Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts Chapter 282: Thank You For Understanding Me

Liu Xiaoyu had never imagined she would one day find herself sitting on the back of i Fang’s scooter, especially without Xia Yuan or Lin Youxi present.

The current situation left her feeling quite embarrassed.

However, i Fang clearly wasn’t overthinking things like she was.

He no longer actively avoided her like before, now that all his attention was devoted to Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, with whom he was in a relationship.

To i Fang, Liu Xiaoyu was simply a good female friend and subordinate.

The only slightly special thing was that Liu Xiaoyu happened to be the only girl who knew about his three-way relationship.

She deliberately avoided physical contact with i Fang, keeping her hands firmly gripping the edges of the seat even while riding behind him.

Fortunately, i Fang’s electric scooter was large enough that she could sit without touching him.

He must have bought such a big scooter specifically to carry both YuanYuan and Youxi at the sa ti…

Liu Xiaoyu’s mind inexplicably conjured an image of i Fang riding with Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, when i Fang suddenly turned his head to ask her a question, startling her:

“Are you sure your ankle doesn’t need to be checked at the hospital?”

“No, no, just taking ho is more than enough.”

Liu Xiaoyu mumbled without looking at him, then lowered her head to check her phone.

But since they rarely t these days and had barely been in contact after the New Year, i Fang had quite a few questions for her.

“By the way, about what I ntioned before regarding further developing your music career—have you thought it over?”

“Well… about that—”

Liu Xiaoyu hesitated for a mont. “I still need so more ti to consider.”

“Are you running into any obstacles? Pressure from your family?”

“There are so family issues. I’m worried they might oppose it, so I’m trying to figure out how to bring it up.”

“But I think the bonus money would be pretty convincing, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

“What? Did sothing happen with the bonus? Did accounting not transfer it?”

Liu Xiaoyu quickly waved her hands. “No, no, it’s not about the money… I just haven’t figured out how to tell my family yet.”

“You still haven’t told them?” i Fang sounded surprised. “It’s been almost half a month—I thought you’d have given them the money by now.”

Liu Xiaoyu lowered her voice and muttered, “I’m still trying to figure out how to explain it to my dad. He’s very traditional and patriarchal. If he finds out I’ve been hiding my side activities at school, I’m afraid he’ll get angry.”

“Also… my dad is very proud. I’m worried he might refuse my help and even forbid from continuing to work with you all.”

“Then you should have told us earlier so we could help you figure it out.”

Liu Xiaoyu shook her head. “You’ve all already helped so much.”

“So what’s your plan? You can’t just keep hesitating without doing anything.”

“With the New Year approaching, debt collectors will probably co knocking soon. I was thinking if I gave the money to my dad at that mont, he might be more willing to accept it…”

“That seems a bit passive. What if your dad already has the money to pay them back?”

Liu Xiaoyu lowered her head without responding. After a pause, i Fang glanced back at her.

“Can I ask… a slightly inappropriate question? Do you know the full extent of your family’s debt situation?”

Liu Xiaoyu nodded. “It’s probably in the millions…”

i Fang was shocked. “From the ti your family took over YuanYuan’s hotel, has it always been this bad?”

“Not exactly… don’t misunderstand.”

Liu Xiaoyu spoke softly. “My family did lose a lot of money from taking over that hotel, but we still had savings back then.”

“After that, my dad went into business with so partners, but failed several tis. Gradually, his friends dwindled, and his debts piled up. Now he can only make ends et by working odd jobs for others.”

“I see…”

i Fang sighed inwardly at the misfortune of Liu Xiaoyu’s family. At least in his past life, her family had been quite well-off during high school.

“You’ve had it rough… Being hounded by debt collectors during the New Year must be awful.”

“Heh… it is, but I’m used to it.”

Ever since her falling out with her middle school best friend, Liu Xiaoyu had never spoken about her family’s struggles to anyone her age—not even Xia Yuan, despite their closeness. But after opening up to i Fang today, the tension in her heart eased slightly, and a pang of bitterness welled up.

“But if possible… I really don’t want to endure it anymore.”

“I know exactly how that feels.”

“You… you do?”

Liu Xiaoyu had rely voiced her confusion, but it ca out sounding almost sarcastic, so she quickly waved her hands. “I didn’t an to doubt you! It’s just… your family seems well-off, so I thought—”

Instead of responding directly, i Fang gazed into the winter wind and spoke softly:

“While other families are joyfully celebrating the New Year, you can’t buy nice clothes or snacks because you have no pocket money. You can only watch from afar as other kids play with fancy fireworks, hoping a neighbor might share a sparkler with you.”

“And the worst part is when debt collectors co knocking right before the New Year. You have to turn off all the lights and TV, hide in a corner trembling, and wait for their furious pounding to stop before you can relax.”

“But the most painful thing is that you can’t even talk to your family about the suffering caused by the debts—because you know they’re already struggling enough, and you don’t want to burden them further. You also don’t dare tell friends, afraid they’ll look down on you or pity you, treating you differently.”

“Eventually, you learn to swallow it all, bury it deep inside, and beco too afraid to take risks. You endure every injustice and hardship silently, even afraid to get angry at others, terrified of causing more trouble for your family…”

As he spoke, i Fang realized they had already arrived at Jiantao Road. He turned to ask Liu Xiaoyu, “Which way is your house—”

But the words died in his throat when he saw her face.

Because Liu Xiaoyu, who had been silent this whole ti, was now crying uncontrollably.

“How… how do you know all this… as if you’ve lived through it yourself…”

Her eyes reddened as she sobbed quietly. i Fang quickly pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.

