Genius Playground

That’s right.

At this point, nothing else mattered.

’How did Cheng Mengxue die?’

’It didn’t matter.’

’Why did I lose my memory back then?’

’It didn’t matter.’

’Why did we take a detour and miss the exam?’

’It didn’t matter.’

’It didn’t matter, it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter... None of it mattered.’

The only thing that mattered was—

’Find the Positron Cannon, send the Time SMS, and bring Xiaoxue back to life!’

Qin Feng’s tricks and secrets,

Nan Xiuxiu’s relentless pestering,

all of it could wait.

The first priority was to pull Xiaoxue from the grave of this worldline.

Grabbing the Petition Letter filled with signatures, Jiang Ran hurried out of the screening room to find Yan Rui.

...

”You’re really something else, managing to get your hands on this.”

Yan Rui looked at the paper, filled to the brim with signatures, and sighed in amazement.

”I dare say, while this club regulation does exist, this Petition Letter is definitely the first time anyone has actually used it to save a club.”

It was obvious.

After all, someone with this kind of network and influence would never have to worry about their club getting shut down in the first place.

”Still, being able to delay the Film Club’s dissolution for a year is truly a good thing.”

After his initial surprise, Yan Rui’s eyes filled with joy.

”I felt terrible thinking the Film Club would be shut down on my watch. But thanks to you, you’ve extended its life for another year.”

”When the new semester starts and the first-year students arrive, you’ll definitely be able to recruit more like-minded members and get the club running again.”

”Alright, enough about that for now. Let’s head to the club management office to get the club’s status reinstated and transfer the presidency.”

”From now on... you’ll be the master of this activity room, the new president of the Film Club!”

With that, Yan Rui started walking toward the door.

He glanced back as he walked.

”Speaking of which, I still don’t know which school or major you’re in.”

”Uh...”

Jiang Ran scratched his head, unsure how to answer.

At this point, he couldn’t hide his identity any longer. He had to come clean.

”Sorry, Yan Rui. I didn’t get a chance to explain earlier. Actually... I’m not a student at East Sea University. I go to another school.”

???

Yan Rui’s eyes went wide.

”What?”

He never expected Jiang Ran to pull a stunt like this.

”You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’If he isn’t a student at East Sea University, why does he care so much about whether the East Sea University Film Club lives or dies?’

’This makes no sense.’

”Fine, I won’t bother asking about the other stuff, but the problem is...”

Yan Rui frowned.

”If you’re not an East Sea University student, how am I supposed to transfer the presidency to you?”

”No matter how you look at it, a club president can’t be an outside student, can they? That’s ridiculous.”

Jiang Ran sighed, feeling just as helpless.

’Who could he blame? In this worldline, he was just a vocational college student.’

The problem Yan Rui raised was very real. The club presidency could be transferred to anyone—except an outside student.

The best solution would be to find a trustworthy friend from this university to serve as president for the time being.

After all, Jiang Ran’s only goal was the Positron Cannon. He couldn’t care less if the Film Club survived; he just wanted to use the president’s authority to get the Positron Cannon back. That was all.

Unfortunately...

Though he knew many people at East Sea University, after the timeline changed, those former friends didn’t know him at all, so he couldn’t ask them for help.

Seeing Jiang Ran fall silent, Yan Rui understood he was in a bind.

He, too, wanted the Film Club to continue. He looked down at the hard-won Petition Letter, closed his eyes, and tried to think of a way out.

”Oh, right.”

He clapped his hands suddenly, remembering someone.

”That’s it! About two months ago, a sophomore girl came to me and said she wanted to join the Film Club.”

”But at that time, the club’s status had already been revoked, and I was busy with my thesis defense, so I turned her down.”

”The girl seemed to really love film photography—a true enthusiast. She held me up talking about it for a long time... Of course, I didn’t understand a word. After all, I was just roped in by my seniors to fill the numbers myself.”

”If you don’t mind, I could call her over and have her take over as the Film Club’s president. What do you think?”

Jiang Ran couldn’t ask for more.

”Of course, that’s no problem at all!”

’This was a godsend.’

He only wanted the Positron Cannon; he couldn’t care less who became the Film Club’s president. It could be a person or a ghost for all he cared.

