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

Chapter 51: My Heart is Really Tired

“Do we have to play this? How many coins do we have left?”

“We still have more than 20 coins. Ah Fang, you’re so good at playing games, you must be good at claw machine too, right?”

“Well… um…”

At this moment, Mei Fang appeared very guilty.

I’m good at playing games, but I only have theoretical knowledge and no practical experience in catching toys. Who played claw machine with me in my past life?

My younger sister didn’t, and my childhood friends didn’t either. Could it be Zhang Ming, my only friend who went to Ukraine?

“I’ll give it a try. Don’t blame me if I can’t catch anything.”

“Then come with me. I want you to help me catch this.” Xia Yuan pointed to the cat plushie inside.

Fortunately, Mei Fang had read a lot of online novels and watched anime before, and learned many strategies that may or may not be useful.

For example, the claw machine tightens and loosens every nine times, you need to shake the claw to make it more stable, you should hook the toy’s tag, and determine its position based on its center of gravity——

Mei Fang used half of the coins in his hand, but didn’t catch a single toy.

“Ah, Ah Fang is so bad. I’ll do it myself. I can’t count on you.”

Xia Yuan touched her nose and started putting coins in, muttering to herself.

I gave Ah Fang a chance, but he turned out to be so bad…

Shooting may not be my strong suit, but catching toys…

I’ve been doing it since I was little!

Xia Yuan often went to play claw machines with her father, and her catching skills always amazed others.

“I caught it!” Xia Yuan happily watched the toy being hooked up.

“Why did it slip down!” Xia Yuan had a crying expression.

Actually, Xia Yuan had no idea that her father often gave money to the owner of the claw machine shop to secretly adjust the difficulty level, so that Xia Yuan could experience the joy of catching toys on her own.

After repeating this three times, Xia Yuan only had 2 coins left for the last round.

“Turns out you’re still just as bad.” Mei Fang seized the opportunity to mock.

“It’s too cold today, my hands are shaking, and I’m not in a good state!”

Xia Yuan glared at Mei Fang, not in a good mood. She looked at the two coins left in her hand, and then called Lin Youxi, who was watching others play racing games nearby.

“Youxi, why don’t you give it a try too!”

Lin Youxi nodded, “I don’t know how to catch this, can I try it randomly?”

“Go ahead, just give it a try. After we finish playing this game, we’ll go to the mall.”

Lin Youxi took the coin and inserted it into the machine. When the timer started, she began to move the claw.

She had always been the type to either not do something or do it very seriously, whether it was studying or playing games.

She focused on operating the joystick, gently adjusting its position.

Seeing her seriousness, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang dared not breathe and watched her operate together.

Snap.

After calculating, Lin Youxi directly catch it.

She didn’t wait like Mei Fang had explained earlier.

“I caught it, I caught it!”

“It’s about to fall, it’s about to fall!”

“It fell into the prize chute! Why hasn’t it dropped? Is it stuck?”

Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan squatted down together and reached out to grab the toy. Because Xia Yuan was wearing a winter skirt, she instinctively pressed the back of her skirt to prevent it from being lifted. She had become quite skilled at it.

So, the two of them obtained the only victory in this claw machine, a small pig plushie.

However, what Xia Yuan wanted Mei Fang to catch earlier was actually the cat one.

“This isn’t the one you wanted earlier, right?”

Lin Youxi felt apologetic, “I only picked the toy that I felt I could catch. I realized it was wrong after pressing the button.”

“No, I like this one too! I like anything you catch.”

Xia Yuan hugged the plushie tightly and then pleaded with Lin Youxi, “Can I have this? I really like it.”

“If you like it, take it. No need to ask me.”

Lin Youxi played with her hair, looking a little embarrassed.

“I knew it, Youxi, you’re the best!”

Xia Yuan happily hugged Lin Youxi and stuck close to her. They looked very friendly, and Mei Fang watched with enjoyment. However, he received a disdainful look from Xia Yuan, “Ah Fang, you don’t want this pig too, do you? I already claimed it.”

“Who’s competing with you?”

Mei Fang tapped Xia Yuan’s head, “Are you done playing now? Aren’t you going to the mall? Be careful not to stay out too late.”

“I know, I know!”

Xia Yuan walked and laughed with Lin Youxi while holding the pig plushie. When they passed by a women’s clothing store, Xia Yuan walked toward Mei Fang and placed the plushie on Mei Fang’s head.

