Seeds of jealousy

A relationship is hard to make it work even when there is two individuals involved in it.

When a third person gets involved in it, seeds of mistrust, frustration and jealousy gets planted in their minds.

Every action of the partner is comprehended with a judgemental attitude, which makes the seeds of distrust grow into a giant parasitic creeper and gradually kills the loyalty and love left in the relationship.

"You are here. I was looking for you all over there."

Ning Jing said with a smile and looked at the man standing beside Li Juan.

"Li Juan, am I interrupting something?" Within in a day, Ning Jing has dropped the formalities with Li Juan and started to become more friendly.

"Ah, no. Miss Ning, meet Mr Zhang." Li Juan introduced Zhang Zi Zhong." He is the regional manager of Tang Corporations in Xi city."

"Nice to meet you, Mr Zhang. I am Ning Jing, Tang Wei Sheng's fiancée." Ning Jing introduced herself.

The moment Zhang Zi Zhang heard the word "Fiancee", he looked at Li Juan in utter disbelief.

Tang Wei Sheng mentioned that the ring was for his girlfriend and he is going to propose her.

If Ning Jing is the one who is going to marry Tang Wei Sheng, then why Li Juan has the jade ring? Who is she? What is her relation with Tang Wei Sheng? Zhang Zi Zhong's mind got filled with various doubts.

"Did you had your Lunch, Mr Zhang?" Ning Jing asked him. "Do you mind to join us?"

" Ah, I am sorry, miss. I have to leave now," Zhang Zi Zhong politely rejected her invitation.

"What about you, Li Juan?" Ning Jing shifted her gaze towards Li Juan who remained silent. " Why are you standing here without having your meal?"

Li Juan looked at Ning Jing with confused eyes. Why Ning Jing is being nice to her?

"Li Juan," Ning Jing called her once again.

"Miss Ning, I am waiting for Lee Tae Min. He went to meet the medical team. I will eat with him."

"When is he coming? What if he comes late, you need to eat on time, please come with me," Ning Jing told her in scolding tone.

"I am sorry, miss Ning, I can't join you today." Li Juan apologized to her. " I promised Tae Min that I will wait for him. I am sorry to turn down your invitation Miss Ning,"

"Its okay Li Juan," Ning Jing was cool with it. "Any way we are going to stay together from now."

"Yes," Li Juan agreed with her.

"Then I will take leave. It was nice to meet you, Mr Zhang."

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Ning." Zhang Zi Zhong said with a smile.

Ning Jing greeted them and went inside the restaurant.

Zhang Zi Zhong looked at Li Juan as if she owes him an explanation.

"I am sorry manager Zhang. I think you had a misunderstanding. I am not CEO Tang's," Li Juan hesitated for a moment.

"I am just a research scholar, not even an employee of Tang corporations."

Zhang Zi Zhong studied Li Juan's face, even though she plastered a faint smile, there was sorrow hidden in her big black eyes.

Did something happen between CEO Tang and Li Juan?

Zhang Zi Zhong wanted to know, but he controlled his urge to ask.

It is not nice to poke your nose into other's lives.

"Ah, I think I had a misunderstanding. Anyway, nice to meet you again." Zhang Zi Zhong changed the topic.

"My wife will be happy to hear that you are here."

Zhang Zi Zhong smiled at her.

"As I've told you before, you remind me of my daughter. I hope that someday you will be able to visit our home."

"Yes, I remember, the girl who is interested in archaeology. Li Juan flashed a smile. "What is her name?"

"Her name is Li Jun," Zhang Zi Zhong continued, "Zhang Li Jun."

"Oh, even our names are pretty similar," Li Juan said with an excited expression. " I would love to meet your daughter one day."

Upon hearing Li Juan's words, the smile on Zhang Zi Zhong's face disappeared without a trace.

"Two years ago, we lost her in an accident."

"I am sorry, manager Zhang." Li Juan immediately apologized to him.

"Hey, it is okay, Miss Li." Zhang Zi Zhong said with a straight face.

"Ah manager Zhang, we are planning to leave Xi city on Monday. How about I visit your wife tomorrow? Li Juan asked without hesitation. She could understand Zhang Zi Zhong's emotions. They have lost their daughter and meeting someone around their daughter's age will revoke the memories of their lost child.

"Oh, that will be wonderful," Zhang Zi Zhong's face lit up with happiness. He immediately collected Li Juan's contact number and sent her the location of his house.

"Bye Miss Li, we are looking forward to your visit."

" I feel the same, Mr Zhang." Li Juan bid adieu to him.

After Zhang Zi Zhong left her vicinity, Li Juan looked at the Jade ring on her finger.

"Tang Wei Sheng wanted to propose his girlfriend with a Jade ring." Li Juan repeated in her mind.

It was a plain green jade ring, but what made it special was the solitaire diamond attached in the centre.

