novelraw Chapter 120 The Meeting
Chapter 120 The Meeting
“Hmph.”
The old man in traditional attire let out a cold snort.
“Impossible.”
He turned his head aside, dismissive.
“A paper diary—whether from a physical standpoint or an energy standpoint—cannot possibly achieve time travel.”
“If you told me that boy had a time machine, I might believe it… but a diary? That’s not ‘scientific’ at all.”
The middle-aged man turned around, leaning back in his chair.
“Scientific?”
He tilted his head.
“You’ve witnessed so many strange phenomena already—and you still believe in science this firmly?”“Of course.”
The old man answered without hesitation:
“[Everything in this world, in this universe, is scientific. If something seems unscientific, it only means our level of understanding hasn’t reached it yet.]”
“A long time ago, people thought will-o’-the-wisps were supernatural, impossible to explain. But once chemistry advanced, it was quickly determined that they were simply spontaneous combustion of phosphine gas from bones in graves. A completely scientific phenomenon.”
“I’ve already received news—this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics will be awarded for quantum tunneling, essentially the ‘walking through walls’ phenomenon in the macroscopic domain.”
“So right now, if people hear ‘walking through walls,’ they’ll think it’s supernatural magic. But give it a few decades—once quantum tunneling is better understood—perhaps ‘walking through walls’ will truly become reality, and just another explainable scientific phenomenon.”
The old man came from a scientific background. He rarely spoke much, but whenever academic topics arose, he became endlessly articulate.
The middle-aged man was long accustomed to it.
But he still held his ground and asked:
“[Then is Lilith also scientific? Can she also be explained by science?]”
“Heh. Obviously.”
The old man smiled with confidence.
“I already said—everything in this world is scientific. The universe itself is science.”
“From the moment of the Big Bang, when all universal parameters were fixed… the laws of science were eternally established.”
“There are no supernatural phenomena. Whether macro or micro, everything can be explained scientifically.”
“So there’s no need to doubt it.”
“Lilith… is no exception.”
With that—
the old man stopped idly playing with the coin, clenched it in his hand, and turned to leave.
“I’m going. There’s a meeting to attend.”
“Oh?”
The middle-aged man glanced at his watch.
“Greenwich time already?”
It had indeed arrived.
It seemed he had truly been watching the micro-film for far too long—looping it endlessly, thinking too deeply, losing track of time.
He lowered his wrist and chuckled softly.
“I’m looking forward to this meeting… I wonder if anything interesting will happen.”
“Boring.”
The old man replied hoarsely.
“It will undoubtedly be as dull as ever. A group of cowardly, short-sighted people.”
As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped.
After a few seconds of thought—
he unexpectedly smiled.
“If I had to say…”
“That [Magician] kid… is at least somewhat interesting.”
“Even if he’s done some foolish things—compared to those who do nothing, I rather like him.”
One week before the start of the semester, Jiang Ran received a call from Zhang Yang.
“Hello? Dingdang Cat.”
Zhang Yang opened with a direct hit as usual.
“Ready to come to school?”
Jiang Ran held his phone, speechless.
How many nicknames was this teacher planning to give him? First “chief disciple,” then “senior brother,” and now “Dingdang Cat”?
Did he really think this was funny?
“I’ll take a guess.”
Jiang Ran said:
“Professor Zhang, you wouldn’t be petty enough to… be annoyed that I insist on researching a time machine, then associate it with Doraemon’s drawer, and call me Dingdang Cat because of that, would you?”
“Your logical reasoning is quite good.” Zhang Yang praised.
So he was being petty.
Jiang Ran sighed.
“Can you stop using such outdated jokes? No one calls Doraemon ‘Dingdang Cat’ anymore. That nickname is practically a fossil.”
“Haha, I’ve got good news!”
Zhang Yang’s voice was full of excitement.
“Jiang Ran! Weren’t you complaining before about being a lone commander, wanting a junior brother or sister?”
“I’m telling you—your wish came true! Our school has gained another outstanding disciple!”
“I know.”
Jiang Ran interrupted him.
“An exchange student, right?”
“Huh?” Zhang Yang froze.
“From the United States, right?”
“Huh?” Zhang Yang froze again.
“You… you already know?”
He was genuinely surprised.
“That shouldn’t be possible. Logically, the two of you shouldn’t have had any interaction.”
Jiang Ran smiled playfully.
