Xiaoxue… her ho in the United States?
After Xu Yan’s reminder, Jiang Ran took the photo back and examined the details carefully.
And sure enough—
He rembered.
During the sumr, on July 21, the day of the class reunion.
After Zhou Xiong was struck and killed by a truck, when Cheng ngxue suddenly appeared, their horoom teacher, Teacher Gao, had used her phone to video call her father. Jiang Ran had seen it too—although Cheng ngxue’s father looked a bit older than before, his condition had been good.
Because of the ti difference, it was noon in the United States, so her father had been sitting in the yard.
Thinking back, that yard really had been beautiful—full of flowers, with lush grapevines.
“Now that you ntion it, I rember.”
Jiang Ran set the photo down and looked at Xu Yan.
“Yeah. I’ve seen Xiaoxue’s house in the U.S. too. The yard was clean, nothing like this. That was July—the grapes weren’t ripe yet, and everything in the background was green vines.”
“Exactly—”
Xu Yan spread her hands.
“So you see, in July the yard was already clean. And during the sumr, when Xiaoxue stayed at my place, she even showed us videos of fully ripened grapes.”
“So if that’s the case… the tistamp on your photo is clearly wrong.”
“Most likely, the photo you’re holding was taken years ago, before her family moved in. That’s why the yard looks abandoned—overgrown weeds even climbing past the walls.”
Jiang Ran fell silent.
He didn’t believe Qin Feng would bother faking sothing like a tistamp.
If Qin Feng had gone through so much trouble—appearing out of nowhere just to deliver this photo—then it couldn’t be just to deceive him.
Qin Feng wasn’t that kind of person.
“Wait.”
A thought struck him.
“Why haven’t Xiaoxue’s parents returned to the country yet?”
Jiang Ran shook his head.
“When you think about it, we’ve only ever seen her parents through video calls. We’ve never actually seen them in person.”
“I rember during the sumr, Xiaoxue said they’d be coming back to settle soon. So why haven’t they returned yet?”
Xu Yan frowned, unconcerned.
“Her father has business in the U.S. If they’re planning to move back, of course they need ti to deal with their assets. That’s not sothing you can wrap up overnight.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
From a normal standpoint, all of that made sense.
But—
If every single detail in soone’s story requires a “reasonable explanation,” and there’s never any solid proof… isn’t that a little too strange?
“Actually, I don’t think this photo is fake,” Jiang Ran murmured.
Xu Yan blinked.
“Then… what do you an?”
She thought for a mont.
“You’re saying… Xiaoxue’s house in the U.S. really looks like this? Abandoned, overgrown with weeds?”
“But Jiang Ran, that clearly contradicts reality. Why would you believe this photo is real, but not believe our video calls with her parents are real?”
Jiang Ran shook his head.
“If the photo could be fake… then is it possible the video calls are fake too?”
He proposed a bold hypothesis.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen those livestreams on Douyin—virtual strears, AI-generated talking videos.”
“AI technology has gotten so advanced it can pass for real. Especially those VTuber-style hosts, or group livestreams that look like real people but are actually AI-generated… even 24/7 shopping streams—those hosts are often entirely AI.”
Xu Yan nodded.
“Of course I know. AI’s developing so fast—if you prepare enough, real-ti realism is absolutely possible.”
“And honestly, for sothing like faking a video call, you wouldn’t even need AI. Old green-screen tech was already good enough years ago.”
“But… wait… you’re not seriously saying Xiaoxue’s parents in those video calls are fake, right?”
For a mont, Xu Yan couldn’t laugh.
“That’s way too creepy. Why would anyone even need to do sothing like that?”
Suddenly, she froze.
She recalled the night before eting Xiaoxue during the sumr—Jiang Ran had called her, saying strange things like “what if Cheng ngxue is fake.”
Thunk.
She set down her milk tea.
Leaning back, arms crossed, she looked at him.
“I see. So that’s it… Jiang Ran, you still haven’t let go of that idea from the sumr. You don’t really trust what happened with Xiaoxue’s family.”
“Yes.”
Jiang Ran answered honestly.
“I’m not saying I absolutely don’t believe it. It’s just… I keep having this doubt. And now there’s a very real issue in front of us—[Xiaoxue’s parents haven’t returned, we haven’t seen them in person; and if this photo is real, then that house is abandoned… doesn’t that raise serious questions?]”
Xu Yan closed her eyes.
Exhaled slowly.
“I understand.”
She opened her eyes again.
“You called out so mysteriously tonight… you want to ask for help with this, don’t you?”
“Do you want to find a chance to video call Xiaoxue’s parents again, ask so tricky, detailed questions, and test whether they’re actually real people?”
Jiang Ran chuckled.
“You’re easy to talk to. You get it right away.”
That was exactly what he ant.
“Mm…”
Xu Yan leaned back, looking up at the ceiling.
“I think your thod is too troubleso—and not very convincing.”
“If you suspect Xiaoxue’s house in the U.S. is empty, and her parents aren’t there… why not just go check in person?”
Jiang Ran spread his hands helplessly.
“The U.S. isn’t visa-free. Getting a visa isn’t sothing you can do overnight.”
“Tsk.”
Xu Yan smiled, raising an eyebrow.
“Just ask my boyfriend.”
