Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu



"Happy Birthday Ai!"

Ai's one and only favorite idol and star, Chyou gave her warm wishes as she hugged her with a bright grin.

"Thank you, Chyou," Ai felt as if she was floating on the clouds with her idol being a part of her birthday celebration. "I am so glad you came."

"Of course!" She handed her a birthday gift. "How could I not come to my adorable fan's birthday? I am so, so happy for you!"

Behind her was another figure, hesitating to approach Ai. But with some courage, he faced her and smiled. "Happy Birthday, Ai."

Her eyes slightly widened upon seeing Yating. He was invited to the celebration too, but she wasn't sure if he would come. "Thank you, Yating," her heart was filled with genuine joy as she happily accepted his gift.

For a moment, she was worried about any awkwardness between them, but it was Yating himself whose warm gaze and smile felt pure and disengaged from his previous feelings from the bottom of his heart. There neither felt any burden that weighed him down nor the sense of loss of his unrequited first love.

He had truly moved on.

Ai said with sincerity, "Thank you for coming, Yating."

His presence lightened the load off her chest that they might not share love in this life like they did in the past but that also didn't mean that they couldn't be friends either.

"Che! How come am I not seeing some spicy drama unfolding here?" Chyou clicked her tongue on distaste. "Gu Yating, who had feelings for Zhou Ai at some point, is right before her. There should be sparks and tears and heartbreak flying ever-Ow! Hey! Why did you hit me?" She glared at him.

Yating had smacked a karate chop on her head, rolling his eyes. "This is a real life birthday celebration, not in one of your movies. Pipe down on the drama part, Miss. Zhu."

"Movies have been inspired by real life drama all the time. The two worlds are not so far~" she chirped.

"I think there has been enough drama already in Ai's life. She doesn't need more chaos," another karate chop landed on her head.

"Heyyy! My fans will kill you if they see you beating me," she snorted.

"I will make sure to make them listen to their favorite idol's craving for drama."

She grinned. "I am no less than a Goddess for them. They will surely defend me with all their might~"

His brow twitched. "Shameless."

Ai curiously observed their interaction and for some reason felt an odd atmosphere between them. They were bickering like any good friends and having fun with cheery smiles and laughter but…

Why am I sensing some undiscovered chemistry between them? Is it only me? Am I overthinking about this?

But isn't Chyou dating Cheng Yin?

Though he was a selfish man through and through and ruined Chyou's life in the past, Jun had given him a time of three months to prove himself, though Jun was well aware that these three months were not for proving himself right for Chyou but to show his true colors to her.

"Chyou, how are you-"

She abruptly paused as she noticed Guiying walking towards her from the corner of her eye. But before she could reach, another hyperactive person zoomed past Yating and Chyou to jump to hug Ai.

"Sister-in-lawwww!!! Happy Birthday!!!"

Yunru sparkled at her with the brightest shine in his eyes among everybody. He looked like a big, furry dog, eagerly flapping his ears at the most favorite person in the world.

*SMACK*

"Don't suffocate sister-in-law!" Yubi took this chance to thoroughly smack senses into her twin.

"Don't be jealous of me, Yubi!"

"Who the hell is jealous of a potato like you!" 

"Who are you calling a potato!"

"You, of course duh!"

"N-No fighting!" Guiying anxiously separated them. "It's Ai's birthday today."

The twins immediately softened at Guiying's request. "We are sorry, sister-in-law!"

!!!

Yating and Chyou's brows raised as they heard this new form of endearing address.

Guiying almost stumbled upon being openly addressed as sister-in-law. "I-I am not your sister-in-law…!" She urgently whispered with her heart threatening to stop in her chest. "I t-told you not to call me that…" she lacked tears to shed.

They chirped. "But you are already living with us at our home. It's just a matter of time till you actually become our sister-in-law!"

Guiying didn't even dare to meet anybody's pointed gaze at her. The gift box she held in her hand was shaking, but it was her hands that were trembling.

A gasp escaped from Ai's lips and her brown irises looked hurt. "You didn't tell me this, Guiying. Can I not be a part of your happiness?"

"Th-this is not really what it looks like…" she began to sweat.

From behind her, Zixin walked up to the group and tilted his head, curious of the conversation going among them. But first, he gave his warm wishes to Ai. "Happy Birthday, Ai."

"Thank you, Zixin."

He nodded and then asked, "What were you all talking about?"

"Nothing!" Before anybody could bring that topic back, she hastily closed it herself. She pushed her gift in Ai's hand and wished her. "Ha-Happy Birthday, Ai!"

The twins giggled at her shyness and panic and so did Ai.

Huan and Sun Bai also arrived by then for the celebration. Yunru's face immediately turned bright red as her dreamy beauty made his heart race faster. He could feel his twin sister teasing him from the other side. "Sh-Shut up! Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why are you looking at Shi Huan like that~"

"I-I am just looking at her normally…" steam escaped from his pink ears.

"Yeah, yeah I can see that," she rolled her eyes.

The huge birthday cake arrived, made by none other than Nian as he proudly wheeled his creation towards the birthday girl.

"Cake! Cake! Cake!" The hyper voices belonged to Liu Hai, Jing and Chyou.

Nian lit the candles on the cake and grinned as he handed Ai the knife. "Now make your wish and blow the candles, sister-in-law~"

Ai stared at the huge marvel of a cake with glittering eyes. She took the knife from him and bent to make her wish. She softly closed her eyes and sent her wish to the heavens.

'My only wish is for everybody to get their happy ending in this life. An ending filled with smiles and joy that they always deserved.'