Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts Chapter 416: IF Side Story – Bound by Fate: (Fang & Youxi) (

The current workflow for White Plum Ti was that Lin Youxi set the frawork and fixed bugs, while i Fang was responsible for writing planning docunts and proposing feature requirents.

In addition to programming needs, there were also art and music requirents—these also fell mainly under i Fang’s responsibilities.

Originally, with Lin Youxi’s connections at Penguin, they had access to plenty of top-tier artists. But alas, this spirited older sister rarely socialized outside of work—she either worked or went ho, with practically zero interaction with others at the company.

As a result, i Fang had to post their project info on various outsourcing forums and communities, seeking to collaborate with freelance artists.

It was among these artists that one with the ID 【Yaoyuan de Yun】 (“Distant Cloud”) stood out from the crowd.

Her pixel art matched i Fang’s tastes quite well. On top of that, she’d grown up in Baii County, and thus had a natural wellspring of inspiration for the creation of White Plum Ti.

The only sowhat troubleso issue was that she didn’t play many gas. This was also her first ti taking on artwork for a ga project, so her communication ca across as lacking confidence. Thankfully, i Fang had written an extrely detailed planning and requirents docunt, which gave her a concrete direction to produce so character designs.

Their travel plans to Yangcheng were soon finalized—Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of the following week. i Fang also officially extended an invitation to this freelance artist for an in-person eting on Sunday to thoroughly discuss the collaboration.

However, what was strange was that this artist friend, who had always replied almost instantly in the past, was now strangely silent and unresponsive.

On the day of their departure for Yangcheng, i Fang and Lin Youxi were packing their bags while still waiting on a reply from “Distant Cloud.”

“How odd… she still hasn’t replied today…” i Fang murmured.

“You didn’t happen to find a scamr, did you?” Lin Youxi teased as she packed. “Ah Fang, you’re too pure-hearted. Maybe you got tricked by so wicked woman… soone like , for example.”

“She hasn’t even taken a deposit from , so there’s no reason she’d go through all this just to waste ti with …”

“Maybe precisely because she didn’t take a deposit, she feels no guilt about backing out now.”

Lin Youxi patted i Fang’s shoulder, then hugged him from behind. “Why don’t we find soone else? It’s not like I don’t have money. Don’t let this ruin our vacation vibes. Focus on the trip and the hot springs.”

In the past, Lin Youxi had always seen i Fang as rely a tool for designing White Plum Ti, but now, she was clearly more excited about traveling with i Fang—undeniably a shift in her mindset.

With his beloved whispering sweet nothings in his ear, i Fang quickly surrendered to her charm and agreed to let it go. He turned his full attention to packing and preparing for the trip.

The company shuttle bus was parked right downstairs from their office building. Since they lived nearby, i Fang and Lin Youxi arrived early. Only a few coworkers had gathered at the eting spot so far.

“Morning, Fang-ge!”

“Morning, Fang-ge.”

Even though he was just a middle manager, i Fang was surprisingly well-liked at the company. People greeted him proactively, and he responded to each one.

Standing by his side, Lin Youxi watched him finish exchanging greetings before stepping up to poke fun.

“Your coworkers are way too friendly. Guys and girls alike treat you like a rockstar. With this much popularity, how are you still single? I really don’t get it.”

“It’s probably just because I’m a nice guy. If I can avoid making people work overti, I absolutely will. There’s really no other reason.”

“But surely there are coworkers who admire you, right? Nobody caught your eye? Want to help matchmake?”

As Lin Youxi continued to tease him, i Fang’s boss, Xu-ge, strode over. i Fang suddenly linked arms with Lin Youxi and greeted him:

“Morning, Xu-ge!”

“Ah, morning morning. You two got here early, huh.”

“Yeah, we live nearby.”

Still holding onto Lin Youxi’s arm, i Fang smiled and introduced, “This is my new girlfriend, Xixi. She’s visited our office before.”

Lin Youxi was montarily dumbfounded by the introduction but went along with it, smiling as she greeted Xu-ge: “Hello hello.”

“Ah, nice to et you, Xixi! Ahhh…” Usually outgoing, Xu-ge scratched his head, unsure what to say for a mont before earnestly comnting, “i Fang is one lucky guy. Got himself such a pretty girlfriend, ha ha… ha…”

In the midst of this awkward atmosphere, Xu-ge called over another employee, Little Cao, who’d been watching from a distance:

“Hey, Xiao Cao! Didn’t you say you wanted to et Fang-ge’s girlfriend and have her introduce you to soone? Co on over!”

With extre reluctance written all over his face, Little Cao was summoned over by the boss. He copied Xu-ge’s awkward head scratch and bashfully greeted Lin Youxi:

“H-hi, Sister Fang…”

“Oh? You’re the one who wanted to set you up, yeah?”

