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

After San the cat was adopted from the pet hospital, she quickly became a part of the "Three Big Bosses of Mei Youyuan" family.

However, as a cat that had spent years wandering outside, San seemed to be used to living alone. Her daily routine mostly consisted of eating, drinking, and sleeping.

Interestingly, this San turned out to be quite polite. Perhaps worried about dirtying the house, she refused to sleep in the cat bed placed in the living room. Instead, she preferred to curl up in a corner on the balcony. With no other choice, Xia Yuan and the others had to move the cat bed out there for her.

Because of San's aloof and reserved nature, Xia Yuan gave her a name with an air of nobility—Niangniang("Your Highness").

Niangniang's arrival didn't make the household busier, but it significantly boosted Xia Yuan and Mei Fang's excitement about coming home.

The two of them—Xia Yuan, a self-proclaimed cat slave, would greet Niangniang as soon as she got home and serve her diligently with pets and strokes. Mei Fang, a secretly devoted cat slave, would silently stay beside Xia Yuan, occasionally reaching out to stroke Niangniang too.

Perhaps knowing her "poop scoopers" were kind and grateful for the chance to care for her, Niangniang didn't mind their affection. She only ran away when someone tried to pick her up—

"Ah Fang, look—when I scratch Niangniang's chin here, she purrs so loudly! The book says that means she's feeling really comfortable."

"Yeah, yeah… Don't go overboard though. Niangniang may look well-behaved, but stray cats can get really fierce when upset."

"By the way… is Niangniang really a stray? She seems awfully familiar with everything around the house—especially the way she handles the litter. She's clearly done it before…"

"She might've been abandoned by her previous owner, or she could've gotten lost."

"I think she probably got lost. If she were abandoned, she probably wouldn't be this friendly with humans anymore."

Like a pair of elementary schoolers, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang squatted on the balcony, chatting while petting Niangniang. Meanwhile, Lin Youxi had just finished cooking dinner and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"Alright, you two—come eat. Go wash your hands."

"Coming, coming!"

Niangniang might be lovable, but to Mei Fang, his wives' words came first. He got up and washed his hands, then looked at the feast Lin Youxi had prepared, letting out a string of admiring sounds. "Our dear Youxi is amazing—look at all this delicious food!"

"No matter how much delicious food I make, you'll get sick of it eventually—just like how you're now all caught up with something new and shiny."

Mei Fang hugged Lin Youxi and lifted her up slightly, greedily breathing in her scent.

"No way. Petting cats is just a new kind of lifestyle. But petting our Youxi is a lifelong commitment."

"You and that sweet mouth of yours."

Since they adopted the cat, the couple had fallen into a full-blown petting craze, which made Lin Youxi—who wasn'tquiteas obsessed—feel a little out of place sometimes.

But Mei Fang never neglected Lin Youxi because of his new cat obsession. Her small moments of being left out were soon soothed away by his frequent affection.

Looking back over the past decade since his rebirth, the reason Mei Fang had managed to "balance the water" so well all this time was because of his unwavering resolve and clarity of purpose.

Although now only five years separated him from the age at which he died in his previous life, Mei Fang felt like he had already lived over forty years.

While he might be reliving his teenage years, after correcting so many regrets, he had come to truly understand how incredibly rare and precious it was to havetwolovers by his side for life.

That awareness made him treat their relationship as his top priority, no matter his age.

Of course, that's getting a little off-topic. After some snuggling with Lin Youxi, Mei Fang called out to Xia Yuan to come wash up and eat.

"I knooow! Coming!"

"Stop staring, Yuanyuan. If you wait too long, the food Youxi made will get cold."

"Let me pet her a little longer…"

Still being willful, Xia Yuan was reluctantly dragged away by Mei Fang after he tapped her on the head.

"Don't be so clingy with Niangniang. If you're too clingy, she'll start to dislike you."

At that moment, Niangniang happened to stretch into a big cat arch, clearly drowsy. Xia Yuan finally stopped petting her and allowed Mei Fang to pull her away to wash up and eat.

