Genius Playground

CLINK.

The sound of glasses touching.

At Jiang Ran’s lead, the three of them raised their wine glasses again and toasted.

Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue still just took a small sip, while Wang Hao, as usual, downed his in one go.

Across from them, Cheng Mengxue picked up a napkin and dabbed her lips.

She didn’t answer Jiang Ran’s question right away. It was unclear what she was hesitating about.

Jiang Ran didn’t press her.

He simply set down his glass, watching and waiting in silence.

This game of hidden tensions had only just begun. He wasn’t in a hurry for an answer, but he knew he would get one eventually.

What he was doing now was, in fact, a two-pronged test.

First, a test of her alcohol tolerance.

Given the real Cheng Mengxue’s tolerance, if she finished the wine currently in her glass and waited ten or twenty minutes for it to take effect, she would be blackout drunk and passed out.

Cheng Mengxue had just said that she had never had a drink before in her life.

Therefore...

Her ”ant-like tolerance” was a constitution even Cheng Mengxue herself didn’t know she had. Only Jiang Ran had verified it on World Line 0.

Second, a test concerning the letter in the glass bottle.

The two glass bottles, sealed in a rusty iron box, had been buried by Cheng Mengxue in elementary school. The letters inside were also written at that time—this was an indisputable fact.

And that letter had genuinely been buried underground for over a decade, its contents unknown to anyone.

Therefore.

If the Cheng Mengxue before him could recall the letter’s contents, the gist of it, or even just a single sentence, Jiang Ran would cast aside that last 0.01% of doubt and unconditionally believe... that this Cheng Mengxue was real.

He blinked.

Waiting for Cheng Mengxue’s reply.

This time, it was truly...

’The final showdown.’

”Hee hee, I can’t quite remember.”

Cheng Mengxue giggled from across the table.

”I do have some memory of burying a Time Capsule, like you said. I did it with Xu Yan.”

”But the letter inside, the one to my future self twenty years from now... I really can’t recall. I don’t remember what I wrote.”

Just then,

The main course arrived.

A waiter replaced their plates and cutlery with a fresh set.

”Heh.”

Jiang Ran smiled, just as he’d expected, and raised his wine glass.

”The main course is here, and this is our third toast. Let’s finish this glass and start eating!”

The three of them clinked glasses again.

The wine in their glasses barely covered the bottom to begin with; it wasn’t much. Even though Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue had only taken two small sips, there was very little left.

So, at Jiang Ran’s suggestion, Cheng Mengxue also tilted her head back slightly, pouring the rest of the red wine from her glass into her mouth and finishing it all.

A nearby waiter, who had been holding a bottle of red wine at the ready for some time, stepped forward to pour for the three of them.

Afterward,

The clinking of glasses and lively conversation filled the air.

Wang Hao, unable to contain his excitement at seeing Cheng Mengxue again, was bursting with things to share, endlessly recounting the events of the past two years. Cheng Mengxue did the same, telling them about her life in the United States.

Whenever they brought up stories of their ”iron triangle” from high school, Cheng Mengxue would grow nostalgic, remarking how she had been counting down the days in the United States, desperate to return home and explain everything.

This continued until dessert arrived. An exquisitely made small cake made Cheng Mengxue’s eyes sparkle, and she immediately picked up her fork to taste it.

Behind them, the waiter holding the wine bottle approached.

”Sir, this bottle is empty. Would you like to order another?”

Jiang Ran looked up.

He watched the cheerful, articulate Cheng Mengxue across from him, who was praising the small cake as she ate...

He gave a faint smile and waved the waiter away.

”I don’t think that will be necessary.”

The waiter paused, confused.

He didn’t quite understand what that strange turn of phrase meant.

Was he dissatisfied with the service today? Or perhaps the taste of the wine?

But in any case...

’Not necessary’ certainly meant he didn’t want a second bottle of wine.

He bowed and retreated.

”Very well, sir. Enjoy your meal.”

...

After the waiter left, only the three reunited friends remained in the large private room.

