Genius Playground

The atmosphere turned murderous.

The tension was knife-sharp.

Cheng Mengxue’s expression was blank, her eyes bewildered. She sat frozen in her seat, not moving an inch.

Heh.

Jiang Ran watched her with cold eyes.

’This "Disguiser" never would have imagined she’d be exposed over such a small detail, would she?’

’This was what you’d call a detail.’

’Perhaps with other matters, even without Cheng Mengxue’s memories, a talented psychology researcher could deduce most of it from context.’

’But the cola thing... there was no way to deduce that.’

’The matter was too insignificant.’

’If Wang Hao hadn’t happened to order a bottle of cola just now, he never would have thought of such a small detail.’

But...

’It was just as Chi Xiaoguo had said before when she was talking about digital cameras.’

’Real is real, and fake is fake.’

’Coke is Coke, and Pepsi is Pepsi.’

’They were two completely different things that could never be confused.’

So.

Without a doubt.

’The Cheng Mengxue across from him was a fake!’

While the truth made his skin crawl, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but marvel. This Disguiser was truly incredible, even more skilled than the secret agents, masters of disguise, or the Chameleon Witch from the movies.

She had truly done her utmost to portray the "role" of Cheng Mengxue, playing it so vividly and realistically that she had successfully fooled everyone.

Even Jiang Ran himself had to admit that if his will hadn’t been so firm, if he hadn’t constantly been reinforcing his own mental barriers, he would have certainly been deceived by her masterful performance.

However.

At this moment.

The truth was out.

Jiang Ran watched Cheng Mengxue with great interest, waiting to see how she would try to talk her way out of it.

"PFFT—"

Cheng Mengxue covered her mouth and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hahahahahahahaha..."

She looked as genuinely happy as she had on World Line 0 when she got the Rhine Cat rice cooker, clutching her stomach and laughing nonstop.

"Oh, Jiang Ran! You’re absolutely killing me!"

She let out a long breath and wiped the corners of her eyes.

"I was wondering what you were going to do. Are you trying to cosplay as Detective Conan? Acting like you’re hunting for a murderer."

"And I’m warning you, if you’re trying to get out of paying me back, this isn’t the way to do it! I barely had any allowance back then, and it pained me to death every time I had to pay for your drinks!"

"So, how could I possibly forget what drink you bought every time? I’ll never forget it as long as I live! You clearly always bought Pepsi!"

"Bok bok bok bok!" Wang Hao clucked nonstop, like a mother hen about to lay an egg. He just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Jiang Ran sneered.

’Indeed.’

’Wang Hao, it’s your time to shine.’

’It’s time for you, my star witness, to put an end to the fake Cheng Mengxue’s stubborn denials, expose this Disguiser’s forced smile, and rip off her false mask!’

He raised his right hand high, thumb, index, and middle fingers pressed together, building up the force—

SNAP!

He snapped his fingers.

This was the signal he had arranged with Wang Hao, meaning he was now allowed to speak. It also signified the signing of a car-purchase contract.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! I can finally talk!" Wang Hao couldn’t help but take a huge gasp of air.

"Wang Hao."

Jiang Ran kept his eyes fixed on Cheng Mengxue:

"Tell her what kind of cola I always bought after P.E. class in high school."

"You always bought Pepsi, you idiot!"

Wang Hao was seething with anger as he roared.

He’d been making a thousand faces at Jiang Ran just now, trying to remind him, ’Bro, your memory’s shot!’

But Jiang Ran wouldn’t let him speak.

For the sake of his first big sale as a future car dealership salesman, Wang Hao could only keep his mouth shut and strain his throat to squawk like a chicken.

But who would have thought that Jiang Ran, as if possessed, would just stubbornly forge ahead and not let him speak at all!

"Xiaoxue is right! She’s totally right!"

Wang Hao backed Cheng Mengxue up:

"You always bought Pepsi! You never bought a single bottle of Coke! I’ll vouch for Xiaoxue!"

"Are you crazy?!"

Jiang Ran stared in shock at Wang Hao beside him.

He had never imagined that at such a crucial moment, Wang Hao would actually betray him!

’Didn’t he know what kind of cola he liked to drink?’

’He understood.’

’This was indeed World Line 1, not World Line 0.’

’But could something like a person’s tastes—what they liked to eat and drink—actually change?’

’Even if he went to a supermarket to buy a cola right now, he would choose Coca-Cola without the slightest hesitation!’

’It was true that the Butterfly Effect could change many things across time and space.’

’But that required a change, a catalyst, a critical juncture. Not every single thing on a world line, big or small, would be upended by the Butterfly Effect.’

’Especially something like personal taste.’

’If you don’t like something, you just don’t like it.’

’He couldn’t possibly imagine any reason why he would pass over the better-tasting Coca-Cola he preferred, just to choose a sickeningly sweet Pepsi instead.’

"I couldn’t possibly drink Pepsi," Jiang Ran stressed.

"You could only drink Pepsi," Wang Hao also stressed.

Jiang Ran laughed in exasperation:

"Why? Was the owner of the school supermarket forcing people to buy it?"

"You... you really don’t remember?"

Wang Hao’s eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at Jiang Ran, confused:

"Have you forgotten? Song He’s dad is the director of the Food and Drug Administration!"

"So what?"

Jiang Ran was baffled:

"His dad is a director. What does that have to do with me drinking cola? Is there any connection whatsoever?"

Song He.

He was the classmate on World Line 1 who had taken the place of the absent Qin Feng in their class. His student number was 40.

Jiang Ran indeed wasn’t familiar with him, because he was missing almost ten years of memories from World Line 1. So, naturally, he didn’t remember how he had spent his high school years in this world line.

However, that didn’t really matter.

After all, high school was mainly about studying. His experience couldn’t have been much different from what he’d gone through on World Line 0. At most, the members of their trio had been swapped out, with Wang Hao replacing Qin Feng.

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