novelraw Chapter 104 Change
Chapter 104 Change
Jiang Ran set down the tools he had used for the “crime” and looked into the iron box.
Unexpectedly—
there wasn’t much inside.
“A glass bottle?”
He checked the corners.
There were no other items.
Only two transparent glass bottles about the size of soda cans.
Through the glass, he could see that each bottle contained a rolled sheet of paper covered in writing.
“Is this… a message-in-a-bottle? Or something like a time capsule?”
Jiang Ran understood immediately.When he was younger, this kind of thing had been popular for a while.
You would write a letter to your future self—years or even decades later—or leave behind some kind of keepsake, bury it underground, and dig it up when the time came.
It seemed meaningful.
It had the feeling of a time capsule.
But most of the time… people buried them and then forgot about them. Or they forgot where they buried them. Or during the golden age of urban construction, an excavator would mercilessly destroy them.
In any case,
Jiang Ran was certain that in his memory, he had never buried this combination box together with Cheng Mengxue.
“Though… can I even trust my memory anymore?”
Jiang Ran gave a bitter smile.
At the moment, he had very little confidence in his own memories. They always seemed incomplete, missing pieces.
He picked up the two glass bottles.
Sticky notes were attached to the outside, with names written on them.
One bottle’s note read: [Xiaoxue].
The other bottle’s note read: [Yanyan].
“Oh—”
Jiang Ran suddenly understood.
Sure enough, this had nothing to do with him. The rusted iron box must have been buried by Cheng Mengxue and her cousin Xu Yan.
“Most likely they really were letters written to their future selves.”
Curious, Jiang Ran picked up Cheng Mengxue’s “time bottle” and pulled out the cork.
Pop.
Air sealed inside for who knew how many years escaped at last, completing its connection with the present.
Using tweezers, he pulled out the folded note inside and slowly unfolded it.
The handwriting was childish but neat, mixed with plenty of pinyin spelling.
Judging from that, the letter had probably been written very early—likely when they were in elementary school.
He flattened it on the desk and read the first line.
[Jiang Ran is a big idiot!]
An explosive opening.
Jiang Ran’s eyes widened, feeling as if a bullet fired from the past had struck him square in the forehead.
“Ahem.”
He straightened up and continued reading.
[Jiang Ran is a big idiot!
Seriously, every time I tell him to learn swimming, he never takes it seriously!
What if he drowns again next time? He might really die!
Sigh.
Forget it.
I’ll just learn properly myself.
If something like that happens again, and someone falls into the river, then I’ll be the one jumping in to save him.
Twenty-years-later me…
You must already be a grown-up now, right?
Then you must be amazing, beautiful, and strong!
Are you still with Jiang Ran?
Are you still best friends?
I really hope you’re still the best friends in the world, just like we are when we’re little.
Can you promise me something?
No matter where you are twenty years later, no matter what your relationship is…
If Jiang Ran ever runs into danger or trouble, please make sure to help him, okay?
After all, he once saved our lives.
He almost lost his own life doing it.
In my heart…
Jiang Ran will always be a great hero.]
Jiang Ran stared at the yellowing sheet of paper.
His breathing grew heavy.
It felt as though the air had turned solid—hard to inhale, impossible to release.
He set the letter down.
Rubbed his eyes.
“Sigh…”
A thousand thoughts condensed into a single sigh.
“Jiang Ran, what about you? What’s your dream!”
In his ears, he heard Cheng Mengxue’s slightly drunken voice from the bonfire night, cheeks flushed red as she asked him from the highest point:
“Is it… becoming a savior?”
“Or a genius like Einstein, pushing science forward?”
“Or just… keep being a hero like you are now.”
He opened his eyes.
The Cheng Mengxue with flushed cheeks and hazy eyes after drinking red wine was no longer beside him.
What time and years had left behind
was only the doodle-covered letter
and an empty glass bottle.
[I will definitely save you.]
Jiang Ran clenched his fist.
“No matter what. I’ll keep my promise.”
Ever since he arrived on Worldline No. 1, that thought had never once wavered.
Even if the Positron Cannon was broken.
