Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman novel Chapter 199

Jesse turned to study Jean's reaction.

Sure enough, Jean's face had turned as red as an apple. Jesse tilted her head as she watched Jean. 'She does look prettier with rose-tinted cheeks.'

Aware of where her thoughts were headed, Jesse shook her head. It would not do to be distracted like this. Jesse raised an eyebrow as a thought flashed through her mind. If a woman could be so easily fascinated by Jean's charm, then the men wouldn't be able to resist Jean either. It was no wonder that Zed was attracted to her.

'Jean is not as simple and plain as she looks. She has so many qualities that make her seem so innocent, vulnerable, and mysterious. She has to be special otherwise Zed would not feel so strongly about her.'

At this thought, a sardonic smile grew on Jesse's face.

"Oh, you must be kidding! Is it necessary for us to kiss behind your back?" Noticing that Jean was too shy to speak, Zed drew everyone's attention to himself to help her out.

"Oh, Zed..." When Jean heard Zed speak of such a private matter in front of a stranger, she felt even more shy. She didn't dare to look at Jesse. Instead, she wished that the earth would open and swallow her.

Jean was surprised with how openly Zed was talking in front of Jesse. Didn't he have any shame?

Jesse felt very bitter upon hearing Zed's comment. She wondered how he'd become this kind of person. The Zed she knew was reserved and spoke very little.

"That's the truth! Jesse is not a stranger to us. We don't need to hide our affection when she is around. Besides, if speaking about these things is embarrassing to her, she would not have asked such a direct question, " Zed laughed and tried to comfort Jean. He couldn't believe how shy she was about such matters.

'Brother Zed, you know me quite well, ' Jesse thought bitterly.

Jesse plastered a fake smile on her face to hide her disappointment.

"Well, you two talk. I'm going to the kitchen to prepare our dinner, " Jean said hurriedly. She was certainly not going to sit here and speak about private matters with someone she didn't know.

"I will help you, " Zed said as he rose to accompany Jean to the kitchen. But Jesse still had something to say. And so, she stopped him.

"Brother Zed, wait a minute! I have something to talk about with you."

Zed stopped when he heard Jesse. He looked at Jean helplessly.

Jean nodded in understanding. "Go talk to Jesse. I can make dinner myself."

After that Jean released Zed's hand and walked into the kitchen.

Zed felt empty when Jean let go of her hand. It was not until Jean was out of his sight that Zed turned and walked toward the sofa. "What's the matter?" He asked Jesse as he sat down.

Jesse wrinkled her beautiful eyebrows as she wondered how to broach the subject with Zed. Hesitantly she said, "Brother Zed, I remember you telling me that Henry Wen married Jean to you just for the interests of the Wen family. In the hospital today, Jean's sister and brother orchestrated a casual frame-up. It seems that the entire Wen family disregards their relatives and seeks nothing but profits. But you didn't really punish the Wen family. Won't you regret it? After all, the Wen family is difficult to deal with. They will be big trouble. Moreover, it seems as though nothing can deter the Wen family. They will not stop being terrible toward you and Jean."

"I know." Zed nodded and sighed before continuing, "Jean is a member of the Wen family. I have to take her thoughts into consideration when I punish the Wen family. And so, I can't do anything too drastic as it will make her sad."

"You protect her feelings. But what about yourself? I thought you disdained dealing with people like the Wen family. When did you become so soft?" Jesse said a little harshly.

"I'm not being soft. Jesse, you are not in love. When you meet your soulmate, you will understand why I am so willing to do everything to make Jean happy, "

Zed said earnestly as he stared at Jesse.

"Brother Zed, do you mean you have lost your heart to Jean? I thought you flirted with her in public just to preserve your reputation!" Jesse exclaimed in astonishment.

"I did tell you the circumstances in which Jean and I got married. However, I have not once said that I don't like her!" Zed frowned and looked at Jesse in confusion. He really did not know why she thought he had no feelings for Jean. This was something that seemed to surprise everyone.

