Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts Chapter 322: This is Male Bonding

With Lin Youxi joining the mahjong ga, the table now hosted a true three-family showdown between the is, Xias, and Lins. The six players battled fiercely while Teacher Yu played hostess, serving tea and snacks.

i Lijun had been thoroughly enjoying crushing his son earlier, but now faced a dilemma with Lin Youxi—as both a beginner and future daughter-in-law, he couldn’t go all out. His wife was off-limits, and while he could theoretically dominate Xia Xun, that would reflect poorly on Xia Yuan. This left him hesitating over each move, finally discarding a 5 of characters after much deliberation.

Lin Youxi, recognizing his restraint, played an 8 of characters and smiled. “Uncle i, please don’t go easy on just because I’m new. That ruins the fun. Besides, Ah Fang’s covering my losses—play to win. And…” Her eyes glinted. “I won’t be holding back either.”

i Lijun exhaled in relief and clapped. “That’s what I like to hear! Straightforward and competitive. Give your best shot—no need to spare this old man’s pride!”

“Less talk, more play,” Xiang Xiaoxia chided, nudging him.

After several rounds of cautious play, Lin Youxi suddenly flipped her tiles with dramatic flair—a flawless “Pure Seven Pairs” self-draw without wildcards. “10 base 15 for purity 3 for special tiles, doubled—56 total! We’ve recovered everything in one go!”

i Fang whooped, slinging an arm around Lin Youxi’s shoulders like an excited kid. Compared to his own strained attempts to impress, watching his genius girlfriend dominate effortlessly was infinitely more satisfying.

“Not bad,” i Lijun conceded through gritted teeth. Though his son’s gloating rankled, he had to save face for his future daughter-in-law. “How’d you read my hand?”

“You’d discarded many character tiles from the middle range,” Lin Youxi explained modestly. “When I drew all characters, I gambled on a pure suit. Mostly luck.” She nudged i Fang. “Your father was clearly going easy—he probably knew my strategy. Don’t celebrate too soon.”

Normally composed, i Fang’s boyish excitent around family made him forget Xia Xun and Teacher Yu were observing. After a few more rounds, he patted Lin Youxi’s shoulder, whispered sothing, then announced his exit:

“I’ll check on YuanYuan and i Ya downstairs. Enjoy the ga!”

Xia Xun’s brow relaxed slightly. The first half had been i Lijun’s rampage, the second Lin Youxi’s surgical strikes—with i Fang’s constant discards sabotaging his draws. Though he’d rarely fed winning tiles, Xia Xun had lost the most.

Monetary losses were trivial, but watching his daughter’s ex and her best friend flirt openly was its own torture.

Downstairs, Xia Yuan and i Ya were engrossed in Rayman Origins, a four-player platforr. Spotting i Fang, Xia Yuan eagerly thrust a controller at him. “Ah Fang! Join us! This is hilarious!”

“You’ve played before?” Xia Yuan tilted her head. “When? With who?”

“Just watched streams,” i Fang lied. In his past life, lacking close friends, he’d only experienced such party gas vicariously through online videos.

The cheerful chaos of three players—with Xia Yuan and i Ya’s diocre skills balanced by i Fang’s expertise—soon had them shrieking with laughter.

“Wait for ! Don’t drag the screen!”

“Stupid Ah Fang—take this! Hah, we can actually hit each other!”

“YuanYuan-jie, let’s team up against Brother!”

At so point, Xia Yuan naturally settled into i Fang’s lap, shocking i Ya for a full ten seconds. Even she, as the family’s resident cuddlebug, had never been this intimate with her brother.

Sigh… I’ll have to get used to this.

Watching her future sister-in-law’s childish antics, little i Ya felt burdened with unearned maturity.

As they played, i Fang recalled his long-abandoned plan to cultivate the girls’ gaming tastes. Yet Xia Yuan’s genuine enthusiasm proved his childhood influence lingered.

