Chapter 241

Chapter 241: Today’s Han Xi Quota is Zero (4000 words)

“Wh-What do you mean by dressing up!”

Xia Yuan blushed as she yelled at Mei Fang, “You just want to change my clothes, right? I won’t let you take advantage of me for free, Stinky Ah Fang!”

“Uh, what I meant by dressing up was helping with hair and stuff… You’re thinking too much.”

Mei Fang’s explanation made Xia Yuan pause for a moment before she angrily punched him a few times.

“You’re too deceptive! You did that on purpose, didn’t you!”

“Hmph… You caught me.”

Mei Fang teased her briefly before preparing to leave the room, “Then should I wait outside while you change clothes?”

“Why run away? You said you would serve me properly… Serve me well,” Xia Yuan grumbled, urging Mei Fang on. “Open the wardrobe for me and help me pick out something good to wear today.”

Mei Fang followed Xia Yuan’s instructions and opened the wardrobe. It was filled with various beautiful clothes.

“When did you buy so many clothes… I feel like I’ve never seen most of them.”

“No way… You just weren’t paying attention.”

Generally, girls wouldn’t casually show their wardrobes to boys, as they might contain intimate items not meant for public view.

But this was different with her favorite boy.

Mei Fang carefully took out a black chiffon dress from the wardrobe and showed it to Xia Yuan.

“This seems like a formal dress; I don’t think I’ve seen you wear it before.”

“This is a nightgown, you fool… Can’t you tell how thin it is? Besides, this is You Xi’s nightgown.”

Xia Yuan scratched her head in embarrassment. “My clothes are on the right side, and You Xi’s are on the left. Remember not to mix them up.”

“Can’t I pick clothes from You Xi’s side?”

“What kind of nonsense is that!”

Xia Yuan pouted, her face red. “Today’s Ah Fang is so strange. And where is You Xi? Is she making breakfast?”

“Oh… You Xi? It’s your birthday today, and she plans to give you a surprise.”

“Is that so…”

After discussing with Xia Yuan, Mei Fang finally picked a pure white gown. Xia Yuan asked Mei Fang to lay out all the clothes and socks by the bed.

“Then turn around and stand over there.”

Xia Yuan added, “No peeking, okay?”

“Alright…”

Mei Fang raised his hands and turned his back.

If he didn’t want to see, why didn’t he just wait outside?

Why make me listen from inside…

As Mei Fang was grumbling, he noticed an ornate mirror Xia Yuan loved leaning against the wall. In the mirror, Xia Yuan was about to remove her nightgown and untie the sash. Mei Fang quickly stopped her and covered his eyes.

“Wait! Wait, Yuan Yuan, mirror, move the mirror first.”

“…”

Mei Fang heard Xia Yuan walking barefoot on the floor behind him, then the sound of moving the mirror.

“It’s done.”

Mei Fang waited until Xia Yuan touched his back before turning around.

“How do I look? Pretty?”

Xia Yuan twirled in front of Mei Fang, holding the skirt.

“Pretty, pretty, like a little princess.”

“I’m already a big princess.”

Xia Yuan walked to the dressing table and sat down. “You can start braiding my hair now.”

“Okay…”

Mei Fang walked behind Xia Yuan and gently combed her long hair with a brush.

“Come to think of it, you learned how to braid hair from me, right?”

“Of course, when we played house, we used You Xi as the model, and you taught me how to braid different hairstyles.”

Mei Fang had spent a very happy childhood with Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi. He also learned a lot of girl-specific knowledge and skills from them, which gave him a significant advantage over other boys who hadn’t experienced such close relationships.

After all, Mei Fang knew all the taboos and how to care for girls, making him a natural gentleman.

“So, what hairstyle do you want today?”

“I want one you like,” Xia Yuan smiled at Mei Fang in the mirror.

“I like many…”

Mei Fang thought for a moment. “Since we have the chance today, let’s try them all.”

Mei Fang braided Xia Yuan’s hair into a ponytail, a bun, a side ponytail, and a flower braid. Finally, they settled on a double ponytail.

