Liu Xiaoyu had never imagined she would one day find herself sitting on the back of Mei Fang’s scooter, especially without Xia Yuan or Lin Youxi present.

The current situation left her feeling quite embarrassed.

However, Mei Fang clearly wasn’t overthinking things like she was.

He no longer actively avoided her like before, now that all his attention was devoted to Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, with whom he was in a relationship.

To Mei Fang, Liu Xiaoyu was simply a good female friend and subordinate.

The only slightly special thing was that Liu Xiaoyu happened to be the only girl who knew about his three-way relationship.

She deliberately avoided physical contact with Mei Fang, keeping her hands firmly gripping the edges of the seat even while riding behind him.

Fortunately, Mei Fang’s electric scooter was large enough that she could sit without touching him.

He must have bought such a big scooter specifically to carry both YuanYuan and Youxi at the same time…

Liu Xiaoyu’s mind inexplicably conjured an image of Mei Fang riding with Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, when Mei Fang suddenly turned his head to ask her a question, startling her:

“Are you sure your ankle doesn’t need to be checked at the hospital?”

“No, no, just taking me home is more than enough.”

Liu Xiaoyu mumbled without looking at him, then lowered her head to check her phone.

But since they rarely met these days and had barely been in contact after the New Year, Mei Fang had quite a few questions for her.

“By the way, about what I mentioned before regarding further developing your music career—have you thought it over?”

“Well… about that—”

Liu Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment. “I still need some more time to consider.”

“Are you running into any obstacles? Pressure from your family?”

“There are some family issues. I’m worried they might oppose it, so I’m trying to figure out how to bring it up.”

“But I think the bonus money would be pretty convincing, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

“What? Did something happen with the bonus? Did accounting not transfer it?”

Liu Xiaoyu quickly waved her hands. “No, no, it’s not about the money… I just haven’t figured out how to tell my family yet.”

“You still haven’t told them?” Mei Fang sounded surprised. “It’s been almost half a month—I thought you’d have given them the money by now.”

Liu Xiaoyu lowered her voice and muttered, “I’m still trying to figure out how to explain it to my dad. He’s very traditional and patriarchal. If he finds out I’ve been hiding my side activities at school, I’m afraid he’ll get angry.”

“Also… my dad is very proud. I’m worried he might refuse my help and even forbid me from continuing to work with you all.”

“Then you should have told us earlier so we could help you figure it out.”

Liu Xiaoyu shook her head. “You’ve all already helped me so much.”

“So what’s your plan? You can’t just keep hesitating without doing anything.”

“With the New Year approaching, debt collectors will probably come knocking soon. I was thinking if I gave the money to my dad at that moment, he might be more willing to accept it…”

“That seems a bit passive. What if your dad already has the money to pay them back?”

Liu Xiaoyu lowered her head without responding. After a pause, Mei Fang glanced back at her.

“Can I ask… a slightly inappropriate question? Do you know the full extent of your family’s debt situation?”

Liu Xiaoyu nodded. “It’s probably in the millions…”

Mei Fang was shocked. “From the time your family took over YuanYuan’s hotel, has it always been this bad?”

“Not exactly… don’t misunderstand.”

Liu Xiaoyu spoke softly. “My family did lose a lot of money from taking over that hotel, but we still had savings back then.”

“After that, my dad went into business with some partners, but failed several times. Gradually, his friends dwindled, and his debts piled up. Now he can only make ends meet by working odd jobs for others.”

“I see…”

Mei Fang sighed inwardly at the misfortune of Liu Xiaoyu’s family. At least in his past life, her family had been quite well-off during high school.

“You’ve had it rough… Being hounded by debt collectors during the New Year must be awful.”

“Heh… it is, but I’m used to it.”

Ever since her falling out with her middle school best friend, Liu Xiaoyu had never spoken about her family’s struggles to anyone her age—not even Xia Yuan, despite their closeness. But after opening up to Mei Fang today, the tension in her heart eased slightly, and a pang of bitterness welled up.

“But if possible… I really don’t want to endure it anymore.”

“I know exactly how that feels.”

“You… you do?”

Liu Xiaoyu had merely voiced her confusion, but it came out sounding almost sarcastic, so she quickly waved her hands. “I didn’t mean to doubt you! It’s just… your family seems well-off, so I thought—”

Instead of responding directly, Mei Fang gazed into the winter wind and spoke softly:

“While other families are joyfully celebrating the New Year, you can’t buy nice clothes or snacks because you have no pocket money. You can only watch from afar as other kids play with fancy fireworks, hoping a neighbor might share a sparkler with you.”

“And the worst part is when debt collectors come knocking right before the New Year. You have to turn off all the lights and TV, hide in a corner trembling, and wait for their furious pounding to stop before you can relax.”

“But the most painful thing is that you can’t even talk to your family about the suffering caused by the debts—because you know they’re already struggling enough, and you don’t want to burden them further. You also don’t dare tell friends, afraid they’ll look down on you or pity you, treating you differently.”

“Eventually, you learn to swallow it all, bury it deep inside, and become too afraid to take risks. You endure every injustice and hardship silently, even afraid to get angry at others, terrified of causing more trouble for your family…”

As he spoke, Mei Fang realized they had already arrived at Jiantao Road. He turned to ask Liu Xiaoyu, “Which way is your house—”

But the words died in his throat when he saw her face.

Because Liu Xiaoyu, who had been silent this whole time, was now crying uncontrollably.

“How… how do you know all this… as if you’ve lived through it yourself…”

Her eyes reddened as she sobbed quietly. Mei Fang quickly pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.

