novelraw Chapter 107 Friends
Chapter 107 Friends
Lilith.
The moment he heard that name, Jiang Ran felt his entire body turn cold, as if he had been pulled out of reality.
All sound around him disappeared.
Everything he saw moved in slow motion.
Lilith.
This name had clearly been a fictional character from the setting book he wrote in middle school, and later from the script Prodigy’s Playground he gave to the Donghai University film club.
Why…
Why was it coming from Zhou Xiong’s mouth?
If it were just the name, that would be one thing.
After all, there were many people named Lilith in the world—real foreigners, and also countless characters in anime and games.But…
[The phone].
And when granting a classmate’s [wish], Zhou Xiong had spoken that name into a phone.
[A phone capable of granting any wish].
What was happening at this class reunion was almost perfectly identical to the plot he had written.
In that instant—
Scenes from the short film he had watched a few days earlier, mixed with the original rooftop reenactment with Qin Feng, replayed in his mind like a tape rewinding.
“Lilith is the god of this world.”
Qin Feng held a pistol in his right hand, pressing it against the back of Jiang Ran’s head.
“Lilith is omnipotent.”
In Qin Feng’s left hand was a phone, held to his ear.
“Lilith, make the sky… go dark.”
The whole world plunged into darkness.
Lightning split the sky.
All things on earth bowed to the omnipotent Lilith.
And to make a wish to Lilith…
All you needed was a special phone.
That—
That was the premise Jiang Ran had written for the script Prodigy’s Playground.
So why…
Why had the same performance appeared through Zhou Xiong?
Jiang Ran couldn’t understand it.
Then another possibility occurred to him.
[Could it be that Zhou Xiong had watched the short film somewhere?]
If Zhou Xiong had seen it, then copying the same performance would make sense.
But then…
Wouldn’t that just be boring?
Jiang Ran still couldn’t figure it out.
It was obvious Zhou Xiong wanted to show off in front of everyone—display his wealth and connections, earn admiration and envy, satisfy his vanity.
Under that premise—
What purpose could that meaningless performance serve?
Pretending to call Lilith?
[Unless…]
[Lilith really existed—an omnipotent being capable of answering Zhou Xiong’s summons and fulfilling any wish?]
This was the real world.
Not a fantasy world.
Not some bizarre supernatural realm.
How could something so absurd possibly exist?
So…
“Zhou Xiong is just bluffing.”
Beside him, Wang Hao—half drunk—voiced the exact thought in Jiang Ran’s mind.
“Seriously, Jiang Ran, that guy’s pretty crafty.”
“He just makes some random call and talks a lot, making it sound like something’s happening. But who knows who he actually called?”
“Hell, that call might not even have connected. He could just be pretending. There’s no way to prove it anyway.”
Everyone in the room had their eyes fixed on Zhou Xiong.
Wang Hao’s whispering hadn’t been heard by anyone else.
Jiang Ran nodded.
Gradually, warmth returned to his body.
His vision cleared.
That eerie feeling of being detached from the world disappeared.
It was true.
He had been too sensitive.
Mostly because he had been thinking too much these past few days—about the number 42, the twelve-million silence payment, confidentiality agreements, and so on.
The more you thought, the more worries appeared.
The more worries you had, the easier it became to panic.
Thinking about it calmly—
Zhou Xiong had only said the name “Lilith.”
There had been nothing particularly strange about his other behavior.
Perhaps Wang Hao was right.
Maybe Zhou Xiong was simply trying to save face—putting on a show without the actual power to back it up.
Pretending to call someone at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Or pretending to contact some mysterious big figure.
And whether anything actually happened afterward—
Once the reunion ended, no one would really care.
As for the classmate who had made the request, Zhou Xiong could easily brush it off later with excuses.
“The specialist I booked for you had to travel suddenly.”
“The hospital’s internal management has gotten stricter recently.”
“The leader I contacted ran into trouble and got arrested—can’t reach him for now.”
And so on.
If you wanted excuses, there were endless possibilities.
The classmates watched Zhou Xiong hang up the phone.
