novelraw Chapter 140 Brother-in-law
Chapter 140 Brother-in-law
Xiaoxue… her home in the United States?
After Xu Yan’s reminder, Jiang Ran took the photo back and examined the details carefully.
And sure enough—
He remembered.
During the summer, on July 21, the day of the class reunion.
After Zhou Xiong was struck and killed by a truck, when Cheng Mengxue suddenly appeared, their homeroom teacher, Teacher Gao, had used her phone to video call her father. Jiang Ran had seen it too—although Cheng Mengxue’s father looked a bit older than before, his condition had been good.
Because of the time difference, it was noon in the United States, so her father had been sitting in the yard.
Thinking back, that yard really had been beautiful—full of flowers, with lush grapevines.
“Now that you mention it, I remember.”
Jiang Ran set the photo down and looked at Xu Yan.“Yeah. I’ve seen Xiaoxue’s house in the U.S. too. The yard was clean, nothing like this. That was July—the grapes weren’t ripe yet, and everything in the background was green vines.”
“Exactly—”
Xu Yan spread her hands.
“So you see, in July the yard was already clean. And during the summer, when Xiaoxue stayed at my place, she even showed us videos of fully ripened grapes.”
“So if that’s the case… the timestamp on your photo is clearly wrong.”
“Most likely, the photo you’re holding was taken years ago, before her family moved in. That’s why the yard looks abandoned—overgrown weeds even climbing past the walls.”
Jiang Ran fell silent.
He didn’t believe Qin Feng would bother faking something like a timestamp.
If Qin Feng had gone through so much trouble—appearing out of nowhere just to deliver this photo—then it couldn’t be just to deceive him.
Qin Feng wasn’t that kind of person.
“Wait.”
A thought struck him.
“Why haven’t Xiaoxue’s parents returned to the country yet?”
Jiang Ran shook his head.
“When you think about it, we’ve only ever seen her parents through video calls. We’ve never actually seen them in person.”
“I remember during the summer, Xiaoxue said they’d be coming back to settle soon. So why haven’t they returned yet?”
Xu Yan frowned, unconcerned.
“Her father has business in the U.S. If they’re planning to move back, of course they need time to deal with their assets. That’s not something you can wrap up overnight.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
From a normal standpoint, all of that made sense.
But—
If every single detail in someone’s story requires a “reasonable explanation,” and there’s never any solid proof… isn’t that a little too strange?
“Actually, I don’t think this photo is fake,” Jiang Ran murmured.
Xu Yan blinked.
“Then… what do you mean?”
She thought for a moment.
“You’re saying… Xiaoxue’s house in the U.S. really looks like this? Abandoned, overgrown with weeds?”
“But Jiang Ran, that clearly contradicts reality. Why would you believe this photo is real, but not believe our video calls with her parents are real?”
Jiang Ran shook his head.
“If the photo could be fake… then is it possible the video calls are fake too?”
He proposed a bold hypothesis.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen those livestreams on Douyin—virtual streamers, AI-generated talking videos.”
“AI technology has gotten so advanced it can pass for real. Especially those VTuber-style hosts, or group livestreams that look like real people but are actually AI-generated… even 24/7 shopping streams—those hosts are often entirely AI.”
Xu Yan nodded.
“Of course I know. AI’s developing so fast—if you prepare enough, real-time realism is absolutely possible.”
“And honestly, for something like faking a video call, you wouldn’t even need AI. Old green-screen tech was already good enough years ago.”
“But… wait… you’re not seriously saying Xiaoxue’s parents in those video calls are fake, right?”
For a moment, Xu Yan couldn’t laugh.
“That’s way too creepy. Why would anyone even need to do something like that?”
Suddenly, she froze.
She recalled the night before meeting Xiaoxue during the summer—Jiang Ran had called her, saying strange things like “what if Cheng Mengxue is fake.”
Thunk.
She set down her milk tea.
Leaning back, arms crossed, she looked at him.
“I see. So that’s it… Jiang Ran, you still haven’t let go of that idea from the summer. You don’t really trust what happened with Xiaoxue’s family.”
“Yes.”
Jiang Ran answered honestly.
“I’m not saying I absolutely don’t believe it. It’s just… I keep having this doubt. And now there’s a very real issue in front of us—[Xiaoxue’s parents haven’t returned, we haven’t seen them in person; and if this photo is real, then that house is abandoned… doesn’t that raise serious questions?]”
Xu Yan closed her eyes.
Exhaled slowly.
“I understand.”
She opened her eyes again.
“You called me out so mysteriously tonight… you want to ask me for help with this, don’t you?”
“Do you want me to find a chance to video call Xiaoxue’s parents again, ask some tricky, detailed questions, and test whether they’re actually real people?”
Jiang Ran chuckled.
“You’re easy to talk to. You get it right away.”
That was exactly what he meant.
“Mm…”
Xu Yan leaned back, looking up at the ceiling.
“I think your method is too troublesome—and not very convincing.”
“If you suspect Xiaoxue’s house in the U.S. is empty, and her parents aren’t there… why not just go check in person?”
Jiang Ran spread his hands helplessly.
“The U.S. isn’t visa-free. Getting a visa isn’t something you can do overnight.”
“Tsk.”
Xu Yan smiled, raising an eyebrow.
