Chapter 363

Chapter 363 – IF Side Story: Destiny Between Fang and Xi 5 (Extra Update for Monthly Ticket 45)

What am I doing…

I really should be damned.

Truly.

Mei Fang, Mei Fang, you’re such a shameless man.

She invited you to live together because she trusts you as a fellow townsman, but can you actually be so self-deceived?

She’s a girl lacking love and company, and bipolar disorder makes her misunderstand her emotional needs, but you can’t misinterpret this so easily.

We’re just friends.

Yes, just friends…

Mei Fang, who had spent a sleepless night in bed, continuously denied every little detail of his interactions with Lin You Xi over these past few months.

For the ordinary Mei Fang, despite the numerous intimate moments he shared with Lin You Xi, she remained an unattainable goddess in his eyes.

Even though she was a fallen goddess, she was still a goddess.

I shouldn’t overthink this.

Isn’t it good enough to just live by her side like this…

But speaking of which, it’s not right for me to stay here indefinitely.

Once this game is done, I’ll move out and live separately from her…

Mei Fang barely slept all night and felt a strange sense of vitality the next morning, almost as if he might drop dead.

But he waited until the usual time to go to work with Lin You Xi before getting up, although her bedroom door remained closed.

Mei Fang didn’t dare disturb Lin You Xi and merely sent her a message asking her to rest more today and remember to take her medication. Then, he quietly began to wash up.

When he finished washing up, there was still no sign of Lin You Xi leaving her room.

After some thought, Mei Fang prepared a box of pan-fried dumplings for breakfast and lunch, placed them on the table, and put her medication beside them, attaching a note reminding her to take it on time. He then sent another message to Lin You Xi, but received no response.

…

She must still be sleeping, right?

Mei Fang didn’t dwell on it and left the house quietly.

The door closed softly behind him.

This scenario of staying up all night and going to work the next day was something Mei Fang had experienced many times before, but each time he went to work the next day, he felt strangely energetic, full of spirit.

“Xiao Cao, about the case I asked you to handle yesterday—”

“It’s ready, Fang Ge. The document has been sent to you. Please check it.”

After sending the document, Xiao Cao came to Mei Fang’s workstation to await review. Mei Fang glanced through it briefly and nodded.

“These event planning proposals are essentially superficial, and the programming is similar, but you need to pay attention to the structure of the configuration tables. Discuss with the programmers how to make the configuration easier. Otherwise, configuring hundreds of rows of gifts in one table will be difficult.”

“Got it, got it… understood, Fang Ge.”

Xiao Cao looked at Mei Fang and said, “Fang Ge, don’t you think you should cut back a bit lately? Even though there’s not much overtime, your dark circles are still very noticeable.”

“I couldn’t sleep well last night. What are you thinking?”

“They say you’re living with your girlfriend now. Is that true or not?”

“What are you talking about… We’re not in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.”

“So you haven’t denied living together… If you’re not a couple, doesn’t that mean it’s just a matter of time?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Xiao Cao returned to his workstation with a sullen expression and sighed loudly.

“Even Wan Nian Dan Single Fang Ge is leaving my single dog squad. How am I supposed to manage this?”

“Don’t worry, Xiao Cao. You’re still young. There will be plenty of lonely days ahead.”

“Hahaha!”

“I agree!”

“You just laugh! Wait until I find a girlfriend someday and see if you still laugh at me!”

“Is it because it’s almost 520? Are you going to pick roses by the trash again this year?”

“That reminds me, I should start preparing.”

“Hahaha…”

As Mei Fang listened to his subordinates chatting, he suddenly realized that 520 was approaching soon.

…

Any holiday can be a Valentine’s Day, right?

It doesn’t really have anything to do with me…

Mei Fang said this aloud, but his mind wandered to Lin You Xi.

Oh, I’m such a love-struck fool…

Mei Fang opened WeChat to check messages, but Lin You Xi hadn’t replied to him.

…

Is she still angry about what happened yesterday?

It’s understandable…

Because she trusted me as a fellow townsman, and I took advantage of that.

But…

Just a hug, it’s not worth being so—

Oh…

What is she thinking?

Mei Fang thought for a moment and decided to send a message to Lin You Xi.

[Regarding what happened yesterday, I was wrong. If possible, I hope you can forget it… If you can’t forget, it’s fine. If you feel I overstepped, I’ll look for a place to move out in a few days. But considering I’ve helped you cook and clean, please don’t report me to the police; I can’t handle that.]

