Chapter 304

Chapter 304: Gonna Get It Back (5500 words)

“R-really smaller?” Xia Yuan appeared quite nervous, “And by a lot?”

Lin You Xi pondered with her cheek in hand, “It might be due to the shaping bra? Why don’t you take it off and let me check.”

“Afang is here!”

“Afang has seen it before, why suddenly shy now—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! I won’t look, You Xi, could you help me check?”

Mei Fang then covered his face and lay on the bed. Lin You Xi stood up, stepped over Mei Fang, and walked barefoot to Xia Yuan to start checking.

Plop plop…

“How… how is it?”

“Mmm… let me feel it again.”

Plop plop—

“You Xi, stop playing around!”

Xia Yuan pouted angrily.

“It does feel a bit smaller, but it’s much firmer. It feels quite different when massaged.”

Lin You Xi smiled, “I heard that some people gain weight on their faces first, and lose it from their chests later. Yuan Yuan might be like that. Or maybe you gained weight in other areas during this period, so it’s not very noticeable externally…”

“So all these days of hard work, all the suffering, was for nothing…”

Xia Yuan felt lost and disillusioned.

“There’s no problem… being small is also cute. Look at me, I’m still living just fine, right?”

“By the way, You Xi, you seem to have developed even more recently!”

Lin You Xi started bumping into Xia Yuan from behind, causing Mei Fang to feel amused hearing the sounds of their interaction. He covered his eyes and added his opinion:

“Size doesn’t matter as long as you’re healthy. Exercising is good too. Lately, I’ve felt much better physically…”

“That’s because everyone’s been focusing on fitness recently.”

Lin You Xi continued to play with Xia Yuan while smiling at Mei Fang, “Now that Yuan Yuan doesn’t need to exercise, I don’t have to prepare fitness meals or wake up early. You’ll have a hard time at night.”

Lying on the bed, Mei Fang raised his thumb, “No problem, I’m totally fine!”

“You’ll have to help me…” Xia Yuan mumbled, “You have to help me get it back!”

It was said that in the following days, Mei Fang had to support himself while walking to school, claiming it was due to a pulled muscle, but rumors were rampant.

Mei Fang was currently considering the future of the Ximilu Studio.

The Ximilu Studio had two public identities: the officially registered company Ximilu Games, and another as a club-type existence registered under Jiangcheng Teacher One High School.

In reality, it was just a private space for them to meet, rest, and occasionally recharge.

With the end of June approaching, the club needed to update its leadership. The only member of the senior executive team was Zhu Nainai.

Zhu Nainai spent most of her time chatting with Mei Fang after class, doing little actual work. Mei Fang appreciated her enthusiasm and gave her tasks, which she handled diligently.

But to keep Ximilu as a student club, Zhu Nainai’s capabilities were clearly insufficient. This was partly because Mei Fang had previously treated her only as an assistant, not developing her as a planner.

Now, receiving the notice for renewal, Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, Lin You Xi, Liu Xiaoyu, Wan Chaoxiong, and others would theoretically be leaving the club as seniors, leaving only Zhu Nainai.

“So… do you think the club should continue?”

Mei Fang wanted to hear Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi’s opinions.

“Now that Ximilu Games is well-known, we can easily recruit new members, but the time cost will be on us.”

Lin You Xi was against it, “If we don’t want to cultivate our own talent in Jiangcheng Teacher One High School and don’t want to spend time training others, there’s no point in continuing the club.”

“We wanted the club for more interaction and game development. Now we don’t need that anymore.”

“I’m thinking about talent cultivation.”

Those who had been passionate about gaming since high school were likely avid gamers from a young age. Being able to enter Jiangcheng Teacher One High School meant they had excellent time management skills and exceptional talent.

Keeping such a club to absorb talented students from Jiangcheng Teacher One High School was something Mei Fang genuinely wanted to do.

Xia Yuan supported it fully, “I agree with keeping the club… even if it’s not for talent cultivation, it’s a beautiful memory from high school.”

“Leaving these memories in the club room, it’s meaningful to revisit them in the future.”

Lin You Xi nodded, “In short, it mainly depends on your own thoughts, Fang. Whether it’s from a practical or emotional standpoint, I think it’s acceptable. But it will require time to nurture talent and pass on our game-making experience and club culture.”

After hearing Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi’s words, Mei Fang decided to keep the club, seeing the time investment as a one-time effort.

“I’ll find time to talk to Zhu Nainai and see what she thinks. Without someone leading, my efforts alone won’t mean much.”

Previously, Zhu Nainai often brought her fans or came alone to admire Mei Fang in class.

But now, at the end of the semester, busy with review and preparation, Zhu Nainai appeared less frequently. Mei Fang took advantage of the break time to find her.

