Genius Playground

Chapter 14 Hero
“One.” Cheng Mengxue blinked.

One?
"Just one?"

"Yes."

She took out her phone and handed it to Jiang Ran:

"See for yourself."

I took the phone and opened the text message interface.

On March 26, I did receive only one time-space text message... It was exactly the 65-character text message that Jiang Ran edited, word for word.

There was no second text message before or after that.

How should this be understood?

Jiang Ran scratched his head.

The mysterious text message and numbers that appeared out of nowhere had made him suspicious for a long time; he even opposed the plan to rescue Xu Yan, fearing some terrible consequences.

But as things stand now...

Am I just being too sensitive?

He slid down again.

In the text message records from March 22, those two time-travel text messages lay there quietly, side by side.

Could it be that this seemingly garbled text message is really just a string of random characters, a glitch, or an overreaction?
He returned the phone.

The IV drip was finished, and the nurse removed the needle, telling him he could leave the hospital after a short rest.

The nurse clearly knew about Jiang Ran's rescue, and she treated him very well, asking him all sorts of questions with a smile and praising him for being so amazing.

Jiang Ran felt a little uncomfortable with this.

"Hehe, this is nothing!"

Cheng Mengxue smiled mysteriously:
"There's a surprise waiting for you when you get to school!"

"Surprise or shock?"

"Of course it's a surprise!"

What is a surprise?

"What a surprise!"

"Stop making jokes and hurry up and translate for me, what exactly is a surprise?"

"The surprise is—"

"that is?"

Swish.

Cheng Mengxue opened a webpage on her phone and pushed a news article in front of him:

"Surprise! Jiang Ran! You've become a hero for your act of bravery!!"

……

Back at school, I finally realized what a surprise truly is.

Many classmates, both acquaintances and strangers, came over to say hello:
"That's great, Jiang Ran! A real man!"

"That's awesome, bro! I admire you! I admire you more than anyone else! I truly admire you!"

"Did you know you're famous on Douyin? Your videos are getting millions of likes!"

"Can I add you on WeChat, senior? I'd like to..."

exaggerate.

It can only be described as an exaggeration.

Jiang Ran was originally an unknown student at Donghai University.

Who among those who got into this school wasn't once a top student in their class?

Everyone here is number one; even those who failed their courses are still top students in their high school stories.

Not to mention that Jiang Ran hadn't joined any clubs, hadn't won any awards, and had no outstanding achievements.

In the blink of an eye,

It's just a matter of sending a time-space text message...

He instantly became a hero praised by everyone for his courageous act.

Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, the cell phone rang.

The caller ID showed the homeroom teacher.

It's ridiculous. I've been in college for two years and have only interacted with my counselor. I haven't spoken a single word to my class teacher.

"Hey?"

"Hey Jiang Ran, are you back from the hospital?"

On the other end of the phone, the homeroom teacher was very emotional:
"Come to my office right away! The TV station wants to interview you! The reporters have been waiting for a long time!"

When I arrived at the office, it was crowded with people.

"That's right. Jiang Ran has been outstanding since entering the school. He is warm-hearted, kind, and helpful, which is also the guiding principle of our class."

The homeroom teacher was sitting upright, being interviewed.

His Mediterranean-style haircut, styled with gel, had never looked so glamorous before.
"I often teach them that studying is important, but being a good person, having good character, and having a kind heart are even more important."

“This is my educational philosophy. I am very pleased that Jiang Ran can listen to these words and keep them in mind.”

"Student education is a very complex matter. Different students require different guidance. I have always been very concerned about the growth of my students and..."

She talked into the camera for half an hour.

"How about it?"

He wiped his sweat and looked at the cameraman:
"Can this even be broadcast?"

"We need to cut a couple of lines," the cameraman said.

"Haha, cutting a couple of sentences won't hurt!"

The homeroom teacher was very generous:

"As long as the overall integrity is guaranteed, it's fine."

"No no no..."

Cameraman's correction:
"We only edited out two sentences; we could only keep two. After all, our main interview was with Jiang Ran."

