Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu-Chapter 1165: Slow and steady

The doctor said, "Mr. Zhong is fine for now, but his diet needs to be looked after. He has to take care of himself and not give his body such sudden shocks with this much salt intake."

"Yes."

Lin took the reports and left the attending doctor’s office. He gazed left and found Shui leaning against the wall in the distance. He thought for a moment and walked toward her.

"Are you okay?"

Shui looked surprised. "Yeah, I’m. Why?"

"Mr. Zhong Heng. You looked bothered by him."

"It’s fine. He did get a little aggressive, but you stopped him. Thanks a lot."

Lin paused, slightly clenching the file in his hand. "Thank you to Miss. Han too. You...didn’t need to defend me. It’s a fact that I was in prison. I know how that can affect people’s perception toward me."

Shui looked away for a moment, thinking back to the exhibition day when she had lashed out at him. She felt a little hypocritical to talk on Lin’s behalf when she had similarly pointed fingers at him like Zhong Heng did today.

But Hou Lin was a good man. He had served his punishment for the crimes he was guilty of.

As much as it was time to move past Jin, she was now beginning to see that it was time to let the past be where it belonged to - in the past.

She looked back at him and smiled. "I didn’t do anything. You cared about Ru Yi. That’s what I told him. He needed to know that."

This time, he looked away, slightly uncertain. They moved away from the doctor’s office and started walking outside the hospital’s premises.

"But did you know that Ru Yi is Zhong Heng’s daughter? Wait, does Cai know?"

"I didn’t know, and I don’t know if he knows. I thought we would talk about it last night, but.." his gaze dimmed a bit, "he was closed off. He had just stayed in his room the entire evening."

The hit was hard. For a brother who loved to chirp and talk, to go on a silent mode settled heavily upon Lin.

"When I was little and wouldn’t talk to Bro for whatever reason, he would bring all kinds of stuff for me. Pencils, paint boxes, drawing books," she grinned. "It usually worked."

"Oh. Bribery, you mean."

The corner of her lip twitched. "Love. A brother’s love."

"I see. Hm. My brother is also spoiled like that," he said thoughtfully.

Her lip twitched further.

Is he indirectly calling me a spoiled brat?

She cleared her throat. "Though this is a personal conversation for him, you will also have to sweet talk him a little too. He will open up!"

"Sweet talk. That feels like a scammy approach."

"Hey! How come you are quashing all my ideas today?"

"That’s what Alix would have said-"

Her name blurted out of his lips before he knew it and he stopped.

"I’m sorry," Lin quickly apologized.

"You don’t have to stand on toes like that," Shui said, "I..don’t hate Alix and it’s not like talking about her would hurt me."

She felt she was momentarily taken aback for sure, but it wasn’t like her mention had crushed her heart.

"..It was still insensitive of me," he looked serious.

She blinked, her pace becoming slower. "Does...Jin affect you like that?"

Lin stopped and took a long time to respond.

"I respect Sir Jin."

"But..."

A subtle smile moved his lips as if it wasn’t there. "I wouldn’t deny that at times it’s hard not to feel a little jealous."

Shui breathed in quietly. The same jealousy tugged at her heart too, but as opposed to Lin’s lips lightly raised in a smile, a tinge of bitterness clouded her heart.

Jealousy wasn’t a pleasant feeling, after all.

Shui exhaled and quickened her pace to forget her ugly feelings. Her foot abruptly tripped and she stumbled forward, but Lin caught her arm and pulled her back to safety. Her face slightly reddened, embarrassed.

"Thanks."

"Haste makes you trip and fall," he said but not looking her way, "No matter how much you wish to keep running and running until your breath gives away, sometimes,"

He did hold her gaze now. "Slow and steady wins the battle."

"..Race."

"Battle," he said, "Not all things we wish to overcome are a race against time."

"Slowing down will hurt a lot."

His head tilted. "That’s why you have to slow down, Miss. Han. It’s years of love toward a person. If you think running will erase those years and history, then you are only living in an illusion. The slow pace will hit you from all sides, yes, but when you eventually move past him, it won’t be the hasty shortcut that will keep you turning back to him."

He looked at the sky. "Alix is my important friend. I’m not rushing to move on from my feelings. I think the question Miss. Han needs to ask herself if you prefer to take it slow now and have a lifetime of happiness later, or you hastily move on without resolving your feelings and suffer a lifetime of misery later."

A long stretch of silence remained.

Lin was walking slowly, letting the air brush past his face and the sun greet his cheeks. He glanced at the side and found Shui slowing down as well, her hands at the back. A tinge of discomfort remained in her countenance, which she was trying to shed.

After a few minutes, Shui said, "I think I know why you mentioned Alix before. She hates sweet talk, doesn’t she?"

Lin glanced at her. Then he thought back.

"’Sweet talk? What sweet talk? That’s such a crass way to fool people. Stomp all upon them. That’s more class.’" He repeated her words.

Shui grimaced. "Yeah, that’s Alix for sure. Not the one to waste time on anything sugary and sweet."

"But the Liu men are very sugary and sweet that she is not used to," he nodded. "It’s a long road ahead of her."

Shui stared at him and laughed. "Yeah that’ll actually be so funny to watch."