Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts - Chapter 232: Sorry, Yuan Yuan

In 2012, movie theaters held an indescribable allure for kids from small county towns, a unique urban charm. After all, their memories of watching movies together were limited to open-air screenings at school. The scenes they saw on TV of people buying tickets and watching movies in glamorous theaters were a far-off fantasy.

“We promised to go to the movies together, and we’ve been in Jiangcheng for almost a year now, but we haven’t been to a theater even once. We need to reflect on this,” Xia Yuan said, clearly dissatisfied.

Mei Fang shrugged helplessly. “There’s nothing we can do. Jiangcheng NOHS is far from the city center…”

Lin Youxi chimed in, “Since we’re here today, let’s enjoy ourselves.”

Though they were from a small town, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi dressed just as fashionably as any city girl. Their outfits were cute and trendy, perfectly capturing the essence of youth. Walking hand in hand, they appeared very close, and Mei Fang, walking beside them, always seemed like the extra person.

Everyone arrived by taxi at the intersection where they met up with Guo Yun before. Xia Yuan looked down at her phone and said, “The movie is at 2:30. We still have quite a bit of time. Do you want to go play some claw machines?”

Mei Fang, just there to relax and accompany his childhood sweethearts, said, “I’m fine with anything.”

Lin Youxi was less enthusiastic. “If we win a bunch of stuffed animals, we’ll have nowhere to put them during the movie. That would be a waste.”

“Let’s play a little. This is a big city’s arcade, and we’ve hardly been to one. There must be lots of fun things to see and do.”

Urged on by Xia Yuan, Lin Youxi and Mei Fang entered a game arcade in the mall. The first thing they saw were two large dance machines, with two stylishly dressed girls dancing on them.

“I’ve always been curious about these ever since I saw them on TV… How do they play it? How do they know how to dance?”

“First, the game is definitely a rhythm game, like those you find on your phone these days. You step on the corresponding positions at the right time to score points,” Mei Fang explained.

“The game essentially sets the beat based on real dance moves. If you know how to dance, it’s easy to hit the right beats and score well, making it look impressive,” he continued.

“Oh, I see! You really know everything about games, Ah Fang…” Xia Yuan said, impressed.

Lin Youxi poked Xia Yuan’s back. “Since you’re so interested, why don’t you go up and give it a try?”

“Me? No way… I don’t know how to dance on that. What would I do up there?”

“Shall we buy a dance machine? You can practice at home until you’re good at it, so you won’t hesitate next time.”

“Where would we have space for that at home?”

“When Sister Yue Yue finishes handling the company’s affairs, we could consider playing at the company’s office or even buying a house.”

Since the 2008 economic crisis, domestic housing prices have been steadily increasing. They started skyrocketing in 2014, and although they’ve been rising quickly in recent years, the prices are still relatively affordable because of the low base. It’s a good time to buy.

Previously, Mei Fang couldn’t purchase property due to being underage, but now with his Sister Yue Yue as a shield, holding some properties in his cousin’s name is quite feasible.

Of course, Xia Yuan found Mei Fang’s ambitious ideas hard to believe.

“We’ll need to make money from our songs or Cloud Journey first, right? Our current funds just cover daily expenses… But I’d really look forward to buying a house.”

“What kind of house do you like?” Lin Youxi asked from the side.

“Definitely a big villa with a sea view. I could plant flowers in the yard, play games, listen to music, watch shows, take a walk on the beach after meals, enjoy the sunset, and then come back to cook, eat, shower, and sleep. What a delightful day!”

“Living by the sea, don’t you think it would get pretty humid? Plus, that feeling gets old after just a few days.”

“What about you, Youxi?”

Lin Youxi smiled, “I like a super luxurious apartment with a whole floor to ourselves, excellent lighting, and large glass walls to overlook the entire city.”

Mei Fang was surprised by her preference. “Youxi, I never knew you liked that. I couldn’t tell at all…”

Xia Yuan teased, “Youxi, your standards are too high. Ah Fang might not be able to afford that.”

“Well… who knows?” Lin Youxi smiled at Mei Fang. “Let’s go inside and play some other games.”

This arcade in Jiangcheng was more modern than the one in Baimei County, with a wider variety of games. There weren’t many kids crowding around; most customers were high school students.

Everyone here seems to be pretty well-off.

Mei Fang bought 100 yuan worth of tokens for everyone to enjoy. They discovered that the games in Jiangcheng’s arcade were significantly easier than those in Baimei County’s. The machines seemed less unfair, and Lin Youxi could effortlessly complete the motorcycle game without falling off. She consistently outperformed Mei Fang in various games and easily defeated Xia Yuan.

After playing for a while, they still had a lot of tokens left. Hoping to spend them all at once, they put them all into a coin-pusher machine, but accidentally won twice the tokens. In the end, they exchanged the tokens for coupons and small prizes.

“In the end, we still ended up with a stuffed toy…”

Xia Yuan handed the huge Doraemon plushie to Mei Fang to hold, “We’ve been playing for quite a while and I’m getting tired. There’s still some time before the movie starts; how about we grab some dessert first?”

