Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

"That is none of your business! Stay away from me!" Jean didn't intend on pushing him away, but she was frightened by his stern and aggressive demeanor.

Zed brushed away her hand and pulled up the leg of her trousers. His eyes widened when he found bruises as large as a baby's fist on some parts of her light-skinned thigh. From the size of the bruises he could see that she was hurt seriously. Without saying anything, Zed immediately scooped her up and turned for the door.

"What are you doing?" Jean asked in surprise.

"Taking you to a hospital!"

"Hospital?" Jean sighed, "The wounds are merely superficial. I don't need to go to a hospital. We just need to buy some iodine and then dab it on the wounds. They aren't as serious as you think."

"I will feel more assured if a doctor were to say the same thing." Then, he bent down to carry her on his back.

Jean wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Then she exerted all her strength to rock herself from side to side and yelled, "I don't want to go to a hospital. Just put me down at once...... Zed, put me down!"

She struggled so hard that Zed felt too exhausted to carry her.

He put her down on the sofa and frowned, "You have to lose weight!"

"Lose weight?" Jean shook her head and responded, "Look at my nice figure. I don't need to lose any weight. You can't lift me because of your limited physical strength. You shouldn't spend all your time in your office without doing any exercise. Now, you even can't lift a woman."

Jean grabbed the opportunity to take a dig at Zed. Such chances were so rare that she couldn't avoid the temptation.

"Jean, are you questioning my masculinity? You seriously want to imply that my strength is not what it should be? Do you want to test that theory? Come, I will carry you again." He approached her slowly. A bewitching smile danced on his handsome face. She silvered suddenly and waved her hands, "Nope, I was just joking. I take that back. You are in very good shape!"

Then, she wiped the sweat off her forehead, took a deep breath, and tried to settle herself so that the tinge of red spreading from her neck to her cheeks would subside.

"Are you still in pain?" He asked in a gentle voice.

Jean was baffled. As she looked up, she found that Zed genuinely looked like he was concerned about her. 'Does he care about me?'

She looked down, thought for a while, and even felt a little moved.

"Yes, but only a little."

"I am going to buy some iodine." He walked to the bedroom and put his coat on. Then, he left without another word to Jean.

After Zed left, the living room fell quiet. Jean looked at the bruises on her leg and thought about Zed's worried demeanor. A part of her felt elated by Zed's reaction.

Despite the pain, Jean found that she could still hobble around. She lowered her head and sniffed her shirt. Jean scrunched her nose as she realized that she needed a shower. And so, she hopped to the bathroom. To avoid slipping again, she stepped on the anti-slip mat. By the time Jean had finished showering, it was 10 o'clock, but Zed hadn't returned. She didn't look at the time when Zed left. So she guessed it had been about an hour.

Jean sat on the sofa and carefully pulled her legs up. She looked at her watch over and over again, but Zed still didn't return.

'Has he lost his way?' She became a little worried. To avoid thinking of all the horrible things that could have happened, Jean turned on the TV.

Nothing interesting was playing. Jean was tired and fell asleep. When she woke, it was 12 o'clock, but there was no sign that Zed had returned. She felt very anxious when she didn't see him. Jean fumbled for her phone and then quickly dialed Zed's number. But his phone was powered off and he couldn't be reached.

Zed had been gone for quite a long time and his cellphone was switched off.

This inevitably increased the worry Jean was feeling. She decided she couldn't just sit around waiting and worrying. And so, she hobbled to the door, grabbed the first coat she found and stepped out. She limped to the door of the community and looked around. Since it was very late, there were almost no pedestrians and vehicles on the streets.

She dared not to go too far, as she thought that Zed would never forgive her if he returned and found her missing. So Jean turned and walked down the road. When she thought she had gone far enough, she turned and walked all the way back. Jean kept pacing up and down the road for a while. Each step increased the anxiety she was feeling. "Where are you, Zed!" she muttered.

"Why are you outside?" Suddenly, Jean heard Zed's gruff voice.

She spun around and saw Zed walking toward her. He was missing his coat, but he carried a bag of medicines in his hands. She trembled a little because of his reproachful expression.

