Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

Chapter 174 The Valentine's Day Arc (30) : Celebrate Victory

Stepping into Jun's condo once again instantly brought back all the memories to Ai. To her, that was nothing less than a golden time she spent with Jun. It felt as if she never left his home in the first place.

The loneliness and the sense of loss that had filled her heart seemed to dissolve into nothingness, enveloping it once again with warmth.

Her gaze fell on the crescent swing and her cheeks flushed red, recalling her passionate makeout with Jun. In the car while coming to the condo, she asked Jun where they were heading to.

"My home," he resolutely answered and at the same time carrying a tinge of huskiness in his tone.

Jun stood behind her, his dark eyes narrowing as he observed her crimson cheeks. He leaned forward, placing a soft kiss at the center of her blush.

"Miss. Zhou. There are many things for which I want to punish you. Right from leaving that morning without even having a word with me to tonight for trying to escape from me and merge with the cosmos. Tell me, where should I begin?" His quiet growl tingled her cheek.

Ai felt as if she was trapped into a wolf's den. With a calm expression and tranquil gaze, she replied. "I left you with my favorite book."

Jun sneered. "Was that an attempt to bribery? Don't get angry because I am leaving the book with you?"

She sincerely retorted. "I don't believe in bribery and corruption. That was my pure gratitude." _{held her arm and pulled her body closer. "But I don't accept your pure gratitude. Not for that day. So, tell me. What punishment should I think of for you?"}

Ai pursed her lips. "Shouldn't you be celebrating with me because I won and also because it's Valentines tonight? How can you talk about punishments? That's not how a good boyfriend acts with their girlfriend especially when they have just started out," she probed in order to change his mind.

"And you think that challenging my ethics is gonna diffuse the situation here?" He smirked. "I don't like you running away from me, nor when you don't look at me while talking. You ran away that day and then tonight."

His palm caressed her waist which began to slide towards her belly. "I have scores to settle with you."

Wanting to avoid his punishment, Ai suggested. "You don't want to celebrate?"

Jun paused and tilted his head. "Not that I don't understand that you are trying to run away from the punishments…"

Ai cleared her throat.

"But I can postpone those for sometime."

"..."

Only postpone? Not cancel?

He sneered. "Don't even think that I will cancel them."

Her mouth twitched.

"Anyway. So how do you want to celebrate?"

Ai beamed at that question. "We should celebrate by making sweets," she said with pride, "I am good at making chocolates now."

He stared at her and somehow found it hard to believe her. He tried to imagine Nian's expression, knowing how the baking accident had caused a fire in her house.

"Is that so? Cool. Let's make some chocolates then." _​

"No. I will make them. I want to show you how good I have become," Ai nodded. "All by myself."

Jun raised his brow. Watching her look so confident made him curious. "Fine then. The kitchen is all yours."

Ai happily hopped away to the kitchen while Jun took a seat on the couch. He rested his chin on his palm, his elbow propped upon the couchrest as he fixed his gaze at her.

He thought he would observe her making chocolates, but his eyes selectively only focused on the back of her neck and her slender waist. Her dress was soft in fabric.

It will easily tear apart with just one tug…

Imagining touching her white, smooth skin brought a gulp and itch to his throat.

But that fantasy suddenly broke apart as he heard a loud noise. He blinked and craned his neck, his jaw dropping in shock. To the point that he had to walk up to her and watch her cruel method of beating the chocolate.

"...Why are you whisking it so hard?" His mouth violently twitched. "Are you taking revenge?"

Jun couldn't believe the sight. He always thought that Ai was a delicate woman. But studying the strength she exerted as she mixed the ingredients made him have second thoughts.

When did she have so much power in her hands?

But then he remembered the slap across his face she gave him when he wanted to jump in front of the car.

He touched his cheek in a daze.

Now that I think about it…that slap had hurt like hell.

Ai's brows softly crinkled. "You talk so much like your brother. Liu Nian had asked the same question and in the same tone as yours on Chocolates Day. As expected of brothers."

His gaze darkened. "What brothers? Don't talk as if we are so close. Ew! That just made my skin crawl."

"..."

"It's not that we are close as brothers. The point is your method. Why are you whisking it so harshly? You are exerting too much strength."

Ai tilted her head. "But this is how I work normally."

"Huh? You don't cook like that. You don't use that much strength when cutting veggies."

"Veggies are different. But whenever I try baking or making sweets, this is how I normally do it."

He looked at her in horror. The fire at the house made more sense now. Ai wasn't whisking the chocolate and the mixture. She was beating it into a pulp as if a lone person was ganged up by thugs.

For the first time and for just a moment, Jun felt sorry for Nian. Even he couldn't bear this treatment. For a pâtissier like Nian, it would have only brought death to him.

It also made him realize why Ai's chocolates tasted weird. It was good but…it was weird.

Jun smiled and offered. "How about I show you?"

Ai politely declined. "I can do it. It's almost done."

"No. What you are doing is murder, which the tiny chef inside of me cannot watch it happening. So, I INSIST that I help you."

"..."