“If I had known it was such a simple hairstyle, would you regret starting with braids?”

“Haha, not really.”

After Mei Fang finished braiding Xia Yuan’s hair, he let her tidy up a bit more.

“Did Yueyue get up? What are we having for breakfast?”

“Yueyue went out early for work today. We’ll have scrambled eggs and bacon toast for breakfast.”

“Wow, sounds fancy. Did You Xi make it? Is this the surprise?”

“I did.”

“Uh… Thinking about it, it’s just a simple bacon sandwich, isn’t it?”

“You seem to be treating me differently.”

“Hmph.”

Xia Yuan and Mei Fang happily enjoyed their breakfast together, cherishing every moment alone. Xia Yuan even cuddled up to Mei Fang and asked for some feeding, to which Mei Fang happily obliged.

“What’s next after breakfast?”

“We’ll go shopping at the mall, eat out for lunch, watch a movie in the afternoon, and then come back to celebrate your birthday.”

Xia Yuan took a spoonful of scrambled eggs from Mei Fang’s fork. “So, is You Xi waiting for us at the mall?”

“Nope.”

“I get it, it’s a surprise.”

Xia Yuan gave Mei Fang a thumbs-up and then hung her bag over her shoulder, ready to go out with Mei Fang happily.

Speaking of which, Ah Fang’s arrangements were really like a romantic date.

In the past, when the three of them went out, Xia Yuan always held onto You Xi, while Mei Fang either walked alone or as a third wheel.

But today, Xia Yuan could freely hold Mei Fang’s arm and enjoy the sweetness.

“Ah Fang, Ah Fang, that dress looks great.”

“Woah, those earrings are so beautiful!”

“If you like them, I can buy them for you, but when did you get your ears pierced? I didn’t know.”

“I haven’t gotten my ears pierced. Why would I buy earrings if I didn’t need them? You don’t understand.”

Xia Yuan got tired from shopping and found a dessert shop to rest in. Since her bout of gastroenteritis last time, she didn’t eat much ice cream anymore. She only ordered a small piece of mango pancake.

“Mmm… This is so delicious!”

Xia Yuan excitedly told Mei Fang, “You Xi would definitely love this. It’s a shame she couldn’t come along this time.”

“Don’t just talk about You Xi. Let me try some too.”

“Sure…”

Xia Yuan then fed Mei Fang a bite.

Later, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang enjoyed a steak dinner at a high-end Western restaurant, where they even commented on the violinist. They then watched a movie together. The film had mixed reviews but was perfect for couples. Despite the poor acting, the romantic scenes kept Xia Yuan engaged, especially the sweet interactions afterward.

During the movie, Mei Fang leaned in and gave Xia Yuan a gentle kiss.

After their sweet moment, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang enjoyed a day of romance. They happily returned home, and Xia Yuan suddenly stopped Mei Fang at the door.

“Wait! I’ll open the door.”

Xia Yuan grabbed the doorknob and turned to Mei Fang with a smile. “You deliberately sent me away so you could decorate the house and give me a surprise at the door, right? You Xi really went all out…”

“Not exactly…”

Mei Fang forced a smile, but Xia Yuan still looked skeptical. “Trying to fool me again? Keep going…”

Xia Yuan opened the door and instinctively protected herself, but no one was there to shower her with confetti for her birthday.

“…”

However, the living room was indeed decorated. There was a delicate birthday cake on the coffee table.

“I knew there would still be a surprise, but it seems you two didn’t coordinate well.”

Xia Yuan rushed to the kitchen to check, then went to the bedroom and the others’ rooms, but couldn’t find any sign of You Xi.

“You Xi really isn’t here…”

Xia Yuan’s eyes filled with disappointment. She turned to Mei Fang and asked, “So, what’s the surprise You Xi prepared? Where is she?”

“That…”

“Don’t keep me guessing. If you do, I’ll get mad.”

At this point, Xia Yuan wasn’t in the mood for jokes. She faced Mei Fang with a serious expression.