"Right, right… Didn't the vet say Niangniang's almost due? I feel like she's going to give birth in the next few days. Should we have someone stay home with her?"

"Usually you don't need to. Cats are very capable—they can give birth on their own unless it's a rare complication."

Lin Youxi was intrigued by Mei Fang's obscure cat-fact. "So humans are the only ones who are super vulnerable during pregnancy and childbirth, huh? It's not something we can really handle alone."

"I just feel like Niangniang is really strong. Whether she was abandoned by a jerk of an owner or some deadbeat tomcat, she's still determined to raise her kittens bravely on her own."

"You really admire moms like that, huh, Yuanyuan?"

"Mhm, I admire them—but I also think I can be like that too."

"Seriously?"

Lin Youxi teased her while eating. "Imagine this: You're pregnant with Ah Fang's baby. But because you're too busy petting cats, me and Ah Fang run off while you oversleep one day. You're left behind to raise little Yuanbao all by yourself. Do you think you'd have the courage?"

…

Xia Yuan pictured the scene in her mind—and immediately lost her appetite. Even the meat in her mouth wouldn't go down. She glared at Mei Fang with sudden grievance.

"Ah Fang, why would you abandon me?"

"Why… why…"

Mumbling to herself, Xia Yuan really immersed herself in the tragic fantasy. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she stared at Mei Fang, who could only look helpless.

"Aiya… Don't get so into character, okay? How could I ever abandon you?"

"Well—it's not impossible, is it… Once we've had kids and I get old, I'll become a nagging, plain old housewife. You'll start liking some young pretty thing instead… You're a big boss, and you're so talented. There'll be tons of women who like you…"

"Bythen, I probably won't be that amazing anymore either!"

Mei Fang quickly comforted her, rubbing her head. "Anyway, don't let your mind wander with these silly thoughts…"

"But Iwantto."

Xia Yuan wiped her eyes. "I'm upset right now. You have to take responsibility, Ah Fang."

"I will, I will! I'll definitely take responsibility."

Mei Fang cuddled her, kissed her, lifted her up in his arms. It took a while of babying before she was soothed.

Meanwhile, outside on the balcony, Niangniang occasionally squinted at the warm indoor scene, her eyes reflecting a special kind of light.

Not long after this phase of Xia Yuan's cat-parent life began, Niangniang started showing more signs of being close to giving birth.

Since cats don't like people watching them give birth—and might even hide their kittens afterward—Mei Fang and Xia Yuan made a big cardboard box for her to deliver in, while Lin Youxi focused on preparing nutritious food to keep her strong.

Finally, after days of anticipation, new life entered the "Three Big Bosses" household. Inside the box were several tiny, mewling kittens.

"One, two, three, four… five, six! That's a lot—she had six kittens!"

Niangniang gave birth to six kittens—two white, two orange, and two black. All were solid-colored, which left the trio amazed.

"Damn, she's better at balancing than I am."

Lin Youxi nudged Mei Fang with her elbow. "Well, like they say—birds of a feather flock together."

After giving birth, Niangniang was weak. In addition to caring for the kittens, Mei Youyuan also took care of her. After a week, she perked up again—livelier than ever, even more so than when she first arrived.

Xia Yuan felt both busy and extremely happy during this time. She enthusiastically shared her cat-raising tips and experiences during livestreams.

However, this blissful time didn't last.

As soon as the kittens opened their eyes and started to move around, Niangniang disappeared.

Because she wasn't the type to run around or act up, the family eventually got used to leaving windows and doors open. Who would've thought she'd suddenly leave under such circumstances?

At first, they thought she was just hiding somewhere to rest, but even after searching the house top to bottom, she was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of her, not even a purr.

They searched the neighborhood, put up missing cat posters, but no one ever reported finding her.

During the days Niangniang was missing, Xia Yuan was distraught. She had poured so much effort into raising the cat. Only after encouragement and comfort from Mei Fang and Lin Youxi did she ease up a bit—and then turned her attention to feeding the constantly meowing kittens.