Relieved, Jean ran over and hugged him tightly. The entire time he had been gone, Jean had worried about his safety. She had thought of all kinds of frightening things that could have happened to Zed. She had always pretended not to care about him, however, her worry had been genuine and nothing was going to stop her from showing it!

Even if they were in a nominal marriage, it didn't mean that she didn't care about him.

Zed was a little stunned by the unexpected hug from Jean.

She had come out in pajamas and a thin coat. Her hands were cold, so was her body.

Suddenly, he thought of the wound on her leg. Then, he pushed her away gently, frowned, and asked again, "Why did you come out?"

Zed was no longer upset. He was completely baffled especially since he could now see pearl-like tears flowing down her cheeks.

'Was she worried about me?' Zed gazed at Jean in awe. His heart skipped a beat. He so badly wished that he was right about why Jean was out here in the cold.

"I became worried about you because you were gone for quite a long time. Why is your cell phone powered off?" She pouted and stared at him with feigned fury.

Noticing the tear stains on her cheeks, and her childish expression, Zed burst into laughter and explained, "I forgot my cell phone at the company."

Then he took a step closer and whispered, "You came out to look for me?" Zed held his breath as he waited for Jean's reply. His eyes searched her face for any indication of her true feelings.

"How could there possibly be another reason for me to come out here? Why did you take so long to buy the medicines?" She wiped her tears away and calmed down slowly.

Zed didn't hear Jean's question. His heart soared at her confession and his mind repeated her words over and over again. Zed had never felt such a complex mix of emotions before.

He was happy because she had finally taken to him. Jean had admitted, though indirectly, that she felt something for him. He was filled with complex feelings because he was unsure whether she cared more about him or Ethan Lei.

A gust of wind ruffled Jean's hair. A second later, she sneezed. Remembering that she wasn't adequately dressed for the cold night, Zed knitted his eyebrows. He passed the bag of medicines to her and scooped her up in his arms. "Zed! Zed, what are you doing? Put me down!"

"Calm down. I'm just carrying you upstairs. It is very cold here." He said gently. Jean noticed the concern and warmth on his handsome face. Her breath hitched as she realized that his concern was genuine.

Jean blushed and smiled before burying her head in his arms. She loved how safe and warm she felt when he carried her like this. There could be no better feeling in the world!

Once they were inside, Zed put her down on the sofa. Then he busied himself with finding some cotton swabs and dabbing her wounds with the ointment and iodine that he had just bought.

Jean looked at Zed. She still wanted to know why Zed had taken hours to buy the medicines. Thus, she asked again, "You still haven't told me why you took so long."

He dabbed on her wounds carefully and looked up. Zed's face was so close to Jean's that if he leaned forward just a little bit, their lips would touch.

Jean shivered as she saw the affection and desire reflecting in his deep, dark eyes. Zed rarely looked at Jean like that and when he did, he turned her whole world upside down.

"I didn't drive as I thought there would be drug stores nearby. After I started walking, I found that all nearby drug stores were closed. Only after I had walked for a long while did I find a drug store that was open at night." He stood up to wash his hands. As Zed came out of the bathroom, Jean whispered, "Thank you."

She couldn't believe that Zed had walked so far to find a drug store for her that late at night. Jean was truly moved.

She felt that a simple thank you was insufficient to show her gratitude. Jean wanted to think of a better way to express what she truly felt. As Jean mulled over various options, a shadow hovered over her. Zed stood in front of Jean. Their eyes met for an instant before he bent lower to scoop her up again. Jean looked at Zed in shock and wondered what he was doing.

"It's been a long day for you. Now that you're injured, you need your rest. Get some sleep!"

Zed gently placed Jean in bed, before turning and switching off all the lights. She felt the bed dip as he crawled in beside her.

Jean held her breath as she waited for Zed to wrap her in his arms, but he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

Jean waited for a while, carefully listening to Zed's breathing. When she was sure that he was asleep, Jean turned and studied his handsome face. Since it was very dark and the moon was hardly peeking through the clouds, she could only see his silhouette. Even then, he looked very handsome. 00☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