Even if it couldn’t be repaired anytime soon.
Even if the alternative—a spacetime shuttle—seemed completely impossible for now.
So what?
He didn’t care how long it would take to bring Cheng Mengxue back.
Months?
Years?
More than ten years?
It didn’t matter.
On this Worldline No. 1, he had only one goal.
Even if it took his entire life,
he would keep that promise.
If he said something,
he would do it.
That had always been his rule for living.
In the lower right corner of the letter, the date was written.
August 17, 2013.
Counting back, it must have been during the summer vacation of second grade in elementary school.
Then it wasn’t surprising that the other bottle had been written by Xu Yan.
Every summer vacation, Xu Yan would come stay at Cheng Mengxue’s house for two months.
So
these two glass bottles—like little time capsules—
contained the secret thoughts of two young girls,
messages sent through time to their future selves.
Jiang Ran picked up the bottle labeled Yanyan.
The letter inside must have been written by Xu Yan when she was eight—one year older than them.
Should he read it?
Jiang Ran hesitated for a few seconds.
“…Better not.”
“It wouldn’t be very polite.”
He and Cheng Mengxue had been childhood friends. Reading hers was one thing—he hadn’t even known what it was at first. By the time he opened it, it was already too late. Ignorance could be forgiven.
But Xu Yan’s…
He felt awkward peeking into someone else’s childhood feelings.
“Unless Xu Yan says I can.”
He picked up his phone and called her.
She answered quickly, and the two began chatting.
Xu Yan was also spending summer vacation in Hang City and had plenty of free time. She said she could meet Jiang Ran that afternoon.
However, Xu Yan’s hometown was near Thousand Islands Lake—quite far away.
Fortunately, Jiang Ran had just bought a car. His father had told him to drive it during the summer.
So he put the glass bottle back into the iron box, carried it downstairs, started the car, opened the navigation app, and drove toward Thousand Islands Lake.
Two hours later, Jiang Ran met Xu Yan at a tea restaurant.
“Ah, this thing.”
As soon as Xu Yan saw the rusted iron box, she immediately understood.
“This is something Xiaoxue and I buried when we were in elementary school.”
“We must’ve watched some cartoon back then—maybe Doraemon—and suddenly wanted to imitate the plot. So we wrote letters to our future selves twenty years later.”
Xu Yan was still the same straightforward person.
Right in front of Jiang Ran, she popped open the glass bottle, poured out the rolled-up paper, and unfolded it.
She read it.
After finishing,
she smiled slightly and handed it to him.
“Want to read it?”
“Is that okay?”
“What’s the problem? It’s not a love letter.”
Just as Jiang Ran had always felt—
Xu Yan was forever a gentle and thoughtful older sister.
Even though she was only one year older than him,
she was clearly far more mature.
Jiang Ran took the letter and began reading.
[Twenty-years-later me, have you achieved your dream?
Don’t ever forget—we promised to become an incredibly great director!
And we’ll make the greatest movie in the world!
Twenty years later, you’re already twenty-eight years old.
You must already have your own works by now, right?
Anyway…
No matter what difficulties you face, you must keep chasing our dream!
Never give up!]
Compared with Cheng Mengxue’s letter, the one written by eight-year-old Xu Yan had far fewer spelling mistakes and pinyin.
Jiang Ran set the paper down and smiled.
“You’ve stayed true to your original dream.”
“Now you’ve already made a film that won the University Student Film Festival. That counts as achieving it early, doesn’t it?”
“How could it?”
Xu Yan chuckled.
“I’m still far from it… didn’t you read it? Eight-year-old me demanded that twenty-years-later me become a world-class director and make the greatest movie ever!”
“I don’t have much time left. Honestly, that childish dream probably can’t be completed on schedule.”
“But…”
She closed her eyes for a moment, as if recalling something.
“But I really won’t stop trying.”
Her eyes slowly opened.
“Even if it takes longer. Even if it takes many years. One day I’ll make a film… one that satisfies me, one that I can be proud of for the rest of my life.”