“Looks like your intel is lacking, Professor Zhang. We’re actually quite close.”
It wasn’t hard to guess.
Without even thinking—
the “new disciple” Zhang Yang mentioned had to be Cheng Mengxue.
During this period, Cheng Mengxue had been chatting with him every day. Although the time difference limited their conversations, she had shared plenty about her situation.
She had applied to the University of Pennsylvania for an exchange program—
to Donghai University in Dragon Country—
and had been approved easily.
As for what program to study or which advisor to choose, Donghai University suggested she attend various lectures first before making a decision.
“I’ll definitely choose your advisor! That way we can take classes together~ It’s Professor Zhang Yang, right?”
She had said it directly back then.
“Of course I still have to follow the process. I’ll decide after I arrive.”
No wonder Zhang Yang thought their lives had no intersection.
Because—
on paper—
Cheng Mengxue no longer existed in Dragon Country.
Her household registration had long been canceled.
She was officially dead.
Jiang Ran didn’t know whether, with death certificates and cremation records already issued, she could even obtain a new identity.
But it was likely complicated.
And unnecessary.
Her current identity—
was fabricated by a scientific team in the United States—
as a Chinese girl who had grown up there, holding a U.S. green card.
From that perspective—
Jiang Ran, who had never even left the country—
should have had no connection with this exchange student.
“You two… are close?”
Zhang Yang was puzzled, but quickly accepted it.
“Well, if you already know each other, that saves me the trouble of introducing you.”
“Get along well after school starts. The university has arranged a dorm for both of you—more convenient for studying and living.”
Pfft—
Jiang Ran spat out a mouthful of water.
“What do you mean?!”
He wiped his mouth, eyes wide.
“Professor Zhang! You’re not joking, are you? The two of us sharing a dorm?”
“Of course.”
Zhang Yang sounded completely matter-of-fact.
“How is that possible?!”
Jiang Ran couldn’t believe it.
Since when had Donghai University become this open?
Male and female students sharing a dorm?
Unheard of!
In his understanding, Donghai University strictly separated dormitories by gender. Even siblings couldn’t share a room—let alone childhood friends!
“How is it impossible?”
Zhang Yang frowned.
“Jiang Ran, are you trying to get a single room? Let me tell you—no matter how talented you are or how impressive your background is, the university has rules.”
“At Donghai University, graduate students all live in double rooms. Exchange students are no exception. No one gets special privileges.”
“And starting next semester, the university will enforce strict housing policies—no renting outside. All full-time students must live on campus.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
Was that really the issue?
“Professor Zhang, are you serious? I really don’t understand—”
“Stop worrying about dorms!”
Zhang Yang interrupted impatiently.
“Can you focus on your research? Why do I feel like you’re always dissatisfied about something?”
“As a student, isn’t it perfectly natural to follow the school’s housing arrangements? Enough—stop nitpicking. That’s it. See you at the start of term.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
He hung up.
Leaving Jiang Ran completely stunned.
“Is this really the Donghai University I know?”
He scratched his head.
Even if the worldline had changed—
could it really be this absurd?
Turning the university culture this open?
“Haha… Professor Zhang must be joking. As always.”
Jiang Ran realized he had taken it too seriously.
He had fallen for Zhang Yang’s humor again.
“Ridiculous.”
He tossed his phone onto the bed and stopped thinking about it.
Then—
he lay down as well.
Hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the upcoming semester.
Ever since confirming Cheng Mengxue’s DNA—
he had stopped dwelling on whether she was real or fake.
Real or fake—
“this worldline will change anyway.”
Jiang Ran said softly.
Yes.
He would repair the Positron Cannon—
send a message to his past self two years ago—
save Cheng Mengxue at that moment—
prevent the accident—
and change history from there.
Trigger another Worldline Transition.
In that new history—
Cheng Mengxue would never go to the United States.
Her household registration wouldn’t be canceled.
Everything would return to how it originally was.
They would both apply to Donghai University.
Study together.
That—
was the history Cheng Mengxue should have.
The one closest to Worldline 0.
The life Jiang Ran had truly lived.
After the transition—
everything happening now would cease to exist.
And when Cheng Mengxue stood before him again—
she would unquestionably be the real one.
No doubt needed.
“In the end… I still have to return to my worldline.”
Jiang Ran understood that clearly.
This Worldline 1—
would always be nothing more than a passing stop.
A place where he would never feel true belonging.
Finally—
September 1 arrived.
