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

Four years ago when Mei Fang first settled in Pengcheng [Shenzhen], he went all-in financially to acquire numerous properties across the city.

In the years that followed, Mei Fang continued purchasing real estate assets nationwide as long-term investments, waiting for their stable appreciation.

By 2017 when Bitker Coin reached its valuation peak, Mei Fang accessed his long-dormant cryptographic keys to systematically liquidate his holdings of 10,000 Bitker Coins through staggered market sales. These substantial funds were strategically deployed to repurchase shares of his own conglomerate at favorable valuations while financing the massive development costs of "Illusory Realm of Yuanxi."

As he gradually converted these final reserve assets into liquid capital, Mei Fang's personal wealth had now reached levels that rendered conventional digit counting meaningless – truly enough for multiple lifetimes of unrestrained expenditure.

Despite commanding billions in assets, Mei Fang maintained an extraordinarily low-key public profile. This discretion stemmed partly from China's exceptionally safe and stable social environment that eliminated any need for ostentatious security details like bodyguards.

More significantly, his youthful appearance led most observers to assume he must merely be the frontman representing shadowy financial backers rather than the genuine power behind his empire. The speculation about Mei Fang's true backers became its own cottage industry.

Some tabloid journalists traced his origins through his father Mei Lijun's career trajectory in the education system. Others investigated Xia Yuan's father Xia Xun's rise as a prominent venture capitalist in the tech sector. Tencent's early-stage heavy investment in Yuanxi Interactive Entertainment naturally attracted considerable analytical attention as well.

These competing narratives, while occasionally requiring Mei Fang to issue clarifying statements, served the convenient purpose of diverting substantial public attention away from his actual operations.

At the Pengcheng University graduation ceremony, Mei Fang delivered an address as one of the student representatives, sharing heartfelt reflections about his campus experiences. His speech overflowed with authentic, unpretentious warmth – filled with mundane college life anecdotes, self-deprecating humor about academic struggles, and sincere advice for underclassmen, completely devoid of any corporate executive pretensions.

Aspiring game developers nationwide now considered securing positions at Yuanxi Interactive Entertainment their ultimate career aspiration, dreaming of opportunities to collaborate with this legendary figure in fulfilling their childhood creative ambitions.

In his concluding remarks, Mei Fang once again expressed gratitude toward his childhood companions Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi for their years of support. To thunderous applause and audible gasps from the audience, he produced two lavish floral bouquets which he personally presented to the two women seated in the front row.

The resulting photograph – showing Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi flanking Mei Fang, each cradling their bouquets while jointly "holding" a plush Mei-dog mascot, surrounded by starry-eyed underclassmen – would become Pengcheng University's most iconic and widely circulated graduation image.

During the post-ceremony autograph session, as Mei Fang was signing memorabilia for a bright-eyed sophomore girl with fashionable short hair, the student suddenly posed an unexpected question:

"Stationmaster-senior! Could I ask you something personal?"

"By all means," Mei Fang replied without looking up from his signing.

The girl clutched her newly autographed book to her chest, eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement:

"Your love story with Yuanbao has been like a real-life fairy tale to my class since high school… So what we're all desperately wondering is – do you have any plans to rekindle romance with either Yuanbao or the Young Miss someday?"

This bold inquiry instantly electrified the entire queue of waiting students. Beyond Mei Fang's professional achievements, the ongoing romantic entanglements between the three childhood friends remained perennial gossip fodder.

Though historical records showed Mei Fang had dated both Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi separately before amicable breakups, recent years had seen increasing whispers about an intimate yuri relationship blossoming between the two women – though nothing beyond ambiguous photographs of childhood sweetheart-level intimacy ever surfaced as concrete evidence.

Thus, the burning question among followers had become: Will the Stationmaster remain perpetually single while his two ex-girlfriends date each other?

"Regarding that particular matter—" Mei Fang rested his chin thoughtfully on one hand, first glancing toward the smiling Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi nearby before returning his gaze to the inquisitive underclassman with a playful glint in his eye:

"Who do you think I should choose, in your opinion?"

