Genius Playground

A passenger ferry on the river sounded its horn, carrying tourists upstream.

Birds skipped across the water’s surface, taking flight and leaving behind intersecting ripples.

Jiang Ran turned his head to look at Cheng Mengxue, her eyes red and puffy. He said nothing.

’Is there any way... to prevent a tragedy like this?’

’There is.’

’Of course there is.’

’The Positron Cannon and the Time SMS.’

’As long as they could master this power—an ability great enough to change history and reshape world lines—they could prevent any tragedy.’

On World Line 0, they had indeed mastered such a power.

That was a few months ago, when Xu Yan had died after jumping into the river to save someone.

Back then, the trio of Jiang Ran, Qin Feng, and Cheng Mengxue had just left the hospital. They had sat right here, by the Huangpu River, gazing at the same scenery and feeling the same river breeze. Just like now, Cheng Mengxue had tugged on the corner of Jiang Ran’s shirt, looked up with tear-filled eyes, and asked:

”If we use the Positron Cannon and send a Time SMS to our past selves... can’t we change history and bring Sister Xu Yan back to life?”

...

But things were different now.

Not only had their once-inseparable trio fallen apart, but the precious Positron Cannon had also malfunctioned, losing its ability to send a Time SMS.

’So...’

”There’s no way.”

Jiang Ran said softly.

”If there were... this world wouldn’t have so many regrets.”

Afterward, the three of them took a car back to East Sea University.

The university had strict access control. Every student had to pass through a facial recognition scan for identity verification, followed by a metal detector, to ensure absolute security.

After eating lunch in the cafeteria, they went their separate ways back to their dorms to prepare for afternoon classes.

University students were a resilient bunch. The campus quickly returned to its pre-suspension state—bustling, youthful, and full of life, as if nothing had ever happened.

The police cordon around the lab building was gone, and classes were proceeding as scheduled.

The only difference was that the trendy, handsome young teacher with the gold-rimmed glasses would never again be seen in this building, nor would the small, three-person class that always ended on time.

Teacher Zhang Yang needed to recuperate until after the national holiday to return. This meant that for the time being, Jiang Ran, Fang Ze, and Cheng Mengxue were left to their own devices, only needing to attend their scheduled classes.

Sadness and regret were one thing, but time waits for no one. Life had to go on, especially on campus.

During an afternoon class, Chi Xiaoguo messaged Jiang Ran. She told him she had finished all the prep work, and the Film Club could finally start its activities again!

”Yay! The day is finally here!!!”

Jiang Ran could clearly sense her excitement from the flood of emojis and exclamation points.

”Let’s have our first club activity tonight! It’ll also be the first time all the members officially meet!”

”Even though you know Fang Ze and Sister Mengxue really well, I only said hi to them at the recruitment fair. We haven’t been properly introduced yet!”

Jiang Ran’s fingers tapped on his phone screen as he replied:

”Sounds good. You pick a time, and I’ll bring them with me.”

That’s how it was with many things in this world.

As some people left, others arrived.

It was true for Worldline Jumps, and it was true for the rise and fall of the Film Club.

Tonight, the once-moribund Film Club was finally being reborn after several years, heralding the start of a new era!

’Does she have any plans?’

Jiang Ran asked Chi Xiaoguo:

”What do you have in mind for the first club activity?”

”First, we can all introduce ourselves, get to know each other, and share some tips on film photography!”

Chi Xiaoguo was as optimistic as ever, her ideas as rosy as a dream:

”Then, we can set our goals for the new semester! Competing in the nationals is probably unrealistic... but we can start with something smaller, like placing in a small photography contest!”

Watching the girl with the Nezha hairstyle get as fired up as a character in *Boruto*, Jiang Ran let out a soft chuckle. He didn’t have the heart to crush her enthusiasm.

’Ah, President Xiaoguo...’

’You have no idea what a bunch of incompetent hacks you’ve recruited!’

’I was only here for the Positron Cannon—it was the same on both world lines. I have zero interest in film photography.’

’Cheng Mengxue and Fang Ze are even more hopeless. They’re only here as a favor to me and don’t know the first thing about film photography.’

’No exaggeration, the three of us put together probably couldn’t manage to take a single decent picture with a film camera.’

”Good luck! It’s all up to you now!”

Jiang Ran sent back a cheering emoji to encourage Chi Xiaoguo.

’This cheerful girl has helped me so much. She even found ways to comfort me back when I was at my lowest...’

’Come what may, I have to help her make the Film Club a success.’

So.

「7:30 PM.」

All four members of the Film Club were gathered in the cramped activity room, ready to start their first meeting right on time.

”Wow, this room has such an old-school vibe.”

This was Cheng Mengxue’s first time stepping into the Film Club on World Line 1.

She looked around curiously at the various old objects, poking one thing and peering at another like a curious child.

Fang Ze walked over to a shelf, examining the antique cameras that were older than he was.

”No offense, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen an old film camera in person. For as long as I can remember, the only cameras I’ve been around were digital.”

”And by the time I started elementary school... smartphones were everywhere and had long since replaced digital cameras as the go-to for photos and videos.”