Chapter 322

Chapter 322 This Is What Men’s Friendship Looks Like

As Lin You Xi joined in, Me, Xia, and Lin finally formed a tripartite situation at the mahjong table. The six-person mahjong game continued to be intense, with Yu Ling serving as a waitress, pouring tea and serving water for the players.

Mei Lijun was originally enjoying beating up on Mei Fang, but now that You Xi had joined, he thought about how she was a novice and a future daughter-in-law. He couldn’t go too hard on her; naturally, he wouldn’t dare be rough with his wife. Although he could beat up Old Xia, it wouldn’t be appropriate given Xia Yuan’s face. With no place to vent his energy, he became hesitant in his moves, taking ages to play a single five million tile.

Lin You Xi noticed Mei Lijun’s hesitation and played an eight million tile, smiling and reminding him, “Uncle Mei, you don’t have to go easy on me just because I’m new. It wouldn’t be fun otherwise. Anyway, if I lose, it’s Fang’s responsibility. Just play your best, and I’ll give it my all without holding back.”

Upon hearing this, Mei Lijun let out a sigh of relief and then applauded loudly, “Great job, You Xi! I like your straightforward attitude. Go ahead and play your best without worrying about my feelings. If you can make me cry, that would be your skill!”

Xiao Xiaxia stood next to Mei Lijun, urging him, “Stop talking and draw your card.”

“Got it, got it…”

Mei Lijun drew a card and then played it, “Why are there always these things? Six million.”

The moment the elder Mei spoke, the silent and tense Mei Fang immediately jumped up excitedly. At the same time, Lin You Xi elegantly flipped over the tiles, revealing a stunning combination:

“No wilds, one color, seven pairs, self-drawn. 10 plus 15 plus three times three, fifty-six points! I’ve won it all back!”

Mei Fang, extremely excited, hugged Lin You Xi to celebrate, looking like a child — happier than ever.

Compared to carefully faking it, it felt so much better to have a genius wife who could dominate everything, making everyone know who the boss was.

“Huh, great job, You Xi… How did you figure out my cards?”

Although Mei Lijun lost the game, he still needed to save face. Even though his son’s boasting in front of his father was annoying, he had to give face to his daughter-in-law.

“I saw you’ve been playing many tens, and you started discarding from the middle. I guessed you were close to winning, and since I got good tiles, I decided to play a ten color to win. It was pure luck.”

Lin You Xi also patted Mei Fang, “Uncle Mei is just being nice to me. He must have seen I was going for tens. Don’t get too excited.”

Mei Fang usually appeared more mature around others, but with family, he could be more relaxed. He momentarily forgot that Xia Xun and Yu Ling were watching him.

After Lin You Xi reminded him, he realized his behavior and started paying attention to his rhythm. After playing a few rounds with Lin You Xi, he patted her shoulder softly and said something quietly before turning to everyone with a laugh:

“I’ll go play with Yuanxiao and Xiaoya for a while. Enjoy yourselves, everyone.”

“Mm.”

Hearing this, Xia Xun’s brows relaxed slightly.

In the first half, Mei Lijun dominated, and in the second half, Lin You Xi played fiercely. Adding to this, Mei Fang often let others take his tiles, making it difficult for him to win. Xia Xun didn’t fire many bombs, but he ended up losing the most.

Of course, playing mahjong was for fun, and losing some money wasn’t a big deal. Seeing his daughter’s ex-boyfriend and her best friend being intimate was very hurtful for Xia Xun.

After Mei Fang bid farewell to the elders and went downstairs to find Xia Yuan, she and Mei Ya were happily playing a game called “Rayman: Origins.” Seeing Mei Fang come down, Xia Yuan excitedly took another controller and handed it to him.

“Ah Fang, Ah Fang! Play this game. It’s for four players, really funny!”

“Yeah… I remember this game…”

Mei Fang took the controller, and Xia Yuan tilted her head, “Have you played this before? When? I didn’t know… Who with? Tell me!”

“It wasn’t alone. I watched someone play it on C Station before.”

In his previous life, Mei Fang had no childhood friends to be close with, so he often felt like an orphan. For games like this, he could only watch others play them online.

Though he invited Zhang Ming and other male friends to play the emulator version on the computer, they only played once and lost interest.

“What? You didn’t tell me you wanted to play! I’ve wanted to play this for a long time… Here, come on, play!”

