Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

Jun, who was cooking dinner, rushed to Ai's side as soon as she returned. He stared at her carefully up and down and asked, "Are you fine?"

She blinked. "Why won't I be?"

"First, Grandpa brought you as per his whims and then with Jin…" he coughed. He pulled her and finally asked what he was itching to for a long time. "How did you manage to work with Jin?"

"I am a naturally-"

Jun narrowed his eyes and signaled that he wanted to hear her true answer.

Ai pursed her lips. "I can be really persuasive when I want to."

He wasn't sure if he should praise her for it or not. He himself could only stop her persuasive skills by a kiss. He couldn't imagine Jin's experience.

Ai touched her chin. "He also called me weird. You two are so similar. I could see him questioning your choice of falling in love with me."

Jun choked hard.

"But," she beamed, "We are closer than before now."

"And I am pretty sure that it's just a misunderstanding of yours," he smiled. "Jin. His heart will be harder to melt."

His gaze showed a trace of sadness. "Especially how I have…"

She wrapped her hands around his neck and smiled. "It won't be for long. He is angry with you, but he doesn't hate you. I am sure the day will come sooner than you think when your relationship will be just like before."

Jun couldn't return the same smile as hers. "I can only see it as a dream."

"It will turn into reality soon," she remained firm. "I just know it. So, believe your cute girlfriend."

Jun chuckled and kissed her forehead. "As you say. Oh, yes. By the way, your dream will come true tomorrow."

She tilted her head. "Which dream?"

He pinched her nose. "Didn't you say you wanted to meet Chyou? I am meeting her tomorrow. I told you Bro Zixin's laptop broke, right? I will be handing it to her if she could still get something out of it. So you come with me, and you get to meet your idol too."

Ai shone so brightly that Jun could see the golden sparkles around her head. "I-I get to meet the movie star Zhu Chyou? Really!?" She covered her mouth in a gasp.

"Yes."

She trembled with anticipation and joy.

He shook his head. "Control, my dear girlfriend. For now, let's have dinner-"

Ai hopped towards their bedroom and chirped. "I don't have time for dinner. I need to pick up a good dress to meet her," she thoughtfully said, "I need to make a beautiful diary ready for her autograph too. But do I have a good dress for tomorrow? There are so many things to choose from!"

She disappeared into the room, leaving Jun speechless.

"..."

Why is she acting like she is going on a date?

Then he had a question of existential crisis as her boyfriend.

Will she be excited the same way for our date too?

—

The next morning, Jun took Ai to a movie set. The whole area was busy with cameramen moving from one place to another and assistants flocking from here to there. The background scene was set where Jun recognized a few of the movie stars but just hardly.

He glanced at Ai and saw her checking her dress and touching her hair every now so often. His brow twitched. "You are looking beautiful, Ai. You don't have to be nervous."

"You won't understand," she complained. "Do you have an idol you adore?"

"No."

"That's why. It's the first time I am meeting Zhu Chyou…" she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, feeling jittery, "you cannot imagine how nervous I am. What if I fumble and embarrass myself?"

"YOU are worried about embarrassing yourself?" Jun still couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Aren't you always so confident?"

"Not in front of my idol. Now tell me. Do I look okay?"

Jun exhaled a deep sigh. "For the two hundredth time now, you are looking great. Chyou will definitely like you."

"What if she doesn't?"

"She will."

"What if she really doesn't?" She insisted.

"Then I will leave and spare myself the torture of hearing your grievances."

"..."

She mumbled under her breath. "Boyfriends are supposed to be supportive."

He sneered. "Girlfriends are not supposed to ask how they look two hundred times."

The light dimmed in the set as a scene was about to begin.

The director said, "Rolling and action!"

Immediately, silence ensued. From the dark, a beautiful woman dressed in an Empress attire moved ahead with grace. Her eyes looked serene despite seeing the wounded dead body of her husband, the Emperor who had lost his life in the war. Since the emperor had fallen, the kingdom was in the enemy's hand now, and the empress was supposed to become the concubine of the enemy who would become the new king.

Chyou, who was the lead actress as the empress, addressed the mourning of her kingdom's citizens.

"This is just the beginning," she said in a soft voice but which carried a deadly weight of its own.

She bent on her knees, her gaze never leaving her husband. "The kingdom that you built shall rise again. Neither will your wife bow to the enemy, nor will she let the kingdom."

She leaned and pressed her forehead on his, a tear dropping on his cheek. "You protected your citizens until the very end, my husband. Now, it's my turn. I will protect the kingdom and…avenge you."

Everybody shuddered in silence as her gentle smile took a sinister turn.

"Ah, he wants to make me his concubine…" she chuckled. "So naive. He has no idea what is coming for him, isn't it?" She smiled. "He is so…going to regret laying his hands on you and his eyes on me. This war has just begun."

The lights came back as the scene came to an end. It was a short scene but which was kept like that for a strong focus on the empress's emotions.

"C-cut! Perfect!" For a moment, even the direct left spellbound by her performance and forgot to say cut.

Chyou let out a silent breath and took a few moments to come out of her character and the emotions she built up in her heart. Her vengeful and chilling gaze slowly returned to normal.

As she raised her head, she caught two figures standing at a distance, who were watching her performance. Her eyes brightened with delight. "Jun!"

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