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

After teaching the troublesome big man a lesson, Mei Fang finally had the chance to talk with Zhang Ming, his old friend who had been lost for many years. He was still in chest pain but was helped by Zhang Ming and Lin Youxi to sit on a nearby bench.

"I… I'll go buy a bottle of water for Ah Fang."

Lin Youxi jogged to the nearby convenience store, and Mei Fang was taken care of by Zhang Ming.

"What happened to you… After you went to Ukhnan, I didn't hear from you for three years. Suddenly, you're back as a king of soldiers, huh?"

"Well, not exactly a king of soldiers… But indeed, I encountered quite a few misfortunes, and in the end, I managed to survive… though I lost quite a lot along the way."

Zhang Ming gave a slight smile, which conveyed many years of hardship, but no one knew what he'd been through in Ukhnan over those three years.

"Well, as long as you're alive, it's good. You're doing fine now—no missing arms or legs, and you've even become much more handsome. The suffering you went through is worth it."

"Even though you're in the country, it doesn't seem like you've had it much better than me."

Zhang Ming looked at Mei Fang's eyes for a moment.

Zhang Ming asked Mei Fang, "Have you seen anything unclean lately, or any hallucinations…?"

"You didn't stay in Ukhnan as a soldier, but instead became a divine doctor and medicine king, huh? Your foreign adventure seems to have quite the local flavor, strange, really strange."

"I'm no medicine king… Back then, when I was at war and escaping, I met an old Chinese medicine doctor. I spent more than half a year with him. Over these three years, I encountered many difficulties. It's too long to explain… Let's save it for another time."

Zhang Ming was observing Lin Youxi, who was picking up something at the convenience store, then turned back to Mei Fang and said, "But you've got yourself a pretty good girlfriend. I thought you'd be single forever!"

"With you like this… You still have time to care about me? When did you come back? Why didn't you message me?"

"I lost my phone and couldn't get my old contacts when I was abroad. Recently, I've been busy with opening a store, so I only contacted my family, then went back home for a while."

"So you're opening a store in Peng City? Not working at Huaxing anymore?"

Zhang Ming nodded. "Who wants to work at such a stupid company? Even if the world exploded, I wouldn't go back to that company, it's too painful, damn it."

"Wow, you're really confident now. It's such a big difference from the shy, obedient person you used to be."

Mei Fang smiled and shook his head. "Honestly, I really didn't expect you to come back. Congratulations on surviving."

"Although you never came to find me in Ukhnan, still, thanks for your congratulations."

"That wasn't realistic."

"Mm, just kidding."

Mei Fang continued, "So what kind of store are you running now? I'm curious, is it related to Chinese medicine?"

"Yeah, it's a Chinese medicine massage therapy wellness center. I do acupuncture and massage. You can come to my shop for some therapy sometime. It will be very good for your heart. I'll do it for free."

"Wow, that's impressive… You could tell right away that I have chest pain?"

"I felt it when I took your pulse earlier. This is a common discomfort caused by over-fatigue. You need to take care of your body. Don't stay up late at night, and keep your sexual life in moderation. Otherwise, the risk of sudden death isn't small."

"Yeah, I know, I know…"

By this time, Lin Youxi had bought the water and hurried back to Mei Fang, handing him the bottle. She helped him drink it.

Seeing this, Zhang Ming didn't disturb them any further. After exchanging contact details, he said goodbye to Mei Fang and Lin Youxi.

After they finished shopping, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi returned home. As soon as Lin Youxi entered, she ran into the bedroom and locked the door behind her.

Lin Youxi's sudden action made Mei Fang feel a little worried.

"Youxi? What's going on? Did it flare up again? Are you feeling upset? Hmm? Say something…"

There was no response from Lin Youxi on the other side of the door.

Mei Fang rubbed his still aching chest, then went to open the living room door. Just as he pulled it open, the bedroom door behind him opened.

"Stop climbing over the walls," she said, one word at a time.

At this moment, Lin Youxi showed a rare expression of change, a faint worry written on her face.

This sudden action surprised Mei Fang, but also made him very happy. "Are you worried about me?"

"…"

Lin Youxi took a deep breath. She didn't directly answer Mei Fang. Instead, she walked back to her room.

When Mei Fang entered, he found that she was in her usual state of depression, hiding inside the wardrobe.

"Are you coming out?"

Lin Youxi shook her head.

