After staying in an intimate position for a while, Xia Yuan got up from Mei Fang and sat on the edge of the bed. “Alright, alright, if we keep messing around, Youxi and Aunt Meijuan will be back soon. Hurry up and claim your reward.”
Xia Yuan placed one hand on her leg and gently patted her thigh with the other, tilting her head to gaze at Mei Fang, her smooth and shiny hair naturally cascading down.
Faced with such a sweet and inviting gesture from his childhood sweetheart, Mei Fang naturally had no reason to refuse.
He slowly lay down on Xia Yuan’s lap, feeling reassured by the silky texture of her stockings.
Mei Fang had a natural passion and dedication for making games. Once he started pushing a project on a large scale, he sometimes found it hard to stop, working towards development progress from morning till night. This period had indeed left little time for rest.
“Speaking of which, we used to play this knee pillow game when we were kids.”
“Yeah… When we were playing house. Don’t you remember?”
Xia Yuan rubbed Mei Fang’s cheek. “I used to play the mom, and you were the baby. Sometimes, I’d let you lie on my lap and sing lullabies to put you to sleep.”
“Uh… it’s been so long, I kind of forgot.”
Mei Fang leaned back a bit, getting even closer to Xia Yuan, and asked with a smile, “Yuan Yuan, can you help me recall those scenes from when we were playing house? Like the lullabies you mentioned…”
“Hmph… Ah Fang, you ask for so much!”
Xia Yuan lightly pinched Mei Fang’s cheek with slight annoyance. “You can’t always expect me to satisfy you; you have to show some effort too!”
Mei Fang understood the meaning behind Xia Yuan’s words and turned over to face her. “Um… you probably want me to call you ‘Mama,’ don’t you?”
“Hmm… figure it out yourself.”
Xia Yuan hummed and looked away.
Seeing his childhood sweetheart looking so adorably shy, Mei Fang couldn’t help but feel the urge to tease her.
Taking advantage of Xia Yuan’s moment of inattention, Mei Fang wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her small belly, and started making a baby-like “mama” sound.
“This doesn’t count… too babyish… it’s so ticklish, don’t—don’t hold me there!”
Annoyed, Xia Yuan knocked on Mei Fang’s head to teach him a lesson. After some playful tussling, Mei Fang finally calmed down and quietly lay on Xia Yuan’s lap.
As Xia Yuan gently stroked his hair, she fulfilled her earlier promise, softly humming the tune of a lullaby.
“Being a kid is the happiest time, isn’t it?”
After the earlier playfulness, Mei Fang’s voice carried a hint of weariness.
Xia Yuan’s gentle humming took Mei Fang’s thoughts back many years, to a time when he, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi would hold hands and play carefree around Baimei County.
Back then, they were so innocent and carefree, never worrying about other people’s opinions or try to achieve any kind of self-worth.
This long-lost joy of interaction made him enjoy the moment, but it also made him question his current efforts.
For someone who has already achieved financial freedom, is there truly a career worth striving for?
Over the years, one of the main reasons Mei Fang worked hard to excel was to improve his social status and become a universally recognized “successful person.”
After all, it’s often the “successful people” who have a voice on various levels, and their actions are more likely to be understood and interpreted.
For instance, the desire to always be together with Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi.
But is others’ perception really that important?
If their wishes are firm enough, if their bond is close enough, so close that nothing else matters, then living in a place where no one knows them wouldn’t be difficult, right? Just like in common text adventure games, unlocking each character’s storylines and discovering the hidden true ending.
Unfortunately, life is not a simple game.
Rebirth does not offer infinite choices.
A single major mistake in decision-making could potentially ruin a relationship that has lasted over a decade.
All of these experiences, the journey they’ve walked together to get to where they are today, are not solely a story crafted by Mei Fang’s efforts alone.
Before his rebirth, he was an ordinary person, and even after his rebirth, apart from having advanced life experience, he could only live an ordinary life.
Though he often joked about his actions being the epitome of balance, he wasn’t always confident in his decisions.
For instance, on the day he kissed Xia Yuan, whether he kissed her or not would have led to two completely different extreme outcomes.
But at least judging by the result, the decision he made at that time was correct.
