[September 13, 2025, Weather: Sunny]
[The date of divine punishnt has finally been set.]
In three days, everything will end.
The priest seems to like this sense of ritual. Whenever he helps each believer make up for their regrets, he always sets a date in advance.
That’s fine too.
Because after the regrets are nded, it will be the day we welco a new life.
That day will be our new birthday.
It’s just a pity…
I won’t be able to witness the mont when the regret is fulfilled.
I am guilty.
And this is also the divine punishnt I deserve.
Praise the priest.
I will regret everything I’ve done.
But I can only do this.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry.
I do not ask for your forgiveness.
I’m sorry…
I had no choice.]
Standing in the bustling club recruitnt fair, Jiang Ran stared at the handwriting on the back of the photograph, a chill spreading across the back of his head.
[There is no Cheng ngxue at the University of Pennsylvania.]
What exactly does that an?
Could it be saying that at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, there is no student nad Cheng ngxue?
That’s impossible.
Jiang Ran had personally reviewed Cheng ngxue’s admission materials. He had seen her student ID, her passport.
Because her household registration in the country had been canceled, Cheng ngxue had lived in the United States for two years under a new identity.
Her na hadn’t changed—only the format had. It beca ngxue Cheng.
Anyone who understood Chinese would know that the na was still Cheng ngxue, just with the surna placed at the end according to Western convention.
Jiang Ran had personally handled her enrollnt procedures.
The University of Pennsylvania’s official recomndation letter, the academic transfer records, the principal’s signature, the institutional seal… every required docunt was complete. The staff at the reception had verified each one.
So why—
Why would the ssage on the back of this photograph say that there was no Cheng ngxue at the University of Pennsylvania?
If it were just an ordinary statent, Jiang Ran wouldn’t have paid much attention. He would have assud the person didn’t know Cheng ngxue’s real background or identity.
But this line—
There was no way he could ignore it.
Because—
That handwriting…
He knew it far too well.
It was the handwriting he had seen countless tis on Worldline 0. The handwriting he had copied howork from countless tis. The handwriting that had accompanied him for five inseparable years.
There was no mistake.
He couldn’t be wrong.
The one who wrote this line had to be the person who had once been his closest friend—now a vanished figure of the past—
[Qin Feng!]
He set the photo down and quickly asked Chi Xiaoguo:
“Where is he?”
“He already left.”
Chi Xiaoguo thought for a mont.
“Not long after you went to class, he ca here. Didn’t say much. Left the photo and walked off.”
Jiang Ran rushed out from beside the table and plunged into the bustling crowd.
He looked left. Looked right. Trying to find that familiar figure among the flowing sea of people.
But…
That was impossible.
Qin Feng was far too intelligent. If he intended to hide, if he didn’t want to be seen, then there was no way Jiang Ran could find him.
Returning to the Film Cara Club recruitnt booth, Jiang Ran continued asking:
“What did he look like? What did he say?”
Chi Xiaoguo described everything in detail.
As Jiang Ran listened, his brows slowly furrowed, his fists tightening.
There was no mistake…
It was definitely Qin Feng.
That guy was still sowhere nearby, alive, plotting sothing, watching everything about him.
Jiang Ran took out his phone and checked the date.
September 13, 2025.
“Qin Feng… what exactly are you up to?”
From Chi Xiaoguo’s description, Jiang Ran confird once again—
That text ssage Qin Feng had sent ten years into the past must have ntioned the Film Cara Club, himself, Cheng ngxue, the Positron Cannon, and more.
This wasn’t anything new.
With Qin Feng’s mind, in a seventy-character ssage, he wouldn’t waste even a single punctuation mark. He would compress as much information as possible into that one opportunity.
The Positron Cannon and the ti-traveling text ssages were undoubtedly the highest priority.
Jiang Ran picked up the photograph again, turned it over, and stared at the handwritten line.
If this sentence had been written by Qin Feng, then it couldn’t be ignored.
“Qin Feng would never speak without reason. He would never casually draw a conclusion about sothing.”
“He’s hidden himself all these years, never showing up—yet today he suddenly appears, just to deliver this ssage.”
“That ans…”
Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes, recalling once again Cheng ngxue downing glass after glass of red wine without the slightest hint of intoxication:
“That ans… there must be sothing wrong with this Cheng ngxue.”
The sun dipped westward, staining both sky and earth in crimson.
The recruitnt booths of other clubs were gradually being packed up, each returning with their own gains.
Only the Film Cara Club remained.
On their table lay neatly arranged, untouched gift sets. Thick stacks of promotional flyers fluttered at the edges in the evening breeze.
In the end, they hadn’t received a single additional application.
The number of club mbers remained fixed at four.
“Why don’t we just find a friend to fill the last spot?”
Jiang Ran suggested.
“A forced lon isn’t sweet. If the freshn aren’t interested in film photography, there’s no need to push them.”
“Anyway, having four people doesn’t stop us from running activities. Honestly, that little activity room fits four people perfectly—not too cramped, not too empty.”
Chi Xiaoguo sighed.
“Guess that’s our only option.”
After a full day of emotional ups and downs, her mood had finally settled.
Calm. Accepting reality.
“You’re right, senior.”
Chi Xiaoguo lifted her spirits again.
