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

After obtaining Xia Yuan's consent, Mei Fang discussed the specific arrangements for her upcoming virtual idol debut with her.

According to the current promotional plan, Xia Yuan's official debut as "Yuan-chan" is scheduled for Christmas Eve. As for the specific livestream content, Xia Yuan can decide for herself.

Initially, Mei Fang thought of having Xia Yuan livestream her songwriting process, which would both allow her to continue her creative work and attract fans of "Yuanyuan."

However, Xia Yuan was quite open-minded about it. "Since we're going to livestream anyway, we should do something more interactive."

After some thought, Xia Yuan said, "For my first livestream, I could prepare an online concert. I already have plans for future concerts anyway, so this could be a good trial run."

"Ah, so you really want to hold offline concerts in the future?"

Mei Fang squeezed Xia Yuan's hand and murmured, "Livestreaming with an avatar is one thing, but having you perform and dance in front of a live audience feels like I'm asking you to sacrifice for me."

"Not at all! It's not as exaggerated as you think."

Xia Yuan said earnestly, "On one hand, you and Youxi work so hard developing games and managing the company, and I can't help much with that. Xiaoyu is now handling most of the game music, but I really enjoy and excel in the entertainment industry. I want to pursue this long-term. Besides, this is the company you gave me—how can I just sit back and do nothing?"

Mei Fang hugged Xia Yuan's waist and lay his head on her lap, whining playfully, "But I really don't want you to be too busy… You won't have time for me then."

"But… I need to contribute somehow. I don't want to fall behind Youxi either."

Xia Yuan was happy to be needed by Mei Fang, completely unaware of any potential manipulation. "And it's just for the next few years. Once Yuanxi Interactive stabilizes, I plan to focus on supporting your careers from home."

Lin Youxi found this amusing. "So after graduation, you'll just stay at home and not work?"

"D-depends on the situation…"

Xia Yuan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her face flushing. "I mean… if possible, I'd like to have a baby with Ah Fang by then… So I'd probably mainly stay home to take care of the child…"

"Yuanyuan…"

Mei Fang suddenly felt a surge of excitement—this was dangerous!

"But, besides taking care of the baby, I'd still want to do something to support Ah Fang. So I think the virtual idol path could be a long-term thing for me, since it aligns with my role as CStation's mascot."

"That sounds like a great idea."

Lin Youxi sat down next to Mei Fang. "In the future, I'll handle external matters, and Yuanyuan can focus on home. That way, Ah Fang will have company whether he's working or at home, and he won't feel lonely."

"As long as you two are with me… I-I'll never feel lonely—"

Mei Fang tugged at Lin Youxi's arm and mumbled, "O-okay… Youxi, that's enough… Don't take advantage of the situation."

Xia Yuan protested, "Tonight's Ah Fang is mine!"

"Oh? Does it have to be tonight?"

Lin Youxi smiled. "Since Sunday is the day after tomorrow, I think Ah Fang needs to conserve his energy for the second round of the love game competition. Don't you agree?"

Her words reminded Xia Yuan that the week was almost over, and another round of the love game evaluation was coming up.

Hmm…

Thinking back, this week had been full of sweet moments with Ah Fang, a stark contrast to last week's disadvantage. But last week, she had managed to turn things around despite the odds. This week, without any major mistakes, she could easily win again if she wanted to.

But I won't fall for that trick again!

I want Ah Fang!

Although Xia Yuan had gotten a taste last week, it was a "damaged" version of Ah Fang. By her calculations, it had been almost two weeks since she'd properly been intimate with Mei Fang. This week, she absolutely couldn't lose to Lin Youxi.

Xia Yuan now understood that this love game wasn't about genuine romantic feelings but about justifying those feelings—allowing her to win or lose as she pleased and take what she wanted freely.

"Yuanyuan, what are you thinking about? You're drooling."

At Lin Youxi's reminder, Xia Yuan quickly wiped her mouth. "Ah, it's nothing."

"So, about tonight—"

Xia Yuan vigilantly pulled Mei Fang into her arms. "I don't care! Ah Fang is young and full of energy—tonight, he's mine!"

"Then, by all means."

Faced with Mei Fang's muffled protests in Xia Yuan's embrace, Lin Youxi simply smiled.

Weekend: Judgment Day

After bathing and changing, Mei Fang entered his room to find Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi already dressed up, sitting on the bed in seiza positions, waiting for him.

"Wow, what a coincidence… Both in twin tails today?"

"Well, they're easy to manage, and this week's theme is this style."

Xia Yuan tilted her head and glanced at Lin Youxi, then smiled. "But I didn't expect Youxi to wear this hairstyle too."

"Since I'm the oldest among the three, it's normal for you to think I'm old."

"Why do you keep bringing that up? Are you really that petty?"

"Alright, alright, no arguing. Let's start this week's evaluation."

Mei Fang looked at Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi. "Who's going first this time?"

"Last time was Yuanyuan, so I'll go first this time."

Lin Youxi raised her hand. "This week was relatively calm, mostly just playing house. For me, the most romantic moment with Ah Fang was Wednesday night."

"Hey! Can nighttime activities even count?!"

"…"

Faced with Xia Yuan's outburst, Lin Youxi gave her a disapproving look. "Let me finish. That night, even though I sneaked over to Ah Fang's room, it was to reminisce about some beautiful memories from the past."

