The Real History

The closed loop of the spacetime butterfly effect.

Unpredictable, yet intricately connected.

Actually, to be precise, it wasn't just Chi Xiaoguo alone whose life trajectory was altered.

On this new worldline, Jiang Ran, Qin Feng, and Cheng Mengxue all didn't attend Donghai University.

Therefore...

A total of three people would have their destinies changed by the spacetime butterfly effect, "replacing" their trio to be admitted to Donghai University.

It's quite remarkable.

Jiang Ran mused inwardly.

The tornado of the butterfly effect would change many things, but history, like patching up holes, ensures no position remains vacant.

"I was just guessing, purely a coincidence."

Jiang Ran looked at Chi Xiaoguo and chuckled softly:

"I have a friend who really wanted to come to Donghai University's School of Fine Arts, and applied for the same major as you."

"But obviously... she was pushed out by you; you were the lucky one admitted last."

Chi Xiaoguo scratched her head sheepishly:

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Is... is she doing okay now? Was she admitted to her second choice?"

"She's doing fine."

Jiang Ran casually brushed it off:

"Everyone has their own fate."

Afterward, Yan Rui led them to the student club management department to handle the procedures.

Everything went smoothly.

The club's existence was renewed, the president's handover was completed, and Chi Xiaoguo, as the new president, took on the heavy responsibility of the Film Club.

"This way, I can leave school without any lingering worries."

Triggering the same plot dialogue again, Yan Rui, like an NPC, repeated what he had told Jiang Ran in the original worldline:

"The future of the Film Club is in your hands!"

"Of course, if you encounter any problems later, feel free to contact me anytime, and I will do my best to help."

Jiang Ran waved his hand and, along with Chi Xiaoguo, saw Yan Rui off, watching his back as he left the small activity room for the last time.

"From now on, it's up to us."

He looked down at Chi Xiaoguo:

"Let's go, we need to write the application and guarantee letter to get back the confiscated positron cannon."

Then came another round of running errands.

However, for Jiang Ran, it was already familiar territory, proceeding step by step.

Chi Xiaoguo was completely bewildered, like a spinning top, tightly following behind Jiang Ran; wherever he went, she went, signing when asked, vowing when told.

Finally...

All the procedures were completed, with only one last step remaining.

Jiang Ran, holding the pickup application form, led Chi Xiaoguo towards the school warehouse.

With this stamped application form, they could retrieve the positron cannon from the warehouse.

Great.

Everything was finally going smoothly.

Although there would still be a lot of work to do after retrieving the positron cannon, as long as they got it back, it meant the [Save Cheng Mengxue] plan was at least 90% complete.

"Senior!"

Chi Xiaoguo hurried to keep up:

"You're walking too fast!"

Jiang Ran's strides were twice hers, and her short legs genuinely struggled to keep pace.

"Sorry."

Jiang Ran had been lost in thought just now and hadn't noticed, so he quickly slowed down.

Even though he had explained multiple times that he wasn't a senior and was in the same year as Chi Xiaoguo, she seemed to prefer calling him that.

He couldn't be bothered to argue, so he let it be.

"Senior."

Chi Xiaoguo approached:

"I can tell you really love film photography. What camera do you usually use?"

This question stumped Jiang Ran.

He had never even used a film camera once, let alone touched a roll of film.

"Why do you say that?" Jiang Ran asked back.

"Because you must really love film photography, that's why you care so much about its survival and have been so busy with everything."

Chi Xiaoguo's eyes were full of anticipation:

"You're not a student at Donghai University, yet you've done so much for the Film Club. It can only be out of the purest passion."

"Thank you so much, Senior Jiang Ran. If you hadn't guided me and helped me through this, I wouldn't have been able to complete these procedures at all."

"You're definitely more suited to be the president of the Film Club than I am. That's what I've always thought... I hope you'll come here often in the future. I'll listen to your directions!"

Chi Xiaoguo's sweet, chirpy voice was quite pleasant.

"What about you?"

Jiang Ran smiled slightly:

"Why do you like something so old-fashioned? What's so special about film cameras to you?"

"Of course there is!"

When talking about something she loved, Chi Xiaoguo skipped and hopped in front of Jiang Ran, walking backward with her hands behind her back:

"Film cameras are completely different from digital cameras. Digital cameras, to put it simply, analyze pixel colors using a sensor and convert them into data to store."

"In my opinion, this color simulation is completely fake. It's not the true color of the object itself... Even if digital cameras have higher resolutions and more accurate colors, it's the same."

"[Real is real, fake is fake.]"

"But film cameras are different. The moment the shutter opens, real light shines onto the photosensitive film, and the color developer on the film presents the most authentic image at that very moment."

"This authenticity, without a trace of falsehood. This is the biggest difference in the imaging principles between film and digital cameras; at the same time, it's what I find most romantic about film photography--"

She tilted her head up, looking at the brilliant sunlight in the sky, squinting and giggling:

"[What film cameras capture is the most authentic history of this world.]"

"Every ray of light, every speck of color, even every grain of noise... is the most original state of the world at the moment the shutter was pressed."

Following Chi Xiaoguo's gaze, Jiang Ran also looked up.

The sunlight was just right, illuminating everything.

Against the backdrop of a deep blue sky, a distant airplane left a trail of smoke, streaking across the white clouds; brown birds leaped from the treetops, making the tender green branches sway and drawing a rainbow across the hazy leaf tips.

Yes.

All of this was the world's truest color.

Jiang Ran also had some understanding of the basic principles of digital and film cameras.

Currently, digital cameras generally have a color depth of 8-bit or 12-bit, with high-end products reaching 14-bit.

But this also means that the number of colors that digital cameras can display is limited, and they cannot fully reproduce all the colors visible to the human eye.

Film cameras, however, are different.

They lack sensors and electronic components. They directly capture the most authentic light from nature through the shutter. The silver halides on the film absorb light at a molecular level, displaying corresponding colors.

So, Chi Xiaoguo was right.

In a sense, the colors film can record are infinite and the most authentic.

It was quite magical.

Jiang Ran hadn't thought of this matter as particularly remarkable before.

But after Chi Xiaoguo put it like that, it did feel a bit romantic.

This was probably... the art of language.

"We're here at the warehouse."

Jiang Ran handed the delivery slip to Chi Xiaoguo:

"You're the president, you go negotiate with the warehouse manager."

After the paperwork was confirmed.

The administrator led them to the school warehouse and opened the door with a key.

Whoosh.

A damp smell wafted out, filled with the scent of age, as if speaking of the weight of history.

Following the administrator's steps, Jiang Ran once again arrived in front of the familiar shelves.

Positron cannon.

That square machine, with a cylindrical cannon barrel in front, resembling a super-sized old-fashioned camera… it just lay there quietly.

Jiang Ran's heart pounded as he recalled the scene of the initial trio carrying it away:

"Finally, I found you."

It was just…

"Huh?"

He blinked, realizing something was wrong.

He quickly ran over, wiped away the dust with his palm, and stared at the positron cannon's casing:

"How did this dent get here!"

He tenderly touched the obvious, flattened dent on top of the positron cannon and looked back at the administrator:

"What's going on?"