Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

Dark clouds were looming over Jun's head as he stood in front of the counter of a pharmacy shop. His expression was unsightly, and his eyes looked as dead as a fish.

'It's just buying a box. How difficult could it be?'

Jun's lips formed a threatening smile.

How difficult could it be?

So you call this…easy?

Why does buying a freaking sanitary pad feel like I am climbing some long, treacherous mountain!?

The female attendant had a radiant flow on her face seeing such a tall and handsome man so early in the morning. Internally, her heart was squealing.

So handsome! So handsome! I will do my best today!

She cleared her throat and showed a professional smile. "Sir, what is your choice? Which one do you prefer? Organic pads or regular ones?"

His expression twisted.

"How will I know that?" He spoke through a clenched jaw.

The attendant was floating in the clouds too much to catch the frustration in his voice. She chirped. "Of course, you will know that, Sir. Aren't you buying for your girlfriend? You are such a thoughtful boyfriend."

"She is not my girlfriend!"

"Oh so it's not official yet? No worries! I wish you all the best! She will definitely say yes!"

"..."

"So which one does your girl- I mean, your crush uses?"

His mouth twitched.

How do I know what Ai uses!?

In the end, he randomly picked it himself. "Organic…"

She brightened. "Good choice! So thick, regular, thin or ultra thin?"

"Huh?" He looked like the dumb kid in the class.

"I mean how much do you want the pad to absorb? That depends on how heavy or light her menstrual flow is."

He gritted his teeth.

What the hell I know about her period flow!?

He took a deep breath and tried his best to smile. "Regular."

Let's be on the safer side.

"Great! With wings or without wings?"

"What wings?"

"You know, wings. The wings wrap around the edges of the underwear near the inner thighs, so it prevents any chances of leaking from the sides."

The look on his face was unbearable. He had no clue buying pads needed so many choices to be made. It was always the maids in the Liu villa who took care of Nuo's supplies, so he didn't know anything about this stuff.

Wraps around the edges of the underwear…

I feel I am learning way too much about this.

"With wings…" his voice was hardly audible.

Okay, this should be enough-

"Nice! Which pad size? Small, medium, large or XL?"

"Do you want day pads or night pads?"

"Do you want plain pads or with printed designs?"

"Which brand of organic pads your crush prefers?"

"...."

—

Jun banged open the door as he reached his condo. He was gasping hard with sweat trickling down his forehead as if he just came out of hell. His expression was indescribable.

He carried two huge bags in both of his hands filled with countless boxes of sanitary pads. Since he didn't know Ai's choices, he just brought one of everything. The attendant's countenance was inexplicable.

"Zhou Ai! Just you wait until these five days are over! I will make you pay for this by a hundred fold!"

He grabbed one box and stomped inside her room. "Damn you, Zhou Ai! How dare you fool me-"

He put a sudden brake on his words.

Ai was in the bed, feeling drowsy and sleepy. Her expression still seemed to be uncomfortable seeing her restlessly shift on the bed. Even if he gave her a warm drink and compress, there was no choice but to bear the first day's pain. The methods could only bring temporary relief. The pain would always be there.

Jun quietly put the box on the bedside table. Watching her brows scrunch in pain brought discomfort and uneasiness in his heart too. He bent his knee and sat beside her.

He thought for a moment and gently brushed his fingers through her hair. "It's okay. You will be fine by tomorrow. Don't look so weak or how will you have fun giving your orders?"

Ai was heavily gasping, and she suddenly grabbed his hand. "Monster…monster under the bed…"

"..."

"How many times have I told you? My house is not haunted."

But Ai seemed to be genuinely terrified. There were tears in the corner of her eyes.

He stiffened. "H-Hey, don't get so serious. There are no monsters."

Is she having a bad dream?

"Really…?"

Ai was in a delirious state. She was talking more in her sleep rather than consciously.

"Yeah."

Jun paused and asked, "Why are you afraid of monsters? They don't exist."

"Hm…?" Her head was rolling side to side in dizziness. Jun scooted closer to her and raising his arm over her head, he firmly put his palm on her cheek. She remained still after that.

"Why are you so afraid?"

Ai weakly opened her eyes. "Oh…It happened in middle school. Our class went on a trip. I got my periods…" she softly exhaled. "I was resting in my room. Everybody else…was enjoying…I felt alone."

Jun felt bitter hearing that.

"I didn't have friends because…I was a quiet girl. Then that day…two of my classmates who didn't like me…played a prank. I was asleep. Then I felt pain in my stomach. I opened my eyes and got up…"

At this point, she was trembling. She squeezed his hand harder.

"S-suddenly a monster jumped at me from below the bedside and screamed. I was…terrified. I cried. It was ugly and bloody and hideous. It was dark…and I switched on the light to run…but then I saw another monster jump at me from the other side. I got too afraid. Then I screamed and fainted…I felt even sicker than before," she choked.

"Later, I came to know that…they were not real monsters but my classmates. But I couldn't forget that experience…So I still get scared of using a flashlight in the dark or…think somebody is…under my…bed…" She was getting drowsier.

But Jun's expression got chillier.

"Hooo. What happened then?"

"...Nothing. The teacher scolded them. They…apologized but I could see…they didn't mean it…at all. They hated me…even more because I complained."

"What were their names?"

"Huh…?"

The temperature dropped drastically. "Tell me their names."