Jiangcheng Teacher One High School’s freshmen and sophomores didn’t share the same building. Each time Zhu Nainai visited Mei Fang, she had to run back to class, always looking flustered when the bell rang.

Even with a girlfriend, Mei Fang, who was full of legendary stories, remained popular among the freshmen. Many girls in Zhu Nainai’s class were also fans of Mei Fang.

But after Mei Fang stopped performing, the fan frenzy cooled down. Only Zhu Nainai persisted in promoting him.

She often posted news and photos of him on her QQ Space, though her behavior was ridiculed by many boys in her class, including Chen Xubo.

As a special admissions student from a county school, he admitted he once had a slight crush on Zhu Nainai in middle school, due to their frequent appearances together on the award stage. Some rumors spread.

But those were in the past!

It was undeniable that Jiangcheng Teacher One High School was a powerhouse with many talented students. There were many girls with excellent grades and charming looks, far surpassing Zhu Nainai.

Now, Chen Xubo liked Xu Wei, a local girl known for her wealth and beauty, who was also extremely gentle and popular among the boys in class.

When Mei Fang shone at the art festival, Chen Xubo noticed her calm demeanor and realized she was a more refined girl, unlike the vulgar ones like Zhu Nainai. He often discussed art-related topics with her.

However, due to their hometown connection, they were relatively close in class. Chen Xubo often teased Zhu Nainai.

“Why, Miss Zhu Nainai, why didn’t you go see your idol today?”

“Mind your own business.”

Zhu Nainai rolled her eyes at Chen Xubo, increasingly annoyed by her little hometown friend, “I’ve been busy preparing for exams, and we’re going to separate into science and arts classes soon. Aren’t you worried?”

“You actually care about studying now? I thought you only cared about clinging to Senior Mei Fang and didn’t bother to put in any effort yourself.”

“Senior Mei Fang’s legs aren’t easy to hold onto.”

Zhu Nainai earnestly stated, “Those who lack ability can’t easily stay with Senior Mei Fang.”

“Isn’t it just because he sings some pop songs with his girlfriend? What’s so great? Making games is also a waste of time. If you have the energy, you should focus on true art and create profound music and works.”

Chen Xubo’s sarcastic remarks were not uncommon, and Zhu Nainai was getting tired of responding.

“I hope you aim for the Nobel Prize in Literature. I’m just a commoner, I can’t appreciate the kind of art you talk about.”

“I know my limits. I’m just advising you to avoid meaningless pursuits and improve yourself…”

“Let’s talk about something else…”

“Again, let’s talk about something else…”

“Geouwen…”

“?”

“Get lost!”

Zhu Nainai’s shout was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention. Chen Xubo felt embarrassed and quickly returned to his seat, just in time to see Xu Wei drawing a geometric figure on her desk.

Chen Xubo exclaimed, “This little figure is so cute.”

Xu Wei softly replied, “This is Gloudy.”

“This character has a minimalist style. Just a few strokes and it’s full of charm. You named it Gloudy? Sounds like a variation of cloudy. Let me think about it…”

Xu Wei didn’t wait for Chen Xubo to finish and continued drawing more characters.

“This is Crow, Grandiose, and everyone loves Cathy. She helps Gloudy a lot.”

Chen Xubo pretended to be interested in Xu Wei’s art, planning to look it up online later. When Xu Wei enthusiastically finished introducing her favorite characters, Chen Xubo quickly changed the topic:

“By the way, are you interested in seeing this week’s Shakespeare play? I happened to get two tickets. They were hard to get, I had to ask a friend…”

“I… have something this week?”

Xu Wei looked embarrassed, “You should ask someone else.”

“Oh, I thought you’d be interested…”

“Well… not really…”

Just as Xu Wei and Chen Xubo were talking, the classroom suddenly became noisy:

“Zhu Nainai, Fang Bao is here looking for you! Come out quickly!”

Zhu Nainai immediately lifted her head like a rabbit, then saw Mei Fang smiling and waving at her through the window. She happily jumped up and rushed out,

“Coming to see me alone… Is it because you miss me after not seeing a junior for so long?”

Zhu Nainai pushed Mei Fang playfully, “Senior, you’re so naughty. Did you tell Sister Yuan Yuan?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t come otherwise.”

Mei Fang didn’t mind joking with Zhu Nainai, but then got to the point, “I came to talk about the club’s future plans. We’re all seniors, so we’ll be leaving the club soon.”

“Oh! I’ve been wanting to ask Senior about this…”

Zhu Nainai and Mei Fang chatted enthusiastically about the club’s future plans in the corridor outside the classroom. Due to the large number of students at Jiangcheng Teacher One High School, many freshmen hadn’t seen Mei Fang and Xia Yuan much. This was their chance to observe them closely, and everyone was secretly watching and discussing.

