Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

A booming chaos ensued between Zhou Yichen and Liu Hai and they felt as if they were old friends who met after a long time.

"You know at that time, Jun was hiding in the closet so that we wouldn't drag him to go on a picnic…" Liu Hai recounted one memory of little Jun when he was six years old. "He used to run like his life was on the line. Then one day he cried because his favorite broke hahaha. Can you imagine Jun- oops, I mean Jun-cute crying? He was trying so hard to control his tears. His face was red like a tomato…"

Jun's face NOW was also as red as a tomato too but because of how Liu Hai was shamelessly reminiscing his childhood memories that were embarrassing for him.

"Grandpa…" Nerves were twitching on the back of his hand.

Jinhai, who had no interest in being a part of this craziness, stood to leave when Zhou Yichen grabbed his shoulder. "Where are you leaving my new in-law? The fun has just started! You also have to tell me a lot of stories about Jun-cute."

"No, thanks-"

"Now, now, don't be shy. We are all family here," he grinned.

"I want peace."

"There is nothing such as peace in the world. It's an illusion."

"..."

"Jini-boy, hop over to this side too~"

"No," he coldly answered, especially after how Zhou Yichen threatened to work in the Liu Corps.

"Peace is never an option, Jini-boy!"

"..."

On the other side, Jian, Nian and Nuo were gathered around Xie Nuying, who for some reason they didn't know were sharing their love stories to her as if she was an agony aunt.

​ Jian sniffled. "So you see, Aunt Xie. Leina's father makes my life so much hell! Sure he loves his daughter, but shouldn't he respect me at least a little bit and allow me to meet her? I am going to be his son-in-law in the future after all. But everytime, I see goons chasing after me to take my life! Sometimes I feel that I will never see my wedding day with her…"

"Oh," Xie Nuying nodded. "I understand. Doting fathers are tough to deal with."

"I know right! Do you have any wisdom to share with me, Aunt?" His hopeful eyes sparkled.

She gave it a sincere thought. "Tell him not to make your life difficult."

"But he doesn't listen to me!"

"Or you would never get to hold your grandchild."

"..."

Nian choked.

"W-won't he bury me alive if I dare to say this to him?" Jian looked at her in horror.

"Why would he? You are underestimating the power of a grandchild. He might not like to see your face, but he would definitely like to see his grandson's face. Same face as you but different relationship. A grandchild will be more appealing than a son-in-law. But he will never get that grandchild if he doesn't allow you two to meet and get cuddly with each other."

Nuo's face reddened for some reason, and she cleared her throat.

"Will this really work?"

Xie Nuying blinked. "He might love and dote on Leina for sure, but she would pale in comparison against his grandson/granddaughter. Like you see, I love Ai a lot. But I think I am at a point where I would prefer to see my grandchild more than her."

The trio - "...."

Ai, who also happened to listen - "..."

Xie Nuying pursed her lips in displeasure. "Unfortunately, I am still not hearing any good news…"

Ai promptly dragged her chair to the other side, averting her gaze.

Xie Nuying harrumphed and then patted Jian's head. "There, there. This will work for sure. It won't take a second for Leina's father to betray his own daughter for the sake of his grandchild, especially if he wishes for a granddaughter."

Jian's face brightened as if he finally got his way out. "Aunt Xie-"

Nian pushed his twin away. "Shoo! You got your answer. Now, it's my turn! Aunt, listen to this! When will my ship with my Xing Bi sail?"

"Xing Bi?" She tilted her head. "You mean Ai's editor?"

"Yes!" He blushed. "She is the woman I have set my heart to marry and have a lot of kids with."

"I see."

Nian cried his heart out to her. "But you know, no matter how much I try, my Xing Bi doesn't seem to look at me as boyfriend material. How can I change the situation?"

"Why doesn't she? Does she like somebody else?"

"No," he smiled. "There is no scope for that. But…!" He coughed. "I made some mistakes that hehe…"

"Mistakes?"

Nian told his story to her from A to Z, which she carefully listened to. She nodded after he was over.

"A-and so Xing Bi always prefers to stay away from me!" He wiped his eyes.

"Naturally," Xie Nuying commented.

"B-but how can I change my situation?"

"I see no hope for you."

"..."

"Auuuuuunt!!! Don't say this to meeeee. I will cease to exist if I don't have Xing Bi in my life!" He grabbed her hand and begged her.

Xie Nuying didn't mince her words. "Considering the pranks you played with her, you have made the task of winning her heart very difficult. You are just like Yichen who just used to goof around and have fun in the past."

"..."

"And I was like Xing Bi who used to stay far away from him and preferred to keep my distance."

"..."

Nuo and Jian burst into silent laughter to which he glared at them.

"But…"

Nian beamed. "There is a but! There is a but!"

Xie Nuying tapped her index fingers against each other. She peeked at Zhou Yichen, who was laughing with Liu Hai and Jinhai, who was struggling to bring a smile on his lips.

She leaned towards Nian and whispered. "This is a secret between us."

The trio nodded hard. "Our lips are zipped."

Xie Nuying said in a low voice, "The distance I kept from Yichen was just from the outside. But the truth was that he had indeed made my heart flutter with his antics. I didn't even realize when I fell for him."

Nian blinked.

"If I am understanding this right, Xing Bi is charmed by you too. She must definitely feel something for you. But she won't admit it. You just have to keep going like you are doing now and eventually she will give in," she cleared her throat and looked away, "like I did in the past..."