Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

With short delicate hair that fell over his ears, angular face, thick straight eyebrows, fair skin and clear eyes, John was a very handsome and attractive man. He looked as though he were just 17 or 18 years old. A lean masculine frame complimented his boyish features well. Jean might have been attracted to him had she been one year younger than him or met him earlier. But now, her heart belonged only to Zed.

Although her marriage was a nominal one, Jean knew that she would never be able to feel for anyone what she felt for Zed. As a creative person, Jean had learned how to spot beauty in things. As a photographer, she knew how to use a camera to show the world the beauty she saw. She was not romantically interested in John, but she could see, from a photographers' lens, his unique characteristics.

"Well, Mr. John, are you busy this afternoon?" Jean stood by John's desk, with a cup in hand and lips pursed as she asked him a question.

John turned to face her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Uh...... Could you do me a favor?" She hesitated and looked a little embarrassed as she waited for John to reply. 'Was it suitable to ask John for help regarding this matter?'

The more she thought about it, the more certain Jean became that approaching John was not a prudent alternative. She began regretting her decision, however, it would be awkward if she didn't finish the conversation that she had started.

"Favor?" John was startled. He and Jean were not familiar with each other. They could be called colleagues since they worked with Sonny. However, they were barely on speaking terms. To him, Jean was a stranger. He knew very little about her even though she was Sonny's apprentice.

"Hmm, I feel a little unwell today. Could you please help me by taking these amended photos to Qi Group?" Jean's cheeks turned crimson.

After all, this was the first time that she was asking one of her colleagues for a favor. She also knew that everyone had heard or read or gossiped about the Weibo incident and what they thought of her. It was understandable that she felt shy when approaching John. John was surprised. Since he needed a moment to figure out how to deal with the situation, he looked down at the papers in his hand. He didn't like Jean and even felt disgusted with her because of what happened on Weibo. Since they worked together, he was professional enough not to openly share his dislike of Jean.

Although he was confused about why Sonny had accepted her as his apprentice, John had heard rumors that Jean had possibly played up to powerful and rich men or slept around to earn a place at Sonny's company. He hated women like Jean. Previously, John had tried his best to restrain himself just because she was Sonny's apprentice and they would have to work with each other at times. But today, she was feigning illness and asking him for this favor to escape going to the Qi Group. Everyone knew that Jean had cheated on Zed. It was quite obvious that she didn't want to go to Qi Group to avoid being embarrassed.

"This is your job. You can ask for leave and arrange for another colleague to help you if you are sick. I can't help you." As soon as he had finished speaking, John brushed past Jean as he went to grab a bottle of water.

Jean stood where she was in astonishment, as she hadn't thought that John, who was normally a pleasant person to deal with, would speak so mercilessly.

She felt humiliated, as though John had physically slapped her on the face abruptly. Even her cheeks stung! However, it was impossible for her to be treated kindly by others, as she was rumored to be an adulteress. Jean was so ashamed that she wished that a hole would open in the ground and swallow her.

Since John had declined her request, Jean had no choice but to take the pictures to the Qi Group by herself. She returned to her desk as she wondered how she would face Zed if she encountered him during her trip to the Qi Group. Being ignored by Zed was one thing, but being humiliated by him in front of his employees last evening was something Jean found difficult to get over. She was too ashamed to go to the Qi Group building again.

Before leaving for her appointment, Jean disguised herself a little. She wore a pair of glasses and a flat cap. Then she ensured that she dressed casually, like any other employee at Qi Group. The more she blended in with Zed's employees, the less likely it would be for someone to recognize her.

As Jean walked into the Qi Group building, she crossed her fingers and prayed that she wouldn't bump into Zed. Her prayers were answered, but not in the way she had expected. Instead of Zed, she encountered someone more rude.

Since Jean was wearing the flat cap, her vision was obscured. On top of that, she wasn't looking where she was going as Jean was constantly in search of Zed.

Accidentally, she bumped into the person ahead of her, and the envelope she held in her hand fell on the floor.

As she bent to pick up the photos that had scattered all over the ground, Jean heard a mean retort.

"Damn it! How blind are you?" She recognized the voice and gulped.

It was Eva!

Jean knew that if Eva recognized her, she would think that Jean had come here to meet Zed. Eva's wrath would then be unbearable. Thinking about this, she apologized profusely while collecting the photos. She kept her head lowered and sought an escape. Eva, however, was a trouble maker.

"Don't you look where you are going while you are walking? Do you think this is over just because you apologized?" Eva had been in a bad mood recently. Just now, she was even stopped by corporate staff when she went to find Zed.

She was cursing Jean for ruining her chances of getting back with Zed. She had thought that if it hadn't been for Jean, her relationship with Zed wouldn't have worsened. Eva was under the impression that Zed would have forgiven her and they could have been together if she came back with Zed.

Unexpectedly, Jean appeared halfway and disrupted her plan when Eva was not here. The more she thought about Jean, the angrier she became.

"Sorry, I am really sorry......" Jean rushed toward the elevator entrance once she had put the photos in order.

Eva was in no mood to be merciful. She stretched her hands and grabbed a corner of Jean's clothes. Before the incident, Eva didn't know how to vent the anger that had accumulated these past few days. Here was a person against whom she could vent her anger. And so, Eva didn't want to let her go so easily.

She intended to satisfy herself by abusing the person that had bumped into her. However, when the woman's hat fell off, Eva was dazed. Although this woman's face was largely hidden by the big pair of sunglasses, she really looked like Jean. Eva was shocked for a while and looked at her quizzically, "Jean?"

Jean picked up the cap hastily, and looked around as embarrassment settled in. "What a coincidence meeting you here."

"Did you come here to find Zed?" With both of her hands around Jean's shoulder, Eva didn't give her a chance to escape. In the past, she had treated Jean politely and even thought of her as a good friend. But now, she looked domineering. "No, I am here to drop off some pictures." She was afraid that her intentions would be misunderstood by Eva, so she showed her the work permit in a hurry. "I was working on publicity photos for the Qi Group on behalf of my company." "Why are you so nervous?" Eva took a glance at the work permit in Jean's hand. "Are you really here because of the pictures? Or are you here to use this excuse to meet Zed?

How crafty you are! You've mentioned repeatedly that you dislike Zed and want to divorce him, but you always find chances to approach Zed." Thinking that she had been taking advantage of, Eva became more and more annoyed. Eva looked around before staring at Jean arrogantly. Then, she spoke loudly "Are you seizing this chance to meet the CEO of the Qi Group? Jean, aren't you shameful?"

CEO of Qi Group? Hearing these words, the passers-by stopped and began watching the scene between the two women.

Since people were gathering, Jean lowered her head in shame. She didn't expect that Eva would treat her in such a way in public. She wondered if Eva had treated her kindly in the past only because she wanted to use Jean to get closer to Zed.

"I don't want to talk with you." Upset, Jean decided her best option was to end the confrontation. She had planned to turn around and leave. However, it was beyond her expectation that Eva would remove her sunglasses.

"Oh, aren't you Jean, the infamous internet celebrity?" Eva gasped in feigned astonishment. "You dare to come here after you've cheated on the CEO of the Qi Group? Do your family members know that you are so shameless?" Eva tilted her head to one side and raised her voice intentionally, so that people around could hear.

As expected, the onlookers sighed and whispered as they had never imagined that Jean, a legendary figure for them, would happen to be in the lobby of the Qi Group.

"Eva, what on earth do you mean?" Jean pursued her lips before glaring at Eva. 000