Chapter 90 – I’m Not Talking About Any Other Girl
For these children living in Bai Mei County who were still young and naive, they might never fully understand how fortunate their first summer vacation was.
This was actually their last chance to spend a complete summer before graduating from high school after senior year.
By the time they reached second year, everyone would start participating in various tutoring classes organized by their homeroom teachers or the school.
Junior high is when students’ performance begins to diverge significantly. Due to limited resources in small counties, students at the middle and lower levels often become neglected, as teachers lack the capacity to effectively manage them. Generally, teachers recommend that students with better grades attend such supplementary classes, while those at the bottom of the rankings are often left to their own devices.
Under this influence, good students become even more diligent, while poor-performing students continue to lag behind, becoming an inevitable outcome.
The year between first and second year is the most precious period for each student’s transformation because underachievers need to break free from their original peer groups, regain the trust of their teachers, and strive to join the ranks of top students. This is also the age when rebellion peaks and peer recognition is most critical, making the pressure immense.
Therefore, Mei Fang felt relieved that Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi had survived their first year of junior high.
Lin You Xi’s significant changes over the past year speak for themselves. She became a class monitor, said no to Xia Yuan, reconciled with her father, and every bit of accumulation became a solid foundation for her ascent towards greatness.
Additionally, under Mei Fang’s subtle influence and guidance, You Xi, at a young age, developed skills in cooking and coding. Now, she can independently handle the maintenance of C Station.
The site can now upload and play videos, and the bullet screen function works properly. However, it’s a virtual machine-based small server, with slow upload speeds that once made Mei Fang consider giving up on it. Without manpower and resources, it was too much work.
But since You Xi had poured so much emotion into the website and was constantly thinking about solutions and improvements, Mei Fang allowed her to continue tinkering with it, treating it like a game.
Perhaps one day, when Bitcoin rises or if the games they make earn money, they could hire some people to help run C Station. In Mei Fang’s opinion, he definitely wouldn’t let Lin You Xi be just the head of the tech department.
As for Xia Yuan’s growth, it was equally rapid. For the first time leaving her comfort zone and facing a completely new environment and increased academic pressure, Xia Yuan didn’t back down. With her strong sense of pride and competitiveness, she diligently practiced math problems to catch up with Mei Fang and Lin You Xi. Eventually, she steadily improved in the latter half of the semester.
Xia Yuan encountered her first dilemma between friendship and childhood sweethearts in daily interactions. Her outgoing personality didn’t understand the boundaries of cliques, but her appreciation of Mei Fang and Lin You Xi led her to accept Lin You Xi’s ideas and prevent Peng Xue from disrupting their trio’s friendship.
Mei Fang didn’t deliberately cultivate Xia Yuan’s skills because she was naturally multi-talented from a young age. Looking back, her love for music, coupled with her voice and appearance, might make her better suited for a career as a singer. But honestly, Mei Fang wasn’t very keen on it. The entertainment industry in China isn’t something he thought someone like him could enter. Moreover, Xia Yuan’s current personality was too innocent, and she might easily fall prey to others if she entered it. He wanted to keep her close to ensure her safety.
Both Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi showed great enthusiasm for games under Mei Fang’s influence, which was something Mei Fang needed to focus on in the future.
When Mei Fang entered third year, it was 2010. At this time, the U3D development engine would officially release a version supporting Android platforms, marking the beginning of the mobile gaming craze. As a reincarnated prodigy destined to change his fate, Mei Fang needed to prepare early and not waste his days indulging in games and pleasure—eating, drinking, and playing.
Then, Mei Fang was pulled by Xia Yuan to the roller-skating rink to enjoy some fun.
Children of their age in Bai Mei County loved roller-skating because it was cool, and the venue wasn’t expensive; ten yuan could get you a full day of skating.
Unlike the ceramic tiles in the square, the roller-skating rink had wooden platforms of different heights. Everyone could circle around at high speed, and the indoor rink played dynamic music and dazzling neon lights, giving it a trendy vibe that Mei Fang found somewhat outdated.
“A Fang, what are you thinking about? I bought sausages for you. Do you want to eat them now?”
“Don’t you eat them fresh?”
