Genius Playground

"Unless Xu Yan is willing to let me see it."

He picked up his phone and dialed Xu Yan’s number.

The call connected quickly, and the two started chatting.

Xu Yan was also in Hang City for summer vacation and wasn’t busy. She said she had time to meet Jiang Ran in the afternoon.

The only thing was, Xu Yan’s hometown was out by Qiandao Lake, which was a bit far.

Fortunately, Jiang Ran had bought a commuter car, and his dad had let him use it for the summer. So he put the glass bottle back in the iron box and carried it downstairs.

He started the car, turned on the GPS, and headed for Qiandao Lake.

...

Two hours later, Jiang Ran and Xu Yan met at a tea cafe.

"Oh, this thing."

Xu Yan was one of the people involved, after all. The moment she saw the rust-spotted iron box, she understood everything.

"This is what Xiaoxue and I buried back in elementary school."

"I think we had just watched some cartoon back then. Was it *Doraemon*? We got a sudden idea to copy the plot and write letters to ourselves twenty years in the future."

Xu Yan was as straightforward and open as ever.

Right in front of Jiang Ran, she unstopped the glass bottle with a POP and tipped out the rolled-up piece of paper from inside.

She unrolled it and read.

When she finished, she smiled and handed it to Jiang Ran.

"Want to read it?"

"Can I?"

"What’s the big deal? It’s not a love letter. There’s nothing you can’t see."

It was just as Jiang Ran had always known Xu Yan to be.

She had always been like a kind, considerate older sister, even though... she was only a year older than Jiang Ran. She was clearly far more mature.

Jiang Ran took the letter.

He began to read:

*To the me of 20 years from now, have you achieved your dream?*

*Whatever you do, don’t forget that we have to become an incredible, big-shot director!*

*And we have to make the greatest movie in the world!*

*In 20 years, you’ll be 28. You must have your own film by now, right?*

*Anyway...*

*No matter what difficulties you face, you have to hold on to our dream!*

*Never, ever give up!*

...

The letter from eight-year-old Xu Yan had far fewer typos and phonetic stand-ins than Cheng Mengxue’s.

Jiang Ran put down the letter and smiled.

"You’ve really stayed true to your original dream. It’s paying off."

"You’ve already directed a film that won the grand prize at the student film festival. I’d say you’ve achieved your dream ahead of schedule, wouldn’t you?"

"Haha, no way."

Xu Yan chuckled.

"Not even close... Didn’t you read the letter? My eight-year-old self demanded that I become a world-class director and make the greatest movie ever!"

"Haha, I don’t have much time left. Kids say the darndest things, and ignorance is bliss. I don’t think I’ll be able to complete that dream on schedule."

"However..."

She closed her eyes, her thoughts drifting to something unknown.

"But I definitely won’t stop trying."

Her eyes slowly opened.

"Even if it’s later than planned, even if it takes many, many years, I am going to make a film... one that I can be satisfied with, one that I can be proud of for the rest of my life."

"I really have to thank you, Jiang Ran. You’re the one who gave me this opportunity. I’ll be a senior next semester. Remember when we talked about that film company sorting out offers for us?"

"I chose my favorite film production company, the one where the director I admire most works. They actually sent me an offer! They invited me to intern whenever I want and then join full-time after graduation. I get to be that director’s assistant."

"If you hadn’t written that script for our film club, I never would have had an opportunity like this. It’s more than I ever could have dreamed of."

Jiang Ran waved his hand dismissively.

"We’re friends. It’s only natural we help each other out. You’ve helped me a lot too, so let’s just call it even."

Then, Xu Yan curiously picked up Cheng Mengxue’s glass bottle, took out the letter, and read it as well.

She licked her lips.

Then she gave Jiang Ran a meaningful look.

"I’ve been meaning to ask, but I felt a bit awkward. You’ve changed so much recently—studying hard, getting involved in all sorts of things... It’s like you’re a completely different person."

*"Is it because... you met a certain nice girl at school? And because of her influence, you became so sunny and positive?"*

Pink.

Instantly, a flash of pink—a silhouette—crossed Jiang Ran’s mind.

He saw the trembling eyes from outside the campus wall, the figure blooming like a spider lily on the rooftop, the carbon fiber arrow that had pierced a suitcase.

"Well..."

Jiang Ran didn’t know what to say. It was true that Nan Xiuxiu had changed the old, depressed Jiang Ran, but that Jiang Ran wasn’t *him*.

"It’s complicated," he said evasively.

"Geez!"

Seeing him hem and haw, Xu Yan gave him a light smack.

"You’re a grown man, stop being so shy! Is it true or not? Just give me a straight answer—yes! Or! No!"

Jiang Ran gave a helpless smile.

He looked up.

"Or."

"..."

Xu Yan rolled her eyes at him.

"Fine, be a smartass. I’ll just ask Wang Hao later and find out everything."

"You know, sometimes that’s just how it is. Someone appears at just the right moment in your life. Fate has you meet them so they can give you a little push... and get your life back on track."

As she said this, her eyes brightened and she smiled faintly.

"That’s what my boyfriend was like."

Jiang Ran looked up.

’The mysterious boyfriend makes another appearance.’

"Your boyfriend... Was he a bad student before? Did he turn over a new leaf after meeting you?"

"Haha."

Xu Yan gave a noncommittal smile.

"It wasn’t just that he was a bad student. Well, okay, he *was* a bad student, but his problems went way beyond that... He was aimless, fooling around, causing trouble... basically like a street punk, right down to the bleached-blond hair."

"Basically, before my boyfriend met me, he was a total mess. You could say he was completely good-for-nothing."

Oh.

Jiang Ran nodded, listening intently.

’Another piece of the puzzle about Xu Yan’s mysterious boyfriend falls into place.’

"So you’re saying he’s seen the error of his ways? He’s a good guy now?"

"Something like that."

A sweet smile touched Xu Yan’s lips as she spoke about her boyfriend.

"At least... I think he’s a really good person now."

"So how did you two meet, anyway?" Jiang Ran was genuinely curious.

"That’s a long story."

Xu Yan leaned back in her chair and looked out the window.

*"That... is another story."*

Seeing that Xu Yan didn’t seem inclined to continue, Jiang Ran didn’t press her about private matters.

The topic shifted, and they chatted about other things for a while. After finishing their tea, they got ready to leave.

"Well then, I’ll be taking this~"

Xu Yan said, shaking the glass bottle in her hand.

"Go ahead, it’s yours anyway."

Jiang Ran placed Cheng Mengxue’s bottle back into the rusty iron box. They walked to the parking lot together, and Jiang Ran drove Xu Yan home.

"Keep it up, Jiang Ran."

After getting out of the car, Xu Yan gave Jiang Ran an encouraging fist pump through the open window.

"What’s past is past. Let it go and look ahead! Always look ahead!"

"Yeah."

Jiang Ran waved, stepped on the accelerator, and drove off.

He rolled up the windows. The excellent soundproofing enveloped the car’s interior in a deep silence.

’Let go of the past.’

He glanced at the mottled iron box on the passenger seat, his thoughts turning to the letter from Cheng Mengxue inside its glass bottle.

’How could I possibly let it go?’

He stared straight ahead, at the highway stretching into the darkness.

"I’m sorry..."

The faces of so many people flashed through his mind.

"I can’t let go."