Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman novel Chapter 70

Winner was dissatisfied when he heard their father tell Jean Wen that she could leave. He clenched his fists and then pointed at Jean before deriding her, "You are just a slutty whore! You had an affair with Ethan Lei after getting married to Zed. The words on Weibo may have been posted by us, but that does not mean that you are not an adulteress. Do you think that nobody knows that you were with Ethan Lei in Kim Village? I've taken photographs..."

"Winner!" Shirley moaned at Winner. She was livid that he would expose their only leverage.

He just told Jean Wen about their one advantage over her. Shirley was thinking about using this secret against Jean later. Now Jean knew.

...

When Jean stepped out of the hotel, she was confounded. The Wen family seemed to enjoy getting into trouble and then begging for forgiveness. They also took it for granted that each time they ask, she would do as she was told. Even though she was no longer legally part of their family, they expected her to be filial. Instead of constantly beating and threatening her, could neither of them show her some love? Was that too much to ask for? Her heart broke as she thought about her cold family. Tenderly, she touched her swollen cheek.

When Jean checked the time, she noticed that it was already past eight. She didn't know she had spent such a long time quarreling with them. She raised her hand and hailed a cab.

Weary from the day's events, Jean leaned her head against the window of the cab and watched the street lamps whiz past. She saw several families on the sidewalk. Some were shopping while others were hastily heading home.

Jean envied the people she saw. After all, they had someone waiting for them at home. She desired having what they had. Wouldn't it be nice to, for once, be with someone who truly loved her.

For as long as Jean could remember, she had this wish. When she was younger, after her mother died, she would be envious of other families. She had seen them everywhere and wanted the joy and togetherness that they shared. Jean was at an age when most women would be raising their own families. And yet, here she was, all by herself with no one to call family. Even though her mother had died, wasn't she deserving of at least her father's love?

She felt as though life had dealt her an unfair hand. 'Never mind. I will just consider myself to be an orphan!'

She finally found the closure she was looking for, albeit it didn't quite work out the way Jean had expected. What Winner had shared a little while ago had come as a bigger surprise for Jean.

When Ethan Lei arrived at Kim Village, Jean had finished her work as quickly as possible so that they left before anyone saw them. If Winner claimed to have photographs of her with Ethan, then he must have been at Kim Village that same day. She thought over that fateful day and wondered how she never noticed Winner. Kim Village was so small that any stranger would stand out.

If Zed were told this, what would he think? No! She couldn't take that risk. She had to tell Zed first and find a way to explain.

At the hotel, The entire Wen family sat at the table. Each one stared at the other glumly. All thoughts about ordering dinner were forgotten. Eventually, a waiter knocked on the door before entering, "Sir, may I take your order now?"

"Yes, yes. I'm starving." Winner acted like the confrontation with Jean hadn't affected him. He picked up the menu on table as he intended to order.

"You still have an appetite? Go home now!" Henry was too angry to have dinner. Already in a foul mood, Winner's actions and utter disregard for their troubles displeased Henry even more.

Winner was dazed for a second. Then he rubbed his stomach and muttered, "It was Jean Wen that brought up all this trouble. And we're getting punished? Why can't we eat?"

"Winner!" Joy scolded him at once, "How can you talk to your father like this?" She slyly winked at Winner while scolding him. She intended to convey to Winner that he should not provoke Henry.

But it was too late.

Henry slapped Winner. The sound from the slap was so loud that it echoed in the otherwise silent room. Henry's face flushed from the exertion.

It was the second heavy slap that Henry had wielded today. But this time, he wasn't slapping Jean. He had hit Winner.

Winner had been spoiled since birth. He had never been slapped by Henry. He was shocked by his father's action. Frozen in place, he didn't react for a while.

Shirley covered her mouth in astonishment. She was too scared to make a sound. Joy was also dazed. She trembled.

The waiter saw the scene and became uncomfortable. He quietly left the room.

"Henry, he... Winner didn't mean to talk like that. Would you ..."

"Why are you upset with me since Jean Wen made you angry? How can you starve me and even slap me on the face? I'm done with this!" Winner picked up the glass in front of him and smashed it onto the floor. The sound of the glass breaking into pieces was exceptionally sharp. The tea in it splashed everywhere.

