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

Chapter 250: We Should Start with a Normal Relationship First

Although the idea of the three of them being in a relationship, with two girlfriends, had been an unspoken understanding among them, nothing was as reassuring as hearing Mei Fang openly admit his true feelings.

This meant that Xia Yuan no longer needed to feel guilty about “sneaking around”, and Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan no longer had to worry about their deep bond, formed since kindergarten, being torn apart by a love triangle over a mere “Mei Dog.”

Though to be honest… that kind of intense conflict hadn’t really happened before.

If you had to point to something, there was that one argument that barely qualified.

But in any case, their bond had always been strong, and that was a really good thing.

Why must there be tormenting separations, love-hate relationships, or bitter feuds?

Although, that might make for a more dramatic story…

But it doesn’t matter, being able to seize the present moment is enough.

The three of them had already hugged intimately in the past, but this time, Mei Fang’s heart was even more at ease. He sat on the edge of the pavilion, with Xia Yuan facing him and throwing herself into his arms, while Lin Youxi leaned against Mei Fang’s shoulder, hugging him in a slightly awkward position.

So, Mei Fang gently tugged at Xia Yuan, but she seemed lost in the blissful relief of the moment and had no intention of moving. Mei Fang didn’t want to disturb her, but then Lin Youxi lifted her head and looked at him, and he noticed her eyes were slightly red.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because the boy I like really is a two-timing scumbag.”

“Uh…”

Mei Fang couldn’t refute this fact. He made a few awkward grunts, but then Lin Youxi whispered in his ear:

“But this is wonderful.”

That… sounds weird…

Mei Fang, whose skin suddenly felt thinner, couldn’t bring himself to smile. He could only respond with a few awkward chuckles.

“What are you two talking about? Let me in on it!”

Xia Yuan raised her head, curiously asking Lin Youxi and Mei Fang, “I want to hear too.”

“We were just saying that I’m a scumbag.”

“Ah… hmm… Ah Fang really is a scumbag, liking two girls at the same time.”

Xia Yuan, looking serious, criticized Mei Fang a bit, then with a smile, she clung to his arm, “So, does this mean you’ve accepted both of our confessions?”

“I don’t think it counts. The love letter was written by me, even though I used Yuan Yuan’s envelope. Ah Fang’s reasoning is pretty flimsy… If using Yuan Yuan’s envelope means the confession is from both of us, then does every love letter carry a little love from the paper mill owner?”

“Youxi! Why are you like this?!”

But it kind of makes sense——

Lin Youxi patted Xia Yuan’s arm, “In any case, Yuan Yuan needs to give her own confession. It doesn’t have to be a love letter. Ah Fang and I have already confessed, so now it’s your turn. You need to give him a proper confession, right here in front of both of us.”

“Youxi… that’s enough. Don’t tease Yuan Yuan anymore.”

“I’m not teasing Yuan Yuan; I’m just stating the facts.”

“Alright, alright! Stop arguing! I’ll confess… I’ll confess!”

Xia Yuan cleared her throat and coughed a few times. Then, she gently held Mei Fang’s face to make him look directly at her. At this moment, Lin Youxi intuitively stepped back, showing her understanding. Mei Fang stood up on his own initiative. Then, with one hand resting on her upper chest, Xia Yuan gazed at Mei Fang and softly expressed her affection:

“Ah Fang, I… I like you——”

But just at this critical moment, Xia Yuan’s stomach suddenly growled loudly.

The sound, long and unmistakable, lasted several seconds, making both Lin Youxi and Mei Fang burst out laughing. Xia Yuan was so embarrassed that she crouched down, covering her face, not wanting to get up.

Seeing how upset Xia Yuan was, Mei Fang couldn’t help but feel bad. He quickly bent down to comfort her and helped her stand up.

“Alright, alright… I heard your confession… It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal? My once-in-a-lifetime confession was ruined by my growling stomach… Why did Youxi suggest we meet right after school? We should have waited until after evening study!”

“If we did that, we might get caught by a teacher, and that wouldn’t be good.”

“Still… I was really serious about my confession…”

Because the other two laughed, Xia Yuan was genuinely a bit upset. Seeing this, Mei Fang gently reassured her, “Then let’s not count that one. Let’s try again, and I’ll listen carefully this time.”

“Mhm…”

Xia Yuan gathered her courage again and, facing her beloved, softly poured out her feelings:

“Ah Fang… I like you.”

“I like you so, so much.”

“I’ve liked you since I was very, very young.”

“You’ve always been a hero in my heart.”

“You’ve taught me so many things.”

“You’ve been with me during my happiest moments, going crazy together, and during my saddest moments, helping me get through them.”

“You were even willing to run away from home with me.”

“You are the first boy to tell me I could be myself in front of you.”

“And it’s only in front of you that I feel the most relaxed and natural.”

“Actually, Youxi and I made an agreement back in middle school not to push our relationships further and let you choose between us.”

“But… um… later on, we both kind of broke that promise by always sneaking around, haha. I never imagined that this kind of three-person relationship could work out so well.”

As Xia Yuan spoke, she cupped Mei Fang’s cheeks, but her voice suddenly choked up.

“But honestly, before this, I was really scared… really scared that in the end, you’d choose Youxi over me and leave me all alone.”

“Compared to Youxi, I’m dumb, my figure isn’t as good as hers, I’m not as good at games as she is… I can’t compare to her in anything… She’s so much better than me… I’ve always felt that choosing her would be the natural thing for you to do…”

“That’s not true at all.”

