Chapter 3 Let's Go Home, My Dear Wife

"This is Eva Xu." Zed turned to look at Jean dotingly as he introduced Eva to her.

Once the initial shock had settled and people's curiosities had been satisfied, the guests resumed talking and toasting to each other. A musician began playing a melodious song on the violin. Slowly, the tense atmosphere at the party dispelled.

Eva, however, was still displeased. She raised an eyebrow as she studied Zed's wife. Jean was dressed in a plain white T-shirt and a shabby pair of jeans. Her baby face was free from makeup and her hair was casually combed. To Eva, Jean looked more like an immature high school student than a CEO's wife.

Eva already knew that Zed had married as part of a business agreement. This was the first time that Eva was meeting Mrs. Qi and Jean had failed to make a proper impression. Eva dismissed Jean as someone not worthy of her time and attention. Instead, she turned to Zed.

"Zed, you are late. The other guests who came late have already had three glasses of wine as a punishment. You better drink some wine and catch up!" Eva smiled seductively and pointed to the wine on the table nearby.

"No problem." Zed walked Jean to the nearest sofa before taking up Eva's suggestion to drink some wine.

Sitting alone on the sofa, Jean watched Zed as he drank and spoke with a crowd of people. The lively scene presented a striking contrast to the loneliness Jean felt.

'Who is that woman who was trying to please Zed just now? Did they have an intimate relationship?' Jean wondered.

As soon as Zed finished two glasses of wine, Eva sauntered closer to him and gently wiped his mouth with a paper towel. When Zed lifted the third glass of wine, Eva quickly stopped him.

"You know I was kidding, right? I know you arrived late, but you don't have to drink three glasses of wine just because I asked." Eva flirted.

"Eva, you must have a soft spot for Zed. Is he more special to you than your friends? The other guests who arrived late were also asked to drink three glasses of wine. Why does Zed only need to drink two glasses of wine? Are you worried about Zed?" one of the guests teased Eva.

"It must be true!" said another guest. "Drink, drink, drink!"

The people around Zed began chanting. Since drinking three glasses of wine was not a challenge for Zed, he smiled and lifted his glass. Eva stepped forward quickly and wrapped her fingers around Zed's wrist. Then she causally pulled his hand toward her. She raised an eyebrow and gave Zed a seductive smile before drinking from the glass.

Zed frowned at Eva. This was not his first drinking game and Eva knew that three glasses of wine was something he could handle. 'What is she trying to do?' he wondered. Now that Eva had helped him finish, Zed put down the glass.

"Wow! Wow! It is a big surprise for us to see your public display of affection! You were such a cute couple when you were dating. You obviously still like each other. Why not become a couple again?" Eva's best friend Sue who was standing beside them suggested.

"Ahem, Sue, don't talk nonsense. Zed is already married. His wife is here today..." Eva lowered her head and clung to Zed's arm. She appeared to be a little bit aggrieved.

Although Eva had just told Sue that Zed was married, it didn't stop Eva from getting closer to Zed. Jean watched them quietly. Their performance was just like an outdated drama in Jean's opinion. It wasn't hard to guess that Eva was Zed's ex-girlfriend.

"They were forced to marry each other as part of a business deal. This kind of nominal marriage is very common in our circle. It is equally easy for Zed to divorce that woman. After all, he does not like her. You both truly love each other. You should be together." Sue kept encouraging Eva and Zed to be together again. Eva had asked her to do so before the party began. And so, Sue took every opportunity to make the suggestion.

"Sue, don't blather, otherwise, I will be upset with you." Eva stomped her foot and glared at Sue to emphasize anger coquettishly. Then she glanced at Zed quickly to check his expression. She wanted to see if his reaction would show her where she stood in terms of their relationship. Eva was hoping that Zed would want them to be a couple again.

Since Jean was sitting close by, she heard their conversation quite plainly. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear.

She was quite aware of the conditions of her marriage to Zed. She also knew that the marriage could be terminated easily if Zed chose to do so. Although this was a simple truth, hearing it from strangers at a party hurt Jean.

"Well, all jokes aside," Zed said to Eva before pausing. He took a quick look at Jean before continuing, "I am sorry. I forgot to prepare a gift for you as I was in a hurry today. Tell me what you want, and I will make it up to you. Today, I have something else to do, so I am leaving now."

"Zed!" Eva exclaimed in astonishment. "You came late and you're leaving in such a hurry." Eva stared at Zed pitifully as she clung to his arm.

Zed nodded before prying her hands loose.

Jean was confused by what she was seeing. She could not figure out why Zed had brought her to this place at all. Was Zed using Jean to annoy his ex-girlfriend?

