Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

Jun brought a cup of hot chocolate for Ai, who had been resting listlessly on the bed ever since they had returned. He sighed. "How long will you stay like that?"

Ai said while sniffling, "I don't know. How can I remain calm after knowing Guiying's past?"

"That's fine if you feel shaken up. The same goes for me. I didn't expect this. But what I am not fine with is the fact you are blaming yourself."

Her eyes reddened more. "But I failed as a friend...I never understood her feelings. Worse is that I never thought that something like this was bothering her in the first place. If I hadn't decided to participate back at the last moment, she wouldn't have felt so disturbed..."

Jun hugged her back to his chest and locked his arms on her waist. He gently kissed her temple. "She didn't share her feelings with you and you are not a mind reader. Her emotions, her complex - it was difficult to understand it if there was no communication at all. It's her family situation. We cannot blame her for hiding it. It's their own choice whether to reveal it or not. But nor is it your fault to take all the responsibility on yourself."

"I still cannot forgive myself. I failed..." her voice dimmed.

Jun hugged her tighter and squished his cheek against hers. "Well then I am also in the same boat as you. I failed as Jin's brother too."

To that, Ai quickly corrected. "You didn't-"

"You cannot convince me otherwise. I failed and that's that. So since both of us feel that we weren't good enough, how about we drown our sorrows with hot chocolate."

She turned, her wet eyes looking at him with a hint of complaint.

He chuckled. "What? Hot chocolate is delicious."

"How can I be in the mood to enjoy hot chocolate?"

"Because firstly, yours truly have made it. So it's extra delicious."

"..."

"Secondly, no matter how much we curse ourselves, the past is not gonna change. That's what I have learned from Jin and my confrontation. Even if I berate myself, things won't change. The only thing we can do is focus on improving our relationships for our present and future."

She pressed her lips silently.

"Am I not right? We have wasted precious time in our past. Rather than letting go of more of that precious time, we should look towards our future. So right now, what you need is not blame but a good conversation with Cai Guiying. The cat also agrees."

Ai looked down and was surprised to see the cat cozily sitting beside her on his four legs. "When did he hop in?"

"For a long time now."

The cat focused his dark brown eyes at her for a long moment and took his gaze away, yawning and showing his small, sharp teeth.

Ai felt her heart burst with joy. "Did you come here because you were worried about me?"

The cat showed no change in his expression.

Feeling overwhelmed, Ai scooped the cat and hugged him closer to her chest. "You are so cute! You are a tsundere after all. I know that you definitely like me," she rubbed her cheeks against his soft fur.

*Meowww!!!!*

The cat hissed at her in disdain.

When did I give you the permission to hug me!? Leave me!

The cat struggled in her firm, smothering embrace.

It was a mistake to show my sympathy to this human!

--

Xing Bi found herself in a very precarious situation. She was pinned between a pair of long and muscular arms that gave her no exit to escape. On top of no way out, she realized she had been talking to Nian in a bathrobe the whole time.

Ahhhh! What am I doing getting so lax in front of him in just a bathrobe!?

There was no bra or panties she wore underneath, and she suddenly felt too exposed despite being covered in a bathrobe. But she didn't want to show him her realization, so she tried hard to control her flushed expression from leaking out.

I-I am the elder one here so why am I being pinned like this?

Her thoughts broke when she felt a certain someone's chest being pressed too much in proximity against her breasts. His scent flew through her nostrils, making her gulp. His entire presence overwhelmed her.

She would have easily beaten up if it was the goofy Nian. But a serious Nian was what she was always unable to handle.

"Keeping your apartment's door open is an irresponsible thing to do," he quietly whispered with a hint of warning mixed with scolding.

"I...admit it was my f-fault..." she hoarsely replied.

"What would you have done if it was really an intruder instead of me?"

I certainly might have been dead...

She had nothing to retort to that.

Nian squinted his eyes. "Your answer should be to call me the first moment you feel any danger coming."

"M-My p-phone was on the b-bed..." she stammered, feeling pressured by his aura.

"Which must be by your side at all times," he spoke even quieter than before.

Xing Bi nervously but furiously bobbed her head in agreement. "I will s-stick my phone on my palm with a glue from now on h-haha..."

The intensity of his aura became even denser.

"I-I was trying to lighten the mood..." she spoke like a rabbit cowering in front of a dangerous wolf.

Nian lifted her chin and brought it closer to his face. "I cannot laugh when I felt afraid the whole time, thinking if something might have happened to you. If there was really someone out to harm you, I would have gone on a very bad rampage."

She gulped for the second time. But at the same time, her heart pounded faster, sensing the reliability he emanated. She felt she could depend on him for any bad situation. No matter what it was, Nian would solve it without a hitch. It raced even faster, seeing his eyes filled with concern and fear for her safety.

He stood before her as a man who was strong, resilient, quiet but equally lethal.

"I am lucky it was y-you who came in..." Xing Bi indeed was relieved that it was Nian rather than some stranger with dubious intentions.

"Lucky?" The corner of his lips lifted in a shady smile. He pressed his thumb on her lower lip and said in a husky voice, "I never said you were lucky because it was me. On the contrary...you are quite in danger yourself."