Genius Playground

”So, I really do need some time to deal with this. Could you please help me keep Xiaoxue distracted for a while? Just act the way you always do around her. Don’t let her notice anything’s off.”

...

Xu Yan lowered her head, her heart heavy with worry.

But in the end, she agreed. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she stood up:

”I still hope that, in the end, this all turns out to be nothing more than a farce.”

Jiang Ran stood up as well:

”That would be a happy ending for everyone, of course.”

’Unfortunately...’

He knew better.

’How could it ever be that simple?’

The two left the milk tea shop and walked side-by-side down the sidewalk, heading back toward the East Sea University campus.

They didn’t exchange a single word the entire way.

Anyone would be on edge after encountering something so bizarre and menacing.

”You have to pull yourself together when you get back to campus.”

Seeing how dispirited Xu Yan was, Jiang Ran quickly tried to comfort her:

”If you stay this down, Xiaoxue will easily figure out something is wrong.”

”Don’t worry.”

Xu Yan took a deep breath and lifted her head:

”I’m not that fragile.”

She smiled.

And just like that, she was back to being the ever-reliable, ever-mature older sister:

”I’ve been through plenty in my life. I can handle a lot more than you might think.”

”So, just leave everything on campus to me. I promise nothing will go wrong.”

”The day after tomorrow is Xiaoxue’s birthday, so we’ll be busy preparing things for the next couple of days. You go do what you need to do. I’ll keep a close eye on Xiaoxue the entire time and report to you immediately if anything comes up.”

...

After seeing Xu Yan back to campus, Jiang Ran turned, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the East Sea University First Affiliated Hospital.

He wanted to see what condition Tian Xiaoli was in now.

This was very important.

Because this would be a direct test of just what kind of ”Divine Power” the Priest from the Regrets Mutual Aid Association truly possessed.

And if this ”Divine Power” was really capable of bringing the dead back to life, then he had to entertain a reasonable suspicion—

’Cheng Mengxue, who suddenly appeared at the class reunion, might have a strong connection to the Regrets Mutual Aid Association.’

So far, Jiang Ran had three theories about the real situation with Cheng Mengxue:

1. She was the real Cheng Mengxue, and this whole mess was just a misunderstanding.

This view was supported by a lot of data. The only things that couldn’t be explained were the issue with her student records at the University of Pennsylvania and that overgrown yard.

2. She was an impostor, some other girl who had used disguises or plastic surgery to look like Cheng Mengxue in order to get close to him.

This theory felt a bit conspiratorial, but it wasn’t impossible. The only thing hard to explain was... she possessed all of Xiaoxue’s memories, habits, and even feelings—things that would be incredibly difficult to fake.

3. She had been resurrected—brought back from the dead—by the power of Lilith or by the power of the Priest from the Regrets Mutual Aid Association.

This theory was the most fantastical, but if he could really accept this premise, a lot of the logic would fall into place.

If she had been brought back from the dead, then the past two years would naturally be a blank slate for this newly born Cheng Mengxue.

It was just...

His years of education, rooted in scientific materialism, made it very difficult for Jiang Ran to accept such an unscientific event.

Granted, his own Positron Cannon and Time SMS could also ”bring people back from the dead,” but that was fundamentally a world-line shift, not someone being conjured from thin air like Cheng Mengxue.

’Anyway, I’ll go check on Tian Xiaoli first.’

Jiang Ran watched the scenery fly by outside the taxi window, the image of that emaciated little girl in a vegetative state appearing in his mind.

’Priest. Lilith. Do you two really have the power... to bring the dead back to life?’

...

He arrived at the East Sea University First Affiliated Hospital.

Just as he went upstairs, he ran into Tian Xiaoli’s attending physician.

”Jiang Ran?”

The doctor was an acquaintance of Teacher Zhang Yang and Dean Gao Yan, so he still remembered Jiang Ran’s name:

”What are you doing here?”

