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

The current workflow forWhite Plum Timewas that Lin Youxi set the framework and fixed bugs, while Mei Fang was responsible for writing planning documents and proposing feature requirements.

In addition to programming needs, there were also art and music requirements—these also fell mainly under Mei Fang's responsibilities.

Originally, with Lin Youxi's connections at Penguin, they had access to plenty of top-tier artists. But alas, this spirited older sister rarely socialized outside of work—she either worked or went home, with practically zero interaction with others at the company.

As a result, Mei Fang had to post their project info on various outsourcing forums and communities, seeking to collaborate with freelance artists.

It was among these artists that one with the ID 【Yaoyuan de Yun】 ("Distant Cloud") stood out from the crowd.

Her pixel art matched Mei Fang's tastes quite well. On top of that, she'd grown up in Baimei County, and thus had a natural wellspring of inspiration for the creation ofWhite Plum Time.

The only somewhat troublesome issue was that she didn't play many games. This was also her first time taking on artwork for a game project, so her communication came across as lacking confidence. Thankfully, Mei Fang had written an extremely detailed planning and requirements document, which gave her a concrete direction to produce some character designs.

Their travel plans to Yangcheng were soon finalized—Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of the following week. Mei Fang also officially extended an invitation to this freelance artist for an in-person meeting on Sunday to thoroughly discuss the collaboration.

However, what was strange was that this artist friend, who had always replied almost instantly in the past, was now strangely silent and unresponsive.

"How odd… she still hasn't replied today…" Mei Fang murmured.

"You didn't happen to find a scammer, did you?" Lin Youxi teased as she packed. "Ah Fang, you're too pure-hearted. Maybe you got tricked by some wicked woman… someone like me, for example."

"She hasn't even taken a deposit from me, so there's no reason she'd go through all this just to waste time with me…"

"Maybe precisely because shedidn'ttake a deposit, she feels no guilt about backing out now."

Lin Youxi patted Mei Fang's shoulder, then hugged him from behind. "Why don't we find someone else? It's not like I don't have money. Don't let this ruin our vacation vibes. Focus on the trip and the hot springs."

In the past, Lin Youxi had always seen Mei Fang as merely a tool for designingWhite Plum Time, but now, she was clearly more excited about traveling with Mei Fang—undeniably a shift in her mindset.

With his beloved whispering sweet nothings in his ear, Mei Fang quickly surrendered to her charm and agreed to let it go. He turned his full attention to packing and preparing for the trip.

The company shuttle bus was parked right downstairs from their office building. Since they lived nearby, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi arrived early. Only a few coworkers had gathered at the meeting spot so far.

"Morning, Fang-ge!"

"Morning, Fang-ge."

Even though he was just a middle manager, Mei Fang was surprisingly well-liked at the company. People greeted him proactively, and he responded to each one.

Standing by his side, Lin Youxi watched him finish exchanging greetings before stepping up to poke fun.

"Your coworkers arewaytoo friendly. Guys and girls alike treat you like a rockstar. With this much popularity, how are you still single? I really don't get it."

"It's probably just because I'm a nice guy. If I can avoid making people work overtime, I absolutely will. There's really no other reason."

"But surely there are coworkers who admire you, right? Nobody caught your eye? Want me to help matchmake?"

As Lin Youxi continued to tease him, Mei Fang's boss, Xu-ge, strode over. Mei Fang suddenly linked arms with Lin Youxi and greeted him:

"Morning, Xu-ge!"

"Ah, morning morning. You two got here early, huh."

"Yeah, we live nearby."

Still holding onto Lin Youxi's arm, Mei Fang smiled and introduced, "This is my new girlfriend, Xixi. She's visited our office before."

Lin Youxi was momentarily dumbfounded by the introduction but went along with it, smiling as she greeted Xu-ge: "Hello hello."

"Ah, nice to meet you, Xixi! Ahhh…" Usually outgoing, Xu-ge scratched his head, unsure what to say for a moment before earnestly commenting, "Mei Fang is one lucky guy. Got himself such a pretty girlfriend, ha ha… ha…"

In the midst of this awkward atmosphere, Xu-ge called over another employee, Little Cao, who'd been watching from a distance:

"Hey, Xiao Cao! Didn't you say you wanted to meet Fang-ge's girlfriend and have her introduce you to someone? Come on over!"

With extreme reluctance written all over his face, Little Cao was summoned over by the boss. He copied Xu-ge's awkward head scratch and bashfully greeted Lin Youxi:

"H-hi, Sister Fang…"

"Oh? You're the one who wanted me to set you up, yeah?"

"No no! I was just kidding! I'm all about the hustle now—dating, who even has time for that…"

"Love introduced by someone else is never sweet. But—once you meet someone who's right for you—youmustact boldly. Love is something you have to fight for. Don't waste your youth."