The long-awaited start of the semester.
Jiang Ran grabbed his packed luggage and rushed to the train station.
Before leaving, he handed over the keys to the Wenjie M9 to his father.
“Son, take care of yourself at Donghai University!”
His father patted his shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.
“In our eyes, you’ll always be the best!”
The train began to move.
Gradually accelerating—
toward the most prosperous city in the country.
Watching the power poles flash past outside the window—
Jiang Ran realized—
his real battle was about to begin.
Recently—
he had been deeply concerned about one thing:
Lilith.
Although the notebook from middle school was missing—
his memory wasn’t wrong.
The script he had written wasn’t wrong.
Zhou Xiong’s phone that could contact Lilith—
had been stolen in advance. That wasn’t wrong.
Qin Feng crossing worldlines to steal his old notebook—
wasn’t wrong either.
As for—
whether Cheng Mengxue, who appeared at the reunion, had been revived by Lilith…
Jiang Ran shook his head.
He didn’t think so.
This world—
this universe—
must be scientific.
There were no supernatural phenomena.
Therefore—
[he did not believe Lilith was omnipotent, nor that the dead could truly be revived.]
At present—
perhaps Cheng Mengxue really had gone to the United States for treatment and lived under a different identity for two years.
Or—
someone was impersonating her for some unknown purpose.
But resurrection—
coming back from the dead—
was absolutely impossible.
He took out his phone and checked Cheng Mengxue’s WeChat.
Still no reply.
Which meant—
she was still on the plane, without signal.
The procedures at the University of Pennsylvania had taken a long time. Only yesterday had everything been finalized, forcing her to rush onto the earliest flight today—
crossing half the globe back to Dragon Country.
Jiang Ran checked the ticket she had sent earlier.
“She should be landing soon. I’ll check in first, move into the dorm.”
He estimated the timing.
By the time he finished registration and unpacking—
she would probably just arrive at Donghai University.
Perfect timing to help her.
After getting off the train, Jiang Ran took a taxi straight to Donghai University.
Enrollment went smoothly.
With his luggage in hand, he headed to the graduate dormitory.
Along the way—
he still felt uneasy.
Even though he was 100% sure it was impossible—
there was still a faint sense of dread.
What if—
they really assigned him to share a dorm with Cheng Mengxue?
He had assumed Zhang Yang was joking.
But what if he wasn’t?
Normally, if Zhang Yang joked—
he would clarify afterward.
But this time—
there had been no follow-up.
That was…
strange.
Jiang Ran scratched his head and could only press forward.
Fortunately—
when he saw the sign at the entrance:
[Graduate Male Dormitory]
he let out a sigh of relief.
It felt like some righteous little spirit had smacked him awake:
“As if!”
Sure enough—
he had been fooled.
Honestly, that professor—
could he be a bit more serious?
A respected scholar, and yet making jokes like that…
Not everything was appropriate in a university setting!
He went up to the third floor.
Room 314.
His assigned dorm.
A standard double room.
He inserted the key.
Turned it.
Pushed the door open—
Ah.
Bright sunlight streamed in from the south-facing window.
Illuminating—
a beautiful young man.
Not exaggerating.
There truly was a delicate-looking boy sitting by the window, holding a book.
A gentle breeze stirred his slightly long bangs.
His hair gleamed softly in the light.
Pale skin.
Half-lidded eyes.
A slender figure.
Long fingers.
With the sunlight outlining him in gold—
Jiang Ran couldn’t think of any better description than:
a “beautiful youth.”
As if he had stepped out of an old romance manga—
a protagonist destined for tragedy.
Jiang Ran blinked.
Was this—
his roommate?
Hearing the door, the boy looked up.
“Hello. First time meeting—you’re Jiang Ran, right?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
“You know me?”
“Heh. Professor Zhang already told me about you. Said you’re the senior disciple—highly regarded by the Dragon Country Academy of Sciences.”
The boy closed his book and stood up, walking straight toward him.
He smiled slightly and extended his hand.
“Let me introduce myself.”
“My name is [Fang Ze].”
“I’m an exchange student from Harvard University in the United States.”
“Like you, I study under Professor Zhang.”
Jiang Ran inhaled sharply.
“You’re also… under Professor Zhang?”
“That’s right.”
Fang Ze smiled.
“Nice to meet you, Jiang Ran.”
“I hope that during the coming year…”
“we can become the best of friends.”