They were stunned.
That was it?
Just… like that?
They couldn’t understand what he had done.
Just one sentence over the phone—would someone really arrange the best hospital room and the best experts at Peking Union Medical College Hospital?
It looked ridiculously fake.
The lively atmosphere of the private room instantly cooled by half.
Everyone gradually calmed down.
Overall—
Everyone felt disappointed with Zhou Xiong’s performance.
It hadn’t lived up to expectations.
When people cooled down, their rational thinking returned.
Many classmates began realizing that Zhou Xiong was probably the same as he had been in high school.
Putting on airs.
Bluffing to save face.
Talking big.
Earlier they had simply been overwhelmed by his sugar-coated display, combined with alcohol.
For a moment, they had believed him.
Sigh.
Two years of college had apparently changed nothing.
They had still been fooled by Zhou Xiong’s clumsy acting.
“So… is that it?”
The boy who had asked for help about his mother looked completely confused.
He never expected Zhou Xiong to brush him off with such a bizarre phone call.
“Brother Zhou… about my mom…”
“Don’t worry.”
Zhou Xiong remained calm and composed, smiling confidently.
As if the sudden cooling of the room had nothing to do with him.
“Lilith will take care of everything. She’s omnipotent.”
A girl nearby burst out laughing and asked teasingly,
“Zhou Xiong, is this Lilith woman your secretary?”
From her perspective, the only explanation she could imagine was something like a TV drama.
The boss makes one call.
A secretary handles everything afterward.
That was how rich CEOs behaved.
Zhou Xiong simply smiled without answering.
He waved his hand and looked around the room.
“Anyone else?”
“Does any other classmate have a problem?”
“You can say it now. I’ll solve it for you right here.”
…
This time, Zhou Xiong’s laughter carried a hint of meaning.
Solve my ass.
Everyone’s eyes carried the same contempt.
Everyone’s expressions carried the same annoyance.
Everyone already knew he had money now.
That was enough.
Why force something you didn’t have the ability to do?
Solve problems with one phone call?
Anyone could make a phone call.
It perfectly matched Zhou Xiong’s earlier words—
“One phone call from me will solve it.”
Well.
He had made the call.
And nothing had happened.
At this point, everyone had seen through Zhou Xiong’s trick.
No one believed him anymore.
So no one else asked him for help.
“Drink, drink… hahaha. Let’s keep drinking.”
The boys laughed awkwardly and dragged Zhou Xiong back to the table.
Seeing through the act but not exposing it—that was how friendships survived.
After all, Zhou Xiong had given everyone gifts.
For the sake of those gifts, they could help him save face.
Everyone pretended nothing had happened and prepared to sit back down.
Then—
Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring.
Suddenly.
The boy whose mother urgently needed surgery received a call.
Everyone looked at him.
He took out his phone, glanced at the screen, and froze.
“M-my mom is calling!”
He answered immediately.
“Son! This is amazing! We got registered!”
“Director Li personally received us! They arranged the best hospital room and the top specialists in the country! The surgery will be tomorrow morning!”
“And… and they said we don’t have to pay! Someone already settled the bill! Do you know which benefactor helped us? We have to thank them properly!”
The boy had his phone on speaker.
Everyone in the room heard every word.
He raised his head in shock.
He looked at Zhou Xiong—smiling calmly.
Then he looked at the stunned classmates.
He quickly lowered his head and continued speaking with his mother.
Soon the situation became clear.
No one had expected this.
After Zhou Xiong’s call, the hospital director had personally come out to receive them.
The best arrangements had been made immediately.
Absurd.
Ridiculous.
But it also proved that everyone had misunderstood Zhou Xiong.
He really did have power.
“Brother Zhou.”
The boy picked up a bottle of liquor, filled a serving cup, and walked solemnly to Zhou Xiong.
“Brother Zhou, all my thanks are in this drink.”
“If you ever need anything from me, just say the word.”
“I’ll finish this whole cup. You drink as you like.”
He raised his head and emptied the cup in one gulp.
Zhou Xiong accepted the gesture with a smile and drank as well.
