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

Chapter 138: The Professional Qualities of the Water Balancing Master

Ever since his fourth grade, Mei Fang had already planned to be with Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi forever. However, in modern society, Mei Fangs ambitions faced many obstacles.

In addition to obvious factors (public opinion, family pressure, morality, and legal constraints), the thoughts of the other two individuals involved were also crucial.

Firstly, Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan, whom Mei Fang knew, were both ambitious girls. It was impossible for either of them to quietly step aside, or willingly become a third party.

Even though Lin Youxi used to be a follower of Xia Yuan, thinking that she would compromise in matters of love, it was now evident that she had not given up on her intention.

Lin Youxi had once told Mei Fang when they were children that she would give way to Xia Yuan in anything.

However, after the incident involving her father remarrying, Mei Fang realized that Lin Youxi had changed her mind.

Not to mention the recent situation where she had been on offensive, constantly hinting on him.

In general, whether or not Mei Fang could find a balance or a compromise could be reached was the key point in achieving his goal.

So, Mei Fangs approach towards the two has always been not to express any biased affection while gradually deepening his bond with both of them.

Of course, most of the events that happened here were not intentionally orchestrated by Mei Fang. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

As for whether it would make people think he was emotionally fickle

Oh please! Were childhood sweethearts! Its normal to have such an intimate relationship between childhood sweethearts!

Right? Maybe its because these people dont have childhood sweethearts, or maybe their childhood sweethearts have terrible personalities?

In short, Yuan Yuan, Youxi, and I have such a good relationship

If the balance were not maintained, the party that received less attention would feel that they were not the first in his heart, but ranked behind the other person.

Once Mei Fang set a hierarchy, the second person would always be in a passive position or have a third party mentality in their relationship.

Thats why Mei Fang had always treated both of them equally. Even when he was alone with either of them, he never said things like I like Yuan Yuan the most or I like Youxi the most.

Of course, this was also because Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan were indeed outstanding and lovely. Mei Fang could only understand it as his rebirths blessing.

Mei Fang had also hoped that Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi could have their own stage, rather than being his followers.

Because only in this way would they feel that Mei Fang actually relied on them, only in this way would they feel that they were both excellent, instead of thinking that one was better than the other and choosing to quietly step aside.

The period when Xia Yuan was tormented by physics in middle school was the most dangerous period.

At that time, Xia Yuan might have felt that she couldnt keep up with Lin Youxi and Mei Fang and gradually gave up on herself. Fortunately, Mei Fang eventually found a new direction for the three of them to strive together.

In addition, the close relationship between Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi was a prerequisite for Mei Fang to maintain the balance.

If the two were not close with each other, then, a scumbag tactic was the only option for Mei Fang, such as playing both sides. However, he would never do such a thing. If he were to do so, he would rather choose between them.

When relationship is mixed with significant and unforgivable deception, no matter how much a person proclaimed their genuine love, they would only appear extremely hypocritical.

In summary, achieving a fair balance was of utmost importance. Mei Fang had spent 10 years with both of them and had a deep understanding of them. He was fully aware of Xia Yuans motives and intentions.

Therefore, when faced with such a question from her, if Mei Fang inadvertently gave an answer that leaned more towards one side, it would undoubtedly sow the seeds for a potential tragedy in the future.

So Mei Fang took a deep breath and smiled, I like someone who is good-looking.

Thats a given! Is there anyone who doesnt like someone who is good-looking? Xia Yuan knocked on Mei Fangs head. Also, you cant just say someone has a good figure. If you have to say, you can say someone is tall or petite.

Cough cough, just now was just a joke. Im not that much of a petty person.

Mei Fang smiled faintly. I prefer girls I can have a good conversation with, who share common interests.

Hmm Thats a bit abstract!

Because it is indeed an abstract concept. When Im with her, I can feel a sense of comfort, without any uncomfortable feelings, and I can freely be my true self.

Xia Yuan lowered her head, pondering. Mei Fang continued the conversation.

If I were to give an example, it would be when the three of us are together. Thats when I feel this way.

Um

Xia Yuan received an answer from Mei Fang that was close to a confession in a certain sense. She couldnt help but feel a flutter in her heart and smiled, lowering her head.

She pushed Mei Fang playfully. Our relationship is definitely good, after all, were childhood sweethearts.

But Ah Fang still didnt say who he prefers to be with.

Should I directly ask? But if I do so, wouldnt I be forcing Ah Fang to make a choice?

Regardless of whether I win or lose, would Youxi feel that Im breaking our agreement and resent me for the rest of her life?

I like Ah Fang very much, thats for sure, but if I were to lose Youxi in this way, I

Seeing Xia Yuan pouting, almost on the verge of tears, Mei Fang reached out and gently pinched her cheek.

W-Whats wrong?

I can tell youre a bit absent-minded. Are you worried about messing up the performance at the summer camps closing ceremony?

No, of course not Xia Yuan held onto her guitar, trying to force a proud expression. Im the super talented Yuan Yuan after all!

Okay, okay, I know youre super talented. Youxi and I will always support you. Keep practicing!

