novelraw Chapter 111 Exposure
Chapter 111 Exposure
Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes.
[A different person.]
From Cheng Mengxue’s words, that was the phrase he noticed first.
The phrase felt extremely familiar.
Because on this Worldline 1, both Nan Xiuxiu and Wang Hao had used the exact same words to describe him.
He himself had jumped here from Worldline 0.
And he had lost the memories of the past ten years.
So from Nan Xiuxiu’s and Wang Hao’s perspective, he really did look as if someone had taken over his body—
a completely different person.
Then.Following that logic.
Two years ago, on June 8, 2023, the day Cheng Mengxue had her accident…
from Cheng Mengxue’s perspective at the time, Jiang Ran had also seemed like a different person.
If the logic behind these situations was the same…
didn’t that mean—
two years ago, the Jiang Ran who stopped Cheng Mengxue from going to the college entrance exam and dragged her into the suburbs… might also have been a time traveler who had taken over the body?
But.
Jiang Ran frowned.
That didn’t make sense.
The Positron Cannon was already broken. It could no longer send time-traveling text messages to the past.
Which meant, theoretically, there was no method left to transmit information backward in time.
Could it be the rumored spacetime shuttle?
Jiang Ran shook his head.
Even less likely.
According to the rumors, the spacetime shuttle was a machine that physically sent a person back into the past—true time travel, transporting someone intact to an earlier era.
But that didn’t match Cheng Mengxue’s description.
If that were the case, the person dragging her away would have been an older man from the future—not the teenage Jiang Ran of that time.
Everything was a mess.
Completely chaotic.
And then there was that strange line.
“Don’t let it happen again… don’t let it happen again…”
According to Cheng Mengxue, Jiang Ran had looked nervous that day, glancing around constantly while muttering those words.
It gave the impression that someone had been chasing him.
As if he had been fleeing with Cheng Mengxue.
But…
this was a lawful society.
And Hangzhou was known for its excellent public security.
Who would chase and attempt to kill a high school girl during the college entrance exams, when police officers filled the streets?
That was impossible.
Such a thing could never happen.
So what exactly had Jiang Ran been afraid of that day?
What had he been so terrified might come after them?
His thoughts spiraled into dead ends.
Finally, Jiang Ran stopped thinking.
He realized he had fallen into Cheng Mengxue’s trap.
Why assume that what she said was true?
Start from the beginning.
If the Cheng Mengxue sitting before him was genuine, then everything she said just now must be true. Naturally Jiang Ran would analyze it carefully to see if any clues could be found.
But—
what if this Cheng Mengxue was indeed the impostor he suspected?
An impostor couldn’t possess the real person’s memories.
Which meant everything she had just said could only be fabricated on the spot.
That was a clever tactic.
Jiang Ran felt a chill.
The truth about the day he forcibly took Cheng Mengxue away had always been a complete mystery—a black box no one could open.
Only two people had known the truth.
One was Jiang Ran, who had lost his memory.
The other was Cheng Mengxue—who had died.
(Or so it had been assumed.)
Under circumstances where the story could neither be confirmed nor disproven, this Cheng Mengxue could say whatever she wanted.
She could even make up something absurd—claim Jiang Ran dragged her to a mountain valley to stage a battle between Ultraman and Pikachu—and no one could prove it was false.
Therefore.
There was no point dwelling on that question.
Everything depended first on verifying whether the Cheng Mengxue before him was real.
Only then could the meaning of her story be judged.
Jiang Ran sighed and shook his head.
“I really don’t remember the details anymore.”
“The doctor said it’s trauma-induced amnesia. The psychological shock was too severe, so my brain activated a self-protection mechanism and erased that period completely.”
He decided not to pursue the topic further.
Instead, he looked around the room for a new subject.
Then suddenly—
his eyes landed on Cheng Mengxue’s phone case.
It was shaped like a Rhine Cat, a very common design. The originally round, chubby cat face had been stretched into a rectangular shape wrapping around the phone.
So…
Cheng Mengxue still loved Rhine Cat just like before.
Jiang Ran vaguely remembered that the Rhine Cat IP had launched alongside Rhine Cosmetics near the end of 2022, when he and Cheng Mengxue were still in high school.
The adorable Rhine Cat had instantly become popular worldwide.
Merchandise sold out everywhere, and Rhine Cosmetics rode the wave of popularity into global markets.