"Can we talk in private please, Zed?" Eva repressed her indignation and tried to speak tenderly. She glanced at her surroundings to make sure that nobody had noticed them. Then she held Zed's hand and led him outside the room.

Although Eva and Zed had left, the atmosphere in the room didn't change. All people except for Jean were enjoying their time by singing, dancing, and drinking. Still sitting by herself on the sofa, Jean felt kind of foolish.

Sue walked over to Jean with a glass of champagne in her hand. She stared at Jean in disdain, "I really sympathize with you as you are in a nominal marriage, but I do believe you could free yourself from it quickly. You probably should since Zed and Eva are going to make up."

Jean smirked at Sue's words. She wasn't going to play this game. So she kept quiet and shook her head.

Even though Jean and Zed had not been together for long, she knew enough about him to be able to see how Zed felt about Eva. According to Zed's attitude towards Eva, Jean had already realized that he did not plan to revive his relationship with Eva.

"You don't believe me?" Sue continued. She smiled, "You can go out and see for yourself if you doubt my words!" Sue was angry at Jean's dismissive attitude, so she urged Jean to confirm the relationship between Zed and Eva personally.

"All right!" Jean said as she stood. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the room. The strange people, the noise, being treated with no respect or curtsey, it was all getting too much for Jean. She welcomed the excuse to get some fresh air and satisfy her curiosity at the same time.

Sue decided to follow Jean.

"Zed, the only present I want is you. Shall we be together again?" Outside the room, Eva had embraced Zed in an intimate hug. Her face was pressing against his chest. She appealed to Zed in a humble manner.

Jean stepped out of the room just in time to witness this scene. Although she had known what Eva and Sue were trying, Jean hadn't expected to see Zed like this. She inhaled sharply and took a step back. In the next moment, Jean heard Sue scream.

"Ah! You stepped on my foot!" As a quick reaction, Sue pushed Jean. Since she had used all of her strength, Jean stumbled forward and almost fell on the ground.

An awkward silence ensued. Eva was annoyed with the interruption while Zed was embarrassed at being discovered. Jean was mortified with what she had seen and Sue was upset for having ruined Eva's plans.

However, when Sue saw Zed and Eva cuddling intimately, she raised her eyebrows with an air of complacency.

In contrast, Jean wished that she could vanish into thin air. She doubted whether she made light of the relationship between Zed and Eva. From what she had seen in the room, Zed had shown a total disregard for Eva's act of affection. Seeing how they were standing now, Jean did not understand why Zed had changed his attitude to Eva so fast. She knew that their marriage was nominal and that she and Zed still had issues, but that didn't ease the discomfort Jean was feeling. She began wondering whether Zed deliberately brought her here to make Eva Jealous.

When Jean realized that she was regarded as a catalyst for Zed and Eva's relationship, anger swelled inside her. She clenched her fists and decided to strike back.

With a bright smile and ample enthusiasm, Jean walked over to Zed and Eva. She stared at Zed with affection and feigned love, "My dear husband... I'm tired. Shall we go home now?"

Eva was hurt when Jean referred to Zed as husband. She was even more distressed when Zed pushed her away gently. However, since they were not alone and she had to keep up the pretence, Eva needed to handle the situation calmly.

"My dear husband," Jean continued as she smirked at Eva, "Although a roadside flower is beautiful, you don't need to pick it in my presence. I need your respect." Jean walked closer to Zed and held his arm affectionately. Instead of giving her discomfiture an outlet, she spoke with him in a causal tone.

Jean decided to use this situation to confront the uncertain fate of her marriage. If Zed dared to show his anger toward her and beat her, she would take the video surveillance of this area to prove Zed's infidelity. Using the video as a leverage, Jean was confident that she could force Zed to give her that land.

"Eva and Zed are a couple. How dare you, a nominal wife, call Eva a roadside flower?"

Although Eva was in a very bad mood, she pretended to be genteel and charming in front of Zed. Sue on the other hand, had no reason to be polite. She spoke with Jean in a bitter tone.

"Who says that our marriage is fake? Did you install surveillance cameras in our house and spy on our night life?" Jean continued to bait Sue into a verbal argument.

Jean had pretended to be obedient and gentle in front of Zed all these days. She was unwilling to tolerate and please him any longer. If she could irritate Zed, it would be easier to accomplish her plans. She needed the land and she needed the divorce!

"Zed, didn't you get married only for commercial benefit?" Upon hearing Jean's argument and seeing her confident expression, Eva's face darkened. She couldn't help questioning Zed.

Sue was wide-eyed with astonishment.

Suddenly, Zed put his arm around Jean's shoulder, and stared at her apologetically, "My dear wife, I was wrong."

The three women were shocked when they heard Zed's apology. As for Jean, she looked at Zed in fear when she realized that she had been naive to think that she could get what she wanted so easily.