Prodigy’s Playground

Chapter 32

“I really don’t remember.”

Jiang Ran was a little surprised.

He truly hadn’t expected Qin Feng to be this interested in it.

If he remembered correctly…

Ever since that day of acting, this was already the second time it had come up.

“It’s been way too long. Do you remember the diary you wrote in middle school?”

Jiang Ran smiled and asked back.

“Besides, it really wasn’t written that well—just the baseless fantasies of a cringe middle-school kid.”

“If you really like this kind of subject, how about I recommend you a similar novel?”

Thud-thud-thud!A dark figure came rolling and scrambling over.

“Damn, finally made it! What are you guys talking about?”

The two turned their heads.

It was Wang Hao.

Two months without seeing him, and the chubby guy had widened quite a bit again.

“I’ll punish myself with three bottles first!”

He plopped down boldly on a small plastic stool, chugged one bottle in gulps, then let out a burp.

“This beer’s got a strong kick. I’ll take it slow. Waiter!!!”

He shouted loudly.

“Add two more dishes!”

“All right, all right, take a breather…”

Jiang Ran waved his hand.

“You show up acting like a conductor. This isn’t a last meal—what are you rushing for? Like we’re going to let you starve?”

“Heh heh, it’s just been too long since I’ve had meat.”

Wang Hao tore open a pair of disposable chopsticks with a grin.

“My allowance’s dried up. I’ve been eating vegetarian in the cafeteria every day. Finally run into you guys treating—of course I’ve gotta splurge a bit.”

He swept through the food in a few quick moves.

“Oh right, right.”

Cheeks puffed out, he looked at the two of them.

“What were you two talking about just now? I heard something about cringe, novels, fantasies, and stuff…”

“Oh, that.”

Jiang Ran popped open another beer.

“Just some little novel setting collection I casually wrote in middle school—messy, cringe fantasies.”

“Ohhh, I remember.”

Wang Hao nodded like a pecking chick.

“Prodigy’s Playground, right?”

?

?

Jiang Ran and Qin Feng stared at Wang Hao in disbelief.

“You know it?”

“Of course I know it! I even read it!”

The two widened their eyes.

“You even read it?”

“I—I of course read it! Hey, hey, hey, why did you two turn into parrots?”

Wang Hao couldn’t understand their expressions.

“Seriously, what’s the big deal about that?”

He couldn’t figure out why the two across from him were reacting like this.

“Qin Feng probably doesn’t know about it, but Jiang Ran, how could you forget?”

“That thing you wrote in middle school—didn’t a lot of people in your class read it?”

Jiang Ran nodded.

“Quite a lot of people did read it, but most just skimmed a bit… What surprises me isn’t that you read it, but that you remember the title so clearly.”

Prodigy’s Playground.

That really was the name Jiang Ran had given that setting collection back in middle school.

He himself had forgotten all the details inside.

Yet who would’ve thought…

That Wang Hao, usually so careless, would remember it this clearly.

Jiang Ran chuckled lightly and looked at Qin Feng.

“Perfect timing. Your curiosity might get satisfied now—maybe Wang Hao still remembers details from that setting collection.”

Qin Feng was interested in the story, but Jiang Ran truly remembered nothing.

Although he’d agreed and said he’d look for it in the basement when he went home for vacation… that was really just brushing it off.

A middle-school draft notebook was like finding a needle in the ocean—most likely impossible.

He’d thought the story in that setting collection would end up lost like the last forty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber, but who knew… a loyal reader would suddenly pop out.

Qin Feng filled his glass and clinked it with Wang Hao’s.

“Wang Hao, do you still remember… what kind of game Prodigy’s Playground actually was?”

“I don’t remember.”

Wang Hao picked up a few peanuts in vinegar.

Qin Feng frowned.

“Then… then do you remember how the setting collection said you were supposed to join that game?”

Wang Hao drained a glass of beer and wiped the foam from his lips.

“Forgot that too.”

“…”

“…”

Qin Feng barely restrained the urge to dump the beer mug over Wang Hao’s head.

“Then what the hell do you remember?”

“Me?”

Wang Hao spat out a fish bone.

“That was almost ten years ago! I’m already doing great remembering just the title! Besides, the original author is right here—why are you grilling me?”

Welp.

They’d thought Wang Hao might bring a sudden turn for the better, but instead, as expected, he delivered his usual stable performance—never disappointing when it came to disappointing people.

Qin Feng sighed helplessly and looked at the two of them.

“You two’s brains really make people wonder if they’re secondhand. Something you wrote and something you read, and you can forget it this completely.”

“Who can be like you?”

“You think we’re you?”

Jiang Ran and Wang Hao protested indignantly.

Qin Feng really did have photographic memory—but how many people in the world were like him?

“All right, all right. If you’re really that interested, come home with me during summer vacation.”

Jiang Ran patted Qin Feng on the shoulder.

“You can stay at my place for a few days, and we’ll properly dig through the basement to see if we can find that middle-school draft notebook.”

“My parents don’t like throwing things away. All kinds of old books and textbooks are stuffed down there—the setting collection is probably in there.”

After that, the three of them continued drinking and chatting.

Wang Hao told them that a lot of people had responded to the summer classmates’ gathering, and asked them to bring Cheng Mengxue along no matter what.

Both Jiang Ran and Qin Feng said that was fine—there was nothing special to do when they went home for summer anyway.

Catching up, complaining, looking ahead, bragging…

An unfinished little gathering came to an end like that.

As expected, Wang Hao drank too much. Jiang Ran called a rideshare for him and stuffed him into the car.

“Later, yeah! We’ll go again next time!” Wang Hao swayed as the car took off.

Jiang Ran and Qin Feng also got into the back seat of a taxi.

“Driver, Donghai University.”

…

The car started moving.

It slipped into the night.

Lightly drunk, the alcohol had gone a bit to their heads.

Jiang Ran and Qin Feng watched the scenery outside the window slide backward, silent, neither speaking.

“Qin Feng, have you thought it through?”

In the end, Jiang Ran spoke first.

Qin Feng turned his head.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean using the time-traveling text messages.”

This matter had been hanging over Jiang Ran’s heart. If it wasn’t resolved, he couldn’t feel at ease.

“Have you thought of a better wish? Or is there any regret you want to make up for using the time-traveling texts?”

“As long as the sending time is controlled within a month, anything is fine. Xiaoxue and I will support you unconditionally.”

However—

Qin Feng shook his head.

“I really can’t think of anything. If it doesn’t work, just skip me. Or just fulfill the previous wish—let me buy that more stylish knob control board first.”

“That’s no problem at all.”

Jiang Ran agreed immediately.

No matter what, since he’d rejected Qin Feng before, there was no way this round of taking turns on wishes could skip him.

If Qin Feng couldn’t think of a better wish, then they’d just make do with the circuit board—participation was what mattered.

Even though using this for such a small thing was completely overkill.

But—

Ending this earlier and making up the wish he owed Qin Feng sooner would at least put a stone down in his heart.

“Then let’s not delay—tomorrow night.”

Jiang Ran looked at the full moon outside the car window.

“Tomorrow night, call Xiaoxue too.”

“We’re going to continue…”

“Sending time-traveling text messages!”