Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts Chapter 478: IF Side Story – Bound by Fate: (Fang & Youxi) [

At this mont, a tall girl in a white lab coat walked past i Fang and Lin Youxi, holding a [redacted item]. Their gazes were both drawn to her.

“What a tall girl…”

“Yeah, so tall… but she looks really young.”

Lin Youxi stared at the item in the girl’s hand, then pinched i Fang’s shoulder. “I’m hungry. I want to eat that too.”

“Okay, let’s go buy—” i Fang set Lin Youxi down.

“I can’t walk anymore… Can you go buy it for ?” Lin Youxi whined, clinging to i Fang. “I really can’t move.”

“Mmm…”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine now.”

Lin Youxi pushed i Fang’s back. “The [redacted item] stall is right there. You can turn around and see —where could I even run? Besides…” She dangled the paper crane necklace at her chest. “Don’t you still have GPS?”

Seeing Lin Youxi’s relaxed expression, i Fang stopped overthinking.

“Then… wait for , okay?”

“Hurry back.”

“Mm.”

i Fang rushed to the stall, then cautiously glanced back. Lin Youxi was still watching him, waving casually.

Reassured, he turned to order one [redacted item].

[…]

After paying, i Fang took the [redacted item] and looked back—but the bench was empty.

The riverside was now swarming with people.

i Fang shoved through the crowd to the bench.

All he found was the jade bracelet and paper crane necklace placed on the backrest.

[…]

Without hesitation, i Fang stuffed the bracelet and necklace into his pocket and sprinted along the embanknt.

“Lin Youxi—!”

“Lin Youxi!!”

He scread her na until his voice cracked, gasping for breath. Frantic, he ssaged their friends at White Plum Ti Studio for help. Everyone mobilized to contact Lin Youxi. Ɽ𝐚ƝỔ𝐁ΕṦ

i Fang fought through the crowd, searching and shouting until he realized—he’d gone the wrong way. He spun around but slipped, crashing to his knees.

That sudden movent sent a searing pain through his chest. His mind blanked; his heart felt torn apart. Clutching his chest, drenched in sweat, his vision blurred. He couldn’t even open his mouth.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Not… now…”

Bystanders crowded around him:

“Hey, man… you okay…?”

i Fang struggled to stand, but when he looked up—the faceless little girl was there again.

This ti, she walked straight toward him, hands behind her back, then crouched to stare at him—

The jade bracelet tumbled from his pocket.

And shattered.

——————————

Lin Youxi stumbled along the opposite end of the embanknt.

She wasn’t running fast—just a light jog.

But i Fang never appeared behind her.

This ti… it’s really ti.

She walked further, reaching a deserted stretch of the riverbank.

She waited for the last passerby to leave.

Then, she stepped onto the bridge pier.

Ah Fang…

You made a huge mistake.

You can’t love without loving yourself.

I’m not the person you think I am.

This love is too heavy for .

So, really…

This is my last “sorry.”

mories flooded her: eting i Fang, their passionate love, their happiest monts.

But mostly, the tornt of her episodes—how she’d hurt him.

You know, Ah Fang…

Last night, I dread too.

I dread I was cured.

We had a wedding.

We had a beautiful daughter nad i Zhixi. We called her Little Xixi.

I hoped she’d always smile… not like her mom—

Like her mom—

Then I woke up.

Shouts snapped her back.

Huh?

How strange…

What am I waiting for?

Waiting for you… Ah Fang?

For you to stop like always, hold tight, protect ?

And then?

Let keep hurting you and everyone else?

No more.

I’m done.

I won’t repeat this cycle.

If this continues, Ah Fang will die before I do…

She took a deep breath. New mories flashed—this ti, with Yuan Yuan.

Skating together, watching horror movies, shopping, birthdays, crafts… making paper cranes.

Wait, that boy…

Did Yuan Yuan and I make paper cranes for him?

Fragnted, déjà vu-like mories overwheld her. The sweetness left her dazed—but the flashes vanished as quickly as they ca.

Her body tilted forward—

Then, a white light froze ti.

A woman with pink-streaked hair materialized before her. Her face was blurred, floating. She placed a hand on Lin Youxi’s shoulder, leaned close, and whispered:

“Be brave to love, Youxi.”

“I’ll heal your scars and always protect you.”

“So… don’t fail him again—”

“Yuan… Yuan Yuan?!”

Ti resud—

“Lin Youxi!!”

Soone yanked her back by the legs, pulling her off the pier.

Dazed, Lin Youxi was flipped onto her back—face-to-face with Liu Xiaoyu and Yue Xinyi, both panting.

Before she could speak, Liu Xiaoyu slapped her hard. A red mark blood on Lin Youxi’s pale cheek.

“Lin Youxi! Do you know… how long I’ve wanted to slap you?!” Liu Xiaoyu trembled with rage.

“Do you know… how much he’s sacrificed for you?!”

“How dare you… throw your life away?!”

She grabbed Lin Youxi’s collar, snarling:

“Your life isn’t just yours—it’s Ah Fang’s too!”

“Having a ntal illness doesn’t give you the right to wallow! To despise yourself! Do you really have that right?!”

“We’re all ntally ill here!”

“If you want to die, die with i Fang!”