"what?"

The Mediterranean Sea has split open.

...After the interview, I received a notification from my counselor that the school would be holding a "Report and Study Session on Deeds and Commendation Ceremony for Heroic Acts" for him in the auditorium the next day, and asked him to prepare in advance.

Do you have suits?

"No."

"Go to the student union and borrow one; they have plenty."

……

Jiang Ran had never been so busy during her two years of university; she truly understood what it meant to be exhausted.

The next day at the conference.

He sat to the left of the principal and read a report on Cheng Mengxue's deeds and a speech on bravery written by deepseek.

This was followed by the awarding of certificates, honorary titles, and bonuses from the Donghai City Righteous and Courageous Deeds Foundation.

The prize money is quite generous, a full 5 yuan.

After the event, the two rescued children, accompanied by their parents, presented Jiang Ran with flowers.

"Thank you, big brother!" "Thank you for saving us!"

Experiencing this scene for the first time, Jiang Ran couldn't help but feel a little stiff.

Speaking of which...

This was the first time in his life he had ever received flowers.

No one ever sent him flowers.

At this moment, I didn't feel anything special, just a sense of warmth.

I really did a good deed.

Every boy dreams of becoming a great hero who saves the world when he is young.

But as I've grown older, I've discovered that the world is both vast and small.

A home is a world; two people in love are also a world; sometimes, a person is also a world.

But no matter which world...

They all deserve to be protected.

"Jiang Ran".

Hearing the sound, he turned his head.

Xu Yan walked over with a smile and patted him on the shoulder:

"Wow, Jiang Ran! I already thought you were pretty good before, but I still have to say, I'm really impressed with you now!"

"You pulled me back in one go, and before I could even react, you jumped right into the water. It was terrifying."

Jiang Ran looked at Xu Yan's fair neck and rosy cheeks, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Recalling the corpse being wheeled out of the operating room in the previous timeline, and the white sheet covering its face.

Those were lifeless corpses.

Now, there's no conclusive evidence whatsoever—not a sweet smile, not even the warmth emanating from her shoulder…

This is a vibrant and beautiful person.

[A person who died in the original timeline was brought back to life by them, and continues a new life in the new timeline.]

Even though she herself was unaware of all of this...

Only Jiang Ran remembers.

"You're so brave!" Xu Yan kept praising her.

He raised his head.

Looking into the other person's smiling eyes:
"You are very brave too."

The voice is very soft.

All these flowers and praises should have belonged to you.

……

Half an hour later, we returned to the club activity room.

Jiang Ran placed the flowers, certificate, banner, and prize box on the table, then took out the 5 yuan award for bravery and handed it to Cheng Mengxue:
"Let's use it as funding for club activities."

The two were shocked:
"You're so generous! That's 5!"

"Don't spend it recklessly," Jiang Ran instructed.

I have a feeling... that 5 yuan is quite a heavy burden.

Qin Feng and Cheng Mengxue were chattering away, discussing what to buy with the funds.

Jiang Ran sat on the sofa and looked at the small blackboard.

289269426494642
The mysterious string of numbers, whose meaning remains unclear, is still written on it.

He closed his eyes.

The numbers that appeared before my eyes began to separate, twist, extend, and then recombine... combining into various words that flashed through my mind:
Time and space, mystery, regularity, law

Fear, unknown, danger, warning

Confusion, exploration, death, change

History, travel, river, memory

Salvation, Answer, Code, New Life

World, heroes, responsibility, future

……

He slowly opened his eyes:

"I changed my mind."

Qin Feng and Cheng Mengxue stopped their discussion upon hearing the voice and turned to look at him.

"I did hesitate, feel fear, and feel confused before, but now... I've figured it out."

"To find the answer, mere daydreaming is useless; the necessary risks must be taken, and the detours that must be taken... may not be spared even by a single meter."

Jiang Ran stood up, her eyes serious, and looked at the two of them:

"So, I take back what I said before."

"Let's continue... with the time-space text messaging experiment."

(End of this chapter)