Chapter 162

Chapter 162 – He Had Nothing to Feel Guilty About

Mei Fang met Liu Xiaoyu at the end of the stone path in the small bamboo grove on campus. She was dressed in a cheongsam and pacing back and forth with both hands on her belly, as if practicing her steps.

Upon seeing Mei Fang, she first looked surprised, then waved and smiled at him.

“What a coincidence!”

Mei Fang nodded and asked, “Are you preparing for a performance at the Autumn Festival? A cheongsam… it looks nice.”

Liu Xiaoyu shook her head. “I wasn’t preparing a performance. I was selected as a礼仪小姐 for the Autumn Art Festival, responsible for awarding prizes and guiding guests.”

“Oh, I see…”

Mei Fang suddenly remembered, “Yiyuan didn’t get selected, right? Or did she not participate?”

“She had a program to prepare, so she didn’t participate.”

“Ah, that makes sense!”

Mei Fang and Liu Xiaoyu chatted idly for a while, feeling a bit awkward about leaving but also hesitant to just walk away.

Though he had repeatedly assured Xia Yuan that Liu Xiaoyu’s family’s decline had nothing to do with her, Mei Fang still couldn’t completely detach himself from the situation.

After all, the person who changed the course of fate was Mei Fang himself. Although he saved Yiyuan’s family, he burdened Liu Xiaoyu’s family with this pain.

If it were someone else, Mei Fang would naturally try to compensate them financially and offer any help he could. But this person was his good friend from a past life, and they were still in the same school. He felt a complex mix of emotions.

Therefore, Mei Fang always avoided being alone with Liu Xiaoyu. Even when trying to make amends, he always had Yiyuan handle these matters.

“By the way, are you still learning Fruit Music? How does it feel? Is it fun?”

“It’s quite interesting. Xia Yuan even invited me to form a band with her!”

Liu Xiaoyu smiled and shook her head. “Unfortunately, I don’t know much about music theory. I only learned piano for a short time when I was young. Later… well, let’s not talk about this anymore, ha ha.”

In his previous life, Liu Xiaoyu was a talented rich girl, much like Yiyuan.

But due to her family’s decline, she seemed to have missed out on further opportunities to develop her talents, which put pressure on Mei Fang.

He immediately raised his voice to encourage her. “It’s never too late to start! I started learning guitar in my third year of junior high. The school offers many instrument classes as electives. If you study hard, you’ll catch up quickly. You’re not lacking in talent.”

“How do you know I’m not lacking in talent? We haven’t really talked much.”

“Yiyuan… Yiyuan told me, ha ha.”

Mei Fang scratched his head. “She said you learned composition very quickly. Almost instantly. Yiyuan is forming a band now and needs a drummer and keyboardist. Since you learned piano when you were young, I think you’d be great as a keyboardist.”

Liu Xiaoyu nodded. “I mentioned to Xia Yuan that I wanted to be a keyboardist. Composition and keyboard skills are closely related, and I think it suits my future development…”

Hearing this, Mei Fang felt relieved. “Then… if you want to learn more professional courses, go ahead! If you need money, I can lend you some—”

As soon as Mei Fang said this, he regretted it. In this life, he and Liu Xiaoyu weren’t that close, and he wouldn’t go to such lengths for her.

Liu Xiaoyu declined politely. “Thank you for your kindness, but I think it’s better if I work hard on my own. After all, you’ve already helped me a lot.”

Liu Xiaoyu smiled. “Actually, I understand that the composition job at your studio is a way for Xia Yuan to compensate me. She’s truly a kind girl.”

“But I think it’s a good opportunity to develop myself, so I didn’t refuse. I want to do a good job with the assigned tasks.”

Mei Fang quickly waved his hand. “Don’t say that! Your job isn’t easy. Only someone with a basic understanding of music theory can help.”

Moreover, you’ve always been interested in games. It’s hard to find someone who can handle both…

Liu Xiaoyu nodded. “Actually, I played your game using Xia Yuan’s phone. It’s really impressive! I didn’t expect you could develop and release a game so young.”

Liu Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled. “I’m really envious of you. Growing up together, doing things we both enjoy, developing games we’re passionate about. It feels great to have such a bond!”

“Yeah… everyone says so!”

The initial unease between Mei Fang and Liu Xiaoyu quickly gave way to shared interests.

Though their circumstances were different, they clearly had plenty to talk about.

Meanwhile, the bully who lured Mei Fang into the bamboo grove went somewhere else to play and act cute.

Soon, a creature named Xia Yuan noticed a cat nearby.

“This chubby cat is really fun! Sigh… I wish I could keep a cat too…”

Teacher Yu is allergic to furry animals, so Xia Yuan’s family never had pets.

Xia Yuan played with the bully for a while, following it until they arrived at the bamboo grove.

Oh, that’s Ah Fang!

Xia Yuan intended to call out to Mei Fang and wave, but she saw him chatting warmly with her classmate Liu Xiaoyu.

Hey, you two seem to be having a great chat—

So Xia Yuan quickly hid under a bench and peeked out to watch their conversation.

Sigh…

Why do the girls around me seem to be attracted to Ah Fang?

Before, Xiaoxue was like this, and now Xiaoyu seems to be too…

Look how happy she looks talking to Ah Fang!

