Wang Hao switched to another webpage and showed it to Jiang Ran:
“Look—this says that with current technology, cloning is still far from mature. It’s nowhere near the level you see in sci-fi movies.”
“The donor’s appearance can be replicated, but—”
“More importantly, clones absolutely do not have mories. mory cos from acquired life experience, not sothing innate. So look—Xiaoxue rembers everything that happened before.”
“That ans, as long as we can prove at the DNA level that Xiaoxue is real, then she must be real!”
Jiang Ran nodded.
“Your theory isn’t bad. But the question is—where are you going to get Xiaoxue’s previous DNA?”
“What do you an?”
Jiang Ran couldn’t believe his ears:
“Wang Hao! How did you even co up with sothing that outrageous?!”
“I learned it from sothing I read before,” Wang Hao said bluntly.
“Digging up a grave isn’t tomb robbery. We just need to take a little bit of the ashes and run a DNA test.”
“Stop, stop, stop!”
Jiang Ran imdiately cut him off:
“First of all, Xiaoxue’s urn is buried at Jingshan Bamboo Cetery. There are guards, caras, surveillance recordings. In terms of security, it’s honestly worse than robbing a tomb in the wilderness—I guarantee the mont you start digging, security will already be on their way.”
“Second, have you actually read about how ashes are ford? They’re the result of cremation at 2000 degrees. At that temperature, all cellular and molecular structures are completely destroyed. There’s no possibility of DNA testing.”
“Huh?”
Wang Hao looked disappointed:
“So ashes really can’t be used for DNA testing?”
“Of course not!”
The 680-score top student began explaining:
“The DNA double helix is a nucleic acid structure. I won’t get into the complicated parts, but high-temperature cremation destroys all molecular structures. Ashes absolutely cannot be used for DNA analysis.”
“Then Xu Yan can!” Wang Hao proposed again.
“Xu Yan is Cheng ngxue’s cousin—they must share a blood relationship!”
Jiang Ran thought for a mont, then nodded:
“That could work. But if you really want to test DNA and determine kinship, Xu Yan’s father—Cheng ngxue’s maternal uncle—would be even more suitable. Biologically, Cheng ngxue and Xu Yan’s father are in an uncle–niece relationship. And he and Cheng ngxue’s mother are full siblings from the sa mother. That kind of relationship can definitely be detected through DNA testing.”
“Then let’s test!”
Wang Hao shot to his feet, excited:
“We’re going to Xu Yan’s house today anyway. We just need to find a way to get Xiaoxue’s hair—and her dad’s hair!”
As his excitent faded, Wang Hao looked at Jiang Ran, his expression gradually turning somber.
He placed his right hand on Jiang Ran’s shoulder.
Took a deep breath.
“Brother… honestly, seeing you like this right now—it really hurts.”
“I thought Xiaoxue coming back from the United States and clearing up everything from back then was such a good thing. Your best childhood friend is back. My best high school friend is back. Our iron triangle is together again.”
“I thought there wouldn’t be a happier mont than this.”
“But look at you now… Xiaoxue is clearly real. Everyone says she’s real. And yet you’re the only one insisting she’s fake.”
“You’re not the only one who grew up with her. So many classmates spent three years with her. Teacher Gao watched her grow up. And now she’s even going to her uncle’s house… Do you really think we wouldn’t know if she were fake?”
“So this DNA test—I want it to be the [last ti].”
Wang Hao looked at Jiang Ran with complete sincerity.
“In the past two days, you’ve already proven it—Xiaoxue’s mories are real, her personality is real, the way she feels to people is real.”
“So if this DNA test proves that her body and bloodline are also real… Jiang Ran, I hope this ends here. Just accept that Xiaoxue has co back.”
“[If a person’s body, mind, mories, past, personality, and the feeling they give are all identical to Xiaoxue, then there is absolutely no need to doubt it—this person is Xiaoxue!]”
“I really don’t want to see the three of us, who used to be closest in the world, turn into this—doubting each other, scheming against each other.”
“Jiang Ran… promise . This is the last ti. Okay?”
Facing Wang Hao’s sincere and serious gaze, Jiang Ran fell silent.
What he had done over the past two days—
had hurt not only Cheng ngxue, but Wang Hao as well.
He couldn’t refute a single word.
