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

After the group finished exploring the temple halfway up the mountain, only the mountain-top plank road of Wuzu Temple remained to be visited.

“It seems there’s another ancient ancestral temple up the mountain. Once we finish climbing the path, we can descend from the other side,” Mei Fang explained.

“Ah… do we still have to go?” Du Zihan panted heavily. “I… I can’t walk anymore. You guys go ahead.”

“Du Zihan, you really need to exercise more. Otherwise, girls won’t like you if you’re like this,” Peng Xue teased.

“Why do I care if girls like me or not…”

Du Zihan argued back, then patted his butt and stood up, showing an intention to join everyone.

“Ah, this is too harsh…”

Yue Xinyi watched Du Zihan stand up under Peng Xue’s encouragement and suddenly felt a bit sorry for this chubby boy who was being toyed with by Peng Xue.

Lin Youxi wasn’t feeling great today, and Guo Yun approached her to chat.

“Class Monitor, can you still walk? If you’re really tired, you can rest here, and I’ll accompany you,” Guo Yun offered.

Lin Youxi shook her head. “It’s okay, I’m feeling much better now.”

Guo Yun felt bitter inside. Why was it so difficult to find a good excuse not to climb the mountain? Climbing was indeed a strenuous physical activity for a chubby person like her. The group hadn’t climbed many steps yet, but Guo Yun and Du Zihan were already left far behind. Guo Yun didn’t like to burden others, so she made an effort to climb a few more steps.

“It’s alright, take your time!”

Xia Yuan walked down the steps and patiently encouraged Guo Yun. “Everyone will wait for you. Just go at your own pace.”

“Mhm…”

Encouraged by Xia Yuan, Guo Yun regained some strength and managed to catch up, albeit barely.

The zigzagging plank road to the mountaintop was filled with laughter and chatter.

The noisiest ones on the road were Peng Xue and Yue Xinyi. The two would often playfully quarrel over trivial matters. Typically, it was Xue Peng provoking Yue Xinyi first.

Xia Yuan was mostly holding hands with Lin Youxi while walking. Occasionally, she would move closer to Mei Fang, pointing at the distant scenery and saying some playful words. During these moments, Zhang Ming beside Mei Fang would tactfully step aside.

Guo Yun and Du Zihan were in the third group, but as everyone’s energy dwindled, the two gradually fell behind in the latter part of the climb.

Guo Yun, not wanting to be a burden, tried to climb a few more steps and ended up catching up with Mei Fang and the others.

“Phew… we finally reached the mountaintop!” Peng Xue stretched out.

“Ah, is this already the mountaintop?” Yue Xinyi wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Why does it still feel like we’re halfway up the mountain?”

“Didn’t you climb enough? If you didn’t, you can run back down and climb some more!”

“I don’t want to! If you want to climb, then climb on your own.”

Peng Xue and Yue Xinyi were bickering, but when they saw Mei Fang and Xia Yuan standing together, gazing at the distant scenery and talking, they both quieted down involuntarily.

“Peng Xue, who do you think Mei Fang will choose in the end?”

“Choose? I can’t really tell.”

Peng Xue shook her head. “But their relationship is so good. Talking about choosing feels cruel.”

“It can’t be that he won’t choose anyone, right? That would be too strange.”

“What’s so strange about that… Because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, he might choose a third party. It’s not impossible, right?”

“Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking you have a chance, do you?”

Peng Xue chuckled mischievously. “Although I really want to tease you, I don’t want to make Yuan Yuan unhappy.”

She suddenly showed a gentle smile, “Besides, based on what I know about Mei Fang, I don’t think he can see any other girl besides those two for the rest of his life.”

“That’s true.” Yue Xinyi nodded. “After all, the three of them have known each other for almost 10 years.”

Guo Yun, who was listening to their conversation, unintentionally glanced at Mei Fang’s tall figure.

As a self-aware chubby girl who knew her own limitations, she had never harbored any inappropriate thoughts about Mei Fang. But Mei Fang was a very special existence to her. He had solidified her determination to pursue her art dream.

If I could become a companion who follows Mei Fang, it would be a wonderful thing, wouldn’t it? But first, there are still many areas where I need to improve on…

Guo Yun clenched her sweaty hands and made a resolution she had never made before.