Wang Hao and Cheng Mengxue were deep in cheerful conversation. He even gobbled down the exquisitely crafted, expensive little cake in two bites, an utter waste.

Jiang Ran lowered his head, listlessly cutting his own small cake with a fork, bringing tiny pieces to his mouth.

He was very quiet.

He wasn’t participating in their discussion, not even really listening.

Because, just as he had told the waiter...

It was no longer necessary.

At this point, the truth was obvious. He was now 100% certain—

’The Cheng Mengxue before me is undoubtedly a fake, an impostor.’

A chilling sensation spread through his entire body.

In the scorching heat of August, Jiang Ran couldn’t feel a trace of warmth.

There was no mistaking it.

The three of them had finished an entire bottle of red wine. Although Wang Hao drank the most, Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue had also had a fair amount.

With the real Cheng Mengxue’s tolerance, she should have been passed out by now, blacked out, with her face planted on the table—just like on the luxury cruise ship in World Line 0.

But none of what should have happened had happened.

After drinking so much, Cheng Mengxue was still perfectly sober, laughing and chatting fluently with Wang Hao.

There wasn’t the slightest sign of her being drunk.

It was obvious.

This girl was not Cheng Mengxue at all!

’Let’s take the reasoning a step further.’

’Since she isn’t Cheng Mengxue, then her appearing with Cheng Mengxue’s face—whether through disguise or plastic surgery—at that specific time, at the reunion... what is her goal?’

’To get close to me? Is she after me? Or is this simply a response to Zhou Xiong’s wish, a magic trick from the ”omnipotent” Lilith?’

At this thought, Jiang Ran felt an unexpected sense of relief. ’If this Cheng Mengxue is a fake, it proves that Lilith isn’t ”omnipotent.” Even she, who is seen as a God, can’t truly bring the dead back to life.’

’At least this world is still normal. There are no supernatural phenomena, and no omnipotent gods exist.’

However...

For Jiang Ran, he still needed to raise his guard and maintain a sense of crisis.

’That short film, Genius Playground, was most likely the culprit that threw me into this vortex and put me in the spotlight.’

’This fake Cheng Mengxue’s appearance must also be related to that incident, and to the film company’s exorbitant hush money.’

’She’s either here to test me or to investigate me.’

’In any case, I can’t let my guard down.’

’I have to remain vigilant at all times.’

Until he figured out her background or she revealed her purpose on her own, he had no intention of tipping his hand.

’For now, I’ll just wait and see. If you want to act, then I’ll play along.’

Jiang Ran ate the last piece of his small cake, thinking to himself:

’It’s very likely that the class reunion, Zhou Xiong’s fiasco, and Lilith’s magical wish-granting were all just a play, a setup staged for my benefit.’

’Although I still don’t understand their motive... I’ve basically been targeted by something. I have to be careful from now on.’

Ultimately,

He still had to focus on saving the real Cheng Mengxue and returning to World Line 0.

That was the world that truly belonged to him.

School would start in another month. He would return to East Sea University and continue with his plan.

’As for this complex and bewildering mess... just get lost in the graveyard of a Worldline Jump!’

...

After dinner, the three of them went downstairs.

Jiang Ran called for a designated driver. They would first drop Cheng Mengxue off at her hotel, having already arranged for him to pick her up tomorrow afternoon to go to Qiandao Lake and stay at Xu Yan’s place for a while.

”We’re at the hotel,” the driver said, turning his head.

Since Wang Hao was in the back row and it was inconvenient for him to get out, Jiang Ran got out of the car, retrieved all the shopping bags from the trunk, and offered to help Cheng Mengxue take them up.

Those bags were mostly filled with clothes Cheng Mengxue had bought.

She had been in a hurry coming from the United States and hadn’t brought many clothes. Furthermore, the temperature difference between the US and Hang City was so great that most of the clothes she did bring were unwearable, so she had simply bought some new things while they were at the mall today.

