Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

683  Not simple but not complicated either

Jin waited outside the hotel for Shui the next day as it was time to return to Beijing. A strange sinking emotion unsettled him. Light bags had formed under his eyes, evident of the sleepless night that had filled his mind with the kiss and his own wavering emotions.

He looked up at the blue, cloudless sky, afraid of the consequences. Kissing Shui was crossing a line in regards to the deal he made with the Gods. The fear of something untoward happening ate the peace of his mind. What if last night's kiss counted as him stepping out of his line and Jun would be punished for it? All that happiness that have embraced him would be snatched away from him?

But after talking to Jun this morning, he was assured that nothing sort of impending danger he had imagined took place. He and Ai were doing just fine. Jun was naturally curious of how things were going between him and Shui and he indirectly asked him about it, but Jin diverted from that topic and hung up.

Jin released a tired sigh.

"I am ready."

He stiffened with Shui's voice whispering behind him. A small choke formed in his throat, not knowing how to face her. With his heart racing, he turned and gazed at the light smile on her lips. Her eyes looked just as fatigued as him, indicating that it had been a sleepless night for her as well.

An ache spread in his heart, feeling remorseful behind her condition. He never wanted to see Shui like this but once again, he felt he was the cause behind her sorrow. A thin stretch of silence hung between them for a few seconds. Nobody spoke about last night.

"Let's go…"

Shui stared at him and quietly nodded. Despite Jin's predicament which she was finally able to understand, she had not given up on him yet. She refused to believe that all ways and paths had been shut for Jin and that there lay no hopes for his happiness.

Jin patted his pockets and realized he left his wallet back in his room. Clicking his tongue, he softly said, "...Just wait for me for a minute please. I forgot my wallet."

"No problem."

Jin quickly headed back while Shui waited for him.

"Hey!"

Shui turned and was taken aback to meet the palm-reading neighbor of her flight. "You…"

With his hands in his pockets, his glistening gaze held an enigmatic smile.

"We meet again," Shui expressed her sincere joy. "I really didn't expect, haha."

"Fate is always mysterious~ I recognized you and wondered why not I ask you about how your trip went?" He leaned and asked in a whisper, "did my fortune turn out to be true?"

Her cheeks slightly blushed. He had indeed guessed during the flight that something passionate could happen with her and if she thought about the last night's kiss, then it was definitely a good start. But it was a kiss filled with pain as much as love. The passion didn't hold simply a romantic meaning but also which contained a sense of loss and goodbyes, as if that would be the first and last time they would ever be so close.

"It did…"

"I sense questions in your eyes."

Shui gave it a thought and asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

She wasn't going to reveal the facts about rebirth and time turning back to practically an acquaintance she might never meet again. But his mystical aura urged her to share some of the burden to him as if his fortune might find some way out.

"I know a person who…who has given up everything for someone who he cherishes more than anything in this world. He made it possible for everybody to find their happiness except his own because it's a price he has to pay for making something impossible possible. So I wonder…" she looked into his eyes, searching for any hint of answer, "what would the Gods think of such a person?"

He peered into her questioning eyes, slightly tilting his head. "To make something impossible possible, he must be a very stubborn soul. Honestly, a pain in the ass for the Gods~"

Her mouth twitched.

"Naturally to make something impossible possible, there would be strings and conditions attached," he smiled. "It wouldn't come without a cost associated with it."

She bit her lip, clasping her hands together. "But does he really deserve that? He has carried that responsibility all on his own. He has borne too much to change everybody's lives then why would fate show no mercy to him? Why…would only he have to be left all alone?"

He chuckled and ever so slightly leaned towards her. "Fate is not so simple that it will readily show mercy to somebody irrespective of good intentions. If you have asked for something, then you should be ready to shoulder the consequences that come with it."

She stiffened, her shoulders drooping with lament and a loss of hope.

"But," he raised his index finger, wanting to highlight the importance of his next words, "it's not so complicated either to find your way around your seemingly impossible destiny."

She blinked twice.

The man with his secretive smile watched her confusion with amusement. "The Gods are watching everything," he said in a hushed voice and…" the light in his eyes flickered for a moment, "their plans are far beyond what you can imagine. The only thing you should do is place your faith in fate because it is never set in stone."

A series of harsh and furious steps clicked behind Shui and out of nowhere, a bucket full of cold water was splashed on top of Shui's head. She froze, the wind blowing past the water droplets trickling down her skin making her shudder.

What the…

Still in shock with the sudden turn in events, she slowly turned to confront the culprit. Her gaze fell on a woman, anxious and furious and fidgeting in the place she stood. But she wasn't any stranger to her.

Shui stared at her hard, her gaze turning icy, "Ren Alix?"