He always harbored a pure thought.
He hoped that the three of them would never be separated.
Of course, this was not an easy thing to achieve.
But fortunately, he wasn’t the only one striving for it.
He wasn’t the only one with wishful thinking.
Nor was he the only one reading too much into things.
“What is it? I’ve been working so hard to lull you to sleep, and you still can’t sleep?”
“No, I just wanted to ask.”
Mei Fang, still holding Xia Yuan in the previous position, with his face almost buried in her chest, asked with a hint of pleading in his voice,
“If I want to receive such rewards in the future, what should I do? Do I need to… take more photos for you?”
Xia Yuan laughed after hearing this, “Of course not, no need to be so formal with me.”
“We’re childhood sweethearts; you can just ask for such things.”
“You can come to Mama Yuan Yuan anytime you want to be pampered…”
Mei Fang seemed to hold Xia Yuan even tighter, and Xia Yuan enjoyed this feeling of being needed, so she began to softly hum the lullaby meant only for her beloved, and Mei Fang gradually relaxed.
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After more than ten minutes, Mei Fang, who was lying on Xia Yuan’s lap, had actually fallen asleep, and Xia Yuan herself was feeling a bit drowsy.
It wasn’t until she heard the sound of the door opening in the living room that she suddenly woke up in a panic.
Oh no, Youxi and Aunt Meijuan are back!
She gently patted Mei Fang’s cheek, trying to wake him up, but he just turned over, leaving a large drool stain on Xia Yuan’s stockings—he was sleeping so soundly that Xia Yuan was reluctant to wake him up.
“Yuan Yuan? Ah Fang? Are you home?”
Lin Youxi’s voice and footsteps were getting closer from outside, and Xia Yuan, flustered and still a bit groggy from just waking up, didn’t know what to do.
So she covered her face as if giving up, and silently waited for Lin Youxi to open the door.
Lin Youxi originally wanted to comment on Xia Yuan’s cute outfit, but seeing Mei Fang asleep in her arms, she decided not to speak immediately. Instead, she sat quietly next to Xia Yuan on the bed and softly said:
“My mom is still at the market buying groceries. She asked me to bring the stuff home first, so there’s no rush.”
Xia Yuan blushed and stammered as she explained to Lin Youxi, “Ah Fang… said he was a bit tired, so I thought I’d try to encourage him to rest a bit.”
“So, the stockings were a good choice, right?”
Lin Youxi said while crouching beside the bed, hugging her knees, and curiously observing Mei Fang’s sleeping face. She teased him by poking his cheek, “Look at Ah Fang, he’s enjoying it so much. He really likes it.”
Lin Youxi seldom felt jealous of the intimacy between Xia Yuan and Mei Fang, whether it was before or after they expressed their feelings for each other.
Her thoughtfulness made Xia Yuan feel less ashamed about sneaking around and she responded,
“Ah Fang just told me earlier that being a kid is the happiest time.”
“So, Yuan Yuan, what about you?” Lin Youxi smiled, “When do you feel the happiest?”
“Me? For me… actually, I always missed kindergarten when I was in elementary school, and missed elementary school when I was in middle school, but now in high school, I don’t really miss the earlier periods anymore. Because now I feel that the happiest times are when I’m with Ah Fang.”
“In that sense, we’re indeed more mature than Ah Fang.”
“Sure enough, Youxi is just like me in this regard; being with Ah Fang is when we’re happiest.”
“Not entirely… mine is a bit broader.”
“I think the happiest times are when the three of us are together .”
“Ah——I forgot to mention…” Xia Yuan felt quite embarrassed for not including Lin Youxi, “that of course, being with you is also very, very happy!”
“It’s okay, Yuan Yuan, I know… it’s the same for me.”
Lin Youxi said before leaning down to gently kiss Mei Fang’s cheek, then moved beside him and gave his butt a firm slap.
“Get up! You big lazybones.”
But Mei Fang didn’t move at all.
“Sleeping so soundly? It’ll be troublesome when my mom gets back.”
“I know… I actually tried waking him earlier too, but it didn’t work.”
“Well, I know what will work.”
“Hey, hey… don’t go overboard, Youxi…”