“Still, I have to thank you, Jiang Ran. You gave me this opportunity. Next semester I’ll be a senior. Remember what we talked about—the film company arranging job offers for us?”
“I chose the film company I like the most. The director I admire most works there. They really did send me an offer and invited me to intern anytime. After graduation I can officially join and become that director’s assistant.”
“If you hadn’t written that script for our film club, how could an opportunity like this ever exist? I wouldn’t even dare dream of it.”
Xu Yan waved her hand.
“We’re friends. Helping each other is normal. You’ve helped me plenty too, so there’s no need for thanks.”
Afterward, Xu Yan picked up Cheng Mengxue’s bottle curiously and read the letter inside.
She licked her lips.
Then she looked at Jiang Ran with a meaningful gaze.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
“You’ve changed a lot recently. Studying seriously, handling all kinds of things… it’s like you’ve become a completely different person.”
“Is it because… you met a really nice girl at school?”
“And she influenced you, so now you’re all bright and motivated?”
Pink.
In an instant, Jiang Ran’s mind flashed with that pink figure.
The sideways glance outside the campus wall.
The blooming figure on the rooftop terrace, like a red spider lily.
The carbon-fiber arrow piercing through a suitcase.
“Well…”
Jiang Ran didn’t know how to answer.
Because Nan Xiuxiu had indeed changed the depressed Jiang Ran of that timeline—
but that Jiang Ran wasn’t him.
“It’s hard to say,” he replied vaguely.
“Oh come on!”
Xu Yan smacked him lightly.
“You’re already an adult. Why are you being shy? Is it yes or no? Just answer properly—yes or no!”
Jiang Ran smiled helplessly.
Xu Yan rolled her eyes.
“Fine. If you won’t say it, I’ll just ask Wang Hao later.”
“Sometimes it’s just like that. Some people appear at a special moment in your life. Fate lets you meet them just to push you forward at that one moment… to set your life back on the right track.”
Her eyes shone as she smiled slightly.
“My boyfriend was like that.”
Jiang Ran turned his head.
That mysterious boyfriend had appeared again.
“So your boyfriend… was bad at studying before? Then after meeting you he turned his life around?”
“….”
Xu Yan neither confirmed nor denied.
“Bad at studying? That’s not even the main problem. Well, he was bad at studying, but that wasn’t all… he had no sense of responsibility, fooled around all day, caused trouble everywhere, basically like a street punk. Even dyed his hair yellow.”
“Anyway, before he met me, my boyfriend was a complete mess. You could say he was good for nothing.”
“Oh.”
Jiang Ran nodded, listening carefully.
Another puzzle piece about Xu Yan’s mysterious boyfriend had been added.
“So you mean he’s turned over a new leaf now?”
“Something like that.”
When Xu Yan spoke about her boyfriend, her smile carried a hint of sweetness.
“At least… I think he’s a pretty good person now.”
“How did you two meet, anyway?”
Jiang Ran couldn’t help asking.
“That’s a long story.”
Xu Yan leaned back in her chair and looked out the window.
“That… is another story.”
Seeing that she didn’t intend to continue, Jiang Ran didn’t pry further into her private life.
They changed the topic, chatted about other things for a while, finished their tea, and prepared to leave.
“Then I’ll take this with me.”
Xu Yan shook the glass bottle in her hand.
“Take it. It’s yours anyway.”
Jiang Ran put Cheng Mengxue’s bottle back into the rusted iron box.
They walked together to the parking lot, and Jiang Ran drove Xu Yan home.
“Keep it up, Jiang Ran.”
After getting out, Xu Yan raised her fist through the car window in encouragement.
“What’s in the past is already past. Let it go and look forward. Always look forward.”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Ran waved, pressed the accelerator, and drove away.
Once all the windows were closed, the excellent sound insulation left the car interior as quiet as still water.
Let the past go.
He glanced at the iron box on the passenger seat.
Inside it was Cheng Mengxue’s bottle.
And the letter she had written.
How could he possibly let it go?
He looked ahead, at the straight road stretching into the darkness.
“I’m sorry…”
Many faces flashed through his mind.
“I can’t let it go.”