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

The layoff notice Lin Youxi received was as sudden and unexpected as the torrential downpour that struck today.

Ah Fang helped her pack up her belongings at her workstation. Around them, the atmosphere among their project team colleagues was bleak and sorrowful.

Some sat in a daze at their desks, some clutched hands in tearful farewells, some squatted beside their beds making hushed phone calls, while others buried their heads and sobbed quietly.

After all, these employees had once stood at the pinnacle of tech workers in Pengcheng—they worked for Tencent.

But if even a tech giant like Tencent had become this ruthlessly cutthroat, making it unsustainable to stay, then was the only future left for workers to take the civil service exam?

At that moment, Ah Fang found it difficult to say anything comforting to Lin Youxi, because any words felt hollow and powerless.

Yet, Lin Youxi didn't seem as devastated as Ah Fang had imagined—perhaps because Ah Fang was still by her side, keeping her company in this now-empty office floor, so she didn't feel quite so alone.

The two of them sat cross-legged by the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the relentless rain batter the city—a city born solely for the sake of striving and struggle.

"Ah Fang."

"I'm sorry."

Lin Youxi swayed slightly before leaning onto Ah Fang's shoulder. "You stayed with me working overtime for so long, and in the end, nothing came of it. I even bragged so confidently to you about it… I let you down."

"It's fine. That's just how working life is."

Ah Fang began sharing her own experiences:

"I used to work like crazy alongside my boss, fighting tooth and nail. The company got better and better, money flowed in, and at the time we even dreamed of taking it public, aiming straight for financial freedom."

"But then the internet bubble burst. Every project my boss had invested in collapsed, and we laid off over half the staff. Now we're making reskinned gacha games—it's basically like churning out crap. But hey, we're still alive."

Ah Fang's words made Lin Youxi laugh. She rubbed her eyes and smiled. "Your games aren't that bad."

"They're just not the kind of games I want to make."

Ah Fang sighed. "But it's fine. We still haveWhite Plum Time. You got a decent severance, right? So you can take it easy for a bit—you don't have to work yourself to the bone."

Tencent had given Lin Youxi a severance package calculated at 2n+1. She'd worked at Tencent for five years in total, but since she had once resigned and checked herself into a psychiatric hospital, she could only get compensation equivalent to six months' salary.

That said, her base salary was nothing to scoff at, so the payout wasn't exactly small.

But without Tencent's many perks and subsidies, their daily living expenses would become more of a burden—especially with the housing allowance now gone, which meant a significant extra cost. Lin Youxi had no intention of just idling around.

She gave her cheeks a light pat, then stared seriously at Ah Fang with a determined expression.

"Once we get home today, I'm going to start updating my résumé and job hunting!"

"You're already jumping into that? Why not take a little gap period first?"

Ah Fang reached out to stroke her hair. "Wouldn't it be better to polish upWhite Plum Timea bit more?"

"Nope, nope. Making indie games is the dream, but having a job is life. I still have to support you."

"Didn't I say I'd support you? My salary's not high, but I've got some savings. We'll figure things out together."

Lin Youxi shook her head repeatedly. "That's your future wedding fund. How could I possibly use it?"

"……"

Hearing this, Ah Fang looked slightly displeased, simply staring at Lin Youxi.

"……"

"Are you mad?" Lin Youxi stuck her tongue out.

"What do you think?"

"I'm not gonna be your wife."

Lin Youxi pinched Ah Fang's cheeks. "Sure, I'm pretty… but I'm also mentally ill, you know. Why do you keep pining after me?"

"I can't help what I like, no matter the cost."

"Alright, alright… you win. But next time I have an episode, I'm going to torment you to death!"

Laughing, she launched a tickle attack on Ah Fang.

Their playful antics stood in stark contrast to the sorrowful scenes unfolding around the office.

Outside, the torrential rain around Tencent's building showed no sign of letting up.

Lin Youxi's job hunt didn't go smoothly. For one, her qualifications didn't quite put her at the top of the execution chain, so suitable positions were few and far between.

Second, the salary she expected couldn't be met by most companies, and those that could offer it didn't have Tencent's flexible work hours—something crucial due to her bipolar disorder and hypersomnia.