”I wanted to see Tian Xiaoli.”

Jiang Ran pointed toward the rehabilitation ward at the other end of the hall:

”Is that alright?”

”...”

The attending physician looked at Jiang Ran and fell silent, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.

Finally.

He patted Jiang Ran’s shoulder:

”Come with me to my office.”

Once in the office, the attending physician pulled Jiang Ran directly in front of the computer and opened several CT scan images:

”Remember last time you were here, four days ago, I showed you Tian Xiaoli’s brain CT scan?”

”I remember.” Jiang Ran nodded.

Back then, the attending physician had shown him two comparison images. After just one day of being awake, Tian Xiaoli’s previously atrophied brain tissue had already miraculously begun to redevelop.

”Then take a look at this. This is the latest brain CT, scanned this morning.”

CLICK.

A double-click of the mouse opened an image.

Jiang Ran looked at the black-and-white image and couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath—

It was full.

Completely full.

The CT scan clearly showed that Tian Xiaoli’s brain cavity was completely filled!

No empty space, no atrophy. The entire cranial cavity was filled with a brain brimming with vigorous life. Just looking at the CT image, you could feel that life force.

”And that’s not all.”

The attending physician’s brow was tightly furrowed:

”It’s only been four days since she woke up, and Xiaoli’s language functions, sight, hearing, and even her ability to listen, speak, read, and write have all returned to their pre-coma state.”

”Her memory stops in her teens, and she still remembers the moment she fell from the roof... It’s just unimaginable. A normal person’s memory is a bit foggy even after sleeping in, but she was asleep for ten years, and her memories are still so clear.”

”And you know what’s even more terrifying?”

The attending physician looked up, his eyes reflecting a deep questioning of his own degree, his knowledge, and his many years of medical experience:

”Jiang Ran, you would never imagine this, but the muscles in Xiaoli’s limbs, which had been atrophied for years... have actually started to redevelop and recover. Her skin and hair are the same, recovering even faster than a normal person’s!”

”Can you comprehend how absurd this is? For other patients in vegetative states, or even conscious paralyzed patients, their families help them with physical therapy every day, and even that can’t stop the continued muscle atrophy.”

”But with Xiaoli, even if she just lies in bed all day doing nothing, her muscles are slowly recovering. You can see her arms and legs visibly starting to fill out... Of course, her appetite is huge, too. She has to eat a lot every day and also needs nutritional supplements.”

”We’ve drawn her blood, run a lot of tests, and all her vitals are completely normal. There’s no theory that can explain what’s happening to her. You... sigh. These past few days, I’ve really started to question the reality of this world.”

Jiang Ran watched the attending physician continuously scratch his head.

Only then did he understand why the doctor’s expression had been so unsettled earlier and why he had immediately pulled him into the office.

The only person who could likely empathize with the doctor about this bizarre event was Jiang Ran himself, who had made those wild statements during their last meeting.

”So...”

Jiang Ran looked at the attending physician, who was in the middle of an existential crisis:

”Doctor, would you call this a medical miracle?”

Then.

The chief physician, who had been a commanding figure in the medical world for many years, let out a self-deprecating laugh:

”Heh, a medical miracle?”

He shook his head and sighed:

”In all of history, in all the years of modern medical development, there has never been a case this outrageous.”

”I don’t think the word ’miracle’ is enough to describe what’s happened to Tian Xiaoli.”

”It’s not just me. In the last few days, many domestic experts have heard about Tian Xiaoli’s case and have come to consult. In the end, we all reached the same conclusion: a situation like this, like a ’rebirth,’ should be fundamentally impossible.”

”But the facts are right in front of our eyes, so who can deny them? If I had to use one word to describe what happened to Tian Xiaoli... although it’s not very appropriate for me to say this as a medical professional, I really can’t find a more suitable descriptor—”

The attending physician swallowed hard, forcing the words he was so reluctant to admit from his throat:

”A divine miracle!”