Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

Chapter 274 Shanghai Fest Arc (28) : Bonding

Jin cocked his brow and sneered. "Respect needs to be earned if you want respect in return."

"And you think you did good deeds that will make people respect you?" Ai sharply countered. "On the other hand, it seems that you are worsening day by day. Today, you went too far with your words."

Shui couldn't help but let the tears slip down. It was too much to take. The man she loved not only rejected her feelings but also accused her of stalking and then made a one-night stand deal with her. This was beyond humiliation that she could bear.

Ai ordered. "Apologize to her."

Jin chuckled. "And what will you do if I don't? Run over to Bro's side and complain to him? Make him hate even more?"

"Even more? Your actions are the only ones that cause the people around you to keep their distance from you."

"Is that so? My actions? Or..." Jin squinted his black eyes and looked straight at her, "are they my reactions?"

Her brows furrowed. "Nobody has done anything to provoke you to act so miserable and cruel. Don't try to justify your actions."

"Not in this life..." he mumbled a whisper that was impossible to hear. "Whatever. I am leaving."

Ai stopped his way, and the expression on her face was chillier than the cold winds blowing past them. "Apologize to Shui."

"No. Do whatever you want. You want to slap me? It's like your signature reaction, isn't it?" He smiled. "Go ahead. I don't care."

Silence.

Shui cold palm held onto Ai's hand, and she shook her head. "I...I..." her voice was hoarse and was filled with pain, "it's okay. I-I don't need to h-hear it."

Jin watched Shui's eyes and the moistness in them shimmering under the moonlight. For just a fraction of a second, his hand trembled. But that feeling disappeared soon enough, enveloping his heart with hatred again.

Cry, Shui. I want to see you cry. Until I let you suffer every last bit of pain you made me go through...you will keep on suffering.

Jin didn't hold onto a minute longer and left by taking large strides.

Shui finally lost the strength in her knees as if something had sapped the vitality out of her.

"Shui!" Ai bent down and pulled her into her hug. She patted her head and whispered. "It's okay."

"It's not...It's not okay..." Shui broke down into loud sobs that threatened to tear her heart apart. She felt like all the painful emotions that she had bottled up inside her broke through. She hadn't shared the conversation between her and Jin to anybody. Not even to her family. She was handling it all alone, and she didn't know who she could talk to.

The warm tears endlessly flushed on the soft grass as she poured her heart out. "How could he s-say that to me? A-am I so despicable in his eyes? He spoke about a o-one night stand so casually...as if it didn't mean anything to him...When did I become that kind of a woman in his eyes?"

Ai held her face and said with conviction, "You are not despicable, Shui. It's Jin who has become too blind, chasing after something that only he knows what it is. He doesn't have any right to demean you, and you don't have to listen to him. I know you love him, and I understand it is hurting you a lot to hear such a thing from him. But if he said that, then you should also realize that you shouldn't waste your precious love on him anymore. Someone who treats a woman like that doesn't deserve it."

Shui cried harder, feeling a jab on her heart every time she remembered Jin talking about a one-night stand between them.

Ai sat beside her and softly said, "I know it's hard to move on. I...I have experienced that feeling."

Shui looked at her, surprised. "You had a boyfriend before?"

Not in this life but in the past life...

But Ai couldn't clarify that.

"...Yes. It felt crushing to forget about him. It was really...really hard. But then..." her light brown irises brimmed with tears, "Jun stepped into my life and that pain wasn't so painful anymore. Jun keeps me so happy that sometimes I feel that that whole phase was just an illusion. That man...I loved him just like you love Jin. It was hard, but time eventually healed that scar. That day will come for you too, Shui, but only if you steel your heart to let go of Jin. The more you think about him, the more you will want him and the harder it will get for you."

Shui's gaze looked empty. "I...I don't think I can love anybody other than Jin. I know I sound stupid after what he said. I should hit him, I should feel angry at him, and I should throw him out of my life but...a part of me doesn't want to...Jin is not like that. He-he never acted in such a way. He is not raised that way. Aunt Nana...has raised her children really well. S-something has changed within him, but I don't know what."

