Zed calmed his annoyance and held back, deciding not to make trouble with the waiter. Jean had warned him that if he made a scene, she would leave the restaurant right away.
The last thing he wanted was to make her angry. He desired the exact opposite. What he wanted was to make Jean happy, and then maybe, she would reconsider moving back to their house with him.
He couldn't ruin his chances now, just because of his unreasonable jealousy.
Lunch seemed a little less appetizing to Zed after the incident with the waiter, but Jean was in good mood. After a few drinks, her cheeks bloomed into a rosy color, and her eyes had a faraway look. She turned her gaze to Zed's face and said, "Zed."
"Yes?"
"Am I beautiful?"
"Of course. To me, you are the most beautiful woman in the world," Zed answered without any hesitation, his gaze holding hers warmly.
"Then... How about Julie?"
All luster fled from Zed's eyes at her words. Julie's name lingered between them like a ghost that stubbornly clung to them. At once, the atmosphere had turned heavy. He had thought that Jean had already let go of that matter, but it was clear now that she had not.
"Jean..." Zed began, forcing out the words as he felt his chest constrict.
"Hmm?"
"There is nothing going on between Julie and me," he explained, looking her in the eye and hoping she could see his sincerity.
"Sure. I trust you. I would much rather believe in your words, even if they could turn out to be nothing but words. It's easier that way. But sometimes..." She paused, giving him a bland smile. "I think I should believe in my own eyes."
Zed hadn't once thought that Julie would turn out to be such a vain and calculating woman. He sympathized with her, because he knew of her family's circumstances. He hadn't expected her to use that and turn things against him.
He had no idea that she would be that hateful.
Zed couldn't have been more wrong when he thought that he had already cut her off completely. Julie was stubborn, and she was getting desperate. She watched his every move carefully, waiting for the right opportunity.
At that moment, Julie and Harrison had just left the pub. Harrison suggested that they take a noon break in a hotel.
'Noon break?
What?
Is this some kind of habit of Orientals?
Why have I never heard of it?' Julie asked inwardly
Falling from nobility, Zen Luo became a humble slave and served as a human punchbag for his former cousins. Inadvertently, he found a way to refine himself into a weapon and a legend started because of that. With a strong belief in never surrender, he strove for revenges and pursued big dreams. Warriors from various clans contended for hegemony and the world was stirred. Relying on the body that was comparable to a powerful weapon, Zen beat his numerous enemies on his way to the immortality. Would he succeed eventually?
eelings just turn to hurt," he said.
James had kept his head bowed as he spoke.
Jean felt the waves of his sadness and reached over to him. "Oh you poor boy. You've got it bad," she said comfortingly. She knew what the feeling was like, and so she sympathized with her friend.
"Bad? More like hopeless. It's like I'm possessed. I don't think I can be clear-headed anymore," James said.
"You've fallen in love with Julie," she spelled it out for him. "But she doesn't have any feelings for you. She is just using you and taking advantage of what you feel for her. You know that right?" Jean continued.
There was a brief silence before James spoke again. "Then, what should I do?"
James himself knew that what Jean said was right. He was nothing but a tool for Julie. The realization came with an overwhelming sadness that tore at his insides.
"Have you heard of an old saying in our language?" Jean said.
"What's that?" Those sayings in the oriental language had always sounded like nothing but weird strings of syllables.
"Dogs can't change the fact that they eat feces. In your language, it would probably be something similar to 'A fox may turn gray, but never kind, '" she explained.
James understood what she meant and a hollow laugh came from him. "I know. I've been played, haven't I?" he said dispiritedly.
Jean nodded. "You had long known it too, right? You just refused to accept it. Julie doesn't deserve you, James. It's time to move on," she said.
She didn't want to see her friend hurt this badly, and for the wrong reasons.