Wait, wait, I havent replenished my Ah Fangs super energy today!

Xia Yuan said and put down her guitar, then stood up. Mei Fang was about to stand up as well when Xia Yuan suddenly pushed him down to sit down.

Wait, lets change our position today. Um just sit like that.

Hey, hey, were outside the apartment! Isnt it inappropriate if someone sees us?

Its okay, nobody knows us here

While Xia Yuan was talking, she directly straddled Mei Fang, then leaned against him.

Cough

Mei Fangs body started to tremble slightly.

In addition to the skill of balancing, the ability to stay composed while being approached like this would also require years of training.

While Xia Yuan and Mei Fang were in close contact, a sense of guilt for Lin Youxi emerged in her heart.

We agreed to let Ah Fang make the choice on his own, but I keep sneaking around behind Youxis back, and it almost led to a big mistake.

Is what Im doing a bit despicable

Since they started living together, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi now shared the same room.

The three of them often slept together in elementary and middle school, so for them, it was nothing out of the ordinary and didnt require much explanation back then.

However, after living together in high school, apart from the initial excitement, their relationship became quite ordinary recently. Of course, there was the dual pressure of studying and work, but Xia Yuan was well aware of other contributing factors.

It was close to 10 p.m. when Lin Youxi finished showering and blow-drying her hair. Upon entering the room, she saw Xia Yuan lost in thought, facing the direction from which she had entered.

Yuan Yuan, what are you thinking about?

N-Nothing! Xia Yuan patted the bed and smiled at Lin Youxi, Lets go to bed!

Before Lin Youxi got into bed, she sneezed softly.

Xia Yuan immediately asked with concern, Is the air conditioning too cold?

Its fine. Its an old habit, you know. Lin Youxi smiled faintly.

But your rhinitis has improved a lot compared to before. I hardly see you with a runny nose these days.

Mhm it naturally got better for no reason.

Its good if you didnt need surgery. I heard that surgery doesnt really cure it.

Thats true so in the end, I didnt

Just as Lin Youxi was about to respond, Xia Yuan suddenly leaned over and started rubbing her stomach.

Suddenlywhat are you doing?

Lin Youxi expressed her confusion, but she was used to Xia Yuan touching her casually, so she didnt mind.

I envy you, Youxi. Your figure is so good, and your stomach is so smooth, without any excess fat.

Xia Yuan muttered, I cant do it. Even though I look fine standing up, I have a little belly when I sit down

Its just a little bit. I heard that some guys actually prefer girls with a little more meat, Lin Youxi smiled faintly.

Really? Where did you hear that, Youxi?

I read it in a book. Yue Xinyi lent me some novels before.

Lin Youxi pointed to the books on the side shelf. I still have a few of them. She said I could keep them as a memento. If you want to read them next time, you can take a look. Theyre quite interesting.

Mhm, Ill read them when I have time!

Xia Yuan hugged Lin Youxi and leaned in, adopting a coquettish pose like a girlfriend, whispering in her ear:

Speaking of which, after the final exam, should we go shopping together in the city center?

Um Okay. Lin Youxi thought for a moment, But when you say together, do you mean without inviting Ah Fang?

Xia Yuan pursed and nodded her head. Yeah, just the two of us! Its mainly for buying clothes, so we dont need to invite him.

Think about it, when we used to go shopping with him, when it came to trying on clothes, he never helped us pick, he would just find a place to sit and nap. It was so boring.

Thats true and its not good to ask him to carry things for us. Lets give him a day off to rest

Yeah, after all, hes been working hard lately.

Xia Yuan blushed slightly as she remembered her sneaky moves and the intimate moments with Mei Fang, feeling guilty.

Mhm, thats true

Not just Xia Yuan, Lin Youxi also remembered the sneaking around and teasing Mei Fang, blushing slightly out of guilt.

Both felt a sense of guilt for their actions during the day and hugged each other even tighter.

Youxi, lets turn off the air conditioning. Your hands and legs are too cold. Im almost frozen by you.

Mhm alright.

The subsequent schedule at the summer camp didnt need to be elaborated on. It mainly consisted of attending classes, reading, and doing homework day after day.

Since most of the students at Jiangcheng NOHSs summer camp mainly admitted through special county exam, the aim was to synchronize the knowledge learned by each student in their respective middle schools, focusing on the main subjects before the final exam.

Only a few times did they have activities that could be considered summer camp events, such as movie nights on Fridays.

Originally, they thought they would be watching an educational film with patriotic themes, but Jiangcheng NOHS boldly screened the newly released American film, Flipped^[1].

The movie revolves around the story about a boy and a girl next door and the war between them during childhood and adolescence, expressing reflections on personal growth.

In simple terms, it was a youth film about childhood sweethearts, with an innocent and heartwarming story.

During the movie screening, Xia Yuan secretly pulled Lin Youxi and quietly approached Mei Fang. The three of them sneaked to the back with chairs and watched the movie, with Xiang Bingbing covering for them.