Lin Youxi said, interlocking her fingers with Mei Fang's in an affectionate display as she earnestly imparted this advice. Poor Little Cao had no choice but to nod frantically.

"Y-yes! Thanks for the wisdom, Sister Fang! I'll go move some luggage!"

He scurried off like a frightened rabbit, joining another coworker and exhaling in visible relief.

"What's with that 'just-escaped-death' face of yours?"

"Sister Fang's aura is intense… reminds me of the class monitor from elementary school who used to hound me about homework."

"Why'd she do that?"

"I dunno, guess she was bored. She was my neighbor—you know, one of those 'kids next door' everyone compares you to. Always showing off in front of my mom…"

"Dude, that's your childhood sweetheart! Today might be your big chance!"

"She'd have to be cute for that to count. She wasugly, man…"

Though Lin Youxi always had a cold, unapproachable air atherown company, she got along surprisingly well with Mei Fang's colleagues. Everyone treated her with respect and friendliness, and she, in turn, gave Mei Fang face by joking around and chatting with the group.

【Truly a flawless, perfect girlfriend.】

That was Mei Fang's evaluation, sent to Lin Youxi via text while on the bus. Lin Youxi twisted his thigh in retaliation, then typed back with her head down:

【What the heck is "Xixi"? Don't give me weird nicknames.】

【It makes us seem closer.】

【I'm literally trying to set you up with someone else. Why would I act all lovey-dovey?】

【I already told everyone we're together. How am I supposed to date someone else now?】

【Rising tides raise all boats. When they see you with such an amazing girlfriend, your company's girls will suddenly see you in a new light. They'll regret not making a move earlier.】

Mei Fang thought for a moment, then typed a new message while looking at her:

【You're all I need.】

……

When Lin Youxi looked up from the message, Mei Fang was staring straight ahead, calm and righteous, not a trace of playboy insincerity in his gaze.

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh…

Wasn't this guy all quiet and awkward when we first met? Why's he getting smoother and smoother?

Did I accidentally awaken his inner flirt or something?

IknewI shouldn't have told Xiang Xiaoxia I liked him…

Although Mei Fang had already understood that the reason she was willing to "date-train" with him without officially getting together was because she didn't want him to suffer with her, saying it out loud had clearly given him a massive confidence boost.

The ride to Yangcheng was long. When Lin Youxi grew tired, she leaned on Mei Fang's shoulder and fell asleep. Mei Fang checked his messages with "Distant Cloud"—still no reply.

He thought for a moment and sent another message:

【If you don't feel comfortable meeting in person, we can keep chatting online—it's no big deal. But if you feel like you can't continue, please just let me know. I understand.】

This time, he got an instant reply:

【Ahhh uhhh】

【I'm really sorry… It's not that I don't want to do it. I just have some social anxiety.】

【Also… I'm fat and ugly. If you see what I look like, you'll probably be disgusted.】

Mei Fang almost burst out laughing. He quickly typed a response:

【It's not a blind date. Who cares what you look like? Besides, I have a girlfriend.】

But before sending it, he paused—realizing that might come off as insensitive—so he reworded:

【We don't judge people by appearances.】

Then thought a little more, and typed again:

【Chubby girls are cute too. What's the big deal?】

【You wouldn't say that if you saw my face.】

【Then let me take a look. We can talk more after we meet.】

And then… silence again.

……

Mei Fang started to worry that he'd offended her somehow. He really didn't mean anything bad—he just wanted to meet and chat.

If he admitted he wasn't handsome either, would that help? Not that Mei Fang considered himself ugly, but standing next toLin Youxi?

While he was caught in indecision, Lin Youxi—who had been dozing—opened her eyes. She looked at the chat log, then reached for his phone:

【We traveled all the way from Pengcheng to Yangcheng just to talk about this, and you're gonna ghost us because of your face? Who the hell cares what you look like? What wedocare about is whether you can deliver on your work. If you won't meet, then forget this project. If you can't respect us, don't expect our respect. We'll just find someone else.】

Lin Youxi had always been the "if someone offends me, I'll make them regret it" type. Seeing how this was frustrating Mei Fang, she got mad too. But Mei Fang felt it was a bit harsh and tried to stop her.

"She clearly has low self-esteem. Don't say it like that. Also, when did we become 'specially traveling to see her'? You're putting pressure on her."

"Whyshouldn'tI say that? It's true. This isn't a date—we don't care what she looks like. If I don't pressure her, she'll keep dragging you down. Let's just cut her off already."

