Genius Playground

It was as if there was nothing in this world Zhou Xiong couldn’t do, as if he knew everyone on the planet, as if everyone owed him a favor.

"No."

Jiang Ran furrowed his brow.

He had been watching for a long time.

That series of magical feats—granting every request, making every wish come true—wasn’t Zhou Xiong’s own ability.

It was...

Lilith.

In truth, Lilith was behind it all. Zhou Xiong had merely made a phone call.

’So, Lilith... she really is omnipotent.’

’That phone, the one that could connect to Lilith, could truly grant any wish.’

This was the real reason his skin was crawling—

Everything matched the fantasies from the *Setting Collection* he’d written in middle school;

Everything was identical to the plot he had fabricated back then;

The Setting Collection and screenplays he had written had all, inexplicably, come true!

’What in the world is going on?’

’Has the world gone mad?’

...

Over on Zhou Xiong’s side, he was already dead drunk.

It was mainly because all the other classmates, one by one, had their wishes granted and then toasted Zhou Xiong with sincere, heartfelt thanks.

After a full round of toasts, Zhou Xiong had lost count of how many drinks he’d had. He could no longer control his emotions and started spouting extremely arrogant nonsense, a far cry from the gentle and refined man he’d seemed at the beginning.

’It seems he’s finally revealed his true colors.’

There was one other person in the private room who had also had too much to drink: Wang Hao.

Wang Hao was sitting behind Jiang Ran.

He hadn’t said a word throughout this fantastical carnival, merely keeping his head down and drinking his sorrows away, one glass after another.

Right now, he was in a foul mood, utterly dejected, and could only numb himself with alcohol.

Tonight had been a huge disappointment for him.

Everything that had happened at this reunion was the complete opposite of what he had hoped for.

He felt he had let Jiang Ran down.

He also felt he had let Cheng Mengxue down.

They had been the best of friends in high school, a trio. Yet when faced with his two best friends, he found he couldn’t protect either of them.

Wang Hao gritted his teeth, hating his own uselessness.

One glass after another, one glass after another.

He’d lost count of how many drinks he’d had.

He had never told Jiang Ran...

...that he had missed Cheng Mengxue terribly.

He just couldn’t bring her up in front of Jiang Ran.

Because her death was a source of trauma for Jiang Ran, too.

In the two years since Cheng Mengxue’s passing, he had always put on a carefree, happy-go-lucky act for Jiang Ran’s sake, telling him it was all in the past and that people have to move on.

In reality, he couldn’t let go at all.

She was part of the most precious trio of his life, his best friends...

How could he possibly move on so easily after she had died so suddenly?

The more he drank, the dizzier he became.

Wang Hao shakily raised his head, feeling the whole world spin.

He saw Zhou Xiong, surrounded by a crowd, now standing on a stool and gloating. Wang Hao clenched his jaw.

"Omnipotent... can grant... any wish..."

...

Jiang Ran, on the other hand, was perfectly sober.

He had already figured out the cause and effect of many things.

There was now an objective fact he had no choice but to accept...

...the Lilith in Zhou Xiong’s phone really did seem to be omnipotent, and she really could grant any wish.

This had completely shattered Jiang Ran’s worldview.

But the facts were right in front of him; he had to believe it.

Right now, what he needed to figure out more was... why had these things, which were 100% his own original creations from middle school, now become reality?

"Wang Hao."

He waved his hand behind him.

"Do you remember that Setting Collection I wrote in middle school, the one called *Genius Playground*?"

"It was full of all sorts of wild ideas, including a phone that could supposedly grant any wish... Huh?"

He patted the air left and right but found nothing.

Huh?

’Where’d Wang Hao go?’

He turned around.

Wang Hao, who had been right there drowning his sorrows, had completely vanished!

He had been so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed at all.

"Where’s Wang Hao?"

Turning back around, he saw him.

The big guy was so drunk he couldn’t walk straight, staggering left and right as he weaved his way into the crowd surrounding Zhou Xiong. He pushed people aside with his thick arms and stood swaying in front of him.

"Omni... potent..."

He swayed on his feet.

"Zhou Xiong, you can... grant any wish... right?"

Zhou Xiong, equally drunk and in high spirits, quickly grabbed Wang Hao’s hand.

"Class President! We haven’t granted your wish yet! Come on, tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen for you right now!"

Wang Hao slowly raised his head.

"I only have... one wish..."

"Hey!"

Jiang Ran knew Wang Hao was wasted and rushed forward to pull him back.

"If... you really are omnipotent..."

Wang Hao used all his strength to stand up straight, pointed his arm at Zhou Xiong, and took a deep breath.

"Then bring Cheng Mengxue back to life!"

!

!

!

The forbidden name was shouted aloud, and the boisterous private room was plunged into silence.

Everyone stared at Wang Hao, dumbfounded, holding their breath.

This evening.

All night long.

No one had mentioned that name.

Not even once.

Because Cheng Mengxue’s death in the prime of her youth was a shared pain in everyone’s hearts.

At the reunion tonight, everyone was well aware that their class was incomplete, that one person was missing...

They were missing that girl who was like a ray of sunshine, spreading joy to everyone.

But what was the point?

Cheng Mengxue was already gone. The dead were fated to stay dead. Bringing her up now would be pointless and only add to the sadness.

Therefore, everyone had a tacit understanding not to touch that shared wound.

And yet...

...in the end, that name had still been hysterically screamed out by a drunken Wang Hao.

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