“Sure,” Lin Youxi pointed to Hui Lau Shan nearby. “Let’s eat here.”

Hui Lau Shan dessert shop is famous for its mango desserts. Given it was already summer, their mango treats were excellent for beating the heat.

Following Lin Youxi’s recommendation, Xia Yuan ordered a large dessert piled high with mango, various ice creams, cream, and chocolate. It was initially intended for the three of them to share, but in the end, Lin Youxi and Mei Fang didn’t eat much, leaving Xia Yuan to finish it almost single-handedly.

“Aah, that was so satisfying,” Xia Yuan said, rubbing her belly. Seeing her still flat stomach despite eating so much, Mei Fang couldn’t help but comment, “You girls must have two stomachs, right? One in another dimension? Just don’t rush to the restroom during the movie.”

“It’s fine, I’ll go before the movie starts,” Xia Yuan replied. She looked back at Lin Youxi, who was staring at posters along the cinema hallway. “Ah Fang is always like this, but Youxi, why did you eat so little today?”

“I want to save room for popcorn. After all, movies and popcorn are the best pair, right?”

“Oh yeah, we can get the family-sized popcorn combo. That bucket is huge and should be enough to fill us up!”

Xia Yuan was familiar with the movie-going process from being taken to the cinema often by her parents in Jiangcheng during her elementary school days. Mei Fang, on the other hand, was supposed to be visiting the cinema for the first time, so he couldn’t show that he knew a lot and just followed Xia Yuan’s lead. They bought the popcorn combo and queued up to get their tickets checked.

Mei Fang looked at the seating arrangement and said, “Row nine, seats eight, nine, and ten… seems a bit off-center?”

“All the good seats were already taken,” Xia Yuan replied, looking away sheepishly.

“The back row is quite nice too,”

Lin Youxi said and smiled slightly. “We might even catch a glimpse of other couples getting intimate in this corner.”

“But, but they shouldn’t be getting intimate during this kind of movie!”

Not liking to discuss anything inappropriate in public, Xia Yuan quickly changed the topic. “Anyway, the viewing experience should be the same once we put on the 3D glasses.”

Xia Yuan deliberately left the middle ticket for Mei Fang, and then smiled at Lin Youxi. Lin Youxi returned a gentle smile to Xia Yuan, showing their tacit understanding.

As everyone queued to enter, they caught the end of another movie. Xia Yuan went to the restroom and found that there was a long line. After some hesitation, she decided to join Mei Fang and Lin Youxi in entering the theater first.

As Mei Fang sat down, he sighed, “This movie doesn’t have any slow moments. I’m worried you won’t be able to hold it.”

“I-I would never do something that embarrassing! I’m not the Bedwetting King,” Xia Yuan retorted, making a funny face at Mei Fang, then indicated for him to hold the popcorn.

“This way, all three of us can reach it.”

Mei Fang didn’t mind being the popcorn holder. They all put on their 3D glasses and started enjoying the 3D release of 2012.

Although the theoretical basis is quite absurd, this film remains a highly popular classic disaster movie even a decade later. The cool and stunning epic-scale disaster special effects were thoroughly satisfying. The scheming and interpersonal dynamics between people before the disaster strikes are deeply impressive, as are the warmth and coldness of human nature. The final touch of building the ark on the “roof of the world”^[1] is also quite clever.

The idea of building a ship to save only a select few during a disaster is very much in line with the mentality of certain elite societies. The final decision to let the shipbuilders board the ark reeked of self-righteous pity.

Having seen The Wandering Earth^[2], Mei Fang didn’t resonate much with the film’s plot. He mainly watched for fun and to tease his two childhood sweethearts who hadn’t seen 2012 yet.

“The current husband of the female lead is really annoying. To allow the former couple to reunite, he’ll definitely die soon and it’ll be a nasty death.”

“Ahhh… Ah Fang, have you seen it? Don’t spoil it!” Xia Yuan protested.

The beginning of the movie was relatively calm, but every time Xia Yuan wanted to go to the restroom, the plot would suddenly pick up, keeping her glued to her seat. The first major disaster scene made her instinctively tense up, then she sank back into the theater seat to enjoy the impressive effects.

Lin Youxi remained calm throughout, eating popcorn from Mei Fang’s lap while casually leaning on his shoulder, feeling perfectly at ease.

Xia Yuan found the plot intense, but she was also uncomfortable from holding it in. As she was struggling with this dilemma, she saw Lin Youxi leaning on Mei Fang’s shoulder eating popcorn. This surprised her and also sparked a slight desire to secretly compete.

Seeing Mei Fang stuffing popcorn into his mouth, Xia Yuan quickly grabbed Mei Fang’s arm and started stuffing the popcorn from his hand into her own mouth.

“You can still eat so much? Your appetite is really impressive.”

Mei Fang took some popcorn and fed it to Xia Yuan, who was eagerly waiting beside him. Then, he got nudged by Lin Youxi with her elbow, so Mei Fang, understanding the hint, also fed some to Lin Youxi.