With a mindset of uncertainty about Lin You Xi’s response, Mei Fang sent the long message. He intended to carefully observe her reaction, but instead, he received this text:

[Message sent, but rejected by the recipient.]

Oh no…

Seeing this, Mei Fang quickly dialed Lin You Xi’s phone, but it went straight to busy tone.

[Sorry, the user you are trying to reach is currently busy. Please try again later.]

…

Is she having an episode? Another one?

Mei Fang was equipped with sufficient theoretical knowledge and thought that after such a long period of mania, she might now be in a depressive state.

Although he was deeply hurt by being blocked by Lin You Xi again, he knew about her bipolar disorder and didn’t dwell on it too much. Instead, he asked for leave from his boss.

“Bro Yu, I have some family matters at home, so I need to leave early.”

The boss nodded immediately. “What’s wrong? What happened at home?”

“It’s my roommate—”

“Oh, roommate, I understand.”

Boss Yu patted Mei Fang’s shoulder. “Since it’s a roommate issue, go quickly!”

“Don’t look at me with that strange look…”

Mei Fang scratched his head and sent a message to the work group.

[@All members, I’m heading back due to personal matters. Please direct any questions to me. If urgent, contact Xiao Cao.]

Employee A: [@Fang Ge, can Xiao Cao handle it?]

Xiao Cao: [If Fang Ge knows, how could I not know!]

Employee B: [Fang Ge has a partner, do you?]

Xiao Cao: [Laughing face]

Mei Fang took a taxi home immediately after taking leave.

During the depressive phase, people often feel extremely low and can easily fall into pessimistic states. It’s crucial to provide timely care and attention, especially since he hadn’t supervised Lin You Xi taking her medication today.

…

Mei Fang had a key and entered the house directly. The room was empty, and Lin You Xi’s door was open.

“Lin You Xi? Are you home? Lin You Xi?”

There was no response from inside the house, and there was no sign of Lin You Xi.

Mei Fang saw the dumplings on the table were untouched, and the medicine bottles hadn’t been moved.

Her shoes…

Did she even change her shoes when she left?

But her slippers were still at home!

Could she have gone out barefoot?

Barefoot, wearing only pajamas…

The more Mei Fang thought about it, the more anxious he became. After realizing Lin You Xi wasn’t in the house, he rushed out immediately, asking security guards downstairs and attempting to retrieve surveillance footage. He also inquired from nearby mahjong-playing aunties, but none of them noticed such a distinctive-looking girl.

Outside the residential complex was a pedestrian path along the riverbank. Since the water was shallow, there were no railings.

But if someone truly wanted to harm themselves, even shallow water could—

Sigh…

Mei Fang searched along the path, walking slowly at first, mumbling to himself, then gradually speeding up, shouting louder.

“Lin You Xi—Where are you?”

“Lin You Xi!”

It was around three in the afternoon, and there weren’t many people on the path. Mei Fang would lower his voice whenever someone passed by. After searching back and forth without finding anyone, his steps became heavier. He no longer cared about others’ strange looks and shouted Lin You Xi’s name loudly.

“Lin—You—Xi—”

My God…

I stayed up all night yesterday.

Unable to walk further, Mei Fang was panting heavily. He felt a painful throb in his heart.

I can’t keep running like this… If I continue, I’ll collapse before finding Lin You Xi.

But she’s not here, nor at home. Where could she be?

How far could she have walked barefoot?

Why hasn’t anyone seen her yet!

Desperately worried, Mei Fang walked home under the setting sun, watching the lights come on, the smoke rising from chimneys, and the sunset accompanying him.

Gradually, a bitter feeling welled up in Mei Fang’s throat.

If I hadn’t hugged her…

If I hadn’t hugged her, she’d still be okay.

There wouldn’t be so many problems.

Her emotions were so unstable today; I shouldn’t have gone to work.

I should have stayed with her.

If I lose her, and something happens, how will I explain it to her parents—her parents’ spirits in heaven?

I…

I don’t know…

Lost and dispirited, Mei Fang returned to the house where Lin You Xi wasn’t.

He couldn’t recall her messages, and her phone was still unreachable.

He felt thirsty and went to the refrigerator for a drink.

Just as he opened the fridge, he suddenly collapsed, kneeling down weakly, clutching the door. An unprecedented sense of weakness and pallor overwhelmed him. His head hung low, his body trembling uncontrollably.

No one could see the sadness on his face.

