Chapter 228 – Yuan Yuan’s Insecurity

Xia Yuan recently composed two songs under Mei Fang’s guidance. After being reminded by Lin Youxi in the morning, she quickly handed her creations to Mei Fang for review.

“So, how is it? Not bad, right?”

With the foundation of her songs, Xia Yuan clearly had a lot of confidence in her work.

“The songs are certainly very good, but they feel a bit too intense. Our game’s theme is more ethereal and dreamy. I think it needs a bit more of that touch.”

“But I already think it’s pretty ethereal,” Xia Yuan replied, sounding quite aggrieved. “So what exactly are you looking for?”

“First of all, you can’t approach this with a songwriting mindset. This song is meant to be the theme song. You can’t have players hearing such a complex intro as soon as they start. Especially with a piano piece, it needs to be slower.”

“But I think it’s already quite slow… It’s a solo piano piece. If it gets any softer, it will hardly be recognizable.”

“I understand you want to convey a dreamy feeling that way, but as I’ve explained, Cloudy Journey is a story about self-change and redemption. If the initial atmosphere is too strong, it might come across as having too much to express, which doesn’t quite fit with the protagonist’s initially reserved character.”

“Okay… I think I understand.”

Xia Yuan nodded, “I’ll give it another try.”

“No rush, take your time. This kind of thing takes a lot of refining.”

“Okay.”

Encouraged by Mei Fang, Xia Yuan continued working on her composition. As she put on her headphones and focused on the theme song, she noticed Lin Youxi approaching Mei Fang and discussing technical matters with him.

Curious, she slowly took off her headphones and listened to them chat and laugh together, clearly enjoying a smooth and close interaction. This sight inevitably made her feel a pang of envy.

Ever since the mutual secret was revealed, Xia Yuan no longer felt as guilty toward Lin Youxi, but she still sensed a growing distance between them.

Although they still ate together, slept together, and stayed close, Lin Youxi was noticeably more proactive when it came to interacting with Mei Fang. Whether in her eyes or in the eyes of their elders, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi seemed more like a married couple.

Sigh…

Why am I feeling this way again?

Xia Yuan had once worked extremely hard to keep up with Lin Youxi and Mei Fang’s academic achievements, having experienced the discomfort of falling behind and even having conflicts with Lin Youxi over it. This made her highly sensitive to such feelings.

Despite her and Mei Fang’s frequent affectionate hugs and kisses, it was always initiated by her. Even our first kiss… She never asked him if he might be getting tired of it.

Sometimes, even between the closest childhood sweethearts, there are topics that just can’t be discussed together.

Because if I told Ah Fang or Youxi, they would definitely think I’m being overly sensitive…

So, Xia Yuan decided to call her good friend Peng Xue.

When the call connected, Peng Xue’s voice was full of surprise.

“Whoa, no way! What’s this? Our young miss Xia actually has the time to call a country bumpkin like me? Is something wrong with your little childhood sweetheart?”

“Xiaoxue, seriously! Why are you talking to me like that? It’s been a while since we talked, just checking up on you.”

Xia Yuan pouted, “And besides, Xiaoxue, you haven’t been in touch with me much lately either.”

“Oh, listen to you. Making it sound like it’s my fault. Our school’s workload is heavy and exams are tough. The only free time I have left is spent learning bass. I’ve been really, really busy, you know?”

“Is it really necessary to learn bass so urgently?”

“Of course! If there’s no visible progress, my sugar daddy won’t be pleased.”

“N-no, you can’t call Ah Fang like that,” Xia Yuan muttered, “Just call him by his name.”

“Haha! You’re still the same… just joking. If he didn’t invest in me, I wouldn’t know who else to rely on… Xiaoyizi is rich too, but I don’t think she loves me as much.”

“Ah Fang isn’t like that, and the investment isn’t that much… I could support you. You can rely on me.”

“Mm-hmm, I know, I’m just kidding.”

After some brief small talk, Peng Xue’s tone became more serious. “So why did you call me today?”

“Just wanted to ask about how you’ve been lately. How’s your studies, how’s your life, are there any boys you’ve taken a liking to…”

“As for my studies, I’m just barely managing to put in some effort. As for my life… There are a few boys chasing after me, but I’m not interested in any of them.”

“Are they writing you love letters or confessing?”

“Both, but… they’re all pretty childish, nothing interesting.”

“Wow, Xiaoxue is still the school belle at No.1 High School.”

“I can’t compare to our superstar Yuanbao. If I wasn’t worried about revealing your identity, I would have bragged all over the place that I’m Yuanbao’s best friend…” Peng Xue paused, “We’re still best friends, right?”

“Of course we are…”

“Then share with me what’s going on with you and your Ah Fang. You’ve been living together for almost a year, how far have you gone?”

“We’re still students, focusing on our studies. We can’t be thinking about such things… early romance is definitely not okay.” Xia Yuan hesitated, then added, “But——”

“But? There has been progress!”

“Mhm… yes, definitely.”

“Wow, you guys have slept together?”

“That’s an exaggeration!”

Xia Yuan thought for a moment. Actually, there had been times, but explaining it to Peng Xue would be troublesome. “We did… kiss.”

