Chapter 217

Chapter 217: Picnic and San Guo Sha (Thanks to Ming Qian Xiao for the silver fan donation 1/10)

The first event of the evening was a picnic.

Although it seemed like a proper recreation from an anime TV show, bringing boxed lunches up the mountain felt quite luxurious. Everyone just brought common snacks like instant noodles, spicy sticks, chicken legs, and cookies.

But even so, everyone gathered around the large and small picnic blankets, slurping noodles and eating and drinking together, which was very comfortable and pleasant.

The boys sat around a large blanket playing San Guo Sha and card games, while the girls would gather together to chat and discuss popular topics they were all interested in.

Mei Fang was one of the few boys sitting among the girls.

He didn’t really want to be with his classmates, but San Guo Sha was still very popular at this time. It was a very interesting board game that was widely played among students.

However, Xia Yuan was very attached to him, asking Mei Fang to join her and others for the picnic.

After some thought, Mei Fang decided that it would be more fun to play with Yuan Yuan, so he persuaded Wan Chaonion to bring his San Guo Sha cards over for the girls to play together.

“Come on, let’s play San Guo Sha!”

“Sure! I’ve been wanting to play this since we saw you guys having fun during PE class.”

“Just make sure you listen carefully. Don’t start messing around without understanding the rules, especially don’t flip other people’s identity cards.”

Wan Chaonion warned Bingbing, “You have a history of doing that.”

“Hahaha, Wan Chaonion, why do you still hold a grudge over something that happened so long ago?”

After Wan Chaonion sat down, Mei Fang also looked for a place to sit. Since he had already spent some time with You Xi earlier, he chose to sit between Xia Yuan and Liu Xiaoyu. When Xia Yuan moved to give him space, Liu Xiaoyu immediately stood up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… nothing…”

Liu Xiaoyu looked at Lin You Xi, “Do you want to sit here?”

“It’s fine to just sit here. Why always sit next to Fang?”

Lin You Xi smiled at Liu Xiaoyu, “Won’t that make Fang seem too lucky? He doesn’t deserve such good fortune.”

“Well… yeah…”

Liu Xiaoyu was now very flustered.

She had accidentally stumbled upon the secret between Mei Fang and Lin You Xi. Their private interactions clearly went beyond the boundaries of childhood friends; those were actions only lovers would take.

But Yuan Yuan seemed completely unaware of the situation.

Was she unaware or indifferent?

Based on my understanding of Yuan Yuan… she should be the former, right?

Then what about Mei Fang—

He clearly became a couple with You Xi but still enjoyed the relationship as childhood friends?

But if that’s true, then Mei Fang must be a jerk, but You Xi’s behavior also confused her.

At that moment, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang were engaging in intimate conversation about how to play San Guo Sha, while Lin You Xi listened attentively to Wan Chaonion’s explanation.

Liu Xiaoyu couldn’t help but imagine that You Xi would feel jealous about this scene.

Unless, they weren’t actually a couple?

But if they weren’t a couple, how could—

Liu Xiaoyu’s mind was in turmoil.

Regardless, Yuan Yuan, who was unaware of everything, was truly pitiful.

After all, everyone could tell how much she liked Fang.

Sigh…

Should I get involved in this?

Or should I keep it a secret?

In junior high school, Liu Xiaoyu had suffered unfair treatment due to similar incidents, and she should have let go of her desire to help others by now.

But these three were all close friends to her—Yuan Yuan, You Xi, and Mei Fang were all very kind and gentle to her.

She couldn’t ignore this matter, yet she feared misunderstanding their relationship and becoming the cause of their problems.

Liu Xiaoyu’s frequent mistakes in the San Guo Sha game annoyed Wan Chaonion, who commented that even their family’s霸王would play better than her.

After eating, drinking, and playing to their hearts’ content, everyone gathered again under Xiang Bingbing’s invitation. They sat cross-legged on the ground, admiring the starry night sky while listening to Mei Fang play the guitar.

After a few gentle melodies, everyone was deeply engrossed, and Xia Yuan put her arm around Mei Fang:

“Fang, it’s rare to bring your guitar here. Why not perform a new song today? There’s a song that fits perfectly, you know which one I mean, right?”

“I know, but my throat… cough, cough, isn’t feeling well…”

Wang Jiayu teased, “Of course, after all, you were shouting louder than Xiang Bingbing when we were on the plank road.”

“That was echo, don’t say nonsense!”

Mei Fang’s stubbornness bridged the gap between him and his classmates, making everyone laugh.

“Alright, it’s okay. You play, and I’ll sing.”

“Sure.”

Mei Fang hugged the guitar and closed his eyes to tune it, beginning to build up his emotions.

On the majestic Mount Mitan, everyone witnessed a spectacular night sky that was hard to see in the city.

Sixteen-year-old teenagers sat in a circle, laughing and talking about their friendships formed in youth, discussing their grand dreams.

They were the most outstanding students in the entire Chu Province.

They yearned for a future as bright as gold.

Looking at the vast universe, they surely had many opportunities to achieve great things in the future!

As Mei Fang gently strummed the guitar strings, Xia Yuan began harmonizing softly.

[Your temperament is as gentle as the lakeside scenery]

[It’s hard to notice when the South Pole gets a snowfall]

This song, “The Vast Universe,” comes from Xu Hao’s 2014 album “Let’s Drink Tea.” This album marked a turning point, reflecting his shift from focusing on love stories to contemplating life’s philosophies.

While Xia Yuan softly sang the lyrics, her gaze gradually fell on Lin You Xi.

She sat opposite You Xi, though they were always close privately, You Xi seemed uncomfortable being too intimate in public settings. She often gave these moments to Xia Yuan, even arranging team-building activities to make Xia Yuan and Mei Fang happier.

But I secretly ran away, betraying You Xi’s trust…

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi maintained a certain level of understanding about their secret meetings. Although they occasionally shared intimate moments, they never crossed lines until that night.

She enjoyed the secret training sessions with Fang, yet felt guilty toward You Xi.

But she knew that if You Xi became suspicious due to excessive concessions, she might become alert. Therefore, she kept a delicate balance, not too distant but also offering opportunities to compensate You Xi.

During the climax of the song, Xia Yuan couldn’t help but look at Lin You Xi with deep emotion.

[I owe you more than just an apology]

[You owe me more than just a long journey]

[I took a picture of penguins and glaciers in Antarctica]

[The vast universe | every life | is lonely]

“Great! It’s so beautiful!”

“You two will definitely become superstars someday.”

A girl from their class asked Xia Yuan, “Speaking of which, Yuan Yuan, this song feels so detached, completely different from your usual sweet songs.”

Xia Yuan scratched her head, embarrassed, “Haha… Fang gave me the lyrics like this, so it turned out this way.”

Mei Fang wrote the lyrics…

Xia Yuan created the song…

Liu Xiaoyu slowly understood something.

Actually, she had participated in creating “The Vast Universe.” Initially, she didn’t think much of it, but now she realized the lyrics were quite profound.

Mei Fang was already with You Xi, but unable to express his feelings directly to Xia Yuan, he continued to maintain their childhood friend relationship, using the song’s lyrics to hint at her?

So… did You Xi allow Mei Fang and Xia Yuan to be close without getting jealous, perhaps as an apology?

Thinking carefully, if Yuan Yuan found out about this, she would certainly be hurt, and their relationship would end.

That’s why they kept it hidden…

But they can’t keep it hidden forever, right?

This isn’t fair to Yuan Yuan.

Liu Xiaoyu lowered her head silently, clenching her fists slightly.

To be continued