“Lilith never disappoints.”
After that—
No one doubted Zhou Xiong anymore.
The classmates rushed forward.
“Brother Zhou! Can you fix my failing grade?”
“Zhou Xiong! My family is being bullied over land demolition!”
“I want Zhang Yiyang Qianxi’s autograph—can you get him to add me on WeChat?”
Soon the place around Zhou Xiong turned into something like a community service office.
Everyone poured out their problems to him.
Everyone hoped their issue would be solved.
Jiang Ran noticed something else.
The classmates’ desires were expanding.
At first they wanted help solving problems.
Later they began making demands.
Eventually they started making wishes.
Some of the wishes sounded outrageous.
Like the girl who wanted Zhang Yiyang Qianxi’s WeChat.
Could something like that really happen?
Yet—
Without exception—
No matter what request appeared, Zhou Xiong treated them all the same.
Calm.
Effortless.
Jiang Ran could tell Zhou Xiong was enjoying it.
The feeling of being the center of attention.
The pleasure of power.
The arrogance of someone who believed he controlled omnipotent strength.
He listened to each wish like a god.
Then picked up the phone and spoke the familiar name.
“Lilith.”
His confident smile never changed.
“Handle these things immediately. As fast as possible. I have plenty of money—spend whatever it takes.”
Jiang Ran sat two tables away.
Watching silently.
His palms began to sweat.
Coldness spread through his body again.
Because—
Every single command Zhou Xiong gave to Lilith came true.
A classmate who had failed a course soon received a call from a teacher.
His participation score had been miscalculated.
After correction, he passed.
Another classmate whose family had been bullied during demolition soon received an apology call.
The bully even wanted to come personally to apologize.
The girl who wanted Zhang Yiyang Qianxi’s WeChat succeeded.
She even started a video call.
The girls in the class screamed with excitement.
Surreal.
Surreal.
Surreal.
At that moment Jiang Ran felt nothing real about the world.
It felt like a dream.
A mad fairy-tale banquet.
Here—
Any request you made could be fulfilled.
Any wish could come true.
It seemed as if there was nothing Zhou Xiong couldn’t do.
As if he knew everyone in the world.
As if everyone had to give him face.
“No.”
Jiang Ran frowned.
He had been watching carefully.
Those magical moments of “every request granted” had nothing to do with Zhou Xiong.
It was—
Lilith.
Everything was actually done by Lilith.
Zhou Xiong had merely made the call.
So Lilith truly was omnipotent.
And that phone really could grant any wish.
That realization made Jiang Ran’s scalp tingle with fear.
Because everything—
Everything matched the setting book he wrote in middle school.
Everything matched the plot he had invented years ago.
The world had somehow turned his fiction into reality.
What was happening?
Had the world gone insane?
Meanwhile, Zhou Xiong was now completely drunk.
Mostly because every classmate who had their wish granted came to toast him.
After dozens of rounds, Zhou Xiong had lost control.
He began saying increasingly arrogant things.
His original elegant demeanor had vanished.
His true nature was showing.
But another person in the room was also drunk.
Wang Hao.
He sat behind Jiang Ran.
Throughout this surreal celebration, he hadn’t spoken.
He just drank.
Glass after glass.
His mood was terrible.
Tonight had disappointed him deeply.
Everything happening at the reunion was completely different from what he had hoped.
He felt he had let Jiang Ran down.
He felt he had let Cheng Mengxue down.
The three of them had once been the closest trio.
Yet he hadn’t been able to protect either of his best friends.
Wang Hao clenched his teeth, hating his own weakness.
Drink after drink.
Drink after drink.
He had never told Jiang Ran…
But he still missed Cheng Mengxue terribly.
He couldn’t mention it.
Because she was Jiang Ran’s trauma too.
For the past two years since her death, Wang Hao had pretended to be carefree.
Laughing.
Joking.
Telling Jiang Ran to move forward.
But he himself had never moved on.
She had been one of the most precious friends of his life.
How could anyone forget something like that?
The more he drank, the dizzier he became.
