Genius Playground

On May Day.

After waking up, Jiang Ran went to find Wang Hao, and the two of them took a high-speed train back to Hang City.

Ever since their unhappy parting at the cafeteria yesterday, Nan Xiuxiu hadn’t sent him a single text or made a single phone call.

It seemed she was truly angry.

So be it.

This was for the best. He wouldn’t be disturbed.

Jiang Ran sat by the window on the high-speed train, quietly watching the scenery outside.

The train drew closer and closer to Hang City.

Yet he felt himself growing more and more distant from Cheng Mengxue.

’But I’m so close to bringing her back to life...’

’Why do I have this strange feeling?’

’Is it because visiting her grave is weighing on my heart? Or is it because I have no confidence in the Positron Cannon?’

Perhaps he shouldn’t have made this trip at all, just creating psychological stress for himself out of thin air. But on the other hand... he really did want to come and see Cheng Mengxue, even if all that was left of her was a tombstone.

...

After the high-speed train arrived at the station, the two took a taxi to Jingshan Bamboo Public Cemetery.

He learned from Wang Hao that after Cheng Mengxue passed away and was cremated, her ashes were buried in this cemetery.

Perhaps overcome with grief, her parents had sold their property and moved to the United States after burying their daughter. Since then, they had vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.

Unlike the lively, bustling crowds that filled Hang City during the May Day holiday, the moment they entered the Jingshan Bamboo Public Cemetery area, it became instantly desolate.

Not only were there few people, but it felt as if the temperature had dropped significantly, sending a chill down one’s arms.

Along the way, Jiang Ran and Wang Hao walked in single file, each holding a bouquet of flowers, wrapped in a shared, silent understanding.

"It’s over there."

Wang Hao stopped and pointed to a tombstone up ahead.

The tombstone sat under the shade of a tree, perfectly square, perfectly quiet.

The moment he laid eyes on it from afar,

Jiang Ran felt as if the green lawn beneath his feet had turned into thick, viscous asphalt, sticking to him so he could barely move. Every single step seemed to drain all the strength from his body.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity traversing those few meters, he stood before the tombstone.

The tombstone was short, not even reaching his waist. It was covered in a light layer of dust, but the characters engraved on its face were perfectly clear.

Cheng Mengxue.

It was the name of his childhood sweetheart, a name he knew better than his own, now appearing in the last place he ever wanted to see it.

Above the name, a black-and-white photograph of Cheng Mengxue was inlaid into the stone.

Looking at the girl’s familiar smile in the photo, Jiang Ran felt his breathing grow heavy.

He crouched down, set down the bouquet, and ran his right palm over the porcelain photograph...

Smooth, yet coarse.

A silent touch.

But it awakened memories that crossed world lines—

"Then just keep being a hero, like you are now!"

"We grew up together. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you be so brave. Even without that life jacket, you would have jumped in."

"Here, I’m giving this to you for now."

"According to the backstory of the Time Particle Rhine Cat... this is something that can bring miracles and power."

"Wherever you go, I’ll go. I’ll always be right behind you."

...

Countless words of comfort, countless moments of encouragement.

The words Cheng Mengxue had spoken echoed in his ears.

It was as if she had never left, as if she were still standing right behind him.

Jiang Ran slowly turned around.

There was no one there.

Only Wang Hao, standing beside him, who also bent down to place his bouquet of lilies on top of the other, clasping his hands in prayer.

Time passed. The sun blazed high in the sky.

One crouching and one standing, the two of them remained there for a long, long time, silent and unmoving.

At that moment, gazing at the photo of Cheng Mengxue’s radiant smile on the tombstone, feeling the coldness of the stone beneath his palm, Jiang Ran truly understood what it meant to be separated by life and death, what it meant to never meet again.

He recalled the dim, lightless look in Qin Feng’s eyes when he had once rejected him, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of shared understanding.

Perhaps, until you personally experience the final parting of a loved one, all verbal claims of empathy... are nothing more than hypocritical, sanctimonious excuses.

A warm spring breeze blew past, making the lily bouquets sway. Their lustrous fragrance wafted into his heart, clearing the chaos from Jiang Ran’s mind.

He pressed his hands on his knees.

And slowly rose to his feet.

"Wang Hao."

He stood up straight and looked at his best friend.

"Can you come with me to Kaihua?"

"Kaihua?"

Wang Hao was confused.

"Kaihua County in Quzhou? What are you going to that backwater for?"

"I want to find an old friend."

After a pause, Jiang Ran continued,

"I don’t know where he is now, or what kind of life he’s living."

"But... I know his hometown is in Kaihua, Quzhou. He grew up there, went to elementary and middle school there."

"He might not be there anymore, but at the very least, I can ask around for news about him there."

"Okay, I guess."

Wang Hao scratched his head.

"But, how come I’ve never heard you mention him? What’s this friend’s name?"

Jiang Ran let out a soft laugh.

"What do you mean I’ve never mentioned him? You’ve just forgotten."

"His name is..."

"Qin Feng."

...

...

After the two men left, silence returned to the cemetery.

But this silence was only temporary.

In the distance, a cherry blossom tree danced in the wind, its late-blooming petals drifting down. A girl, also bathed in the pink blossoms, peeked out from behind the tree.

She glanced cautiously toward the cemetery entrance, and only after confirming that the two men had left did she step out from the shade of the tree.

She shook her head, sending a pink cherry blossom petal falling from her hair. It slid down the pink waterfall of her waist-length hair and landed on the ground.

Her canvas shoes stepped onto the stone path as the girl, holding a large bouquet of white chrysanthemums, slowly walked toward the tombstone.

Closer.

She stopped.

Nan Xiuxiu looked down, her eyes falling upon the familiar name and the unfamiliar face on the stone slab.

Cheng Mengxue.

’So this is the girl who died two years ago, Jiang Ran’s childhood sweetheart.’

’She’s very pretty.’

’She looks very gentle.’

’But the black-and-white is a far cry from what her lovely face deserves. This shouldn’t be the color palette for someone her age.’

’She should be like me—in full color, vibrant, someone to look up to... not someone to be remembered.’

Nan Xiuxiu bent down.

She placed the large bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of the tombstone.

Then, she straightened her skirt, knelt on the stone slab, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together in prayer.

The fragrance of lilies mixed with the fresh scent of chrysanthemums, enveloping the two girls.

It was as if time stood still in that moment.

The cherry blossoms froze mid-air, the blades of grass stopped swaying, strands of hair no longer danced, and the sunlight clung like a shadow.

Everything was quiet.

Everything was listening.

It was the silent communion of two girls, a whisper that crossed time and world lines, a revolving dance of black-and-white and color.

After a long while.

The girl opened her eyes and stood up.

"I’m sorry,"

she said softly.

Then she turned around.

And walked away across the green grass...