“Just ask my boyfriend.”
Jiang Ran was stunned.
“No way… my brother-in-law is that powerful?”
He had always thought Xu Yan’s boyfriend just had some connections within Donghai University.
But who would have thought—
This mysterious man, who only existed in stories until now, could operate just as easily in the United States?
“Hey!”
Xu Yan slapped the back of Jiang Ran’s hand, pouting.
“What nonsense are you saying! He’s just my boyfriend right now!”
“Haha…”
Jiang Ran laughed awkwardly.
No matter what, this mysterious boyfriend had helped him in both worldlines.
Even though they had never met, Jiang Ran had already acknowledged him in his heart.
This marriage—
Whether Xu Yan’s family approved or not, Jiang Ran certainly did.
“And besides, I’m not asking him to get you a visa.”
Xu Yan picked up the photo.
“I’m just asking him to help us confirm things.”
“All we need to know is the current state of this house—whether anyone lives there, and who’s living inside.”
“For that level of investigation, you don’t need to go in person. Just find someone trustworthy in the U.S.”
…Right.
That was exactly the problem.
Jiang Ran didn’t have any trustworthy contacts in the U.S.
But the way Xu Yan said it, it sounded trivial.
Just what kind of background did this “brother-in-law” have…?
Doraemon?
An all-knowing fixer?
Some kind of “face-fruit” power where the whole world gives him respect?
“Didn’t you say before you’d introduce me to him?” Jiang Ran reminded her.
“When are we meeting?”
“It’s just the start of the semester!”
Xu Yan thought for a moment.
“National Day holiday is coming up. You’re not going home, right? Come with me then—I’ll introduce you.”
“But listen—don’t make fun of me when you meet him! I mean… he’s pretty handsome, but somehow he still feels a bit embarrassing to show off.”
“No, no, I wouldn’t dare!”
Jiang Ran waved his hands quickly.
In his eyes, this brother-in-law was practically omnipotent.
After all the help he’d received, how could he possibly look down on him?
“Hehe.”
Talking about her boyfriend, Xu Yan smiled sweetly, eyes half-lidded as she sipped her drink.
“He’s actually a really good person. Much more steady now. He’s got his own things going.”
“But… style isn’t something you can change overnight. He still dyes his hair bright yellow, wears flashy clothes—looks like some street punk up to no good. That part really bothers me.”
“Then just have him dye his hair back,” Jiang Ran said without thinking.
“Make it black again, get him a decent outfit—wouldn’t that fix it?”
Xu Yan fell silent.
She tilted her head, looking at him.
“That’s not really necessary, is it? He has his own style, his own preferences. How can I impose mine on him?”
“Heh, rookie at relationships, huh? [Liking someone means liking everything about them—and respecting their preferences too.] Pink.”
Suddenly—
A flash of pink crossed Jiang Ran’s mind.
A girl standing on the rooftop of a low building near the school gate, blooming like a spider lily. Pink hair. A recurve bow in hand. Arrows slicing through luggage. Cold eyes overlooking everything.
The image vanished in an instant.
But the chill of that gaze lingered—like condensation sliding down the surface of the milk tea cup.
“And besides,” Xu Yan continued, still talking about her boyfriend,
“that yellow hair is honestly the least of his problems. I’ve already accepted it.”
“Hah.”
Jiang Ran smiled knowingly, thinking of an internet joke.
“As expected, people love compromise.”
“If you say you want to open a window, I might refuse. But if you first say you want to blow off the roof, and then reluctantly settle for opening the window… I’ll agree.”
“Oh ho!”
Xu Yan looked at him with a teasing expression.
“Look at you—you really get it! Playing the ‘PUA tactics,’ huh? First crack the whip, then give candy!”
“But let me warn you—if you ever get into a relationship, don’t play those tricks.”
She rested her cheek on her hand, gazing out at the night view.
“[When someone’s feelings are genuine, they’re genuine. As a man, don’t go bullying girls.]”
Clink.
The ice in the milk tea shifted, rising as buoyancy redistributed the balance inside the cup.
Jiang Ran stared at the floating ice and nodded.
“Mm.”
Xu Yan glanced at her watch.
“Time to head back. I’ll take this photo with me, okay?”
“The street name and house number are visible—it’ll be easy to locate.”
With that, she picked up the photo, flipped it over—blank—and slipped it into her handbag.
That blankness was Jiang Ran’s doing.
The back of the photo had been smooth; he had erased Qin Feng’s handwriting completely with an eraser, leaving no trace.
For now, he didn’t want Qin Feng’s involvement to be exposed.
In this Worldline 1, only he knew Qin Feng’s past—and his unseen future.
His instinct told him Qin Feng was either in danger, or doing something dangerous.
Since Qin Feng had chosen to help him—
Then he should protect Qin Feng’s whereabouts in return.
“Oh, right.”
Jiang Ran stood up.
“Since we’re already asking your boyfriend for help… could you also ask him to check something at the University of Pennsylvania?”
Xu Yan frowned.
“The University of Pennsylvania? That’s Xiaoxue’s school, isn’t it? What do you want to check there?”
Jiang Ran pressed his lips together, draining the last of his drink.
“I want to confirm—”
“Whether there really is a student named Xiaoxue at the University of Pennsylvania.”