Chapter 253 47: Ulterior Motives (Part 2)

As for Wang Hao, it was a matter of pure chemistry. The moment he so much as lifted a butt cheek, Jiang Ran knew what color shit he was going to take that day.

After Chi Xiaoguo ran off, Cheng Mengxue turned back mysteriously and looked at Jiang Ran:

"Speaking of which, I'm actually preparing a surprise too…"

Heh.

Jiang Ran let out an inexplicable laugh.

"You've given us enough of a surprise tonight. No, I'd say it was more of a scare."

"Hey, I'm being serious with you!"

Cheng Mengxue wasn't joking in the slightest.

"Next Wednesday night, I'm planning to treat Fang Ze, Xiaoguo, and the others to a meal. You, Wang Hao, and Xu Yan should come too. You can even help me prepare ahead of time."

"Huh?"

Jiang Ran asked instinctively:

"Why? Why are we having a get-together?"

"Are you dense?!"

Cheng Mengxue grabbed Jiang Ran's arm and gave it a hard twist.

"Next Wednesday! September 23rd! Tell me again what day that is!"

September 23rd…

Hearing that specific date, it all clicked for Jiang Ran.

September 23rd.

That was Cheng Mengxue's birthday.

'No wonder she suddenly got so huffy and reacted so strongly…'

'In his memory, he had never missed Cheng Mengxue's birthday.'

'Of course, this memory was definitely from World Line 0. But in World Line 1, just like in World Line 0, the two of them were childhood friends and had been classmates all along. Aside from the events of the last two years, the rest of their story was almost identical.'

'Logically, Jiang Ran should never have forgotten Cheng Mengxue's birthday.'

'Because…'

'This money-minded girl would always start frantically hinting, dropping explicit suggestions, or even directly demanding that Jiang Ran get her a birthday present long in advance—and she'd specify the exact model, too.'

And Jiang Ran didn't mind at all.

After all, that's what it was like to be close. Only people who were truly close could be so brazen with each other and see all the "unreasonable demands" as perfectly normal.

It was just that he had been too busy lately, with too much going on. Plus, Jiang Ran still had his doubts about the current Cheng Mengxue's identity…

So, he had overlooked the fact that September 23rd, the autumn equinox and Cheng Mengxue's birthday, was fast approaching.

"I see."

Jiang Ran rubbed his arm where she had pinched him.

"So you want to throw a birthday party and invite them."

"Hmph! And here I thought you'd completely forgotten my birthday!"

Cheng Mengxue said, puffing out her cheeks:

"Forget a birthday party. No need for all that trouble and expense. We'll just find a restaurant off-campus, book a private room, eat some cake, blow out some candles... just a normal meal with everyone is fine."

"Speaking of which, Jiang Ran, you haven't given me a birthday present for two years! This year, you'll have to make up for the last two years, right?"

"You want three presents?" Jiang Ran didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Hee hee, not necessarily."

Cheng Mengxue flashed a mischievous grin, like a mastermind whose plot had succeeded.

"Why don't you just combine the last three years into one big present for me?"

"The Rice Cooker Rhine Cat! You can't just make an empty promise this time! A Rice Cooker Rhine Cat for three years' worth of birthday presents isn't too much to ask, is it?!"

Sigh…

Jiang Ran put a hand to his forehead.

"You know, you're still the same as ever, demanding presents so bluntly."

'It seemed Cheng Mengxue was still fixated on that Rice Cooker Rhine Cat she hadn't gotten her hands on.'

'When Jiang Ran first saw Cheng Mengxue during summer break and drove her back to Xu Yan's house, he had actually already promised to get her a Rice Cooker Rhine Cat as a welcome-back gift.'

'But later, because of all sorts of things and his various suspicions, it never happened, and the matter was just dropped.'

'That's why Cheng Mengxue was warning him, "You can't just make an empty promise this time."'

"Fine."

He agreed casually.

'It wasn't anything expensive anyway… Okay, it was actually pretty expensive, but compared to my bank balance, it was just a drop in the bucket.'

"Well, speaking of which, you also missed my birthday for two years and owe me two years of presents, don't you?"

Jiang Ran turned the tables on her.

"When are you planning to make up for the presents you owe me?"

"But your birthday already passed this year."

Cheng Mengxue spread her hands helplessly.

"I remember your birthday very clearly, May 15th. But I wasn't back in the country yet at that time."

"If I were to really make it up to you… it would have to be next year… next year…"

Suddenly, Cheng Mengxue trailed off, as if wanting to say more but holding back.

She stood there in the gentle night breeze, her head lowered, a lost look in her eyes, and fell silent.

'Huh?'

This puzzled Jiang Ran.

'Why did she suddenly go quiet?'

An uncharacteristic silence fell upon the starless night, a familiar omen… that the things that weren't meant to be would indeed never come to pass.

"Um, hehe."

Cheng Mengxue suddenly let out a couple of awkward laughs and looked up.

"Don't worry, Jiang Ran. I'll make it up to you on your birthday next year."

With that, she waved goodbye to Jiang Ran.

She turned, broke into a little jog, and disappeared into the night.

Jiang Ran watched Cheng Mengxue's retreating figure, feeling that her hesitation just now had been a little strange.

Moreover, Jiang Ran could clearly sense it—

'Cheng Mengxue's sudden appearance outside the Film Club window tonight was no accident or coincidence. It had to be deliberate!'

'Xiaoxue would absolutely never lose a Rhine Cat.'

Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes as he watched her back disappear into the night.

He was more certain of this than anyone.

While it might be an exaggeration to say the Rhine Cat was Cheng Mengxue's life, as a hardcore Rhine Cat enthusiast, there was no way she would only notice it was missing an hour after losing it.

Not to mention, that particular one—the wedding dress Rhine Cat—was always attached to her phone as a charm.

Considering how much people use their phones these days, how could she possibly have gone so long without noticing?

And another thing.

Even taking a huge step back, let's assume that for some reason, Cheng Mengxue really didn't notice the Rhine Cat Pendant was missing until an hour later…

The correct and rational thing to do would definitely not be to run out alone to search along the road right before the dorms turn off the lights and lock the doors at 11 PM.

She could have called Jiang Ran or Chi Xiaoguo to ask, or she could have gone back to the club room to look tomorrow. Either option would have been far more realistic than running out at 11 PM to look for a needle in a haystack.

"So…"

Jiang Ran said with absolute certainty:

"So, Xiaoxue knew perfectly well that the Rhine Cat Pendant was in the crevice of the sofa in the Film Club activity room. It wasn't lost at all."

"In fact, it's highly likely that Xiaoxue secretly took the pendant off herself, put it in the sofa crevice, and faked its disappearance."

"Her goal in doing this was, most likely, to find an excuse… to come to the Film Club activity room before the 11 PM lights-out and see what Chi Xiaoguo and I were really up to."

'That's right.'

Jiang Ran analyzed the situation rationally. He and Cheng Mengxue were childhood friends who grew up together. He knew her too well; it was easy for him to figure out what she was thinking.

Therefore, without a doubt…

'Tonight, Cheng Mengxue deliberately left the Rhine Cat behind and deliberately came to the Film Club at this specific time to ambush us.'

"What exactly is your goal?"

The dim moonlight gradually emerged, illuminating the long-empty road.

"Are you just curious about the secretive things going on between me and Chi Xiaoguo? Or is it…"

"…that you have an ulterior motive?"