They bought formula and bottles at the supermarket, stepping into their roles as surrogate cat parents. And so they waited for Niangniang's return.

A week passed. The kittens grew stronger by the day. But Niangniang never came back.

Thinking of it always made Xia Yuan sigh with deep sadness:

"She left her babies here, how could she just abandon them like that? They're still so tiny—how could she bear it?"

Mei Fang thought for a moment. "Maybe she believed we were a trustworthy family. That they'd have a better life with us. Maybe she thought staying would be a burden to us…"

But Lin Youxi had a different take. "She's a stray cat. Used to living free and alone. Maybe to her, having kittens was just fulfilling her role as a mother. Now that it's done, she wanted to return to her old life."

"But it still hurts…"

Xia Yuan snuggled in Mei Fang's arms. "We took such good care of her, why wouldn't she stay? Isn't a warm home better than wandering outside?"

"Cats aren't easy to domesticate," Mei Fang said. "…But maybe shedidcherish this life?"

"She didn't leave because she didn't care…"

"I heard that when cats sense they're going to die, they leave quietly to find a place to pass away in peace…"

"That's even sadder."

Xia Yuan shook her head. "If that's true, I'd rather believe she left selfishly to pursue her freedom. Dying alone like that—it's just too heartbreaking."

Lin Youxi sighed at Xia Yuan's sentiment:

"To die surrounded by loved ones who mourn you, or to live alone after losing everyone you love—which one do you think is sadder?"

Xia Yuan thought briefly, then answered without hesitation:

"The second one. Sure, I'd be sad if I died—but I'd still see that my loved ones were happy, that they missed me. That's comforting in itself. But to live on, all alone…"

She paused.

"There's a kind of sorrow in that that's hard to describe."

Lin Youxi smiled gently, then looked at Mei Fang:

"What about you, Ah Fang? What do you think?"

"Me…?"

Mei Fang furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. "I think I agree with YuanYuan. Being able to witness the legacy of life… that's what gives meaning to passing on."

"Whoa, are you suddenly quoting biology again with your 'cell apoptosis' speech?"

"C'mon, let me have my moment. That line sounded cool, didn't it?"

As Mei Fang and Xia Yuan bantered, Lin Youxi didn't interrupt—just enjoyed the moment. Then suddenly, she said:

"When we grow old, if one of us dies before the other two—"

"Youxi!Ptui ptui ptui!Why are you saying such unlucky things? That's not like you!"

Xia Yuan quickly reached out to "wipe away" the bad luck from Lin Youxi's mouth. "My mom says if you wipe it like this, it doesn't count."

After playing along, Lin Youxi continued:

"But itwillhappen eventually, right? I just want to hear how you both feel about it."

Xia Yuan fell silent, but Mei Fang spoke up:

"If there's no way to save the one who dies first… I think I'd want to go with them. Haha."

"A-Ah Fang?!"

Xia Yuan stared at him, wide-eyed. "You… mean that?"

Mei Fang nodded gently. "A world without YuanYuan, or without Youxi… I can't accept either."

"That's the whole reason I was brought back to this life in the first place."

Mei Fang believed his rebirth had one purpose: to right the regrets of his past.

If he couldn't resolve the regrets that span life and death, then he would truly be a failure.

"Heehee… That's the Ah Fang I love."

Lin Youxi smiled brightly—her first in a long time. "If that time ever comes, I'll do the same."

"Ah… um—so you guys were talking about accidents, not dying of old age together?! Then… what if we all grow old…"

"I actually don't want to live too long. If I live too long, the quality of life won't be good. I feel like sixty years old is a good time for us to head off to Switzerland together. What do you say, Ah Fang?"

"Hmm… I'll have to see about YuanYuan… I get the feeling she'll want to live a long time."

Xia Yuan nodded seriously. "The world is so beautiful—why wouldn't I want to stay and see more of it? I'm a woman who wants to live to a hundred!"

"Hmm… if YuanYuan puts it like that, then Ah Fang and I will just have to work hard to live a long life too."

"Indeed."

"Why does it sound like you two are just humoring me!"