As they were arguing, "Distant Cloud" sent another message:

【I'm sorry.】

【It's my fault.】

【W-where should we meet?】

【Let me treat you two to dinner. What would you like to eat?】

……

Both Mei Fang and Lin Youxi were surprised. Lin Youxi was first to react, nudging Mei Fang:

"See? She's totally a textbook people-pleaser. The more you coddle her, the more she walks all over you. But say something harsh and she finally decides."

"Even if it feels a bit mean… yeah, this time, you had a point."

As long as the issue was resolved, Mei Fang didn't dwell on it.

The bus arrived at a hot spring town in Yangcheng. This was a natural hot spring paradise—each unit was a small house with its own private courtyard, and in the courtyard was an outdoor hot spring pool for soaking.

Everyone was full of praise for the environment. It seemed that Brother Xu had spared no expense this time and was determined to treat everyone well.

These kinds of courtyard houses were all twin rooms with two beds, but for couples like Lin Youxi and Mei Fang, HR had specially arranged king-bed rooms.

As soon as Lin Youxi entered the room, she flopped face-down onto the soft and comfortable king-size bed, showing an expression of utter relaxation.

"I'm dying… I almost threw up on the bus."

"I'm impressed you held it in so long."

Mei Fang said as he patted Lin Youxi's back: "I remember you used to get carsick if the ride was longer than half an hour. This time it was what, four hours?"

"Yeah… and I endured all that just for you…"

Lin Youxi twisted her body lazily, raising her butt towards Mei Fang, "Aren't you going to give me a massage?"

"Go shower first. I'll run the hot spring water to help you relax."

"Okay!"

Lin Youxi cheerfully ran off to the shower room to rinse off. Meanwhile, Mei Fang was tidying up the luggage and took out Lin Youxi's medicine.

Lin Youxi's type I bipolar disorder required her to take medication regularly. If she stopped taking it on her own, the symptoms would worsen. And this "regularly" wasn't just a figure of speech—it was a very long-term process, essentially lifelong.

This was one of the hardships Mei Fang had to endure in order to be with Lin Youxi.

But aside from Lin Youxi's medication, Mei Fang also took out a bottle of Coenzyme Q10 heart protection supplement, placed it on the table, and swallowed two capsules with water.

After experiencing symptoms of angina, Mei Fang had gone to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor hadn't found anything serious, only advised him not to stay up late and to take better care of his body. Naturally, Mei Fang followed the doctor's advice and bought the heart supplement.

Whether the supplement actually worked or not was unknown, but if it offered even a little psychological comfort, that counted as something.

After taking his medicine, Mei Fang put the heart supplement back in his bag and went out into the courtyard to start filling the hot spring bath.

Since there were sulfides in the hot spring water, they couldn't wear fabric garments while soaking. Mei Fang took off his coat and tested the water temperature at the edge of the pool. Just then, Lin Youxi's voice suddenly came from behind him. He turned around and saw Lin Youxi wearing an orange two-piece swimsuit, watching him curiously.

"Ah Fang, how's the hot spring?"

"Ah, um—"

Mei Fang was dumbfounded the moment he saw Lin Youxi in the swimsuit. Lin Youxi seemed to enjoy being watched and said, "Like this swimsuit? If you do, stare a little longer. Want me to show you the back, too?"

"N-no, not now. Come on, it's time for your meds. Let's go take them."

"Mmm… fine, fine. After that we keep looking."

Lin Youxi sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Mei Fang to pour her water and hand her the pills.

"Feels like ever since we got together, I've regressed. I even need you to feed me my medicine."

"Better to make it a habit—that way you won't be able to leave me."

"Classmate Mei Fang."

Lin Youxi smiled slightly. "Don't be fooled by how clingy I am now. When my illness acts up, I'll still tell you to scram, delete and block you."

"Mm, I know."

Mei Fang nodded and handed Lin Youxi her medicine and water. After she took it, Lin Youxi pulled Mei Fang's hand, interlaced her fingers with his, and kissed him.

After some intimate cuddling, Mei Fang got up from Lin Youxi's embrace.

"Alright… I'm going back out to finish preparing the hot spring."

"Okay."

Lin Youxi watched Mei Fang's back as he left for the courtyard. The smile on her face gradually became tinged with sorrow.

You dummy, it's not that I can't leave you—

But if things keep going like this…

Is it that he…

That he's…

Already finding it hard to leave me?

After taking the medicine, Lin Youxi's consciousness began to blur. By the time Mei Fang returned from filling the bath, Lin Youxi was already lying in bed, deep in a medicated sleep.

On the first day of the company retreat, Lin Youxi ended up sleeping in their room for over a dozen hours due to the side effects of her medication. She didn't wake up until the afternoon of the second day.

Mei Fang stayed by her side the entire time and didn't go out to play.

But at the very least, when Lin Youxi woke up, she wasn't alone—Mei Fang was right there with her.