Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts Chapter 441: IF Side Story – Bound by Fate: (Fang & Youxi) (

After their first exhibition experience at Nuclear Fusion [核聚变, ChinaJoy-like gaming event], White Plum Ti (白梅时光) finally gained its first wave of beginner players.

The ga’s discussion group had around 100 mbers. i Fang and Lin Youxi prepared corresponding WeChat Official Account and Weibo accounts, officially registering their studio under the authenticated na “Yuanxi Studio”.

Though popularity remained minimal, they had at least taken the first step…

i Fang and Lin Youxi posted daily update logs in the group, and players actively offered suggestions. About a third of the players were from Bai i County, expressing how White Plum Ti evoked deep nostalgia for their hotown—their feedback was particularly enthusiastic.

With i Fang busy handling his day job, Lin Youxi took on part of the group’s moderation. The Lin Youxi i Fang knew was a girl who kept everyone but him at arm’s length. Yet when discussing their ga with players, she beca surprisingly passionate.

Watching his beloved gradually erge from the shadow of losing her job—growing brighter and livelier—i Fang felt genuine joy, fueling his own motivation. Though the daily financial losses troubled him, his savings could sustain them for now, whether for ga developnt or supporting Youxi…

However, the promised follow-up al with Liu Xiaoyu kept slipping his mind.

Then ca the day i Fang returned from overti work close to midnight. As he unlocked the door, the nostalgic aroma of ho cooking enveloped him. Lin Youxi peeked out from the kitchen, wearing a white-trimd apron:

“Ah-Fang, you’re back? I’ve been waiting forever.”

“What’s cooking? Slls amazing…” i Fang pondered. “Lotus root, maybe?”

“Yep! I was chatting with players today about how delicious our hotown’s Lotus Root & Pork Rib Soup is, so I tried making it… Here, let serve you a bowl.”

i Fang sat obediently at the table as Lin Youxi carefully brought over the steaming bowl.

“Drink it slow—it’s just off the stove.”

“Gah—hot hot hot!“

“Told you to take it slow! Is your tongue okay…?”

“It’s fine…”

Lin Youxi took the bowl, scooped a spoonful, blew on it gently, and held it to i Fang’s lips.

Noticing his hesitation, she teased, “What, shy now?”

“Not shy, just—”

“Then you don’t want my service?”

“How could I not?”

“Then drink.”

Lin Youxi leaned close, ticulously feeding i Fang a spoonful.

“Not too hot now?”

“Perfect.”

“Tasty?”

“Mhm, really good.”

i Fang wiped his lips. “Didn’t expect your cooking to improve this fast—almost rivals my mom’s.”

“I’m nowhere near Auntie Xiang’s level. But hey, I am the so-called ‘Academic Goddess’. If I put my mind to sothing, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Then… what about love?”

i Fang gazed intently at her. “Can our Goddess easily master that too?”

“Heh, of course I could—but I’d rather keep you on the hook. It’s way more fun watching you beg for while I play hard to get. I’ll tornt you to death.”

Even as Lin Youxi uttered these heartless words, she kept blowing on the spoon to feed him, blurring the lines between who was pampering whom.

Halfway through, she asked, “Want so rice too? I made so, just in case you’re hungry.”

“Yeah… just a bit.”

“I’ll get it for you—”

“I can do it myself—”

“No need! You’re the breadwinner, working so hard lately. Let .”

Lin Youxi patted her butt and stood up to fetch rice from the kitchen. Watching her slender figure, i Fang felt an almost surreal sense of déjà vu.

This blissful, old-married-couple dynamic was sothing he’d never dared dream of—yet here it was, unfolding without them even officially dating. Though Lin Youxi still rejected his confessions, she wholeheartedly played the roles of wife, girlfriend, and lover, with only occasional minor squabbles. Now, she’d grown docile.

Too docile.

Lin Youxi returned with a small rice bowl and laughed at i Fang slapping his own cheeks. “What’s this? Craving abuse?”

“No…”

He rubbed his reddened face. “Just… feels unreal. Worried I’m dreaming.”

“Not a dream, but it’s definitely not ‘real’ either.”

She handed him the rice. “Think of it as playing house, like we did as kids. Back then, you and YuanYuan played parents while I was the daughter. Now I’m just playing wife.”

Her tone carried an icy detachnt, yanking i Fang from fantasy back to harsh reality.

Not that he agreed.

“Even if it’s ‘playing house,’ I’ll be the best husband—caring for you, protecting you, always.”

“Ugh, so cringe. No girl would fall for lines like that.”

“That’s… cringe? I’m just speaking from the heart.”

“Good thing I believe you.”

Lin Youxi sighed, then grinned and patted his shoulder. “Eat up. Any later and you won’t sleep well.”

“Yeah.”

She curled up on the sofa, chin in hand, watching him devour the al with tender eyes.

“Not eating?”

“Watching you fills up.”

“My eating’s that ridiculous?”

“Hehe.”