“No no! I was just kidding! I’m all about the hustle now—dating, who even has ti for that…”

“Love introduced by soone else is never sweet. But—once you et soone who’s right for you—you must act boldly. Love is sothing you have to fight for. Don’t waste your youth.”

Lin Youxi said, interlocking her fingers with i Fang’s in an affectionate display as she earnestly imparted this advice. Poor Little Cao had no choice but to nod frantically.

“Y-yes! Thanks for the wisdom, Sister Fang! I’ll go move so luggage!”

He scurried off like a frightened rabbit, joining another coworker and exhaling in visible relief.

“What’s with that ‘just-escaped-death’ face of yours?”

“Sister Fang’s aura is intense… reminds of the class monitor from elentary school who used to hound about howork.”

“Why’d she do that?”

“I dunno, guess she was bored. She was my neighbor—you know, one of those ‘kids next door’ everyone compares you to. Always showing off in front of my mom…”

“Dude, that’s your childhood sweetheart! Today might be your big chance!”

“She’d have to be cute for that to count. She was ugly, man…”

Though Lin Youxi always had a cold, unapproachable air at her own company, she got along surprisingly well with i Fang’s colleagues. Everyone treated her with respect and friendliness, and she, in turn, gave i Fang face by joking around and chatting with the group.

【Truly a flawless, perfect girlfriend.】

That was i Fang’s evaluation, sent to Lin Youxi via text while on the bus. Lin Youxi twisted his thigh in retaliation, then typed back with her head down:

【What the heck is “Xixi”? Don’t give weird nicknas.】

【It makes us seem closer.】

【I’m literally trying to set you up with soone else. Why would I act all lovey-dovey?】

【I already told everyone we’re together. How am I supposed to date soone else now?】

【Rising tides raise all boats. When they see you with such an amazing girlfriend, your company’s girls will suddenly see you in a new light. They’ll regret not making a move earlier.】

i Fang thought for a mont, then typed a new ssage while looking at her:

【You’re all I need.】

……

When Lin Youxi looked up from the ssage, i Fang was staring straight ahead, calm and righteous, not a trace of playboy insincerity in his gaze.

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh…

Wasn’t this guy all quiet and awkward when we first t? Why’s he getting smoother and smoother?

Did I accidentally awaken his inner flirt or sothing?

I knew I shouldn’t have told Xiang Xiaoxia I liked him…

Although i Fang had already understood that the reason she was willing to “date-train” with him without officially getting together was because she didn’t want him to suffer with her, saying it out loud had clearly given him a massive confidence boost.

The ride to Yangcheng was long. When Lin Youxi grew tired, she leaned on i Fang’s shoulder and fell asleep. i Fang checked his ssages with “Distant Cloud”—still no reply.

He thought for a mont and sent another ssage:

【If you don’t feel comfortable eting in person, we can keep chatting online—it’s no big deal. But if you feel like you can’t continue, please just let know. I understand.】

This ti, he got an instant reply:

【Ahhh uhhh】

【I’m really sorry… It’s not that I don’t want to do it. I just have so social anxiety.】

【Also… I’m fat and ugly. If you see what I look like, you’ll probably be disgusted.】

i Fang almost burst out laughing. He quickly typed a response:

【It’s not a blind date. Who cares what you look like? Besides, I have a girlfriend.】

But before sending it, he paused—realizing that might co off as insensitive—so he reworded:

【We don’t judge people by appearances.】

Then thought a little more, and typed again:

【Chubby girls are cute too. What’s the big deal?】

【You wouldn’t say that if you saw my face.】

【Then let take a look. We can talk more after we et.】

And then… silence again.

……

i Fang started to worry that he’d offended her sohow. He really didn’t an anything bad—he just wanted to et and chat.

If he admitted he wasn’t handso either, would that help? Not that i Fang considered himself ugly, but standing next to Lin Youxi?

While he was caught in indecision, Lin Youxi—who had been dozing—opened her eyes. She looked at the chat log, then reached for his phone:

【We traveled all the way from Pengcheng to Yangcheng just to talk about this, and you’re gonna ghost us because of your face? Who the hell cares what you look like? What we do care about is whether you can deliver on your work. If you won’t et, then forget this project. If you can’t respect us, don’t expect our respect. We’ll just find soone else.】

Lin Youxi had always been the “if soone offends , I’ll make them regret it” type. Seeing how this was frustrating i Fang, she got mad too. But i Fang felt it was a bit harsh and tried to stop her.

“She clearly has low self-esteem. Don’t say it like that. Also, when did we beco ‘specially traveling to see her’? You’re putting pressure on her.”

“Why shouldn’t I say that? It’s true. This isn’t a date—we don’t care what she looks like. If I don’t pressure her, she’ll keep dragging you down. Let’s just cut her off already.”

