Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

On the other side, Ai was waiting for Sky’s response. She had submitted her short story four days back just before she got too sick from her periods and collapsed but was yet to get a reply.

It’s already been four days…What is taking them so long? Have they rejected my story?

Ai couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. She unlocked her phone and checked her email account to see if there was any update. There was none, and she was disappointed. She casually tapped on her Sent Items box. But a few seconds later, she rapidly blinked in confusion upon not seeing any mail sent from Butterfly’s account.

But I did send out the mail…

Suddenly, she froze as if lightning struck her, and she hastily opened her MissImperfectlyFine’s Sent Items box.

The worst she had feared came out to be true, and her eyes widened in horror.

I…sent my story using this account? H-How?

She recalled she was working that day and was ready to send the story but was feeling slightly dizzy when pain shot up in her stomach. She dazedly opened her email account and with blurred vision saw ‘ly’ and chose her mail account, thinking it to be ‘ly’ of Butterfly one.

Ai froze.

Did I get confused between the ‘ly’ from MissImperfectlyFine and Butterfly?

Suddenly, Jun appeared before her and grabbed her arm. “Come with me.”

Ai looked at him, stunned. “What happened?” She was still in her daze about the blunder she had made._.

His chilling aura and voice passed a shiver down her back. “Just come.”

He took her to the third floor’s storeroom and locked the door shut. He turned and narrowed his eyes.

Ai had no clue what was going on. “What’s wrong? Why do you look so upset?”

He balled his fist. “I am upset. Fuck, I am outraged! How dare she steal your work!?”

She blinked twice. “Steal my work? Who?”

“MissImperfectlyFine! She plagiarized your story!”

Ai stared at him unblinkingly. With what she just heard, she really couldn’t do anything but just throw him a blank gaze.

The realization of her blunder then dawned upon her.

“Do you personally know MissImperfectlyFine?” Jun impatiently asked. “Did you ever show her your stories for guidance or suggestions?”

She stiffened and really didn’t know how to answer this question. She felt an ugly feeling creep in her chest, especially after she just realized what she had accidentally done.

“I…”

“Did you share it with her or not!?”

“Yes, I did!”

The answer just sprawled out of her mouth with the pressure he was building and the panic she was feeling from the gravity of her mistake. She could hardly think straight of what to do next when Jun suddenly dropped this bomb on her.

He shut his eyes and clenched his jaw.

He felt it was impossible to happen. But the facts were before him. It was Ai who worked on that story right in front of him. He had himself helped her revise those drafts.

How could he not know Butterfly’s story?

Then Ai had mentioned it herself that her pen name was Butterfly. He got the news that Butterfly met Sun Bai at Sky too.

But now the submission was sent by MissImperfectlyFine?

Ai asked, slightly breathless with trepidation, “H-How do you know about the submission?”

“What? Of course, I would know. I am the-” he stopped himself in time.

He coldly replied. “I mean I have a friend working there. He asks me to look through some drafts in my free time and give my suggestions.”

Ai felt her heart in her throat. It was as if getting zapped by lightning.

Jun…was connected to Sky like that? He had the access to read story submissions?

Now she understood where the problem lied. He expected the submission to come from Butterfly. But instead, it came from MissImperfectlyFine.

He helped Ai to revise her stories, so he already knew what her entry was going to be. Instead, it was another writer that came up with the same submission.

So, he thinks MissImperfectlyFine is plagiarizing.

She swallowed a big gulp, and her body trembled.

If I knew Jun had the access to read the submissions, I would have…

Jun punched the wall, making her jolt. “Fuck! How dare she!?”

Ai froze.

She parted her lips to confess that MissImperfectlyFine didn’t plagiarize, but it dawned upon her that confessing that would mean admitting that she lied about her identity to get into Sky. She used deceit to enter which was harmful for her either way.

Ai was stuck between a rock and hard place.

“I didn’t expect this from her! I met her during the book signing event. She seemed…she seemed like a nice person,” he clenched his fist. The color of his brown irises were turning darker and darker.

Did I judge her wrongly?

The way she saved Yinyin and took the blame. The way her hand was trembling when he had held hers. The way she shared her story about her family to him. The way she put the funny PS notes to annoy him.

Was that just an illusion?

The MissImperfectlyFine he knew since his past life was a cheater?

The MissImperfectlyFine whose books had a place in his shelf and in his heart was a plagiarizer?

He didn’t wish to accuse a person like her. But between her and Ai, Jun would always and unreservedly stand on Ai’s side, who he knew better and spent more time with than MissImperfectlyFine.

Ai’s forehead was slowly covered with a thin layer of sweat. She was always straightforward and wasn’t the type to hide things. But now feeling the killing aura emanating from him, she thought as if she was burning in a pot of hell.

She sensed his extreme displeasure with the way his knuckles cracked and how his veins twitched on his forehead.

Her heart raced with fear imagining if he would be upset enough to throw her out of his house if he learned that she lied.

This was the first time for her that she was deathly afraid of telling the truth. It was going well between them, and she had an inherent feeling to protect this little friendship which she had with Jun.

“I…-“

“I hate liars!” Jun exclaimed. In his past life, Shui had hidden her feelings for Jin and so did Jin for her, and they had lied to Jun. That’s why he hated deceitful people.

Now MissImperfectlyFine turned out to be one too.

Ai’s state grew even paler, and tears threatened to escape her eyes.

Hate liars…Hate liars…

Jun observed her pale condition, and he flicked her forehead hard, making her softly gasp. “What are you moping down for? You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Her weak smile faltered while she clasped her hands together. The truth was at the tip of her tongue which couldn’t escape no matter how hard she tried, his words ringing in her mind.

Watching her face marred in uneasiness and sadness, Jun felt an urge to kill somebody. The temperature just kept dropping.

You messed with the wrong man, MissImperfectlyFine. You have fucked up this time. You dare steal Ai’s work and fame.

You will pay for this betrayal. I will make you.