“Did I do something wrong that upset You Xi? Or does she think being with me will make me unhappy… Anyway, anyway… Every year on my birthday, you and You Xi have been there. This year, You Xi shouldn’t be absent…”

She started to cry as she spoke, and Mei Fang didn’t expect such a strong reaction from Xia Yuan. He felt like he had messed up. He sent You Xi a message and then went to comfort Xia Yuan. “You Xi isn’t angry with you. She thinks today is your birthday and wants me to spend the whole day with you, which might make you happier.”

Xia Yuan listened to Mei Fang with tearful eyes. “Do I look happy to you?”

“…”

Xia Yuan seemed angry, her voice tinged with tears. “Lin You Xi is such a big dummy… Didn’t I say I don’t like being treated specially? How can she always think she knows best!”

Xia Yuan pulled out her phone to call Lin You Xi, but Mei Fang hugged her from behind, comforting her as they kissed.

“Stop being mad, stop being mad. Do you remember the time capsule You Xi gave you seven years ago?”

“The time capsule…”

Xia Yuan’s thoughts circled back to the summer of fourth grade.

“I remember… It was the birthday gift You Xi gave me, the one where you put your wishes in and they’d come true in seven years—”

“Do you remember what wish you put in?”

“Um…” Xia Yuan thought for a moment and mumbled, “It’s been a long time… I forgot, but it should be something like everyone staying happy and safe…”

“So… You Xi has always remembered this?”

“She doesn’t know what wish you wrote, but today is the day the time capsule’s wishes come true. So she wanted to give you a memorable birthday. We thought long and hard and came up with this plan. The decorations, the breakfast, the movie choice, many ideas were from You Xi, but she really wanted to celebrate your birthday with you. If you want us to be together every year, she can come right over.”

“Now?”

Xia Yuan mumbled, “I… I haven’t seen You Xi all day. My quota of seeing You Xi today is zero! I want to see You Xi now.”

“Of course, you can. First, close your eyes.”

Mei Fang covered Xia Yuan’s eyes.

“Then, count down from ten.”

“Ten… Nine… Eight…”

Just as Xia Yuan was counting, Lin You Xi appeared from the main bedroom. She first tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at Mei Fang, then walked to Xia Yuan.

“Three… Two… One…”

Xia Yuan opened her eyes after Mei Fang released his hands and received a big hug from Lin You Xi.

“Happy birthday, Yuan Yuan.”

Xia Yuan tightly hugged Lin You Xi back.

“You… You were actually at home! Why couldn’t I find you…”

“I hid in the wardrobe after setting everything up.”

“Why hide in such a place? Speaking of which, could you even fit in there?”

“I’ll show you later.”

“Let’s celebrate your birthday first!”

Xia Yuan celebrated her 17th birthday with Mei Fang and Lin You Xi’s blessings.

From now on, everyone agreed not to exchange birthday gifts anymore; companionship was the best gift.

That night, Xia Yuan held Lin You Xi tightly, clearly not wanting her to leave.

The girls snuggled and enjoyed the fun of late-night chatting.

“By the way, what wish did you put in the time capsule back then?”

“I… I really don’t remember. Probably something like being forever friends.”

Xia Yuan stuttered, and Lin You Xi didn’t dwell on it but continued smiling.

“Speaking of which… Don’t you like spending time alone with Ah Fang?”

“I didn’t say I disliked it, it’s just… um…”

“There’s more fun when there’s competition, right?”

Lin You Xi smiled. “Looks like you really enjoy sneaking around.”

“But… but… I’m not that weird.”

Lin You Xi suddenly leaned close to Xia Yuan’s ear and whispered softly,

“In fact, I really hope you have a good time with Ah Fang today. I even prepared safety measures for you, placed right by the bedside.”

“What… What are you talking about, You Xi! That’s too much!”

Far away in Xia Yuan’s house, in a drawer filled with miscellaneous items, lay an old time capsule.

Inside the time capsule was a small note, containing Xia Yuan’s sealed wish from seven years ago—

【Seven years from now, we should both be high school students. By then, I want to be Mei Fang’s girlfriend.】

There’s still an update today, I’ll write after getting my hair done.

(End of Chapter)