Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts

After making the decision with Lin Youxi to develop a game about life in Baimei County, Mei Fang's corporate drone existence underwent a subtle shift.

—He became even busier than before.

Why did I impulsively agree to this…

Sitting in front of his computer screen, Mei Fang recalled the events of Valentine's Day a month prior—

As usual, he was the last to leave after overtime, stopping by the convenience store at the company building for a late-night snack when he ran into a fellow Baimei County native.

This hometown acquaintance happened to be his high school alumna, kindergarten classmate, and—like him—worked in the gaming industry, one as a lead programmer, the other as a lead designer.

This serendipitous encounter led to an extended conversation.

What should have ended as a pleasant reunion took an unexpected turn—somehow, he ended up in her car, somehow, he went to her apartment, and somehow, they spent hours discussing game design concepts until dawn, leaving him exhausted.

That night, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi settled on the game's title and genre:Baimei County Days, a life simulation game where players take on the role of a boy growing up in Baimei County, from childhood to adulthood.

However, Lin Youxi believed touch-based interactions lacked immersion. She envisioned a pixel-art RPG with an explorable overworld, aiming to recreate every memorable scene from their past.

Though Mei Fang joined the project as a designer, Lin Youxi remained the de facto producer. After several feasibility discussions, the project proceeded according to her vision.

Of course, collaboration aside, Lin Youxi was clear about profit-sharing:

"You're helping me realize my vision, so technically, you're working for me. I can pay you monthly, but since I need to reserve funds for outsourcing art, it won't be much…"

"It's fine, I'm doing this because I'm passionate about the project… and it's just a side gig anyway. If you insist on compensating me, I'll take 10% of net profits."

"This game might flop. You could end up with nothing."

Lin Youxi smiled. "Wouldn't a steady ¥10,000 monthly salary be better?"

Wait, her definition of "a little money" is ¥10,000?!

As expected of a Tencent lead programmer!

Mei Fang regretted not accepting outright. Though he was a lead designer, his small company only paid slightly over ¥20,000. An extra ¥10,000 for a side project was incredibly tempting.

But if that money could be used for outsourcing, it might be worth it…

After some thought, Mei Fang nodded. "At this age, it's time to pursue something with a bit of idealism!"

Since their companies were nearby, Lin Youxi often invited Mei Fang to lunch and dinner to discuss the previous day's system design implementations.

Contrary to expectations, Lin Youxi's gaming knowledge wasn't as extensive as Mei Fang assumed. She reportedly only started playing games in college, making it challenging when Mei Fang referenced certain titles.

Yet, any game Mei Fang mentioned, Lin Youxi would find time to play the next day, analyzing its design and interaction logic with him.

Their discussions were fervent. Since they met in the office building's public cafeteria, their frequent interactions soon drew coworkers' attention.

"Hey, why's Brother Fang ditching us for meals lately…? Got a thing going on?"

"Xiao Cao, you haven't noticed? Brother Fang's been eating with a stunning Tencent beauty every day!"

"No way! The iron tree finally blooms? I thought Brother Fang had zero interest in women."

"If he's not into women, is he into you? He's just picky… Damn, Brother Fang's new girlfriend is gorgeous."

"Though he's been looking exhausted lately. Overworked?"

"With a girlfriend that hot and his insane workload, of course he's tired at night! Haha…"

Amidst the gossip, Mei Fang had no energy to spare. Lin Youxi's development pace was relentless. Design documents Mei Fang submitted in the morning would have prototype functionality by evening, followed by lengthy discussions on implementation details.

"Ah… this… right…"

A week or two of this intensity was manageable, but Mei Fang's main job was equally demanding. The cumulative exhaustion left him drowsy, nearly dozing off at work.

"Brother Fang, if we revise this according to the plan—Brother Fang?"

Jolted awake by his subordinate, Mei Fang rubbed his eyes.

"Brother Fang, have you been sleeping poorly? You look exhausted."

"Yeah… some insomnia."

"Working under constant high stress can lead to sudden death. Maybe take a couple days off?"

"No time with the version update pending. At most, I'll take a half-day to nap."

"Brother Fang, you're pushing too hard. Your girlfriend would worry."

"Go away, what girlfriend?"

"Brother Fang, at your age, still playing shy? Ahahaha!"

Mei Fang knew they meant Lin Youxi.

But she was such a radiant yet heartbreaking woman. Right now, he just wanted to finish this game with her.

As Mei Fang wrapped up his tasks, a message from [Mountains Have LinXi] popped up:

[Store system module ready for review. Come to my place to test? I'll treat you to dinner.]

Her enthusiasm was palpable.

Remembering tonight's build deadline, Mei Fang hesitated before replying:

Mei: [Sorry, can't make it today…]

Lin: [Overtime again?]

Mei: [Yeah, build deadline. Too many bugs left.]

Lin: [What bugs? Let me see. I'll fix them for you.]

Mei: [That's not really appropriate…]

Lin: [Don't trust my skills?]

Mei: [Of course not!]

Lin: [Then you've lost interest. Don't want to work on this anymore.]

Mei: [Not at all! Just exhausted lately…]

Lin: [Fine. Rest today. No dinner.]

Is she mad?

She's definitely mad!

How do you calm an angry woman?

This is the genius valedictorian of Baimei High—no half-hearted coaxing will work…

Romantically inexperienced, Mei Fang was at a loss. But with work piling up, he had no choice but to prioritize his job over Lin Youxi's mood.

By the time bugs were fixed and the build finalized, it was 3:30 AM. The hour-long taxi ride home gave Mei Fang time to draft messages to Lin Youxi, but he ultimately sent none.