The scenery at the mountaintop of Wuzu Temple was not particularly unique.

In front of them was a panoramic view of the temple complex composed of pavilions and buildings, with tourists at the foot of the mountain flowing like ants. To the west, there was a golden field of rapeseed flowers, giving off a strong rural atmosphere. To the east, there were layered mountains and valleys, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Looking from the far end of the northwest corner, one could see the Yangtze River dividing the town into two halves.

One half consisted of low-rise buildings, and the other half also consisted of low-rise buildings——

There was no landmark or iconic building worth mentioning in Baimei County.

“We’re about to leave this place, and I feel a little reluctant.”

Xia Yuan held Mei Fang’s arm and said, “Ah Fang, you won’t come back to this place except for the Lunar New Year, right?”

“I guess so…”

“The beef noodles from Panji, the small baked potato, the barbecue at the Cultural Plaza, and the stir-fried ice cream at the entrance of Huangshan mall. It’s going to be hard to eat them again, right?”

“We can still have them during Lunar New Year, but the stir-fried ice cream is impossible… it’s only available in summer.”

“Summer is also a good time to come back.”

Lin Youxi held onto Mei Fang’s sleeve and said, “Don’t make it sound like you won’t come back much in the future. Baizhou City is so close to here, you can come back whenever you want.”

“That’s right. I also want to see Xiaoya more, so that our relationship won’t get estranged.”

Lin Youxi nodded, “I think so too. Xiaoya’s studies won’t go well without my supervision.”

“Well… that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Mei Fang smiled faintly and then gazed at his hometown in the distance. Suddenly, he unconsciously started humming a song.

“At the foot of the Dabie Mountains, by the Yangtze River, the future elites are thriving~~♪”

“Promoting the country’s development, cultivating sincerity, the great responsibility of China’s takeoff is ours~~♪”

“…”

Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi looked at Mei Fang with strange expressions. “This song sounds familiar. Is it the school hymn of our Experimental Middle School? I’ve never heard our school having a school hymn before, though.”

“It’s the school hymn of Baimei No.1 High School,” Mei Fang smiled.

Lin Youxi looked surprised, “How do you know the school hymn of that high school?”

“Sometimes when I pass by Baimei No.1 High School, I would occasionally hear it, and gradually, I learned it myself.”

“Mei Fang is always exceptionally talented in strange places.”

Xia Yuan patted Mei Fang’s shoulder, and then they began to admire the sunset scenery with him and Lin Youxi.

This was Baimei County, Mei Fang’s hometown where he had lived two lifetimes. It wasn’t a prosperous place, nor were the local customs particularly simple. The quality of local people was just average, and they were not especially warm and hospitable either.

In this era, there were still pickpockets on public buses, acquaintances would swindle you when taking you to shops, and buying groceries always meant receiving less than the weight paid for. Money dropped on the ground would never be found again.

But living another life made him develop a deeper affection for his hometown.

He underwent an extremely important turning point with his choices this time.

He gave up attending Baimei No.1 High School, which meant that the stories and connections he experienced in this school in his previous life, including those with Zhang Ming and other acquaintances, were basically cut off.

Subtly, he felt a bit reluctant and uncertain about the unknown future.

Even though he was now a small boss worth millions.

Of course, to speak fairly, people always strive for higher and greater places. Sentimentality for the past was not actually an admirable trait.

However, for Mei Fang, nostalgia was essentially a deeply rooted part of his personality.

That was also an important reason why he held such high regard for the long-lasting bonds he had formed.

While Du Zihan was still clumsily climbing to the mountaintop, Mei Fang suddenly turned around and gazed at these companions that he had befriended in middle school due to his karmic relationship with them in his past or present life.

“I say… I think everyone should know that I’m making games now, right?

“Ah, you’re making games? Like game development? How come I didn’t know?”

Mei Fang rolled his eyes at Zhang Ming, “Well, now you know. Be quiet and listen for now.”

“Oh.”

“What I mean is… I have already planned to make game development my lifelong career, and Yuan Yuan and Youxi already know about it.”

Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi nodded, expressing their support.