“Is this Fang Bao? He’s much more delicate than I imagined. I thought he was a domineering producer type.”

“You read too many romance novels. Where did you get all those domineering CEOs?”

“Speaking of it, Nainai seems to be the only freshman in the Ximilu Studio. Are they planning to disband after this year?”

“It’s hard to say. They seemed to be discussing this today…”

Chen Xubo looked at the boy Zhu Nainai idolized from afar, feeling he was ordinary and not particularly outstanding in appearance or demeanor. He assumed Mei Fang was just a rich kid using money to attract girls and make games. Just as he was about to complain to Xu Wei, he found her already gone.

When Chen Xubo regained his senses, he saw Xu Wei standing by the window, listening intently. Finally, she couldn’t resist interrupting Mei Fang and Zhu Nainai’s conversation.

“Excuse me… Senior Mei Fang! I’m a loyal fan of yours. I love your game ‘Cloud Journey.’ I’ve been playing it repeatedly, bought it on Steam and C Station!”

Mei Fang was puzzled by her sudden comment and smiled, scratching his head, “Thank you for liking it.”

Zhu Nainai introduced, “This is my classmate Xu Wei. She likes drawing. At the beginning of the semester, she wanted to sign up for your studio but there was no recruitment.”

“Haha… we didn’t consider recruiting many people back then. It was too much trouble. Sorry about that.”

Mei Fang continued, “But our club plans have changed. If you’re interested, you can sign up.”

Xu Wei didn’t respond immediately but respectfully handed over her sketchbook.

“These are some fan art pieces I drew. I want to show you…”

“Mmm… nice. This is the anime version of Gloudy, isn’t it? Very expressive… Do you like playing games?”

Xu Wei nodded, “But I mostly play solo games. I enjoy the feeling of communicating with the developers. For example, in ‘Cloud Journey,’ I saw a transformation from weakness to strength in a girl. It reminded me of some experiences of mine. I really like it, and I want to create similar works.”

“Coincidentally, I plan to organize the club and let us develop new projects. If you’re truly interested, you can try doing art!”

“Really? But I only know how to draw. I don’t have any other game-related skills… compared to Senior Guo Yun, I’m far inferior…”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Mei Fang smiled, “When I first met Guo Yun, she knew nothing either. I taught her, and she learned quickly. I really like your expressive art style. It brings life to the characters…”

Mei Fang’s lively chat with Xu Wei and Zhu Nainai attracted many students. With ‘Cloud Journey’ gaining popularity, everyone was interested in joining the Ximilu Studio.

“Seniors, can I join too?”

“Of course, but we’ll still interview you.”

“Are you only recruiting cute girls? Will I have to dress as a girl to join?”

Amidst the laughter, Mei Fang glanced disdainfully at the boys, “What are you saying… where did we discriminate based on gender? As long as you like making games, you can join. It’s just that the ratio of girls in the studio is higher.”

“That’s because Senior is so handsome! Even if I’m a girl, I like Senior. Seniors, I love you!”

The boys’ playful antics were much more impressive than the girls’. Everyone chatted happily together.

The goddess Xu Wei, who Chen Xubo always admired for her calmness, now transformed into a mindless fangirl in front of Mei Fang, gazing at him with adoration.

Seeing the girl he liked in this state, Chen Xubo felt a surge of thoughts:

Even if Mei Fang was charming, he already had a girlfriend. Other girls falling for him was pointless.

If he joined the game-making, he would have more opportunities to interact with her, perhaps winning her favor.

Chen Xubo intended to join the club despite not knowing Mei Fang, but he underestimated Zhu Nainai’s status in the club.

On the day of the interview, facing Zhu Nainai’s mocking question, “Why don’t you go for the Nobel Prize?” Chen Xubo was humiliated. Later, he spread rumors that Zhu Nainai was petty, but no one paid attention to him. Xu Wei eventually stopped interacting with him.

Before summer arrived, Mei Fang recruited about ten people for the Ximilu Club. He planned to train them during the summer, helping them understand the game-making process and complete a small game project.

Since it was a small game, creating it within a familiar framework would be faster. Mei Fang chose the card game ‘Monarchy,’ which was easy to add DLC and develop new chapters.

He planned to use this summer to guide the new team in developing ‘Monarchy: Three Kingdoms,’ akin to a summer camp.

Not counting the art resources, this would only take Mei Fang a week. He could also train a batch of newcomers, giving them a taste of the satisfaction and joy of game development, which was the most important thing for them.

Then, he could happily and unhesitatingly continue his close interactions with Yuan Yuan and You Xi. He had to massage her back every night, and his daily schedule was extremely busy and exhausting.

Currently, posting large chapters is preferred. An additional chapter will be added later.

(End of Chapter 304)