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

Chapter 253: Things Couples Do

Since starting a relationship with her beloved Ah Fang, Xia Yuan has been feeling very happy and full of energy every day.

Although Mei Fang was busy with studies and work, he always made time to be with Xia Yuan in public. Meanwhile, the frequency of Lin Youxi appearing together with Xia Yuan and Mei Fang gradually decreased.

As a result, more and more people began to notice Mei Fang and Xia Yuan holding hands in public. When friends around them asked, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang openly told them the “truth.”

“Ah Fang, are you and Yuan Yuan really dating?”

Xiang Bingbing found out about it only after hearing others mention it. As Mei Fang’s desk mate, she was quite displeased that she was among the last to know about this fresh gossip. She grabbed Mei Fang and questioned him fiercely:

“Why didn’t you tell me? That’s so uncool of you!”

“You didn’t specifically ask me, so I didn’t think I needed to tell you…” Mei Fang paused for a moment before adding, “But, speaking of which… You played a part in Yuan Yuan and I getting together.”

“Me?”

Xiang Bingbing tilted her head in confusion. “What did I do? Are you talking about that love letter? But that was Wan Chaoxiong messing with you, right? Or… was the love letter actually written by Yuan Yuan?”

“So that’s how it is! I knew Wan Chaoxiong wouldn’t just write a love letter to prank you for no reason! But why didn’t Yuan Yuan give it to me directly…? This turned into such a big deal. Congratulations, Ah Fang!”

Despite her excitement, she couldn’t help but feel a bit lost and melancholy. “It’s great that you and Yuan Yuan are dating now, but what about Youxi? Won’t she be left all alone?”

“She’s not alone at all. She’s still with us, and our relationship is as strong as ever. Everyone can keep interacting just like before.”

“Phew… that’s a relief.”

Feeling reassured, Xiang Bingbing sighed and then remarked, “I was worried that once you started dating Yuan Yuan, us female friends would be forced to keep our distance from you…”

“Ah, no need for that… Yuan Yuan isn’t that petty.”

“Exactly, exactly!”

Xiang Bingbing said as she gave Mei Fang a few hearty slaps on the shoulder, then laughed and returned to her usual self.

As Mei Fang rubbed his now-sore shoulder, he wondered whether his answer to Xiang Bingbing just now was right.

However, given what he knew about Xia Yuan, Mei Fang was certain she wouldn’t demand that he distance himself from all his female classmates just because he had become her boyfriend. If she wanted to control him, she would have started doing it before they were even dating.

But should I still interact with them the same way after Yuan Yuan and I have become a couple?

Did I say that too soon?

From a public standpoint, Xia Yuan was Mei Fang’s first love (although in reality, both Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi were his first loves, proving Mei Fang’s undeniable ability to balance things out). Before meeting Xia Yuan, Mei Fang had no real experience in relationships, so making decisions for his partner might have been a bit too hasty.

So during a break, when Mei Fang met up with Xia Yuan, he brought up this concern.

“Ah… You mean keeping a distance from other female friends… Are you talking about Bingbing, Xiaoyu, and Yun Yun?”

Xia Yuan suddenly burst into laughter at this. “Ah Fang, you’re being way too sensitive. Do I look like a petty girl to you?”

“Don’t answer so straightforwardly, or others might think they’re watching a sci-fi movie.”^[1]

“Haha… What sci-fi movie?”

Xia Yuan didn’t quite get the joke Mei Fang was making but simply cleared her throat and said, “This whole distance thing… Even if I didn’t say anything, you’d know how to handle it, right? If I forced you to keep your distance from your female classmates, it would make me seem petty and show a lack of trust in you.”

“Even though we’re now a couple, our relationship is built on 10 years of being childhood sweethearts, so there shouldn’t be any doubt about this. Don’t you agree?”

“Aww, Yuan Yuan, you’re too understanding!” As Mei Fang said this, he moved in to hug Xia Yuan, but she pushed him away with a look of disdain—”Are you crazy! My homeroom teacher is still in the classroom having tea. Even if you’re bold, you can’t be that reckless!”

“My Yuan Yuan is so lovely, it’s understandable that I can’t help but want to hug her, right?

Xia Yuan playfully pinched Mei Fang’s cheek. “You can be as affectionate as you want at night, but let’s keep it restrained at school.”

“Okay.”

Mei Fang gave Xia Yuan a thumbs-up and, after complimenting her a few more times, headed back to his classroom.

Xia Yuan smiled as she waved goodbye to Mei Fang and continued watching him until his figure disappeared at the end of the hallway. Only then did she turn back around.

Her deskmate, Liu Xiaoyu, watched Xia Yuan as she returned to her seat, noticing the smile on her face. She felt genuinely happy for her.

“Your Ah Fang is really clingy.”

“Ah… haha, it’s not much different from before. If he didn’t come to find me, I’d end up going to find him anyway.”

“It’s just that Youxi isn’t coming to hang out with you two as often anymore, so it feels a bit different.”

“Youxi…”

Xia Yuan actually didn’t enjoy the feeling of Youxi not being around, but Lin Youxi reminded her that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” This temporary separation was only to ensure that the three of them could be together for a long time in the future. Besides, they would still go home together every night and get intimate along the way, so she was slowly getting used to her new daily routine.

Liu Xiaoyu, who originally didn’t have much interest in romance, had become intrigued after seeing Xia Yuan’s changes.

“By the way, do you think there’s been a noticeable change in your relationship with Mei Fang before and after you started dating?”

“A noticeable change…”

Well, there is, but it’s not something I can tell Xiaoyu——

Xia Yuan smiled and said, “Most of the time, it’s still the same as before… Thinking about it, the way Ah Fang and I interacted before was already quite similar to a couple’s, hahaha——”

Liu Xiaoyu thought to herself that Xia Yuan was pretty slow to realize this.

“Speaking of which, Xiaoyu, what do you think couples do besides the things Ah Fang and I are already doing? Like going on dates, watching movies, and eating outside—those are things we used to do anyway. I’m looking for something more specific to being a couple, but I haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Hmm…”

Liu Xiaoyu thought for a moment, “How about couple usernames, matching outfits, or couple avatars? Have you and Mei Fang tried those? It could be fun.”

“Ah… yes, yes! That’s it! I knew something was missing, and it turns out we haven’t done those things yet.”

In the distant past, Xia Yuan had actually tried using couple usernames when Mei Fang introduced her to computer games. Mei Fang’s username was 【Defiant Little Fang Fang】, and she named herself 【Obedient Little Yuan Yuan】.

I remember the first game we played together was Bombs and Bubbles. Those were fond memories, haha…

That evening, during their “advanced special training” session, Xia Yuan brought up these ideas with Mei Fang, and he agreed right away.

So, they changed their usernames to 【Yuan You Fangbao】(Yuan’s Fangbao) and 【Fang You Yuanbao】 (Fang’s Yuanbao), and also updated their avatars to matching couple avatars.

Lin Youxi was also very supportive of this, as she believed it was a faster and more natural way to announce their relationship to others. She even took the initiative to like both of their status updates.

Xia Yuan and Mei Fang’s online activities quickly caught the attention of Peng Xue and the others——

“Yuan Yuan, what’s up with your and Mei Fang’s avatars?”

Translator's Notes: