Chapter 356: Bird and Fish (Part 2)

Jiang Ran stacked the eight photos, squared them up, and held them in his palm.

Then he raised his head.

And looked out the window.

…

Chi Xiaoguo stood there, picking at her fingers, watching Jiang Ran in silence.

Just a moment ago, she hadn’t dared to speak.

Because the look on Jiang Ran’s face when he saw the last photo was just as she’d predicted: impossibly complex.

Now.

He was gazing wordlessly out the window.

She finally worked up the courage. She hesitated, but ultimately, she spoke up.

“The photo of the girl with pink hair… did you take it?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Ran nodded.

“I took it for her at my 19th birthday party. This very camera was her birthday gift to me.”

“Oh…”

Chi Xiaoguo said softly,

“That girl… she’s really, really beautiful.”

She remarked with genuine admiration,

“It’s like she walked right out of a comic book. Prettier than even the fashion models on TV.”

This was a compliment from the bottom of Chi Xiaoguo’s heart, full of admiration and completely devoid of jealousy.

Because…

In the presence of a girl so beautiful, someone as insignificant as her didn’t even qualify to feel jealous.

Her fair skin was smoother than she could ever dream of; a perfect figure, a perfect face, perfect features—everything about that girl was perfect. Paired with a confidence that radiated from her very bones, this was a girl from a completely different world, a different dimension, even.

“She is quite beautiful.”

Jiang Ran admitted.

After all, he couldn’t deny the obvious.

Nan Xiuxiu’s beauty was plain for all to see, an indisputable fact.

Chi Xiaoguo took a step forward.

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty.

“That girl… is she your girlfriend?”

The moment she asked the question,

Chi Xiaoguo felt the air in the room freeze! Even using all her strength, she couldn’t draw a single breath! She was practically suffocating!

“She was, I guess.”

No matter when it came up, Jiang Ran never knew how to describe his relationship with Nan Xiuxiu.

“But now, I guess you’d just call her my ex.”

“Huh?”

Chi Xiaoguo’s eyes widened, and she could suddenly breathe again.

“You… you two… You’ve already broken up?”

“Yeah.”

Jiang Ran sighed softly.

Whenever this topic came up, he felt a pang of guilt, as if he’d deeply wronged Nan Xiuxiu.

After all, from beginning to end, the girl had done nothing wrong.

Though Jiang Ran was a victim of the Worldline Jump and had no choice in the matter, wasn’t Nan Xiuxiu also a victim of the crisscrossing timelines?

Unfortunately, there was only one Jiang Ran in this world.

He could either be at East Sea University or at the East Sea College of International Trade and Economics.

Where he was, and how history unfolded, depended entirely on whether Cheng Mengxue was alive or dead two years ago.

If Cheng Mengxue hadn’t been in the car accident, Jiang Ran would have certainly come to East Sea University with her, and he and Nan Xiuxiu would have never crossed paths.

It was only because Cheng Mengxue died in a car accident on the second day of her college entrance exams that Jiang Ran, through a twist of fate, ended up at the same vocational college as Wang Hao and began his story with Nan Xiuxiu.

But,

Jiang Ran could never stand by and watch Cheng Mengxue die.

As a child, he had promised his parents he would protect Cheng Mengxue.

What’s more, right before the Worldline Jump, he had personally sworn to find both of his closest friends who had been lost to him.

Even in 2045, facing a Cheng Mengxue who had become a Digital Life, he had bumped fists with her and promised he would be the first person she saw when she woke up.

[Regardless of past, present, or future… Jiang Ran had chosen Cheng Mengxue, choosing to steadfastly return to World Line 0.]

In that case, his time with Nan Xiuxiu was fated to end here.

“She was a classmate of mine from vocational college, the one I went to before coming to East Sea University for grad school.”

Jiang Ran walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a book, and tucked the eight photos inside.

“A lot happened. We broke up before summer vacation.”

“Actually, Nan Xiuxiu… ah, that’s the pink-haired girl, that’s her name. Nan Xiuxiu is a really great girl. I was the one who broke up with her. I really did her wrong.”

Chi Xiaoguo blinked.

“Is it because you… don’t like her anymore?”

Heh.

Jiang Ran gave a strange laugh and shook his head.

“The logic is hard to explain. Let’s just say the timing and circumstances of how we met were… bizarre. I don’t think anyone, put in that situation, could have calmly accepted a relationship like that.”

?

Suddenly, Chi Xiaoguo was completely lost.

‘The timing and way they met were… bizarre?’

Then, she had a sudden realization and cried out,

“You two didn’t meet in a normal way?!”

“Where is your mind going!”

Jiang Ran quickly reined in Chi Xiaoguo’s thoughts, which were drifting off to God-knows-what kind of app.

“Sigh, how do I explain this… With all your experience from romance dramas and novels, you should understand this. Breaking up… a lot of the time, there’s no other choice.”

“But I don’t get it…”

Chi Xiaoguo shook her head, looking lost.

“In the shows I watch, people don’t break up after they get together. They all get their happy ending and live happily ever after.”

“…”

Jiang Ran was speechless.

“Alright, I guess you’re a real purist when it comes to romance.”

“Wha—! Of course I am!”

As if he’d struck a nerve, Chi Xiaoguo began waving her hands frantically.

“The stuff I watch is all wholesome! I don’t touch stuff like NTR at all!”

…

…

…

The wind howled, and the river ran cold.

The autumn wind always carries unforgettable stories.

Outside the wide-open window of the Film Club, willow branches swayed, brushing against the windowsill and sending two yellow leaves drifting inside.