Starting Over

After leaving the cafeteria, Jiang Ran went back to his dorm to change.

There was a small dorm group chat on WeChat labeled 7B523. That had to be his dorm number.

The college campus was small. It took only a few minutes to reach the dorm after leaving the cafeteria.

It was an eight-person room with bunk beds. The conditions were a bit rough, but at least it was clean.

Jiang Ran had just sat down on his bed when one of his roommates crept over.

"What?"

Looking at Roommate No. 1, Jiang Ran realized he didn't know his name.

Roommate No. 1 shut the window, drew the curtains, closed the door, and locked it.

"Holy crap."

Jiang Ran hurried to his feet and backed up against the wall.

Was someone really coming after him in broad daylight?

Roommate No. 1 looked tense. He gestured for Jiang Ran to sit, then leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"Jiang Ran, you're the roommate I'm closest to. I'm only telling you about this, so you absolutely can't tell anyone else!"

"Oh, sure."

Looks like Roommate No. 1 was one of his close friends.

Jiang Ran let his guard down and listened carefully.

"What is it?"

"I won something!" Roommate No. 1 beamed.

"You won the lottery?" Jiang Ran was surprised, too.

"Not the lottery! I won an iPhone 16! The top model!"

Unable to contain his excitement, Roommate No. 1 pulled out his phone with trembling hands and showed Jiang Ran a text message, shielding it from view as he did.

Jiang Ran struggled to make out the message:

[Congratulations, lucky user! We are pleased to inform you that you have won the grand prize in our New Year Zhuanzhuan Lucky Draw! One top-model iPhone 16! Please click the link below to enter your shipping information and pay 180 yuan in shipping fees. Your phone will be shipped immediately via SF Express with insured delivery!]

"..."

Jiang Ran's mouth fell open. He looked at Roommate No. 1 helplessly.

"Dude, are you serious?"

"Of course!"

Roommate No. 1 quickly put his phone away.

"I'm only telling you. I don't even dare tell the others. They'll definitely be jealous! What if they steal my phone?"

"Come on, man..."

Jiang Ran hurriedly held him back.

"It's a scam. This trick's been around for ages. They just want to steal your shipping fee. After that, they might ask you to pay for insurance, a deposit, or some verification fee... Basically, they'll make up all sorts of charges. They're never going to send you a phone."

"Look at you!" Roommate No. 1's expression changed in an instant.

"I only told you because I thought we were close. How could you be jealous of me too? I even checked the tracking number. It's already been shipped. How could it be fake?"

"No, I'm saying—"

"I was wrong about you, Jiang Ran! If it's fake, why did I get the text and you didn't? You're just jealous of me!"

With that, Roommate No. 1 slammed the door on his way out.

"..."

Jiang Ran watched the dorm door shake, unable to argue back.

Forget it.

Let him pay a few hundred yuan to learn his lesson. You had to learn from experience.

Less than two minutes later,

another roommate came in, looking excited.

"Jiang Ran! I've got a secret to tell you! You absolutely can't tell anyone else!"

"You won something too?" Jiang Ran guessed.

"Huh? How did you know?"

"Don't tell me it's an iPhone 16 too?"

"What are you talking about? I won with a legitimate lottery ticket! The lottery!"

Roommate No. 2 pulled out his phone and showed Jiang Ran the number-selection screen.

"Look, it's a lottery website. There's a draw every ten minutes, and this guy's helping us pick numbers. I've already made a few hundred!"

"..."

Jiang Ran looked at the shoddy website and immediately understood.

"Dude, those sites are all fake. It doesn't matter how much you've won—the important thing is, you won't be able to withdraw it."

"What do you mean, I can't withdraw it? I just withdrew a hundred!"

"That's because you only withdrew a little. Once you put in more, they'll stop letting you withdraw. By the way... don't you guys have the anti-fraud app on your phones?"

"W-What are you saying, Jiang Ran? I was trying to share this with you and even invite you to make money with us. How could you say that?"