"Are you angry? Is it because you didn't get to eat?"

She shook her head again.

"Well, it's okay if you don't want to talk…"

Then Mei Fang opened the wardrobe and sat down with Lin Youxi, both of them hugging their knees.

His voice was very gentle. "I'll stay here with you, hiding in the wardrobe until you get tired of it."

That night, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi fell asleep together in the wardrobe.

The next day, Mei Fang, sore all over from sleeping in the wardrobe, said he was going to Zhang Ming's Chinese medicine clinic for a therapy session. He reminded Lin Youxi to take good care of the house. Lin Youxi nodded and then opened the game app for "White Plum Time."

"Are we playing our own game today?"

Lin Youxi nodded.

Seeing her like this, Mei Fang didn't ask more questions, just reminded her that lunch was in the fridge, and she could heat it up in the microwave. Afterward, he prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Mei Fang locked the door and specifically told Liu Xiaoyu to visit Lin Youxi when she had the time. Then, he headed straight to Zhang Ming's newly opened Chinese medicine clinic.

As he was about to leave, Mei Fang seemed to see a white dress figure rush past the end of the hallway. The blurry sensation made him feel a little uneasy.

When he chased after it, he found there was nothing there.

Zhang Ming's Chinese medicine wellness center was located just 3 kilometers from Mei Fang's house, so their shopping location overlapped slightly, which was how they had met by chance on the street.

Zhang Ming's clinic was still a small place, set in a commercial office building, but the decoration had an old-fashioned, elegant style, showing that it was well-thought-out.

"Yo, you're here," Zhang Ming came out from the back room and greeted Mei Fang with a smile, looking much more graceful than before.

"Is this clinic only you?"

"Right now, it's just me."

Zhang Ming grinned mischievously. "It'll be slow. I'm just waiting for fate to bring in customers."

"Oh, that grin was something else! A crooked-mouthed Dragon King!"

"Shut up."

"Crooked-mouthed Dragon King cursed, wow!"

Mei Fang was dragged onto the massage bed by Zhang Ming. He was asked to lie on his stomach, and Zhang Ming lifted his shirt to reveal his back, then started giving him acupuncture treatment.

As he worked, he also explained his current condition to Mei Fang:

"Your body's filled with yin energy, and your seven orifices are blocked. Evil spirits are growing inside. You're in a very critical state now…"

"Wow, you're making it sound so bad, like I'm about to drop dead any second."

"If you want to complain, go ahead. You know your own body better than anyone else."

"Her mental state is a little abnormal too…"

"Youxi has bipolar disorder, it's like this… Let me tell you about it."

Mei Fang, while receiving the acupuncture treatment, began to talk to Zhang Ming about Lin Youxi.

"Wow, how did you end up with the number one beauty from high school?"

"Is a foreign soldier-master also going to be vulnerable?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Keep going with the rest of the story. You guys are living in a sci-fi movie!"

Mei Fang continued telling Zhang Ming about his love story with Lin Youxi.

From their first meeting, to living together, visiting family, starting their relationship, to proposing but failing to confess, Zhang Ming listened attentively to his friend's experiences, occasionally doing some mental calculations, murmuring to himself, then sighing from time to time.

"Alright, that's the whole story… Any questions?"

"Your experiences are more sci-fi than my three years in Ukhnan. How come I haven't met a girl like that?"

"Alright… Stop joking around."

Mei Fang asked Zhang Ming, "Are you practicing medicine or fortune-telling in Ukhnan? I saw you calculating non-stop while I was talking to you, what's that all about?"

Zhang Ming shook his head. "If I tell you, I discovered that Lin Youxi's birth chart has a Purple Star Fighting Disaster, meaning she's cursed with loneliness, and anyone close to her will face bad luck. Would you believe it?"

"I believe in ghosts! Enough with the nonsense… There's a limit to how far you can joke."

"If you don't believe it, that's fine. It's one of those things, if you believe it, it works. If not, it's nothing."

Then he continued seriously, "Anyway… My experiences in Ukhnan taught me that staying alive is the most important thing. As long as you're alive, there's hope."

"Yeah… Why are you telling me this?"

"The point is, I'm going to save your life now!"

"Ah, it hurts, hurts, hurts!"

"Endure it."

After the acupuncture, Zhang Ming continued to work on Mei Fang, massaging him, explaining, "Once a week, twice a week, every three days for a month, then you'll be fine."