Jiang Ran knocked on the car window and called inside,

”Wang Hao, just wait in the car. I’ll help Xiaoxue take her things up; she can’t carry it all herself.”

”OK.”

Wang Hao made a gesture.

”You go on ahead. I’ll just stay here.”

Following that, Jiang Ran carried the bags, followed Cheng Mengxue into the elevator, and walked her to her room door.

”I won’t go in.”

Jiang Ran stopped at the doorway and handed the bags to Cheng Mengxue.

”Oh, come on. We haven’t seen each other in two years, and you’re being such a stranger!”

Cheng Mengxue shot him a look.

”It’s not like I have anything to hide in my room.”

Jiang Ran smiled but said nothing.

Now,

In his eyes,

The woman before him, this impostor disguised as Cheng Mengxue, was just a stranger with unknown intentions who had nothing to do with him.

Of course he felt nothing, no emotions whatsoever.

It was just as he had thought earlier—

’Since you’re so keen on acting, I’ll play along, right up until you slip up and reveal your true purpose.’

Playing the long game, slowly turning a passive situation into an active one—that was Jiang Ran’s current strategy.

”I’m leaving then,” Jiang Ran said, turning around.

”Hey!”

”Huh?”

Cheng Mengxue called out to him from behind. Jiang Ran turned back.

”What is it?”

He saw...

Cheng Mengxue was biting her lower lip, looking as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.

Finally, she lifted her head.

”Um, that thing you mentioned during dinner, the Time Capsule, the glass bottle, the letter that me and Xu Yan wrote to our future selves twenty years from now...”

”Yeah.”

Jiang Ran nodded.

”What about it?”

”Xu Yan... she didn’t tell you anything, did she?”

Cheng Mengxue toyed with the short hair at the nape of her neck, her gaze shifting.

”She... probably didn’t tell you anything, right? I was a little surprised when you said she still remembered what she wrote in her letter... because we read each other’s letters back then.”

”So, if she remembers the contents of her letter, she should logically remember at least some of the contents of mine. Did she... not tell you?”

Heh.

Jiang Ran laughed coldly in his mind.

’Still acting, still trying to patch up her story, even now. It’s too late.’

”No.”

Jiang Ran shook his head.

”Xu Yan didn’t tell me.”

He wasn’t foolish enough to fall for the fake Cheng Mengxue’s trick. She was clearly just fishing for information.

After all, this was a memory the fake Cheng Mengxue completely lacked. She would surely try everything to find out what was in that letter so she could play the part of Cheng Mengxue better.

Jiang Ran had no intention of letting her succeed.

’Since we’re all acting, let’s just see who’s the better performer.’

He had already made up his mind.

When he got back, he would contact Xu Yan and give her a heads-up about this. Not to explain his judgment about the real and fake Cheng Mengxue, but simply to warn Xu Yan to absolutely not reveal the contents of the letter from the glass bottle to this Cheng Mengxue.

After all...

This was currently the only piece of evidence he had to determine the real from the fake. It had to be protected.

”You really don’t remember?”

The human heart is truly a contradictory thing sometimes.

Looking at this Cheng Mengxue, so real and yet so known to be fake, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but want to give her one last chance...

”Even just one sentence would do.”

He asked one last time:

”From that letter, you can’t remember a single sentence?”

Their eyes met.

Cheng Mengxue pressed her lips together and finally shook her head.

”I’m sorry, Jiang Ran. I really can’t remember. It was too long ago.”

”Alright.”

Jiang Ran smiled, a sense of resolution washing over him, and waved.

”Goodbye. See you tomorrow.”

THUD.

After saying goodbye to Jiang Ran, Cheng Mengxue went into her room, and the door closed.

”Phew...”

Leaning her back against the door, she pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh.

”Honestly, he keeps asking and asking. He must know what was in the letter.”

The girl grumbled under her breath:

”So why does he have to make me say it? He’s so mean... What kind of girl would have the nerve to say something like that out loud...”

She lifted her head, opened her eyes, and huffed softly.

”Jiang Ran, you’re still such a huge idiot.”