novelraw Chapter 150 Breaking the Ice
Chapter 150 Breaking the Ice
A river cruise ship sounded its horn along the riverside, carrying tourists upstream against the current.
Birds skimmed the water’s surface, rising in scattered bursts, ripples spreading outward in overlapping interference patterns.
Jiang Ran turned his head and looked at Cheng Mengxue’s reddened eyes, saying nothing.
Was there any way—
to avoid a tragedy like this?
Yes.
Of course there was.
The Positron Cannon and time-traveling text messages.
As long as they could control a power capable of rewriting history and reshaping worldlines, they could avoid any tragedy.
On Worldline 0, they had indeed possessed that power.That had been months ago, right after Xu Yan died saving someone.
Back then, Jiang Ran, Qin Feng, and Cheng Mengxue had walked out of the hospital together, sat by the Huangpu River just like this, looking at the same scenery, feeling the same river breeze. Cheng Mengxue had clutched Jiang Ran’s sleeve, just like now, lifting her tearful face as she cried:
“If we use the Positron Cannon… and send a message to our past selves—can we change history? Can we save Xu Yan?”
But now, everything had changed.
Not only had their once inseparable trio fallen apart, even the precious Positron Cannon had malfunctioned, losing its ability to send time-traveling messages.
So—
“There’s no way.”
Jiang Ran spoke softly. “If there were… this world wouldn’t have so many regrets.”
After that,
the three of them took a car back to Donghai University.
Campus entry was strictly controlled. Every student had to pass facial recognition and walk through a metal detector gate to ensure absolute security.
After lunch at the cafeteria, they returned to their dorms to prepare for afternoon classes.
College students adjusted quickly. The campus soon returned to its pre-suspension state—noisy, lively, full of youth, people coming and going—as if nothing had ever happened.
The cordon around the laboratory building had been removed, and classes resumed in an orderly fashion.
The only difference was that the building would never again see that young teacher with gold-rimmed glasses, stylish and handsome. Nor would there be that small three-person class that always ended exactly on time.
Professor Zhang Yang would not return until after National Day, so for now Jiang Ran, Fang Ze, and Cheng Mengxue were effectively unsupervised, just attending classes according to the schedule.
Grief was grief. Regret was regret.
Time still moved forward. Life still went on. Campus life most of all.
During the afternoon class, Chi Xiaoguo sent Jiang Ran a message on WeChat, saying she had finished all the preliminary preparations—the Film Camera Club could finally resume activities!
“Yay! We’ve finally been waiting for this day!!!”
From her flood of excited emojis and exclamation marks, Jiang Ran could clearly feel her excitement.
“Senior, let’s hold our first club activity tonight! It can also be the first official meeting of all members!”
“Even though you’re familiar with Senior Fang Ze and Sister Mengxue, I’ve only greeted them during recruitment. We’ve never properly met!”
Jiang Ran tapped his phone and replied:
“Sure. Pick a time. I’ll bring the two of them along.”
That was how many things in this world worked.
When someone left, someone else would arrive.
So it was with worldline transitions. So it was with the rise and fall of the Film Camera Club.
Tonight,
the club that had once nearly been dissolved would finally be reborn after years of silence, opening a brand-new chapter.
“Got any plans?”
Jiang Ran asked. “For the first activity, what are you thinking of doing?”
“We’ll start with introductions! Get to know each other, exchange thoughts on film photography!”
Chi Xiaoguo remained as optimistic as ever, her ideas as bright as a dream.
“Then we can set goals for the new semester! A national competition might be unrealistic—but we can aim smaller, like placing in a local photography contest!”
Watching this girl with her double buns fire up like a shounen protagonist, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but chuckle. He really didn’t have the heart to crush her enthusiasm.
President Xiaoguo…
you still haven’t realized what kind of… questionable amateurs your current members are.
Jiang Ran himself had joined for the Positron Cannon—on both worldlines. He had zero interest in film photography.
Cheng Mengxue and Fang Ze were even less reliable. They were only here out of courtesy, supporting him out of personal ties, and knew absolutely nothing about film photography.
To be blunt,
even if the three of them worked together, they might not manage to take a single acceptable photo with a film camera.
“Go for it! I’m counting on you!”
Jiang Ran sent an encouraging emoji.
After all, this cheerful girl had helped him so much, even going out of her way to comfort him when he was at his lowest.
No matter what, he had to help her run the club properly.
So,
at 7:30 p.m.,
all four members of the Film Camera Club sat punctually in the cramped activity room, beginning their first official meeting.
“Wow, this room… it has such an old-timey feel.”
This was Cheng Mengxue’s first time entering the clubroom on Worldline 1.
She curiously examined the various antique items, touching this and looking at that like an inquisitive child.
Fang Ze also walked up to a shelf, studying cameras older than himself.
“To be honest, this is my first time seeing a film camera in person. Ever since I can remember, everything around me has been digital.”
“And by the time I was in elementary school, smartphones had already replaced digital cameras as the main tool for photography.”
“…Hehe~”
Chi Xiaoguo hopped over, eagerly introducing the “treasures.”
“These were all passed down by seniors, generation after generation!”
“Are your seniors crops or something?” Jiang Ran couldn’t help but remark.
“Ah! Don’t get stuck on the details!”
She was in an exceptionally good mood today.
“All these cameras are in great condition. We can use them freely for shooting!”
“As for film, though, we’ll need to wait a bit. Our budget request was just submitted—it’ll take some time to be approved.”