“Oooohhhh!”

Peng Xue was more excited upon hearing this than Xia Yuan had been after the kiss. “When, where? Did you really kiss on the lips? It wasn’t just a cheek kiss, was it?”

“It was on the lips.”

“Impressive! Miss Xia is stepping up.”

Xia Yuan found a kind of long-lost joy in her conversation with Peng Xue. How nice it would have been to share this feeling with her earlier.

“So, are you two officially couples now? What about Youxi, did she give her blessing?”

“Uh… it’s a bit complicated to explain… I’m not sure if I should… you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?”

“You’re my only close friend. Others, including Xiaoyizi, are secondary. Are you still worried about that? Are you underestimating our friendship?”

“No, no! So, here’s the thing.”

Xia Yuan thought for a moment. “Actually, Youxi also kissed Ah Fang.”

“Ah, what’s going on?”

“That’s why I said it’s complicated… in short, none of us are officially dating.”

“Not officially dating, yet you three have all kissed. What does that mean? Is Boss Mei trying to be a two-timing scumbag and date two girls at once?”

“It’s not Ah Fang’s fault. I made a mistake first… or maybe… ugh… it’s so complicated——”

“Ah, your relationship was complicated to begin with. As long as you guys don’t mind, I, as an outsider, don’t have much to say.”

Peng Xue sighed and then asked, “By the way, who was Boss Mei’s first kiss?”

“Uh… Me. Ah Fang admitted it himself.”

“He didn’t say the same thing to Youxi, did he?”

“Ah Fang is not that kind of person!” Xia Yuan angrily defended the image of her childhood sweetheart.

“Is this what a girl in love looks like…? Oh my, never mind, I won’t say anything more. Seeing you like this makes me not want to fall in love at all. It seems like it makes people dumb.”

Peng Xue thought for a moment. “Hmm… then you should be very happy. Even though both of you stole a kiss, at least you had the first move.”

“Yeah… but recently, it’s been a bit… um, how do I put it? It feels like I’m not as good at game development as Youxi. I’m wondering if Ah Fang might look down on me for not being able to keep up.”

“Darn, what did he do to you?! Did he scold you for not making the game well? Who cares about him?! You’re working so hard to help him achieve his dreams.”

“Well, I also want to do it myself. It’s not that Ah Fang is being mean to me…”

“But didn’t you just say he might be?”

“That’s just my subjective feeling. Ah Fang himself would never look down on me.”

“You really are… Thinking Boss Mei might be at fault but not wanting to criticize him… All I can say is, handle your thoughts well.”

Peng Xue sighed on the other end of the line, “So, you want my advice on how to let Boss Mei know about your feelings of being wronged?”

“I’m not feeling wronged… I’m just sharing my feelings with you.”

“To put it bluntly, you feel insecure. You worry that Boss Mei might be tired of you and prefer Youxi, who can help him more, but he’s too considerate of your feelings to say it.”

“Maybe there’s a little bit of insecurity…”

“You’re just too into our Boss Mei, leaving him no room to show his affection for you. If you want him to show more initiative, you could try being less affectionate for a while, and understand the concept of playing hard to get. If you really matter to him, he’ll notice the change and make an effort to care for you.”

“I understand… but I don’t want to test Ah Fang. It’s not that I’m afraid of the result, I just feel it wouldn’t be fair to him. After all, he hasn’t done anything wrong, so why should I punish him…”

“Aaaaah Xia Yuan, you pushover of a woman!” Peng Xue was about to be driven crazy by Xia Yuan’s love-addled brain. “If you can’t bear to punish him, then just keep rewarding him! Try initiating some intimate behaviors that you didn’t do before or didn’t dare to do. See if he’s interested. This could help deepen your relationship too.”

“That sounds good… I’ve got an idea now. Thanks, Xiaoxue. Bye!”

“Hey, don’t spoil your Ah Fang too much… you know that being overly favored can lead to arrogance, right? Even if he loses you, he still has Youxi. But if you lose him, what are you going to——”

Before Peng Xue could finish, Xia Yuan had already hung up.

Tsk.

This girl… prioritizing love over friends.

Sigh…

She’ll definitely come crying to me if she gets hurt by a scumbag in the future.

Peng Xue sighed deeply and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling.

This Mei Fang…

Although it seems he might be trying to play both sides, the fact that he kissed both girls and they both know about it and aren’t at him shows his skill.

Of course, it’s also thanks to Yuan Yuan and Youxi’s long-standing friendship…

Not wanting to leave the side of one’s childhood sweetheart is understandable, given the many years of shared feelings. However, it is quite rare for such childhood bonds to transform into romantic love.

Peng Xue bit her finger, recalling the scene at last year’s music festival when Mei Fang accompanied her to the concert.

If Yuan Yuan didn’t like him, would I resist going after him?

At this thought, Peng Xue suddenly laughed.

There’s no need to fool myself.

After all, a wealthy, considerate, handsome guy who loves music as much as she does would make any girl’s heart flutter…

It’s just a pity he was already claimed by another girl back in kindergarten.