The earnest young woman actually paused to seriously consider this counterquestion, her brow furrowing in genuine contemplation: "Objectively speaking, Yuanbao and you always had perfect chemistry during public performances, but the Young Miss has been your indispensable right hand throughout all these years of empire-building… Choosing either one feels like an unimaginable tragedy…"

"You see how difficult the dilemma is?" Mei Fang chuckled warmly. "In my personal philosophy, legal marriage certificates aren't essential relationship markers in this modern era. For the three of us, whether or not we formalize things with government paperwork, we'll always remain family in the truest sense."

The girl nodded slowly in dawning understanding. "That makes sense… No bureaucratic document could possibly capture what you three share…"

Then, with the devastating tactical innocence only a true fan could muster, she detonated her conversational nuclear option:

"But… what about children? Don't you want kids?"

The reaction across the "Big Three" resembled a carefully choreographed comedy sketch – Mei Fang's jaw went slack with stunned disbelief, Lin Youxi's gaze acquired a terrifyingly meaningful intensity, while Xia Yuan literally shot upright from her seat like a jack-in-the-box before realizing her overreaction and slowly sinking back down with cheeks burning crimson.

"W-way too early to discuss that! Ahaha… You're quite the mischievous junior, aren't you?" Xia Yuan's voice cracked noticeably on the forced laughter.

"'Too early' implies you've at least considered it though, right? Would you each want one, or—"

Before Mei Fang could formulate any response, event security materialized to gently but firmly escort the overzealous fan away from the signing table, her final questions still hanging audibly in the air.

Through mechanisms no one could quite explain afterward, high-definition footage of this entire exchange quickly went viral across C-Site's platforms, rocketing to the top of real-time searched rankings as netizens dissected every frame like the Zapruder film.

Ever since Mei Fang's legendary public confession at Jiangcheng No.1 High School's assembly stage, the trio's personal and professional growth had accumulated a substantial "mom fan" demographic – fans old enough to feel maternal concern about their romantic outcomes. The latest incident sparked yet another wave of speculative polls about the Stationmaster's eventual relationship resolution.

Current voting trends showed "maintaining the status quo" as the overwhelmingly popular choice, followed distantly by the Xia Yuan/Lin Youxi yuri pairing. The theoretical "harem ending" ranked only slightly above the individual pairings, starkly illustrating mainstream society's persistent disapproval of polyamorous arrangements – even for childhood sweethearts with decades of shared history.

As public figures, Mei Fang never harbored illusions about gaining widespread societal approval for their unconventional relationship structure. His gradual public signaling through carefully staged moments like today's served more to soften parental resistance than sway public opinion – laying psychological groundwork for their meticulously planned "Great Marriage Operation."

During the half-year sabbatical Mei Fang scheduled post-graduation with Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, they intended to finally execute this long-prepared relationship endgame strategy.

For nearly two years already, Lin Youxi's social media presence had carefully curated an image of domestic intimacy with Xia Yuan while occasionally including ambiguous solo shots with Mei Fang – a mirrored strategy employed simultaneously by Xia Yuan across her own platforms.

They'd first informed their parents about Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi's romantic relationship status two years prior. The unchanged situation after all this time now worried the initially patient elders – particularly Mei Fang's mother Xiang Xiaoxia, whose anxiety manifested in today's urgent video call:

"What's prompted this sudden call, Mom?"

"Ah Fang, that viral video everyone's discussing – I've seen all the clips circulating online."

Mei Fang sighed audibly. "Why are you paying attention to that nonsense… It was practically a broadcast accident. Since when do university events allow such personal questions?"

"Listen carefully… We never properly concluded our last serious conversation about this matter."

Xiang Xiaoxia's pixelated image leaned closer to the camera with maternal intensity: "I need to understand your actual long-term intentions. Do you truly plan to maintain this childhood sweetheart dynamic indefinitely? Never progressing beyond childhood friends?"