“Leaving him behind—who do you think would take him? Who could handle him?!”

Liu Xiaoyu had never lost her temper like this. Yue Xinyi, who’d been ready for the apocalypse, mumbled:

“Okay, okay… she’s safe now… Stop scolding her. Call i Fang—”

The slap jolted Lin Youxi awake—but the warmth lingered.

The dark emotions that had plagued her for years vanished.

She felt… free.

That wasn’t an illusion.

It couldn’t be…

Trembling, Lin Youxi hugged Liu Xiaoyu tightly.

“Thank you… really, thank you, Xiaoyu… Wuwu—”

She burst into tears. Liu Xiaoyu’s anger lted away.

anwhile, Yue Xinyi frowned at her phone.

“Strange… i Fang isn’t picking up.”

“Maybe he’s still looking for Youxi? Try again later—”

Suddenly, the crowd stirred. Whispers spread:

“Hey, soone died over there?”

“Yeah, a young guy. Collapsed while running. Looked like he was in agony—terrifying.”

“Tsk tsk, overworked folks shouldn’t exercise…”

Lin Youxi’s legs gave out. Liu Xiaoyu caught her as Yue Xinyi kept calling.

“It’s ringing! Finally—i Fang? We found Youxi—”

But a muffled voice answered:

“Hello, are you i Fang’s family—?”

An ambulance siren wailed past.

Lin Youxi kicked off her shoes, running barefoot—just as i Fang had searched for her—chasing the ambulance…

——————————————————

Where… is this?

i Fang stood in white light. A girl with pink streaks walked toward him, hands behind her back.

“You… are?”

“You’d better recognize ! Hmph… promised we’d never part, and now you forget?”

She bopped his head, then pouted.

i Fang’s mind cleared.

“You’re… Yuan Yuan?”

His face fell.

“So… I’m dead.”

“Seeing a ghost doesn’t an you’re dead! I just wanted to talk.”

Xia Yuan stepped forward, pulling him into a smothering hug.

“And recharge you with my super Yuan Yuan energy—”

“Ghk—!”

i Fang flailed like a drowning man.

“Stay strong, Ah Fang.”

“So many people are rooting for you and Youxi…”

“You’re the amazing, invincible Ah Fang! A little cardiac arrest is nothing!”

She pulled back, hugging him tightly.

“Besides, when the three of us are together… we’re unstoppable.”

Her body dissolved into light, rging with him.

Then—gasp!—i Fang jolted awake in a hospital bed. Lin Youxi clutched his hand.

Overjoyed, she moved to hug him—

“Ow ow ow ow… Don’t touch . Everything hurts.”

The doctor entered, and Lin Youxi babbled:

“Dr. Xiang! My husband says he’s in pain—should we check?”

“Pain? Normal. I broke a few ribs during CPR. Standard procedure.”

Dr. Xiang adjusted his coat. “Lucky I was nearby for… ahem, volunteer work. Half a minute later, and he’d be dead—or a vegetable.”

“Actually, we saw you eating [redacted item] earlier—”

“What? I was volunteering. Don’t slander .”

Dr. Xiang scolded them half-heartedly before leaving.

Alone, i Fang and Lin Youxi exchanged smiles—then sighed.

“Sorry, Ah Fang, I—”

“Wasn’t that the last ‘sorry’? Why start again…?”

“Ah… right. No more.”

Lin Youxi paused, then kissed his hand.

“Ah Fang… I saw Yuan Yuan this afternoon.”

“Funny… so did I.”

They smiled. Lin Youxi pressed his hand to her cheek.

“Seems she’s not just in our mories… She’s watching over us too.”

Her gaze softened—the sa way she’d looked at him when they first fell in love.

“I’ve decided, Ah Fang… I won’t drag us to ruin anymore.”

She whispered, “No matter what, I’ll fight to live—with you.”

“Mm… good.”

i Fang’s eyes ward. “I’ve waited so long to hear that.”

“You win. You waited out.”

Lin Youxi lay beside him, both staring at the ceiling.

“The world’s so big… there must be a place for us.”

“And in that place… we’ll build a ho.”

“We’ll have a child nad i Zhixi. Nickna: Little Xixi…”

i Fang mused, “I think ‘Xi Bao’ sounds cuter.”

“No! That sounds like an insult!”

“Fine, your call.”

They leaned in, kissing softly.

Lin Youxi licked her lips. “Ah Fang… your mouth’s sweet…”

“Mm… yours too.”

“Let taste again.”

“Okay.”

This kiss deepened—

“Wait…”

Lin Youxi pulled back. “It’s [redacted item] flavor!”

“Huh?”

——————————

Six months later, White Plum Ti added a three-heroine route. Word-of-mouth and updates boosted its popularity.

When gaming dia Ga Peach published an article about the two developers’ “heartwarming mutual salvation,” it went viral.

This bittersweet love story propelled White Plum Ti to sell a million copies—an indie breakout hit.

Later, i Fang and Lin Youxi married in White Plum County. Within a year, they had a daughter: i Zhixi, nicknad Little Xixi.

Though shy, she was sweet and beloved.

After that hospitalization—

i Fang’s heart condition and Lin Youxi’s bipolar disorder never recurred.

They lived happily ever after.

Thus concludes Lin Youxi’s IF route! Hooray!