If a person’s body, mind, and mories were all identical to the original—
there was indeed no reason to deny they were the sa person.
[The last ti.]
Jiang Ran also felt—
it was ti to bring this to a final conclusion.
Even if that conclusion was only temporary.
There were still many things waiting for him in the days ahead. He didn’t have ti to keep wasting it here.
If this Xiaoxue was real, then all the better.
If she was fake—then he would simply ignore her.
After all…
Jiang Ran’s ultimate goal was still to return to Worldline 0—
to find the undisputed Xiaoxue,
to reclaim the life they had lost,
to return to their days in the Film Cara Club at Donghai University.
“Alright.”
Jiang Ran nodded heavily.
“I promise you.”
The Wenjie M9 sped along the road, heading toward the hotel where Cheng ngxue was staying.
Jiang Ran and Wang Hao sat in the front, discussing the plan.
“Wang Hao, I’ll handle Xu Yan’s father’s hair. You get Xiaoxue’s.”
Jiang Ran said, gripping the steering wheel.
Considering how many probing attempts he had already made, to avoid alerting her, it was better to leave Cheng ngxue’s hair to Wang Hao.
“No problem.”
Wang Hao snapped his fingers.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan. After we pick Xiaoxue up, let her sit in the front passenger seat. I’ll go to the back.”
After settling everything, the car stopped at the hotel entrance.
Cheng ngxue stood by the roadside with two large suitcases, waving at Jiang Ran. They had already contacted her on the way—she had packed early, checked out, and was waiting.
Wang Hao opened the passenger door, jumped out, and yawned:
“Ahh—didn’t sleep well last night. Xiaoxue, you take the front seat. I’ll go to the back and lie down for a bit.”
“Okay.”
After Wang Hao helped load her luggage into the trunk, Cheng ngxue sat in the front passenger seat. Wang Hao moved to the second-row independent seat and lay flat.
They set off.
On the highway, Cheng ngxue chattered nonstop—talking about her worries about seeing Xu Yan, her happiness that her parents would soon return to settle in China, the latest news and backstory of Rhine Cat, and even that Jiang Ran had made so much money now that he should give her a big Rhine Cat as a welco gift.
“Sure.”
Jiang Ran responded casually.
This amount of money ant nothing to him now.
Thinking back to when they were in Professor Zhang Yang’s general-education class, when Cheng ngxue asked him for a Rhine Cat as a gift—the price tag of 3000 yuan had nearly scared him to death.
And now—
there were 12 million sitting in his bank account, barely decreasing no matter how he spent it. Enough to buy every version of Rhine Cat in the world—hundreds of tis over.
But…
the childhood friend who should have been beside him—
was no longer there.
To buy osmanthus and wine and set sail together—
in the end, it is never the sa as the days of youth.
That was the feeling.
“Can I choose which one?” Cheng ngxue asked.
“You can.”
“Then… the one I want is very expensive!” she warned.
“Heh.”
Jiang Ran turned on the left signal and overtook another car.
“How expensive can it be? It’s still just a Rhine Cat.”
“Hehe, then I won’t hold back!”
Her almond-shaped eyes curved as she smiled.
“There’s a limited edition I’ve wanted for a long ti, but I never dared to buy it. Since Big Boss Jiang is treating —”
“It’s the [Rice-Cooker Rhine Cat]!”
Screech—
A sudden brake.
Wang Hao rolled straight from the back seat to the front.
“What happened?!”
Cheng ngxue rubbed the back of her head.
The sudden stop had thrown her forward with inertia—her hair seed to have snagged on sothing… it had just been pulled painfully.
“It’s nothing.”
Jiang Ran gave a wry smile.
“My foot got stuck. These shoes are a bit uncomfortable today.”
“Can you even drive?!”
Wang Hao shouted.
“Let Xiaoyi drive!”
Then he grumbled his way back to the rear seat to sleep.
As he scratched his head with his left hand, he casually—yet deliberately—gave Jiang Ran a thumbs-up.
Jiang Ran saw it clearly in the rearview mirror.
Which ant—
the plan had succeeded.
They had obtained Cheng ngxue’s hair.
“Rice-Cooker Rhine Cat…”
Jiang Ran continued the topic.
“Is it expensive?”
“Of course! It’s 7000 yuan!”
…
Right.
The price went up again.