As they were arguing, “Distant Cloud” sent another ssage:

【I’m sorry.】

【It’s my fault.】

【W-where should we et?】

【Let treat you two to dinner. What would you like to eat?】

……

Both i Fang and Lin Youxi were surprised. Lin Youxi was first to react, nudging i Fang:

“See? She’s totally a textbook people-pleaser. The more you coddle her, the more she walks all over you. But say sothing harsh and she finally decides.”

“Even if it feels a bit an… yeah, this ti, you had a point.”

As long as the issue was resolved, i Fang didn’t dwell on it.

The bus arrived at a hot spring town in Yangcheng. This was a natural hot spring paradise—each unit was a small house with its own private courtyard, and in the courtyard was an outdoor hot spring pool for soaking.

Everyone was full of praise for the environnt. It seed that Brother Xu had spared no expense this ti and was determined to treat everyone well.

These kinds of courtyard houses were all twin rooms with two beds, but for couples like Lin Youxi and i Fang, HR had specially arranged king-bed rooms.

As soon as Lin Youxi entered the room, she flopped face-down onto the soft and comfortable king-size bed, showing an expression of utter relaxation.

“I’m dying… I almost threw up on the bus.”

“I’m impressed you held it in so long.”

i Fang said as he patted Lin Youxi’s back: “I rember you used to get carsick if the ride was longer than half an hour. This ti it was what, four hours?”

“Yeah… and I endured all that just for you…”

Lin Youxi twisted her body lazily, raising her butt towards i Fang, “Aren’t you going to give a massage?”

“Go shower first. I’ll run the hot spring water to help you relax.”

“Okay!”

Lin Youxi cheerfully ran off to the shower room to rinse off. anwhile, i Fang was tidying up the luggage and took out Lin Youxi’s dicine.

Lin Youxi’s type I bipolar disorder required her to take dication regularly. If she stopped taking it on her own, the symptoms would worsen. And this “regularly” wasn’t just a figure of speech—it was a very long-term process, essentially lifelong.

This was one of the hardships i Fang had to endure in order to be with Lin Youxi.

But aside from Lin Youxi’s dication, i Fang also took out a bottle of Coenzy Q10 heart protection supplent, placed it on the table, and swallowed two capsules with water.

After experiencing symptoms of angina, i Fang had gone to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor hadn’t found anything serious, only advised him not to stay up late and to take better care of his body. Naturally, i Fang followed the doctor’s advice and bought the heart supplent.

Whether the supplent actually worked or not was unknown, but if it offered even a little psychological comfort, that counted as sothing.

After taking his dicine, i Fang put the heart supplent back in his bag and went out into the courtyard to start filling the hot spring bath.

Since there were sulfides in the hot spring water, they couldn’t wear fabric garnts while soaking. i Fang took off his coat and tested the water temperature at the edge of the pool. Just then, Lin Youxi’s voice suddenly ca from behind him. He turned around and saw Lin Youxi wearing an orange two-piece swimsuit, watching him curiously.

“Ah Fang, how’s the hot spring?”

“Ah, um—”

i Fang was dumbfounded the mont he saw Lin Youxi in the swimsuit. Lin Youxi seed to enjoy being watched and said, “Like this swimsuit? If you do, stare a little longer. Want to show you the back, too?”

“N-no, not now. Co on, it’s ti for your ds. Let’s go take them.”

“Mmm… fine, fine. After that we keep looking.”

Lin Youxi sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for i Fang to pour her water and hand her the pills.

“Feels like ever since we got together, I’ve regressed. I even need you to feed my dicine.”

“Better to make it a habit—that way you won’t be able to leave .”

“Classmate i Fang.”

Lin Youxi smiled slightly. “Don’t be fooled by how clingy I am now. When my illness acts up, I’ll still tell you to scram, delete and block you.”

“Mm, I know.”

i Fang nodded and handed Lin Youxi her dicine and water. After she took it, Lin Youxi pulled i Fang’s hand, interlaced her fingers with his, and kissed him.

After so intimate cuddling, i Fang got up from Lin Youxi’s embrace.

“Alright… I’m going back out to finish preparing the hot spring.”

“Okay.”

Lin Youxi watched i Fang’s back as he left for the courtyard. The smile on her face gradually beca tinged with sorrow.

You dummy, it’s not that I can’t leave you—

But if things keep going like this…

Is it that he…

That he’s…

Already finding it hard to leave ?

After taking the dicine, Lin Youxi’s consciousness began to blur. By the ti i Fang returned from filling the bath, Lin Youxi was already lying in bed, deep in a dicated sleep.

On the first day of the company retreat, Lin Youxi ended up sleeping in their room for over a dozen hours due to the side effects of her dication. She didn’t wake up until the afternoon of the second day.

i Fang stayed by her side the entire ti and didn’t go out to play.

But at the very least, when Lin Youxi woke up, she wasn’t alone—i Fang was right there with her.