“Since we already have four mbers, we should take responsibility and run the Film Cara Club properly.”
“Even though… well, pulling soone in just to fill the quota feels a bit like deceiving the school. It doesn’t sit quite right. But… we still have to be responsible to the current mbers, don’t we?”
Seeing the light return to the young president’s eyes, Jiang Ran smiled slightly and nodded.
At present, the Film Cara Club had no funding.
They had only been granted a one-year suspension of dissolution—existing in a superposition between being dissolved and not dissolved.
Only by reaching five mbers and proving their ability and necessity could they receive official funding from the Student Union.
“Exactly. When has anything in this world ever been perfect? Compared to the situation we faced last year, this is already a huge improvent.”
“Right!”
Chi Xiaoguo jumped off the stool and stood up.
Her height hadn’t increased much—but the fire in her eyes burned brighter, her presence noticeably stronger.
“Rising higher and higher! Rising!”
She clenched her small fist and challenged the sunset.
“We’re going to win a major award! We’ll prove it to everyone! Win!”
“Win!”
“Win!”
“Win!”
Clap.
Jiang Ran matched her enthusiasm, clapping hands with her beneath the blazing clouds—
The Film Cara Club recruitnt event concluded successfully.
That evening, at a milk-tea shop off campus, second floor.
Jiang Ran sat at a corner table, watching the stairway, quietly waiting.
After a while—
Click, click, click.
The sound of high heels approached. Xu Yan appeared around the corner, handbag in hand. Spotting Jiang Ran, she walked over.
“What’s up, Jiang Ran? Calling out for milk tea all of a sudden—and being so mysterious… even telling not to tell anyone.”
Jiang Ran gestured for her to sit.
“There are so things I want to discuss with you.”
He then scanned the ordering code on his phone and handed it to her.
“Order whatever you want.”
After returning to the dorm that evening—
Fang Ze wasn’t there. No idea where he’d gone. Jiang Ran had taken off his shoes and lay on the bed, thinking.
The photograph Qin Feng had left him—and the ssage on its back—weighed heavily on his mind.
After all…
Qin Feng was a figure from twenty years in the future. The world’s number one criminal. The Magician himself.
If Qin Feng said there was sothing wrong with Cheng ngxue, then there was almost certainly sothing wrong.
And yet—
During the sumr, Jiang Ran and Wang Hao had investigated extensively. They had even gone as far as DNA testing.
Nothing.
No flaws.
So then—
Was there so critical clue hidden in this photograph Qin Feng had deliberately delivered?
That was why Jiang Ran had secretly asked Xu Yan to et tonight.
At Donghai University, he didn’t know many people.
And among those he did know, even fewer could be trusted in the current situation.
Chi Xiaoguo was one—but she wasn’t familiar with Cheng ngxue at all. This wasn’t sothing he could discuss with her.
After eliminating all other options, Xu Yan was the most suitable.
First, she was Cheng ngxue’s cousin. They had lived together for an entire month over the sumr. Regardless of whether this Cheng ngxue was real or not, Xu Yan was the most familiar with her daily behavior and habits.
Second, Xu Yan had been his childhood companion. She had taken care of him when they were young, and even in this unfamiliar Worldline 1, she had helped him selflessly many tis—still as gentle and reliable as he rembered.
Finally—and most importantly—
They had shared many experiences and secrets together.
Including the [handwritten letter in the glass bottle].
Under those conditions, discussing Cheng ngxue with her was unquestionably the best choice.
After ordering, the server brought their drinks. Jiang Ran went straight to the point:
“During the sumr, Xiaoxue stayed at your place for a month. You two slept in the sa room every night… did you notice anything unusual about her during that ti?”
“No?”
Xu Yan bit her straw and shook her head without hesitation.
“She was completely normal. Exactly the sa as before. No changes at all.”
“Soone sent a photograph.”
Jiang Ran opened the envelope and took out the photo—taken sowhere in the United States—placing it on the table.
“Also… I called you out so secretly tonight because I hope what we discuss stays between us. Especially from Xiaoxue.”
“What is this… acting all mysterious. Let see.”
Xu Yan didn’t think much of it and picked up the photo.
“Hm?”
Her expression shifted slightly.
She straightened in her seat and examined the photo more carefully.
After a few seconds, she noticed the watermark in the bottom right corner—the tistamp.
“This photo… was taken a week ago?”
Jiang Ran nodded.
“If we rule out fabrication, then yes—it was most likely taken a week ago.”
“Then it has to be fake.”
Xu Yan let out a small laugh.
“If it were from a week ago, the yard wouldn’t look like this. Look—there’s overgrown weeds everywhere. It clearly hasn’t been maintained for a long ti.”
Jiang Ran’s eyes widened.
“You know this place?”
“Of course I do!”
Xu Yan answered matter-of-factly.
“Whenever Xiaoxue video-called her parents—or when my parents called hers—they were always in this yard.”
“Oh right, you’ve never video-called her parents, so you haven’t seen it.”
“It’s a really beautiful yard. Always clean. They grow a lot of flowers, and her dad even built a wooden trellis for grapes. During video calls, they would always show it off.”
“So how could I not recognize it?”
She smiled slightly and pointed to the weed-covered wall in the photo.
“This is clearly…”
“Xiaoxue’s ho in the United States.”
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