Roommate No. 2 turned on him.

"I made money, and you were the first person I thought of. And now you're trying to block my way to riches! Are you jealous that I'm making big money?"

"Once I make money, of course I'll treat you to a meal! You've really let me down!"

Roommate No. 2 was furious. He stormed out, slamming the door.

"..."

Jiang Ran watched the dorm door wobble on its hinges, quickly changed his clothes, and left.

If he stayed here any longer, he felt like he'd end up offending all his roommates.

He'd probably have to live here for a while longer, until he got the Positron Cannon sorted out. He'd better keep a few bridges unburned.

He walked out of the college gates.

He got into a taxi and headed straight for Donghai University.

Jiang Ran had no idea where to start, so he decided to take another look at the Film Club.

He arrived at the club activities building.

The disciplinary notice about Senior Yan Rui was still posted on the first-floor bulletin board.

The notice period had long since passed, but no one had bothered to remove it. It remained there, waiting for another notice to cover it up.

He entered the building and went to the Film Club's room.

The door was ajar.

There was someone inside.

He crept closer and peeked through the crack. Sure enough, it was someone he knew! The Film Club's last president, the Positron Cannon's user, the student who'd been disciplined, and a fourth-year graduating student—

Yan Rui.

In the original Worldline, Jiang Ran, Qin Feng, and Cheng Mengxue had taken over the Film Club in March, so Senior Yan Rui had handed things over early and left campus ahead of schedule.

But on this Worldline, the trio had fallen apart and could barely look after themselves. Naturally, no one had taken over the Film Club.

That was probably why Senior Yan Rui still hadn't left campus.

Seeing a familiar face in this new Worldline made Jiang Ran oddly excited. He pushed the door open and walked in.

"Hello, Senior Yan Rui. I'm a second-year student—"

He stopped short halfway through his introduction and closed his mouth.

Seriously, why was he acting so familiar?

Right now, he was just a student from another college, not a junior at this university. Better to say less than more.

Senior Yan Rui was packing up the odds and ends on his desk.

He turned around and pushed up his glasses.

"Hello. Who are you?"

"Senior Yan Rui, I'm here about the Film Club."

This was a second chance at the same situation, so Jiang Ran got straight to the point and chose the fastest way to get things done.

"Senior, I only recently got into film cameras, but I really love film photography. So... I want to keep the Film Club going."

"I know the Student Union has already issued a Club Dissolution Notice, but I'll find a way to deal with it. Could you wait a couple of days?"

Yan Rui looked bewildered.

It took him a few seconds to process what Jiang Ran had said.

"If you want to revive the Film Club, I don't have any objections. It's just... not going to be easy."

He took the Club Dissolution Notice from the bookshelf and handed it to Jiang Ran.

"Look. The club's status has already been revoked. I was planning to finish packing my things as soon as possible and hand in the activity room key."

"Of course, if you really have a way to save the Film Club, I'd be happy to wait a couple of days."

"I've been with this club for a long time, so I've grown attached to it. I don't want to see it dissolved, either."

Jiang Ran took the Club Dissolution Notice.

"Don't worry, Senior Yan Rui. I won't let you down. I'll come back to see you in a couple of days."

All right.

Step one of the plan was complete.

Next, he had to find Xu Yan and make use of her unrivaled connections.

After leaving the Film Club, he went straight upstairs to the Film Club's activity room.

Unlike the Film Club, which was thriving, the Film Club was a large organization, with several activity rooms and even a dedicated screening room. They were well-staffed and well-equipped.

However...

He checked several rooms in a row but didn't see Xu Yan anywhere.

That left Jiang Ran feeling uneasy.

No way.

Could Xu Yan on this Worldline have also jumped into the river to save a child and died?

On the previous Worldline, Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue had used a Spacetime Bulletin to save her.

But on this Worldline, there was no one to save her.

A male student saw Jiang Ran standing at the door and came over.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for someone."

Jiang Ran's heart began to race.

"Is President Xu Yan here?"