Genius Playground

At that moment, the power distribution box was number 42, the astronaut Rhine Cat had a 42 on its belly, and Qin Feng’s student ID number was also 42... The incident happened in an instant, creating the current, trouble-ridden World Line No. 1.

What’s more, on the current World Line No. 1, Qin Feng’s absence and Song He’s disruptive transfer into their high school class had caused both Jiang Ran’s and Cheng Mengxue’s student ID numbers to be pushed back by one.

Jiang Ran’s student ID number became 41.

And Cheng Mengxue’s student ID number, in turn, became...

Every time he thought of this particular number, a shadow would fall over Jiang Ran’s heart.

「On World Line No. 1.」

’Does that mysterious message, "Don’t trust 42," still apply?’

’If it does, doesn’t that mean Cheng Mengxue, whose student ID is now 42, can’t be trusted either? That she’s a fake, just as I suspected?’

"Hm?"

Cheng Mengxue blinked. Noticing Jiang Ran’s gaze, she looked down as well, her eyes falling on the charm attached to her phone: a Rhine Cat in a wedding dress.

"Hehe, I bet you’ve never seen this limited-edition Rhine Cat before!"

The mere mention of Rhine Cat made Cheng Mengxue’s eyes light up, her happiness impossible to conceal.

"So? Isn’t this Rhine Cat adorable?!"

This sudden, overwhelming joy left Jiang Ran stunned once more.

’This trait...’

’She’s a carbon copy of the real Cheng Mengxue!’

Just a few seconds ago, this Cheng Mengxue had been saddened by what she’d gone through over the past two years.

But the moment the topic shifted to Rhine Cat...

...all her sadness vanished. Joy lit up her face, and her entire demeanor became sunny and bright.

"Look, look! There’s a really funny detail here!"

Completely immersed in the world of Rhine Cat, Cheng Mengxue chattered away like a machine gun. She stood the wedding dress Rhine Cat upright and pointed at what it was holding in its tiny paws.

"See it? It’s holding a hot dog! HAHAHAHA! A Rhine Cat in a wedding dress holding a hot dog—don’t you think that’s hilarious? The designer is an absolute genius!"

Heh heh heh...

Jiang Ran could only offer his usual wry smile, accompanied by his customary concern for the Rhine Cat designer’s mental state.

’Who on Earth has a bride holding a hot dog at her wedding?!’

’What kind of bizarre ritual is that?!’

’Is the Rhine Cat designer one of the Three-Body Star People? Are they not yet familiar with Earth culture?’

"And this thing is a limited edition?" Jiang Ran commented dryly.

"Hey, it’s not a limited edition! It’s an exclusive edition!"

Cheng Mengxue patiently corrected him.

"A limited edition is one with a limited production run. An exclusive edition is one that’s only sold in a specific region, for a specific time, or at a specific event! Got it?"

"So is this, what, a Civil Affairs Bureau exclusive?" Jiang Ran couldn’t help but ask, seeing the wedding dress.

His heart lurched.

His heart seemed to stop.

’No way, how did Cheng Mengxue get one of those?’

The thought that the legal age of marriage in the United States was only eighteen made Jiang Ran’s eyes widen in disbelief—

"Haha, no way! You’ve really got an imagination!"

Jiang Ran’s question made Cheng Mengxue laugh, her eyes crinkling into happy slits.

"The United States doesn’t have a Civil Affairs Bureau! Honestly... This wedding dress Rhine Cat is the Brooklyn exclusive. It’s only sold in the city of Brooklyn, you can’t get it anywhere else."

"This exclusive Rhine Cat is actually part of a pair. One is this wedding dress cat, and the other one, its partner, is a gangster godfather Rhine Cat. That one’s really cool! It wears sunglasses and holds a gun and a briefcase!"

"It’s just, the gangster godfather one is black, which I don’t really like, so I just left it at home."

At this, Cheng Mengxue looked up at Jiang Ran, a hopeful light sparking in her eyes.

"I can’t believe it! After two years, you’ve gotten so interested in Rhine Cat!"

"When I go back to the States, I’ll bring the gangster godfather one back for you! You can hang it on your phone too, okay?"

"Denied," Jiang Ran said, decisively holding up a hand to stop her.

"Aww, why are you like that!"

Cheng Mengxue’s face fell in disappointment.

"But that one is really popular with guys..."

"CLUCK!"

Suddenly, without opening his mouth, Wang Hao let out a sound like a chicken clucking.

The cluck was meant to convey that if Jiang Ran didn’t want the gangster godfather Rhine Cat, he did!

"The hell you do!"

Thanks to their years of friendship, Jiang Ran knew what Wang Hao was up to with a single glance, and he immediately pushed his head down.

Just then, a waiter brought over a bottle of cola.

"Excuse me, who is this for?"

Without opening his mouth, Wang Hao reached out, took it, and opened it.

?

Jiang Ran shot him a questioning glance.

Wang Hao returned a look that clearly said, "This tea is too bitter. I can’t drink it, and you won’t let me talk, so I scanned the code and ordered myself a sugary drink. You guys can take your time with that bitter stuff."

"Oh?"

Cheng Mengxue tilted her head.

"Why has Wang Hao been so quiet? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, him."

Jiang Ran invented an excuse on the spot.

"At the class reunion yesterday, he ate too many dry snacks and got a canker sore. It hurts him to talk."

"But in the car earlier..." Cheng Mengxue recalled his rapping.

"How else do you think he realized it hurts?"

Jiang Ran gave a small chuckle and spread his hands.

"That’s because he talked way too much in the car."

However, he still had to thank Wang Hao.

Because...

That bottle of cola had given Jiang Ran a new idea.

’Sometimes, it’s the little details from everyday life... especially the ones that are hard to notice but are etched into your subconscious memory. Those are the best tells for figuring out if someone is real or fake.’

And so, Jiang Ran began to administer question number two of his "Real or Fake Cheng Mengxue" exam.

"You know, drinking these kinds of carbonated beverages is really bad for you."

He segued smoothly into his next topic.

"I pretty much only drink sugar-free stuff now... but back in high school, I loved carbonated drinks too. You were always telling me to drink less of them, saying that if I kept it up, all my teeth would fall out before I turned thirty."

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