So, under Ah Fang's advice, she kept lowering her salary expectations. Lin Youxi didn't mind making less money, as long as the job wasn't too demanding.

Eventually, she found a few companies that were close to making her an offer. She completed every interview stage.

But no formal offers ever came. All she received were regretful rejection emails—

Because during background checks, her mental health history had been discovered.

Bipolar disorder doesn't necessarily affect intelligence or manifest outwardly in severe ways, and it rarely impacts others during normal interactions.

Still, the hardest part of her résumé to explain was that two-month hospitalization for mental illness.

Even though she tried her best to explain things to the HR departments, she couldn't get through to them. None of them were like her old manager at Tencent—someone who understood her situation and recognized her talent.

As for that old project manager, rumor had it he was planning to sell his house in Pengcheng and move back to his hometown.

During this stretch of job hunting, Lin Youxi grew increasingly anxious. She'd reach out to Ah Fang at all hours of the day. And every time she messaged, Ah Fang replied instantly, helping her tweak her résumé and asking around for any opportunities. Unfortunately, they all came up empty.

When Ah Fang came home each night, he almost always found Lin Youxi fast asleep on the couch, surrounded by scattered documents and interview notes—working hard, but receiving no response.

He couldn't bear to see her like that. It wasn't good for her emotional stability.

So one day, he brought it up to her:

"Tencent laid off a ton of people recently—you're basically competing against your former colleagues."

"I think… maybe we should wait a little. Let's focus on finishing theWhite Plum Timedemo. If the game works out, I'll quit my job too. We'll become indie devs together, so we don't have to deal with awful bosses anymore."

"Mm. I don't want to take crap from bosses either."

Lin Youxi looked up at him, worry etched on her face.

"Ah Fang… do you think we can actually make it?"

"I might be bragging here, but this is my own work—I know its value. I'm pretty confident."

He pulled her into a reassuring hug. "Oh, by the way, there's an indie game convention at the end of this month—Nuclear Fusion. I've already signed us up. It'll be our first time presenting the project publicly."

"You didn't even tell me ahead of time! I need to check the code for bugs!"

"Our Youxi's code is always flawless."

"Are you mocking me as a programmer!? How dare you!"

They wrestled playfully on the couch. Then Ah Fang picked her up in a tight hug and gently set her back down.

"Alright… time to take your meds. I'll go grab them."

"Okay."

"By the way, your olanzapine is almost out. Want me to buy some for you?"

"No, no need… I'll get it myself. You don't have my medical records—you won't be able to buy prescription meds."

"Then let me transfer the money to you. If you're short, just let me know."

"I'm not completely broke. I still have half a year's worth of severance. Don't look down on me."

Ah Fang pinched her nose. "But your rent alone eats up a big chunk of your pay, doesn't it? We're sharing this place—just treat it as me covering my share of the rent, alright?"

"Hmm… If youinsist, then I'll just have to save it for you. It's your wedding fund, after all."

"Where can I find such a cheap wife—costing me thousands a month?"

"If I weren't sick, I'd definitely be able to—"

Realizing she was giving him an opening, Lin Youxi suddenly clammed up.

But Ah Fang just smiled at her.

"So… youdowant to be my wife, huh?"

"Keep dreaming, hmph!"

She kicked at his stomach. "Go get my meds already!"

"Yes, yes, ma'am."

With more free time now, Lin Youxi started doing housework to ease Ah Fang's burden.

She took on everything from basic chores like mopping and scrubbing the toilet, to laundry and full-on cleaning sprees.

She used to handle most of these herself, but since living with Ah Fang, she'd become a total homebody.

Phew…

How did I end up like this?she wondered as she cooked noodles, reflecting on her life with Ah Fang.

They'd been living together for over a year now.

Yet it felt like such a long stretch of time—longer than her hazy school days.

At first, she'd only contacted Ah Fang to work onWhite Plum Time, but the more they talked, the more in sync they became. Though they never made their relationship official, everything they did mirrored that of a couple.

So, she had wondered: If she weren't mentally ill, what kind of life might she and Ah Fang be living?

Maybe like a normal couple—shopping together, eating meals, watching movies, and planning a future.

