Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

Ai's brow ever so slightly twitched. She averted her gaze for just a moment, hearing Nian say 'a special someone.'

Nian lazily propped his chin on his palm and asked, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Oh, oh. Don't tell me that that arrow which Grandpa shot that evening hit its place?"

She frowned.

"Which arrow? I don't understand."

"You and Jin, of course. Are you buying chocolates for him?" He gasped. "Are you two meeting secretly!?"

Ai stared at him. "No. That was just a misunderstanding. I have nothing to do with him."

"Tsk. And here I thought you would be my sister-in-law," he sighed in disappointment.

"..."

Nian gave a wide grin and spoke with a gleam shining in his eyes. "Do you want me to market my youngest brother to you? Now that I think about it, Grandpa's idea is not bad. I like you! It would be awesome if you become my sister-in-law, hahaha! I am sure Jin will also definitely like you! You are so cool!"

Ai slightly narrowed her eyes. "I think you should ask Jin's opinion on that first."

Nian tilted his head.

"Regardless of how he feels about me, it won't be possible between us because I don't like him."

He peered into her serious and calm irises that looked firm about her feelings. "Well, if that's your decision. Then what is your crush like?"

Ai stiffened.

"He is not my…I am buying chocolates to show my gratitude-"

Nian waved his hand in dismissal and chuckled. "Sure. You think you are the first one to give that excuse?"

She lowered her gaze, her heart pounding in her chest.

"It's like how teenage girls act. They pretend to give obligatory chocolate to their crush but in their hearts, the meaning is different."

She cleared her throat.

He got up on his feet, elated. "Anyway! Since I have agreed to your solution, I will keep my promise! You can buy anything for free. But~ I will go one step ahead since we are good friends!"

Ai blinked.

We are friends? We just met once at the wedding anniversary banquet.

"I will give you special treatment and make chocolate for you myself!" His nose elongated in pride.

Her ears perked up on that. "You will make chocolate?"

"Yes. Not many have that honor~"

Ai gave it a thought and politely asked, "If you don't mind, can I make the chocolate with you teaching me?"

I will surely cause a disaster if I try it by myself but with a master pâtissier by my side, it is possible, right? Her eyes gleamed with hope. There won't be any accidents as long as he is with me.

Nian stared at her, his eyes squinting and twinkling. "And then you say that it's just a gratitude chocolate. Who will work so hard unless the chocolate has a special meaning to it?"

She froze. Her lips parted, wanting to reject his claim but she felt her throat go dry.

He chuckled. "Whatever. You can keep fooling yourself, but I hope by the time Valentine's Day arrives, your denial won't have any place in your heart anymore."

She gripped her wrist and looked away.

"Anyway! I will accept your request! But mind you, I am extremely strict, okay?" He narrowed his eyes. "I will grill you like crazy if you make any mistakes. If you start crying, I will throw you out."

"..."

Jun was indeed right. He drastically changes when it comes to sweets.

But Ai was determined. "I won't cry. I will do just as you instruct me."

—

A few hours later, a sobbing Nian pushed Ai out of his store. His black eyes reddened with sorrow and pain. He pointed his trembling fingers at her. "You…you…You shouldn't ever be allowed to make sweets! You are a bane when it comes to sweets!"

Ai, who carried a small gift bag with chocolates, furrowed her brows. "But, I finally made them."

Her lips lifted into a proud smile as she showed him the fruit of her efforts.

He clutched his chest while his assistants were holding onto him to prevent him from collapsing. "That is all thanks to me!"

"Naturally. That's why I asked you to teach me because I didn't know how."

Nian lived up to his spartan nickname when he was teaching Ai.

'Stop that! You will ruin the taste!'

'Are you an idiot!? Why did you put so much sugar into it?'

'Now why did you put in so little sugar!? Don't you know what 'right quantity' is!?'

'Oh my God, have you never stepped into the kitchen before!? Why are you so hopeless!?'

'Why did you cut it like that!! Have you dumped your brain somewhere!?"

Nian gasped. "There is a limit of not knowing! Who beats cocoa that harshly as if a monster is cooking you in a pot of hell!? You look so delicate, but your hands are monstrous! Sweets need delicacy, patience and tenderness. Your hands are anything but that!" He wiped his eyes. "Ahh how they have suffered today…We need to give a proper burial to all her failed attempts," he sniffled.

The assistants only nodded their heads. They were shocked to see that she was even alive after the hell she brought into his kitchen. But what stunned them the most was that Ai wasn't affected no matter how harshly Nian scolded her. Many interns had shed tears of blood from his spartan training.

They promptly pulled him back before he would get a heart attack for real.

Ai bowed and thanked him. "Thank you for your help."

His face blackened. "Leave! And you are not allowed into my bakery anymore! You shouldn't be allowed into any bakery for that matter!"

The door shut on her face with a loud bang.

She ignored Nian's outburst and looked at the chocolates in her hand. She hugged the small bag to her chest. It was time to give them to Jun now.

—

Jun, who was on the verge of exploding at any moment, was continuously emitting black fumes in the air. All the women who were anticipating to give him chocolate only ran away with blood tears in their eyes as he brutally rejected all of them.

His chest burned with indignation at Ai's betrayal.

He sneered.

The moment I took my eyes off her, she ran away. And the nerve of her not to respond to my calls and messages!

It was almost the library's closing time and Jun was impatiently tapping his foot, still waiting if Ai might show up.

There were not many patrons left now. Among them, a woman walked up to him with determination, confident that Jun wouldn't reject her chocolate.

She shyly smiled. "This is for you…"

Jun let out an alarming smile. "I think my message wasn't clear when I rejected all the other women shoving their chocolates at my face. I. Don't. Want. Any. Chocolates! I hate chocolates. Leave!"