Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman
Chapter 171 We Were Both Suffering From Unrequited Love

"Jean, I'm sorry for losing my temper. I didn't think that you would be afraid of me." Zed was aghast. He hadn't known that Jean would react this way. No one had ever told him this before. He had no clue.

"You are human. You have feelings. It's okay to feel jealous or happy or angry. We all feel like that from time to time. And it's okay to feel." Jean reached forward and touched Zed's face gently. "But could you please try to control your anger? Never assume that I have done or said something to intentionally hurt you. If you have any questions, you can ask me and I will explain." Zed lowered his eyes in shame. "Okay, I promise," he whispered. When Jean placed her palm on his cheek, Zed's eyes flew to her face. The tender smile on Jean's face was comforting to Zed.

'Jean is my wife. She's the woman I should care about. I shouldn't vent my anger on her.

Since we want to be with each other for the rest of our lives, I have to better myself. I need to be the man she can be proud of.'

Hearing Zed's answer, Jean smiled.

Before either of them could say anything, the bell began ringing. Jean and Zed had just been through a terribly emotional situation. Once they had forgiven each other, the two lovers gazed at each other lovingly. The ringing of the bell interrupted their peaceful moment. Zed frowned unpleasantly.

Despite his desire to be close to Jean, Zed withdrew his arms from around her before standing and walking to the door.

"Who's outside?" Jean asked anxiously when she saw that Zed had opened the door but didn't speak. When she still didn't get a reply, Jean walked toward the door.

Zed stared at the two people outside the door. His expression conveyed the annoyance he felt.

When he noticed that Jean was approaching them, Zed walked past them. Once outside, he turned to Jean and said, "I will be waiting for you at the restaurant. When you're done here, pack your things and meet me downstairs."

"Okay." Jean nodded. When she saw that Maranda and John had come to visit, Jean felt both, joy and concern. She rushed to hold Maranda's hand as she spoke, "Maranda, you've been discharged from the hospital! How do you feel now?"

"I'm feeling much better, thank you." When Jean studied Maranda, she noticed that her friend did look well. She wasn't as weak or pale as she had been. Maranda smiled and asked, "Where did you go last night? We were worried about you. We couldn't contact you since you didn't take your cell phone." Maranda stopped and turned to see where Zed was. Then she continued with a frown, "But Mr. Qi is here. So it seems as though we need not have worried."

Maranda blinked rapidly as she spoke.

Jean smiled bitterly before saying, "Come in and sit down! I need to pack my things. You know, Mr. Qi would not be happy if I kept him waiting. We should catch up later."

"Jean..." John had not stepped into the room at Jean's invitation. Instead, he stood at the door as he spoke, "Since Mr. Qi is here, we will return on our own."

No matter what happened the previous night, Zed's presence proved that Jean was safe.

Then, it was time for him to leave.

"Go back on your own? You won't be traveling with us?" Jean asked. She was surprised to hear that her colleagues had different plans.

"No." Maranda answered. She shook her head furiously. 'Mr. Qi looks so cold. If we take a ride in his car, then on the way back, I will definitely freeze to death.' Instead of saying how she truly felt, Maranda decided to give a polite answer, "We can take the bus. It's more convenient." Hearing that, Jean didn't insist that they travel with her and Zed.

She knew that Zed was not pleasant to deal with when he was upset about something. And he clearly had something to be upset about. Jean was sure that her colleagues were hoping to avoid a confrontation with Zed by taking the bus.

"Okay. See you in H City." Jean replied before reaching out to hug Maranda. Then she turned to John and said, "Please take good care of Maranda."

John stayed silent for a while. Then he nodded curtly and turned to leave.

Maranda waved goodbye to Jean. She was reluctant to part with Jean but she had no choice. Then she hurried to catch up with John. Together, they walked into the waiting elevator.

Seeing them walking into the elevator in tandem, Jean shook her head and smiled.

Once the doors had closed, Maranda asked, "John, did we just rush to the hotel only to see Jean for a brief moment before leaving quickly? You already knew that Mr. Qi had come last night, didn't you?"

John gazed at Maranda indifferently. Maranda smartly stopped talking and smiled.

'John loves Jean. He must have been worried about her.

No wonder he wanted to see her before leaving.'

As the realization struck Maranda, she understood how inappropriate her question was. "Sorry, please forget what I said." Maranda raised her hands and said playfully.

John looked at Maranda in amazement. Yesterday when Maranda had learned that he loved Jean, she looked devastated.

But today, she was pretending as though nothing had happened. 'This girl has the incredible ability to stay positive.'

"Are you curious about why my attitude changed in just a day?" Maranda knew what John was thinking. The incredulity he felt was apparent by his expression. She couldn't help explaining, "Actually, the reason is very simple. Jean is my best friend. At first, I couldn't accept the fact that you loved her. But later, when I was in the hospital, I thought about it a lot.

Jean is an excellent girl and many people will be naturally drawn to her. It isn't her fault, nor is it yours. Even Mr. Qi is willing to give up everything for her. It proves that Jean is worthy of anyone who loves her sincerely. And you, John, know that Jean belongs to Mr. Qi. But you are still willing to be good to her. That's why I admire you.

Jean belongs to Mr. Qi. She doesn't love you. That must hurt you on a deeper level. And yet, you replace it within yourself to behave normally in front of her. To put it bluntly, we are in the same position. We are both suffering because of unrequited love. That helps me understand your actions. I don't have any grievances left."

"Maranda, you are a good girl. You deserve someone better." John looked at Maranda in bewilderment. It had taken him a long time to get over his shock and think of something appropriate to say to her. Then, he walked out of the elevator. Maranda was stunned for a while, and then, she smiled bitterly.

'Why does everyone say that I deserve someone better?

John, even though you know you cannot have Jean, you won't consider me. And yet, the things you say make it sound like you think highly of me. How can you feel that way if you don't love me?'

As soon as Maranda and John passed the restaurant, Zed stepped out from the shadows.

All three people were silent for a long time.

Zed walked to John's side and said, "Thank you for what you did last night."

After saying that, Zed walked away without giving John or Maranda an opportunity to respond.

John felt several complex emotions run through him. According to how Zed looked, something awful might have happened to Jean last night.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated John became. He blamed himself for not protecting Jean well enough.

John remembered feeling as though something bad was going to happen when he saw Jean follow Ethan.

When he called Jean on her cell phone, Maranda had answered the call.

At that time, he was too anxious to think clearly. So John did what he thought was right. He had called Zed and told him about the situation.

He didn't expect that Zed genuinely cared about Jean. Before Zed ended the call, John heard him yelling at someone.

Zed must have driven like a mad person to get here!

John had feared the worst. But he didn't know what happened right after Zed arrived. And since Zed was thanking him, John felt as though perhaps, his actions had stopped something bad from happening to Jean. John took some comfort in that thought. He sighed as he walked toward the hotel's gate.

"John, did Mr. Qi thank you? What happened between you two?" Maranda ran to catch up with John. Even she had no idea what had happened the previous night. 'Why would Mr. Qi thank John?'

"What do you think happens between two men who love the same woman?" John said indifferently.

Maranda thought about it and found that she didn't really need to ask John. She couldn't help sticking her tongue out at John.

As the two approached the exit, a man in a black suit politely said to John and Maranda, "Mr. Qiao and Miss Qin, Mr. Qi has instructed me to drive you back."

Maranda couldn't help asking in amazement, "Mr. Qi? He asked you to drive us?"☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