Cheng Mengxue had been a fanatic.
From that moment on, almost all of her allowance had gone toward Rhine Cat merchandise.
“Too bad the school uniform doesn’t have a Rhine Cat collaboration.”
She had joked back then.
“Otherwise I’d definitely get into Tsinghua!”
Jiang Ran also noticed a Rhine Cat charm hanging from her phone.
That matched Cheng Mengxue’s habits perfectly.
But…
On Worldline 0, the charm she carried had been a limited-edition Astronaut Rhine Cat—only 4200 had been produced.
Again.
The number 42.
It really wouldn’t go away.
Suddenly, Jiang Ran remembered the mysterious message he had received on Worldline 0.
[Do not believe 42.]
When he had first realized the meaning of that message, a cold shiver had shot straight up his spine.
The number 42 had surrounded him everywhere.
The transformer box had been numbered 42.
The Astronaut Rhine Cat had 42 printed on its belly.
Qin Feng’s student number had been 42.
Everything had changed in an instant, leading to the troubled Worldline 1 they now lived in.
More importantly—
on this new worldline, Qin Feng’s disappearance had shifted the class roster.
Everyone’s student numbers had moved forward by one.
Jiang Ran’s number became 41.
And Cheng Mengxue’s number…
became 42.
Every time Jiang Ran thought about that number, a layer of unease settled in his heart.
On Worldline 1, did the warning Do not believe 42 still apply?
If it did…
then Cheng Mengxue—whose number had become 42—might also be someone who could not be trusted.
Just as Jiang Ran suspected.
“Hmm?”
Cheng Mengxue blinked.
She noticed Jiang Ran’s gaze and looked down at the Rhine Cat charm hanging from her phone.
A wedding-dress Rhine Cat.
“Hehe, you’ve definitely never seen this limited Rhine Cat before!”
The moment Rhine Cat came up, Cheng Mengxue’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“Isn’t it cute?”
Her sudden burst of joy stunned Jiang Ran again.
This trait…
was identical to Cheng Mengxue.
Just seconds earlier she had looked sad while talking about Jiang Ran’s past two years.
But the moment Rhine Cat became the topic—
the sadness vanished.
Her entire face lit up.
“Look, look! There’s a really funny detail!”
Cheng Mengxue held the charm upright and pointed to the tiny object in the cat’s paw.
“See it? It’s holding a hot dog!”
“A bride Rhine Cat holding a hot dog! Isn’t that hilarious? The designer is a genius!”
…
Jiang Ran gave the same helpless smile he always did when confronted with Rhine Cat designs.
A bride holding a hot dog?
What kind of bizarre ritual was that?
Were the Rhine Cat designers aliens from another planet?
“Is that thing limited edition too?” Jiang Ran asked.
“Oh no, it’s not limited edition, it’s regional exclusive!”
Cheng Mengxue corrected patiently.
“Limited edition means limited quantity. Exclusive means it’s only sold in certain places or during certain events.”
“Understand?”
“So this is a Civil Affairs Bureau exclusive?” Jiang Ran joked, looking at the wedding dress.
Thunk.
His heart skipped a beat.
Wait—how did Cheng Mengxue get that?
Considering the legal marriage age in the United States was only eighteen, Jiang Ran suddenly widened his eyes.
“Ha! As if!”
Cheng Mengxue burst out laughing.
“There’s no Civil Affairs Bureau in America!”
“This wedding Rhine Cat is the Brooklyn exclusive. It’s only sold in Brooklyn—nowhere else.”
“Actually it’s part of a pair. One is this wedding Rhine Cat.”
“The other is a Mafia Godfather Rhine Cat—really cool! Sunglasses, holding a gun and a briefcase!”
“But that one is black, and I don’t really like it, so I just left it at home.”
Then she looked at Jiang Ran with sparkling anticipation.
“I can’t believe it! After two years you’re suddenly interested in Rhine Cat too!”
“When I go back to America I’ll bring that Godfather Rhine Cat and give it to you. Hang it on your phone!”
“Rejected.”
Jiang Ran raised his palm immediately.
“Ah—why are you like this!”
Cheng Mengxue looked disappointed.
“It’s super popular with boys!”
“Cluck!”
Suddenly Wang Hao made a strange chicken-like noise without opening his mouth.
The meaning was obvious.