”Okay, I’ll call her over.”

Yan Rui took out his phone and sent the girl a message.

「A dozen minutes later.」

A hurried figure arrived at the speed of light.

”Is it really true!?”

She stared at the Petition Letter in disbelief, then looked up at Jiang Ran.

”Senior! You’re amazing! You actually saved the Film Club!”

”No, no, no.”

Jiang Ran waved his hands.

”I’m not your senior. We’re both sophomores, in the same year.”

”But you look older than me~” the girl retorted playfully.

Jiang Ran and Yan Rui looked at her, speechless...

She was petite, at most five-foot-one, and that was with platform shoes on.

Her voice was soft and cute, her face was babyish, she wore an adorable dress, and her hair was tied up in two small buns.

With a chibi-like college student like her, who wouldn’t look older in comparison!

If he saw her off-campus, Jiang Ran would have absolutely thought she was an elementary schooler. He felt like just talking to her could be a crime.

During the dozen minutes they were waiting, Yan Rui had given him a brief introduction.

The girl’s name was Chi Xiaoguo. She was from Guangxi, which explained her petite frame and her sweet, singsong voice.

Her name suited her; she was indeed a very cute loli and seemed like a complete mismatch for an ancient artifact like a film camera.

”So, that means the Film Club can continue, and I can join it!”

Chi Xiaoguo grinned, revealing two prominent canine teeth, and looked at Yan Rui.

”Right, Senior? That’s how it is, right?”

Yan Rui nodded.

”That’s right. With this Petition Letter, as long as I transfer the presidency to you, we can delay the club’s dissolution for a year.”

”If you can recruit enough members within that year, the Film Club can continue on as normal.”

”Yay! This is great!”

Chi Xiaoguo’s eyes were sparkling.

”Gosh, sometimes I think I’m so lucky it’s hard to believe.”

”The Film Club was about to be shut down, but it was saved at the last second. It’s just like when I applied to East Sea University. It looked hopeless, but I never expected that—”

”I would end up getting accepted into the School of Fine Arts with the very last spot in the entire program!”

”Hehe, ’just when all hope seems lost, a path reveals itself.’ It seems like things always work out for me at the last minute.”

...

’The School of Fine Arts... that was the school Cheng Mengxue was in before the worldline changed.’

’The last spot.’

’So lucky.’

If she had scored one point lower, or if just one more person had applied, Chi Xiaoguo would have failed and never made it into East Sea University.

Huh?

Jiang Ran’s heart skipped a beat.

’One more person...’

’The last spot...’

”What’s your major?”

Jiang Ran already had a premonition.

”It’s not... the Art and Design program, is it?”

”Huh?”

Chi Xiaoguo blinked, clearly surprised he had guessed correctly.

She was a little shocked.

”Yeah, Senior. I’m in Art and Design Class 2306. How did you guess...?”

Jiang Ran looked at Chi Xiaoguo without a word.

’Art and Design Class 2306.’

’That was the exact class Cheng Mengxue was in before the worldline changed.’

Jiang Ran knew very well that there were 26 students in Cheng Mengxue’s class—10 boys and 16 girls. And none of them were named Chi Xiaoguo.

’A closed loop.’

He understood it now.

’This was the Butterfly Effect closing the temporal loop.’

The number of students admitted to each university program is fixed.

Admit one more high-scoring student, and one low-scoring student must be cut. For every person who makes the list, another is knocked off.

In the original worldline, Chi Xiaoguo was undoubtedly one of the students who failed, missing her chance to be admitted to East Sea University by a single spot.

But after the worldline shifted, history changed, and the trajectory of Chi Xiaoguo’s life changed along with it.

Cheng Mengxue died unexpectedly two years ago, so she naturally never filled out her college application, and never came to study at East Sea University.

The Butterfly Effect rippled out, affecting the life of a little girl from Guangxi, thousands of miles away.

Cheng Mengxue’s absence opened up one more admission slot in the Art and Design program, allowing one more student to be accepted.

And the girl who ”replaced” Cheng Mengxue, coming to study at East Sea University,

the girl whose fate was altered by the Butterfly Effect...

was none other than Chi Xiaoguo.