"Really? You're that good at healing?"

Mei Fang was doubtful, "Just a few needles and you can cure my chronic illness?"

"Listen up, I'm not curing you. I'm just stopping the worsening trend. Whether it will flare up again depends on you."

"Depends on me?"

"Yeah."

Zhang Ming nodded, "You should know where the source of your chest pain is, right?"

"It's just about not being too tired… I've been improving my rest and sleep."

"Good, you'd better be."

Zhang Ming took out the needles and continued massaging Mei Fang.

"Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh—wow!"

Mei Fang was thoroughly worked over by Zhang Ming, but after the treatment, he felt less heavy.

He stretched his arms and followed Zhang Ming to the pharmacy, still joking with him:

"Doctor Zhang, although you really did a number on me just now, I have to admit, you're pretty impressive… Besides all this therapy, do you have any expertise in other areas? Like mental illness, maybe…?"

"Bipolar disorder? I'm not some kind of god, I'm still here working and making money on my own. What exactly do you expect me to help you with…" Zhang Ming turned around and started searching for some medications, "Heart problems need to be treated with heart medicine; relying on external forces won't cure it."

"So you're saying there's actually a way to cure it?"

Zhang Ming shook his head. "The problem you're mentioning is outside of my expertise. I can't give you a definite answer."

"No, no, no, you definitely know some way. You survived a war in Ukhanna for three years and came back, you must have learned quite a bit…"

He sighed deeply, then continued,

"I've already told you, and you actually have an idea yourself."

Zhang Ming handed Mei Fang some medicine that had been prepared,

"This medicine should be divided into five portions and taken for five days. It will be helpful for your body."

"Mm… Thank you."

Mei Fang took the Chinese medicine from Zhang Ming's hands, and Zhang Ming continued, "Now, let's not talk about these mystical topics anymore. If I look at this purely as an outsider, I think if you two continue to stay together, it will only end in mutual destruction."

"Listen carefully, it's not just you being tortured by her, it's mutual."

"The deeper your love for her, the heavier the backlash will be on her."

"I think that's also why she was able to live well alone before meeting you."

"But you made her 'alive' again."

"Such a person will fear 'death.'"

"As her fear of 'death' deepens, her emotions will only become more unstable…"

Hearing Zhang Ming's explanation, Mei Fang fell silent.

"So you're saying, only if we separate… can we both survive, is that the point?"

Zhang Ming shook his head. "About that, I can't give you an answer."

"Although my personal belief is that being alive is more important than anything."

"After all, living like this must be painful, right?"

"This is the question of which choice is more painful—separation or death."

"I've seen many such situations in Ukhanna, but none of the survivors ever thought their choice was the right one."

"After all, humans are such creatures, always regretting the roads they didn't take. I've said what I needed to say. Life is a matter of fate, I won't persuade you any further. You must decide for yourself."

"…"

Mei Fang listened to Zhang Ming's words, unable to escape deep thought.

I could have borne the darkness… if I had never seen the sun.

This sentence not only applies to Lin Youxi, but also applies to Mei Fang himself.

He could have spent his life in loneliness, but now, because of Lin Youxi's appearance, he found someone he wanted to spend his life with.

If they separated, life would lose its meaning.

But if he died, everything would be gone.

Sigh…

I can't say…

Can't say.

Mei Fang returned home with a nervous heart. He saw Lin Youxi's phone placed on the coffee table, with the screen displaying the "Thank You for the Clear" final scene of the game.

Lin Youxi had completed the female main storyline of "White Plum Time" today.

The male lead and the female lead ended up together, having a lovely daughter. This was the CG scene for the female lead's ending, where the pink-haired girl swayed in the golden sea.

In the picture, the male lead had the daughter riding on his shoulders while holding the female lead's hand as they ran through the sea, all three of them smiling joyously.

Meanwhile, the introverted second female lead quietly wished her childhood friends well and then went to live abroad, with little news of her after that.

Mei Fang closed the "White Plum Time" app, then took Lin Youxi's phone, inputting his birthday to unlock the password.

He opened the chat interface with the HR from Magic City and paused for a moment, before gripping the phone tightly. He entered the bedroom, quietly opened the wardrobe, and sat beside Lin Youxi.

At this moment, Lin Youxi was curled up with her knees hugged, fast asleep, doing the same thing she had been doing these past few days.

