With Lin Youxi joining the mahjong game, the table now hosted a true three-family showdown between the Meis, Xias, and Lins. The six players battled fiercely while Teacher Yu played hostess, serving tea and snacks.

Mei Lijun had been thoroughly enjoying crushing his son earlier, but now faced a dilemma with Lin Youxi—as both a beginner and future daughter-in-law, he couldn’t go all out. His wife was off-limits, and while he could theoretically dominate Xia Xun, that would reflect poorly on Xia Yuan. This left him hesitating over each move, finally discarding a 5 of characters after much deliberation.

Lin Youxi, recognizing his restraint, played an 8 of characters and smiled. “Uncle Mei, please don’t go easy on me just because I’m new. That ruins the fun. Besides, Ah Fang’s covering my losses—play to win. And…” Her eyes glinted. “I won’t be holding back either.”

Mei Lijun exhaled in relief and clapped. “That’s what I like to hear! Straightforward and competitive. Give me your best shot—no need to spare this old man’s pride!”

“Less talk, more play,” Xiang Xiaoxia chided, nudging him.

After several rounds of cautious play, Lin Youxi suddenly flipped her tiles with dramatic flair—a flawless “Pure Seven Pairs” self-draw without wildcards. “10 base + 15 for purity + 3 for special tiles, doubled—56 total! We’ve recovered everything in one go!”

Mei Fang whooped, slinging an arm around Lin Youxi’s shoulders like an excited kid. Compared to his own strained attempts to impress, watching his genius girlfriend dominate effortlessly was infinitely more satisfying.

“Not bad,” Mei Lijun conceded through gritted teeth. Though his son’s gloating rankled, he had to save face for his future daughter-in-law. “How’d you read my hand?”

“You’d discarded many character tiles from the middle range,” Lin Youxi explained modestly. “When I drew all characters, I gambled on a pure suit. Mostly luck.” She nudged Mei Fang. “Your father was clearly going easy—he probably knew my strategy. Don’t celebrate too soon.”

Normally composed, Mei Fang’s boyish excitement around family made him forget Xia Xun and Teacher Yu were observing. After a few more rounds, he patted Lin Youxi’s shoulder, whispered something, then announced his exit:

“I’ll check on YuanYuan and Mei Ya downstairs. Enjoy the game!”

Xia Xun’s brow relaxed slightly. The first half had been Mei Lijun’s rampage, the second Lin Youxi’s surgical strikes—with Mei Fang’s constant discards sabotaging his draws. Though he’d rarely fed winning tiles, Xia Xun had lost the most.

Monetary losses were trivial, but watching his daughter’s ex and her best friend flirt openly was its own torture.

Downstairs, Xia Yuan and Mei Ya were engrossed in Rayman Origins, a four-player platformer. Spotting Mei Fang, Xia Yuan eagerly thrust a controller at him. “Ah Fang! Join us! This is hilarious!”

“You’ve played before?” Xia Yuan tilted her head. “When? With who?”

“Just watched streams,” Mei Fang lied. In his past life, lacking close friends, he’d only experienced such party games vicariously through online videos.

The cheerful chaos of three players—with Xia Yuan and Mei Ya’s mediocre skills balanced by Mei Fang’s expertise—soon had them shrieking with laughter.

“Wait for me! Don’t drag the screen!”
“Stupid Ah Fang—take this! Hah, we can actually hit each other!”
“YuanYuan-jie, let’s team up against Brother!”

At some point, Xia Yuan naturally settled into Mei Fang’s lap, shocking Mei Ya for a full ten seconds. Even she, as the family’s resident cuddlebug, had never been this intimate with her brother.

Sigh… I’ll have to get used to this.

Watching her future sister-in-law’s childish antics, little Mei Ya felt burdened with unearned maturity.

As they played, Mei Fang recalled his long-abandoned plan to cultivate the girls’ gaming tastes. Yet Xia Yuan’s genuine enthusiasm proved his childhood influence lingered.