"You!" Henry was so infuriated, he was rendered speechless.

Winner stood and stomped out of the room. The door slammed behind him with such force that it rattled the doorway.

"Don't ever come home if you have the guts! You disobedient son. I raised so many wayward children!"

"Henry ..." Joy wanted to go after her son but she was afraid that Henry would get angry at her. She would have liked to say something nice on Winner's behalf but feared she would bring him more trouble. She glanced at the door and started to worry about Winner.

Shirley didn't dare to say anything and kept her head down. Henry turned to her and she felt the heat of his gaze and looked up. She looked right into her father's eyes.

"Dad ..." She called her father gently. The entire time, her heart raced with anxiety.

"Do what Jean Wen said. Speak with the media and confess to your actions. Clean up your own mess!" Unable to bear the disappointment of having raised such troublesome children, Henry left the room. Shirley remained stunned in place. She was so shocked that she didn't even make a sound for a while.

"Mom, I... I don't want to do that!" Shirley cried out, looking anxious. She couldn't ... she just couldn't admit that the Weibo incident was her fault.

She knew how harsh public opinion could be. If she assumed responsibility, she would be shamed for months! Then, she would be too embarrassed to face people in the future.

At the moment, Joy could think of no better idea and shook her head. She took a deep breath and then followed Henry.

Shirley saw her mother leave and cried out loud. As soon as she thought about Jean, she got furious and tossed the tableware off the table.

"Jean Wen, I will not let you get away with this!"

Two days later, Jean sat at her desk, revising photographs. A female colleague who had been sitting by her side suddenly came over.

She wasn't able to react until that colleague pointed to the news on the cell phone and said, "Is Shirley Wen your younger sister?"

She paused and looked down at her cell phone. Jean's eyes widened in surprise when she saw that Shirley had admitted on Weibo that she had schemed and used her sister's account to post on Weibo. Now, public opinion was on Jean's side.

Finally, she had been absolved.

After the surprise wore off, Jean shrugged. She had been used to ignoring those terrible gossips.

"It turns out we have misunderstood you, Jean. Sorry." The colleague was ashamed about how she had behaved with Jean all this time and apologized to her. Instead of returning to her desk after, the colleague stood by Jean and blathered about how evil Shirley was.

By the end of the day, almost everyone had heard about Shirley's confession on Weibo. Jean's whole day had been spent in polite smiles and humble acceptance of other's apologies. At one point, she felt as though the whole office had visited her and either apologized or fawned over her for she was Zed's wife and now, Sonny's apprentice.

Jean disliked how fickle her colleagues were being. All this while, when they hated her for cheating on Zed, Jean had enjoyed peace at the office. No one had disturbed her.

But now, she couldn't seem to find the time to work! When she was new at Sonny's company, Jean had wanted to make friends. However, now that she knew what her colleagues were like, she didn't care too much. Eventually, when they saw that she was not interested in anything more than a genial conversation, they left.

The only time Jean seemed to find any peace, was when her colleagues had left for the evening. However, she had to work late to make up for lost time at work.

Alone at the company, Jean channeled her energy into revising photographs. When she finished, she looked at the time and was surprised to see that it was ten o'clock. At the moment, it was pretty quiet in the company. Even a tiny sound could be heard clearly.

Jean was about to turn off the lights and leave when she heard the sound of a closing restroom door. She was dazed for a few seconds. Who else was still at the company at such a late time?

Could it be a thief?

The minute she thought about this, Jean panicked.

She walked to the restroom as quietly as possible and carefully listened for more sounds. Perhaps she had been wrong? When she heard nothing for a while, Jean wondered if she had imagined the sound of the closing door. Regardless, her heart pounded in her chest. All kinds of horrific thoughts flooded her mind.

What if it was really a thief, what should she do?

Jean's ears pricked as she heard another sound. She could tell that it was coming from the men's restroom. Jean snuck closer to the door and was about to push it. All of a sudden, it was opened from the inside. Jean was shocked and found herself unable to move.