The world spun.
He looked up and saw Zhou Xiong standing on the table like a conqueror, surrounded by admirers.
His teeth clenched.
“Omnipotent… granting any wish…”
Meanwhile, Jiang Ran remained completely sober.
He had already understood the situation.
There was one unavoidable fact now.
The Lilith in Zhou Xiong’s phone really did seem capable of anything.
That reality shook Jiang Ran’s worldview.
But the evidence was right before his eyes.
He had no choice but to believe it.
What he needed to understand now was—
Why had the ideas he wrote in middle school become reality?
“Wang Hao.”
He reached behind him.
“Do you remember the setting book I wrote in middle school? It was called Prodigy’s Playground.”
“In it I imagined a lot of strange ideas—including a phone that could grant any wish…”
“Huh?”
His hand grasped empty air.
Where was Wang Hao?
Jiang Ran turned around.
The seat behind him was empty.
At some point, Wang Hao had disappeared.
Jiang Ran had been so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed.
“Where did Wang Hao go?”
Turning back—
He spotted him.
The fat boy was staggering through the crowd, completely drunk.
He pushed people aside with his heavy arms and stopped in front of Zhou Xiong.
“Omni… potent…”
Wang Hao swayed drunkenly.
“Zhou Xiong… you can grant… any wish, right?”
Zhou Xiong was just as drunk. In the middle of his excitement, he quickly grabbed Wang Hao’s hand.
“Class Monitor! I haven’t fulfilled your wish yet tonight! Tell me—what do you want? I’ll grant it right now!”
Wang Hao slowly shook his head.
“I only have one wish…”
“Alright!”
Jiang Ran knew Wang Hao was drunk and rushed forward to pull him back.
“If… you’re really omnipotent…”
Wang Hao forced himself to stand upright. He stretched out his arm and pointed at Zhou Xiong, drawing a deep breath.
“Then bring Cheng Mengxue back to life!”
The forbidden name was shouted.
The noisy private room fell instantly silent.
Everyone stared at Wang Hao, stunned, holding their breath.
Tonight.
The entire night.
No one had mentioned that name.
Not once.
Because Cheng Mengxue’s death in the bloom of youth was a shared wound in everyone’s heart.
At this reunion, everyone knew the class was incomplete.
Everyone knew someone was missing.
The girl who had spread joy like sunshine.
But what could be done?
Cheng Mengxue was dead.
The dead could not return to life.
Bringing her up now would only bring sorrow.
So everyone had silently agreed not to touch that scar.
Yet—
In the end—
The name had been shouted by the drunken Wang Hao.
And in such an unreasonable demand.
“Wang Hao drank too much.”
Jiang Ran grabbed Wang Hao’s arm and pulled him back.
“Don’t mind him, everyone. He’s really drunk.”
“Then revive Xiaoxue!”
Wang Hao struggled wildly, pointing at Zhou Xiong and roaring.
“Aren’t you omnipotent?! Didn’t you say you could grant any wish?! Then do it!”
All the emotions he had suppressed the entire night exploded out.
“If you can’t do it—don’t say you’re omnipotent!”
“Alright, alright.”
“Take a break.”
“Wang Hao, come back here.”
“Here, drink some water.”
The boys quickly stepped forward and pulled Wang Hao away.
There was no need for the reunion to turn into chaos like this.
But unfortunately—
Zhou Xiong was exactly the kind of person who could not lose face.
“Who says I can’t?”
He stood on a chair, looking down at Wang Hao coldly.
“Who says I can’t?”
The boys tried to stop him.
But Zhou Xiong had already raised the phone to his ear.
“Lilith.”
His voice was cold as iron.
“Revive Cheng Mengxue right now and make her come to this reunion immediately!”
Several girls instinctively stepped back, goosebumps rising on their arms.
“Has he gone crazy…?”
“What nonsense—don’t talk back!”
This time Zhou Xiong completely lost his composure, shouting angrily into the phone.
“Now! Immediately! Make Cheng Mengxue come here and attend the reunion!!”
The private room exploded into chaos.
