(TL: took a while but here’s the next 5 chapters)

Lin Youxi’s healthy home-cooked meals were consistently delivered every day. To prepare meals for all three of them, she had to wake up at 5 a.m. to start working.

At first, Mei Fang also got up early to help, but she urged him to rest more so he’d have enough energy for their morning runs.

There was no doubt about Lin Youxi’s culinary skills—Xia Yuan happily ate the healthy meals every day.

The only regret was that the portions were far too small for her. During their nightly “A-Fang Special Training” sessions, her stomach would growl nonstop, severely killing the mood.

There was even one tragic incident where Xia Yuan, starving in the middle of the night, drank so much water that she couldn’t sleep at all.

But she ultimately resisted the urge to sneak snacks, unlike how she used to sneakily “eat” Mei Fang whenever her emotions got the better of her.

Clearly, Xia Yuan was putting in a lot of effort to prove her determination to lose weight, something Mei Fang and Lin Youxi both noticed. So Mei Fang was willing to keep supporting her, and Lin Youxi continued refining their diet plan.

Following Guo Yun’s advice, Mei Fang bought home fitness equipment like a treadmill, an ab bench, dumbbells, and resistance bands. Over the weekend, Guo Yun arrived at their home as promised.

“Welcome! Come on in!”

“Thanks for having me!”

Guo Yun’s school life had changed quite a bit after her high-profile interview. Thanks to Cloud Journeys‘ special status in the gaming world, she received even more attention than before the rumor incident.

Many boys, claiming to be “huge fans” of Cloud Journeys, took the initiative to strike up conversations with her. In a way, the unwanted attention had only increased.

But now, Guo Yun was slowly learning to adapt rather than run away. Not only could she handle the boys’ advances, but she had also resumed her fitness routine.

Today, she looked like she was back in peak condition—even more confident and energetic than before, with no trace of the chubby girl from the past.

Guo Yun first tried Lin Youxi’s fitness meals and couldn’t stop praising her cooking.

“These are the exact same ingredients from my meal plan… but they taste so much better! You completely changed my opinion about buckwheat noodles.”

“I thought grilled chicken breast was allowed, and since cumin and black pepper don’t interfere with fitness, I tried making spiced roasted chicken breast.”

“That’s totally fine! I just don’t have the skills—my diet food is barely edible…”

“I can teach you sometime.”

“Really? That’d be great! You guys should come over to my place next time. I didn’t host properly last time—I’ll prepare better.”

Guo Yun smiled. “I’ll properly introduce you to my A-Wu then.”

“A-Wu? Oh, your dog’s name, right? Haha, that’s such a weird name. Is there a story behind it?”

Mei Fang couldn’t help but chime in. “It’s from that anime, right? The dog from Fruits Basket—the one from the Chinese zodiac.”

“Yes, exactly!”

Guo Yun, who had a hidden otaku side, lit up when Mei Fang recognized the reference. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. “My A-Wu is just like that character—so reliable and comforting.”

Xia Yuan nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! I love that character too! And the rat—his name’s a homophone for Youxi’s! We teased Youxi so much when we watched it—”

“Alright, enough about dogs.”

Lin Youxi patted Guo Yun’s shoulder with a sweet smile. “If you like the food, eat more. Don’t make me think you’re just being polite, okay?”

“Ah… N-no, of course not…”

Despite Guo Yun’s now-toned physique—complete with a sexy six-pack—Lin Youxi’s former class president aura was still overwhelming. Guo Yun didn’t dare say a word against her and obediently finished the meal.

After lunch, while Xia Yuan was still nibbling, the others rested for a bit. Mei Fang took the opportunity to discuss virtual idol plans with Guo Yun—specifically, designing a 2D avatar for Xia Yuan to use in future livestreams.

Xia Yuan was quite interested in live interactions, but Mei Fang didn’t want his wife exposing herself too much. To make C-Site’s mascot more dynamic, he requested Guo Yun to create a persona for her.

“I can definitely do that! But just for Yuan? What about Youxi and you? You should have matching anime versions too.”

