Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman
Chapter 141 It’s Killing Me

Astonished by his statement, Shirley looked at Zed. She was rendered speechless by his harsh and unwavering demeanor.

"If it weren't for Jean, your family would be in huge trouble. After all the things you've done," Zed stopped to shake his head before continuing, "the whole Wen family deserves to be punished." With contempt written all over his face, Zed glanced at Shirley as he said, "If I didn't appreciate that your family sent Jean to me and if it weren't for my concern about Jean's feelings, I would not have spared anyone from the Wen family."

Without warning, Zed grabbed Shirley by the collar and added, "I'll forgive you this time. But be careful, Shirley Wen. Jean is my wife. If you dare to touch her again, then you and your family had better be prepared for the consequences. Think about it."

As soon as he was done, Zed turned and walked away. He didn't even stop to spare Shirley another glance.

As he walked back to the ward, Zed thought about how the situation had played out. Jean had eventually let him deal with Shirley.

It meant that Jean still couldn't be harsh with her family.

In consideration of her feelings, Zed had given Shirley another chance.

It was in Shirley's best interest to stop messing with Jean. Otherwise, Zed would teach her a lesson she would never forget!

'Shirley Wen, let's hope you don't give me that chance.' Zed thought.

Shirley fell to the floor after Zed had released her. Her strength seemed to have drained away. She felt so exhausted that it took her a long time to recover from what had happened.

A short while later, Shirley slowly raised her head. Jean had really changed. Gone was the whimpering girl who didn't have the courage to look Shirley in the eye. She hadn't expected that Jean would grow so bold as to slap her. Not once, not twice, but three times. Jean had gone too far! The supercilious expression on Shirley's face had disappeared with the first slap. Now that Jean and Zed had both left, Shirley scowled. The more she thought about what had just happened, the more vicious her expression became. When Zed returned to the ward he saw that Jean was talking to the doctor.

Meanwhile, Jean's grandma was comfortably sleeping on the hospital bed.

Jean's grandma looked so peaceful at the moment that Zed couldn't believe that she had just been in so much pain.

She had been off her medicines for several days because of what Shirley had done. If they hadn't learned of Shirley's scheme in time, Jean's grandma's health would have continued to deteriorate.

Zed turned around quietly and stepped out of the ward. He took a deep breath as if he were trying to inhale the peace in the empty hallway as a way to calm his inner turmoil. When that didn't work, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Before he could take a drag, the cigarette was snatched from his hand.

"Did you forget that you are still a patient?" Jean put out the cigarette before she shot Zed an apologetic smile. She felt terribly guilty, "Zed, I'm sorry. The problems my family create prevent you from getting the rest you need."

"Don't say that." Zed shook his head to dismiss her concern. He stepped forward and enveloped Jean in a hug. "I like these problems."

He emphasized the word, problems, intentionally.

Jean understood what Zed was trying to say. She felt so thrilled that he had accepted her regardless of what her family had done or continued to do. She buried herself in his chest and inhaled deeply. As though struggling with something, Jean hesitantly looked up and said, "Zed, don't be so nice to me. Or I won't know how to pay you back."

"Silly..." Zed sighed as he pulled her closer. Although they were already in an intimate embrace, Zed felt as if he needed to hold her tighter. He never wanted to let go. He placed his chin on the top of her head and said, "You're my wife. It's my duty to treat my wife nicely." Jean's ears burned with embarrassment. She felt as though he were speaking from his heart. And yet, some part of her still couldn't believe him. She shook her head and said, "We both know the circumstances of our marriage. Zed, in my mind ..."

"Don't say anything and don't think about anything either. You just need to remember that you are my wife. And that's all that matters." Zed gently placed a finger on Jean's soft lips to prevent her from saying anything else. Why did she overthink everything? It hurt him to think that she had been so emotionally wounded by her experiences that Jean found it impossible to believe that he really loved her.

Tears welled up in Jean's eyes. She was so touched by Zed's tenderness and consideration that she didn't know what to say. She had never thought that someone so wonderful would love her so unconditionally. As the young couple stood in the quiet hallway lost in the emotions that swirled around them, the sun peeked through the clouds. The warm sunlight poured in through the window and swathed the couple, who were savoring the glorious feeling of shared love.

Zed felt the softness of Jean's cherry-colored lips on the tip of his finger. His eyes darkened as desire flooded him. Slowly, he swallowed.