Jiang Ran suddenly felt like recomnding this as an investnt product to Number 3—it seed to steadily appreciate by 1000 yuan per month.
But…
why was the Rhine Cat Cheng ngxue wanted the most exactly the sa as in Worldline 0?
There were many limited editions. The Rice-Cooker Rhine Cat was neither the most expensive, nor the rarest, nor the most beautiful.
This cross-worldline coincidence blurred Jiang Ran’s rationality once again.
Real.
Fake.
He could no longer tell.
Perhaps, just as Wang Hao said—
DNA would be the most convincing proof.
They arrived at Thousand Island Lake and followed the navigation to Xu Yan’s ho. Her family was already waiting eagerly at the door.
“Xiaoxue!!”
The mont Cheng ngxue stepped out of the car, Xu Yan’s emotions collapsed. She shouted and ran forward.
Co to think of it—
this was the first ti Jiang Ran had ever seen Xu Yan cry.
Who would have thought that this always reliable “older-sister-like” adult—
would cry too?
Xu Yan’s parents were even more emotional.
Even though they had already heard from Xu Yan and were ntally prepared, when a living, breathing person stood before them, their whole bodies trembled, unable to speak.
“Getting Xu Yan’s family to accept it is much easier than Xiaoxue herself.”
Wang Hao muttered behind Jiang Ran.
Then he opened his palm and showed his prize:
“Look—got Xiaoxue’s hair. Perfect teamwork between us! The Hao-Ran duo—full of righteousness, perfect double!”
“That’s called a couple…” Jiang Ran corrected.
But to be fair, their coordination on the highway had been excellent.
According to the plan—
Wang Hao lay in the back pretending to sleep, actually positioning Cheng ngxue’s hair into the seat gap, ideally wrapped around sothing. Then Jiang Ran would find a mont to brake suddenly. The inertia would throw Cheng ngxue forward, likely pulling out a few strands of hair. Wang Hao would use the chance of “rolling” forward to retrieve the trapped hair—completing a flawless, undetectable operation.
Originally, Wang Hao had suggested bringing scissors to secretly cut a few strands.
But Jiang Ran reminded him—DNA testing required intact hair follicles. Hair itself was dead keratin and unusable for testing.
Alright.
Next step…
Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes and looked at Xu Yan’s father’s slightly thinning crown.
Sorry, uncle.
Just one strand.
Inside the living room, Xu Yan and her mother chatted nonstop with Cheng ngxue, even using her phone to call Cheng ngxue’s parents in the United States. Xu Yan’s father, a skilled cook, was stir-frying dishes in the kitchen. Jiang Ran seized the opportunity to step in.
“Uncle, let help carry the dishes.”
“Oh! Good kid—Jiang Ran, right? I’ve heard about you from Yanyan. You used to play together during sumr vacations. I think I saw you twice back then.”
“Uncle, your hair looks great.”
Jiang Ran said sympathetically:
“Black and shiny!”
“Ah…”
The pain of middle age:
“Well, at least it’s still black. Look—right in the middle, I’m almost going bald.”
“There’s a white hair.”
Jiang Ran stared.
“Huh? No way.”
Xu Yan’s father was shaken.
“Uncle, I’ll pluck it for you.”
Without giving him a chance to refuse, Jiang Ran stepped forward, wrapped it twice around his finger—
and pulled.
“Ow!”
Xu Yan’s father sucked in a breath and turned around:
“Where? Let see the white hair.”
“Ahaha…”
Jiang Ran laughed awkwardly.
“Must’ve been the light just now—I saw it wrong. Don’t worry, uncle, your hair is great. Black and shiny!”
Full circle.
Back to black and shiny.
Xu Yan’s father’s breathing grew heavy, his expression darkening.
“…Thank you.”
he said coldly.
￥%*￥@#￥#@
The dining table was filled with over a dozen dishes—clearly prepared over a long ti, all specially made to welco Cheng ngxue.
Xu Yan’s family and Cheng ngxue chatted happily, while Jiang Ran and Wang Hao kept their heads down eating.
On one hand, they were relatives—outsiders couldn’t really join the conversation.
On the other—
they felt guilty, eager to leave and finish the DNA test.
“Xiaoxue, once your parents settle things over there and co back to live here, will you still return to the U.S. for school?” Xu Yan’s mother asked.