Maybe Pengcheng would never become their long-term home, but if they saved enough and returned to Bai Mei County, they could still live happily.

Having never known a mother's love growing up, she deeply yearned to give that warmth to a child one day…

Funny—wasn't it YuanYuan who had always wanted to be a mother?

Whenever they played house, YuanYuan always insisted on playing her mom. Though she never said why, Lin Youxi figured it was because she thought Youxi was pitiful for not having a mother…

Immersed in these memories and daydreams, she didn't notice her pot of noodles beginning to smoke.

Even though the noodles were overcooked, Ah Fang ate them with gusto, slurping them down like a gourmet meal.

"If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it."

"Noodles always taste the same… can't really go wrong."

As he ate, he chatted with her about the upcoming Nuclear Fusion indie game convention.

"I was gonna invite Guo Yun and Peng Xue, but one's too shy to go out and the other's busy with work. I asked around at my company—some of the junior planners said they'd help set up our booth, and the boss said I could borrow his car to move all the merch and gear."

"By the way, that big poster board at home—did Guo Yun draw that for us? It looks super polished. Must've taken a while."

The promotional poster Guo Yun had drawn was also the game's key art. In it, the male lead holds hands with a pink-haired girl and a black-haired girl, with their shadows stretched long under the setting sun. The surrounding pixel scenery depicted real streets from Bai Mei County. At the top of the poster, the titleWhite Plum Timewas rendered in pixelated font.

"Yeah… She said she wouldn't charge me for that one. Consider it her apology for not being able to come to Pengcheng with us."

"She's a sweet girl."

Lin Youxi smiled. "If someone had recognized her talents sooner, maybe she'd be more confident by now."

She glanced at Ah Fang again.

But to match up with our Ah Fang… she's still a bit lacking…

The next morning around eight, their boss Xu-ge showed up at their apartment complex with three coworkers to help load up all the exhibition gear. He handed the car keys to Ah Fang.

"I was gonna come with you, but I've got a meeting with some other company heads today. You guys go give it your best, hahaha."

"Thanks, Xu-ge!"

"Thank you, Xu-ge."

Even Lin Youxi, who rarely greeted people, politely thanked him.

Xu-ge patted Ah Fang on the shoulder. "Good luck. You're a talented young man. I believe in your indie game dream."

"I'm not that young anymore, Xu-ge."

"You're not even thirty—that's young, alright? Hahaha!" He clapped Ah Fang hard on the back. "Like they say, men remain boys at heart 'til they die. Once this company weathers the storm, I'll try making an indie game too. That's where the real fun is!"

Little Cao, who was moving boxes, muttered, "Boss, you better mean it. We've been dreaming of making a roguelike forever."

"What roguelike! We're making a galgame! A beautiful girl game!"

"Yesss! Long live Xu-ge!"

They all knew he was probably just spinning tales—but they couldn't suppress their excitement.

Dreams were important.

Because you never knew…

Maybe one day, they'd come true.

Nuclear Fusion was one of the few game-focused exhibitions in China. Most other conventions were cosplay or doujin-centric.

While major companies always showed off their latest titles, many indie developers also used this event to promote their own creations.

Still, in this day and age, the indie game craze had largely passed. Burned by countless disappointing early access games, domestic indie games had become a stagnant pond.

Ah Fang had known this when he began working onWhite Plum Time. That's why he never had grand expectations of success—this kind of gameplay was far too niche to go viral.

All he wanted…

Was to make Youxi happy.

To fulfill her dream.

When it came to the development progress ofWhite Plum Times, Mei Fang had always harbored conflicting feelings.

On one hand, he wanted to fulfill Lin Youxi's wish as soon as possible. But on the other hand, he feared that once theWhite Plum Timesproject ended, they'd lose that irreplaceable bond tying them together.

Back then, he had hoped to use daily companionship to make Youxi emotionally dependent on him—but now, it seemed like he was the one falling deeper into the relationship.

Sigh… this really is a dilemma.

Mei Fang, Lin Youxi, and their coworkers began setting up the booth.

TheWhite Plum Timesgame exhibit was located in a corner of the venue. Their studio had little name recognition to begin with, so it was essentially impossible to get a prime location. But of course, that didn't bother them—everyone knew the score.