Mei Fang gently wiped away Xia Yuan’s tears and said, “I’ve never compared you with Youxi. Besides, in matters of love and relationships, it’s not about who’s better. What’s important is that we’re happy together and just let things happen naturally. Of course, I’m not saying that you’re not outstanding, Yuan Yuan. You and Youxi each have your own strengths, and I can’t bear to part with either of you…”

“Greedy jerk.”

Xia Yuan playfully bit Mei Fang’s cheek, leaving a mark from her teeth on his face.

Then, they both burst into laughter. Overcome with emotion, Xia Yuan leaned in and kissed Mei Fang. In a way, this was Xia Yuan’s first time openly showing affection with Mei Fang in front of Lin Youxi.

Lin Youxi watched with interest as they kissed for a while, and when they finally pulled apart, she teased, “Ah Fang… why were you so reserved with Yuan Yuan? That’s not what I taught you.”

“Uh… Yuan Yuan isn’t used to that, so I think this way is good too.”

Before Mei Fang could finish, Lin Youxi stood up and pulled him towards her.

“Yuan Yuan, let me borrow Ah Fang for a moment.”

With her arm around Mei Fang’s shoulders, Lin Youxi smiled at Xia Yuan. “Watch closely, Yuan Yuan. That was just a simple kiss. A real kiss should be like this…”

“Wait, Ah Fang is still——”

Before Xia Yuan could finish, Lin Yousi embraced Mei Fang and began kissing him passionately.

At this moment, Xia Yuan was like a devotee who had worshipped an ancient god for years, believing she knew everything about the supreme deity she served. But on this day, when she was finally able to glimpse the true, indescribable form of her dreamlike deity, she was overwhelmed by the powerful mental impact and couldn’t help but mutter incoherently in a state of delirium. Evidently, this girl’s imagination still needed some improvement.

“Uh… ah… ah… what’s… this…”

Xia Yuan’s face turned completely red, realizing that her previous kisses with Mei Fang were like child’s play in comparison.

After Lin Youxi finished her “lesson,” she smiled softly and patted Xia Yuan’s shoulder. “Next time you’re being affectionate with Ah Fang, you should try kissing him like this. You’ll love it because Ah Fang is really good at it.”

“Uh… I… I…”

Xia Yuan stammered for a while before finally mumbling, “Speaking…speaking of which…since we’ve all confessed…how should we define our relationship as lovers?”

Lin Youxi nodded: “Indeed… after all, agreeing to date was to keep people from bothering us. But to directly ask Ah Fang to date two girls at the same time——”

“I don’t have any issues with that,” Mei Fang said playfully, sticking out his tongue, only to be met with Xia Yuan’s disapproval.

“W-What do you mean you don’t have any issues? That would cause huge problems! We can’t let this get out, or it could ruin Ah Fang’s future. He might even get expelled!”

“Since you’re worried about that… I do have an idea.”

Mei Fang explained, “We can first publicly announce a romantic relationship with one of you to those around us, then after some time, switch to the other person. Although there will be a difference in the order, in reality, there won’t be such restrictions in our private interactions. What do you think?”

“That’s a terrible idea! That just makes you look like a two-timer, switching between people like that!” Xia Yuan exclaimed.

“No, actually, that’s how you avoid being called a two-timer,” Lin Youxi explained. “It’s like dating someone for a while, then breaking up peacefully if things don’t work out, and after some time, starting a relationship with someone else. As long as there’s no overlap, no one would gossip. It also makes things easier to explain publicly, and we could still be close in private.”

After thinking it over, Xia Yuan realized Lin Youxi had a point. “So, who will be the first to go public with Ah Fang?”

“There’s no need to discuss that. It should definitely be you, Yuan Yuan,” Lin Youxi responded generously, though this made Xia Yuan feel a bit unhappy.

“Are you giving in to me, Youxi? You always say you’ve let me have my way since we were little. Shouldn’t this be an exception? At least we should draw lots.”

“This isn’t about giving in to you,” Lin Youxi clarified. “Ah Fang and I are about to participate in the NOIP competition. If we do well and qualify for the NOI, we might have to undergo a closed training camp, which means I’d get to spend a lot of time with Ah Fang. You wouldn’t have much of a chance to be affectionate with him then.”

“I didn’t know that competition required training like that! That sounds really tough… I had no idea.”

“We might not even pass the exam,” Mei Fang added. “Even though it tests programming knowledge, it’s more about problem-solving skills, and I’m already finding it challenging. Besides, C Site might not allow both Youxi and me to be absent. We’ll see how it goes. If it’s just the NOIP, there’s no need for training.”

“Anyway… whether it’s for the competition or how it looks in front of others, I think it’s more natural for Yuan Yuan to be with Ah Fang first,” Lin Youxi said with a smile, holding Xia Yuan’s hand. “Don’t worry about feeling guilty. I don’t really enjoy dealing with other people’s questions, so being Ah Fang’s ‘secret lover’ might suit me better.”

“You’re not a secret lover! You’re a girlfriend too!” Xia Yuan corrected Lin Youxi seriously. Then, after thinking for a moment, she asked, “How long should each relationship last? I mean… on the surface.”

“One semester seems about right. Then, break up just before the winter or summer break,” Mei Fang suggested. “I think that would work best.”

“Do we really have to break up before winter break?” Xia Yuan seemed a bit reluctant. “I was hoping to take Ah Fang to meet my parents!”

“What’s great about meeting Uncle Xia and Teacher Yu now? This isn’t the right age to be meeting parents!”