NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 216: Picnic and San Guo Sha
The first activity held in the evening was a picnic.
Although it was meant to imitate scenes from anime and TV dramas, bringing bento boxes up the mountain felt like a luxury. Everyone had only brought common snacks like instant noodles, spicy strips, chicken drumsticks, and cookies.
Even so, sitting together on various picnic blankets, slurping instant noodles, and enjoying drinks was very relaxing and pleasant.
The boys sat together on a large picnic blanket playing San Guo Sha (Legends of the Three Kingdoms)[1] and poker, while the girls sat together chatting and discussing popular topics of interest.
Mei Fang was one of the few boys sitting among the girls.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to blend in with the boys in his class. After all, San Guo Sha was a very popular and enjoyable board game among students.
However, Xia Yuan was very clingy and wanted Mei Fang to join her on their picnic blanket to eat and play together.
Mei Fang thought about it and decided that being with Xia Yuan was more fun. So, he persuaded Wan Chaoxiong to join him and bring his San Guo Sha cards over to play with the girls.
“Let’s play San Guo Sha together!”
“Make sure to listen carefully and don’t act like a wild girl, messing up the rules and flipping other people’s role cards randomly,” Wan Chaoxiong warned Xiang Bingbing. “You have a history of that.”
“Ahahaha, Wan Chaoxiong, you’re so petty, holding a grudge over something that happened so long ago.”
After Wan Chaoxiong sat down, Mei Fang was also looking for a place to sit. Since he had already been intimate with Youxi earlier, he actively chose to sit between Xia Yuan and Liu Xiaoyu. However, as soon as Mei Fang sat down and Xia Yuan was making room for him, Liu Xiaoyu immediately stood up.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing…” Liu Xiaoyu glanced at Lin Youxi. “Do you want to sit here?”
“It’s fine as it is. Why do I always need to sit next to Ah Fang?” Lin Youxi smiled slightly at Liu Xiaoyu. “Doesn’t that make it seem like Ah Fang is always surrounded by girls? He’s not that lucky.”
“Uh, um…”
Liu Xiaoyu was feeling very flustered right now, one could say she was in a state of complete panic.
She had inadvertently discovered Mei Fang and Lin Youxi’s secret. Their intimate interactions had clearly crossed the boundaries of typical childhood sweethearts. These were actions that only lovers would do.
But Yuan Yuan seems completely unaware of this.
Is she really unaware or just doesn’t care?
From what I know about Yuan Yuan… it should be the former, right?
Then doesn’t that mean Mei Fang——
Even though he and Youxi have become lovers, is he still enjoying the childhood sweetheart relationship with Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan?
However, by this reasoning, Mei Fang was certainly a scumbag without a doubt. But Lin Youxi’s behavior also left her confused.
At this moment, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang were intimately chatting and asking about the rules of San Guo Sha, while Lin Youxi was attentively listening to Wan Chaoxiong’s explanation.
Liu Xiaoyu couldn’t fathom any reason why Lin Youxi wouldn’t feel jealous about this scene.
Unless they’re not lovers?
But if they aren’t lovers, then how could they——
Liu Xiaoyu’s mind was in turmoil.
Regardless, Yuan Yuan being kept in the dark is truly tragic.
After all, anyone could tell how much she likes Mei Fang.
Sigh…
Should I meddle in this matter?
Or keep this secret?
Liu Xiaoyu had experienced unfair treatment in middle school due to similar issues and had long since decided to let go of her inclination to help others.
But all three of them were very close friends to her. Xia Yuan, Lin Youxi, and Mei Fang were all caring and gentle companions.
She couldn’t allow herself to ignore this, but she also feared becoming the cause of a misunderstanding between the three.
Burdened by her thoughts, Liu Xiaoyu repeatedly made mistakes in the game, earning Wan Chaoxiong’s disapproval.
He even commented on her card skills, saying, “Even my cat Bawang plays better than you.”
After eating, drinking, and having fun, everyone gathered at Xiang Bingbing’s call. They sat cross-legged on the ground, admiring the star-studded night sky while listening to Mei Fang’s guitar playing.
