Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

The birthday celebration in the evening went on in full swing as the Chen villa shimmered in lights from the top to bottom. The air felt extra special as it was the birthday after Zixin had escaped the vicious clutches of death almost an year ago. The twins' excitement ratcheted in the air with their loud cheery voices hopping from one part of the house to another.

Naturally, the Liu family was a part of the celebration.

"Where is the birthday boy!?" The other pair of twins spoke with their loud and cheery voices too.

"Where is the birthday cake!?"

That booming voice belonged to none other than Liu Hai who was also greeted with a smack from his wife.

"We have just stepped inside and you are talking about cake!" Liu Chunhua glared at him. "It's Zixin's birthday, not yours."

"Booooooo," Jing made a face.

"Shut up Jing."

Jinhai and Nana got busy talking to Jianyu and Serena while Ai impatiently started searching for Guiying. Her gaze glittered with the hunger of gossip.

"What are you doing?" Jun asked, swinging his arm around her neck and pulling her closer to his shoulder like two best buddies.

Ai could hardly contain her excitement. "Guiying is supposed to confess today! I want to know if she already did or has planned a surprise. I cannot wait to hear the good news."

He smiled. "Hm. I cannot wait to see the million dollar shine on Bro's face too. He will be flying in the sky today."

Ai hopped around the party looking for Guiying and on the way met with the fluffy Yunru, who jumped to squish his body against hers. "Sister-in-law! I missed you!"

Ai brightened and hugged him back. "I missed you too."

"Even though we already meet at Sky."

She seriously nodded. "Even though we already meet at Sky. Where is Guiying by the way?"

"Oh she is in her room! Definitely getting super ready for Bro's birthday~ Hehe, Bro is gonna faint for sure today by her beauty. After all, my sister-in-law is super pretty! I will take a picture when that happens."

Ai giggled and pinched his cheek. "Send me that picture too."

He beamed. "Definitely!"

Yunru pointed at the way and Ai followed. She knocked on the door and eagerly hushed. "Guiying, Guiying, it's me! Open the door quickly."

There wasn't a response for a long time, but eventually the door opened. Contrary to what Ai was expecting, darkness greeted her as she stepped inside. The dim air and atmosphere tingled her senses and not in a good way.

She looked at Guiying standing before her all dressed up and ready, but the vigor and sparkle of her outfit didn't match with the dull expression in her gaze. Her reddened and tired eyes spoke of how she had been crying.

"Guiying?"

Ai rushed towards her and held her hand. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

She quickly closed the door behind her and urged Guiying to speak up. "Tell me, Guiying. Why do you look so disturbed?"

Guiying's eyes welled up again. "Everything went wrong, Ai. I don't know what to do anymore…"

She trembled, her voice choking up.

Ai's nostrils flared and she held her head between her hands. "Nothing is out of control. If we put our heads together, we can figure things out. But first, you have to tell me what went wrong. Don't worry at all. I will help you. Just talk to me please."

She wiped her eyes and tiredly and listlessly recalled the sequence of events until today. Ai's eyes widened.

"I cannot believe 'she' would say something like this. Do you know how hurt and guilty Zixin looked? He isn't at fault at all! I don't know how to make him understand, but he was so distant and just walked away. We didn't speak after returning home either. He has been inside his room since. Today is his birthday, Ai and I…" she broke down, "I ruined it for him. He was so happy this morning. I am so, so angry at 'her!' 'She' has been acting meaner and crankier these days, but today 'she' crossed all limits. I wanted to give him my answer today, Ai. But…but I don't think he would believe me anymore."

Ai pursed her lips and gently brushed her cheeks, sliding those tears away. "Of course he would believe you, Guiying. This is a misunderstanding and it can only be resolved by talking to each other. He cherishes both of you. That's why he is also very cautious towards both of your feelings. Don't be mad at 'her' either. I believe 'she' didn't mean it that way. It just slipped out at the wrong time and with the wrong understanding. Nobody is at fault."

Guiying shook her head. "You didn't see him, Ai. He looked so heartbroken."

"Which is precisely why only you can mend that wound. The more time will pass, the more you will allow that wound to fester. He says he needs time but really what he needs is to talk with you both. He cannot sort this out himself by punishing himself. That's detrimental to him and you two too."

She lowered her gaze thoughtfully. She wished to talk to Zixin more than anybody else, but she equally felt ashamed to face him.

"Just talk to him please? Not just to clarify the misunderstanding but also for him and your other self to know what they want from each other and what they see each other as. That conversation is equally crucial."

Guiying's gaze flickered. Because they share the same body, it sometimes would become difficult to identify each other's real likes and dislikes. There was a thin boundary that separated them from each other but would also introduce confusion and overlap.

If Guiying had wrongly assumed about 'Guiying's' feelings for Zixin and she had a different idea of a relationship with him than her, then it was very important to talk about it.

Guiying took a deep breath, steeling her heart. "I will talk to Zixin tonight. No. We both will."