“Sigh, can’t help it. We’re a small club—actually the smallest in the whole school. So our funding is limited… when you shoot, please treasure every roll.”
“I can sponsor some.”
Jiang Ran suggested.
“I got lucky over the break and made quite a bit of money. And I’ll probably be troubling you—and the club—a lot in the future.”
“So… how about I cover all the film, as well as chemicals and equipment for the darkroom?”
“Sugar daddy!!!”
Chi Xiaoguo raised both hands.
Jiang Ran waved awkwardly. “Let’s skip that title…”
“…Six?”
“Huh? Then—”
Chi Xiaoguo did some mental subtraction, hesitated, then seemed to make a huge decision:
“D—Dad?”
“Pff—”
“My god—”
Cheng Mengxue and Fang Ze both took a step back, utterly unprepared for how unhinged this tiny club had just become.
Cheng Mengxue looked at Jiang Ran with disgust.
“Jiang Ran! We haven’t seen each other in two years—how did you develop such weird tastes?!”
“Hey! What are you even thinking?!”
Jiang Ran scrambled to salvage his dignity.
“What I meant is—since I’m a member and I can afford it, it’s only natural to contribute! Calling me something like ‘sugar daddy’ is too distant!”
He was speechless.
This was clearly just a polite expression—like saying “no need” or “don’t mention it.”
Who would’ve thought—
Chi Xiaoguo would treat it like a math problem and interpret it as “remove the words ‘sugar daddy.’”
What kind of thought process was that?
Which teacher taught her like this?!
She’d nearly made him lose face completely.
Even Professor Zhang Yang had told him multiple times not to embarrass people in front of foreigners.
And now here he was, bringing two overseas students to their first club activity—
and immediately showcasing the “cultural depth” of the Film Camera Club.
In any case,
the first meeting officially began—
under Cheng Mengxue’s doubtful gaze and Fang Ze’s amused smile.
Chi Xiaoguo introduced herself, explaining her love for film photography and her understanding of its unique charm.
Compared to her professionalism, the other three were complete amateurs.
All three frankly admitted they had no prior experience with film cameras—but were interested and willing to learn.
“That’s totally fine!”
Chi Xiaoguo puffed up her chest confidently.
“Just leave everything to me! I’ll make sure you all learn properly so you can experience the charm of film photography firsthand!”
“Honestly, not knowing anything about film cameras isn’t a problem at all. In this day and age, it’s normal.”
“As long as you’re interested, that’s enough! I was actually worried no one here would care about film photography…”
“I believe that as long as you’re willing to accept something and understand it, even things you don’t like at first—you’ll gradually come to like them.”
“People are emotional creatures. Feelings are built over time. Spend enough time together, share enough experiences, and eventually emotions will form. It’s just like falling in love.”
At that moment, Chi Xiaoguo spoke like a seasoned relationship expert.
Cheng Mengxue blinked, stunned.
“Wow, President Xiaoguo… you sound really experienced.”
“Of course!”
Chi Xiaoguo straightened proudly.
“My relationship experience is very rich!”
“…Huh?” ×3
Jiang Ran, Cheng Mengxue, and Fang Ze exchanged confused looks.
This—
they reexamined the girl in front of them, who looked like a primary school student, finding her bold claim… highly questionable.
“I’ve read at least 500 romance novels!” Chi Xiaoguo declared proudly.
“Practical experience?” Fang Ze asked seriously.
“And at least 300 romance dramas, 200 romance anime, and over 100 dating games!”
“Practical experience?” Fang Ze remained serious.
“…Not really.”
But Chi Xiaoguo remained confident.
“My theoretical foundation is extremely solid!”
“…” ×3
The three fell silent.
So in the end—
just a purely theoretical expert.
Ah, well.
Whatever the case, she was still the president—and had just delivered a grand speech. They had to give her some face.
Even if they had countless complaints inside, they swallowed them and didn’t expose her.
That said,
this whole “relationship theory expert” episode instantly broke the ice. The atmosphere relaxed, and everyone began chatting freely.
Young students in their prime, gathered together—there was never a shortage of stories and gossip.
Before they knew it, it was already 10 p.m.
Though the room was still lively and no one wanted to stop, it was time to end and head back to the dorms.
“I’m looking forward to the next meeting.”
Fang Ze stood up and said goodbye.
“In the U.S., I never joined any clubs—neither in high school nor university. I was always focused on studying. Now I realize I missed out on a lot of joy with friends.”
Cheng Mengxue also grabbed Chi Xiaoguo’s hand warmly.
“Next time, I’ll bring some of my Caimao plushies! We can decorate the room and make it prettier!”
“Of course!”
Chi Xiaoguo was glowing with excitement.
“From now on, treat the Film Camera Club as your home! I hope this coming year, we can spend many happy times here!”
After that, Fang Ze and Cheng Mengxue left first.
Jiang Ran stayed behind, saying he would help clean up.
Close to 11 p.m.,
the campus fell quiet.
Jiang Ran glanced at his watch.
With practiced ease, Chi Xiaoguo pulled open the shelf and dragged out the cardboard box containing the Positron Cannon.
This—
was the real reason Jiang Ran had stayed.
The campus had been under lockdown for the past few days. There had been no chance to activate the Positron Cannon, no way to go to the future prison of 2045 to find the Killer.
Now that club activities had resumed—
he could hardly wait to make another trip to 2045.
To have a proper conversation—
with Fang Ze, the Killer,
who was also a member of the Mutual Aid Society of Regrets.