Lin Youxi leaned against i Fang’s shoulder, dozing briefly under the ceiling light. When he finished and got up to wash dishes, she suddenly tugged him back.

“What…? You cooked—I’ll handle cleanup.”

“Not about dishes.”

Legs crossed, she squinted playfully. “I wanna invite friends over this weekend. Cool?”

i Fang chuckled. “It’s your ho—invite whoever. But you having other friends? Shocking. Forr Tencent colleagues?”

“Nope… soone you know.”

“?”

Lin Youxi nodded. “Liu Xiaoyu and Yue Xinyi. Your high school buddies.”

i Fang’s smile vanished. “Them? Awkward much? I haven’t spoken to them since—”

“You promised Liu Xiaoyu a al, right? This saves money—ho cooking! Plus, I can flex my skills.”

Seeing his reluctance, Lin Youxi hopped up and hugged him from behind. “Didn’t you have a crush on Liu Xiaoyu, but she rejected you? I’ll show off how happy you are now—make her jealous.”

“I didn’t have a crush on her.”

“Sure, sure, whatever you say~”

“…Feels like you’re humoring .”

i Fang flicked her forehead. She stuck out her tongue, then hugged him properly.

“Also… this is promo for White Plum Ti.”

“Promo?”

“Liu Xiaoyu’s an editor at ‘Ga Peach’, a big gaming review site. She wants to feature our ga—free publicity! So I invited her for an interview. Win-win, right?”

“…”

Faced with Lin Youxi’s infectious enthusiasm, i Fang couldn’t refuse.

“Your ho, your ga, your call.”

“Don’t pout! They’re your friends—reconnect!”

Mid-conversation, i Fang suddenly lifted her into the air.

“Wha—what’re you doing?!”

“Feels like I’ve been played since I got ho. The soup, the feeding—suspicious.”

“Suspicious?! You’re so paranoid—hahaha!“

He spun her around before lowering her onto the sofa. She yanked him down atop her, their breaths mingling.

“Wanna kiss ?”

Lin Youxi cupped his face. He nodded slightly.

“Then why not?”

i Fang admitted frankly:

“Just had at soup. My breath’s gross.”

“I’d never mind.”

She pinched his cheeks. “If you don’t kiss now, you might never get to again~”

Her hands began wandering dangerously across his body.

“…”

i Fang gripped her wrists, halting her mischief.

“d ti. I’ll feed you your pills.”

“Ugh. Buzzkill. I don’t wanna.”

Her playful mood evaporated instantly.

“Doctor’s orders.”

“I’m way better now. Tapering off is fine.”

“I asked the doctor. Don’t lie.”

i Fang was firm. “Only stop if the doctor says so. Last checkup, they said at least another year before considering it.”

“Agh… But ds are so expensive… tens of thousands a year.”

Lin Youxi nuzzled his chest. “No job, no money… I’m already a burden. No more waste…”

“No money? I’ll pay. You’re sticking to the regin.”

He glared. “I told you—I’ll take care of you.”

“Hmph. Not touching your ‘wife fund’. That’s for your actual wife!”

“Aren’t you playing my wife?”

“Playing is temporary. Commit to the role—no backtalk.”

“Sigh…“

i Fang fetched her pills and water, pulling a pouting Lin Youxi onto his lap.

He paused mid-pour. “Since when did lithium carbonate pills look like this? Different brand?”

“New manufacturer. Sa effect.”

“You didn’t cheap out to save money, right?”

“No! Just a sale… slightly cheaper. Don’t believe ? I’ll show you the order!”

She reached for her phone, but i Fang waved her off.

“Never mind… you wouldn’t go that far to skip doses.”

“Exactly~ How could I leave my Ah-Fang?”

With coaxing, Lin Youxi swallowed the pills.

“Ah-Fang, listen…”

“Yeah?”

The dication drowsiness hit fast. She slumped against him, drifting off.

That night, Lin Youxi dread sweetly.

She saw herself pregnant in a spacious, sunlit penthouse overlooking Shenzhen’s skyline. A dashing, suit-clad i Fang knelt before her, pressing his ear to her belly, laughing as they imagined their child’s future.

Then—blood.

Her beloved i Fang lay mangled in a car crash, eyes wide and unseeing. She lunged for him—only to feel agony in her womb. A grotesque, three-ard, four-legged thing slithered out, screeching a garbled “Mama…” as it crawled toward her.

“Mama…“

“You… don’t… want …?“

Lin Youxi woke screaming. The nightmare clung to her. i Fang’s side of the bed was empty.

She howled.

i Fang rushed from the kitchen—only to take a full-force punch to the eye. Lin Youxi, now a feral thing, yanked his hair and slamd his head.

“WHY ABANDON ?!“

“I LOVED YOU—LOVED YOU!“

“Easy—I’m here—”

He tried calming her, but the violence escalated. Last night’s doting ‘wife’ had beco a demon, unleashing endless tornt.

“You CHOSE this!“

The nightmare’s horrors fueled her rage. She’d break him if it killed her.