“Sorry… I got carried away reminiscing and ended up making you sad too.”

As he watched Liu Xiaoyu wipe her tears, i Fang’s mind was filled with mories of his own family’s debts in his past life.

In his previous life, i Lijun never had a daughter like i Ya, nor did he possess the determination to work hard. As a result, he never got promoted and eventually started running a small business with his wife. Within a few years, they had squandered most of their savings. By the ti i Fang was in fourth grade, they had sold their apartnt and moved back to their ancestral ho.

What Liu Xiaoyu was experiencing now was exactly what i Fang had gone through in his past life. Even though he was now wealthy beyond asure, the childhood trauma of debt and the resulting inferiority complex were deeply ingrained in his bones. Seeing Liu Xiaoyu now was like looking at his past self—how could he not feel emotional?

To so extent, i Fang bore so responsibility for Liu Xiaoyu’s current predicant, even if it wasn’t intentional.

But he didn’t regret it, because his actions had also saved Xia Yuan’s life.

As for Liu Xiaoyu’s present, he wanted to make ands—and fortunately, he now had the ability to do so.

He stood quietly by, waiting as Liu Xiaoyu cried on the scooter, using up the entire pack of tissues he usually kept for Lin Youxi. Only then did she finally calm down, composing herself with so embarrassnt.

“I’m so sorry…”

“I’m the one who should apologize for making you cry.”

i Fang smiled gently at her. “You’re YuanYuan’s good friend and an important part of Ximilu Gas. I know these experiences are painful, but having soone who understands can lighten the burden a little.”

“You’re a good person, but you should also think more about yourself.”

He lightly patted Liu Xiaoyu’s shoulder—the most intimate gesture he’d ever made toward her.

“Talk things through with your family. If it doesn’t work out, I can discuss it with YuanYuan, and we’ll go speak to your dad together.”

“No matter how traditional he is, he should understand how much you’ve suffered growing up. He won’t stop you from pursuing your dreams.”

“But if he ignores your feelings and stubbornly clings to his so-called pride, then I don’t think such a father deserves your sacrifices. You’re almost an adult—happiness and being true to yourself matter most. Don’t leave regrets in your youth.”

Under i Fang’s earnest advice, Liu Xiaoyu pressed her lips together tightly, then nodded vigorously, her voice still trembling with emotion:

“Today… I think I can finally make up my mind.”

“Thank you… really thank you for understanding .”

“Co on, no need to keep thanking .”

i Fang grinned. “Just channel that gratitude into your work, make money for , and it’ll all be worth it.”

“You’ve really… beco more and more like a capitalist.”

For the first ti, Liu Xiaoyu joked with him, seeing this “Boss i” in a new light.

“Actually, there was a ti when I found you kind of… scary.”

“Scary?“

“Yeah… When we first t, you seed normal. But later, I realized you could do so many things—develop gas, write songs, play guitar, even start your own company… I couldn’t believe soone like could know soone as amazing as you.”

Her voice softened. “And then… there was you and YuanYuan and Youxi—”

“Ah—not that I don’t approve! I think it’s your private matter. If all three of you are happy, then I’ll wish you happiness too.”

i Fang smiled warmly. “Thanks for understanding. The bond between and them is very deep and complicated… It’s impossible to separate now.”

“Mm, I know.”

Liu Xiaoyu nodded. “Anyway, I’ll talk to my dad properly. I’ll use part of the bonus to help with the family debts, but I also want to keep so to study music theory. I want to form a band with YuanYuan as the keyboardist, learn from her, and even write my own songs… And for gas, I want to try composing for all kinds of styles, especially for the match-3 project we’re working on now…”

As i Fang listened to Liu Xiaoyu vividly describe her plans, he montarily saw the radiant girl she once was.

In his past life, he had retreated after witnessing her brilliance, turning what could have been a great friendship into estrangent. Now, their roles were reversed—she was the one admiring him from below, making almost the sa choice he once had.

Though they weren’t destined to be together in this life, they could still be good friends. And he had the chance to help her make up for regrets.

Realizing she might have taken up too much of his ti, Liu Xiaoyu suddenly stopped, murmuring apologetically:

“I’ve wasted so much of your ti today… Weren’t you supposed to et Youxi and YuanYuan? I’ll explain it properly to YuanYuan later.”

“I already told them beforehand. It’s fine.”

“Oh… That’s good. In a way, you’re actually really loyal—you’d never let your heart…”

She trailed off awkwardly. “I-I didn’t an… anything by that…”

“It’s okay, I get it.”

i Fang smiled. “Let take you ho. Which way?”

“Just turn left at the intersection up ahead.”

“Got it.”

i Fang got back on the scooter, but Liu Xiaoyu’s mood had subtly shifted.

She adjusted her seat slightly, her hands hovering as if she wanted to wrap them around his waist—

But she didn’t.

Instead, she let them linger in the air for a mont before resting them back on the scooter’s handrails.

She rembered feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity when she first t i Fang, as if she’d known him since childhood.

But even if she had t him before, there was no point in hoping for anything now.

His heart already belonged to two people.

Being friends like this…

Wasn’t it just as good?

They were all interesting, trustworthy companions.

And he understood the hardships she’d endured.

She should work hard too, to live up to everyone’s expectations—especially i Fang and YuanYuan’s…

She couldn’t keep YuanYuan waiting any longer.

For the first ti, Liu Xiaoyu was determined to have a heart-to-heart with her father.

For the first ti, she was determined to chase sothing she loved—her own dreams.