Both Wang Hao and Zhou Xiong were clearly drunk.
The boys hurriedly helped Zhou Xiong down from the chair.
Jiang Ran dragged Wang Hao away as well.
“Ahem.”
Suddenly two sharp coughs echoed through the room.
The same authority that had ruled the classroom for three years instantly silenced everyone.
They turned their heads.
Their homeroom teacher—Teacher Gao—had finally stood up.
His expression was serious as his gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Wang Hao and Zhou Xiong.
“Students.”
He spoke slowly.
“Sit down first. Let your teacher say a few words.”
When Teacher Gao spoke, no one argued.
Everyone returned to their seats.
Even Zhou Xiong calmed down, hung up the phone, and sat back in his chair.
This was the authority of a homeroom teacher.
Not because they feared him—
But because he truly cared about his students.
They respected him from the bottom of their hearts.
Once everyone settled down, Jiang Ran pulled Wang Hao back into his seat.
Teacher Gao sighed deeply and began speaking.
“I know none of you like lectures.”
“But today, your teacher still needs to give you one.”
He walked to the window and stood facing everyone.
“You’ve all achieved impressive things—wealth, status, success. As your teacher, I’m proud of you.”
“I’ve been quietly observing you tonight. Honestly… it makes me a little sad.”
“In my eyes, you’ve always been carefree children.”
“But tonight, listening to your stories, I realized each of you carries worries of your own.”
“That is society.”
“Even if you haven’t truly entered it yet, as you grow older, troubles will inevitably come.”
“These setbacks and hardships…”
“…are part of growing up.”
He paused.
Then he looked at Zhou Xiong.
“Student Zhou Xiong is doing very well. He’s willing to use his resources to help others. Mutual help among classmates is a wonderful thing.”
“But think about it.”
“Can Zhou Xiong help you for the rest of your lives?”
“Once you leave this room and this reunion, you must face the future on your own.”
“So rather than taking shortcuts or avoiding problems…”
“I hope you always maintain the courage to face problems, solve them, and think about them.”
Then he turned toward Wang Hao.
“Cheng Mengxue’s tragic death hurt me as much as it hurt you—perhaps even more.”
“For three years I taught her.”
“I loved that child.”
“Every smile she had was bright and lively. She was the sunshine of our class.”
“I know everyone misses her.”
“Not just Wang Hao.”
“I believe every one of the forty-one students here feels sorrow for her passing.”
“But children…”
“You must not cling to unrealistic fantasies.”
“There are things in this world that cannot be changed.”
“Just like the dead cannot return to life.”
“You must learn to accept reality.”
“To accept parting.”
“To accept loss.”
“I hope tonight’s conflict ends here.”
“We celebrate Zhou Xiong’s achievements, and we thank Class Monitor Wang Hao for bringing us together tonight.”
“Come.”
“Let’s raise a glass together.”
Under Teacher Gao’s lead, everyone lifted their glasses.
A toast to reconciliation.
After his words, the room finally calmed down.
Thinking about the chaotic scene earlier made many people feel ashamed.
Wang Hao and Zhou Xiong both lowered their heads.
They had clearly realized how badly they had behaved.
“Hehe…”
Teacher Gao wiped his mouth and laughed.
“In my eyes, every one of you is a good student.”
“I must tell you honestly—after teaching many classes, yours is the one I remember most clearly.”
That sentence instantly made everyone laugh.
The classmates immediately protested.
Teacher Gao must say that to every class.
Too fake.
The atmosphere quickly warmed again.
“Your teacher isn’t lying!”
Teacher Gao laughed loudly.
“I still remember every one of your names.”
“I even remember your student numbers!”
“I guarantee I can match every number to the right person!”
No one knew whether Teacher Gao was deliberately lifting the mood or whether he truly remembered.
But it worked.
All the earlier flattery, madness, and arguments vanished.
What remained was genuine affection between teacher and students.
“You don’t believe me?”
Teacher Gao grinned.
“Then I’ll do roll call!”
“I’ll call out student numbers. If I get one wrong, I’ll drink a penalty glass!”
