Chapter 85

Chapter 85 – Thank You for Today (5th update, first subscription, votes!)

Not long after the dinner between You Xi Lin and Fang Mei’s family, Xia Yuan suddenly came to visit Fang Mei’s house.

Of course, she mainly came to see You Xi Lin.

“You Xi… I heard everything Fang told me over the phone. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Xia Yuan hugged You Xi Lin and whispered in her ear, “If you don’t like that aunt, you should bravely tell your dad. I’ve seen on TV that many stepmothers are not nice to their stepdaughters, or they bring relatives to divide the family assets…”

“My family doesn’t have much money… Aunt Liang, Dad said she can’t have babies, so there’s no need to worry about being neglected because of a second child.”

You Xi Lin said, “Actually, Aunt Liang has been quite nice to me. Every time she visits, she always brings me gifts.”

“Mmm… That’s good!”

Xia Yuan held You Xi Lin’s hand and said, “If you haven’t decided whether to accept her, next time when we have the chance, let’s go see her together. I can help you feel her out.”

“Okay… If we have the chance, I’ll bring you along.”

Xia Yuan then hugged You Xi Lin tightly, “I was supposed to stay with you tonight… But there were too many people at my house today, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay… I’m fine now. Xiao Ya is sleeping with me too.”

“Then, is Fang sleeping on the sofa?”

Seeing Mei Fang, who was carrying a blanket to the sofa, Xia Yuan added, “Just as you see.”

“The living room is so cold, Fang, make sure to cover yourself well when you sleep tonight. Your birthday is coming up, if you catch a cold, it wouldn’t be worth it… Let me help you!”

Mei Fang was deeply moved and pretended to cry, “In such a big family, since we can’t find anyone who cares more about me than you, my parents say I can just freeze.”

“Haha…”

Xia Yuan smiled sweetly at Mei Fang, “Uncle and Auntie must care about you. Those words were just a joke.”

She was about to start helping Mei Fang lay out the blanket on the sofa when You Xi Lin walked over.

“Yuan Yuan, can I help you?”

“Haha… No need, I can handle this small task myself.”

“I can help you do it faster,” You Xi Lin reminded her, “Your family might be waiting for you to go back.”

“Mmm… That’s great.”

Watching You Xi Lin actively laying out the blanket, Xia Yuan felt something odd but couldn’t put her finger on it.

“I should head back home now, my mom is probably already urging me.”

Xia Yuan patted Mei Fang’s shoulder, “I’ve decided what to give you for your birthday, I’ll also give you a scarf.”

“No problem.”

Mei Fang made an OK sign, “When you have your birthday, I’ll give you one too.”

“You’re sick? I have my birthday in summer and you still want to give me a scarf.”

Xia Yuan hit Mei Fang lightly, “But I’m really looking forward to you giving me some different birthday gifts this year!”

“Uh… Your birthday is still half a year away, we need to think about You Xi’s birthday gift first.”

“I remember that.”

Xia Yuan patted Mei Fang’s shoulder again, “Alright then? Bye, You Xi!”

You Xi Lin waved goodbye to Xia Yuan. At this moment, Meiya, rubbing her sleepy eyes, came out from the inner room.

“Why did I hear Yuan Yuan’s voice just now… Is she here today, sleeping with Xiao Ya?”

Meiya threw herself into You Xi Lin’s arms.

“That’s great, it smells like You Xi’s scent…”

You Xi Lin stroked Meiya’s head and chatted with her for a bit, then there was a knock on the door.

“Is Yuan Yuan forgetting something and coming back? She always forgets things…”

Mei Fang ran to open the door and found Lin Guochuan standing there.

“Uncle Lin?”

Lin Guochuan nodded at Mei Fang, then peered into the room at You Xi Lin.

When You Xi Lin met her father’s gaze, she quickly looked away and played with the drowsy Meiya.

“Uncle Lin, would you like to come in for tea?”

“No… I came to deliver clothes. I went to Xia Yuan’s house first, she said You Xi would be staying overnight at your place.”

“Yes… Yuan Yuan had guests today.”

At this moment, Li Jun Mei and Xiang Xiaoxia also came out from the inner room.