Mei Fang leaned on Lin Youxi's shoulder, his voice and tone incredibly gentle.

"Youxi, do you want to go to Magic City?"

Lin Youxi suddenly shuddered.

"If you want to go, I'll let you. How about it?"

Lin Youxi slowly raised her head, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She looked at Mei Fang, who was gazing at her tenderly, and then nodded.

"Mm."

She stood up with Mei Fang and watched as he packed her things.

Mei Fang packed all her belongings, carrying the large suitcase. He stood in front of the living room door, then checked everything one more time.

Clothes, jewelry, their matching couple toothbrush cups, slippers, pajamas, a photo of them together on the coffee table, even the game save file from their completed game.

Lin Youxi stood by and watched Mei Fang pack, her expression indifferent, devoid of vitality.

After Mei Fang finished packing the suitcase, he stood up and handed it to Lin Youxi.

"I won't see you off this time."

"Mm."

Lin Youxi nodded, took the phone from Mei Fang's hand, feeling the pressure he had passed along, and then slowly loosened her grip.

She grabbed the heavy suitcase, gently opened the door.

The sunset glow illuminated Lin Youxi.

At this moment, she turned back to look at Mei Fang, smiling as she asked:

"Are we not going to see each other again in the next life?"

Mei Fang bit his lip, paused, then asked her back:

"Do you want to meet me in the next life?"

"I'm not sure."

Lin Youxi hesitated for a moment, then firmly decided, "Probably not. Your love is too exhausting."

"Even now, you're still saying things that break my heart… You're too… too cruel to me, aren't you?"

The sunlight at dusk was especially glaring, and Mei Fang covered his forehead to shield his eyes. The burning tears, however, couldn't stop flowing down his face.

He had had many moments when he wanted to cry before, but each time, he held it in.

He didn't want to show his weakness in front of Lin Youxi.

But this time, he couldn't control his emotions anymore. The overwhelming grievance and strong unwillingness made him completely break down.

After hearing Mei Fang sobbing, Lin Youxi slowly raised her head.

Seeing Mei Fang no longer wearing a fake smile to comfort her, Lin Youxi finally showed a long-lost smile.

"This time, I really am leaving."

"I probably won't return to Peng City."

"We won't see each other again."

"This way, we can both live…"

"Although, I really want… really want to say this."

Lin Youxi said this as she started crying as well, her hot tears continuously sliding down her cheeks.

Clearly, she too was overwhelmed by intense grievance and unwillingness, unable to hold it in.

"If… I don't have Ah Fang by my side, what's the point of me living anymore?"

Mei Fang sobbed as he looked up, seeing Lin Youxi stretch her hand out toward him.

"Since I've tortured you like this…"

"I don't think you'll be able to love Xiaoyu anymore."

"Then… Ah Fang, how about… we die together?"

"Mm, okay."

Mei Fang was happy to hear Lin Youxi say that. He stopped crying and walked toward her, tightly hugging her.

Lin Youxi, feeling this foolish man's strong obsession with her, continued to play with his emotions and gently arranged his hair.

"Well, before we die, I can fulfill all your wishes, just ask."

"Then can you propose to me again?" Mei Fang's obsession never ceased.

"Sure, now you can."

Lin Youxi nodded. "Propose to me, and I'll agree right away."

"Where did I put the ring…?" Mei Fang scratched his head.

"The ring is with me, I plan to take it with me."

Lin Youxi took out the pendant from her chest, with the engagement ring Mei Fang had given her earlier.

She took the ring off and handed it to Mei Fang. Mei Fang immediately kneeled down, holding Lin Youxi's hand again. The two of them, both sobbing, started their marriage vows again.

"My most beloved Lin Youxi, I'm here… formally… inviting you to join me in marriage."

"After all… you'll never be able to leave me in this life;"

"I hope you will marry me and give this life to me—"

Lin Youxi tapped on her screen, urging Mei Fang:

"I've already clicked agree, aren't you playing properly? Time is money, hurry up and open the team."

"Mm, okay… coming."

Mei Fang kneeled on one knee and put the ring on Lin Youxi's left middle finger, then gently kissed the back of her hand.

In the last ray of the sunset glow,

Mei Fang and Lin Youxi officially embarked on the journey toward their mutual destruction.

The knife had already been raised, but the next chapter would be two years later in the main storyline!