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

C-Site's New Year's Eve Gala and Top 100 Creators Awards Ceremony marked Yuanxi Entertainment's first large-scale celebratory event. Although the inaugural program had a somewhat knockoff and rustic feel, the effect was exactly as Mei Fang had envisioned—down-to-earth, natural, community-oriented, and full of youthful energy.

There was no glamorous red carpet, just a crowd of genuinely supportive, warm-hearted audience members rather than fake-smiling spectators. The production lacked exquisite, luxurious costumes and props, but every performance was delivered with full effort for maximum entertainment value. The sincerity-filled show garnered widespread praise online, with many creators saying they would never forget this New Year's Eve gala.

Though around the same age as these now-famous creators, Mei Fang always stood out conspicuously among them. He and Xia Yuan were constantly pulled aside by Top 100 winners for group photos, with the creators treating them more like celebrities they had finally gotten to meet in person.

Lin Youxi usually left the impression of being aloof and unapproachable, but today she was dressed in a gothic lolita-style dress—the same outfit often worn by Xi-bao, one of C-Site's mascots.

This version of Lin Youxi was particularly eye-catching, making everyone more enthusiastic and proactive about interacting with her. She cooperated with all the photo requests, but upon returning home, she immediately clung to Mei Fang, demanding comforting pats.

"You know I don't like crowded places… I only put up with all of it today for you. I'm exhausted."

"There, there… I know it was hard on you… Didn't I say from the start that you could skip it if you wanted?"

"If it were anyone else, of course I would have skipped it."

Lin Youxi lifted her head to look at Mei Fang. "But A-Fang isn't just 'anyone.' For our future, of course I'm willing to endure things I don't like. That's just how life is…"

Mei Fang tried to hug and kiss her, but Lin Youxi pushed his face away, suddenly adopting a sorrowful expression. "Don't… don't do this, Mei Fang… We've already broken up. We can never go back to how things were before."

Mei Fang froze briefly before realizing what she was doing. Cupping her face tenderly, he asked with deep emotion:

"Then… do you still love me now?"

"It's not a matter of love."

Faced with Mei Fang's question, Lin Youxi tilted her head and looked away. "After everything we've been through… I… I no longer have the courage to love anyone again."

"Look into my eyes. Don't avoid me."

Mei Fang pinned her against the wall in a kabedon, bracing his arms on either side as he gazed into her eyes.

"Look at me. Really look at me. We've known each other for almost fifteen years as childhood friends. Our lives have long been intertwined. I don't believe you've completely lost all feelings for me."

"If you don't believe me, why not check my heartbeat? See if I still have feelings for you?"

Lin Youxi pressed her chest forward slightly, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she met Mei Fang's intense gaze. Trembling, Mei Fang reached out a hand, as if afraid to confirm the possibility that her love for him had truly faded.

"Hah…"

"Can you feel my heartbeat?"

"I… I can't." Mei Fang said sadly. "Maybe your clothes are too thick."

"Then let me unbutton them so you can check properly."

"Okay!"

"Enough—enough already!"

Xia Yuan, who had been treated as invisible until now, finally snapped. "You two can't just get lost in your own little roleplay! What about me? I want A-Fang's kisses, hugs, and piggyback rides too!"

"Can't you just wait until after I'm done with A-Fang?"

"No! Why should you get to play with a fresh A-Fang first? You haven't even won this week's dating game yet."

"What dating game? There wasn't even a chance for one this week…"

Mei Fang sighed. "Let's just postpone the final showdown until next week."

"But next week is finals prep! Aren't you going to study?"

"I heard most exams are open-book, and the computer science material is pretty basic. Shouldn't be hard."

Lin Youxi added gently, "It's much easier than the college entrance exams. Surely no one would fail to even score 60%, right?"

"I-I still need to predict test questions and review!"

Xia Yuan grumbled, "We music majors have to study art history, philosophy, and all sorts of complicated things! It's not as simple as you think! I'm… I'm going to focus on studying."

"Winter break isn't far off," Mei Fang agreed. "We should prioritize academics for now. The dating game's final round can wait a bit longer…"

"What about tonight, then?"

"Tonight… it's so cold. How about I warm everyone's bed?"

"Deal!"

"No objections here."

Amid the busy end-of-semester crunch, Mei Fang began reviewing his coursework. The theoretical knowledge from university wasn't useless—for him, it was an opportunity to systematically fill gaps in his understanding and refine his game design thinking.

In his past life, he had studied an impractical engineering major, only questioning whether it aligned with his passions upon graduation. His subsequent pivot into game development was entirely self-taught, relying solely on intuition—a disadvantageous approach for professional growth.

While he could leverage his past-life experience, he also needed to strengthen his foundational knowledge. Understanding why certain games became hits was crucial—blindly copying formulas wasn't sustainable.

After a hectic January, including Yuanxi Entertainment's equally chaotic annual meeting (complete with prize draws and red envelopes), Mei Fang began planning the trip back home.

This being their first year of university, the trio no longer needed their fathers to pick them up—Mei Fang could now drive his "wives" home himself.

However, the journey spanned over a thousand li (500 km), and with less than a year of driving experience, Mei Fang ultimately had to consult his family. In the end, his father, Mei Lijun, made the trip again to chauffeur the "Big Three" home.

Seeing his father at the station this time, Mei Fang was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Noticing Mei Lijun's thinning hair, he caught a glimpse of his own lamentable future.

"Dad… you're really going bald…"

"Stop rubbing my head while saying that! Your old man just has fine hair—he's not bald!"

The journey home was long, but the trio maintained their old habit of staying at the Mei household for a while before returning to Bai Mei County. While Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi were still strategizing over the dating game's final showdown, Mei Fang found himself sighing at the date displayed on his phone.

In the blink of an eye, the story's timeline had reached 2015.

After this birthday, Youxi and Yuan would turn 20 years old.

Ah… so they were only 20?