Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu-Chapter 1249: Rules of the game

"Okay, treasure hunt is the name of the game!" Nuo announced followed by cheers and claps. "The venue is none other than my home sweet home~ And the theme is couples rip apart~"

Everyone - "..."

"Dear niece, what kind of a violent theme is that?" Jing asked with a cough. "That sounds like bad foreboding."

"It is~ It is the ultimate challenge! Everyone will be divided into two teams such that every couple will be on the opposite side of the fence. You have to help your team crack the clues and find the ultimate treasure! Naturally, our paths could coincide and that’s the test of time~ Would you be loyal to your team or get manipulated by your partner?"

Liu Hai raised his arm so high as if he would touch the ceiling. "I am always willing to get manipulated by my dearest Chunhua!"

Nian said, "Okay, you are out. You will be a drag to the team."

"Shut up, brat. Don’t sound so confident as if you aren’t your wife’s servant!"

"*Ahem* I am very sincere when it comes to games and challenges."

Xing Bi smiled. "We will see that, husband."

"D-Don’t scare me like that wife..."

"Hey, Nian is a liability too. Get him out!"

"I am playing!"

"Quiet, quiet!" Nuo glared and everyone zipped their lips.

"I am not done talking so listen well or don’t blame me later on, hmph. During your little clue-solving game, you will also get help from our little fairies. Tadah!"

The kids dressed in detective clothes came one by one in a line, chests proud with their getup. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Aww, don’t you all look handsome," Nana’s face brightened up.

Aang shyly scratched the back of his head. "Thank you Grandma."

Ailun raised his hand. "I am the most handsome!"

"Yina is the most beautiful!" Nian challenged him with a glare. "Just look at her holding the detective glasses," he sniffled. "She is an angel detective. Yinaaa, come to Daddy!"

She pouted. "Dad is not Dad now."

"Yinaaa..." the flood of tears threatened to drown the Liu villa.

Jin grimaced. "Yeah I vote him out too!"

"How cruel, Jin!"

Nuo waved her hand, steering everyone’s attention again. "If things get too hard, our little fairies can help you with your mission too~ They are on no side, so a neutral party. Also, no bribing the fairies with treats is allowed. Otherwise, you are disqualified from the team!"

"Boooooooooo."

"The ones booing already made their intentions clear, haven’t they?" With hands on her waist, she glared at the duo of Siying and Jian.

"Anyway, so the team who uncovers the treasure wins! So tick tock, tick tock. The heat will be equal on both sides, hoho~ So grab a chit from the bowl and let’s decide our teams!"

Nuo dramatically shook the bowl filled with folded chits. The faint rustling sound made it feel far more serious than it actually was.

"Line up! One by one!" she ordered, already enjoying the evil chaos she had engineered.

Shui was pushed forward first. She drew a chit and unfolded it, squinting. "Blue team."

Lin reached in next. He opened it and paused. "Red."

The room erupted immediately. "Ohhh noooooooo."

"Separated already!"

"Our first tragedy of the day!" Jing cried.

When he and Yukito were separated, the second tragedy erupted within the Liu villa walls like an earthquake.

"Yukitoooooo! Don’t forget that no matter how far they pull us apart, my heart is always with you!" He made a heart sign with his hands, eyes shining with love for him.

Yukito’s eyes shone with calculation. "Good. Don’t forget to betray your team when the time comes."

"..."

Jun pointed at him. "Manager Nuo, Uncle Jing has become a liability too. I vote him out."

Jin nodded, agreeing with his brother wholeheartedly.

Ai stood on the opposite side, eyes narrowing. "Why are you so confident that you won’t be a liability?"

He arched his brow. "Time will tell us who is the liability between us, Mrs. Liu."

"Hey, my daughter has a heart of steel!" Zhou Yichen flared his nostrils. "I disagree with your insinuation."

Xie Nuying - now Zhou Nuying, firmly disagreed with her husband’s assessment. "It’s the right insinuation. What are you getting offended over?"

He gasped. "You think our hearts will cave for you?"

"I don’t just think - I know that will happen."

Zhou Yichen’s brow twitched and he hung his arms with his daughter. "Ai, let’s show them who will laugh at the end."

She nodded. "Somebody is going to be left in tears."

"Ooooo, the game hasn’t even begun yet, but cracks are already forming between some couples~" Nuo laughed like an evil warlord, rubbing her hands against each other. "Muahahaha, the theme is taking its perfect shape!"

Jin leaned over Siying’s side. "Are there some marital problems between you and sis? Why has she taken over an evil gangster role?"

"I don’t know! And now I am scared! He cried. "God forbid I cross paths with her!"

"Chyouuuu, you are in my team!" Ai beamed, twirling circles with her.

"Hoho, worry not my dearest fan. The team is in good hands~"

Yating took a step to the other side, raising a brow. "You do know that I am well aware of your acting skills, don’t you? You won’t be able to fool me with a pitiful act."

"I don’t need to show my acting acumen when I can just seduce you, can’t I?" She winked, making his brow twitch hard.

"Hey, you better up your game. Your eyes don’t look too positive for the team’s well-being," Jun grimaced. "Or should I vote you out too?"

Yating raised his hand in question. "I don’t want to be in the same team as him."

"You cannot be in your wife’s team either so put up with it, Mr. Gu~" Nuo’s eyes twinkled.

"..."

Jun sneered. "Don’t drag the team, got it?"

"I worry more about you, Liu Jun," Yating sneered back. "You are showing a tough exterior now, so let’s see how far you will be able to maintain it."

One by one, the rest followed. Teams slowly formed, couples deliberately split as promised.

Nuo clapped her hands loudly. "Perfect! This is perfect! Now, listen carefully. Each team gets its first clue."

The children scrambled forward, their tiny hands holding sealed envelopes like sacred artifacts. Ailun puffed out his chest as he handed one to the red team. Yina gave the blue team theirs with an exaggerated serious nod.

"On my count, you tear the envelopes and go your way to solve the riddles. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"The countdown begins. Three...two..."

Everyone held their breaths, tension seeping into the air to its maximum.

"One! GO!!!"