Genius Playground

CLACK CLACK CLACK. CLACK CLACK CLACK.

Jiang Ran’s fingers flew across the keyboard. Strings of text appeared on the computer screen, forming sections of a script faster than one could read.

In the original worldline, he had written a script for the film club once before.

That script was an adaptation of the cringey setting collection, *Genius Playground*, that he wrote in middle school. In the end, both he and Qin Feng had starred in it.

The finished short film was said to be of high quality and received unanimous praise.

Now, he was just rewriting the script from memory, which was incredibly easy.

Xu Yan stood behind Jiang Ran, her eyes fixed on the screen. She read each line as he wrote it, occasionally propping her chin on her hand in thought.

At first, she hadn’t held out much hope. She’d figured Jiang Ran was just being nice and trying to help, and she didn’t have the heart to dampen his enthusiasm, so she had borrowed a laptop for him.

But...

’This situation right now!’

’The more I watch, the more unbelievable it feels!’

”Brilliant.”

Finally, unable to contain her excitement any longer, she praised him out loud.

The nearby Film Club members looked at each other, then back again, utterly baffled.

’What... was going on?’

For a while now, Xu Yan had been in full-on hedgehog mode over the script—prickly, untouchable, and ready to explode at any moment.

’But what did she just say?’

Everyone could hear the genuine surprise and admiration in that single word: ”Brilliant.”

Filled with curiosity, more and more club members gathered around, forming a circle to watch over Jiang Ran’s shoulder.

”Damn, this twist is awesome.”

”So badass! What a god-tier premise! Where did Xu Yan find this master?”

”Shh... Keep your voices down. Don’t disturb him while he’s working.”

”Oh my god, there’s another twist! The structure of this script is incredible!”

At first, everyone had been keeping their voices down, whispering amongst themselves.

But as the script’s plot intensified, their discussions grew louder, impossible to contain. They were all captivated by the absolutely brilliant, suspenseful, and thrilling story. Every eye was glued to the cursor, eagerly awaiting the next line.

Jiang Ran, however, was completely immersed in his writing, undisturbed by the clamor behind him.

It wasn’t because he thought his writing was particularly good.

It was because...

The scene he was typing out now was the very one he had performed with Qin Feng on the rooftop that day.

Crimson clouds, the setting sun, long slanted shadows, and a lone wild duck taking flight.

Both in the story and in real life, he had stood in this kind of opposition to Qin Feng countless times—seemingly close, yet worlds apart.

”So, this was a trap you designed.”

”We’ve known each other since high school...”

”Are you going to disappear with a ’whoosh’ and travel back to 2009? Or will only your consciousness travel back, leaving your body here?”

”So that’s your secret. But I have to say, you celebrated too soon.”

”You’re wrong. The one who revealed their hand was you.”

”You can never defeat me in history. Because in this game played across the river of time...”

”I *am* history!”

...

These familiar and incredibly fitting lines flashed through his mind one by one.

He remembered the look he gave Qin Feng as he jumped from the rooftop;

and he also remembered Qin Feng’s final glance back before the Worldline Jump.

It was an uncanny coincidence, almost too perfect.

It was as if the ending to their story had already taken its final bow during that performance on the rooftop.

In the movie, Jiang Ran was the protagonist, but in reality, it was Qin Feng’s stage.

With a magnificent performance worthy of a Magician, he had deceived Jiang Ran, deceived everyone, and finally initiated the Worldline Jump right under their noses, achieving what could only be called a perfect performance.

TAP!

He hit the Enter key one last time.

The script was finished.

Jiang Ran took his hands off the keyboard and stared quietly at the ending on the screen.

A long silence followed, lasting for tens of seconds...

Then.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!

Xu Yan began to clap, and then thunderous applause filled the room as the entire Film Club erupted with excitement:

”That final twist was so huge! The dynamic between the two protagonists is so heart-wrenching! Part-enemy, part-friend; part-villain, part-hero!”

”This is the amazing script we’ve been searching for! Xu Yan, if we film this, I guarantee we’ll win an award at the student film festival!”