She wiped her cheeks. "Even towards Jun, he is acting very strangely. Sometimes it feels as if he cares about him and sometimes he pushes him away as if he is his worst enemy. And Jun out of all people? Jin...really liked Jun the most. He used to follow him all the time when we were kids. It was always Jun, Jin and me who played the most. Even now...he came here to beat up Cai Lingyun."

Ai widened her eyes. "He did?"

"Yeah. He was angry that Cai Lingyun tried to set Jun up and humiliated him. He would have beaten him to death had I not stepped in between."

Ai frowned.

What is going on? Why would Jin go so far? Ever since the breakup announcement day, Jin had only been acting hostile towards Jun. And now he wants to protect him?

But he likes Shui. They were going to get married in the last life. There is nothing to stop him from having Shui. Then...

Why is saying that he hates her?

"Everything was fine until a few days ago," Shui sniffled, "but now he suddenly hates Jun. He hates me. He is the last person we thought...would hate us."

Ai was in deep contemplation. Something was not adding up, and she had a feeling there was more to know about Jin's actions. But how?

She held her hand and softly assured her. "There are a lot of unanswered questions. I know everything is confusing. But even so, Jin has no right to trample over you like this. I know he is important to you and maybe you cannot believe that he would act this way. But you have to be strong. Even if you might not feel angry at him right now, you also cannot let yourself get hurt by him again and again or your pain will never end."

Shui pursed her lips and slowly nodded. "You...you are right." She glanced at Ai and smiled through her tears. "Jun is really lucky to have met you. And if Jin really likes you, I don't think I can blame him either. You are a really nice person. I didn't think you would treat me so well after all that has happened."

She clasped her hands together. There was Ai who was being kind towards her despite her being Jun's ex-girlfriend and when she didn't know much about Ai at all.

Then on the second hand, there was Jin who she knew since childhood and was her good friend but was now hating and hurting her.

Ai exhaled a deep breath. "Jin doesn't like me. He is only doing that to hurt you."

"Maybe he really-"

"No," she shook her head, "he really doesn't like me that way. I am sure of it."

Shui stared at her and gently nodded. After a pause of a few minutes, she said, "I want to apologize for this morning. I know you trust Jun. I really appreciate that you didn't misunderstand us, but y-you must have felt hurt when you saw us together. Especially us together when you are his girlfriend. I am really sorry. I didn't even know Jun would enter the same elevator."

Ai sighed. Then she softly flicked on her forehead, making Shui dumbfounded.

Did she just flick me? She dazedly touched her forehead.

"You and Jun are really similar. He was also worried about the same thing. Trust me, I didn't feel hurt at all. It's very difficult to doubt Jun considering how he loves."

Shui slightly choked.

Well, that's true...

It was also the reason why she never believed Jin that Jun cheated on her and broke up with her because Ai came into his life. It was just impossible.

"You got a point there," a chuckle escaped her lips after a long time.

She looked at the night sky and felt her chest getting lighter. "Thank you, Zhou Ai. We just met today but I never thought I would feel...so much better than the past few days."

Especially with you. Are the present and ex-girlfriends of a guy supposed to be on such good terms so easily? She thought.

Shui carefully studied her and touched her chin. "I think you have magic."

Ai sincerely replied. "I am a human."

"..."

Then she cracked into laughter. "Hahaha, you answered that so earnestly. Aish, you are cute. I can see once again why Jun fell for you. You have magic and then you are also cute." Her eyes sparkled as she thought of an idea. "Hey, do you want to see Jun's childhood pictures?"

Ai's ears perked up, and she instantly shone as if a golden light surrounded her. "Childhood pictures? Yes!"

"Cool! Hehe. Get ready to squeal hard because Jun was really cute, especially with glasses."

"Jun had glasses?" She beamed.

"Yeah, when we were kids."

Ai imagined Jun wearing glasses now.

He will look so handsome. I want to see him wearing glasses now.

In their room, Jun sneezed hard. "Achoo!" He shuddered too and suspiciously thought to himself, "Why do I get this bad feeling that somebody is having fun at my expense?"