“If I’m correct, whoever I call must drink!”
“Deal?”
“Deal!”
The students cheered.
They didn’t believe their teacher could remember everyone’s student number two years after graduation.
Remembering names was possible.
But student numbers?
Even they themselves barely remembered.
Teacher Gao must end up drinking several glasses.
They urged him to begin.
“Alright!”
Teacher Gao raised his hand.
“Number 1! Feng Jie!”
“Here!”
A girl stood up laughing and finished her juice.
Applause followed.
“Number 2! Jia Dongsheng!”
“Here!”
Another student stood and drank his glass.
The student numbers of Hangzhou No.1 High School followed no pattern.
At least Jiang Ran had never understood it.
Male and female mixed.
Surnames mixed.
Stroke counts mixed.
Completely random.
“Number 17! Wang Hao!”
“Here!”
Wang Hao slapped his belly and stood.
“Teacher Gao, your memory’s amazing!”
He drank his glass.
“Number 27! Wang Jiexin!”
“Here!”
“Number 39! Tian Qi!”
“Here!”
More applause.
So far Teacher Gao hadn’t made a single mistake.
Perfect accuracy.
The roll call was almost finished.
Could it be—
The teacher wouldn’t have to drink a single glass?
Jiang Ran sat up straight, holding his glass.
He knew the next number—
Forty—
Was his.
Teacher Gao smiled and shouted:
“Number 40!”
Jiang Ran stood up immediately.
“Song He!”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
For a moment Jiang Ran and Song He both stood there, staring at each other.
Teacher Gao’s finger pointed clearly at Song He.
Jiang Ran frowned.
Wasn’t he supposed to be number 40?
Song He was the new classmate Jiang Ran had noticed earlier.
In Worldline 1 he had replaced Qin Feng.
Shouldn’t he be number 42?
That had been Jiang Ran’s assumption when he first saw him.
Yet—
Song He was number 40?
“Jiang Ran, you remembered wrong!”
Song He laughed helplessly.
“You’re number 41! Right after me! How could you forget that?”
The classmates burst into laughter at Jiang Ran’s embarrassment.
He smiled awkwardly and sat down.
Sure enough—
The student numbers of Hangzhou No.1 High School were too chaotic.
In Worldline 0, Jiang Ran remembered clearly—
His number, Cheng Mengxue’s, and Qin Feng’s had been consecutive.
But in Worldline 1, Song He had inserted himself before him.
Taking number 40.
Which pushed Jiang Ran to 41.
“Number 41! Jiang Ran!”
Teacher Gao pointed at him.
“Your own number and you forgot it!”
“Drink!”
Under the classmates’ cheers, Jiang Ran stood up and drained his glass.
Then—
Suddenly—
A thought struck him.
If his number had shifted from 40 to 41…
Then Cheng Mengxue’s number must have—
“Finally.”
Teacher Gao’s expression became solemn.
He raised his glass high.
“Let us raise one last toast.”
“To remember the bright girl we all loved.”
“The final student number of our class—”
“Number 42: Cheng Mengxue.”
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A knock sounded from the door.
Everyone stopped breathing.
Who?
Who would knock at a moment like this?
Every mind in the room formed the same terrifying thought.
All eyes turned toward Zhou Xiong.
Earlier—
He had commanded Lilith to revive Cheng Mengxue.
And make her come to the reunion.
Everyone knew that was absurd.
Yet every wish Zhou Xiong had made tonight had come true.
Every single one.
No failures.
Success rate: one hundred percent.
Which meant—
The students exchanged uneasy glances.
No one dared say it aloud.
A chilling dread spread through the room.
Knock.
Knock.
The knocking came again.
In the silent room, the sound of knuckles against wood echoed like hammer blows against the heart.
Jiang Ran glanced at Zhou Xiong.
And saw—
Zhou Xiong’s face was also filled with fear.
Jiang Ran’s heartbeat accelerated.
No.
He absolutely refused to believe that Cheng Mengxue was standing outside that door.
Yet—
His intuition told him—
There might be only one answer left.