”Xu Yan, Xu Yan, you have to introduce us... where did you find this master?”

”Yeah, yeah! Xu Yan, where did you find these reinforcements? He’s a total godsend!”

Faced with the excitement of her juniors, Xu Yan just smiled faintly without saying much.

As the club president, she completely understood the pressure everyone had been under lately.

She had been feeling it too.

The long-suppressed tension burst forth the moment she saw such a brilliant script, and she felt a great sense of relief.

”This handsome guy’s name is Jiang Ran.”

Patting Jiang Ran on the back, Xu Yan said proudly:

”He’s my childhood friend.”

Then.

She looked at Jiang Ran with some concern:

”Jiang Ran, a script this good... are you really willing to let us use it?”

”Of course.”

Jiang Ran smiled.

”It was tailor-made for your Film Club in the first place.”

”Besides... you did me a huge favor, pulling all those strings to save the Film Club. This is just us helping each other out, so please, don’t be so formal with me.”

Having gotten the author’s personal permission, everyone in the Film Club was ecstatic, itching to get to work immediately.

After all, the deadline for the film festival was fast approaching. They had to hurry up with casting, filming, and editing.

”Xu Yan, Xu Yan, can we really use this script for the film festival?”

Looking at the pleading, puppy-dog eyes of her juniors, Xu Yan sighed with a smile.

”Since the author himself said it’s okay, I guess we’ll just have to shamelessly accept it.”

”But we have to put Jiang Ran’s name in the credits. Make sure to specially label him as ’Original Story, Script, and Screenwriter’... and put it somewhere prominent.”

”No, no, that’s not necessary.”

Jiang Ran waved his hand, feeling a little embarrassed by all the fuss.

Afterward.

The Film Club members printed out several copies of the script and went to the activity room next door to divide up the work. In an instant, the crowded room emptied out, leaving only Jiang Ran and Xu Yan.

”This time, it’s my turn to thank you.”

Xu Yan crossed her arms.

”Jiang Ran, I never would have thought you had this kind of talent.”

”I’ve always thought you were smart, ever since we were kids. Honestly, for a mind like yours to go to a vocational college... it’s truly a waste.”

”But, uh... the future is still long, right? All roads lead to Rome. As long as you can move on, it’ll be fine!”

Seeming to realize she’d said the wrong thing, a flicker of panic crossed Xu Yan’s face.

Though the panic vanished in an instant,

Jiang Ran still caught it.

’Weird.’

’This feels so weird.’

’Whether it was Xu Yan or Wang Hao, whenever they talked about Cheng Mengxue’s death and its impact on me...’

’They always hesitated and stammered.’

’They were always so careful.’

’Something’s wrong.’

’Something’s very wrong.’

Suddenly,

Jiang Ran realized something—

’It seemed like...’

’They always strongly associated Cheng Mengxue’s death with me, and repeatedly told me things like ’let go of the past’ and ’move on.’’

Especially what Xu Yan said yesterday:

”No matter what, just like we told you before, Xiaoxue’s death wasn’t your fault. You don’t have to blame yourself so much. No one has ever blamed you.”

And what Wang Hao had said:

”What’s in the past is in the past. You can’t keep blaming yourself.”

’Right.’

’That’s the problem right there.’

’That way of putting it is so strange!’

’Cheng Mengxue clearly died in a car accident. An *accident*. By definition, it wasn’t my fault. So why do Xu Yan and Wang Hao keep emphasizing it?’

’Could it be... that there’s a hidden story behind the cause of Cheng Mengxue’s death?’

’Come to think of it.’

Since the Worldline Jump, he really only knew that Cheng Mengxue had died in a car accident two years ago. But no one had ever explained the details of how she died.

The more he thought about it, the more horrifying the possibility seemed.

”Xu Yan, I want to ask you something.”

Jiang Ran slowed his breathing.

”Xiaoxue’s death two years ago... it didn’t... have a lot to do with me, did it?”

He paused.

He looked up.

”Was it me? Did I cause Xiaoxue’s death?”