Darn it, am I just a popcorn-feeding tool now?

Mei Fang thought to himself as the screen displayed a scene of mountains collapsing and tsunamis. The theater was filled with gasps and exclamations; the 3D effects were truly impressive.

“Phew…this is intense.”

As Mei Fang was marveling at the movie, Xia Yuan suddenly clung to his arm, unable to watch.

“What are you doing? We are watching a disaster movie, not a horror film. You weren’t this scared when watching horror movies before.”

“It’s not that… It’s…um…”

Blushing, Xia Yuan admitted, “I really can’t hold it in anymore.”

“Huh? You should’ve said so earlier…”

Mei Fang quickly made room for Xia Yuan. “Hurry up and go to the restroom already!”

“I can’t…the plot is getting so good… I don’t want to miss anything——”

“Don’t hold it in too long, or you’ll pee your pants, and that would be a disaster. Hurry and go to the restroom. Go, go…”

Urged by Mei Fang, Xia Yuan hurried to the restroom, allowing Mei Fang to relax and continue watching the movie.

“Do you want to guess how the husband will die, Youxi?”

“Asphyxiation? Given their location, the high altitude makes that a likely cause.”

“Haha, he won’t die that easily. Let me tell you——”

Before Mei Fang could finish, Lin Youxi suddenly leaned in and kissed him, silencing him.

…

It tastes like popcorn…

Since Lin Youxi didn’t mind, Mei Fang certainly didn’t either. He responded by kissing her back.

Phew…

Lin Youxi’s advances were particularly passionate today, almost making him suffocate from her kisses.

Mei Fang recalled seeing a couple making out in the theater in his previous life, silently criticizing their lack of decorum. Now, he had become what he once disliked, and oddly, it felt——

Weirdly satisfying?

Hahaha…

“I told you, no spoilers,” Lin Youxi admonished, brushing a lock of hair from her face and sternly reminding Mei Fang, “Don’t ruin my movie experience, or this will be your consequence.”

“That wasn’t bad at all, haha.”

“Pervert.”

Lin Youxi teased Mei Fang with her words, yet she leaned in again, gently licking a piece of popcorn off his lips.

After a while, Xia Yuan returned from the restroom, relieved, and saw Mei Fang and Lin Youxi intently watching the movie. She turned her attention back to the screen.

“What did I miss?”

“The female lead’s husband died.”

“Her ex or her current one?”

“The female lead’s ex-husband is the male lead, he can’t die. It must be the guy with the glasses who dies.”

“Whew… he really did die.”

Xia Yuan rubbed her hands while watching the screen. Her movie experience felt incomplete. Simply watching it with Mei Fang felt only half fulfilling. Suddenly, she felt a bit regretful.

I can’t let it end like this…

Sorry, Youxi, but I’m going to sneak a little!

Xia Yuan casually dropped a crumpled piece of paper on the ground and bent down as if searching for something.

“What did you drop?”

In a low voice, Xia Yuan replied, “The keychain I bought next to the arcade is missing.”

“The movie is almost over, let’s wait until the lights are on to find it?”

“Um… I’m just worried it might get stepped on when people leave.”

“Let me help you look for it. It’s easier for me to reach down here.”

Mei Fang bent down to search the floor. Xia Yuan then got up and squatted down.

As Mei Fang searched, Xia Yuan suddenly pulled his arm and, under the pretense of looking for something, gave him a quick kiss.

This time, Xia Yuan was bolder than usual!

She even gave Mei Fang a few light licks before she was willing to let go.

Fufu… it tastes like popcorn, so sweet.

Mei Fang was taken aback by Xia Yuan’s sudden advance. After a brief moment of surprise, he understood Xia Yuan’s intentions and returned to his seat.

At this moment, Lin Youxi looked at Mei Fang and asked, “Did you find it?”

“Yes, we found it.”

“That’s good.”

Lin Youxi smiled at Mei Fang and then continued to enjoy the last part of the movie.

After the movie, a guilty Xia Yuan diverted the conversation to the plot: “That last part was really poorly done.”

“I agree, it was quite average,” Lin Youxi nodded. “But the cinema experience was nice, I enjoyed it. By the way, did you guys see any couples kissing during the movie?”

“I didn’t.”

Mei Fang answered Lin Youxi directly, while Xia Yuan seemed a bit nervous.

“That’s what I said… who would think of kissing during this kind of movie?!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, some people might only think about kissing even at the end of the world.”

“Hmph…” Xia Yuan, somewhat annoyed, pouted at Lin Youxi. “Youxi, if you saw it, just say it. Stop being so vague with me.”

“Haha… just kidding,” Lin Youxi suddenly stuck her tongue out at Xia Yuan. “Sorry, Yuan Yuan.”

“Okay, I forgive you.”

Xia Yuan smiled and waved her hand at Lin Youxi. “But you’ll have to buy me a McFlurry later.”

“How many stomachs do you have!”

Translator’s Notes:

• Refers to the mountainous region of Asia such as the Himalayas, the Tibetan Plateau, etc: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roof_of_the_World↩︎

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth↩︎

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