“Oh, Old Lin, come in, come in!”

Li Jun Mei pulled Lin Guochuan inside, “Come on, Old Lin, I have to talk to you tonight.”

“No, no… I’ll leave after delivering the clothes.”

Before leaving, Lin Guochuan glanced at his daughter You Xi, cleared his throat, and said softly:

“I went to see Mom a bit later, those apples were bought by you, right?”

“I’m sorry, You Xi.”

“For all these years, I didn’t know you would go see her yourself. You must have gone many times.”

“It’s my fault as a father, making you suffer.”

Lin Guochuan handed the bag of clothes to Mei Fang and was about to leave with a sad expression when he was stopped by You Xi Lin.

“Dad…”

You Xi Lin raised her head, looked at her father who had turned around, and gently said:

“Be careful riding your bike tonight, it’s cold and the road is slippery, don’t fall.”

This was a signal from his daughter showing goodwill, which made Lin Guochuan’s tight brows finally relax.

He smiled at his daughter, “Yes, Dad knows.”

…

I wonder if this counts as reconciliation between father and daughter?

Seeing this scene, Mei Fang and his parents felt much more at ease.

That night.

Mei Fang shivered under the thick blankets on the sofa, the large living room felt like an ice cave. He wrapped himself tightly, holding the pig-shaped warm pad Xia Yuan bought for him, teeth chattering.

Why doesn’t Baimei County install underfloor heating or central heating like in the north? It’s so cold!

Mei Fang stared at the ceiling, where the streetlights outside cast shadows of trees through the windows, the passing cars intermittently covering and uncovering the light.

He wasn’t sleepy at all…

Just as Mei Fang was feeling bored, there was a click as the door to the inner room opened.

It was You Xi Lin, who quietly approached him.

“Can’t sleep?”

Mei Fang spoke to her, she paused slightly before nodding.

The flickering light fell on You Xi Lin’s clear face, and Mei Fang stared at her.

“Are you cold here? Should we move somewhere else to sleep?”

“No, I was just joking. But you… shouldn’t you be covering yourself better? What if you catch a cold?”

You Xi Lin didn’t answer, she walked to the sofa and playfully stuck her hand into the blanket.

“Hey! Don’t you know how cold your hands are? Don’t poke me…”

Mei Fang kept his voice low to avoid waking his parents, allowing You Xi Lin to stretch her hand further. After a few icy touches, You Xi Lin pulled back the corner of the blanket and slipped in.

“Mmm… It’s warmer now.” You Xi Lin smiled at Mei Fang, which made him feel very awkward.

“You’ve let all the warmth out!”

Mei Fang was puzzled because he didn’t understand why You Xi Lin suddenly acted this way.

“I have an electric blanket in my room, why don’t we sleep with Xiao Ya instead of coming here to share with me…”

You Xi Lin didn’t answer, she simply lay on her side, resting her head on her arm, silently watching Mei Fang.

“Fang…”

You Xi Lin softly called Mei Fang’s nickname.

She placed one hand against her cheek, making a gesture as if whispering.

“Thank you for today…”

Huh… She came specially to say this?

“There’s nothing to thank me for, we’re friends, it’s what we should do—”

Before Mei Fang could finish, You Xi Lin covered his mouth with her hand.

She made a shushing gesture and shook her head in frustration:

“We’re not just friends.”

“We’re childhood friends.”

“We grew up together, our hearts have always been connected.”

She placed her hand on Mei Fang’s chest, feeling his steady heartbeat, then slowly closed her eyes.

“Hey… You Xi, don’t fall asleep here? Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain to my parents.”

“Mmm… I’ll stay for a while and then leave.”

You Xi Lin’s hand remained on Mei Fang’s chest, looking content. Mei Fang didn’t have the heart to disturb her.

Eventually, she fell asleep on the sofa.

Finally, Mei Fang had to carry You Xi Lin to his own room.

The most profound feeling Mei Fang had from this incident was—

Carrying someone who is asleep is much harder than carrying them on your back.

The promised five updates are complete! There will be an Easter egg at the end of this chapter. However, it seems the review process is slow, so if you see it, please leave a comment. If not, you can join the group to check it out first, and please support us! Goodnight!