Chapter 177: Who Would Be So Unambitious to Settle for Their Childhood Sweetheart?
After changing their clothes, the three of them went downstairs and started jogging around the residential area.
Currently, more than ten years had passed since his rebirth, Mei Fang’s biological clock had finally adjusted, allowing him to gradually enjoy the ambiance of a morning filled with the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
The three of them maintained a steady pace and ran four laps around the residential area, but Xia Yuan’s speed gradually lagged behind.
“You guys… go ahead… don’t worry about me,” Xia Yuan said, clutching her chest and panting heavily, “I need to take a break before I continue running.”
“It’s okay, let’s take a short rest first,” Mei Fang said, helping Xia Yuan tidy up her slightly messy hair. “You used to have good stamina, what happened now?”
It’s just… I can’t catch my breath… I’m a bit…” Xia Yuan clung to Mei Fang’s arm and gasped for breath.
Meanwhile, although Lin Youxi looked delicate, running didn’t put much pressure on her long legs.
While stretching her legs to the side, she asked Xia Yuan, “Could it be because your sportswear is too tight? Would it be better if you unzip it a bit?”
“No, I can’t do that!”
Xia Yuan resisted and covered her sportswear’s zipper, “It would look weird if I ran like that… it’s not good if someone sees it.”
Ah, that’s what she meant.
Mei Fang quietly observed Xia Yuan and then teasingly said, “Yuan Yuan, have you gained weight again recently? Your weight should be over a hundred now, right?”
“Stinky Ah Fang!”
Xia Yuan punched Mei Fang indignantly, “I’m not that heavy. You’ve carried me before, and it wasn’t that difficult, was it?”
“The last time I carried you was during National Day, it’s been a month now.”
“Then carry me again and see if it’s about the same as before.”
As soon as Mei Fang shifted to the side, Xia Yuan skillfully jumped up and wrapped her arms around Mei Fang’s neck. Mei Fang staggered a few steps and almost lost his balance.
Xia Yuan seemed a bit nervous as she pressed against Mei Fang’s shoulder and asked, “A-Ah Fang, are you not fully awake? You seem to lack strength…”
“How is that possible?! I’m wide awake and feeling great.”
“I don’t believe it, you… try carrying Youxi and see, she should be a bit lighter than me. I want to see if it’s your problem or mine. Youxi, can you?”
Lin Youxi nodded and approached Mei Fang.
Lin Youxi had always been relatively tall and slender since she was little. Mei Fang was now only about four or five centimeters taller than her. Remembering the previous experience of carrying Lin Youxi, he immediately waved his hand and said, “Youxi is so tall that her feet would be dragging on the ground. It’s really hard to carry her.”
“Then carry me from the front.”
Lin Youxi pressed Mei Fang’s shoulder and turned him around, then wrapped her arm around Mei Fang’s neck, clearly indicating a princess carry.
Mei Fang, though a bit slow to react, cooperatively crouched down to support Lin Youxi’s legs.
With a light leap, Lin Youxi lifted her feet, and the two of them completed a standard princess carry pose.
“Are you two… a little too skilled at this?”
“Isn’t this position commonly seen on TV? It’s not that difficult…”
Indeed, this was the first time Lin Youxi and Mei Fang had performed a princess carry.
Xia Yuan watched as Mei Fang effortlessly carried Lin Youxi without even holding his breath, looking very relaxed. She felt a sudden panic in her heart.
“Let me try it too.”
After Lin Youxi got down, Xia Yuan also had Mei Fang princess carry her.
Mei Fang visibly struggled a bit while carrying Xia Yuan, appearing to exert a lot of effort. There was even a stumbling step.
Seeing Xia Yuan on the verge of tears, Mei Fang quickly comforted her.
“I’m sorry, Yuan Yuan. I’m really weak. I need to exercise more…”
“Ah Fang, you don’t have to say that to console me.”
Xia Yuan didn’t indulge in the princess carry for too long. She became calm, fixed her hair after getting off Mei Fang, and said, “I’ve rested enough. Let’s continue our morning jog.”
…
Their remarkable performance at the Autumn Art Festival made Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi momentarily become popular figures in the school. Mei Fang could feel the gazes of other girls from different classes as he walked in the hallway.
Mei Fang thought that Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi would probably receive similar treatment, especially Xia Yuan, who was growing quite nicely and would surely catch the eyes of many boys.
However, with Lin Youxi’s aloof aura accompanying her, she could easily keep some boys at bay.
The group performance at the art festival had also boosted Mei Fang’s confidence. Other boys would need to think twice before making a move and consider whether they were more outstanding than Mei Fang.
Of course, since that was a group performance, its effectiveness in asserting dominance was still far from sufficient.
So, Mei Fang willingly chose to sing a duet with Xia Yuan in the New Year’s Eve Gala and chose Bare Face which is a love song with great performance effect.
As for Lin Youxi… Mei Fang trusted her completely because she always knew what she wanted, had a strong sense of purpose, and wasn’t afraid to reject those she didn’t care about.
If someone were to confess to Xia Yuan, she might still say a few comforting words like “Thank you, you’re a good person.” But with Lin Youxi, she probably wouldn’t even give the other person a chance to speak and would snuff out their thoughts early on.
With the sports festival approaching, everyone was busy with their training preparations. The homeroom teacher, Dong Zhongying, changed the afternoon’s free activity time to group training. Those participating in the long jump practiced long jump, while the high jumpers practiced high jump. The whole field was bustling with activity.