“Sorry… I got carried away reminiscing and ended up making you sad too.”

As he watched Liu Xiaoyu wipe her tears, Mei Fang’s mind was filled with memories of his own family’s debts in his past life.

In his previous life, Mei Lijun never had a daughter like Mei Ya, nor did he possess the determination to work hard. As a result, he never got promoted and eventually started running a small business with his wife. Within a few years, they had squandered most of their savings. By the time Mei Fang was in fourth grade, they had sold their apartment and moved back to their ancestral home.

What Liu Xiaoyu was experiencing now was exactly what Mei Fang had gone through in his past life. Even though he was now wealthy beyond measure, the childhood trauma of debt and the resulting inferiority complex were deeply ingrained in his bones. Seeing Liu Xiaoyu now was like looking at his past self—how could he not feel emotional?

To some extent, Mei Fang bore some responsibility for Liu Xiaoyu’s current predicament, even if it wasn’t intentional.

But he didn’t regret it, because his actions had also saved Xia Yuan’s life.

As for Liu Xiaoyu’s present, he wanted to make amends—and fortunately, he now had the ability to do so.

He stood quietly by, waiting as Liu Xiaoyu cried on the scooter, using up the entire pack of tissues he usually kept for Lin Youxi. Only then did she finally calm down, composing herself with some embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry…”

“I’m the one who should apologize for making you cry.”

Mei Fang smiled gently at her. “You’re YuanYuan’s good friend and an important part of Ximilu Games. I know these experiences are painful, but having someone who understands can lighten the burden a little.”

“You’re a good person, but you should also think more about yourself.”

He lightly patted Liu Xiaoyu’s shoulder—the most intimate gesture he’d ever made toward her.

“Talk things through with your family. If it doesn’t work out, I can discuss it with YuanYuan, and we’ll go speak to your dad together.”

“No matter how traditional he is, he should understand how much you’ve suffered growing up. He won’t stop you from pursuing your dreams.”

“But if he ignores your feelings and stubbornly clings to his so-called pride, then I don’t think such a father deserves your sacrifices. You’re almost an adult—happiness and being true to yourself matter most. Don’t leave regrets in your youth.”

Under Mei Fang’s earnest advice, Liu Xiaoyu pressed her lips together tightly, then nodded vigorously, her voice still trembling with emotion:

“Today… I think I can finally make up my mind.”

“Thank you… really thank you for understanding me.”

“Come on, no need to keep thanking me.”

Mei Fang grinned. “Just channel that gratitude into your work, make money for me, and it’ll all be worth it.”

“You’ve really… become more and more like a capitalist.”

For the first time, Liu Xiaoyu joked with him, seeing this “Boss Mei” in a new light.

“Actually, there was a time when I found you kind of… scary.”

“Scary?“

“Yeah… When we first met, you seemed normal. But later, I realized you could do so many things—develop games, write songs, play guitar, even start your own company… I couldn’t believe someone like me could know someone as amazing as you.”

Her voice softened. “And then… there was you and YuanYuan and Youxi—”

“Ah—not that I don’t approve! I think it’s your private matter. If all three of you are happy, then I’ll wish you happiness too.”

Mei Fang smiled warmly. “Thanks for understanding. The bond between me and them is very deep and complicated… It’s impossible to separate now.”

“Mm, I know.”

Liu Xiaoyu nodded. “Anyway, I’ll talk to my dad properly. I’ll use part of the bonus to help with the family debts, but I also want to keep some to study music theory. I want to form a band with YuanYuan as the keyboardist, learn from her, and even write my own songs… And for games, I want to try composing for all kinds of styles, especially for the match-3 project we’re working on now…”

As Mei Fang listened to Liu Xiaoyu vividly describe her plans, he momentarily saw the radiant girl she once was.

In his past life, he had retreated after witnessing her brilliance, turning what could have been a great friendship into estrangement. Now, their roles were reversed—she was the one admiring him from below, making almost the same choice he once had.

Though they weren’t destined to be together in this life, they could still be good friends. And he had the chance to help her make up for regrets.

Realizing she might have taken up too much of his time, Liu Xiaoyu suddenly stopped, murmuring apologetically:

“I’ve wasted so much of your time today… Weren’t you supposed to meet Youxi and YuanYuan? I’ll explain it properly to YuanYuan later.”

“I already told them beforehand. It’s fine.”

“Oh… That’s good. In a way, you’re actually really loyal—you’d never let your heart…”

She trailed off awkwardly. “I-I didn’t mean… anything by that…”

“It’s okay, I get it.”

Mei Fang smiled. “Let me take you home. Which way?”

“Just turn left at the intersection up ahead.”

“Got it.”

Mei Fang got back on the scooter, but Liu Xiaoyu’s mood had subtly shifted.

She adjusted her seat slightly, her hands hovering as if she wanted to wrap them around his waist—

But she didn’t.

Instead, she let them linger in the air for a moment before resting them back on the scooter’s handrails.

She remembered feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity when she first met Mei Fang, as if she’d known him since childhood.

But even if she had met him before, there was no point in hoping for anything now.

His heart already belonged to two people.

Being friends like this…

Wasn’t it just as good?

They were all interesting, trustworthy companions.

And he understood the hardships she’d endured.

She should work hard too, to live up to everyone’s expectations—especially Mei Fang and YuanYuan’s…

She couldn’t keep YuanYuan waiting any longer.

For the first time, Liu Xiaoyu was determined to have a heart-to-heart with her father.

For the first time, she was determined to chase something she loved—her own dreams.