Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts Chapter 397: Yuan-Yuans Signature Move

Having grown up together, i Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi had spent significant ti across four cities—Bai i County, Bai Zhou City, Jiangcheng, and Pengcheng. Among these, Bai Zhou was the shortest stay, with most mories tied to the small villa i Lijun had purchased.

Since their second year of high school during Lunar New Year, it beca tradition for Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan to stay at i Fang’s family ho for a few days—a de facto et-the-parents ritual that solidified into the trio’s customary practice.

Back then, Xia Yuan had been i Fang’s girlfriend during their second year, while Lin Youxi took that role in their third year. i Lijun had assud this year would finally bring clarity, only to welco ho three single “strays.”

But single or not, their return was what mattered—

As long as their bond remained, everything else would fall into place.

By the ti i Fang’s group arrived in Bai Zhou, dusk had settled.

As they unloaded luggage from the trunk, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi peered curiously toward the house. “Where’s Ya-ya? She’s usually the first to greet us,” Xia Yuan wondered.

Lin Youxi checked her phone. “She hasn’t even ssaged about our arrival.”

i Lijun grumbled, “Probably fighting with her mom again. She monitors Ya-ya’s phone strictly—always nagging about studies. They’ve been in a cold war over it.”

“Shouldn’t you, as the father, diate more?”

“diate how? Between my wife and daughter? I side with my wife, obviously. When I tell Ya-ya to study, she retorts, ‘Gege’s already a billionaire—why should I bother?’ How do I counter that?”

Sigh.

If anything, i Fang bore partial responsibility for his sister’s lack of discipline.

Which ant, as her elder brother, it fell to him to set her straight.

Entering the courtyard, they were imdiately greeted by Xiang Xiaoxia—who, at the sight of Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, effortlessly switched into her signature warm, maternal deanor.

“Ah! You’re here! Youxi! Yuan! So long since I’ve seen you!”

Just as Xia Yuan moved to respond, Lin Youxi handed her luggage to i Fang and lunged into Xiang Xiaoxia’s arms.

“Long ti no see… Mom.“

“……”

That single word—Mom—sent a visible jolt through Xiang Xiaoxia before she eagerly reciprocated the embrace.

“Yes, my Youxi.”

Lin Youxi had started calling her “Mom” during Xia Yuan’s relationship with i Fang—a habit she maintained even after their breakup. But with everyone busy this past year, video calls had dwindled, leaving a faint awkwardness.

“Waaah! Youxi, you sneak!”

Xia Yuan scrambled forward. “Don’t hog Mama Xiang’s warmth! too!”

“Plenty to go around, Yuan—co here—”

Though both were technically ex-girlfriends now, their enthusiasm lted Xiang Xiaoxia’s initial hesitation. She enveloped them in a double bear hug, leaving i Fang and i Lijun stranded at the doorway like forgotten luggage carriers.

Only after the prolonged mother-daughters reunion did i Fang finally interject:

“Mom, I’m your actual flesh and blood, rember? Why’s it always about them during New Year’s?”

“Psh. Fake jealousy doesn’t suit you. Do you even have a mother in that busy CEO brain of yours?”

“Hey, I’ve been making money!”

“What’s the point of hoarding wealth? You still sleep in one bed, eat three als a day. Enough’s enough—don’t work yourself to death and drag these two down with you.”

Xiang Xiaoxia ushered them inside while interrogating i Fang: “With all those public appearances lately, how’s your academic performance?”

“Passable. Wait for the transcripts if you don’t believe .”

“I won’t bother—who knows if your university’s just kissing up to the big boss now?”

“That’s unfair… Schools don’t work that way.”

After so small talk, i Fang circled back to his sister. “Speaking of which, where’s Ya-ya? Even if she doesn’t miss , surely she’d want to see her jiejies?”

Xiang Xiaoxia’s expression darkened. “Don’t get started. She’s locked in her room since this morning—wouldn’t even co out for lunch.”

“Another fight? Over what this ti?”

“I told her not to pester you all for red envelopes to buy more of those plastic figurines—wasting ti and money! What proper girl obsesses over such nonsense? She accused of ‘not respecting her individuality.’“

Xiang Xiaoxia gripped Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan’s hands. “Your generation was so well-behaved. Why are these post-00s kids so defiant? Stubborn as mules—exhausting!”

“Mom, don’t stress too much. It’s typical for her age.”

Lin Youxi soothed her. “They’re exposed to far more than we were. It’s normal to develop strong opinions—the key is mutual understanding.”

“I’ve run out of ways to ‘understand.’“

Xiang Xiaoxia raised her voice pointedly: “Ranked 57th out of 58 in her class! That’s not just laziness—it’s outright contempt for education! Does she think her brother’s success is her birthright? Without skills or drive, no amount of connections will save her.”

“Mom… lower your voice.“

i Fang warned, “She’ll only resent you more. This isn’t how parenting works.”

“……”

Xiang Xiaoxia scowled. “Oh, the big-shot CEO lectures now? Managing thousands doesn’t make you a parenting expert. Throwing money at your sister is easy—try handling her tantrums daily!”

“You’re the reason she’s like this—spoiling her rotten!”

“Mom, academic success isn’t the only path. Not everyone’s cut out for it—”

“Listen to yourself! Youxi, Yuan—back up here. Isn’t Ya-ya crossing a line? Expecting handouts from her brother—isn’t that spoiled?”

“W-well… self-reliance is important…”

“I think… Ya-ya might not an it that way. We should talk to her first.”

Caught off-guard and lacking context, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi could only offer tepid agreent.

i Fang privately categorized his mother as “emotionally transparent”—a woman who could ruthlessly control i Lijun’s spending yet overflow with maternal instinct upon hearing Lin Youxi’s past hardships.

Yet her usual gentle facade around the girls had begun cracking under her ultimate nesis: i Ya.

Before age six, i Ya had been manageable. Elentary school brought academic struggles, compounded by her penchant for pestering her father and brother for toys. Still, she remained obedient through age twelve, heeding corrections.

But upon entering adolescence, defiance blossod. Phone calls throughout the year had hinted at tensions, yet nothing prepared i Fang for the full-scale mother-daughter war awaiting him.

Regardless, a heart-to-heart with Ya-ya was overdue.

Seizing a lull in his mother’s tirade, i Fang slipped upstairs to knock on i Ya’s door.

“Ya-ya? It’s your dashing gege. Co out—let see you.”

After a mont, the door creaked open to reveal a red-eyed, pouty teen with a chin-length bob—now nearly as tall as Xia Yuan. She glared up at him accusingly:

“Finally decided to show up, huh?”

“You… are my baby sister?”

i Fang gaped at the suddenly grown little girl. “When did you get so—big?!”

“Never mind that!”

i Ya yanked his sleeve, eyes sparkling with desperation.

“I can’t take it anymore! Let transfer to Pengcheng with you—anywhere to escape Mom’s nopause madness! Pleeease!“

“Whoa there—since when did you inherit your Yuan-jie’s signature move: running away from ho?”