Chapter 57

Chapter 57: I Want to Watch a Movie!

Though their friendship had lasted for six years, this was the first time the three of them had spent a night together. Despite it being a spur-of-the-moment idea, Xia Yuan had prepared extensively.

She brought most of the snacks from home and several sets of pajamas.

“You’re only supposed to stay for one night, so why bring so many clothes?” asked Mei Fang.

“I’m bringing them for You Xi. What’s it to you?”

Xia Yuan rolled her eyes at Mei Fang and then pulled Lin You Xi into the inner room. “Are we sleeping in Aunt Mei’s and Xiao Ya’s room tonight?”

“Yes. But do you need to change clothes so early? It’s only afternoon.”

“It’s not early! I just want to put down my things!”

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi spent quite some time in Aunt Mei’s room, so Mei Fang didn’t feel right knocking on the door to ask what they were doing. He thought about it and went to the study to look at his game prototype.

Since winter break, he had been working on a game inspired by the past version of “Flappy Bird,” known as “The Bird That Flies First.”

Games like this, where players control the height to avoid obstacles, were common even during the Symbian keypad phone era, such as in “Helicopter.”

In Mei Fang’s view, the earliest inspiration for such games came from side-scrolling shooter games in the FC era, particularly in the famous “Salamanca” game, where players had to dodge obstacles, unlike in Super Mario where touching an obstacle would trap the player, instead of causing instant death.

In 2008, Unity was just starting to support Windows platforms, and smartphones running Android were still two years away.

Mei Fang wanted to accumulate technical experience in developing complete games so that he could get a piece of the mobile platform market sooner.

Now, besides the art resources, the program functions were almost complete…

However, playing on Windows wasn’t much different from playing on Symbian phones; the only difference was smoother visuals.

If they really wanted to make it big, touch screen smart phones with features like window cleaning experiences were essential…

“Ah Fang, are you playing a game?”

Xia Yuan barged into Mei Fang’s study without knocking.

“In this heat, why close the door? Let me see…”

Xia Yuan stared at the screen for a while. “What’s this? Is this the code you’ve been working on? It’s all rectangles and squares. I don’t understand…”

Lin You Xi quickly walked over to Mei Fang’s side.

“Is it already playable?”

“Do you want to try?”

“Let me give it a go.”

Mei Fang moved aside for Lin You Xi, who sat down and started operating the game seriously. “I kept encountering bugs when compiling earlier. Did you fix them?”

“That bug was hard to find.”

Hearing Mei Fang and Lin You Xi talk about things she didn’t understand, Xia Yuan felt a bit out of place.

“This is the game you’ve been working on recently? It’s all geometric shapes, feels a bit boring.”

“It’s because the art resources haven’t been added yet. Once we add the materials, it will be more interesting.”

Lin You Xi thought for a moment. “But compared to other games on the market, it’s definitely not fun.”

“True,” Xia Yuan nodded. “You can make games together, you two are amazing!”

Mei Fang had been handling some other tasks when he had free time. Seeing that Xia Yuan was in high spirits, he wasn’t going to be insensitive. After Lin You Xi finished, he quickly saved and closed the program.

“So, what should we do this afternoon?”

“Afternoon… Xia Yuan raised her hand with a smile. “I want to rent DVDs and watch a movie together!”

In the small county of Bai Mei in 2008, there were still no movie theaters. Children without computers relied heavily on video stores for movies.

Although Mei Fang’s family had a computer, the screen was too small and not in the living room, making it less comfortable than watching TV. It wasn’t possible to eat snacks while watching.

“However, the video rental street has closed down,” Lin You Xi pondered. “Do you know where to find them?”

“Let’s walk around town. We’ll definitely find something!”

“You didn’t know where to find them either.”

Mei Fang shook his head. “The last time I bought a small game console for Xiao Ya next door, it was from a DVD rental shop. I’ll take you there.”

“Great!”

The trio walked lightly under the scorching summer sun, the cicadas chirping loudly. The hot air shimmered, and they followed the shade of the trees. When they passed a convenience store, Xia Yuan stopped Mei Fang.

“Afang, let’s buy some ice cream or cold drinks! I’m about to melt from the heat.”

Xia Yuan stuck out her tongue and waved her hand to cool her face. Her hair and cheeks were glued together by sweat, her face red.

“Why do you always make such exaggerated expressions?” Mei Fang couldn’t help but comment.

“Come on, let’s hurry.”

They picked out items at the convenience store. Xia Yuan was about to pay when Lin You Xi stepped forward and paid instead.

“I’ll treat today.”

“No, you won’t pay for renting DVDs later!”

“Treats are just treats. Don’t mix them up.”

Seeing no embarrassment in Lin You Xi’s smile, Xia Yuan nodded.

“Alright then! Next time Afang and I will treat you.”

Lin You Xi’s change came this winter when she proposed earning money. Mei Fang suggested she become a pro-player. Since then, she worked as a pro-player in “Fantasy Westward Journey.”

This was the peak period for “Fantasy Westward Journey.” Early players like Lin You Xi and Mei Fang, with their substantial investments, had many rare pets and weapons that everyone admired.

She logged in every weekend to take on jobs, earning up to five yuan per job, at least twenty to thirty yuan per week.

Lin You Xi’s skills and understanding of certain dungeons were now deeper than Mei Fang’s. Slowly, she gained fame within the server.

After starting to earn her own money, Mei Fang noticed Lin You Xi’s timidity had decreased significantly. She became more confident in everything she did.

He remembered taking Lin You Xi to the cemetery to visit her mother, pulling out three coins from her wrinkled pocket, and hesitantly asking if it was enough for apples.

Perhaps Lin You Xi’s childhood shyness wasn’t as complicated as imagined. It stemmed from a lack of confidence due to poverty.

At least, she seemed much better now.

The group drank cola and ate ice cream, passing a row of shuttered shops. The scene under the blazing sun suddenly made Mei Fang feel a sense of desolation.

In his memory, Bai Mei County had a unique characteristic: shops loved clustering together.

There were streets for internet cafes, specialty shops, bookstores, barbecue restaurants, and convenience stores.

If the services varied, it could be understood, as they were in different niches.

But Bai Mei County’s streets were truly homogeneous. Shops across the street sold identical products. Perhaps worried about copycats, they didn’t introduce new marketing ideas, just forcing themselves to open here. It was pointless.

Once upon a time, this street was bustling with video rental shops, but now they were closing down. Soon, it would become a street for milk tea shops and bookstores.

The wheels of time always moved forward, nothing remained forever unchanged.

Mei Fang paused, looking at the petite figures of Lin You Xi and Xia Yuan ahead.

After a moment of daydreaming, he ran to catch up with them at Xia Yuan’s call.

I see that the current atmosphere isn’t good. Let me clarify!

Until high school graduation, this book will only focus on friendship—pure and sincere friendship! This does not align with our values or review standards. Even if there’s some ambiguity, there won’t be real love. So, please don’t imagine too much!

End of Chapter 57