The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 23 Part 1

Chapter 23

Zhao Guangming's words made both Xu Gandang and Xu Kaixuan frown simultaneously. With similar expressions and looks, they were presumably worried about the same thing. The elders on the Marquis of Jing'an's side had all passed away. The ancestral home was far away in Longzhong—even by fast horse, a one-way trip took half a month, let alone trying to invite other clan elders within eight days.

By the time the people arrived, their souls might arrive first.

As for Xu Kaixuan's maternal family...

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Visitors

The government kept the Zhao Shenggu kidnapping case under wraps, so it caused little stir among the general public. However, the Wu family's reputation had plummeted in the eyes of the higher-ups, all because of Wu Runduo.

With the emergence of Yuangu and Guyuan, the government was no longer as desperate for foreign investment, so they stopped granting the overseas Chinese everything they asked for.

Now, many upper-class families in Huaguo were watching the Wu family become a laughingstock.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The Marquis of Jing'an household was truly one of a kind—and not in a good way.

Although Xu Kaicheng had never been married himself, even watching TV dramas had taught him that ancient weddings involved a ridiculous number of steps.

Even in the most extreme cases of blind arranged marriages, where the groom wouldn't see the bride before the wedding, the groom's family would still go inspect the bride several times.

From the man's side, this was to verify the woman's character and check her health.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 77

Chapter 77: The Aftermath

"Brother..." Guan Yuan was the first to rush forward. Zhao Shenggu held Guan Yuan tightly as he flung himself into his arms, breathing in the fresh scent of his hair mixed with Chanchan's milky sweetness. His heart instantly settled.

"Were you scared?" Zhao Shenggu kissed Guan Yuan's forehead, and the childhood endearment slipped out. He knew Guan Yuan had been frightened, but in such a situation, to have understood his meaning and rescued him—his baby really was amazing.

He knew the standoff couldn't drag on any longer. Otherwise, a cornered dog would jump over the wall—even if they couldn't take him back, they'd make sure Huaguo couldn't have him either.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Kidnapping

Guan Yuan looked amusedly at Chanchan, who was asleep and blowing snot bubbles. He snorted. "You little thing, trying to fight me? Don't you know whose child you are!"

Before long, Chanchan was about to turn one month old. As the little one grew, Guan Yuan discovered that besides being unusually obsessed with food, he was also a little chatterbox. Whenever his eyes were open, he would "talk" non-stop.

"Ooh... ah..." Chanchan lay in Guan Yuan's arms, pointing at who-knows-what, babbling incessantly.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Xu Kaicheng guessed that the situation at Liexi Pass was special. After all, in the original novel, the Marquis of Jing'an, Xu Gandang, had already firmly controlled Liexi Pass for more than a decade, and even until the story ended, there had been no major battles at Liexi Pass.

Returning to his room, he sat at his desk. Naturally, there would not be any useful materials to look up on the desk. It took Xu Kaicheng a great deal of effort to pull from his memory the map of the Rong Dynasty's vast territory that he had once seen in Juxian Academy.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Chanchan

While waiting for the doctor, Guan Yuan's pain grew worse and sweat beaded on his forehead. Zhao Shenggu watched anxiously, pressing soft, hurried kisses to his face. "Xiao Yuan, it's okay, it's okay..." But his trembling voice gave away his panic.

Guan Yuan knew Zhao Shenggu was panicking, so he forced a smile. "I… I'm fine… mm… ah!!!" The sudden scream made Guan Shitou and Guan Mumu, who were guarding the door outside, flinch at the same time.

Guan Shitou stammered, "Wh-what's going on? Why's it so loud?" 

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 20 Part 2

The next morning, Xu Kaicheng did not get up early and run off as usual. Instead, he took a book and pretended to read in his room. Given Wei Cai'e's and previously Wei Daya's manner, it was impossible for Xu Kaicheng and Xu Kaixuan to put on any appearance of brotherly affection.

It was just that everyone in the capital knew Xu Kaicheng was inferior to Xu Kaixuan — insecure and degenerate, yet stubborn to a fault, with no sense of his own limitations, always wanting to compete with him.