This game was a side-scrolling platformer that was easy to pick up and play quickly. With a little control experience, it was very enjoyable and perfect for gatherings.

Moreover, the game wasn’t too difficult; as long as not everyone died together, they could easily respawn and continue playing.

Xia Yuan and her sister Mei Ya were equally skilled, so playing together was somewhat challenging. However, with the gaming god Mei Fang joining, continuing through levels became much easier.

“A Fang, A Fang, wait for me! Don’t drag the screen!”

“Stupid A Fang, I’ll beat you! Haha, you’re actually hitting your teammates.”

“Big Sister Yuan, I’ll help beat the brother!”

“Hey, hey… You two go fight the boss, why are you hitting me? You bunch of useless teammates.”

“What useless teammates, you’re the useless one! Humph!”

Xia Yuan habitually sat in Mei Fang’s lap, shocking little Mei Ya for ten seconds. Even though she was affectionate, she had never been this close with her brother, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

Oh well, one has to get used to it…

Seeing his sister-in-law act so immature, little Mei Ya felt she was carrying an age inappropriate maturity.

Mei Fang and Xia Yuan were having fun when he suddenly remembered he once wanted to improve Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi’s gaming taste. But later, busy with game development and intimacy, he completely forgot.

Under Mei Fang’s influence, Xia Yuan remained interested in various games, which must have been due to early childhood exposure.

They played through several levels and finally felt tired, putting down the controllers to rest.

Mei Fang asked the baby in his arms, “Do you like game consoles?”

“Yes, yes!”

Xia Yuan looked up, pulling Mei Fang’s face, “After we graduate from high school, let’s buy one, okay?”

“No, we should buy three… No, four! Xbox One, PS3, PSV, and… 3DS or Wii.”

Mei Fang explained to Xia Yuan, “Each platform has exclusive games. If we want to play any, we’ll play them together. Oh, and when we buy a house in Pengcheng, we can set up a room as our game room, and buy a showcase to fill with games and figurines…”

“There are so many game console models! A Fang knows a lot. We’ll have plenty to play this summer vacation…”

The game room was Mei Fang’s ultimate dream before he passed away.

For him, sitting with his wife and kids in a vibrant game room, playing games together, was a very romantic scene.

But he understood that, for someone poor and busy like him,

a gaming-loving wife;

a customizable game room;

a well-behaved child;

and free time to play games—

each of these was a distant dream.

However, now, this dream was almost within reach, and he felt a sense of reliving old dreams.

Thinking about this, Mei Fang suddenly felt an incredible sense of happiness, holding Xia Yuan tighter.

Xia Yuan knew he was imagining their future, so she snuggled closer to him.

Mei Ya listened to her siblings chatting and chimed in,

“Speaking of which, Brother is so rich now. Can I stop studying?”

“I’ve been thinking about becoming an astronaut!” Mei Ya earnestly stated.

“Are you preparing that early, Xia Ya! You’re amazing, sticking to your dreams.”

Xia Yuan encouraged Mei Ya by patting her head, “Keep it up, Sister Yuan supports you! Anytime you need help, tell me.”

“Okay! I really like Sister Yuan!”

Mei Ya hugged Xia Yuan, “Even if you can’t be with Brother now, you can’t like other boys in the future. You can only be Xia Ya’s sister-in-law!”

“Hehe… I understand, Sister…”

Xia Yuan gently stroked her sister’s head. Mei Fang leaned in and whispered something in her ear, making her blush.

“Don’t get carried away here… What if Mom—”

Mei Ya jumped up from Xia Yuan’s lap, “Go ahead, it’s fine! I’ll keep watch for you!”

“Hey, no need—”

Seeing Mei Ya running to keep watch, Mei Fang and Xia Yuan both couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Did you tell Xiao Ya about us three?”

“Our sister is very smart. She told me not to marry you guys so we could stay together forever…”

“True… Having two sisters-in-law isn’t bad. If I were Xiao Ya, I’d do the same…”

Xia Yuan blushed, pinching Mei Fang.

“Don’t cause trouble here!”

“I’m a teenage boy, cut me some slack.”

Xia Yuan thought for a moment, then got up and said something to Mei Fang, spending a special moment together.

After a relaxing afternoon in the villa, they all went to a nearby farm hotel to enjoy the resort’s unique home-style dishes.

