Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

Guiying stared at Ai who gracefully stepped up on the podium and joined everybody in welcoming her with a loud clap. Her lips lifted into a nostalgic smile as she remembered their high school days scribbling and writing their own short stories. And here they were after years, each grown into a writer of their own. She was always afraid of seeing Ai on that stage, always anxious of that future becoming real someday but today, there was none of that apprehension.

Today was a big day for Ai and Guiying felt peace like she had never before. But somewhere in her heart, she also couldn't ease off the tiny hint of melancholy creeping in her heart.

Ai was moving forward. But she remained at the same place. That desolation only further heightened now that she didn't have 'her' by her side.

Guiying gently closed her eyes, fruitlessly trying to sense 'her' presence somewhere. But just like everyday in the past few months, she heard no sound. Nothing. She always thought that 'Guiying' would always be there to watch her become even more of a better writer.

Even if that time might come in the future, 'she' won't be there to feel proud of me, Guiying listlessly thought.

Cai Lingyun, Zhan Yahui and now 'Guiying' too - so many important people in her life to whom she wanted to prove her worth as a writer had left her in different ways, every one of them painful nonetheless.

Her eyelashes trembled as she looked at Ai. She softly clenched her dress, feeling envious of her. She had her parents, Jun and his family and all her friends by her side.

Even though Guiying held the love and support of Zixin and his family, it didn't help but hurt her that she lost three most important people who she held so dear to her heart. The people who she could call as her own.

Zixin sensed her figure ever so slightly withdrawing to herself. He knew what she was thinking. He gently placed his palm over her hand, squeezing it with his silent reassurance. He wanted to let her know that she wasn't alone in this pain.

As the event came to an end, Guiying saw how quickly Jun's family overtook and surrounded her. She shook her head helplessly.

Guess I can only congratulate later.

She thought to step outside for a moment when she bumped into Yating.

"Hey," he smiled. "How is everything?"

Guiying nodded. "Yeah, good."

Though that was far from the truth, Guiying could only wear a false smile on her lips. She slowly said, "I am sorry, Yating."

His eyes widened. "Why are you apologizing? Did you steal my favorite cookies from my office?" He looked at her suspiciously. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"..."

She smacked him on his shoulder. "I am not a thief. I apologized because I have been overdue on my writing break. Seeing Ai today with her book realized how I have been wasting time-"

Yating pinched her cheek, squinting his eyes. "One more self-deprecating word and I will fire you. You had been hardly away for a few months. That doesn't even count a vacation."

"I am pretty sure it does. You don't have to be soft on me."

"Yeah I do need to be harsh towards you but only because I am not hearing the news of your changed relationship status yet."

"..."

Guiying felt his lazerbeam gaze land at her with the curiosity of getting his answer. She looked away, unable to explain. "It's complicated…"

Yating frowned. He flicked his finger on her forehead.

"Hey!" She rubbed the spot.

"Life is simple. We make it complicated. He loves you. You love him. I don't see what the problem is in getting together. Fine, there might be some issues which I am not aware of. You could be dealing with something which I don't know about. But how long will you let it hold you back?"

He chuckled and said, "Speaking from experience."

She paused and thought about Ai. She knew he was talking about her. She had never openly had a conversation with him about what he was struggling with. She simply didn't know how to broach that subject but she could very well guess it would have been harsh and painful.

It was similar to the time she had misunderstood that the MrPerfect she liked, loved Ai instead of her. To see the person you love not return your feelings was akin to a thousand arrows stabbing you all at once.

"You…"

Guiying gauged his expression. A lot of time had passed but did Yating still hold feelings for Ai? Did seeing her with Jun and his family still hurt his heart?

Yating blinked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She cleared her throat. "N-No, I was just…"

"Hoooo. Are you thinking if I am over Ai or not?"

She quickly said, "No, I don't-"

He gave her a flick once again. "Don't lie and don't think I feel hurt or anything. It's a very valid question and I believe I can give you a very positive answer. Indeed, seeing Ai with Liu Jun was a grave setback. I couldn't imagine my life without her. I couldn't help but curse him for stealing her away from me," his gaze darkened.

Then that same gaze softened. "But eventually I admitted that Ai was happy with him and unfortunately, Liu Jun didn't give me any chance to complain or intervene. I quickly realized that I had no chance. It hurt but…"

He glanced at Chyou for a second and looked back at her. "Somebody helped me out and I appreciate it a lot. I moved on. I feel a lot better, but I admit it's lonely not being in love. That's why, I implore you to not lose any more time. Time is very precious and before you know it, a bunch of it has already passed which we cannot bring back, and we end up regretting that we didn't step up sooner. Cherish the love you have for Zixin, Guiying. Everybody is cheering for you."

Guiying shook hard.

Everybody is cheering…

Does that include 'her' too?

She stared at Zixin at the other side who was talking to Jun with an unreadable gaze. A lot of emotions swirled in her mind, bringing a mistiness to her eyes. At the very end, a sense of calmness settled in and she said, "You are right. I think I know what to do now."