While taking Mei Ya out, Mei Fang also arranged to meet Xia Yuan (who had finished her New Year’s family visits) and Lin Youxi (returning from the medical check-up). They arrived at Culture Square one after another.

Xia Yuan went to cheer for Peng Xue’s performance upon arrival, while Lin Youxi sat beside Mei Fang, sipping her drink as he briefed her about the livestreaming platform progress.

Noticing her distracted expression, Mei Fang asked about the check-up: “Everything’s fine, right?”

“Results come tomorrow… But I’m not sure how reliable county hospital tests are.” Lin Youxi sighed. “We got the most expensive package, yet it felt rushed. Worst case would be them missing something while Dad keeps working…”

Mei Fang squeezed her hand. “Don’t think like that. No bad news is good news. There are other ways to convince your dad to take it easy.”

“Like what?”

Lin Youxi exhaled wearily. “Honestly? Short of us having a shotgun wedding so my parents can babysit, I can’t think of anything that’d stop him from working.”

Mei Fang choked on his drink at her bluntness. Nearby, Mei Ya clapped excitedly:

“Yes yes! Then I can have nieces/nephews to play with! I’ll teach them like Youxi-jie taught me!”

“Dream on!” Mei Fang flicked her forehead before telling Lin Youxi, “We’ll cross that bridge after getting the results.”

“I suppose…”

Lin Youxi interlaced their fingers tighter, leaning in to whisper: “Haven’t had any intimacy all day.”

“L-Later.”

“What’re you whispering about? No secrets from me!” Mei Ya demanded.

“Adult talk!” Mei Fang shoved her away.

Though he’d never explicitly explained the trio relationship to Mei Ya, her early “how to date both” suggestions and close bonds with the girls made pretense pointless.

Their conversation was interrupted when Peng Xue’s crowd suddenly erupted:

“Is that a celebrity?! They say Yuanbao’s here!”

“Quick, get autographs!”

“Yuanbao’s really from our county?”

Mei Fang immediately dove into the mob, rescuing a signature-giving Xia Yuan while shouting apologies.

“How’d this happen?!”

Xia Yuan winced as he dragged her away. “I just wanted to duet with Xue… Someone recognized my voice and—”

“You’re a public figure now! No more random appearances!”

He hustled her onto the scooter as fans kept approaching. Lin Youxi signaled him to go ahead while she handled Mei Ya. With a rev, they escaped the square.

“Ugh… Can’t even enjoy a meal out anymore!” Xia Yuan pouted. “Earlier at family visits too—relatives kept asking for autographs like I’m some big star!”

“It’ll only get worse from here.”

Mei Fang glanced back at Xia Yuan with a grin. “Might have to hire a security team for our superstar Yuanbao soon.”

“Stop teasing and watch the road!”

Xia Yuan clung tighter, her breath warm against his ear. “I haven’t gotten my Super A-Fang Energy recharge all day…”

“You literally had some this morning when we parted! Youxi said the exact same thing earlier.”

“W-well… that’s true.”

She pouted. “But as your official girlfriend now, I deserve extra intimacy privileges!”

Arriving at her neighborhood, Xia Yuan sighed. “Fewer people came back for New Year this time. Even Culture Square felt emptier.”

“Small towns keep shrinking as people migrate to cities,” Mei Fang noted. “We’ll end up in a metropolis too eventually.”

“But New Year only feels right in our hometown.”

Xia Yuan rested her chin on his shoulder. “Seeing familiar childhood scenery gives me that warm sense of security…”

“So if we return after years to find everything changed, would it lose that feeling?”

“Places change… people too.”

She pressed closer. “But remembering how things were—the memories we made—those treasured feelings stay with me forever.”

“Guess we’ll need a mansion here besides our beach villa and penthouse then.”

When he booped her nose, Xia Yuan squawked. “That’s not what I meant!”

“But why not? Property here’s dirt cheap anyway.”

“Being rich doesn’t mean wasting money!”

After playfully hitting him, she traced circles on his chest. “If we buy here, it should be for meaningful reasons, not just affordability.”

“True… We’d need somewhere to host wedding guests locally.”

“W-wedding?! So far ahead!”

“Then what were you imagining?”

“That… our kids should grow up here too. I want to show them where we fell in love, give them roots to return to no matter where life takes them…”

“That’s not looking far ahead?!”

After dropping Xia Yuan off, Mei Fang met Lin Youxi and Mei Ya at the model shop the latter had begged to visit. Through the window, he saw Lin Youxi patiently helping Mei Ya select aircraft kits—their bond so natural they could pass as biological sisters.

Spotting Mei Fang, Lin Youxi whispered to Mei Ya before stepping outside. Without a word, she led him to a secluded corner behind the store where they embraced, making up for lost time.