“This pig suits you well! Help me hold it for a moment, I’m going to buy clothes with Youxi.”

“Weren’t you two originally going to buy stationery and book covers?” Mei Fang held the pig plushie on his head, looking helpless. “Buying clothes will take a long time, won’t it?”

Xia Yuan quickly waved her hand and said, “No, we’re buying small clothes, it’ll be quick.”

“Small clothes? What’s that?”

“Small clothes are…”

“Yuan Yuan, why are you telling Ah Fang about this!”

Lin Youxi was unusually nervous. She pulled Xia Yuan aside, preventing her from saying anything and lectured her. However, Xia Yuan still had an expression as if it was nothing.

“It’s okay if Ah Fang knows, we’ve all grown up…”

“Anyway… it’s just… ah, it’s not good.”

Seeing Lin Youxi’s shy appearance, Mei Fang immediately understood the meaning behind their words.

So this is how girls refer to bras and other underwear? That’s kind of cute.

After all, we’re already 12 years old and have started developing…

Mei Fang waited for Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi to finish buying clothes before going to the supermarket inside the mall. Mei Fang was then asked to help carry the bags of clothes and was warned by Lin Youxi not to take them out and look at them.

When they came out of the supermarket, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi were nowhere to be seen again. Mei Fang had both hands full of bags and a small pig plushie on his head, looking extremely comical.

Besides the things they were supposed to buy, they also bought various snacks and some small toys with unrecognizable names.

So this is what it’s like to have childhood friends.

Being a servant for Yuan Yuan and Youxi.

Sigh, it’s really tiring.

My heart is really tired.

Why do I have to endure this suffering?

As a reborn person, I could have dominated the business world long ago, becoming a business giant on par with the three titans, or perhaps ruling the gaming industry and becoming a legendary game producer!

Mei Fang was lamenting his unfortunate fate when Xia Yuan ran over, holding her hands behind her back as if she was hiding something.

“What did you buy again? I don’t have hands left to help you carry things now.”

“I didn’t buy anything, I didn’t buy anything.”

“What are you hiding behind you?”

“Well…”

Xia Yuan showed the small bag she was carrying, “This is Ah Fang’s reward for accompanying us today! Eat it while it’s hot, don’t say that I always boss you around and don’t care about you.”

She bought a serving of Tangyuan^[1] specifically for Mei Fang.

“Just this? Are you trying to appease a little puppy?”

Mei Fang complained, “And look at me now, I don’t even have hands to hold it, right? There’s also nowhere nearby to sit down and eat slowly.”

“Don’t complain, open your mouth and I’ll feed you.”

Mei Fang didn’t hesitate and opened his mouth. Xia Yuan scooped up a spoonful of Tangyuan, intending to feed it to Mei Fang.

“Ah—”

“Ow.”

Xia Yuan suddenly turned her head and ate it herself, then stuck her tongue out at Mei Fang after finishing.

“You’re playing with me, huh!”

“I’m not playing anymore! Don’t be angry.”

Xia Yuan feed Mei Fang with the spoon she had used. After Mei Fang ate a few Tangyuan, he asked:

“Where did Youxi go?”

“She went to the clothing store to pick up some things, she’ll be back soon.”

Xia Yuan fed Mei Fang the Tangyuan and saw some juice dripping from the corner of his mouth. She quickly took out a tissue and carefully wiped it for him, not caring if she was getting too close to Mei Fang.

Mei Fang could clearly feel Xia Yuan’s special affection towards him, but based on Mei Fang’s understanding of Xia Yuan over the past six years, it was hard to say that it was a romantic relationship in the adult sense. It was more like what Xia Yuan thought, something that friends would do.

Was she wrong in her thinking? Mei Fang didn’t have any other real-life references, so he couldn’t say Xia Yuan was mistaken either.

But they had gone through more together and spent more time together. Plus, Mei Fang had promised that Xia Yuan could be herself around him.

So, maybe they were slightly closer than other childhood friends? But honestly, there was nothing to envy…

Mei Fang silently reminded himself in his heart, “For others who aspire to be reborn, remember, don’t be as unfocused as I am and waste your precious youth.”

Translator's Notes:

Tangyuan or glutinous rice balls – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangyuan_(food)↩︎

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

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