Magnificent Performance

Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat.

Jiang Ran's fingers danced across the keyboard, and strings of text appeared on the computer screen, forming one gripping scene after another.

In the original Worldline, he had written a script for the Film Club once before.

That script had been adapted from Genius Playground, the collection of edgy fantasy concepts he'd written in middle school, and he and Qin Feng had ultimately performed in it together.

He'd heard the finished short film was quite good and had received unanimous praise.

Now, all he had to do was recreate the script from memory. It was easy.

Standing behind Jiang Ran, Xu Yan watched the screen. She read each line as he wrote it, occasionally resting her chin in her hand as she pondered.

At first, she hadn't expected much. She'd assumed Jiang Ran was just kindly offering to help, and she hadn't wanted to dampen his enthusiasm, so she'd lent him a computer.

But...

This situation!

The more she watched, the more something felt off!

"Brilliant."

At last, she couldn't contain her excitement and spoke up in praise.

The Film Club members nearby looked from one another to Xu Yan, exchanging baffled glances.

What was going on?

Because of the script, Senior Xu Yan had been prickly for ages, impossible to approach and liable to explode at any moment.

But what had she just said?

Everyone could hear the delight and admiration in that heartfelt "Brilliant."

Curiosity got the better of them, and more and more club members gathered around, forming a circle behind Jiang Ran to watch.

"Whoa, that twist is incredible."

"Damn, what a genius setup! Where did Senior Xu Yan find this mastermind?"

"Shh... Keep it down. Don't disturb him while he's writing."

"Oh my god, there's another twist! The structure of this script is amazing!"

At first, everyone had kept their voices down, whispering among themselves.

But as the plot grew more intense, they couldn't stop discussing it. Every one of them was captivated by the brilliant, suspenseful, and thrilling story... All eyes stayed fixed on the cursor, waiting eagerly for the next line to appear.

Jiang Ran, meanwhile, was completely absorbed in writing, undisturbed by the commotion behind him.

It wasn't that he thought his writing was especially good.

It was just...

What he was typing now was the scene he and Qin Feng had acted out on the rooftop that day.

Red clouds, the setting sun, long shadows stretching across the ground, a lone wild duck soaring alongside the flock.

In the film and in real life, he and Qin Feng had stood opposite each other, close and yet distant, time and again.

"So this was the trap you set."

"We've known each other since high school..."

"Would you vanish with a whoosh and travel back to 2009? Or would only your consciousness go back while your body stayed here?"

"So this was your secret. But I still have to say, you set off the fireworks too early."

"You're wrong. You're the one who revealed your trump card."

"You'll never beat me in history. Because in this game on the river of time..."

"I am history!"

Those familiar and uncannily fitting lines flashed through his mind, one by one.

He remembered the look he'd given Qin Feng as he jumped from the rooftop;

He also remembered Qin Feng's final glance before the Worldline changed;

What a coincidence. What a remarkable coincidence.

[It was as if the story between them had already reached its finale with that performance on the rooftop.]

In the film, Jiang Ran was the protagonist. In reality, the stage belonged to Qin Feng.

With a magician's dazzling performance, he'd deceived Jiang Ran and everyone else, then made the Worldline jump right under their noses, pulling off a performance that could only be called perfect.

Tap!

The final keystroke landed.

The script was finished.

Jiang Ran took his hands off the keyboard and quietly looked at the ending on the screen.

Several dozen seconds of silence...

Then.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Xu Yan led the applause. A moment later, thunderous clapping filled the room, and the entire Film Club erupted:

"That twist at the end was huge! The scenes between those two leads are so gripping! They're both enemies and friends, both good and evil!"

"This is the great script we've been searching for! Senior Xu Yan, if we make this into a film, we're sure to win an award at the College Student Film Festival!"

"Senior Xu Yan, hurry and introduce us... Where did you find this amazing senior?"

"Yeah, yeah! Where did you get this backup, Senior? He came just in time!"

Facing the excited younger members, Xu Yan smiled faintly and didn't say much.

As club president, she understood the pressure everyone had been under lately.

She'd been feeling it herself.

All that pent-up tension had burst out the moment they saw such a brilliant script, and she felt much better now.

"This handsome guy's name is Jiang Ran."

Patting Jiang Ran on the back, Xu Yan said proudly:

"He was my childhood friend."

Then,

she looked at Jiang Ran with some concern:

"Jiang Ran, this is such a great script. Are you really willing to let us use it?"

"Of course."

Jiang Ran smiled.

"I wrote it specifically for your Film Club."

"Besides... you helped me so much, pulling all those strings to save the Film Club. We're just helping each other out, so don't be polite."

With the author's permission, everyone in the Film Club was thrilled and eager to get to work at once.

After all, the film festival's submission deadline was coming up soon. They had to hurry with casting, filming, and editing.

"Senior Xu Yan, can we enter the film festival with this script?"

Faced with the younger members' pleading eyes, Xu Yan smiled and sighed.

"Since the author himself says it's fine, we'll accept it, even if we have to be shameless about it."

"But make sure Jiang Ran's name is on the credits, and clearly mark him as the original author, scriptwriter, and screenwriter... Put it somewhere prominent."

"No, no."

Jiang Ran waved his hand, feeling a little embarrassed.

After that,

the Film Club members printed out several copies of the script and went to the activity room next door to discuss how to divide up the work. The crowded room emptied in an instant, leaving only Jiang Ran and Xu Yan behind.

"I should be the one thanking you this time."

Xu Yan crossed her arms.

"Jiang Ran, I really didn't know you had this kind of talent."

"I've always thought you were smart, even when we were kids. Honestly, with a mind like yours, going to a junior college is such a waste."

"But, um... you've still got a long life ahead of you. There are lots of roads that lead to Rome. You'll find your way!"

As if realizing she'd said the wrong thing, Xu Yan looked flustered for a moment.

Though the fluster soon vanished,

Jiang Ran had still noticed it.

[Strange.]

It was a strange feeling.

Whenever Xu Yan or Wang Hao talked about Cheng Mengxue's death and how it had affected him...

They always stumbled over their words.

They were always so careful.

[Something's wrong.]

Very wrong.

Suddenly,

Jiang Ran realized something—

It seemed

they always linked Cheng Mengxue's death closely to him, and repeatedly urged him to "let go of the past" and "move on."

Especially what Xu Yan had said yesterday:

"Whatever happened, just like we've told you before, Little Xue's death wasn't your fault. You don't need to blame yourself so much. No one has ever blamed you."

And what Wang Hao had said:

"The past is the past. You shouldn't keep blaming yourself."

Right.

That was the problem.

There was something very strange about this!

[Cheng Mengxue died in a car accident. An accident is an accident. It wasn't my fault, so why did Xu Yan and Wang Hao make a point of saying so?]

Could there be something more to the circumstances of Cheng Mengxue's death?

Thinking it over,

since the Worldline Jump, all he'd known was that Cheng Mengxue had died in a car accident two years ago. No one had ever explained the details of how she'd died.

A chill ran down his spine.

"Xu Yan, I want to ask you something."

Jiang Ran slowed his breathing.

"Little Xue's death two years ago... it wouldn't have had a lot to do with me, would it?"

He paused.

Then he raised his head.

"Did I... cause Little Xue's death?"