Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu-Chapter 1258: Different shades of Liu

As it turned out, Chunhua was indeed single. But not ready to mingle. Dating wasn't a widespread concept in those days and as conservative as she was, she believed in exploring love and compatibility after marriage.

Hai didn't.

"Goddess!"

Chunhua stopped in her steps, shutting her eyes in defeat. She was being careful to not get caught by him, but they always ended up as failed attempts.

She looked up and saw Hai lazily perched upon a window. There he was, as always a goofy grin on his lips as if he cared nothing about the damn world. A second and a jump later, his feet were on the ground, his tall figure blocking her path.

"...How do you get permission to keep visiting here? You don't even study here."

He waved his hands in dismissal. "It's a piece of cake for me~"

"How?"

He grinned and stepped closer. The hint of soft traces of the sunlight between them vanished with his shadow looming over her. "I will tell you if you come closer~"

Her brows ever so slightly furrowed. "Please keep your distance."

"Distance is exactly what I don't want to keep, my dear," a slightly teasing, a slightly cunning chuckle tugged the strings of the air.

She took a step back, the faintest red tint covering her cheeks. Not being used to flirting with, Chunhua wasn't quite sure of how to deal with his advances. She clutched the books against her chest with all her might.

"You should leave. Also, we shouldn't be meeting like this."

"Aye? Why not? I thought you would be sincere enough to nurse me back to health when it's because of you I fell down the stairs, didn't I?"

"..."

"I could have gotten a brain injury, or what if I had lost my memories? Or as you had asked - what if I had gone crazy?"

Guilt struck into the deepest core of her heart. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"...You look fine to me."

"Aahhh…" Hai pressed his temple, his index finger rubbing around it in circles. "This stubborn pain here refuses to part ways with me. The fall was quite scary, you know?"

The guilt damage to her heart felt like those limited lives in the computer games she never got to play.

"So-Sorry…I really didn't mean to hurt you," her gaze lowered, despondent.

He chirped. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me. But I want you to mean to dating me~"

She gasped. "Absolutely not! Out of the question! Da-Dating is shameful…"

"So you want to jump the gun on marriage? I don't mind," he shrugged.

M-Ma-Marriage….

She didn't know why her face burned tomato red but it did.

"Stop harassing her."

Chunhua looked back and her back straightened. "Professor Chen!"

She consciously took several steps away from Hai, keeping a very, very safe distance from him. Panic was clearly etched on her face.

"W-we weren't doing anything…"

"Actually, you look more guilty when you try to explain, dear," he laughed.

Chunhua threw him a dirty glare.

Chen Guiren approached them, his quiet gaze alternating between the two. It then settled upon Chunhua.

"I am still an assistant professor."

"So-Sorry, Assistant Professor Chen!"

"Do you have any classes now?"

"Yes, I do."

"Hm. Go. You will be late."

She dropped a deep bow and ran at the first chance she got, but not before turning around one last time. Hai stood where he was, hands in his pockets and a carefree smile curving up his lips as the sunlight shone upon his handsome features. For a strange reason, she felt that smile all too knowing and more than anything else…very distinctly predatory.

A gulp and a shiver passed down all at once and she quickly turned her head, vowing to herself that she would never fall for his charm.

—

Since that day, Hai's frequency of his impromptu meetings had considerably decreased. Chunhua's life went on as it was, at times thinking about that goofy guy, at times not. Exiting her classroom, she made her way towards the restroom. But the scene had changed upon her return as a slight commotion rang along the corridor.

Chunhua craned her neck and caught a guest lecturer, who had been giving a separate class on business management to business students, was admonishing assistant professor Chen Guiren for some reason. She was too far to hear their conversation, but it didn't look to be any good. The commotion eventually settled down. A fellow classmate hopped to her side.

"Woo, assistant professor Chen got some earful today."

"What happened though?"

"Don't know. I guess he was mad about some technical glitches during his presentation."

They continued walking down the hallway, exiting the building. "Well yes, there were some disturbances during the presentation. But it's not Professor Chen's fault."

The classmate sighed. "I guess he was supposed to ensure that everything should be in top, working condition before his lecture, but then this happened. The guest certainly had some temper though. Oh, oh, I remember! Hey, let's eat some crepes! There's a new store that has opened across the street. Let's try it!"

"Sure," she chuckled.

Exiting the college premises, they walked some distance, chatting and laughing when the classmate gasped.

"Chunhua, hide! Quickly!"

"Huh, huh? What?"

"It's that stalker again! The stalker who keeps following you. Ah, damn it! He is standing right before the crepe store entrance!"

They quickly hid behind a tree. Chunhua took a look and there Hai was, standing in front of the store, his back turned to them. Three other men accompanied him in a semi-circle, who certainly didn't look like college students.

"I finally investigated who he is!"

"He is Liu Hai, isn't he?"

"Idiot," she smacked on her head. "I didn't just mean his name. His background. Turns out that he is a rich, young master!"

"Oh."

She nodded. "Grapevine says that the Liu family is rapidly climbing up the business ranks. They are getting more and more influential and powerful. His father has a great business acumen. His ambitious projects seem to have taken off. Also…" she knocked on her temple as if trying to remember, "he has a sister I think? Or is it a brother? Anyway, he does have siblings."

"That's nice."

"Not nice at all. Certainly not Liu Hai!" Her nostrils flared.

"Why not?"

"That same grapevine also says that he is…" she coughed, "a troublesome and rebellious young man. Word is that he is mingling with some very unsavory people. Look, over there. Those men with him. Do they look like college students to you? They are definitely some terrible, violent goons! And yet he is talking to them with such ease."

Chunhua indeed found that Hai didn't seem to hold any qualms or fear facing those tough and ruffled men. He was even waving his arm towards the other end of the street as if having some serious conversation.

She sighed. "So you should be careful, Chunhua. Young masters like him only flirt and fool around with pretty girls like you. And furthermore a troublesome guy like him hanging around with bad apples? Definitely a big no-no!" She crossed her arms like a warning sign.

Chunhua continued to quietly stare at his back, her classmate's warning words making some sense to her.

Well, it doesn't matter. I was already keeping my distance from him…

Then he turned. All of a sudden. Without any warning. As if he was already aware of her presence from long ago.

She stepped back, her heart almost dropping its beats in utter shock and panic. Slightly breathless, she looked left and right, at a loss of what to do. Attempting to hide felt sillier than ever.

Eventually, she somehow gathered her courage to face him again, as if trying to act all normal. And she found his gaze still fixed at hers, eyes slightly narrowed but the same mischievous smile playing on his lips all along. He moved them lightly, and though inaudible, she understood them crystal clear.

'Well isn't you stalking me more interesting than anything~?'