Mei Fang was about to reach for it when mischievous Xia Yuan snatched it away, humming,
“Open your mouth, let me feed you.”
“Give it to me, I’ll do it myself.”
“You have to catch up with me first! Unless you let me feed you.”
“Feeding… it’s dangerous to hold things while wearing roller skates!”
Mei Fang’s roller-skating skills were excellent in his previous life, and this ability remained after rebirth. After gaining an additional boost from his 13-year-old body, he quickly skated behind Xia Yuan and grabbed her. By then, Xia Yuan had already taken a bite out of the sausage.
Mei Fang sternly scolded her,
“You’re getting more and more mischievous, aren’t you? Eating while roller-skating, don’t you fear falling?”
“I’m skilled enough; it’s perfectly fine!”
“Still haven’t realized your mistake? Huh?”
Xia Yuan’s face was pinched and rubbed repeatedly by Mei Fang.
“Okay, okay… I’m sorry, I was wrong…”
Xia Yuan pouted, “I just thought you and You Xi have been staying home all the time lately, lacking any enthusiasm. I wanted to tease you a little. Is You Xi not coming today? We agreed to come together.”
“She should be fixing bugs at my place; she’ll come over later.”
“Mmm… I played with Xiao Xue today. Did you remind her when you went out?”
“I did. She doesn’t mind. Don’t always ask You Xi’s opinion when you bring Xiao Xue out; it’s too obvious. You Xi isn’t that petty…”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
Mei Fang quickly ate the sausage, and Xia Yuan commented from almost within his embrace,
“Wow, your mouth is wide open! And I’ve already taken a bite.”
“Why did you mention that?”
“As long as you don’t mind.”
Xia Yuan enjoyed leaning against Mei Fang’s shoulder. She shook her head, intending to get closer, but Mei Fang suddenly pushed her away.
“Tsk tsk… You two really are affectionate! Don’t you care about the setting anymore?”
Peng Xue slowly strolled past them, leaning on the railing, her expression filled with playful amusement.
“Xiao Xue! You’re late. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Xia Yuan skated next to Peng Xue and gently patted her shoulder. Peng Xue smiled,
“I left you some alone time, right? I’m quite considerate.”
“There’s nothing to hide.”
Xia Yuan’s face lit up with a cheerful smile, “Given the relationship between me and A Fang, this is normal.”
“Is it normal…”
Peng Xue smiled but didn’t say more. She looked around,
“Isn’t Lin You Xi coming today?”
“You Xi will arrive later,” Mei Fang chimed in, then decided to stretch his muscles after a long period without exercise, “Go ahead and chat, I’ll go skate a few rounds.”
“Go ahead, go ahead!”
Xia Yuan waved to signal Mei Fang to go ahead.
People at the roller-skating rink generally followed a clockwise loop route, a common practice to avoid collisions.
In this way, Mei Fang, who skated gracefully like walking on the moon, continuously overtook one person after another. His relatively small stature stood out in the mostly high school student crowd.
Xia Yuan and Peng Xue leaned against the railing, chatting and watching Mei Fang skate past them occasionally. Peng Xue suddenly remarked,
“Mei Fang’s roller-skating skills are really impressive.”
“Isn’t it true? Our A Fang is so strong.”
“Yuan Yuan, don’t you think… Mei Fang now has a certain charm, a unique flavor?”
“Huh?”
Xia Yuan’s originally cheerful expression instantly sobered up due to alertness, but Peng Xue was used to it.
“Oh, stop being so tense. I’m not interested in your childhood sweetheart. I’m asking you… Don’t you think so?”
“What do you mean? Just now?”
“You don’t find your A Fang handsome?”
“Mmm, my A Fang is indeed handsome. What’s the matter?”
“So… Don’t you worry about him being taken away?”
“Don’t worry, A Fang promised me. We’re students now, so we should focus on our studies. So, he won’t be with other girls…”
Xia Yuan recalled the sweet scene where she asked Mei Fang for Super A Fang energy, feeling embarrassed and curling her hair.
“Mei Fang indeed doesn’t seem interested in other girls. But—”
With her hair tied into a ponytail, Peng Xue casually approached Xia Yuan’s ear and whispered a secret shared among girls.
“I’m not talking about… other girls, okay?”
(End of Chapter 90)
