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

Pengcheng University's freshman registration was scheduled for September 3rd and 4th. On what should have been an early morning for check-in, the trio of Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi overslept. By the time Mei Fang woke up, his mother had already called over a dozen times.

Bleary-eyed, Mei Fang picked up his phone just as it lit up again.

"How could you oversleep? I've called all three of you so many times—why didn't anyone answer? Did you stay up too late last night?"

"Registration's open all day… Why rush?"

"You should go early! Otherwise, people will say you've gotten too big for your boots now that you're a boss."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll remember… Stop worrying so much."

No matter how successful Mei Fang became, his mother, Xiang Xiaoxia, never stopped fretting. Just as he was struggling to placate "Empress Dowager Xiang," Xia Yuan suddenly sat up beside him, stretching and yawning.

"A-Fang… Hmm… What time—mmph—"

Halfway through her question, Mei Fang clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Uh, yeah—"

Caught red-handed, Mei Fang swiftly concocted a textbook-worthy excuse. "She just woke up and asked me the time. Gotta go—we need to get ready!"

"Oh… Alright, hurry up then. I won't bother you anymore."

Hanging up, Mei Fang exhaled in relief. Lin Youxi, who had woken up earlier, sat on the edge of the bed, patting his back as she listened.

Meanwhile, Xia Yuan pried his hand away, looking guilty. "W-Was that Auntie Xiang? Did she figure out I'm in your bed? Youxi just 'broke up' with you yesterday… She wouldn't know, right? Otherwise, I'd look like the other woman in her eyes!"

"No way. I already told Uncle Mei about it—Mom probably knows about our 'breakup' by now."

Lin Youxi gave Xia Yuan's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Don't worry. You're A-Fang's first love. Even if she suspects something, it's just old flames rekindling."

"How is that okay?! I'm literally in his bed!"

Meanwhile, on the other end of the call, Xiang Xiaoxia slowly set down the phone, her expression blank.

At home, Mei Lijun—on leave today—was being chased around by Mei Ya for breaking her Leman Russ battle tank model. Xiang Xiaoxia's sudden shout froze both in their tracks.

"Mei Ya, go play by yourself. I need to talk to your dad."

"O-Okay…"

Mei Ya stuck her tongue out at her father before scampering upstairs, where she promptly hid by the staircase to eavesdrop.

Mei Lijun sat nervously beside his wife. Xiang Xiaoxia didn't speak immediately, instead sighing deeply. "You said Youxi was planning to break up with our idiot son, right? When was that?"

"Uh… About a month ago? Why?"

"He seems to be living with YuanYuan now."

Mei Lijun scratched his head. "Weren't they already living together?"

Xiang Xiaoxia pinched his arm hard, making him yelp.

"You blockhead! I mean living together—as in, sharing a bed!"

"R-Really?"

Mei Lijun's face unconsciously broke into a proud grin. "Not bad, kid… I figured it'd happen eventually, but he's really taking after his old man."

"You mean his old man who two-timed?"

"N-No way! I'd never dare!"

Mei Lijun immediately raised his hands in surrender. "My heart belongs only to you, dear."

Then, muttering, he added, "But if he's broken up with Youxi, what's wrong with getting back with YuanYuan?"

"That's the weird part! If they'd really broken up, the three of them wouldn't still be living together. He and YuanYuan could've done whatever they wanted privately. But I called Youxi today too, and she didn't pick up either—"

"Hmm…"

Mei Lijun and Xiang Xiaoxia exchanged glances. As adults, they could guess the situation, but neither dared voice it outright.

The silence was shattered by Mei Ya, who leaned over the railing, eyes sparkling.

"I bet Big Bro's with both YuanYuan-jie and Youxi-jie at the same—"

"Scram! Who said you could eavesdrop? Go do your homework!"

"I'll get the bamboo rod—"

"No hitting! I'm going, I'm going!"

Mei Ya bolted back to her room. Once Xiang Xiaoxia was pulled back by Mei Lijun, the two sat on the couch, stewing in their thoughts.

"…"

"…"

"Wife, maybe we shouldn't overthink it. The kids have their own lives. Let them figure it out."

"How can wenotoverthink it? If that little rascal's really doing what we suspect, how do we face their parents? This isn't the old days—no one's going to let their daughter share a husband! No amount of money makes that acceptable."

"If they didn't know each other, fine. But YuanYuan's and Youxi's families have been close for years. There's never been any bad blood—"

Mid-rant, Mei Lijun yelped as Xiang Xiaoxia twisted his thigh. "You shameless old goat! Is this where our son gets his audacity? Yousupporthim being with both of them?!"

"Ow ow ow… I know it's wrong, but think about it—YuanYuan and Youxi are both like our own. Would you rather give up Youxi as a daughter-in-law or YuanYuan? You've always liked Youxi more, so just tell our son to leave YuanYuan alone!"

As Mei Lijun reached for his phone, Xiang Xiaoxia grabbed his ear. "Who said I like Youxi more?! They're equal in my heart! And don't you dare meddle!"

While Mei Lijun endured his wife's wrath, the trio finished getting ready and headed to campus.

"This outfit should work—casual and youthful, not too flashy."

Xia Yuan scratched her head. "But we're kinda famous in Pengcheng now. Won't we get mobbed during registration?"

"Not sure… Back in high school, it wasn't too bad. Not many people asked for autographs."

"High school's all about studying. University's different…"

Lin Youxi handed Xia Yuan a pair of sunglasses. "A-Fang and I can manage, but you should wear these. You're way too recognizable."

"Won't that make memorenoticeable?!"

The trio strolled to Pengcheng University, passing families dragging suitcases under welcome banners for various departments.

Their majors differed: Xia Yuan was a music department scholarship student, Lin Youxi was in computer science, and Mei Fang—after waffling between business management and game design—had ultimately followed his heart into the latter.

Game design, a rare program in China, was unique to Pengcheng University this year. Originally a computer science specialization, it had since expanded into its own department, covering coding, art, and project management.

As for their friends: Zhang Ming was in the same program as Mei Fang, while Liu Xiaoyu and Xiang Bingbing were in music and sports, respectively. Too busy with registration to meet up yet, they focused on check-in first.

Without luggage, the trio were mistaken for upperclassmen and ignored by welcoming seniors—though they did draw occasional glances.

"…Way calmer than I expected."

Xia Yuan sounded almost disappointed. "I thought we'd be swarmed for autographs."

"We're always made up in posters and onstage. Without makeup, we're harder to recognize. Plus, who'd expect us to register in person?"

As Lin Youxi explained, they reached the registration area, where student council members directed queues.

"Music department's over there. I'll go register first."

Xia Yuan hesitated. "Do we still need to check in at the dorms if we're not staying?"

"We're paying for the space anyway. Could be useful for storage or naps."

"True."

Nodding, Xia Yuan waved. "See you later."

"Bye."

After Lin Youxi returned the wave, she glanced at Mei Fang and tilted her head with a smile. "I'll head to my department too."

"Aren't our departments next to each other? Let's go together."

"We're 'exes' now. Can't look too close. You go first."

"Ugh, stop bringing that up… It hurts."

"You're really good at playing along…"

"I'm not acting. Iamupset."

Lin Youxi patted his shoulder. "This is part of rebuilding love. Take it slow."

Mei Fang joined the game design department queue—overwhelmingly male, with only a handful of girls. In casual clothes, he blended in seamlessly, eavesdropping on chatter behind him:

"Dude, heard the rumors? Threehugenames are enrolling this year."

"You mean the C Station trio? No way they're actually coming…"

"Wouldyoustill go to school if you were them?"

"Gotta get that diploma either way."

As Mei Fang listened, the guy behind him tapped his shoulder. "Hey, man… Where you from?"

"Chubei. You?"

"Local, from Yuegang. Can tell by my accent, right? Haha…"

"Kinda sounds like Hong Kong…"

The guy grinned. "Name's Li Guidong. You?"

"Mei Fang."

"Holy shit! Same name as C Station's boss!"

"Yep." Mei Fang smiled as Li Guidong scrutinized him. "Wait… You kinda look like him. Are you—?"

"How similar do you think?"

"Like, 60-70%? But you're way hotter."

"With all that photoshopping? No way."

"Nah, his poster's too edgy—totalPersonavibes. Cool for anime, kinda cringe IRL."

"How'd you peg it asPersona? The outfits aren't identical."

"The coat's texture, the posing—I started humming the theme instantly. I'm aMegami Tenseisuperfan. No way I'd miss it."

(Persona 5wasn't yet the phenomenon it would become, making Mei Fang's styling ahead of its time. Li Guidong's sharp eye spoke volumes about his gaming chops.)

"Next! Documents, please."

The registrar was a gentle-looking senior, the subject of much queue chatter. Upon reviewing Mei Fang's paperwork, her eyes widened.

"Y-You'retheMei Fang?"

"Guilty."

"You—you—"

As she and other staff gawked, some even pulling up photos for comparison, Mei Fang coughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, it's me. No need to fact-check."

"IT'S REALLY THE BOSS!!!"

The outburst drew stares, phones raised for photos. Then a girl from the neighboring queue rushed over, squealing:

"OMG, Lin Youxi's here! The C Station 'Young Miss'—Wait, why'syourline freaking out?"

The registrar beamed. "Look! We've got the real deal here."

"Hah. No wonder it's noisy. This year's freshmen are something else…"

A striking redhead strode over, instantly commanding attention.

"President Jiang!"

"President!"

The newcomer—Jiang Peihuan, student council president—nodded at the greetings before eyeing Mei Fang. "Wow, you're even younger-looking in person… Anyway, I'm Jiang Peihuan, game design department president. Pleasure to meet you, Mei Fang."

"President."

Mei Fang's polite reply made Jiang Peihuan laugh. "No need for formalities—you're the big boss here."

"On campus, I'm just a student."

"Fair enough. Then I'll call you 'junior'?"

"Sure."

"Registration's done, B—uh, classmate."

The registrar handed back his documents with both hands. Thanking her, Mei Fang turned to leave when Jiang Peihuan offered:

"No luggage, so you're off-campus? I've got time—want a campus tour?"

"Thanks, but I've got plans."

"Ah, right. The 'trio' thing… Well, enjoy uni life. Mind swapping contacts?"

"Sure."

After exchanging info, Mei Fang waited at a nearby bench for Lin Youxi.

Unlike his lively reception, Lin Youxi's icy aura kept admirers at bay—no one even dared sneak photos.

When she joined him, Mei Fang asked, "How was registration?"

"Just paperwork. Butyouseemed busy—getting chatted up by a tall, hot redhead right away."

Her tone was flat, but Mei Fang chuckled. "Didn't know you were watching…"

"University girls aren't as shy as high schoolers. Gotta stay sharp if I don't want my man stolen. Maybe I should collect more 'taxes' daily…"

"You already do thateveryday…"

"You've got the stamina for it."

Poking his side, she smirked as he flinched.

"L-Let's go find YuanYuan."

Xia Yuan's celebrity status had caused a bigger stir at the music department. By the time Mei Fang and Lin Youxi arrived, she was already surrounded by fans, posing for photos and signing autographs.

It took Lin Youxi's intimidating presence to extract her.

"I'm starting to regret going public…"

Arm in arm with Lin Youxi, a weary Xia Yuan groaned. "Being famous is exhausting."