After that, they entered a busy week of exam preparation, leading up to the most crucial test of the summer campthe class placement exam. However, for the three of them, this exam wasnt particularly important. They took the exam according to their usual skill levels without any pressure.

Three days after the placement exam, the closing ceremony of the 2011 special county students summer camp of Jiangcheng NOHS was held in the schools auditorium.

The ceremony was mainly hosted by senior students from the 2010 batch, who wore gorgeous and beautiful dresses as they took the stage, presenting various impressive performances in a professional manner.

To Mei Fangs surprise, almost all the performances in this closing ceremony were prepared by the senior students from the 2010 batch.

Upon careful consideration, it was understandable since the special county students were not familiar with each other and were busy preparing for the placement exam. There werent many participants like Xia Yuan who had personal talents to showcase.

During the rehearsal days leading up to the event, after witnessing the professional and spectacular performances of her seniors, Xia Yuan initially felt quite nervous. Fortunately, the final effect turned out quite well in the end.

Just as it was about time for Xia Yuan to go on stage for her performance, she left the dressing room.

In the crowd outside, she found Mei Fang and Lin Youxi, who was already ready to cheer for her..

At this moment, Xia Yuan was already dressed in a long-collared tie shirt resembling a sailor uniform from Japan, with a plaid skirt and white knee-high socks paired with small red shoes.

It was a charming appearance that was unforgettable for Mei Fang.

She grabbed Mei Fangs hand, her glittering eyes shadowed by a slightly tense look. Her bright red lips were pursed, clearly anticipating greater encouragement.

Oh Does she want that again at this moment?

Before Mei Fang could make up his mind, Lin Youxi pushed him from behind.

Hurry up, Ill cover for you two.

So Mei Fang no longer hesitated and went with Xia Yuan to a dark corner of the backstage for a hug.

Its okay Your performance is original, and youve been practicing for so long. Your talent is witnessed by both Youxi and me. Youre definitely not inferior to them. Come on!

Xia Yuan didnt say anything, she just held Mei Fang tightly for a while before letting go.

After returning to their original position, she also hugged Lin Youxi for a while before going back to the dressing room to wait for her entrance. Hugging among girls never caused any controversy.

The two of them watched Xia Yuan left, finally felt a sense of relief.

Mei Fang and Lin Youxi stood in the front row of the auditorium, waiting for Xia Yuans appearance.

Youxi, the camera still has battery, right?

I barely took any photos. Im just waiting to record Yuan Yuans performance.

The digital camera in Lin Youxis hands was the top-of-the-line Olympus E-P3 from 2011, and of course, Mei Fang had paid for it for her to use.

Lin Youxi was unaware of Mei Fangs tendency to buy expensive things, but after receiving the camera, she had studied photography techniques for a while.

Lets just record Yuan Yuans performance and upload it to C Site.

Do you want to give Yuan Yuan the best exposure and recommendation? I can arrange it in advance.

Not necessary for now, Mei Fang smirked at Lin Youxi. You know, Yuan Yuan doesnt like cheating. Lets just give it a higher visibility on the You May Also Like category

While Mei Fang was talking, Lin Youxi stared at him for a moment before taking out a tissue from her pocket and leaning toward Mei Fang, gently wiping his neck a few times.

Mei Fang was still clueless of what shes doing until Lin Youxi, with expressionless face, showed him the lipstick mark on the tissue.

!!!

Oops! I, the Water Balancing Master^[2] am in trouble!

Mei Fang pretended to be very shy and scratched his head. Uh, I was just talking to Yuan Yuan back there and didnt notice this. It must have been an accidental rub

At this moment, Lin Youxi suddenly made a mischievous move she used to love as a childshe leaned in close to Mei Fangs ear and whispered softly:

Since Yuan Yuan can rub can I rub too?

Uh, well thats a strange thought haha but I guess its fine

After a series of ambiguous responses, Mei Fang eventually agreed with Lin Youxis suggestion.

No matter how skilled Water Balancing Master was, he would always face this sad fact: most of the time, he could only add water to balance it out, but randomly splashing water would only make the girls angry.

As he kept adding and adding water, one day he would inevitably face a situation where the water was filled to the brim, about to overflow.

And at that moment, the outcome would depend on whether he had truly succeeded in keeping the water level balanced throughout this long effort of balancing the water.

What is youth? What does it feel like to be young?

Youth is full of challenges, full of imagination, and also full of passion!

Now, the next performer is truly remarkable because she is a new student from the summer camp!

Through her talent and hard work, she will present us with a youthful performance that full of charm!

Please enjoy the original song and guitar solo performance by Xia Yuan, a student from Class 6 of the summer camp, titled A not Far Away Place and Remembrance of Lanshan!

Amidst the enthusiastic applause, Xia Yuan walked slowly from behind the curtain to the front of the stage, holding her beloved guitar.

After giving a slight bow to the audience, she looked down at Mei Fang and Lin Youxi in the audience, waving at her.

She revealed a radiant smile and began her first performance on the stage of Jiangcheng No.1 High School.

Translator's Notes: