Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

That thought made Jean so uncomfortable that she couldn't breathe. It felt like a stone had been placed on her chest.

"Jean, are you asleep?" Jade said as she softly knocked on the door. Her voice zapped Jean out of her thoughts.

Jean quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and went to open the door. "Not yet, aunt..." She paused and smiled awkwardly as she corrected herself, "I'm sorry, Mom. What can I do for you?"

"It is all right if you're uncomfortable calling me mom now. It doesn't matter. I am sure that you'll get used to it soon after we are more familiar with each other." As Zed's mother entered the room, Jean spotted the box in her hand. It looked antique and was beautifully adorned with delicate carvings.

Zed's mother looked around and then asked, "Where is Zed?"

"He is working in his study."

"Zed is such a workaholic. He always works late. But I think it's not his fault. You know that my husband gave the company to Zed when he was very young. Such a huge responsibility to shoulder and at such an age. It has not been easy for him." She sighed and continued, "Zed didn't have a happy childhood. As you can see, his father has always been very strict. Also, he is so hard on Zed. When he was younger, Zed never went out to play. His father insisted that Zed should either study or watch financial programs. As a result, he has become as serious as his father. Since you're Zed's wife, I hope you will understand him. If he does something that offends you, please do forgive him."

Jean gaped as she heard about Zed's childhood. She suddenly felt sorry for Zed.

She thought, 'It seems that although Zed comes from a very prominent and rich family, yet he didn't get much happiness. No wonder he always treats others with coldness and indifference.' "Okay, mom, don't worry. I will!"

"Thank you. You're such a nice girl." With tears in her eyes, Zed's mother opened the box in her hand. There was an emerald-green bracelet. It sparkled in the soft glow of the lamp. "What's this?" Jean asked.

Zed's mother put the bracelet on Jean's wrist and said to her sincerely and earnestly, "It is the Qi family bracelet. When we got married years ago, Zed's grandmother gave it to me. It has been passed on from daughter-in-law to daughter-in-law for generations. Since you're Zed's wife, I give it to you now. In the future, I hope that you will give it to your daughter-in-law."

Jean was dazed for a moment. She was too stunned to say anything.

'The bracelet is a family heirloom? And she wants to give it to me?' thought Jean.

What Zed's mother had said made Jean want to cry. Then she shook her head and refused, "I'm sorry, but I am afraid that I can't accept it. It is too valuable."

"You're the daughter-in-law of the Qi family. Of course, it belongs to you. Please don't refuse my gift." Zed's mother patted Jean on the hand and said, "Since you have married Zed, you're part of this family now. Let the bracelet be a reminder." "Part of this family..." Jean muttered. She suddenly couldn't stop the tears from flowing down the corners of her eyes.

It had been a long time since anyone had been this kind and genuine with Jean. She had considered herself an orphan after the hotel incident with the Wen family. Jean never thought she'd be part of a family again. She looked forward to the feeling of belonging to a loving family.

"What's wrong, Jean? Why are you crying?" Seeing her cry, Zed's mother quickly got some paper towels from the nightstand to wipe away Jean's tears. Then she said, "We know that you lost your biological mother when you were a little girl. Then, you had to live with your stepmother, who treated you badly. Don't worry. I will be your mother."

"Mom..." Jean said as she sobbed. She felt terrible.

It wasn't the love and affection from Jade that had made Jean feel terrible. On the contrary, Jean despised herself. She was in a fake marriage with Zed. She had to pretend to be a good daughter-in-law. Jean was lying to such a wonderful person and there was nothing she could do about it. She hated the situation she was in.

'Zed's mother is such a nice and kind lady. She's welcomed me into the family unhesitatingly. She even gave me the family bracelet. How can I cheat her by pretending that Zed and I are a happy couple?' thought Jean, feeling really guilty.

After Zed's mother left, the room felt terribly empty. She sat on the bedside. What Zed's mother had said and done weighed on Jean's heart.

For one moment, she really wished that she was Zed's wife, and not in name only.

After thinking for a long time, Jean decided to give the bracelet to Zed. 'So after we get divorced in the near future, he can return it to his mom, 'thought Jean. It didn't feel right to keep it.

A moment later, she walked to the entrance of Zed's study. When Jean was about to knock on the door, she stopped and hesitated.

Zed's study was the last room at the end of corridor on the second floor. He had warned her that his study was a restricted area and that she should not enter the room.

At first, Jean had thought that Zed might be keeping a beautiful woman in his study. But she didn't see any signs of another person being in the villa after living here for so long. Therefore, finally, she disabused herself of that notion. She knocked on the door and waited for a response.

When there was no reply, Jean knocked again. Several seconds later, she heard a very cold voice speaking from the other side.

"Come in!"

Jean opened the door and was shocked by what she saw.

It seemed that there was only one door leading in and out of the study. The layout inside the room was quite different from the outside. The whole study was designed in a circular shape with large windows. A floor to ceiling bookshelf covered each frame of the circular room. There were so many different kinds of books on each bookshelf that it looked more like a treasure cabinet. 'What a fascinating place!' Jean thought.

She finally understood the meaning of the phrase, There is a new world behind the door.

Zed was sitting beside the desk in the middle of the room, reading a book.

It turned out that Zed was not working. "I can't believe he reads books when he has some free time. This is a new side of Zed. Everyone knows him to be an indifferent and insensitive person. But now I know that he is a person who loves books very much," muttered Jean. She suddenly remembered what Zed's mother had said in her bedroom a few minutes ago. She had mentioned that Zed had been forced to watch various financial programs and read books on business by his father.

Looking at the hundreds of books in this study, Jean began to feel a little sorry for Zed.

"You're not here to examine my study room, are you?" Zed lifted his eyes a little and looked at Jean.

Jean gulped at his piercing stare before closing the door and walking toward Zed. "I'm here to give you this bracelet."

With these words, she took off the bracelet, put it on his desk and pursed her lips, "Your mother gave it to me just moments ago."

Zed was astonished to see the bracelet. Obviously, he felt a little surprised at what Jean had just done. But he quickly collected himself and said, "Since my mother has given it to you, just wear it."

"But we're just pretending to be a happy couple. We are going to get divorced after your parents leave. Moreover, this is your family bracelet. It only belongs to a daughter-in-law of the Qi family. I think it is inappropriate for me to have it. Am I not right?"

"If you give it to me now, my mother will be surprised to see that you are not wearing it. How will you explain that?" He raised his head and glanced sharply at her.

Jean was frightened by his expression and stepped back. Then she retorted cautiously, "I can say that for fearing of breaking it, I put it away. What if I break the bracelet by accident one day? From the luster and color of the bracelet, I feel it must be very expensive. If I break it, I am sure I won't be able to afford to replace it."

When she had finished, Jean sensed that there was some serious tension in the study.

At that moment, Zed's expression hardened slowly.

"Am I wrong?" Jean muttered.

"Money? Well, Jean, ever since we got married, everything you do is for selfish reasons. You only care about your own interests, don't you? No wonder your father doesn't love you. Don't you think that you should try to figure out why that is the case by examining your behavior?" He seemed to be really angry. Jean could hear Zed grinding his teeth while speaking with her.

Obviously, the things that Zed had said hurt Jean very much. [D