Standing at a height of nearly 1.9 meters, Xiang Bingbing was the absolute main force of this sports festival.
Ever since she heard about the prizes for the top places at Jiangcheng NOHS’s sports festival, she signed up for all the events that didn’t conflict with her schedule. During training, she put in a lot of effort.
Many people were casual during tug-of-war training, but Xiang Bingbing took off her jacket in order to perform better, leaving only a small vest, and easily toppled the entire opposing training group.
“Phew… Xiang Bingbing, you’re too strong!”
“They’re all your brothers and sisters in the class. Bingbing, don’t take it so seriously!”
“How can I not? Training requires serious dedication. Otherwise, what will happen if we underperform during the actual competition…”
Because Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi occupied almost all of his free time, Mei Fang didn’t have many interactions with his other boy classmates. Except for Wan Chaoxiong, he only had a good relationship with Wang Jiayu and Liu Shuwen, the boys in the front row of his desk.
Liu Shuwen didn’t talk much usually, but he was very interested in gaming topics. He had a PlayStation game console at home, so he had always been a single-player gamer and was not interested in online games at all. He even had a bit of disdain for them.
But Mei Fang had seen this kind of tendency too many times. His extensive gaming experience and advanced understanding of games were enough to attract Liu Shuwen’s interest, and he would often ask Mei Fang for advice on various gaming issues.
As for Wang Jiayu, he was a bit of a special oddball. Although he was a bit short and skinny, his personality was cheerful and outgoing. He liked to write romance novels or some romance fanfiction stories in class, so he got along well with the girls in the class. Some girls were even willing to pay him to help write stories for them.
Perhaps because he got along well with the girls, Wang Jiayu had a somewhat gossipy personality. Whenever Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi came to find Mei Fang, he would proactively remind Mei Fang about their arrival.
During training sessions, different classes were assigned specific areas to practice. Xia Yuan’s and Lin Youxi’s Class 5 were next to Class 3. So, when they arrived first at the training ground, Xia Yuan took the initiative to pull Lin Youxi over to greet and chat with Mei Fang before returning to continue their training.
After the two of them left, Mei Fang went back to his group with Liu Shuwen, Wang Jiayu, and Wan Chaoxiong to do some stretching before running, chatting casually as they stretched.
“I have to say, Brother Fang’s two childhood sweethearts really stick to him. They even want to talk to him at a time like this. I’m so envious that my teeth are grinding.”
Liu Shuwen shook his head. “What’s there to envy? I find it annoying. They’re too clingy and don’t give him any personal time. I’ll definitely avoid finding a partner like them in the future.”
“Talking about finding a partner in the future, with your mindset, you won’t find a girlfriend at all.”
Wang Jiayu sighed quietly and then looked at Mei Fang, who was doing stretches seriously. “Speaking of which, I’ve always been curious. Do childhood sweethearts really have thoughts about falling in love? After all, both sides know about each other’s embarrassing moments from childhood to adulthood. It feels like even if they’re together, the way they interact wouldn’t change much… Brother Fang, can you share your thoughts?”
Mei Fang put on a righteous expression and said, “Why are you guys always thinking about all this random stuff? High school students should behave like high school students, focus on studying, and not engage in early relationships.”
After listening to Mei Fang’s righteous words, Wang Jiayu quickly gave him a thumbs up. “Alright, Brother Fang, you keep pretending. I’ll be waiting to see you cry your heart out when your childhood sweethearts end up with someone else. Don’t blame me for not warning you… Don’t leave any regrets in your youth, Brother Fang!”
Mei Fang pursed his lips and shook his head. “Yuan Yuan and Youxi won’t be in a relationship with anyone else. Others won’t have a chance.”
“Are you so sure about that?”
“Yes, because I understand them. We have a good relationship.”
Mei Fang smiled and continued, “But the relationship between us cannot be simply interpreted as friendship or love.”
“Not friendship, not love, then it must be like family, right?”
Mei Fang pondered for a while and said, “That’s somewhat accurate, I suppose.”
“You’re amazing, Brother Fang,” Wang Jiayu praised. “I have a new inspiration for my latest work. It’s better if you tell me more.”
“…”
While Mei Fang was speechless on the side, Wan Chaoxiong suddenly said something surprising, “I think Boss Mei probably won’t end up with either of his childhood sweethearts.”
“Huh? Why do you say that, Brother Xiong?”
Wan Chaoxiong brushed off the dust from his pants. He was one of the many people knocked down by Xiang Bingbing earlier.
“Because I also have a childhood sweetheart, and I really can’t stand her, you know? She’s always been physically aggressive, breaking my action figures, never washing her socks, and laughing like a fool while watching dramas. Honestly, my pet dog at home is cuter than her. You wouldn’t have any romantic thoughts about her; you’d just find her annoying.”
“Although it sounds like you’re showing off… but when I think about it, maybe it’s just that your childhood sweetheart isn’t cute enough? Is she as pretty as Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi?”
“Of course, they’re definitely more attractive than my childhood sweetheart, I admit that. But the way they are every day, only Boss Mei knows. Only Boss Mei understands the bitterness in it.
“So I’d say, if in the end, Boss Mei ends up with Xiang Bingbing, I wouldn’t find it surprising at all. Who would be so unambitious to settle for their childhood sweetheart?
“Hmm…”
Following Wan Chaoxiong’s words, Mei Fang tried to recall the little details of his daily life with Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi…
…I almost reacted.
Simply put, childhood sweethearts cannot be generalized.
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