Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu

"Come out, there is somebody here to meet you."

Lin looked up and slightly knitted his brows. "Is it my brother?"

"No, it's a woman. Now get going."

Lin slowly got up and walked out from the custody room he was being held at. The officer guided him to a small meeting room and opened the door.

His eyes slightly widened, seeing Shui seated in the chair. He quietly pulled his chair on the opposite side and faced her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your brother told me about the situation."

Lin tensely asked, "Does Sir Jun know about it too?"

"No, he doesn't," she blinked twice. "It looks like you don't want him to know?"

He pressed his hands together. "Yes. This is…my problem. I don't want Sir to get involved."

Shui asked, "...Are you worried that Jun might not believe you?"

Lin wasn't sure how to answer the question.

"I am not sure. I think he will believe me," he said, albeit with hesitation.

"So why didn't you call him yet? You didn't have to stay here for the entire night."

"No!" He exclaimed stressfully. "Please, Miss. Han. I don't want Sir Jun to learn about this incident. If he does, then…I just have a feeling that he will look into it and try to help me."

"Don't you want help?"

He looked up at her calmly. "No. It's more than enough for me that Sir Jun agreed for my pardon and helped me become free. I don't want to latch onto his kindness anymore."

Shui remained silent for some time.

"What do you plan to do then? How will you prove yourself innocent? It seems like your parole officer here has made up his mind of your guilt."

Lin didn't have an answer to that question.

"You have to consider Hou Cai too. He is worried sick about you. He spent the entire night looking for that drug dealer."

Lin widened his eyes, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. A tinge of whiteness spread across his face.

"No…Please tell him not to do something so stupid! These are dangerous people! They won't hesitate to hurt him if he tries to get in their way."

Shui was taken aback by his passionate reaction. The fear in his eyes felt real for some reason.

Lin breathed in and exhaled deeply, trying to calm his erratic heartbeats. "P-Please tell Cai to stay put. I…I will figure something out."

She folded her arms and stared at him. "And how are you supposed to do that? Even associating with a criminal are enough grounds on which they can revoke your pardon. Bail hearing is next to impossible even if you try for it. The only way to get acquitted is if the investigating officers find that drug dealer and he confesses that you are innocent and have nothing to do with the drug link. Otherwise…the drugs found in your cafe are already strong enough evidence."

Silence ensued for a few long moments. He looked away for a moment, contemplating on his next actions.

Shui let out a breath and said, "Let me help you." Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

His daze broke and he stared at her, stunned.

"If you don't want Jun to know, then I won't tell him. I will respect your decision. But at the very least, let me help you."

"No, no-"

"Take it as my gratitude for caring about Jin," she lightly pressed her lips. "Despite our history and hate for you, you tried to help him. Let me return that favor this time. Jun and Jin would have felt the same."

Shui picked her handbag and hung it around her shoulder as she got up.

"Don't worry. I won't let your pardon get revoked."

She opened the door and exited the meeting room while Lin continued to follow her walk away in a daze. He pressed his lips, his heart racing in apprehension.

What should I do…Is it really okay for Miss. Han to get involved?

Another officer walked in to take him back to the detention room. Lin slowly followed him, his mind still confused and in a mess. He looked at the officer and asked, "Excuse me?"

The officer looked back. "Yes?"

"Can I make a call?"

—

Shui was lost in her thoughts as she was making her way out of the police bureau. She stopped and asked an officer passing by. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, Mam?"

"Can you tell who Hou Lin's parole officer is?"

"Ah Hou Lin. The one who got detained just recently for the drug case. His parole is Superintendent Chang Fang."

"Can I meet him?"

The officer led the way to his office and said, "He doesn't have any appointments right now so you can go ahead."

"Thank you."

Shui knocked on the door twice and waited. When she didn't hear a response, she slowly turned the doorknob and gingerly stepped in. She found him, standing near the window with his back facing her and talking to somebody on the phone.

On the other side, Chang Fang said, looking out through the window, "Yes. We have enough evidence to detain Hou Lin. The drugs were found in his cafe's washroom. It is only a matter of time before we get his confession."

A deep voice crackled from the other end of the call.

"Make sure that there are no loose ends. You understand what I am talking about, right?"

"Of course, I understand. We are trying to find that dealer who hid the drugs but it's proving to be a difficult search," he said in a meaningful tone.

"Good. Keep up that farce for sometime."

"Yes."

They hung up the call and Chang Fang let out a sigh. He turned towards his desk and jolted upon seeing a woman standing in his office out of nowhere.

Ah crap! When did she get in?

But a few moments later, he recognized her. "Miss. Han?"

Shui blinked at him and said, "Yes, it's me, Han Shui. I knocked but I didn't hear a response."

"Ah yes…I was in an important call," he quickly said while simultaneously wondering about her presence at the bureau.

"Yes, I saw that. I also heard you mention Hou Lin. I came to meet you regarding him. Can you tell me who you were talking to about his case?"