Just as he wiped his eyes and was about to call 110 on his phone, a sound came from Lin You Xi’s bedroom.

…

?

Alerted, Mei Fang immediately stood up and went to check on Lin You Xi’s room.

There was no one on the bed.

Her bunny slippers were still by the bedside.

Still, no sign of Lin You Xi.

Mei Fang turned around to leave when he noticed the wardrobe in front of him.

…

Mei Fang swallowed hard, placed his hand on the wardrobe door handle, and slowly opened it.

Gradually, the setting sun’s light shone through the window onto Mei Fang’s back.

It also shone on Lin You Xi, who was hugging her knees and squatting in the wardrobe, looking up at Mei Fang.

She was still in her sleeping clothes, disheveled and disoriented, but her eyes were clear.

She looked at him with a dazed expression.

Mei Fang tried to swallow hard and talk to Lin You Xi, but it took him a while before he finally managed to speak, using a voice that quivered with tears, and asked her:

“What are you doing here?”

“Playing hide-and-seek… is that right?”

Lin You Xi shook her head blankly.

“You can scold me, hit me if you want, you don’t have to pretend.”

“When I’m having an episode, I’m just a disgusting person.”

“Sometimes… I’m even worse than this.”

“When I die, it will be better.”

“After all, I’m just a burden.”

“Don’t you think so?”

“No… I don’t think so… I never did…”

Exhausted, Mei Fang struggled to support his body and reached out to Lin You Xi, saying, “Come out and eat. You must be starving and dehydrated.”

“And you haven’t taken your medication today… if you don’t take it, you’ll feel worse.”

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’m a sick person, I’m not worth your effort.”

Lin You Xi hugged her knees motionlessly, “There’s no need to continue working on the game. You’ll be tortured to death by me before that.”

“I don’t want to see you like this.”

“It’s alright… I’m really alright… I’ll take care of you… I said it’s alright…”

Mei Fang gently coaxed Lin You Xi out of the wardrobe, feeling extreme discomfort in his stomach, but continued encouraging her.

“I’m a masochist; I like being tormented by you. It’s alright… really… but you can’t do this. You haven’t eaten anything all day… you can’t keep this up…”

“Please, just this once… come out and eat something…”

Mei Fang’s body nearly collapsed, but he managed to kneel down.

At this moment, he fell into Lin You Xi’s arms.

His heart had no other thoughts.

He held Lin You Xi again.

Kneeling and holding her.

No matter how hard she pushed him away, he didn’t let go.

“Listen to me, come out and eat, please?”

Mei Fang tightly embraced Lin You Xi, using the remaining strength he had left to hold her close.

“What good am I? I’ve blocked you twice, and you still chase after me relentlessly? Do you want me that badly?”

“Do you want to hurt me?”

“Is that it?”

“Let me hurt you once, or play until you’re happy, and then you can leave me?”

“Huh?”

Lin You Xi spoke in a manner that was hard to decipher, but she could only feel the trembling voice and sobs of the man on her shoulder.

Ah…

After much effort, Lin You Xi finally gave up.

“Mei Fang, you fool.”

“Falling in love with someone like me will only lead to regret…”

She leaned close to Mei Fang’s ear and whispered,

“Afang, I’m hungry.”

“I want to come out.”

These words were the password that unlocked Lin You Xi from Mei Fang’s embrace. He simply wiped away his tears and continued,

“You want to come out… I’ll make something for you to eat. Or if you want something else, I’ll order takeout.”

“The pan-fried dumplings you made this morning will do.”

“Alright, I’ll heat them up…”

Just as Mei Fang was about to get up to prepare food, Lin You Xi grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

Unsure of her intentions, Lin You Xi suddenly leaned forward and kissed Mei Fang.

Though clumsy, she put in great effort.

Great effort.

Holding onto Mei Fang, she kept trying.

This was her way of expressing gratitude to Mei Fang.

Or perhaps…

Another emotion?

Mei Fang, inexperienced with kissing, appeared equally clumsy and shy. When Lin You Xi initiated the kiss, he could only submit, eventually stopping her actions.

After about ten minutes, their kiss finally ended.

Panting,

Lin You Xi cupped Mei Fang’s face afterward, her eyes filled with affection.

“Afang.”

“Hmm?”

“I discovered that you taste the best.”

“I want to taste you again.”

“Oh… please, spare me.”

This is an additional update for the IF chapter. There is still regular content to be updated today. Don’t worry.

End of Chapter