Mei Fang had even asked his mom to mail over a White Plum No.1 High School uniform from back home and invited Lin Youxi to act as the booth babe.

Wearing Mei Fang's high school uniform, Lin Youxi looked a bit embarrassed. She irritably knocked Mei Fang on the head. "Doesn't this just make me look like I'm trying to act young?"

"What do you mean 'act young'? You look youthful in this—you look great."

It was Mei Fang's high school jacket, covered in the names of classmates from when he graduated.

Lin Youxi brushed her fingers over the names on the uniform. "I don't remember any of your classmates' names."

"Our class wasn't anything special. It's normal that you wouldn't know them."

Lin Youxi then asked curiously, "Was your high school crush one of these people? I see the name Zhang Ming is written over your chest—is that her?"

"That's a guy—he's my bro…"

"You had a close male friend? How come I've never seen you meet up with him?"

"He works at Huaxing Company. Got posted to Ukenan. Haven't seen him post anything on Moments these past two years."

"In Ukenan? Isn't that a one-way trip?"

"Not necessarily."

Mei Fang smiled and said: "That bro of mine may not be great at much, but he's got unkillable luck. For all we know, he might come back as some elite mercenary after a bloodbath in Ukenan."

"What kind of novel plot is that… Just go hand out game flyers already. This spot doesn't attract any foot traffic at all."

"Okay okay, you hang in there too."

Mei Fang gave Lin Youxi a big thumbs up. The two looked at each other and shared a smile.

IfWhite Plum Timescould just keep going like this, forever and ever—

Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing after all…

Mei Fang stood at the entrance of the Fusion event, handing out flyers forWhite Plum Times. For story-driven games like his, exhibiting at Fusion wasn't really a great idea—after all, learning the full narrative took effort. Party games with quick co-op fun were way more efficient at drawing players in.

You could already see long lines forming in front of those booths.

One player took a flyer forWhite Plum Times, used it to wipe their hands, then casually tossed it into a trash bin.

…

Can't get mad, don't get mad—this is just how it goes for first-time exhibitors.

Still, a few players who were from around White Plum County saw the name and got curious. They said they'd go check out what kind of game Mei Fang's team had made.

The first half hour after opening was the peak time for foot traffic. Mei Fang stood at the door, handing out flyers nonstop. Only when his stack finally ran out did he return to his own booth.

Might as well check how my lovely wife is doing playing her role as booth babe.

…

Mei Fang hurried over to his booth, only to see thatWhite Plum Timeshad barely a handful of people trying the game—desolate and empty.

But in front of Lin Youxi, a flashy lolita-dressed girl was cheerfully greeting her in their local dialect.

"Isn't that White Plum No.1's uniform?! So nostalgic! Are you from White Plum County too…?"

"Uh…"

Lin Youxi nodded hesitantly. Looking at the girl's delicate features and bright, energetic smile, she even felt a momentary illusion that this was YuanYuan. She quickly responded in dialect, "Wow, what a coincidence—are you also an alumna of White Plum No.1?"

"Yeah yeah! Wait, wait… I think I know you… Are you Lin Youxi? That genius who always ranked first in our grade?"

"'Genius' is a bit—"

Before Lin Youxi could finish, the lolita girl grabbed her hands excitedly. "Itisyou! You're Lin Youxi! Fate is too wild—we're not just from the same hometown and school, we were even classmates!"

Her gaze dropped to Lin Youxi's uniform, and upon seeing the messy scrawled names, her eyes went wide in surprise:

"Wait a second… the names on your uniform… aren't these our male classmates? Zhang Ming, Wang Zhi, He Mingfan…"

As if something suddenly clicked, she looked back at Lin Youxi with a smile. "Could you turn around for a second? I want to see if my name's on the back."

"Mm… sure."

Lin Youxi turned around as requested. The girl's expression grew a bit emotional as she placed her hand on Lin Youxi's upper back, just over her shoulder blades. There, in graceful handwriting, were three characters: 【Liu Xiaoyu】.

At that moment, she turned sharply and locked eyes with Mei Fang, who stood frozen in astonishment.

After a brief pause of surprise, Liu Xiaoyu tilted her head and smiled at him.

"Long time no see, Mei Fang."