“Like gaming consoles?” i Fang murmured during a break.

“Love them!” Xia Yuan bead. “Let’s buy one after graduation! Or—”

“Three. Maybe four.” i Fang began listing platforms. “Each has exclusives we should experience together. We’ll dedicate a room in our Shenzhen ho as a gaming den—display cases for collectibles, the works…”

His eyes shone. This had been his pipe dream before rebirth—a shared space where family bonded over gas. Back then, even one component—a gar spouse, free ti, financial stability—had seed unattainable. Now, it was within grasp.

Overco, he tightened his embrace. Xia Yuan, understanding his emotion, snuggled closer.

i Ya piped up: “If Brother’s this rich, do I still need to study? I’m focusing on astronaut training!”

Xia Yuan applauded her ambition. “Stick to your dreams! Let know how I can help.”

“I love you, YuanYuan-jie!” i Ya launched into a hug. “Even if you can’t be with Brother now, you can’t like other boys! You have to marry into our family!”

As Xia Yuan giggled, i Fang whispered sothing that made her blush furiously.

“Behave! What if Mom—”

i Ya sprang up. “I’ll stand guard!”

“Wait, that’s not—”

Watching her scamper off, i Fang and Xia Yuan exchanged amused glances.

“Did you tell her about us? She seems to know everything.”

“She’s scarily perceptive. Actually advised against marriage licenses to ‘keep both of you forever.’”

Xia Yuan flushed deeper. “Two sisters-in-law does sound nice… If I were her, I’d also…” She pinched him. “No mischief here!”

“Teenage boy here. Have rcy.”

Their whispered sweet nothings were interrupted by dinner summons.

The shared mahjong session had noticeably thawed relations. Over rustic dishes at the resort’s farmhouse restaurant, i Lijun and Xia Xun chatted animatedly, while the won exchanged parenting tips—Lin Youxi occasionally contributing.

“YuanYuan chose well,” i Lijun praised between bites of free-range chicken. “Authentic flavor!”

“The best is yet to co,” Xia Yuan said proudly. “After dinner, we’ll stroll, then soak in the private hot springs—great for circulation.”

“Wait an hour after eating,” Lin Youxi cautioned. “Or you might faint.”

The villa’s twin stone baths—one large, one small—stead invitingly under the stars. i Fang joined his father and Xia Xun in the n’s pool.

So this is the legendary hot spring episode!

Seeing his chance to connect with Xia Xun after the mahjong disaster, i Fang was about to speak when i Lijun bellowed:

“Ah Fang! Co here—relive childhood mories! Let scrub your back!”

“Since when do southerners do this?”

“You loved it as a kid! Begged daily! Your mother swears by my technique—I’m practically a professional!”

With theatrical reluctance (and covert glances at Xia Xun to prove his filial piety), i Fang submitted. What followed was less cleansing than exfoliation via torture.

“AAAAAH! You’re stripping skin!”

“Rember now? The joy!”

“JOY MY ASS! LIGHTER! LIGHTER—OWWW!”

Through the steam, Xia Xun’s lips twitched at the spectacle. Part of him envied their easy rapport—a father-son bond he’d never have, his fortune destined for the boy currently getting scoured alive.

Perhaps he should have given Xia Yuan a brother. But that would have cost Teacher Yu her teaching career…

“Old Xia!” i Lijun splashed over post-torture. “Your turn!”

Xia Xun pretended not to hear.

“Don’t be shy! Bros before—”

The ensuing scuffle sent water flying. From the won’s pool next door, i Ya frowned at the splashing and masculine howls.

“Was that Uncle Xia screaming? First Brother, now him… Are they fighting?”

Lin Youxi smiled serenely. “Just male bonding.”

Xia Yuan blinked. Since when does Youxi understand guy stuff?

[Author’s Note:

Almost titled this “Hot Spring Fanservice” but feared reader retaliation.]