Jiang Ran was stunned.
“No way… my brother-in-law is that powerful?”
He had always thought Xu Yan’s boyfriend just had so connections within Donghai University.
But who would have thought—
This mysterious man, who only existed in stories until now, could operate just as easily in the United States?
“Hey!”
Xu Yan slapped the back of Jiang Ran’s hand, pouting.
“What nonsense are you saying! He’s just my boyfriend right now!”
“Haha…”
Jiang Ran laughed awkwardly.
No matter what, this mysterious boyfriend had helped him in both worldlines.
Even though they had never t, Jiang Ran had already acknowledged him in his heart.
This marriage—
Whether Xu Yan’s family approved or not, Jiang Ran certainly did.
“And besides, I’m not asking him to get you a visa.”
Xu Yan picked up the photo.
“I’m just asking him to help us confirm things.”
“All we need to know is the current state of this house—whether anyone lives there, and who’s living inside.”
“For that level of investigation, you don’t need to go in person. Just find soone trustworthy in the U.S.”
…Right.
That was exactly the problem.
Jiang Ran didn’t have any trustworthy contacts in the U.S.
But the way Xu Yan said it, it sounded trivial.
Just what kind of background did this “brother-in-law” have…?
Doraemon?
An all-knowing fixer?
So kind of “face-fruit” power where the whole world gives him respect?
“Didn’t you say before you’d introduce to him?” Jiang Ran reminded her.
“When are we eting?”
“It’s just the start of the sester!”
Xu Yan thought for a mont.
“National Day holiday is coming up. You’re not going ho, right? Co with then—I’ll introduce you.”
“But listen—don’t make fun of when you et him! I an… he’s pretty handso, but sohow he still feels a bit embarrassing to show off.”
“No, no, I wouldn’t dare!”
Jiang Ran waved his hands quickly.
In his eyes, this brother-in-law was practically omnipotent.
After all the help he’d received, how could he possibly look down on him?
“Hehe.”
Talking about her boyfriend, Xu Yan smiled sweetly, eyes half-lidded as she sipped her drink.
“He’s actually a really good person. Much more steady now. He’s got his own things going.”
“But… style isn’t sothing you can change overnight. He still dyes his hair bright yellow, wears flashy clothes—looks like so street punk up to no good. That part really bothers .”
“Then just have him dye his hair back,” Jiang Ran said without thinking.
“Make it black again, get him a decent outfit—wouldn’t that fix it?”
Xu Yan fell silent.
She tilted her head, looking at him.
“That’s not really necessary, is it? He has his own style, his own preferences. How can I impose mine on him?”
“Heh, rookie at relationships, huh? [Liking soone ans liking everything about them—and respecting their preferences too.] Pink.”
Suddenly—
A flash of pink crossed Jiang Ran’s mind.
A girl standing on the rooftop of a low building near the school gate, blooming like a spider lily. Pink hair. A recurve bow in hand. Arrows slicing through luggage. Cold eyes overlooking everything.
The image vanished in an instant.
But the chill of that gaze lingered—like condensation sliding down the surface of the milk tea cup.
“And besides,” Xu Yan continued, still talking about her boyfriend,
“that yellow hair is honestly the least of his problems. I’ve already accepted it.”
“Hah.”
Jiang Ran smiled knowingly, thinking of an internet joke.
“As expected, people love compromise.”
“If you say you want to open a window, I might refuse. But if you first say you want to blow off the roof, and then reluctantly settle for opening the window… I’ll agree.”
“Oh ho!”
Xu Yan looked at him with a teasing expression.
“Look at you—you really get it! Playing the ‘PUA tactics,’ huh? First crack the whip, then give candy!”
“But let warn you—if you ever get into a relationship, don’t play those tricks.”
She rested her cheek on her hand, gazing out at the night view.
“[When soone’s feelings are genuine, they’re genuine. As a man, don’t go bullying girls.]”
Clink.
The ice in the milk tea shifted, rising as buoyancy redistributed the balance inside the cup.
Jiang Ran stared at the floating ice and nodded.
“Mm.”
Xu Yan glanced at her watch.
“Ti to head back. I’ll take this photo with , okay?”
“The street na and house number are visible—it’ll be easy to locate.”
With that, she picked up the photo, flipped it over—blank—and slipped it into her handbag.
That blankness was Jiang Ran’s doing.
The back of the photo had been smooth; he had erased Qin Feng’s handwriting completely with an eraser, leaving no trace.
For now, he didn’t want Qin Feng’s involvent to be exposed.
In this Worldline 1, only he knew Qin Feng’s past—and his unseen future.
His instinct told him Qin Feng was either in danger, or doing sothing dangerous.
Since Qin Feng had chosen to help him—
Then he should protect Qin Feng’s whereabouts in return.
“Oh, right.”
Jiang Ran stood up.
“Since we’re already asking your boyfriend for help… could you also ask him to check sothing at the University of Pennsylvania?”
Xu Yan frowned.
“The University of Pennsylvania? That’s Xiaoxue’s school, isn’t it? What do you want to check there?”
Jiang Ran pressed his lips together, draining the last of his drink.
“I want to confirm—”
“Whether there really is a student nad Xiaoxue at the University of Pennsylvania.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)