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

After enjoying a hearty barbecue buffet, everyone was quickly filled up. Only Xiang Bingbing managed to eat two more servings of ice cream dessert, before finally clutching her stomach and letting out a satisfied burp.

“After being in Jiangcheng for so long, I finally got a satisfying meal… I’m so happy.”

Looking at the clean plates on the table, everyone couldn’t help but marvel at Xiang Bingbing’s formidable appetite and silently mourned for the buffet restaurant owner.

Mei Fang looked at Guo Yun’s simple dishes and couldn’t help but sigh.

“Guo Yun, you’re really eating so little now… The girl who always carried Teuscher chocolates with her in the past has gone far away from us.”

“Uh…please don’t tease me about things from the past anymore.”

“I’m not teasing you. I’m just reminiscing about the good old times, okay?”

Mei Fang was actually very relieved to see how much Guo Yun had changed. In his previous life, he had never stood up for her against those who bullied and ridiculed her. It was only when they parted ways that he realized how much she valued their relationship, and he always regretted not doing more to protect her.

But now she was doing well, and he had played a small role in that. Knowing this, Mei Fang was already content.

“When I was in middle school, I was actually very afraid of going to school because I knew that everyone would openly or secretly mock me. I did want to change myself at times, but I could never gather the courage to do so. As a result, I was constantly ridiculed and couldn’t make any friends.”

Guo Yun spoke earnestly, “But since I met Mei Fang, Class Monitor Youxi, and Yuan Yuan, and started making games with all of you, suddenly going to school became interesting. Sometimes I truly feel lucky that you don’t dislike me… I…” As Guo Yun spoke, her face suddenly turned red. “Uh, I got a bit sentimental all of a sudden. It seems a bit embarrassing. Just pretend I didn’t say anything, okay?”

“Hehe… It’s understandable, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Yun Yun,” Xia Yuan said with a smile, resting her chin on her hand. “Even if you don’t lose weight, you have your own strengths. You have a good personality, and you’re talented in drawing. Sooner or later, you’ll be well-liked.”

“I feel the same way,” Lin Youxi nodded beside them. “You’re now the only artist in Ximilu Studio. We’ll need your contributions for our upcoming games.”

“Mhm… I know that. I’ll continue to work hard myself. I can’t let anyone down, and I can’t disappoint Mei Fang’s expectations of me.”

Xia Yuan tugged on Mei Fang’s arm and said, “By the way, Ah Fang, don’t you have something related to a new game to discuss with Yun Yun today?”

“Well, that’s the main agenda. I need to talk to her later. If you guys don’t want to listen, you can go shopping or something. After all, opportunities to visit the city center are rare.”

Xiang Bingbing nodded and said, “Yeah, yeah, I plan to go shopping with Xiaoyu. Do you want to come along?”

Xia Yuan immediately shook his head and said, “Later… Bingbing, you and Xiaoyu can go ahead. I need to listen to the discussion about the new game.”

“What about Youxi?”

Lin Youxi also shook her head and said, “I’ll be with Yuan Yuan and Ah Fang.”

Since they were going to develop a new game, the three heads of Ximilu Studio definitely needed to understand the subsequent development process together.

Mhm! That’s right!

It’s not like we’re here to monitor Guo Yun and see if she wants to take advantage of this opportunity to make a move on our Ah Fang or anything!

Although Guo Yun’s appearance has improved a lot, according to Ah Fang’s preferences, she still lacks quite a few things.

Xia Yuan stared at Guo Yun’s back, lost in thought.

If she continues to work out, maybe one day she will indeed have a very attractive and fit figure, but by then, it will probably be too late.

After all, our Ah Fang isn’t someone so vulgar and lustful.

After so many years of our relationship, he will definitely cherish it even more.

After figuring this out, Xia Yuan walked with a confident stride, even directly linking arms with Mei Fang intimately.

Walking around the shopping mall like this, they didn’t look any different from a couple.

“Let’s sit in this milk tea shop for a while and have a snack.”

Mei Fang glanced at the menu and said, “This place has sugar-free green tea, jasmine tea, and oolong tea. You should be able to drink those, right?”

Guo Yun nodded and then took out her wallet from her bag. “Um… Let me treat you guys this time. I can’t always bother you to pay.”

“Alright… that’s fine. Thank you then.”

Mei Fang couldn’t help but think about what Xia Yuan had said to him. He knew it was better to not always act like a big shot.

Guo Yun ordered milk tea for everyone and then took out an iPad tablet from her bag. This was the beginning of the tablet era.

“These are the concept designs I did based on some art pieces that you gave me. There are character and scene designs. You can take a look and see if there’s anything that catches your attention.”

Mei Fang took the tablet from Guo Yun and together with Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan, they began to admire Guo Yun’s works.

“Ah Fang, why did you ask Guo Yun to draw these? What exactly are these concept designs?”

“In the early stages of game development, we need to establish an art style. We come up with a concept first, get some concept art from the art department, and then find a style that aligns with our ideas before starting the development of a new game.”

“It sounds much more complicated than the games we made before. Ah Fang, are you planning to make a really impressive game?”

“The scale is something to consider later. It’s better to see the resources we have on hand and then make a decision.”

Guo Yun’s concept design drawings come in three main styles:

Low-poly style characters and scenes;

Early cel-shaded character designs;

Detailed pixel art style.

The first style that Mei Fang wanted to reference was the game Monument Valley^[1], which had a distinct low-poly polygonal 3D style. Compared to traditional games, it had a fresh and simple feeling.

The Cel-shading style was popular in the early 21st century. Many of the works by the renowned Hayao Miyazaki and famous anime like Cowboy Bebop were created using this style.

These works had many layers with vibrant colors in block shapes, giving them a delicate feeling. The production cost was also high, making it suitable for narrative-heavy visual novels or RPG games.

The third style, detailed pixel art, was different from traditional pixel art found in most games on the market. It had smaller color blocks and more intricate animations.

Traditional pixel art referred to the early FC (Family Computer) games, and there weren’t many comparable products on the market at this time.

In the early 2010s, everyone was enthusiastic about utilizing Unity and Unreal Engine to develop the next generation of visual technologies. Pixel art, as an “outdated” art style, received less attention.

Of course, after 2016 or 2017, many pixel art games gained popularity again, either due to outstanding gameplay or by combining new 3D pixel techniques. Games like Dead Cells and Celeste are examples, but that’s a story for another time.

While Mei Fang earnestly looked through Guo Yun’s portfolio, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi couldn’t see any nuances and could only silently look along with Mei Fang.

“I think they are all good… Ah Fang, have you decided which art style to choose for the new game?”

Mei Fang nodded and then pointed to a character design in the portfolio, saying, “This character… feels very interesting.”

Translator's Notes:

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