After a rushed shower, he collapsed into bed, waking at 11 AM.

With the morning off, Mei Fang made instant noodles for breakfast and finally checked his messages, sending Lin Youxi a tentative:

[Just woke up after overtime… Lunch today? We can discuss yesterday's system.]

…

Then, he saw the dreaded red exclamation mark.

[Message sent, but rejected by recipient.]

[???]

[Message sent, but rejected by recipient.]

Mei Fang's scalp prickled. Had yesterday's slight gotten him blocked?

Just because I had overtime… I have my own responsibilities too.

He felt Lin Youxi was overreacting, but with limited experience handling women—especially one as emotionally fragile as her—he reluctantly called her.

The line rang endlessly without answer, though it wasn't outright declined.

Busy? I'll try again later…

The dismissal stung. His workload was genuine, yet Lin Youxi refused to understand.

She only cares about her game. To her, I'm just a tool—replaceable if not for my design skills and Baimei County knowledge.

At my age, getting jealous over this is embarrassing.

Whatever.

On his subway commute, Mei Fang called again. This time, the call was instantly rejected.

[The number you dialed is busy.]

What the hell?

After a month of grueling development, daily lunch and dinner discussions—how could she cut ties so abruptly?

Are all women this unreasonable?

Or is it just Lin Youxi?

No wonder she's been single this long… Her temper's impossible!

Furious as he was, Mei Fang couldn't bear abandoning their month of work. This project had reignited his passion—a rarity in his career. He had to reach her.

He sent a text:

[My bad for yesterday… I know this game matters to you, but please understand my workload. Our project's in crunch time—I had no choice.]

[I love this game too. I truly want to finish it with you.]

[…Fine. Take time to cool off. The pace was too intense anyway. Contact me when you're ready.]

Dammit!

With each message, Mei Fang felt more like a simp, fueling his frustration.

After years in the workforce, I should know better—no one tolerates tantrums professionally unless you're the CEO…

But she's been alone all these years, drinking solo on Valentine's… Her reclusiveness traces back to high school… I knew what I was getting into…

As Mei Fang rationalized, Lin Youxi replied:

[Pretend I'm dead.]

…

?

What the hell does that mean?!

"Pretend I'm dead"—never contact her again?

All because I seemed less enthusiastic?

So hypersensitive and difficult!

Mei Fang's opinion of Lin Youxi plummeted. If she was this volatile, the project was doomed. The sunk cost was still manageable—now might be the time to quit.

…

Yet.

As he worked that afternoon, the image of that lonely woman slumped over the bar on Valentine's night, her delicate face etched with sorrow, lingered in his mind.

Truthfully, over this past month, he'd grown fond of her.

Lin Youxi was extraordinarily talented, working on games with infectious passion. Her programming prowess was godlike—Mei Fang's entire engineering team combined couldn't match her efficiency.

That was just professionally.

Personally, Lin Youxi wasn't hard to get along with. Their chemistry felt predestined, their conversations effortless. She occasionally teased him with playful malice, and upon learning she was a year older, sometimes jokingly called herself "big sister"—a far cry from her cold, elegant exterior.

But this moodiness was unbearable.

Maybe give her space to cool down?

Leaving work early, Mei Fang lingered outside the office building, half-hoping to bump into Lin Youxi. He even checked the convenience store, but she was nowhere to be found.

…

Wish I knew her friends.

But given her personality, aside from childhood friend Xia Yuan, she probably doesn't have many close ones…

Gazing at the brightly lit convenience store, Mei Fang couldn't stop envisioning her.

…

Sigh…

Even if she thinks I'm a stalker, so be it.

This unresolved tension is torture.

Hailing a cab, Mei Fang texted Lin Youxi:

[Coming to your place. Let's talk this out. Even if we part ways, let's end properly. Don't abandon the game like this.]

…

No response.

Undeterred, Mei Fang headed to Lin Youxi's apartment.

Her place was a mere 10-minute drive from work, but Mei Fang's urgency made it feel endless.

Just give me closure. If the project's over, tell me why!

Lin Youxi lived in an aging 2000s-era complex, though amenities were decent. Taking the elevator up, Mei Fang knocked softly on her door—no answer.

A food delivery guy passing by inspired Mei Fang. He knocked again, calling out:

"Delivery for you!"

Movement inside. Slow footsteps.

Holding his breath, Mei Fang awaited their reunion.

The door opened.

There stood Lin Youxi, clad in pink pajamas, hair disheveled, face flushed with exhaustion.

Spotting Mei Fang, she froze.

After a beat, Lin Youxi extended her hand.

"Where's my food? Hand it over."

"You really thought I was delivery?!"

As Mei Fang protested, Lin Youxi cracked a faint smile. "I have a fever today. Didn't go to work."

"Oh…"

The atmosphere grew awkward. Mei Fang wanted to enter but hesitated.

Yet some questions demanded answers.

Clearing his throat, he asked softly:

"Why block me? It hurt."

"Just hurt?"

Lin Youxi shook her head with a wry smile. "Most people would rage at me and never speak to me again."

"Maybe I'm not most people?"

"Then we're alike."

She stepped aside, holding the door open. "Come in first."

As Mei Fang entered, he scratched his head. "So… why say that? Are we done with the game?"

"I forgot my meds lately. Felt an episode coming. Didn't want to scare you."

"Meds?"

"Yeah."

Lin Youxi retrieved a lithium carbonate box from the table, smiling faintly. "I have a mental disorder—bipolar. Spent two months in a psychiatric hospital last year before they released me."

Three more chapters tonight, don't worry.

(End of Chapter)