Mei Fang adjusted his glasses with practiced calm. "With all respect, Mom, we progressed beyond 'childhood friends' years ago. We're family in every meaningful sense – don't they both call you 'Mom' now as well?"

He studied his mother's conflicted expression through the screen. "Why the sudden urgency? Are you… getting anxious about something?"

Xiang Xiaoxia's restraint finally cracked: "How could I not be anxious? You've earned more money than our family could spend in ten generations, yet still rotate between their beds and share all meals… If this situation continues indefinitely, our Mei family lineage—"

"—will terminate with this generation! Waaah!"

Mei Ya's crystalline voice abruptly hijacked the conversation as the teenager draped herself over her mother's shoulders with dramatic flair. Now in her developmental blossoming as a middle schooler, the Warhammer-obsessed girl had grown into her features beautifully, though her mischievous energy remained unchanged.

"Go play with your little dolls! The adults are having important discussions!" Xiang Xiaoxia tried unsuccessfully to shoo away her daughter.

Mei Ya gasped in theatrical outrage: "They're not dolls! These are professionally painted Warhammer 40,000 miniatures! Your daughter's legitimate artistic side business!"

"Focus on your college entrance exams! Will this nonsense help your test scores?"

"Mom, we're literally wealthy enough to buy a university! Why obsess over domestic education? I'm manifesting international study abroad!"

"With your English—" Xiang Xiaoxia paused mid-retort, then grudgingly admitted, "Well, your English is admittedly decent…"

Mei Ya struck a triumphant pose: "Obviously! I could pass the CET-4 and CET-6 right now without studying!"

In order to become a more qualified Warhammer YouTuber, Mei Ya has spent the past few years learning English, understanding Warhammer lore, organizing and analyzing information, and doing outreach for beginner and general audiences. She has gained a small amount of fame in the community.

Who doesn't love a cute Warhammer fan girl who passionately shouts "The Emperor Protects" in Warhammer 40k?

Mei Ya never expressed her identity as the sister of the site owner, but even without this connection, she had already become a well-known YouTuber in the Warhammer circle, where she called herself "Hammer Girl" (锤妹).

At this moment, Mei Ya had long passed the rebellious phase where she would frequently argue with her mother. She was now holding Xiao Xia's neck and softly whispering in her mother's ear, "Mom, please stop pressuring YuanYuan Jie and You Xi Jie. They're really close right now. Don't you see them as daughters as well? Why do you want to break them apart?"

"I'm not trying to break them apart, I just think their future paths are still long, and they might not necessarily…"

Xiao Xia spoke as she couldn't help but rub her eyes and tear up.

"Oh, there's no lack of affection! They're still very close, aren't they?"

"But… can this kind of closeness… help me get a grandson?"

"Ah, Mom—grandchildren are still a long way off!"

Mei Fang was pretending to be troubled as she comforted her mother, Xiao Xia, when suddenly, a green costume appeared behind Mei Fang. It was crawling on all fours toward him, the voice of a baby doll calling out, "Ah Fang… Ah Fang… I'm a big turtle, I'm going to squish you—unless you give me a hug first before I get up—"

Wearing a turtle costume, Xia Yuan was role-playing. Mei Fang didn't help her avoid the camera but instead pointed it directly at Xia Yuan crawling on the floor.

As Xia Yuan lifted her head, preparing to say something even more coquettish, she saw Mei Fang's mother, Xiao Xia, calmly watching her from the video, with Mei Ya leaning on her mother's shoulder, sticking her tongue out in a playful expression.

"Ah."

"Ah—"

After experiencing social death, Xia Yuan's face immediately turned red, and she turned her body to crawl away.

"The turtle, the turtle is going back to her shell—"

While Xia Yuan was experiencing a bottomless pit of social death, Mei Fang was still nonchalantly chatting with his mother on video, saying, "See, I told you that YuanYuan and You Xi are still doing great."

After speaking, Mei Fang turned to Xia Yuan and asked, "Turtle sister, you're not going to need me to hug you to get up, are you?"

