Genius Playground

”Okay.”

Jiang Ran nodded firmly.

”I promise.”

...

The Aito M9 sped down the road, heading for the hotel where Cheng Mengxue was staying.

Jiang Ran and Wang Hao sat in the front, discussing their plan.

”Wang Hao, I’ll be responsible for getting Xu Yan’s father’s hair. You take care of getting Xiaoxue’s hair,” Jiang Ran said, his hands on the steering wheel.

He’d already tested the waters too many times, and to avoid spooking her, it was better to leave getting Cheng Mengxue’s hair to Wang Hao.

”No problem.”

Wang Hao snapped his fingers.

”Don’t worry, I’ve already got a plan. After we pick up Xiaoxue, I’ll have her sit in the passenger seat while I move to the back.”

After finalizing their discussion, the car pulled up to the hotel entrance.

Cheng Mengxue was standing by the roadside with two large suitcases, waving at Jiang Ran. They had contacted her on the way, so she had packed her bags, checked out of the room, and was waiting for them.

Wang Hao opened the passenger door, hopped out, and yawned.

”Yaaawn— I didn’t sleep well last night. Hey, uh, Xiaoxue, why don’t you take the front seat? I’ll go to the back, recline the chair, and get some sleep.”

”Okay.”

After Wang Hao helped her put the suitcases in the trunk, Cheng Mengxue got right into the passenger seat. Wang Hao, in turn, moved to the second-row captain’s chair, lay back, and went to sleep.

「They set off.」

On the highway, Cheng Mengxue was as chatty as ever. She talked about her worries about seeing Xu Yan soon, her joy that her parents were about to move back to the country to settle down, and the latest news and lore for Rhine Cat. She even said that since Jiang Ran was so rich now, he should give her a huge Rhine Cat as a welcome-home gift!

”Sure,” Jiang Ran casually agreed.

That amount of money was just a drop in the bucket for him now.

He recalled that time in Teacher Zhang Yang’s general studies class when Cheng Mengxue had asked him for a Rhine Cat as a gift. The 3,000-yuan price tag had nearly given Jiang Ran a heart attack.

But now, with 12 million yuan sitting in his bank account—a sum that barely seemed to decrease no matter how much he spent—he could afford to buy every style of Rhine Cat in the world, hundreds of times over.

’But... the childhood friend he knew best, the one who should be by his side, was already gone.’

’It was the feeling of wanting to buy osmanthus wine and sail together again, only to realize it would never be the same as when they were young. That was his state of mind.’

”Can I pick a specific one?” Cheng Mengxue asked.

”You can.”

”Well... the one I’ve always wanted is really expensive, you know!” Cheng Mengxue reminded him.

”Heh.”

Jiang Ran signaled left and overtook another car.

”How expensive can it be? It’s still just a Rhine Cat.”

”Hehe, then I won’t hold back!”

Cheng Mengxue rubbed her hands together gleefully and giggled.

”There’s a limited-edition Rhine Cat I’ve wanted to buy for a long time but could never bring myself to. Since Jiang the Tycoon is treating me—”

”It’s the Rice Cooker Rhine Cat!”

SCREEECH—

He slammed on the brakes.

Wang Hao tumbled from the back seat into the front.

”Wha’s happenin’?!”

Cheng Mengxue rubbed the back of her head.

Jiang Ran’s sudden braking had thrown her forward with the momentum, and it felt like her hair had gotten caught on something... There had been a sharp tug.

”It’s nothing,”

Jiang Ran said with a wry smile.

”My foot got stuck. These shoes I’m wearing today are a little uncomfortable.”

”Can you even drive?!”

Wang Hao roared.

”Let Xiaoyi drive!”

Then, Wang Hao grumbled as he went back to his seat to sleep. While scratching his head with his left hand, he casually yet deliberately gave Jiang Ran a thumbs-up.

Jiang Ran saw it crystal clear in the rearview mirror.

’Which meant... the plan was a success. He had Cheng Mengxue’s hair!’

”The Rice Cooker Rhine Cat, huh...”

Jiang Ran continued the conversation.

”Is it expensive?”

”Of course! It costs 7,000 yuan!”

’Great.’

’The price went up again.’

Jiang Ran suddenly had the urge to recommend this thing to his third roommate as an investment product. It seemed to be steadily appreciating in value at a rate of 1,000 yuan per month.

’But... why was the Rhine Cat that this Cheng Mengxue wanted most also astonishingly the same as in World Line 0?’

There were many limited-edition Rhine Cats. The Rice Cooker Rhine Cat was neither the most expensive, nor the rarest, nor the best-looking.

This coincidence that transcended world lines made Jiang Ran’s sense of reason blur once again.

’Real.’

’Fake.’

’He was finding it harder and harder to tell the difference...’

Maybe, just as Wang Hao had said, a DNA test was the most convincing proof.

...

Arriving at Qiandao Lake, they followed the GPS to Xu Yan’s house, where her family was already waiting eagerly at the door.

”Xiaoxue!!”

The moment Cheng Mengxue got out of the car, Xu Yan’s tear ducts gave way, and she rushed forward for a hug, crying out her name.

’Come to think of it...’

’In all these years, this was the first time Jiang Ran had ever seen Xu Yan cry.’

’Who would have thought that this ”adult,” who had always been as reliable as an older sister, could cry too.’

Xu Yan’s parents were even more overcome with emotion.

Even though they had heard the story from Xu Yan and were mentally prepared, the moment a real, living person stood before them, they trembled all over, unable to speak.

”Seems like getting Xu Yan’s family to accept this wasn’t nearly as difficult as Xiaoxue thought it would be,”

Wang Hao muttered from behind Jiang Ran.

Then he opened his palm to show off his prize.

”Look, I got Xiaoxue’s hair. We make a perfect team! You could call us the Hao-Ran duo—full of righteous spirit, a perfect double!”

”That’s *couple*...” Jiang Ran corrected.

But to be fair, their teamwork on the highway had been quite good.

It had all gone according to plan.

Wang Hao had pretended to be asleep in the back while actually looking for an opportunity to tuck a few strands of Cheng Mengxue’s hair into a seat crevice, or better yet, wrap them around something.

That way, when Jiang Ran found an opportunity to slam on the brakes, the immense inertia would throw Cheng Mengxue forward, likely yanking out a few hairs.

And Wang Hao, using the momentum that ”tumbled” him into the front seat as a cover, would retrieve the snagged hair, completing the perfect, undetectable crime.