She doesn’t smile like this with me. Clearly, she still has reservations about me.

Should I interrupt them now to show our closeness and stop Xiaoyu’s silly thoughts?

But wouldn’t that make me look too jealous, and then Ah Fang would laugh at me?

And… I also want to know how Ah Fang behaves differently with other girls compared to me…

At this moment, Xia Yuan noticed Liu Xiaoyu wearing a beautiful cheongsam.

Phew, Xiaoyu must be training礼仪小姐 today, huh?

She looks so good!

I actually have one too… If I knew earlier, I would have joined the selection for礼仪小姐.

If Ah Fang likes it, I can wear it for him at home. That set can be tried at home.

Xia Yuan imagined Mei Fang’s reaction to her in a cheongsam.

“Oh, my adorable sweetheart Xia Yuan, I never expected you to look so charming in a cheongsam. I can’t resist wanting to hug you! I need your super energy, now, right now! Please don’t refuse me!”

“Ah Fang, you’re so naughty, don’t do that! Really… there’s no need to rush… I’ll give it to you…”

Hehe…

Xia Yuan covered her blushing face and giggled, but then she thought of something else:

He’s already seen other girls in cheongsams. I’m not the first one, maybe there’s no more surprise…

Thinking this, Xia Yuan became very disheartened.

Just as she was about to feel melancholic, someone gently tapped her head.

…

Xia Yuan lifted her chin and looked at Mei Fang calmly.

“Why are you squatting here?”

“I… I was playing with a cat! I just saw a huge, fat orange cat. It was quite friendly with me! This cat, it’s so big and fat!”

Xia Yuan exaggeratedly mimicked the actions of the orange cat, then noticed Liu Xiaoyu waving goodbye to her with a cheerful smile.

Although Liu Xiaoyu might not have meant anything by it, Xia Yuan suddenly felt slightly offended.

Stand tall, Yuan Yuan!

You’ve known Ah Fang for ten years. What do others matter?

No one can surpass the bond between you and Ah Fang!

Ah, except for Xi, of course.

What’s there to fear? Just ask!

So Xia Yuan became more assertive, placing her hand on Mei Fang’s chest. “What were you talking about with Xiaoyu? You seemed so happy.”

“Why place your hand on my heart? Afraid I might lie and my heart rate increases?”

“No, I just wanted to touch you!”

Since there’s no one around, Xia Yuan didn’t care about her image anymore.

“Liu Xiaoyu greeted me first, saying it was a coincidence. Then I said it was indeed a coincidence and asked if she was preparing for a performance. She said no, she was training礼仪小姐. I asked if you participated, and she said you had another program, so you couldn’t join the礼仪小姐 selection—”

“Stop!” Xia Yuan pulled Mei Fang. “I don’t need to hear all these details. I’m not petty enough to need every word explained.”

“I just wanted to make sure you trusted me.”

Mei Fang patted Xia Yuan’s forehead. “I promised you, and you forget easily.”

“Huh… Which promise?”

Mei Fang pinched Xia Yuan’s cheek. “‘We should focus on our studies as students and not get too close with girls.’ This was our agreement… our childhood promise. Did you forget?”

“So… you’ve always told us students to prioritize studying because you’ve been keeping this promise?”

“Otherwise?” Mei Fang frowned. “I’m not untrustworthy like you. You said you wouldn’t enter my room, but you still did it several times.”

“That’s different… we were catching the last days of National Day. We couldn’t play like that with Auntie around.”

Xia Yuan thought for a moment, then crossed her arms, feeling proud. “We’re childhood friends. What’s wrong with sleeping together? We’ve been sleeping together since we were little. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Hey! Keep your voice down… Do you think there’s no one around?”

Mei Fang held Xia Yuan, covering her mouth, but Xia Yuan lightly bit his finger.

“Ouch, what are you doing?”

Xia Yuan grumbled unhappily.

“I want to leave my mark on you. So when you talk too much to other girls and see the mark, you’ll feel guilty.”

“You were just jealous, weren’t you? Little vinegar bottle…”

Mei Fang suddenly hugged Xia Yuan tightly.

“What are you doing? In broad daylight!”

Although Xia Yuan was shy, she didn’t push him away.

“Every day you ask me to supplement your energy, can’t I supplement your super energy? I need your super energy too.”

“Fine, fine… you drive me crazy…”

Xia Yuan stroked Mei Fang’s head and pulled him over. “Sit here, let me supplement you… Then go back and listen carefully in class, okay?”

“Okay.”

Since his face was buried deep, Mei Fang’s voice was muffled.

Indeed, only with Yuan Yuan and Xi around can I be myself freely.

Other girls can’t make me this relaxed.

Liu Xiaoyu is a good girl.

She’s strong, independent, considerate, and strives for her dreams despite hardships. They share similar interests and might collaborate in the future, achieving great things.

But she’s not Mei Fang’s girl, and Mei Fang won’t be her boy.

The story of the past didn’t unfold, and there won’t be more entanglements in this life.

Mei Fang’s story in this life began the moment he was reborn.

Mei Fang decided he wouldn’t avoid Liu Xiaoyu anymore.

He had nothing to feel guilty about.

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