"Beautiful memories?"

Lin Youxi nodded. "Back in middle school, when my dad said he was going to marry Auntie Liang, I didn't understand and ran to my mom's grave to cry. Ah Fang was the one who found me."

"I fell in the cemetery, and Ah Fang carried me back. Later, he convinced me to try accepting the situation. I'm really grateful he was there for me then. That was when I realized I loved him."

"Yeah, I remember that…"

"And then I stayed overnight at Ah Fang's house, right?"

"Y-yeah… Huh?"

Under Xia Yuan's gaze, Lin Youxi looked at Mei Fang with tenderness. "That night, I actually sneaked into Ah Fang's bed."

Xia Yuan was shocked. "S-so early?! You were only in second year of middle school! H-how could you—"

"Relax, Yuanyuan…"

Lin Youxi smiled. "I just shared Ah Fang's blanket for a little while, with my hand on his chest. Later, I went back to sleep with Xiaoya—though I think Ah Fang carried me back."

"So that's what happened…"

Xia Yuan said wistfully, "I didn't know you two had such a romantic moment."

"So… on Wednesday night, I did the same thing—sneaked into Ah Fang's bed."

Lin Youxi said softly, "Because someone implied I was old, I felt hurt and wanted to confide in Ah Fang while reliving those beautiful memories."

"I-I'm sorry… That was me—"

So Lin Youxi had just gone to Ah Fang for comfort.

Xia Yuan felt deeply ashamed of what she'd said to Lin Youxi and what she'd done to Mei Fang the next day, completely missing the resigned smile on Mei Fang's face.

This Youxi… She's not lying, but she's only telling half the truth. How sneaky.

"W-well… I think we can skip the comparisons and just vote."

Mei Fang reminded Xia Yuan, "No, Yuanyuan, you have to talk about your most romantic moment with me this week. You can't just surrender."

"My most romantic moment…"

Xia Yuan thought for a moment. "Then… it'd be calling Ah Fang 'Daddy' during our playing house?"

"Was that it for you?"

"Huh? Didn't you enjoy it too? You were so happy."

"I did, but I think mine was something else."

"Then what was it?"

"Actually, it was…"

Mei Fang scratched his cheek sheepishly. "When you said you wanted to have a baby with me. For a guy, there's no greater expression of love than that."

"That was it?!"

Xia Yuan blushed and muttered, "How is that romantic? That's something a girlfriend or fiancée would say—it doesn't fit the theme of the love game!"

"Calling me 'Daddy' doesn't fit either, but I found all these role-playing moments really touching. What do you think, Youxi?"

"It depends on personal interpretation. The judgment is ultimately subjective." Lin Youxi said gently, "Shall we vote now? After the countdown, point to your chosen person. Three, two, one—go!"

Mei Fang voted for Xia Yuan, Xia Yuan voted for Lin Youxi, and Lin Youxi voted for herself.

"Two to one. It seems I've won this week's love game…"

Although Xia Yuan lost, she didn't mind. She was just a little surprised. "Ah Fang, why did you vote for me? That's weird."

"What's weird about it?"

"Didn't you find Youxi's cuddling with you on Wednesday night heartwarming?"

"If it had just been the first half of the interaction, without her coaxing me by calling me 'Daddy,' then yeah, it would've been very pure and romantic…"

Seeing Mei Fang's serene, almost enlightened expression, Xia Yuan suddenly understood and glared at Lin Youxi, who looked very pleased with herself.

"You tricked me! I really thought you were all about pure love!"

"I didn't trick you. I really was reminiscing with Ah Fang at first."

Lin Youxi hugged Mei Fang in front of Xia Yuan. "But to think wanting a baby was more important than our past romantic memories… I'm a little hurt too, Ah Fang…"

"I didn't say it wasn't heartwarming, but this is an objective comparison…"

Lin Youxi pressed her forehead against Mei Fang's and whispered:

"Or is it—you still want to be intimate with me, so you deliberately voted for—"

"I-Is that true, Ah Fang?!" Xia Yuan was shocked.

"Of course not! You two said we had to be objective… Alright, let's get to the main event."

Mei Fang hugged Lin Youxi, letting her rest in his arms as he gently massaged her back from behind. Then he began sniffing Lin Youxi's scent, starting from her smooth, fair neck and slowly moving toward her cheeks.

During this, their fingers intertwined.

Mei Fang tried to kiss Lin Youxi's lips, but she avoided him with a soft hum.

"You voted for Yuanyuan. It feels like you're just going through the motions with me now."

"How could that be? I love both of you equally. You have to believe me—"

"Then prove it with actions."

Lin Youxi got up from Mei Fang's lap and lay face-down on the bed. "Until I truly feel your love, no casual kisses to wrap things up."

"Fine… Whatever you say. Let me give you a proper massage first, so you can feel my warmth."

Xia Yuan watched as Mei Fang diligently attended to Lin Youxi, dumbfounded.

"Wait, the love game rewards can work like this?!"

Epilogue

The second week of the love game took an unexpected turn, but the outcome was ultimately reasonable—both Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi got the happiness they wanted.

The week passed peacefully.

November arrived, and 2014 gradually drew to a close.

Meanwhile, Yuanxi Interactive continued to advance steadily through the stormy seas of the capital market.