Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu-Chapter 1264: The alibi of silence

The month that followed felt like Chunhua floated aimless in a strange void. Her life went on as usual but also not so usual at the same time. A sliver of hope was that she found a part-time job in the popular crepe shop near her college premises. College fees technically weren’t a problem anymore. But her relationship with Hai was.

Not only because she had seemingly figured out a grim reality which left her shaken but that Hai hadn’t visited her at all. Which, to Chunhua, was definitely strange. He, who followed her everywhere, was now nowhere to be seen.

As she cleaned the counter, her gaze drifted outside, staring at the bench in a daze.

’Are you sure you didn’t see him? It was chaotic so probably, you might not remember.’

’No, I didn’t see him.’

’Miss. Huang. If you are being threatened...’

’Why do you ask that?’

’Liu Hai claims he wasn’t there. I wonder if your words match his claims out of love to protect him or...’

’Do you have any evidence against him?’ Suddenly, Guiren spoke, ’If there is no evidence, then this whole line of questioning is unnecessary, don’t you think? Has it been established that it wasn’t an accident but a murder?’

The officer didn’t give an answer to that and the questioning soon concluded.

"Oh, the counter is sparkling clean now!" The shop manager praised, snapping her stupor from the past.

"Thank you!" She quickly regained her momentum and bowed.

"Aish, you are such a hardworking girl. There are not many women who do part-time jobs but here you are, juggling it with your studies. Must be so tough," she sighed.

She faintly smiled. "I am just doing my best."

"You don’t look well, dear. Are you sick?"

"No, no! I am fine."

"Oohh, then you must be missing your handsome boyfriend, aren’t you?"

Her eyes widened. "Umm..."

"You got together right outside my crepe shop. This aunt sees everything~" she winked.

Blush spread on her cheeks, thinking back to their first kiss.

Oh my God, we did that in public...she wanted to bury herself.

"I heard about the tragic death of his elder brother. The accident was so brutal. I saw it myself," she exhaled a breath. "Is that why you two haven’t been able to meet recently? Probably, he is just too busy with the responsibilities."

"...Do you know him?"

"He often comes here to eat crepes," she laughed merrily. "That man has one endless pit of a stomach."

Her lashes fluttered for a moment. "Was he...here that evening?"

"No. He wasn’t here that evening."

Chunhua met her gaze, staring at the answer that glistened through her eyes rather than the words spoken out of her lips. A strange light flicked in them that she seemed to recognize it herself.

She smiled, albeit weakly. "That’s good...Watching his brother’s accident would have been too painful."

The manager patted her shoulder. "Don’t worry. I know you are worried about him, but he will come soon."

—

But Chunhua didn’t wait for that day. Instead, she made the trip herself - her very first trip to Hai’s home. It was a decently sized villa that did reflect the Liu family’s wealth and status. Yet, as she made her way through the gates, she couldn’t feel at ease. From an architecture point of view, the house looked magnificent. Yet something unsettled her despite its grandeur.

"Who are you?" The guard at the gate asked.

"I-I am Huang Chunhua. Is Liu Hai here?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "Young master is not at home. What is your business with him?"

"I..."

"Hey! How dare you treat my friend so rudely!" Liling stomped towards him, glaring at him. "Is there a problem?"

"N-No, no, young mistress! I didn’t know she was your friend. She was asking for young master."

"Asking for him or asking for me is one and the same thing," she harrumphed.

She then beamed as she grabbed her hand. "Come inside, Chunhua!"

"Sorry, I came unannounced like this..."

"Aish, it’s gonna be your home in the future too~ Why shy now?"

Her cheeks reddened at that. Stepping in, she was left marveled by the villa’s design. Certainly, it screamed of money and status. Though it lacked some of the modern elements, the house did give off a rustic, royal sentiment.

"Shall we head to Bro’s room? It will be a while until he returns."

"H-His room?" She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I-I mean it’s not right..."

"Aish, you are so cute when you blush~ It’s okay. It’s not a sin to see your boyfriend’s room. It will be your room one day anyway~"

Chunhua buried her face in her hands.

These siblings are too forward...

As they walked up the staircase and then down the corridor, she came across some old photo frames on the wall-side tables. Mostly, Liling was in all of them. Clearly, she liked taking pictures. Hai was barely in any. Clearly, he was the opposite.

"There are no photo frames of Liu Jinhai?"

Chunhua didn’t realize when Liling had stopped walking and ended up bumping on her back.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn’t see you had..."

Chunhua noticed she trembled a little, a pale white pallor forming across her face.

"Bro never took any pictures..." a nervous smile cracked on her lips.

"Oh."

Chunhua’s gaze lowered, watching Liling’s fingers crumple the side of her dress.

"I-I am very sorry! I didn’t mean to.." she bit her lip.

"Of course, of course! I know you didn’t mean anything bad," she patted her back.

"How...How have things been since then? A-Are you and Hai doing alright?"

"Yeah, we are doing our best to cope with it..Bro has gotten busier now. Mom and Dad well..."

"I see," They continued to walked in silence. Then she asked, "That day..."

"Hm?"

"How did you return home that day if not with your brother?"

"Chen Guiren had dropped me off."

Her steps came to a halt. "Assistant professor did?"

"Yes. He is Bro’s - I mean my second brother’s best friend. I got to know him through Bro. Finally, Bro was useful at least somewhere."

’Do you have any evidence against him? If there is no evidence, then this whole line of questioning is unnecessary, don’t you think? Has it been established that it wasn’t an accident but a murder?’

"...Had he offered to drop you home?"

Liling stopped and looked at her. "Yeah. I was super happy. But it felt strange too. He always keeps a distance from me. So I was surprised that he approached me for the first time."