And the way he competed was to study hard for a few days every time Xu Kaixuan returned to the household.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 74

Chapter 74: About to Give Birth?

Time quietly slipped by as Guan Yuan rested and cared for the baby. Soon it was the New Year, and Guan Yuan's due date was approaching. Zhao Shenggu grew more nervous with each passing day—he practically wanted to measure every step Guan Yuan took with a ruler.

Guan Yuan himself was fine. The further along he got, the more energetic he felt, and he could faintly sense a connection with the little one in his belly.

By now, Yuangu had grown bigger and bigger. It had not only become Huaguo's leading enterprise but was also a world leader in its field. With that kind of status, the New Year was bound to be busy.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 20 Part 1

Chapter 20 

The night grew deeper. At an hour when rural households had long since settled into sleep, the Marquis of Jing'an household was as lively as a marketplace.

Yang Wanhe shut the courtyard gate directly. She didn't continue working today either, and early on told everyone in the courtyard to go rest. Xu Kaicheng's side was no different—in his small courtyard there were only him and Dongzhu. The silly Dongzhu, having been ordered by him to sleep, actually went to sleep.

Now, stepping outside, one could even occasionally hear a few snores from the servants' quarters not far away.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan did not take Wu Runduo and Wu Runqiao to heart. All their attention was now on the baby in Guan Yuan's belly.

As the months went by, Guan Yuan's belly finally began to show, though compared to other pregnant people, it was still much too small.

Zhao Shenggu's favorite thing to do now was hold Guan Yuan and gently stroke his belly. The two said nothing, but a warm sweetness surrounded them.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 19

Chapter 19

At the back gate of the marquis household, Zhao Guangming stood expressionlessly in the shadows.

Most of the sunlight was blocked by the leaves overhead and the eaves of the buildings, and the little that slipped through wasn't even enough for others to see his expression clearly.

"Sir, it has been confirmed that the Eldest Young Master is at Yuelai Inn in the north of the city."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Ever since Zhao Shenggu found out Guan Yuan was pregnant, he worried about him bumping into things or getting hurt. To avoid any accidents, he kept Guan Yuan at home all the time. Now that Guan Shitou and Guan Guan Mumu had arrived, Guan Yuan was naturally happy.

Guan Shitou was clamoring to explore every corner of the capital, and Guan Yuan wanted to go too. Seeing the eager look in Guan Yuan's eyes, Zhao Shenggu couldn't bear to refuse. He compressed his work schedule again and again so he could personally accompany Guan Yuan out.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 18 Part 2

In the innermost part of the capital, where the princes, nobles, and ministers lived, the main streets were paved with bluestone bricks, but the alleys were only tamped earth. By the time he reached the outskirts, even the main roads had no bluestone bricks.

He knocked on a courtyard wall he passed. The mud wall wasn't even made by first shaping the mud into blocks — it was just layered on directly, layer by layer. Not only was the work inefficient, but with wind, sun, and rain, these walls needed repairs every so often.

This world's heavy industry was truly crippled.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Shitou and Mumu Arrive in the Capital

Zhao Shenggu held the densely written notes, studying them with the focus of a scholar — reading every single word carefully, as if he wanted to break them apart, knead them into himself, and carve them into his heart.

"Brother, don't be so dramatic, okay? I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?" Guan Yuan said, touched but also a little speechless.

"Be good. You're a boy, and being pregnant is already unusual. It's always better to be careful." Zhao Shenggu carefully helped Guan Yuan sit down on the sofa.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 18 Part 1

Chapter 18

Yang Wanhe's courtyard was truly very quiet. In an ordinary household, it would count as a two-entry sized area. But Wei Cai'e, in order to torment Yang Wanhe, had knocked the entire courtyard through to make it into a single garden.

At this moment, all the maids and old servants were busy outside. Even the foolish Dongzhu stood at the doorway more than ten meters away from the two of them. Their voices automatically lowered, so that even Dongzhu at the door couldn't hear clearly.

"Your father—the first time he saw me, he noticed something was off."

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Pregnant?

Dr. Ma looked at Guan Yuan in surprise. There was no mistake—he was a man! Suspecting that he might have misdiagnosed the pulse due to his advanced age, Dr. Ma carefully examined him again, but the result was the same. After repeating the examination several times, Dr. Ma was certain.