“What I’m saying here is, if any of you are interested in this career, I would like to invite you to create games with me.”

“This way, even if we go to different places and are separated by vast distances, we can still have common topics and maintain our connection.”

“…”

Mei Fang expressed his feelings in a very melodramatic way. Because of this sudden announcement, everyone was at a loss for how to respond at first. Only Xia Yuan led the way by starting to clap.

“I will join! I’ll always be by Ah Fang’s side, helping him achieve his dreams.”

“Me too.”

Lin Youxi patted Mei Fang’s arm and joined in the applause.

Then, one by one, everyone started clapping.

“Let’s make games together. The one you asked me to help last time was quite interesting.” Yue Xinyi nodded. “I’ll help you write things when I have time!”

“Besides game development, you can consider helping Youxi with other things.”

“Ah? What kind of things…?”

“Youxi will tell you later.”

Peng Xue pondered while supporting her cheek. “I don’t know what I can do in game development… but it seems fun. Can you just count me in without doing any work for now? I want to be like Yuan Yuan and make music.”

“That’s not a problem. Yuan Yuan is already working on that.”

Xia Yuan nodded. “Maybe in the future, we can form a popular band or something?”

“Oh, that sounds great! I’m in!” Peng Xue was immediately captivated by Xia Yuan’s idea.

“I have already been invited to help before… Anyway, you can come to me for any drawings you need in the future.”

Guo Yun vigorously nodded. “As long as you don’t dislike my work, I’ll definitely help.”

“Thank you! I’ll pay you for your work later.”

“Ah? I, I don’t need money… Just drawing is fun.”

“Then we’ll keep in touch later.”

Mei Fang smiled at Guo Yun.

Zhang Ming and the confused Du Zihan were quite shocked. Zhang Ming spoke first, “It’s the first time I’ve heard that you’re making games… What genre is it?”

“I’ll make games of all genres. If you’re interested, I’ll send you my current plan and have a look.”

Mei Fang thought for a moment. “But the pressure in the science experimental class is quite high, so I won’t force you, okay?”

“It’s okay. I think game development is quite interesting. The designs those idiot game planners create now are simply unbearable. They are like a pile of shit. My game design might even be better than theirs if I make one.

“I’m starting to feel a little offended by what you just said.”

Mei Fang patted Zhang Ming’s shoulder. “Let’s see what level of game design you can come up with.”

“…”

Du Zihan was very interested in Mei Fang’s words but hesitated to speak up.

“Um… Can I join too?”

“Ah.”

Mei Fang suddenly froze when he saw Du Zihan. He almost forgot about this guy. He and Du Zihan only met by chance, and he didn’t think Du Zihan could help him much, so he casually said, “If you’re interested, of course you can join. But you have to wait until after your entrance exam…”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not bragging, but I’m really good at playing games!”

As Du Zihan spoke, he suddenly became excited. He took out his phone and showed everyone his achievements.

“This is the hottest game right now, Flappy Bird. I’m the number one in my friend list. Look at my score, see that? Invincible, right?”

Du Zihan gradually regained his former arrogant demeanor. This was his original nature.

When Xia Yuan saw the game screen on Du Zihan’s phone, she couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“Hey, hey, this game… This is the game Ah Fang and Youxi made many years ago. And it’s so popular now!”

“Woah! I’ve played this game too…”

Peng Xue took her phone, wearing an incredulous expression. “You guys made this? You must have made a lot of money, right?”

“It was a free game we made for fun. Didn’t earn much money.”

Yue Xinyi immediately nodded. “Great! We should sell the game we made recently for 20 yuan each download! No, it should be 100 yuan!”

Zhang Ming became annoyed at her words. “Yue Xinyi! I think you’ve been blinded by money. You’re one of those sh*tty developers who only think about scamming players for money every day, aren’t you?”

“Hey hey… What’s wrong with making money!?”

Whether it was the scenery of their hometown or the people from their hometown, everything was constantly changing, nobody would wait for you in the same place.

But if, in the process of striving forward, you could meet a group of like-minded friends, even if they didn’t have the same outstanding talents or abilities as you, just being able to strive together with trustworthy companions was enough to be considered a joyful thing.

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