"Ahhh! I'm filthy, I'm filthy!"

Xia Yuan screamed, suddenly jumping up, pulling off her turtle headgear and shaking it violently around Mei Fang's neck. Afterward, she quickly tidied up her messy hair and greeted Xiao Xia on the video.

"Xiao Ma! You're video chatting with Ah Fang… I… I didn't see that just now. I was just playing around with him."

"It's okay, it's okay to play around," Xiao Xia said, smiling, but her heart was full of mixed feelings.

Mei Fang has always been like this since he was young. How would I not know his thoughts…

Sigh…

Should I turn a blind eye?

I am still Ah Fang's mother after all…

Xiao Xia regarded both Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi as her own daughters, and she didn't want them to leave Mei Fang's side. If not for her expectations of her child, maintaining the status quo would be the best option for her.

However, marriage is a lifelong matter, and she was always concerned about the thoughts of the other families.

And also, the thoughts of these two girls—those are very important.

Very, very important.

After chatting with Xia Yuan for a while, Xiao Xia asked Mei Fang to step outside and sent away her curious little daughter Mei Ya, allowing her to have a one-on-one conversation with Xia Yuan.

Compared to the now mature and composed Lin You Xi, who had become a bit elusive, Xia Yuan, who was still as lively and cute as she had been as a child, was easier for Xiao Xia to talk to. This time, she found the opportunity to call Xia Yuan over.

"Yuan Yuan… speaking of which, are you still as close with You Xi as before?"

"We're the same, the three of us are all the same," Xia Yuan sweetly answered. "Mom, you don't need to worry."

"I'm not worried about that, it's just…"

Xiao Xia paused, then continued, "Yuan Yuan, you've always been an honest, cute, and well-behaved child. I have things on my mind too, and I don't want to always hide them from you. There are some things I'd like to ask you directly. Can you tell me honestly?"

"Mm, mm, you've watched me grow up since I was little, you're my mom, of course I'll be honest with you."

"You were with Ah Fang when you were younger, and now you've been with You Xi for so long. Do you still… still have feelings for Ah Fang? What I mean is… not just childhood friendship, but… like, the kind of feelings between a man and a woman, do you still have them?"

"Th… this…"

Xia Yuan covered her face and showed a difficult expression, "I can't lie to you, right?"

"Mm… I hope you'll tell me the truth."

"Well…"

Xia Yuan covered her face and mumbled, "I still like him, of course. But You Xi likes him just as much as I do, and we don't want to fight over him and ruin our feelings."

"Okay… okay… hearing this from you, I understand," Xiao Xia said with a relieved sigh.

Some things were obvious, but still, it's better to hear it from the person involved to avoid misunderstandings.

Today, Xiao Xia got a definite answer from Xia Yuan. She didn't continue asking further, because she didn't want to make Yuan Yuan uncomfortable. She did ask if Yuan Yuan liked children, and got a very clear answer, which satisfied her enough to end the video call.

After the call, Mei Fang opened the door. This time, however, Mei Fang was embracing and being affectionate with Lin You Xi.

At this moment, Lin You Xi was wearing a black les-inspired lace outfit, looking very charming in a half-imperial style attire, clearly having dressed up carefully.

Xia Yuan puffed up her cheeks and protested, "You Xi, what are you doing? Didn't we agree to rest early today? Let's do this tomorrow—"

"You said we'd rest, but you were the one playing turtle play yourself," Lin You Xi said, wiping her mouth after enjoying Mei Fang's affection. "You just happened to get caught by Mom."

"I… I just wanted to finish the battle plan sooner… hmph! Now look! You made me socially die."

Angrily, Xia Yuan grumbled and jumped onto the bed, lying on her stomach in a turtle position, pouting and sulking alone.

Then Mei Fang spent the entire night comforting her.

Of course, he also comforted You Xi the whole night.

After graduation, they no longer needed inconvenient items like breath fresheners to maintain their plans for their big marriage operation.