"You always pursue perfection. Eva was your girlfriend. She was well-suited to you and perfect in every way. But when you decided to break up with her, you really meant it. Jean can't even compare with Eva. I think..." Jesse murmured.

"You didn't think I would fall in love with Jean, did you? Jesse, we grew up together. I thought you would be the one person in the whole world who would know me best. I didn't think you would regard me as such a superficial person!" Zed said with disappointment.

"Brother Zed, please don't be angry with me." Jesse explained quickly, "I didn't mean that Jean is not good for you. What I meant is that her family is disgusting. They cause you so many problems. I didn't think you had the patience to deal with them all the time."

"That is true. Before I met Jean, I would not have been so kind and forgiving. But since this is related to Jean, I have found that I am more patient than I thought myself to be. Jesse, now you know how much I like Jean!"

Zed titled his head as he studied Jesse. In a gentle tone he asked her, "Why are you so interested in my affection for Jean today?"

"I didn't know that the Wen family are so disgusting until we met Jean's sister and brother today. I'm worried that your entanglement with them will get you into trouble." Jesse had thought of her explanations well before she approached the subject with Zed. She didn't want him to know her true feelings. She apologized when she thought that she might have offended him, "Brother Zed, I'm sorry. It seems I'm worrying about useless things."

"You're worried about me. How can I be upset with you? Just don't talk about these things in front Jean, all right?" Zed said earnestly as he patted Jesse's hand.

"I'm not silly! I know how Jean will feel if I spoke about her family like this. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Besides, now that I know that you have true feelings for Jean, I'll never have to worry about your relationship again, " Jesse replied with a smile.

"It's very nice of you to think so. Jesse, you've almost reached marriageable age. Have you found a suitable partner?" Since they had been discussing relationships, Zed decided to ask Jesse about hers.

"Oh, I'm still young! And I enjoy being single. Don't worry about me, please." Jesse suddenly blushed. She felt rather awkward discussing her personal life with Zed.

"Eventually everyone gets married. This is going to be a big event in your life. You should take it a little seriously. Besides, you and Jean are about the same age. And she's happily married. You need to try harder. By the way, Jesse, I have seen you with many men. But none of them seem to last. You need to find someone who will make you happy longer. Do you have feelings for someone that I don't know about?"

Zed said after pondering for a while. It did seem unusual for Jesse to be alone.

Jesse's expression changed. She was no longer smiling. She spared Zed a sideways glance before sighing and explaining, "I don't know whether I love someone the way you love Jean. I'm not sure if I'm ready for marriage either. I'll think about all this later, when I'm more sure of what I want. Now, if it's all right with you, I'd like to rest for a while."

Jesse stood as she spoke. She didn't wait for Zed to reply. Jesse simply turned and walked away.

Zed frowned at Jesse's reaction. He hadn't expected her to behave like this.

'Did I say something wrong?'

Zed held his chin as he wondered whether she had misunderstood his intentions.

'Jesse said that she is too confused to know whether she really likes someone.

If I hadn't asked, she might not have thought about it.

Looking at her reaction today, it seems that she did have someone in her heart.

Otherwise, she would not look so forlorn.

Who earned beautiful Jesse's love?'

Zed thought of all the men Jesse knew. But none seemed to be her type. Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided not to think about it any more.

This endeavor would not get him anywhere.

And so, Zed stood and went to the kitchen. When he entered, he saw that Jean was wearing a genuine smile as she busied herself with dinner preparations.

He crept up behind her and circled Jean's slender waist with his big, strong arms. He rested his chin on her shoulder before turning and burying his nose in her neck. Then he inhaled the wonderful, complex smell that was unique to Jean.

"Honey, you smell good!" Zed said contentedly with his eyes closed.

"Charmer!" Jean blushed and said in embarrassment. Then she turned to check whether they were alone before continuing, "Have you finished speaking with Jesse?"

"Well, yes!" Zed nodded and sighed, "Honey, am I careless? I didn't think Jesse was in love until today! I think I may have asked her a question that she was not ready to answer."