Genius Playground

Fang Ze casually flipped through the book and smiled.

Then he looked up at Jiang Ran.

”Just like Teacher Zhang Yang said, you’re a very interesting and knowledgeable person. Teacher Zhang also said you’re a super-genius, incredibly smart, and that your perspective is different from ordinary people... To be honest, I’m really looking forward to it.”

”Ahahaha...”

Jiang Ran let out an awkward laugh and tried to change the subject.

’Looks like Zhang Yang has already been bragging about his ’Senior Brother from the Sect.’ Did he want to use me to put this Harvard top student in his place?’

’Forget it.’

For some reason, Jiang Ran felt that Teacher Zhang was getting closer and closer to utter ruin and disrepute.

”Let me help you unpack,” Fang Ze offered, stepping forward.

”No, no, it’s fine.”

Jiang Ran waved his hand.

”I can get it myself. I don’t want to trouble you.”

”Is this all you have?”

Fang Ze asked, confused.

”I don’t see any bedding or toiletries...”

”Oh, right, that’s all at Teacher Zhang Yang’s place.”

Jiang Ran explained to Fang Ze that he had moved his things into Zhang Yang’s faculty apartment before the summer break.

Although Fang Ze was all skinny arms and legs and looked rather frail, like a pretty boy, he was very enthusiastic and insisted on going with Jiang Ran to move his things.

Unfortunately, Jiang Ran didn’t have the key right now.

To move his stuff, he would have to wait until the afternoon, after checking in with Zhang Yang at the lab, to get the apartment key and then go move it.

DING-DONG.

A WeChat notification sounded.

Jiang Ran picked up his phone to check. It was a message from Cheng Mengxue, saying she would arrive at the entrance of East Sea University in twenty minutes.

Jiang Ran typed a reply, telling her he would go meet her.

”Well, Fang Ze, I’m heading out for a bit.”

Jiang Ran pulled open the door.

”I’m going to the campus gate to meet a friend. She’s also back from abroad and isn’t very familiar with East Sea University, so I’m going to take her to register and handle some paperwork.”

”Anyway, I’ll see you this afternoon. We have an introductory class then, so we can talk more.”

”Okay.”

Fang Ze waved goodbye to Jiang Ran.

BANG.

The door closed, and the two-person dorm room instantly fell silent.

Fang Ze closed the book in his hands.

He stood up from his chair.

He walked over to the window and looked outside. A few dozen seconds later, Jiang Ran’s figure appeared. With his hands in his pockets, he walked out of the dormitory’s main entrance and headed toward the campus gate.

”Jiang... Ran...”

Fang Ze narrowed his eyes, a slight smile on his face as he watched the retreating figure.

”An interesting person.”

...

After helping Cheng Mengxue complete all the enrollment procedures and dropping her luggage off at her dorm, the two of them strolled around campus.

”Jiang Ran, how are you so good at this!”

Cheng Mengxue was amazed the entire time.

”Isn’t this your first day of school too? But you’re so familiar with every aspect of East Sea University... It’s like you’re an upperclassman who’s been studying here for years!”

”Heh.”

Jiang Ran let out a soft laugh.

”The system for universities in this country is pretty much the same. Once you’ve been to one, you can naturally figure out the others.”

Unable to explain his familiarity with East Sea University, he could only take advantage of Cheng Mengxue’s lack of knowledge. After all, the Cheng Mengxue of this world line had no idea what universities here were really like.

”The campus here is so beautiful.”

Cheng Mengxue gazed at the beautiful scenery of East Sea University, her eyes wide with wonder, and couldn’t stop praising it.

”It’s much prettier than universities in the United States.”

Her reaction was truly that of a new student...

This couldn’t help but remind Jiang Ran of World Line 0, when he, Qin Feng, and Cheng Mengxue had first stepped onto the East Sea University campus, just as stunned.

First, by the sheer size of the campus, and second, by its beauty.

It was worthy of being a TOP 3 university in the country. Although... there was a joke that while TOP 1 is Qinghua and TOP 2 is Peking University, there are seven or eight universities that claim to be TOP 3...

”Jiang Ran, what’s Teacher Zhang Yang like?”

Cheng Mengxue asked curiously.

”What kind of person is he?”

”Teacher Zhang is a pretty good guy, just a bit of a goofball.”

Thinking of Zhang Yang’s lesser-known side, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but sigh.

