Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu-Chapter 1137: In her mother’s shoes

Jin waited, holding his breath. After what seemed like an endless sea of time between last week and today, he would be finally able to see Alix.

And there she was.

Accompanied by Guiying and Mui, the bride in question gingerly stepped out of the sedan chair. Ideally, the bride would make the journey to the groom’s house seated inside the sedan chair while two men would carry it. Later, they decided that Alix would join Jin in his car but as a part of the tradition, they would make a short trip from her room to the courtyard.

Jian and Jun, along with Ren Luoyang, brought the bridal sedan chair in the living room while drums and music vibrated in the air as the celebration of their meeting had finally arrived. Carved in lacquered wood and adorned with golden phoenixes, the chair shimmered in the sun’s soft golden light. Red curtains swayed gently, hiding Alix within.

Jin’s fingers curled slightly at his sides, trying to take a peek. He had waited for this for seven whole days and now he felt his heart beating in his ears.

Guiying eagerly stepped forward, lifting the gauze curtain. Leina held a parasol under whom Alix finally emerged. As soon as she did, firecrackers cracked in bursts like little sparks of joy and flower petals rained down from the windows above, tossed by the giggling children.

"It’s me! It’s me!" Ailun exclaimed at the top of his voice. "I will shower the rose petals!!"

"Hey, I’m showering them too!" Aang pouted and grabbed a handful of petals in his little fists.

But Jin could barely focus on the petals when Alix, more beautiful than any flower in the world right now, was walking towards him, slowly with poise.

She was a vision that stole his every breath and left Jin rooted to the ground. Her traditional qun kua was tailored in the richest scarlet silk, embroidered with golden thread with dragons and phoenixes entwined in a sparkling design. The jacket accentuated her graceful posture, while the floor-length skirt swayed along with the mischievous wind.

A thin red veil draped over her head and behind it, he could just make out the shimmer of her eyes, playful and watching only him. The soft tug at the end of her smile tugged his heartstrings so badly he wished he could faint.

"Hey, hold yourself together. I cannot support your staggering body during your entire ceremony. You are heavy!" Nian complained.

Jin’s throat tightened and his eyes watered. There was a time he feared this future would never greet them with open arms. The past and the distance between them had almost made it impossible for them to imagine a future together.

But here they were.

No matter how stubborn Alix was, he managed to break through the walls and make her his wife. It was at this moment that Jin truly felt the weight and joy of calling Alix as Mrs. Liu.

Ai felt emotional seeing Jin emotional. It was as if life had come to a full circle. Years ago, Zhan Yahui was a thorn in their side, but now she was an indispensable part of the Liu family.

Jin didn’t realize his hands were trembling until Ai nudged him lightly from the side, muttering, "You’re supposed to help her, Jin. Go."

Alix, who watched him come towards her, felt her breath stop. The drums, though loud and cheerful, faded away for her as she stared at her husband.

Jin stood at the center of it all, dressed in a custom-tailored changshan with a deep maroon that shone of elegance. A crimson silk sash crossed his chest and a gold hairpin held his hair in a low, ceremonial knot. Though Alix found disdain in comparing life to a fairytale, to her at this moment, Jin looked nothing less than a prince.

But despite the grandeur of it all, he looked like a man holding his breath at the edge of a dream. When he looked like he was about to cry, she found it silly but adoring at the same time because her heart trembled to reel in reality. The family she once destroyed was the very family she got married into and the last man she expected who would fall in love with her, chased after her no matter the measures it called for.

As she stood before Jin, meeting his misty eyes filled with love, she thought back to her mother, Zhan Kai-Ming. She had never really understood the point of chasing after love. The first love hadn’t given her anything, neither the second one. It was only betrayal and Alix found it stupid to keep wishing for it.

Who in their right minds would keep wanting to get stabbed?

But as she began to live with Jin, it occurred to her why love felt like a tempting emotion. It felt nice to see yourself become the other person’s reason for existence. To be cherished like there was no end.

Just like how Jin was watching her at this moment like she was his whole world. He looked like he would cease to breathe if she ever disappeared from his life. She felt so precious in his eyes that even the most expensive jewel in the world would fade before his beautiful smile.

She had wanted this all this time, didn’t she?

Though she wasn’t ready to forgive her mother yet, she could begin to understand her, just a little bit. Why the failures of her love hurt her so badly that they crushed her.

Once was enough.

But to see another man break one’s love and trust, yet again, was beyond repair.

Alix could feel that sentiment for a long time now because she knew how she would become like her mother if Jin ever turned out like that. She knew he wouldn’t, not in any world that exists, but she could begin to picture herself in Zhan Kai-Ming’s shoes.

Losing love, not once but twice, was devastating. Crippling.

If she ever lost Jin, she knew she would become yet another Zhan Kai-Ming.

Jin stepped forward, a trembling smile blooming his lips with the hint of light tears in his eyes. He extended a hand. Alix placed her delicate fingers in his, her touch warm and unshaking. The world silenced around them. The drums faded. The laughter dimmed. There was no past, no future, just this moment, where two heartbeats raced and drummed loudly.

Jin whispered, only for her, "You look beautiful..."

Alix smiled beneath the veil. "And you releasing your handsome pheromones double the amount today."

He let out a chuckle.

She stared into his eyes for a long moment and Jin smiled.

"What is it?"

She slowly asked in a whisper, "Will you come with me to meet my mother after the wedding?"

His lips parted, stunned. The weight of that question was crystal clear to him and so were her feelings. She was placing her full trust in him to face the day she had been escaping from all her life, whether the past or present.

His eyes ached even more, overwhelmed by her trust.

"Yes. I will come with you."