“Mhm.”
Cheng ngxue swallowed her food.
“I’ll definitely go back. But next sester I want to apply to co to Dragon Country as an exchange student for a year.”
“My university in the U.S. has exchange programs with many universities here. I want to stay here as long as possible—but for final exams and graduation… I’ll still have to go back.”
“Where will your diploma be issued from?” Xu Yan’s father asked.
“From the U.S., of course.”
“…Ah.”
He shook his head, disappointed.
“What a pity.”
Pfft—
Xu Yan spat out her food.
“Dad! What are you pitying?! Xiaoxue goes to Ansafania University! It ranks higher than Tsinghua and Peking University!”
“Can’t take civil service exams.”
Xu Yan’s father frowned.
“Foreign degrees can’t take civil service exams!”
From one graduate student, one international student, one undergraduate, and one junior-college student—
ca collective speechlessness.
After the al—
Jiang Ran and Wang Hao made an excuse to leave, not wanting to interrupt Cheng ngxue catching up with her uncle and aunt.
“Jiang Ran, Wang Hao—drive safely.”
Cheng ngxue ca out to see them off.
“I’ll stay at my sister’s place for about a week, then go back to the U.S. to arrange my studies.”
“Mm! See you back ho! You two are both studying in Donghai City—I’ll choose a university there for exchange too. Next sester we can hang out again!”
Jiang Ran and Wang Hao both smiled, waved, and left.
“Quick, quick, quick!”
On the road, Wang Hao was practically vibrating in the passenger seat.
“It’s this late—will the hospital still be open?”
“I found a private hospital that specializes in DNA testing,” Jiang Ran said.
“The advantage of a private hospital is—as long as you pay enough, they’ll et any request.”
“Their best technician is waiting for us. They promised results in under an hour.”
Soon, they arrived.
They handed over the two hair samples—Sample A and Sample B—to the doctor and waited outside.
Wang Hao paced in circles, smoking one cigarette after another.
Jiang Ran was getting dizzy watching him.
“Why are you more nervous than ? Aren’t you convinced Cheng ngxue is real?”
Wang Hao forced a grin.
“I… I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like waiting outside a delivery room—what father wouldn’t be nervous?”
Jiang Ran was speechless.
“That analogy is completely incoherent.”
Wang Hao lit another cigarette and took a deep drag.
“I’m just afraid the result will be wrong… that DNA will tell they’re not related—that Xiaoxue isn’t Xu Yan’s father’s niece.”
“To be honest, if that happens, I really can’t accept it. I don’t even dare think about why soone would impersonate her.”
Jiang Ran watched him pace again.
Letting out a long breath:
“Yeah… that would be terrifying to think through.”
An hour later, the report ca out. The nurse handed Jiang Ran a hard-covered file.
He grabbed it imdiately and tore open the seal—
Smack!
A fat hand pressed down, stopping him.
“What?”
Jiang Ran looked at Wang Hao.
“Rember what you promised.”
Wang Hao stared at him seriously.
“You said this morning—this is the last ti you doubt Xiaoxue.”
“Mm.”
Jiang Ran nodded and continued tearing the seal.
But—
Wang Hao’s hand still pressed down.
“You don’t believe ?”
“[Swear it.]”
Wang Hao said solemnly:
“I’m begging you. Swear this is the last ti. No more suspicion toward Xiaoxue.”
“If this DNA test proves her innocence—proves she’s real…”
“[Then accept reality. Treat Xiaoxue like you did in high school—as your best friend, your closest childhood companion. Don’t question her identity anymore.]”
In Jiang Ran’s mory, aside from joking around—
Wang Hao had never begged anyone like this.
“…Alright.”
Jiang Ran nodded again.
“I swear.”
Only then did Wang Hao withdraw his hand, staring wide-eyed at the report.
Rip—
Jiang Ran tore open the seal and pulled out the docunts.
The file was thick.
But the conclusion—
was thin.
They exchanged a glance.
Both could feel their heartbeats accelerating.
“Open it! Hurry!” Wang Hao’s breathing was ragged, like a steam engine.
Jiang Ran closed his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
Opened them.
Turned to the conclusion page—
[After examination, Sample A and Sample B show a biological relationship!]
[Conclusion: Sample A and Sample B are in an uncle–niece relationship!]
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