Damn, how long had it been since he last kissed her?

He had been busy lately. Every time he returned home from work, it was late and Jean would be asleep. Not wanting to wake her, Zed would prepare for bed and then quietly, lie beside her. Then he fell ill. Since he was physically strong and overall healthy, the fever didn't last long. However, even that brief period meant that he couldn't be with Jean in the way that he wanted. Now, with Jean in his arms, Zed felt this strong urge to claim her lips. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to look away. It was as though he were enchanted by her soft lips. Meanwhile, Jean was still trying to process everything that Zed had said. She didn't notice his reaction.

When she looked up at him, her eyes were slightly red because of excitement, which made her more tempting to Zed.

He couldn't hold back any more. He lowered his head and gently placed his warm lips on hers. Wrapping one hand around her waist, Zed pulled Jean closer. The other hand he placed at the back of her neck. His fingers intertwined with her hair as his kiss deepened. Jean was startled as she didn't think that he would suddenly kiss her. But as soon as the surprise wore off, Jean kissed him back with all her heart.

A few people passed by the young couple, yet Zed and Jean were immersed in their own world. At the sight of the young couple in love, the passersby smiled. It was rare to see such deep, genuine love.

It was a while before Zed released Jean. She gasped for air as she tried to calm her racing heart.

Desire burned in Zed's eyes. His heart pounded more fiercely when he saw Jean's flushed cheeks.

If only they hadn't been in a busy hospital hallway. Zed would have shown Jean how much she really meant to him.

Considering the situation, he knew that this was an inappropriate time and place.

The first thing he needed to do was to settle Jean's grandma. That would remove all of Jean's concerns about her grandma's safety and wellbeing and allow her to relax.

Then Zed and Jean would have all the time in the world.

Jean buried her head into Zed's arms. She was flooded with a complex mix of emotions. She was bewildered by Zed's sudden action and embarrassed at being seen in public kissing. Zed's genuinely tender and loving embrace had also filled her with desire. She was so shy that she couldn't even to look at him.

Gosh, what did they just do?

Kissing in public! How would it possible for her to face people in the future if that was exposed?

And of course, there was the matter of longing. Every nerve in Jean's body had come alive at Zed's kiss. She wanted nothing more than to be with him in a more private setting.

No! She couldn't think about sex at a time like this! She buried her head deeper into Zed's arms. No matter how much Jean wanted to hide, she couldn't conceal her red ears.

Zed looked at the woman who was burying herself in his arms. A small smile danced on his lips as he said, "What's wrong, my little ostrich?"

"Ostrich?" Jean squeaked. "Why would you call me that?" Jean looked at Zed and saw his smile. She stomped her foot in feigned indignation as she realized that her action of hiding in Zed's chest had led him to call her an ostrich. Already extremely embarrassed, Jean couldn't handle the teasing, and so, she wiggled out of his arms and turned toward the ward.

Seeing Jean flee, Zed burst into laughter. Still shaking his head at Jean's antics, he began walking in her direction.

After returning to the ward, Jean stood beside the bed and watched her sleeping grandma.

"What are you thinking about?" Zed stepped close to her and asked with concern.

"Zed, do you think grandma can be cured?" Jean lifted her eyes to look at Zed as she asked. Her eyes were full of hope. Some part of her must not be able to accept that the grandmother she once knew and loved, had been lost to this awful disease.

"Jean..." Zed breathed out. He empathized with Jean and felt equally helpless as there wasn't much that he could do to remedy this situation for her. Since he knew that Jean was aware that there was no cure for Alzheimer's, he didn't need to put into words that grandma would never be cured. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. "I know that you love your grandmother very much. And that at some point in your life, she was a great substitute mother to you, but Jean, she's old. The only thing we can do now, is to ensure that she lives comfortably for the rest of her days."

Developments in the medical field had not yet reached the stage where an old woman with Alzheimer's could be cured.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But I really don't want to see grandma getting older and weaker." Tears rushed down Jean's face.

Her voice was choked with sobs and her heart felt as though it was shattering. She couldn't bear to think of what lay ahead for her grandmother.

"Don't cry. It's killing me to see you so upset."

Zed gently placed his palms on Jean's cheeks and nudged her face upward so that he could look at her. With his thumbs, he wiped away her tears. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before looking at her with all the love he could muster. 00000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