Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu



"Dad…?"

Ouyang Haitao's lifeless body was lying before her. She was yet to completely sink into her consciousness but in that blurry state of mind, she still recognized her father clearly. She saw a stream of something reddish flowing out of his head. As she tremblingly touched it, a nauseous feeling churned the insides of her stomach.

It was wet and sticky which stained her fingers in crimson too. She let out a gasp and almost slipped into unconsciousness again. She couldn't figure out the heads or tails of this situation before her.

What happened…? Why is Dad lying on the ground like this…

W-weren't we eating cake in the morning? Then…then I don't remember…

"Dad?" She gently nudged his shoulder, but there was no response. "Dad? Dad?"

She breathed hard in fear, as if a sinking feeling of doomsday was here.

"Dad? What happened to you? Please wake up! Dad…Dad…!" She exerted more strength to shake him and wake him up, but the eerie silence continued to remain.

"Dad!!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. She didn't know what and why was happening before her. 

At a distance amidst the dizziness in her head, she saw a boy standing before her. He wore glasses and she could feel him staring at her quietly.

"P-please help me! My Dad…My Dad…I don't know what happened to him," she blinked her eyes in order to get a clear view, but she couldn't. 

She didn't know why but instead of responding to her or helping her, the boy with glasses turned to leave.

"N-No! Wait! Don't leave!" She tried to get up, but her knees gave out. She couldn't gather the strength in her legs to stand let alone chase after him. "Please don't go! My Dad is sick…! Please help him!"

Zhan Yahui continued to wake Ouyang Haitao but at a point, she realized that he wasn't breathing. She froze and moved her palm in front of his nostrils. She didn't feel any movements or the fact that he was breathing. It was then that she noticed a hole on his forehead.

The world spun around her with the effects of the chloroform making her further delirious. She had watched enough movies to understand what that hole meant. It was a bullet wound that would always strike the villain at the climax by the good cop.

To Zhan Yahui, she was happily eating cake with her father and the next moment she opened her eyes, he was dead?

Dad is not dead…how can he die…

I am still feeling sick. T-that's why I am seeing things…

Dad won't leave me…Mom…what about Mom? 

They are going to marry and then…t-then I will officially have a father. He will become my father…

Yes, yes. Then I won't feel jealous about my classmates. I will bring Dad to all my parents' meetings.

He will talk to Mrs. Chu and proudly say how awesome I am. He will praise me in front of the class and then…then nobody will look at me with pity.

I will show everyone that I have a Dad too…That he will bring lots of gifts for me and take me hiking and trips to awesome places…That he will always come to protect me whenever anybody bullies me.

Everybody will see how awesome my Dad is…I will show off my cool Dad to everyone!

But why…isn't Dad waking up?

"Why…why is my Dad not waking up?" Her voice shivered as she demanded an answer from the boy before her.

Jian, who was walking a few steps ahead, stopped and turned to look at her. Naturally with Jun's glasses on his eyes, her figure was cloudy before her. He had no vision problems so the glasses were starting to give him a mild headache.

But he continued to wear them as if he didn't have the heart to face her. It was better to not be able to see her clearly rather than distinctly watching her tears fall.

Jian felt no remorse for Ouyang Haitao's death. He gave orders that were necessary to protect Jun's life. But he also understood Zhan Yahui's grief. She lost her father, and he knew that he would be as heartbroken as her if he ever lost Jinhai.

"Tell me! Why is Dad not waking up? Why is my Dad not breathing!? Why…" she gritted her teeth, "why are you running away!? Did you…did you hurt my Dad!?"

Jian was silent for several long seconds before he quietly replied. "Yes."

Zhan Yahui froze.

"As for why I hurt him, you will get to know that soon."

She shuddered listening to his unfeeling voice that held no guilt within it. She stared at the boy before her and even though it was hazy, she felt his prickly and icy gaze behind those glasses. He remained standing there as if Ouyang Haitao's death had nothing to do with him.

"You…you killed my father?"

No response.

"Y-you really…That means Dad will never…?"

The realization of the implication turned her face white. She felt paralyzed. Neither she found any strength in her arms and legs, nor the will to think any further because if she thought any further, she would have to accept the grim reality.

Ouyang Haitao was no more and the dream of her happy family with him was already shattered into a million pieces. She, who was hoping to complete her family with a father's presence, was helpless as a child once again. Her mother, who found love in a man and who would keep her happy for the rest of her life, was lost forever.

The pain and loneliness that came from the lack of a father figure - she would have to experience it all over again. She didn't know who her biological father was, but his absence from her life had haunted her ever since she could understand the world around her. Now that same absence would settle in her life yet again.

"You killed my father…"

Her teary and piercing gaze shot daggers at the boy with glasses before her. She raised her trembling hand, pointing her finger at him.

"You are…you are a killer! You killed my father! You are a murderer I will never forgive!"