Cheating

BOOM!!!!!

Jiang Ran entered the water with a flat dive, creating a massive wave.

"Pfft!"

Cheng Mengxue wiped her face.

"If I had just jumped, that would have been a bomb, but yours was completely atomic-level! Can you even dive or not?"

"Do you think he looks like he can?"

Qin Feng stood on the diving board.

"But I didn't expect you to actually dare to jump."

Jiang Ran surfaced and rubbed his back.

"Your turn!"

"I'm not jumping."

?

"Cheating?" Jiang Ran gave him the middle finger.

"Who told you to go first."

Qin Feng chuckled and walked off the platform.

Night fell.

The top suite had a private viewing deck where they could dine.

After the service staff served their meal, they left.

The three sat around a small round table, marveling at how rich people enjoyed life.

From their current position, they could see the brilliant starry sky overhead and the crowds dancing to DJ music on the cruise ship deck below.

Looking west, they saw the brightly lit Donghai City.

The coastline was a stretch of neon lights, with the Oriental Pearl Tower standing out amongst the colorful lights like a never-fading beacon.

Looking east, there was only the dark sea.

It was a blackness darker than black, where you could truly see nothing.

Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong.

Amidst the clinking of wine glasses, the WeChat notification sound chimed simultaneously on all three of their phones.

It was their high school class group chat.

This group had been quite lively in their first year of university, with classmates constantly complaining about school, military training, and dorms.

But gradually, it had fallen completely silent.

The three opened their phones to see a message from [Wang Hao].

Wang Hao had been their high school class president, and they had gotten along well; although not as close as the three of them, their friendship was still above that of ordinary friends.

The message was quite long:

[Wang Hao: Classmates! It's been almost two years since we graduated high school, it's time for a reunion!

Let's set the class reunion for this summer holiday. The exact date will be confirmed later, but since there are still a few months, I'm letting you all know in advance.

If you have time and can make it, please come!]

"A class reunion..."

Jiang Ran put down his phone.

"It really has been a long time since I've seen them. We got along pretty well before, and we all said we'd keep in touch after going to college, but then we went our separate ways, and slowly, all contact faded."

"As expected."

Qin Feng put down his fork.

"Distance only creates beauty, but it definitely doesn't create feelings."

"Otherwise, why would I have applied to the same university as you guys? The admissions officers from Tsinghua and Peking University were practically living at my house, but I still insisted on coming to Donghai University with you."

"Of course, I have great faith in our friendship, but distance is just like that. An inch further is an inch further; you can't get any closer."

"Actually, in this world, nothing is more important than true friends... especially friends from our youth."

Heh heh.

Cheng Mengxue scratched her head sheepishly.

"Sorry, it's our fault for holding you back. With our grades, Donghai University was the best choice for us; plus, Xu Yan's older sister is also here, so we applied here."

"Speaking of which... Wang Hao is attending a vocational college, right? Doesn't that mean he'll be doing an internship in society next semester?"

This seemed like a heavy topic.

Vocational colleges have a three-year program. Their good old buddy Wang Hao was really going to be a cog in the machine of society.

"Even if someone is stupid, can't they still score 500?"

Qin Feng was truly puzzled:

"Just passing each subject should be enough."

"Just shut up already." X2

Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue said in unison.

Especially Cheng Mengxue, who had failed two subjects last semester.

"Don't worry about Wang Hao. His mouth is more powerful than a positron cannon; he won't have trouble finding a job."

Jiang Ran peeled a lobster:

"Many undergraduates can't find jobs nowadays. Besides not being able to pursue postgraduate studies or civil service exams, there isn't much difference between vocational and undergraduate degrees in society. Ultimately, it depends on individual ability."

"Wang Hao was the class monitor in high school; his capabilities are evident. It's possible he'll enter society a year earlier and end up doing better than us."

Qin Feng wiped his mouth:

"That's possible, but... it's impossible now."

He smiled slightly:

"Now that we have the [spacetime message], we can change history and correct mistakes at will."

"Unless we deliberately want to keep a low profile, it's hard for anyone among our classmates to do better than us."

"Oh, I've been led astray by you guys too. What's this about doing better or not? We're all classmates; there's no need to differentiate."

"When we succeed in the future and gain a certain social status, we can completely help our classmates."

"But the secret of the spacetime message must only be known by the three of us," Jiang Ran emphasized again.

This was already countless times he had emphasized:

"We might just want to use the spacetime message to make a little money and take a shortcut in life, but others might not."

"[If the spacetime message falls into the wrong hands... revenge, world domination, or even the destruction of the world are possible.]"

"So, we must protect this secret well. Protecting this secret is protecting the entire world."

"That's for sure." "We're not stupid."

Cheng Mengxue, with a fork in the corner of her mouth, tilted her head:

"Since we're on the topic, what exactly are we going to do with the spacetime message in the future?"

"Or rather... what will we ultimately do with the spacetime message? What is the ultimate goal?"

"Achieve our own dreams."

Jiang Ran replied:

"Speaking of which, what are your dreams? What kind of life do you want to live in the future?"

"I want to be a Rhine Cat designer!"

Stars lit up in Cheng Mengxue's eyes:

"I must apply to Rhine Company after graduation. I really want to design Rhine Cats I like!"

Jiang Ran smiled:

"That's a normal dream. What about you, Qin Feng?"

"I want to go to... the world's top laboratories to conduct research."

Qin Feng was also very serious:

"There are many difficult problems in this world that cannot be solved by individual effort. I want to explore the deepest secrets of physics, the microscopic world, and even the universe with the smartest geniuses in the world."

"Wow, that's truly great."

Cheng Mengxue exclaimed, then turned:

"Jiang Ran, what about you? What's your dream?"

"Me..."

Jiang Ran rubbed the paper napkin, genuinely unable to think of anything for a moment:

"I probably don't have as specific a goal as you guys. My idea is... if you live in this world, you should do something meaningful, right?"

"On a small scale, it's living your own life well and protecting your family and friends; on a larger scale, it's contributing to society, the country, and even humanity, making the world a little better."

Oh~

Cheng Mengxue pondered:

"So... you're a savior?"

"It's not that exaggerated!"

"So you're a genius who pushed science forward like... Einstein?"

"Do I look like him?"

"Then..."

Cheng Mengxue smiled faintly, her pupils reflecting the neon lights of the shore, merging into one:

"[Then just keep being a hero, like you are now.]"

Bang bang bang bang!!

It was time for fireworks.

A massive barrage of fireworks shot up from the cruise ship's deck, exploding into colorful flames. It was as if the universe had opened countless eyes... silently watching the conversation on the highest part of the ship.

"..."

Jiang Ran swirled his wine glass:

"Am I... a hero?"

"Of course you are. You saved Older Sister Xu Yan, and you saved those two children who fell into the water."

"That was cheating."

He looked at Cheng Mengxue:

"I knew the answer and the solution beforehand. Without that buoyancy life jacket, I wouldn't have jumped in at all."

"You would have jumped."

With the red wine in her belly, Cheng Mengxue was a little bold today:

"We grew up together. It's not the first time I've seen you be so brave. Even without that life jacket, you would have jumped."

The waves swayed, and the wine glasses trembled.

The fireworks slowly descended, like tears falling from the sky.

"Besides... what does it matter if it was cheating? No matter what the reason was, you jumped in the end..."

Cheng Mengxue's cheeks were flushed, her eyes hazy, reflecting the last afterglow of the night sky:

"If cheating can make the world a better place... and make you a hero who saves lives..."

The world returned to darkness:

"[Then maybe... you should cheat for the rest of your life.]"