Chapter 295 - 66: Diary

If it’s dismantled, it’s dismantled.

Jiang Ran hadn’t planned on taking this "cursed Soul Artifact" back anyway.

"Oh, oh, oh, I see."

Hearing that the Rhine Meow Meows hadn’t been stolen, Chi Xiaoguo was relieved:

"Alright then, senior, I’m off to class!"

With that, Chi Xiaoguo slung her backpack over her shoulder and left.

THUMP.

The door closed, leaving Jiang Ran standing alone in the clubroom—a space that felt familiar yet strange, empty and sorrowful.

So many things ended as unexpectedly as they had begun.

Just like this Film Club room.

First, it was dilapidated and abandoned.

Then, clean and spacious.

Later, it became crowded with new members and the Rhine Cat Legion.

And now, it was desolate and empty once more.

Jiang Ran moved the shelf and looked at the cardboard box behind it.

He opened it.

Inside, the Positron Cannon was safe and sound, just as it had been through all its long journeys through time... The world and its people were what changed; time itself remained, an unmoving witness to all of history’s vicissitudes.

’Priest Wu Yuanzheng is dead and the Regrets Mutual Aid Association has been disbanded. So things must have changed in the Future Prison of 2045, right?’

Jiang Ran wondered:

’Will Qin Feng still be beheaded on the execution block?’

’Will the Assassin still be in Cell No. 5, waiting for his luck to turn?’

’Will Little Genius Lu Yu regain his sanity? Or will he never have been imprisoned in the first place?’

’Sang Biao... that stupid young man... Now that the masterminds who coveted the Time Travel Machine are dead, will the prison itself even exist anymore?’

Jiang Ran blinked.

’If that prison no longer exists, what will happen when I use the Positron Cannon to travel again? When I open my eyes after the dizzying spell... where will I be standing? Who will I meet?’

At the thought of it all,

he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation.

However...

Officer Liu had warned him not to let his guard down just yet. If there was a bug hidden inside a Rhine Cat doll, who was to say there weren’t others in the Film Club room, or even in Jiang Ran’s dorm room!

So, he had arranged for a team to come to East Sea University the next day with professional equipment. They would sweep every place Jiang Ran frequented—classrooms, labs, his dorm, and the clubroom—to make absolutely sure they were clean.

Jiang Ran, of course, was happy to accept. In fact, he couldn’t have asked for more.

Officer Liu truly was a veteran with forty years of experience on the force; his caution far surpassed Jiang Ran’s own.

’Since I’ve already waited this long, what’s another day or two?’

Jiang Ran decided he would wait until after the police sweep tomorrow. Once they confirmed there were no more bugs or cameras, he would contact Chi Xiaoguo to activate the Positron Cannon... and they would resume their secret operations.

’So, for now...’

He opened his bag and took out the copied diary pages Officer Liu had given him.

These were excerpts from Li Yini’s diaries, spanning many years. Officer Liu had personally copied them for him so he could understand the full, convoluted story of Li Yini’s transformation into Cheng Mengxue.

Jiang Ran had brought it back specifically to read it carefully when he had a moment to spare.

After all...

Every time he thought about what happened at Jingshan Bamboo Public Cemetery, or that fleeting kiss on the Ferris wheel the other day...

his mind would be flooded with a torrent of complex emotions.

Truth and lies, lies and truth... although the matter was now settled,

beneath the established facts, there seemed to be something else—something that couldn’t be articulated or fully understood.

Perhaps.

The answer.

Was in the diary right in front of him.

Jiang Ran took off his jacket, collapsed onto the sofa, and lay back, holding the heavy diary.

The diary itself wasn’t heavy—it was just a few dozen photocopied pages.

What was heavy was the life of a young woman, contained within those years.

Bright shafts of sunlight streamed into the room, casting shimmering patterns on the floor that resembled a turbulent sea.

Motes of dust, dancing randomly in the light, formed a straight line, like a sword cleaving through destiny.

He took a deep breath.

He lowered his head.

And opened the diary to the first page...

July 17, 2021. Weather: Rain.

Today is my 17th birthday.

Just like every year, I didn’t tell anyone.

No birthday party, no birthday cake, no gifts, and no well wishes.

Dad is still wandering around in Guizhou, and Mom is in the hospital.

Dad called me yesterday. He said I was about to turn seventeen, a big girl now. He transferred 500 yuan to me and told me to take my friends out for a meal or go to a karaoke bar.

But, just like every year, I refused.

What right do I have to celebrate my birthday?

I hope this lonely, uncelebrated birthday serves as a punishment for myself.

My life should have stopped when I was six years old.

This is the eleventh year I haven’t had a birthday cake.

And the eleventh year since my little brother was taken by human traffickers...

...

"Yini, are you really not going to reconsider?"

At school, in the office, the vice principal and her homeroom teacher spoke earnestly:

"This is an incredibly rare opportunity. An outstanding student like you deserves to be educated at a top-tier university!"

"We sent your transcripts and award certificates to Cambridge University. You even won first prize in the national English competition. They’re very eager to have you! They’re even offering you a full scholarship!"

"This is completely unprecedented for our school! We’re talking about Cambridge University!"

"For a second-year student from Dragon Country to receive an offer from Cambridge... you absolutely cannot let this opportunity pass you by!"

However, Li Yini, dressed in her school uniform, simply shook her head:

"Thank you, Principal. Thank you, Teacher."