“No rush. I don’t want to overload you—you’ve got art exams to prep for.”

Mei Fang thought for a moment. “Art students need to plan early. Have you decided on a target university?”

“Obviously, the dream is Beijing Academy of Fine Arts… but my grades probably won’t cut it. Right now, I’m aiming for Jiangcheng Art Institute.”

“That’s one of the top eight art schools in China, right? Getting in there would still be amazing.”

Like Guo Yun, Xia Yuan had originally planned to apply as an art student. But given her current status, she could easily get into any school through recommendations. Her main concern was staying close to Mei Fang—she wasn’t in a hurry.

“Since you revealed yourself as the lead artist, haven’t any schools reached out about recommendations?”

“Not really… Art student recommendations are rare. The spots at our school all go to the top students. But my teachers did ask about the game. They were more interested in how much money we made… though that’s kinda confidential, right?”

“Who cares? Next time they ask, just say we’ve sold 200,000 copies domestically. After operating costs, net profit is around 7 million.”

“That much?!“

Guo Yun was stunned—this was the first time she realized how successful their game had been.

“And that’s without factoring in our labor costs. If we were professionals, we’d have to deduct another million or two.”

Mei Fang added, “First off, Guo Yun, you’re easily worth a monthly salary of 20,000+. I only gave you a 100,000 year-end bonus—I totally underpaid you.”

“I-I’m not worth that much…”

Guo Yun blushed furiously.

Beside them, Lin Youxi tugged at Mei Fang’s sleeve. “What about me?”

“Why are you asking for a price tag…? You’re the lead programmer, so obviously—”

He was about to say “30,000,” but seeing Lin Youxi’s displeased expression at the number “3,” his survival instincts kicked in.

“—30,000 is way too low! 50,000! Yeah, 50,000 a month for a lead programmer!”

“What about me? How much am I worth?”

Xia Yuan tugged at Mei Fang’s sleeve. “How do you price musicians?”

“Music’s hard to quantify… Could be expensive or cheap. Even outsourcing works—”

“Outsourcing?!”

Xia Yuan pinched his cheeks. “Give me a real number!”

“Take whatever you want! I’ll hand over everything!”

“I don’t want charity! Be honest!”

To appease her, Mei Fang promised to release a standalone OST in the next game update, letting player sales determine its value.

Truthfully, Xia Yuan’s gaming earnings paled next to her music revenue. Her debut physical album Yuan & Youxi, which included Plain Face and A Little Sweet (originally planned for her second album), had sold over 5 million copies since its March release.

Thus, her upcoming “breakup album” would technically be her second—not third—studio work.

They’d celebrated the first million, but Xia Yuan soon lost interest in numbers. All earnings were managed by Mei Fang’s cousin Mei Yue, forming the foundation of his third venture: a media company.

This post-graduation plan—currently known only to Mei Fang, Lin Youxi, and Mei Yue—would centralize Xia Yuan’s brand under one roof, from her solo work to future bands. No showbiz ambitions; just full creative control.

“Alright! Time to work out!”

“Coach Guo, check out this equipment first.”

Their fitness zone (between the balcony and living room) housed a treadmill, ab bench, dumbbell rack, and a full-length mirror for form checks.

“Quality’s solid,” Guo Yun confirmed, stripping to a tank top that showcased her toned physique—rivaling Xia Yuan’s curves. “The ab bench is versatile. Today, we’ll demo chest presses.”

As she lay back with dumbbells, Mei Fang marveled at how the once-bullied girl had transformed into this confident coach.

“Arched back, shoulders down…”

Guo Yun guided Mei Fang’s posture, her touches fleeting once she noticed Xia Yuan’s gaze.

“10 reps with support count. Otherwise, you might drop—”

“Ngh… Can’t… How’s Yuan supposed to—?”

“Rest intervals are fine,” Guo Yun assured.

Lin Youxi perched on Mei Fang’s legs. “What if rewards were better? Complete 10 reps, earn a kiss. No kisses otherwise.”

Guo Yun’s smile froze.

“…You’re joking, right?”