Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

Yating's chest heaved up and down, and he clutched his temples. His ragged breaths and his pale condition made Chyou wonder what was wrong with him.

"Yating...?"

The flames from below started to slowly rise upto her feet. She felt hotter with the fire turning fiercer.

"Yating, please help me!"

"I-I..."

He found his trembling hand making its way to pull Chyou up. But staring at the ground burning with the vicious fire, his imaginations took all sorts of turns where he only saw Chyou fall because of him.

In that short period of time, he felt as if he was living a nightmare all over again. A nightmare which happened way back in the past and that changed his life forever.

*Flashback*

It happened exactly twelve years ago when Yating just started high school. Because of his status as Gu Rong's son, he remained aloof from the crowd. He had no interest in making friends because the only friends he made in middle school hung around him to increase their own status.

Tired of this social structure dictating his friendships, he chose to remain secluded from the class. Girls still went gaga over him because they liked the idea of a cold, aloof prince. So, he still used to get confessions now and then.

As for boys, there was only Ma Dong in his class who started to approach him and initiated friendship. Initially, Yating had no interest in having his company. But he was quite persistent and in the end, Yating, who was subconsciously craving for someone's friendship too, let him in his world.

At first, it was just normal talking between breaks. But then it soon became sitting together for lunch breaks too and becoming partners for gym classes and field trips. Their friendship deepened over time with Ma Dong confessing his crushes about girls to Yating.

He snorted. "Can't you just stick to one girl?"

"Hey, she is already dating a senior! It's a lost cause for me," he lamented.

Yating rolled his eyes. "At least, you can try to look a little sad."

"Of course, I'm sad. I cried last night a lot," he said in defiance. "But I cannot stick to her if I don't see any hope. So, so! I heard the girl from class C just broke up with her boyfriend," he winked.

Yating was speechless. "Hold your horses young man. She just broke up. Give her some time at least. You will barge in just like that?"

He clicked his tongue. "You are so innocent, Yating. This is the perfect time to lend her my shoulder to cry on and eventually, we get closer and closer."

"You are such a plotter," he remarked with disdain. "Sometimes, I have doubts if you will ever be able to settle on one girl even when you date."

"Hey, of course I will be loyal! Handsome boys like you don't understand my pain at all. Girls are lining up to confess to you and here I am praying for at least one girl to look my way," he sighed. "Our worlds are so far apart. Anywayyyy! There is good news!"

"What is it?"

"Hoho, considering my good grades in the exams, our homeroom teacher gave me a green signal that I might have a chance to score admission to a foreign university in California after high school."

Yating brightened. "That's cool. You always wanted to go to the US for higher studies."

"Yes! I worked really hard for it, hehe. You will come drop me at the airport, okay?"

"I will dump you on the plane directly so that China can get rid of you," he sneered.

"You are horrible, Yating!"

Time passed, and the last high school year went by in a flash. The final exam season was in full swing, and it felt that high school would come to an end just as smoothly as it had started.

But things took the most dangerous turn one day when Yating got a call from Ma Dong late in the evening.

"Hey, I thought you were studying."

"...Yating."

Yating frowned, hearing his dispirited voice. "What's wrong?"

"Can you come to school? I don't know what to do anymore...I cannot do this..."

Yating widened his eyes listening to his choked voice. "Wait, I am coming. Stay there."

Reaching high school, Yating took out his phone to call Ma Dong when he heard him shouting from above. "Somebody please help!"

Startled, he looked up and his jaw dropped seeing Ma Dong hanging from the classroom's window on the third floor and very close to falling. He cried and flailed his body to climb back inside but to no avail.

"Dong!!"

Yating sprang on his feet and running with large strides, he reached the classroom. Gasping and panting, he rushed up to the window and immediately grabbed his arm.

"What the hell happened!?"

"Yating!" Dong cried hard. "Please help me..." his eyes begged for help, and his face was pale with horror.

Yating noticed some beer cans and widened his eyes. "You were drinking? How did you even enter school with that!?"

Ma Dong bit his lip hard, tears streaming down his eyes. "I was a little drunk and leaned in a bit when I lost my balance..."

"Fuck it, first come up!"

The guard who rushed after hearing the commotion was shell shocked seeing a student hanging from the window. "H-How did this...I am coming too!"

Yating pulled him harder to his side, but Ma Dong felt he was slipping. "Ya-Yating, I am falling! Please help me!" His screams turned more desperate.

"I am doing it, but you have to help me. Push your body up!"

A few students from their class who were staying back in the school's library couldn't believe their eyes too as they reached outside. One of them quickly called his classmate and hastily told the situation.

"Don't worry! The others are bringing that big net from the sports club!"

Yating tried to pull Ma Dong up but suddenly, he felt the grip loosen and their hands lost contact. Before anybody knew what happened, Ma Dong was already in the air, falling. It happened in a split second when he heard a thud as Ma Dong crashed on the ground.

Yating stared at his empty hand and then at his friend, who was lying in the pool of his own blood.

"What...?"