to not move to Canada. In the end, of course, I failed. 15 years have passed, Jean,"

Ronald sighed deeply.

"But how did you recognize me at first sight?" asked Jean visibly confused.

"I can never forget your eyes," replied Ronald with a gentle smile. He added, "When I was bullied and pinned to the floor, it was you that suddenly showed up and saved me. As I looked up, your bright and warm eyes first came into my view. And so, how can I forget your eyes no matter how long we haven't met or how you look now? But Jean, your face has hardly changed. 15 years have passed, but I could still recognize you as soon as I saw you."0000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