After the mahjong game, the parents’ relationships improved significantly. At dinner, Mei Lijun and Xia Xun chatted non-stop, while Xiang Xiaxia and Yu Ling laughed and talked. Lin You Xi also joined in.

“The home-style dishes here are delicious, Yuan is really good at choosing places.”

Mei Lijun praised Xia Yuan’s choice, “I’ve been to many farm restaurants, but this one’s roasted chicken is the most authentic!”

“Hehe…”

Xia Yuan scratched her head, embarrassed, “I found this place from someone else… But the best is yet to come. After dinner, we’ll take a walk, then soak in the hot springs, which is very good for health.”

“Remember to wait an hour after eating before soaking in the hot springs, or your body won’t handle it.”

Lin You Xi reminded them.

The hot springs at the resort in Linjiang District were artificial. There were dozens of public pools scattered around, but each private villa had its own hot spring pool. This villa even had two pools, front and back, which was quite luxurious.

Mei Fang changed clothes and joined Mei Lijun and Xia Xun in a hot spring pool.

…

This must be the benefit of hot springs!

Mei Fang hadn’t managed to improve Xia Xun’s opinion of him during the mahjong game, so this was a good opportunity to build a connection with his future father-in-law.

Mei Lijun and Mei Fang chatted casually, noticing Xia Xun’s silence. Mei Fang intended to talk to him, but Mei Lijun called out loudly:

“Mei Fang, come here. This is a rare chance. Let me give you a back rub and remind you of paternal love.”

“Huh? We’re not from the north. When did we start this back-rubbing custom?”

“Oh, you’ve forgotten how much you loved back rubs when you were young. Your mother loved it too, and I can assure you, I’m a top-notch masseur.”

Clearly, Mei Lijun was in a very happy mood today, almost itching to show off his skills.

He urged Mei Fang closer, “Just try it, and you’ll remember. This is one of your most beautiful childhood memories!”

“Probably from when I was a baby…”

Reluctantly, Mei Fang didn’t want to appear rebellious in front of his father-in-law, so he submitted, “Whatever you say.”

“Aaaaahhh!”

Steam enveloped the hot spring pool as Mei Lijun rubbed Mei Fang’s back vigorously, causing Mei Fang to scream in pain.

Mei Fang’s memory wasn’t so vivid that he remembered every detail, but such a vigorous massage brought back painful memories of his father’s obsession with massages and using him as practice when he was young.

“Remember all those happy moments!”

“Happy what? Be gentle! Aaaargh…”

At this moment, Xia Xun was resting in the hot spring, listening to the loud screams of the Mei family. Xia Xun couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Sometimes he thought that no matter how much his daughter was like a warm blanket, she would eventually belong to another man.

But for his son, a father could truly be a lifelong support.

Playing games, growing together, being both teacher and friend, relying on each other.

The bond between father and son was also something people yearned for, just like Mei Fang and Mei Lijun felt now.

Xia Xun’s vast business empire had no heir, and the dog-like man who took Yuan would inherit everything.

Maybe he should have had Yuan a younger brother… Then no one would dare bully Yuan.

But if that were the case, his wife wouldn’t be able to continue her beloved education career.

There were always sacrifices to be made, and that was just how it was.

After tormenting Mei Fang, Mei Lijun entered the pool and wobbled over to Xia Xun.

“Old Xia, it’s no fun bathing alone. Let me give you a back rub?”

“…”

Xia Xun closed his eyes and pretended not to hear.

“Come on, don’t be shy. We’re like brothers. Let me give you a proper rub!”

The overly familiar Mei Lijun, ignoring the atmosphere, made the proud, high-achieving Xia Xun feel suffocated.

On the other side, in the large hot spring pool, Yu Ling and Xiang Xiaxia chatted about daily life, while Xia Yuan, Lin You Xi, and Mei Ya soaked and played together. Suddenly, they heard heart-wrenching screams from the neighboring pool.

Mei Ya immediately questioned, “Wasn’t that Uncle Xia Xun’s voice? First, it was Brother, now Uncle Xia Xun. Why are they screaming so much in the hot spring… Are they fighting?”

“It doesn’t sound like it… Maybe, this is what men call friendship!”

Lin You Xi smiled and patted Mei Ya’s shoulder, while Xia Yuan tilted her head in confusion.

Why does You Xi seem so understanding?

This chapter was originally titled “Hot Spring Benefits,” but I was afraid people would accuse me of false advertising, so I didn’t use it.

(End of Chapter)