Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu



"I like you! Please go out with me!"

Hou Lin unblinkingly stared at the girl standing before him. It was a typical confession with a typical anonymous letter put in his locker box and asking him to privately meet a certain someone near the sports grounds.

The certain someone was Da Shang, Hou Lin's classmate in their senior and final year of high school. At eighteen, they were ready to graduate, which would be in a couple of weeks after which they would enter professional universities of their choice.

Wanting to take this chance as the graduation ceremony was rapidly approaching, Da Shang decided to confess to Hou Lin before they would leave high school and probably never meet again.

Hou Lin stood still, trying to process her confession because this was the first confession he had ever received. "Umm…" He wasn't sure how to answer her confession so he could only ask questions, "Why?"

"Because you are smart, handsome and we suit each other very much! You are like the prince of our high school and I am the campus belle. Aren't we a perfect match?" She proudly grinned.

"I am not a prince. I am just Hou Lin."

"Not for the rest of the school, duh. You are super popular."

"I am really not…This is the first confession I got."

Her jaw dropped. "You cannot be serious! Girls totally swoon over you! Ohhh I get it," she facepalmed. "Well they must think that they are not worthy of you which I totally understand. Not everybody is a campus belle like me. So, so! When can we go on our first date?" She eagerly asked.

"But I haven't said yes yet."

Her eyes widened. "Are you telling me that you need time to think? What is there to think?"

His heart mildly started to panic and he looked around, searching for that one person who always helped him decide. But she was nowhere. In the end, he managed to convince Da Shang to give him some time to think. After she left with pouted cheeks, Hou Lin released a sigh of relief.

"Tch. And here I thought you would be able to reject her."

Hou Lin looked up and saw Zhan Yahui leaning outside the window from an empty classroom on the second floor.

"Yahui."

"You should be able to handle things without me. Remember I kept my end of the bargain and left your house, right? After graduation, I won't be there to hand hold you anymore."

Which was true. As soon as Zhan Yahui turned eighteen, she packed her bags and left Hou Lin's house, doing exactly as she had promised seven years ago. She now lived in a rented apartment that was easy on her budget which she had earned and stashed from doing all the part time jobs.

Hou Lin said, "This is my first confession. I don't know what to do."

She raised her brow. "What do you want to do? She confessed because she likes you. Now, you have to think if you like her or not."

"I have never thought of her that way."

"You haven't thought of any female classmates that way."

"So what should I do?"

She shrugged. "Upto you. Think about the conversation you just had with her and decide."

He pursed his lips. "You don't want to help me?"

"I think the right term here is making you independent. It's only a few weeks before our graduation after which we will completely part ways. You need to learn to live without me."

"I see."

She winked and left, leaving Hou Lin to his own thoughts. After much consideration, he thought it was better to accept Da Shang's confession.

"I don't know if I like you and I also don't know if I dislike you romantically. So I think we should give ourselves a chance. That way, we will know for sure."

"Perfect! I knew I would hear a yes haha! Oh Gosh Lin, I am so excited!"

The news of their relationship spread like wildfire. It came as a huge shock to everybody. The prince and campus belle of high school were officially dating.

Hou Lin thought that things would gradually start to change but they didn't. On the contrary, as he got included in Da Shang's friend circle, he felt it was harder to communicate with any of them. 

"Damn you two look so good with each other."

"No kidding!"

"Everybody is totally jealous of you Shang hahaha!"

He began to understand that Da Shang and him were different in most aspects and there wasn't really any common ground between them, which only started to exhaust him even though he tried hard to adapt. At one such karaoke event after school, Hou Lin couldn't bear the crowd and loud music and the laughter but despite him urging to leave, Da Shang convinced him to stay with her pouty and pitiful look.

"You have to stay, pretty please! How will it look if you suddenly leave? People will unnecessarily spread rumors and gossip behind my back."

"But I am…"

"Please, please?" She threw another pitiful look, giving Hou Lin no choice.

But he convinced her to let him go outside for a breath of fresh air for at least a few minutes. He panted breathlessly in the corridor with dizziness making his head spin around.

"You should speak up when you are feeling uncomfortable."

Hou Lin heard a voice and turned. "Are you talking to me?"

"We are the only ones here."

The figure stood near a vending machine across a pillar with his back to him. Hou Lin figured it was a boy around his age or so but he couldn't clearly see his face.

Hou Lin said, "She likes this stuff."

"Do you?" He asked while inserting a coin in the vending machine's coin slot.

"...Not really."

"So you should tell her."

"She doesn't like it."

"So you should leave her."

His eyes widened. "You mean breakup?"

"Is there a point to a relationship if things are only going as per one side's wishes? Sometimes you listen to her. Sometimes she listens to you. You both try to adjust. That's how it should work. My mom says so."

Hou Lin thought about it.

"I saw your group as I was passing by. She is a kind of show off girl. The fake laughter, the need for attention, the desire to show off that she is dating a handsome boy. She is your classmate, right? Did you not notice it before? She isn't exactly hiding it."

The soda can rattled against the vending machine and the boy bent to pick it.

Suddenly, something struck Hou Lin, making him realize a point he had missed before. He bowed before the boy. "Thank you so much."

He paused and nodded.

Hou Lin turned and ran outside as he took out his phone to make a call.

The boy opened the soda can but as he was about to take his first sip, he heard a voice filled with complaint call him out. "Broooo! Mom is done with her work. We have to head back to Beijing and we are getting late! Where are you?"

Jun stared at his soda can and sighed. "Coming Nuo."