”Of course, he’s only goofy in private. He’s very serious in the classroom.”

”Don’t worry, he’ll definitely be thrilled that you chose him as your advisor. After all... how should I put this... due to some special circumstances, his stable of students is a bit... barren.”

After speaking, he looked at his watch.

”Let me take you to the cafeteria for a meal. Then you can go back to your dorm to get settled, and in the afternoon, we’ll go to the lab together to report to Teacher Zhang Yang. The schedule says the first period is an introductory class, so he’ll probably have something to tell us.”

He took out his phone, opened WeChat, and looked at his chat with Teacher Zhang Yang.

Still no reply.

’That’s strange.’

Teacher Zhang Yang hadn’t replied since yesterday.

’Is it because the semester is about to start, so he’s busy?’

’I don’t know.’

Jiang Ran shook his head.

It didn’t matter, anyway. He would definitely see him at the introductory class in the afternoon. Teacher Zhang Yang had a very dedicated attitude toward teaching; he would never miss a class, nor would he allow his students to.

...

「Afternoon.」

Jiang Ran, Fang Ze, and Cheng Mengxue arrived at the lab together to wait for Teacher Zhang Yang.

As fellow students under the same advisor—senior and junior, brother and sister—the three of them quickly started chatting. Since Fang Ze and Cheng Mengxue were both exchange students from the United States, they naturally had a lot in common and had a pleasant conversation.

Through their chat, Jiang Ran also learned that Fang Ze had grown up abroad. He started in the United Kingdom, then went to Germany, and had been to some other countries in between... before finally attending Harvard for university.

A very complicated history. One look and you could tell he wasn’t from an ordinary family.

You could see it in his demeanor.

An ordinary family couldn’t raise such a beautiful man, as handsome as a character from a manga. That kind of air is built with money.

”Huh? Why isn’t Teacher Zhang Yang here yet?”

Cheng Mengxue took out her phone and showed the time to the other two.

”Look, class started twenty minutes ago.”

”How strange...”

Jiang Ran opened his WeChat conversation with Teacher Zhang Yang again. Still no reply.

On World Line 0, the three of them had accompanied Qin Feng to Teacher Zhang Yang’s general education course. Across all those classes, Teacher Zhang Yang had never once been late.

He was always the first to arrive and the last to leave, his attitude toward teaching exceptionally serious.

’What’s going on today?’

He’s not only late, but he’s not replying to messages either.

’Could it be... something happened?’

CLACK.

CLACK. CLACK.

CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.

CLACK. CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.

From outside the door came the sudden, steady, rhythmic sound of approaching leather shoes.

”Teacher Zhang is here,” Fang Ze noted.

The three of them immediately sat up straight in their chairs and looked toward the classroom door.

And then they saw.

A young, handsome man with a stylish center-parted hairstyle and gold-rimmed glasses strode in coolly!

He said nothing, his icy gaze sweeping over the three students in the lab as he walked straight to the lectern.

Jiang Ran froze.

’Who’s this?’

’This is obviously not Teacher Zhang Yang!’

’What’s he doing here?’

’Did he walk into the wrong classroom?’

”Your Teacher Zhang Yang was in a car accident. He can’t come to class.”

Leaning on the lectern, the man in the gold-rimmed glasses spoke in a sharp voice.

”Therefore, for the time being, I will be temporarily replacing Zhang Yang as your advisor.”

WHOOSH!

Jiang Ran shot to his feet.

’A car accident?’

In an instant, the images of Cheng Mengxue being sent flying by a car and Zhou Xiong being crushed into a pulp flashed through his mind.

He quickly pulled out his phone to call Teacher Zhang Yang—

”Jiang Ran.”

The teacher with the gold-rimmed glasses fixed him with a sharp gaze.

”The teacher is speaking. Don’t be so ill-mannered. Sit down and be quiet.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was filled with pressure.

SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH. SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH.

The teacher with the gold-rimmed glasses picked up a piece of chalk and forcefully wrote two words on the blackboard:

[Yan Chonghan]

”This is my name.”

He flicked his finger, and the chalk nub flew in a parabola, landing perfectly in the chalk box.

”You can call me Teacher Yan. And as my name suggests, I am very strict.”

”Now then, enough nonsense.”

He stood up straight and looked down at the three of them.

”We will now...”

”...begin class.”