If Jiang Ran didn’t want the Godfather Rhine Cat—
he did.
“Shut up.”
Jiang Ran pushed him down immediately.
Years of friendship meant he could read Wang Hao’s intentions instantly.
Just then a waiter entered with a bottle of cola.
“Who ordered this?”
Wang Hao silently took it and opened the bottle.
Jiang Ran gave him a questioning look.
Wang Hao returned a glance that clearly said:
The tea is too bitter, I can’t stand it, you won’t let me talk so I ordered something sweet myself.
“Hm?”
Cheng Mengxue tilted her head.
“Why hasn’t Wang Hao said anything?”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Jiang Ran quickly improvised.
“He ate too much at the reunion yesterday and got mouth ulcers. Talking hurts.”
“But earlier in the car…” Cheng Mengxue remembered the rap.
“Well.”
Jiang Ran shrugged.
“That’s how he learned talking hurts.”
Still.
Jiang Ran silently thanked Wang Hao.
Because that bottle of cola gave him a new idea.
Sometimes small details in daily life—
especially the ones people rarely notice but that remain engraved in subconscious memory—
were the best way to determine someone’s identity.
So Jiang Ran began Question Two of the “True or Fake Cheng Mengxue Exam.”
“Actually, carbonated drinks are bad for your health.”
He transitioned smoothly.
“These days I mostly drink sugar-free drinks.”
“But in high school I loved soda. You used to tell me to stop drinking it, saying if I kept it up my teeth would fall out before I turned thirty.”
“Of course I never listened.”
“Do you remember? After PE class we always went to the convenience store.”
“I always bought a big bottle of Sprite.”
“Huh?”
Cheng Mengxue blinked.
“That’s not right. I remember you drinking cola.”
“You always bought cola, not Sprite.”
Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes.
The opponent was skilled.
That simple trap hadn’t fooled her.
He really had bought cola.
Even if this Cheng Mengxue was fake, the answer could easily be deduced from context.
After all, Wang Hao had just ordered a cola.
“Oh? Was it cola?”
Jiang Ran laughed awkwardly.
“My memory is fuzzy. Yours is impressive.”
“Of course!”
Cheng Mengxue puffed her chest proudly.
“You and Wang Hao used to spend all your allowance on comic books. You never had money for drinks, so you always made me pay!”
“That’s why I remember clearly.”
“After PE class you always dragged me to the store to pay for your drinks.”
“And you were very loyal to one brand.”
“You only drank Pepsi.”
…
A smile slowly spread across Jiang Ran’s face.
Perfect.
This fake Cheng Mengxue had finally slipped.
This was exactly the kind of small detail that people rarely noticed.
Yet it was precisely those tiny details that determined everything.
Jiang Ran laughed softly.
Leaning back in his chair, he folded his hands over his stomach and looked at the girl across from him with amusement.
“One small oversight.”
“What?” Cheng Mengxue asked.
“Cluck!”
Wang Hao let out another urgent chicken noise.
“Quiet.”
Jiang Ran shot him a warning look.
Wang Hao had clearly noticed the flaw too—but Jiang Ran wouldn’t allow him to interrupt.
“I did love cola in high school.”
Jiang Ran turned back to Cheng Mengxue.
“There were two kinds at school.”
“Pepsi tasted sweeter, with less carbonation.”
“Coca-Cola had a slightly numbing feeling on the tongue and stronger fizz.”
“Cluck!” Wang Hao chirped again.
“Wait.”
Jiang Ran pressed him down firmly.
“I’m not finished.”
He understood Wang Hao’s reaction.
The flaw Cheng Mengxue had just exposed was enormous.
But exposing her was Jiang Ran’s job.
“No matter what anyone says,” Jiang Ran continued calmly,
“I can easily tell the difference between Pepsi and Coca-Cola.”
“Compared to Pepsi’s overly sweet taste…”
“I prefer Coca-Cola. Stronger fizz, that tingling sensation—it’s refreshing.”
“So…”
Jiang Ran’s smile disappeared.
“I have never drunk Pepsi.”
“I only drink Coca-Cola.”
He looked straight at her.
“Which means you’ve never bought drinks with me.”
“And Cheng Mengxue, the girl who hated spending money on me, would never forget what brand I bought.”
His gaze sharpened.
“So you are not Cheng Mengxue.”
He stared directly at her.
“Who… are you?”