It must be a custom made ring because it is rare to attach a diamond in a jade ring, normally it is the other way around. Li Juan thought,

Should she return it to Tang Wei Sheng?

Li Juan turned the ring and tried to remove it.

"Are you waiting for me, noona?"

Li Juan looked up and met with Lee Tae Min's smiling face.

He was surprised to see Li Juan waiting at the entrance.

"Yes," Li Juan said with a smile. "How was your meeting?"

"Everything is set, the medical team will arrive early in the morning,"

"Do they-"

"Uffooo!!!! Noona, I am starving. Let's go and have something."

Lee Tae Min grabbed Li Juan's hand and pulled her inside the restaurant.

Almost everyone in the team has finished their meal and was taking a break. Li Juan and Lee Tae Min took their favourite foods from the buffet table and sat in a vacant seat.

Not far away from their seat, Ning Jing and her assistant sat together and observed the couple before them.

"Lin, do you think that Li Juan and that guy are in a relationship?" Ning Jing asked her manager.

"Well, they do look like a couple and he always addresses miss Li as "Noona,"

"Is he from K country?"

"Yes, did something happened?" Mei Lin noticed the confusion in Ning Jing's face and asked her.

"A few minutes ago, I saw someone talking to Li Juan. They were talking about how that man helped her boyfriend to pick a ring."

"A ring !" Mei Lin exclaimed, "Is she engaged?"

"I don't know, he even congratulated Li Juan." Ning Jing said with a dispirited voice.

"I don't see any ring on her hand? Mei Lin examined Li Juan's hand and looked for the ring.

"There is a green Jade ring on her finger. Who proposes with Jade ring?" Mei Lin made a sneering comment at Li Juan. "Is he that poor?"

Both of them continued to observe the interactions between Li Juan and Lee Tae Min.

On the other hand, Li Juan and Lee Tae Min were having their meal in peace. Just like every time, Lee Tae Min placed different food items into Li Juan's plate and asked her to eat. In the beginning, Li Juan ate everything he has placed on her plate but later on, she refused and even fought with him.

While they were eating, a man from the excavation team came and sat next to Li Juan to have a conversation.

"Jingjing, wait for a moment- we will get to know whether they are a couple or not." Mei Lin excitedly said.

Whenever that man tried to get closer to Li Juan, Lee Tae Min's expressions changed drastically. The jealousy was well written over his handsome face.

Maybe because of Lee Tae Min's murderous glare, the man left them alone. However, before leaving, he offered Li Juan a glass of orange juice.

The moment he left their vicinity, Lee Tae Min snatched the glass from Li Juan and drank it in a gulp.

Li Juan noticed this and pulled his cheek with doting eyes.

"Yes, they are a couple," Mei Lin declared. "I can see hearts popping out of her eyes."

"I feel weird." Ning suddenly commented.

"Huh," Mei Lin looked at Ning Jing who appears lost in thoughts.

"That man who talked to Li Juan, he is the regional manager of Tang Corporations. The way they interacted with each other showed that it is not just an acquaintance." Ning Jing shared her doubt with Mei Lin.

Mei Lin was not just a manager, but she is also the only friend Ning Jing had in C country.

"There is nothing weird. Mei Lin tried to explain, "Li Juan was the one who came to Xi city for the primary site check."

"What? She was the one who went with Wei Sheng?" Ning Jing didn't hide her shock.

"Yes. Li Juan is like the head of the research scholars. Didn't you see her going around bossing them? Mei Lin glanced at Li Juan for a moment and continued.

"They treat her like a queen bee."

"Did she go with Wei Sheng?" Ning Jing repeated her question in confusion.

"I don't know any details, I just overheard the workers. Do you want me to ask someone?" Mei Lin asked Ning Jing who sat with a confused face. "Is there anything wrong?"

"No. Nothing. I am tired. If there is nothing else to do, let's go back to the villa," Ning Jing stopped eating and kept her chopsticks away.

Somehow she lost her appetite.

Ning Jing gazed at Li Juan, who was sitting in front of her eyes. She carefully examined Li Juan's slender fingers.

Mei Lin was right, there is a Jade ring on Li Juan's finger, but it wasn't just a simple ring, in the centre of it, a diamond sparkled like a star.

A Jade ring with a diamond stone?

Heavens!!!! Ning Jing's eyes widened in shock.

Li Juan's boyfriend is not a random poor guy who bought a jade ring to propose, but he is someone who bought a custom-made Jade ring decorated with a princess cut solitaire diamond which costs a hefty price.

Ning Jing looked at her bare fingers, Tang Wei Sheng hasn't proposed her yet. She will make sure to ask for an expensive and rare engagement ring. But she couldn't but not to think about Li Juan.

"Who is Li Juan's rich boyfriend? Is he richer than Tang Wei Sheng?"

The seeds of jealousy got planted on Ning Jing's mind.