Genius Playground

Chapter 320: Chapter 7: Strange World, Strange Senior

“If nothing unexpected happens… we’ll have to repeat it at least three times, for two hours, before you can get out.”

“Three times!!!”

Chi Xiaoguo scrambled backward, her face as red as a monkey’s butt, waving her hands frantically as she shouted:

“No, no, no! Absolutely not! I-I-I-I haven’t even tried it once! I don’t know how to do anything!”

“Hey, whoa, keep your voice down.”

‘If she says no, then that’s that,’ Jiang Ran thought, completely baffled. ‘We can talk about it again once I’m sure the Future World is completely safe. Why is she shouting so loudly?’

He made a shushing gesture and walked over.

“It’s almost eleven o’clock. The other clubs are empty, but if you’re too loud, the staff making their rounds will still hear you.”

“I…”

Chi Xiaoguo’s back was against the door. She watched Jiang Ran approach, her heart racing and her head feeling hot.

Right now, the entire club activities building was pitch-dark.

And in the clubroom, it was just the two of them—dry tinder and a raging fire.

‘And Senior Jiang Ran looks so determined! He’s telling me not to make a sound!’

This…

She gritted her teeth.

A highlight reel of their time together flashed through her mind—

When the Film Club was about to be shut down, Senior Jiang Ran had gone to great lengths to help her save her dream.

The first time she used the Positron Cannon, he’d picked up a film camera—for the first time in his life—and captured that incredibly meaningful photo for her.

When no one showed any interest at the recruitment event, he had encouraged her again and again, and even dragged his friends over to show support, which was the only reason the Film Club could even start its activities.

He said he’d give her a gift for her birthday next year, and he even spent a fortune sponsoring the Film Club, buying film and developing chemicals.

Chi Xiaoguo’s heart beat faster and faster, almost leaping out of her throat!

‘So…’

‘The signs were there all along. I just didn’t realize it.’

‘No.’

‘I’m not made of wood, how could I not have noticed!’

‘It’s just that I have an average face and an average figure. I have to tilt my head up just to talk to Senior Jiang Ran, and I’m so short I can’t even climb over a windowsill on my tiptoes…’

‘I’ve never had any confidence, so I never dared to let my thoughts go there.’

But now.

‘He’s helped me so much, and now he’s being so bold and direct. I… I can’t be unappreciative anymore.’

“O-Okay.”

Chi Xiaoguo gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and braced herself as if she were facing death! Jiang Ran let out a hum of agreement and walked up to her:

“Then… be gentle, I’m afr—” “Then next time it’ll be your turn to use the Positron Cannon.”

…

…

…

…

…

…

Physics textbooks say that absolute zero is just a theoretical value, impossible to actually achieve.

Because atoms can never completely stop moving, some heat will always be generated. Therefore, anywhere in the universe, while temperature has no upper limit, it does have this eternally unreachable lower limit—

Negative 273.15 degrees Celsius.

But at this moment, inside the Film Club room, physics and all that no longer mattered.

This was an absolute zero that surpassed the very limit of the universe, freezing everything in existence… There was no sound, no movement, and no will to live.

“Huh?” “Huh?”

Completely at cross-purposes, Jiang Ran and Chi Xiaoguo stared blankly at one another.

“What are you talking about?”

“Senior, wh-wh-wh-what on earth are you talking about!”

Jiang Ran turned and pointed to the Positron Cannon on the lab bench.

“I was saying, once I’ve confirmed the experimental environment is safe, you can stand outside and answer the phone while I’ll be in charge of activating the Positron Cannon. We’ll swap places, and you…”

SLAM!

A loud noise came from behind him. Jiang Ran turned around to see Chi Xiaoguo bursting out the door! She was running incredibly fast!

“Hey!”

Jiang Ran opened the door, dumbfounded.

“What the heck is going on…”

‘Recalling what Chi Xiaoguo said through gritted teeth… did she tell me to be gentle?’

He scratched his head.

“Be gentle about what?”

“So weird.”