Zhao Shenggu watched anxiously from the side. "Doctor, is something wrong with my brother?" Seeing Dr. Ma's grave expression, Old Master Li's heart also skipped a beat.

"Let's talk over there," Dr. Ma said, deciding it was better not to alarm the patient and to speak to Zhao Shenggu first.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 17

Chapter 17 

His Luck stat was still ten points short of the passing line. One point required a thousand Affection Points, which converted to a hundred thousand taels of silver.

But just because one Affection Point equaled one tael of silver didn't mean one tael of silver equaled one Affection Point.

Scribbling out an equation like that was really just a way to give himself a little psychological comfort.

A person had to have something to strive for in life, after all.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Illness

Guan Yuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what his deskmate was talking about. He clamped a hand over his neck and forced himself to stay calm. "I don't know what you're talking about. It's just a mosquito bite."

His deskmate burst out laughing. "If you're going to lie, at least make it a good one. Mosquito bites in the middle of winter? Come on, come on, no need to be embarrassed."

Guan Yuan's face turned red. He cursed Zhao Shenggu inwardly, then pulled out a mirror and took a look. Sure enough, there were several red marks on his neck.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Xu Kaicheng sniffled and gave a shy smile. "I don't really want to drift through life like this, but I never went to school growing up, only studied for a few years, and can barely read. So I don't even know what I'm capable of."

Zhao Guangming's hands, clasped behind his back, clenched tightly. The Second Young Master of a marquis household, who had barely studied for a few years and could hardly read. Xu Kaicheng hadn't mentioned anything about martial arts training, and Zhao Guangming understood the implication almost instantly.

Back then, Xu Gandang had only said he taught Xu Kaicheng spear techniques for a month.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Fade to Black

The banquet ended at ten o'clock. When Zhang Rong left, he was clearly much more relaxed.

"What did you talk to him about?" Zhao Shenggu sat on the sofa, holding Guan Yuan in his arms.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to bring him into our company. I think he has a lot of potential. Brother, what do you think?" Guan Yuan looked up at Zhao Shenggu.

Just one look from Guan Yuan was enough to melt Zhao Shenggu's heart. He couldn't possibly say no. "Alright, whatever you say."

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Stepping out of the room, Zhao Guangming looked up and exchanged a glance with Zhou Qi at the door. Zhou Qi set down the broom in his hand and walked over to stand at the entrance of the main hall.

Inside the room, Xu Gandang also noticed that the guard at the door had been changed. He understood this was Zhao Guangming's arrangement, and a sliver of comfort settled in his heart.

Leaving the marquis's residence through a side gate, Zhao Guangming wove through a maze of narrow alleys. After twisting and turning, he finally slipped into a wine shop, with three large vats out front selling the cheapest watered-down wine.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 67

Chapter 67: The Evening Banquet 

The two took a private elevator straight up to the sixteenth floor.

This floor contained only Zhao Shenggu's office and the offices of a few assistants.

When the secretary saw her boss arrive, she quickly stood up to greet him. After Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan went inside, she skillfully brought them hot tea.

When the secretary entered, she saw her boss sitting on the sofa by the desk, while the young master was sitting directly on the desk.

The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The guards in the marquis household had been quietly replaced with a new batch. Xu Kaicheng only noticed when an extra patrol of guards appeared outside his courtyard.

Because of this, Zhao Guangming made a point of strolling around outside his courtyard, which served as a silent explanation.

Xu Kaicheng understood in his heart that it seemed the Old Marquis was recovering well.

On the eleventh day after the Old Madam suffered her stroke, Xu Kaicheng, as her grandson, finally received the "approval" to visit her.

Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Qian Zhu hummed in agreement.

His dormmates all stared at him in surprise. "Why? Your grades are clearly the best in the class. You could have a much better future."

Qian Zhu shrugged. "Maybe it's intuition."

Since he put it that way, the others didn't know what else to say.

He had already read the contract in his hands countless times. His fingers rubbed over the words "Guyuan Media" printed on the contract as he thought about everything he had seen in that building. His eyes gradually became determined. Success or failure, he would give it his all.