“Like gaming consoles?” Mei Fang murmured during a break.

“Love them!” Xia Yuan beamed. “Let’s buy one after graduation! Or—”

“Three. Maybe four.” Mei Fang began listing platforms. “Each has exclusives we should experience together. We’ll dedicate a room in our Shenzhen home as a gaming den—display cases for collectibles, the works…”

His eyes shone. This had been his pipe dream before rebirth—a shared space where family bonded over games. Back then, even one component—a gamer spouse, free time, financial stability—had seemed unattainable. Now, it was within grasp.

Overcome, he tightened his embrace. Xia Yuan, understanding his emotion, snuggled closer.

Mei Ya piped up: “If Brother’s this rich, do I still need to study? I’m focusing on astronaut training!”

Xia Yuan applauded her ambition. “Stick to your dreams! Let me know how I can help.”

“I love you, YuanYuan-jie!” Mei Ya launched into a hug. “Even if you can’t be with Brother now, you can’t like other boys! You have to marry into our family!”

As Xia Yuan giggled, Mei Fang whispered something that made her blush furiously.

“Behave! What if Mom—”

Mei Ya sprang up. “I’ll stand guard!”

“Wait, that’s not—”

Watching her scamper off, Mei Fang and Xia Yuan exchanged amused glances.

“Did you tell her about us? She seems to know everything.”

“She’s scarily perceptive. Actually advised me against marriage licenses to ‘keep both of you forever.’”

Xia Yuan flushed deeper. “Two sisters-in-law does sound nice… If I were her, I’d also…” She pinched him. “No mischief here!”

“Teenage boy here. Have mercy.”

Their whispered sweet nothings were interrupted by dinner summons.

The shared mahjong session had noticeably thawed relations. Over rustic dishes at the resort’s farmhouse restaurant, Mei Lijun and Xia Xun chatted animatedly, while the women exchanged parenting tips—Lin Youxi occasionally contributing.

“YuanYuan chose well,” Mei Lijun praised between bites of free-range chicken. “Authentic flavor!”

“The best is yet to come,” Xia Yuan said proudly. “After dinner, we’ll stroll, then soak in the private hot springs—great for circulation.”

“Wait an hour after eating,” Lin Youxi cautioned. “Or you might faint.”

The villa’s twin stone baths—one large, one small—steamed invitingly under the stars. Mei Fang joined his father and Xia Xun in the men’s pool.

So this is the legendary hot spring episode!

Seeing his chance to connect with Xia Xun after the mahjong disaster, Mei Fang was about to speak when Mei Lijun bellowed:

“Ah Fang! Come here—relive childhood memories! Let me scrub your back!”

“Since when do southerners do this?”

“You loved it as a kid! Begged daily! Your mother swears by my technique—I’m practically a professional!”

With theatrical reluctance (and covert glances at Xia Xun to prove his filial piety), Mei Fang submitted. What followed was less cleansing than exfoliation via torture.

“AAAAAH! You’re stripping skin!”

“Remember now? The joy!”

“JOY MY ASS! LIGHTER! LIGHTER—OWWW!”

Through the steam, Xia Xun’s lips twitched at the spectacle. Part of him envied their easy rapport—a father-son bond he’d never have, his fortune destined for the boy currently getting scoured alive.

Perhaps he should have given Xia Yuan a brother. But that would have cost Teacher Yu her teaching career…

“Old Xia!” Mei Lijun splashed over post-torture. “Your turn!”

Xia Xun pretended not to hear.

“Don’t be shy! Bros before—”

The ensuing scuffle sent water flying. From the women’s pool next door, Mei Ya frowned at the splashing and masculine howls.

“Was that Uncle Xia screaming? First Brother, now him… Are they fighting?”

Lin Youxi smiled serenely. “Just male bonding.”

Xia Yuan blinked. Since when does Youxi understand guy stuff?

[Author’s Note:
Almost titled this “Hot Spring Fanservice” but feared reader retaliation.]