Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

"If three people eat six cookies equally, why does one person still complain?

Find the place where fairness never comes again."

Paper tore and voices overlapped as Team Red read their first riddle.

"What does this mean?"

"Why is there math involved here?" Liu Hai pouted.

Nian sneered. "The math here is for you Grandpa. If you eat four of the six cookies, then how many do Jian and I get! Only half!"

Jun grimaced. "What kind of math is that?"

"Because while we would be reaching out for the remaining two cookies, Grandpa would have already stolen one and a half more cookies! So we pitiful twins are only left with half of the last cookie!"

Brows twitched in unison.

Liu Hai glared. "How is it my fault if you are so damn slow!? You are not that slow when it comes to bedroom activities, now do you!?"

Leina cleared her throat. "Language, language," she reminded everyone.

Jun smiled. "How about we focus on finding the place instead of solving cookie math problems, which clearly have been going on in our house since time immemorial."

"Find a place where fairness never comes again," Yukito pondered. "Can it be the kitchen? Considering cookies are baked in the kitchen and all food fights start in the kitchen, that’s a place of least fairness in this house - at least for some people," he pointedly stared at his father-in-law and nephew.

"As expected of my son-in-law!" Liu Hai beamed. "I will march over there right away!"

"Hold on," Nian pulled him back, almost choking him. "You just want an excuse to start gobbling food in the kitchen! If we rely on you, we are never gonna get that second clue!"

"Hey, I am a true sportsman when it comes to games! I can think of things other than food too!"

"Sorry but I agree with Bro on this," Jun doused all his hopes. "You and Bro Nian are the last people to even step in the kitchen if we hope to win this treasure hunt. A completely neutral party should go who have whatsoever no attraction to food."

Except Nian and Liu Hai, literally everyone else was eligible for this quest. Everyone looked at Jun, and his brow twitched.

"I will take a back seat in the next one."

So Jun stood right at the threshold of the kitchen when he met his archnemesis - at least for this game, who turned out to be his own wife. Ai’s head was stuffed inside a floor cabinet, completely devoted to finding the next clue, so she failed to notice when Jun’s shadow already loomed over her.

"Where is it? Come on..."

"I found it!"

"Really!" Ai’s head popped out of the cabinet, eyes sparkling with stars. "Where did you find the next-"

"..."

"Hello, wife."

"Did you fake that voice just now?"

"I was tempted to see hope light up your face and then crash it pretty much instantly," he smiled.

She gasped, hands flying to her chest in a dramatic motion. "Y-you...when did you become so cruel?"

"This game is lifting my competitive spirits, I must say."

"Should competition even exist between a husband and wife?" She pouted.

Raising a brow, he dropped to one knee, arms resting on either side of her. "Hmm, true," he whispered. "I agree with your argument. So...how about we just forget about this treasure hunt and make out right here?"

His thumb that caressed her jawline sped up her heartbeats like a trumpet. Before she could move away, he had already captured her lips, kissing and biting every inch of it. Almost tugging her sleeve off her shoulder, he pushed her back against the wall as he moved down to her bare neck. He pecked half a kiss when he withdrew while holding her steady.

"Should competition even exist between a husband and wife?" Jun waved an envelope with a red seal on it. "It should be when a wife shamelessly tries to sabotage her husband’s game."

"What are you talking about?"

"You were searching for your team’s envelope but got the red one instead. Inside a cookie jar, correct? But instead of leaving it right there, you were going to hide it away, and we would have chased circles."

She frowned. "How could you accuse me like this? Our riddle got us here and I was just trying to search for the blue envelope."

"This one, right?"

Jun waved another envelope, this time with a blue seal on it. Ai leapt to snatch it but his arm was already high up in the air.

"See, this is why you couldn’t find your envelope on top of the fridge. Actually..." he leaned closer, pressing upon the corner of her lips. "A ladder would have helped you reach the top, now wouldn’t it? Or a stool? Ah, I forgot, the tools are sturdy, but you aren’t."

Her brow twitched heavily.

’The ladder is sturdy.’

’I am not.’

The first conversation of their distant first meeting replayed in her mind as if it was just yesterday.

"That’s not fair to target my height," she righteously said.

"Everything is fair when your game is being sabotaged. Ba bye."

"Wait! Wait!" She jumped on her feet and blocked his way from leaving. "Let’s make a deal for the blue envelope. I cannot...lose my face."

His brow arched. "Huh...What kind of a deal, sabotager?"

Her lips twitched this time. "W-whatever you want."

He inched forward, pushing her against the counter, his hand securely holding onto the two envelopes - or right now which translated into two fates of this hunt.

"So Mrs. Liu, anything I want, huh?"

"Yup," her back tried to stand straight despite the arch of her husband’s seductive lean.

"If that’s the case then..." his index finger traced her lower lip, "I want you to..."

"H-Hm?"

"With your beautiful pink lips..."

She swallowed a gulp.

"Come close to me and..."

Her heartbeats jumped through the roof.

"Whisper in my ear that name from your team who planned this sabotage."

"W-What?"

"You didn’t plan this, someone had the bright idea of sabotaging Team Red’s game from the get-go. Out with that name if you don’t want to lose your face."

"That’s not true-"

"See you later when we win the hunt then."

"Uncle Jing! It was Uncle Jing!" She pulled his arm, dragging him back.

"Uncle, huh? I see."

She nodded hard and placed her open palm before him.

Jun smiled. "Since you broke the trust by giving out the wrong name, your blue envelope will be safe with me."

"But I am telling the truth!!"

"See you later, sweetheart," he pecked her lips and walked out of the kitchen, whistling merrily as the two envelopes were safely tucked in his pocket.