After a few gentle melodies were played, everyone was deeply absorbed by them. Xia Yuan, leaning on Mei Fang’s shoulder, said:
“Ah Fang, since you brought your guitar all the way here, how about performing a song for everyone? There’s a new song that fits the occasion. You know which one I’m talking about, right?”
“I know, but my throat… ahem, ahem, isn’t feeling too well today…”
Wang Jiayu teased from the side, “Yeah, right. After all, you were so scared over there on the glass bridge that you shouted even louder than Xiang Bingbing.”
“That was just the echo, alright? Don’t make things up!”
Mei Fang’s stubborn response made everyone burst into cheerful laughter, which brought him closer to his classmates.
“Alright, alright, no worries. You play, and I’ll sing.”
“That works too.”
Mei Fang cradled his guitar, closed his eyes to tune it, and began to get into the mood.
High above the picturesque Mulan Heaven Lake, they saw a stunning night sky rarely visible from the metropolis of Jiangcheng.
The 16-year-olds sat in a circle, laughing and talking about the friendships they had formed and their lofty dreams.
They were the top students of Hubei Province.
Dreaming of a future that seemed as golden and brilliant as the stars.
Seeing the vastness of the universe, they knew they would have many opportunities to achieve great things in the future!
As Mei Fang gently strummed the guitar strings, Xia Yuan began to sing softly:
【Your temper is as gentle as the lakeside scenery】
【Perhaps the next snow in Antarctica will go unnoticed】
…
This song, The Vastness of the Universe[2], is from Xu Song’s 2014 album Go Drink Tea. This album marks a turning point in his career, representing a shift from his intense focus on romantic relationships between men and women towards a deeper exploration of philosophical questions about life.
As Xia Yuan softly sang this song, her gaze gradually settled on Lin Youxi.
Sitting directly opposite of her, although the trio were always close in private, Lin Youxi seemed to prefer not to be too intimate with Mei Fang in public. She often gave such opportunities to Xia Yuan and even thought of many team-building games to make Xia Yuan and Mei Fang’s experience more enjoyable.
But there I was, secretly sneaking around, betraying Youxi’s trust in me…
Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi had always maintained a certain tacit understanding regarding their sneaky behavior. Though there were moments of secret intimacy with Mei Fang, they never crossed the line until that night.
Xia Yuan was torn between enjoying the secret training sessions with Mei Fang and feeling deep guilt towards Lin Youxi.
She knew that if she retreated too much, Lin Youxi’s sharpness might detect something amiss, so she maintained a delicate balance of closeness, not too distant, while also giving opportunities to make amends to Lin Youxi.
During the song’s climax, Xia Yuan couldn’t help but look deeply at Lin Youxi.
【I owe you more than just an apology】
【You owe me more than just a long journey】
【I captured silhouettes of penguins and glaciers in Antarctica】
【In the vast universe, every life is lonely】
“Bravo! That was amazing!”
“You will definitely become a superstar duo someday.”
A classmate asked Xia Yuan, “By the way, Yuan Yuan, why does this song sound so philosophical and different from the sweet songs you usually sing?”
Embarrassed, Xia Yuan scratched her head, “Ahaha… Ah Fang gave me the lyrics, and I composed the melody to match it.”
Lyrics by Mei Fang…
Yuan Yuan composing the song…
Liu Xiaoyu started to understand some things.
She had actually participated in the making of The Vastness of the Universe. Initially, she didn’t think much of it, but now, reflecting on the lyrics, she found them deeply unsettling.
Mei Fang and Youxi are already lovers, but Mei Fang has no way to directly express his feelings to Yuan Yuan, so he can only continue to maintain their friendship and use the lyrics of this song to hint at his feelings for her?
In that case… Youxi allowing Mei Fang and Yuan Yuan to be close without getting jealous should also be a form of apology?
Come to think of it, if Yuan Yuan finds out about this, she will definitely be very heartbroken, and the relationship between the three of them will come to an end.
That’s why they kept it a secret…
But it can’t be kept a secret forever, right?
It’s so unfair to Yuan Yuan.
Liu Xiaoyu remained silent, her head bowed and slightly clenched her fists.
***
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Translator's Notes:
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