Drama Queen Reborn as a Top Student!-Chapter 664 - 266 Butterfly Effect

The final exams are approaching quickly.

For the four students already selected for the Young Talent Class, there’s absolutely no need to take the finals anymore.

From this moment onward, the destiny of these four and the rest of the students in the class, even the entire Lanya High School, will be completely different.

During this period, rumors about the Young Talent Class have been circulating privately within Lanya High School, growing increasingly fantastical. Shen You’an and the other three have been glorified, elevated to mythic status. They’ve left Qingzhou behind, changed their fates through knowledge, and become pillars of the country’s future. Meanwhile, the rest—who still need to toil within this sea of books, striving merely for the chance to grab that ticket to their dream universities two years later—can only look up to them in awe.

Liu Runxi is hospitalized for recovery due to an injury.

Gu Bichen has taken an indefinite leave.

Leng Yunyang, that guy, skips class more often than not, making truancy his routine.

Only Shen You’an, the top gold-medal student of the CMO competition, attends class punctually every day, arriving and leaving on time, never tardy or leaving early—a model student far exceeding even the highest standards.

But this exemplary model student, aside from Gao Yuyue and Yan Lu, is unapproachable to others. She shines with an aura of a "study deity," revered and unattainable.

During one break, Xun Meng mustered enough courage to approach Shen You’an and ask her a math question. Before going over, she had mentally prepared herself extensively. After listening, Shen You’an smiled gently and picked up her pen to explain. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Shen You’an’s thought process was clear, her reasoning precise, her patience unending, and her explanations so meticulous that they completely unblocked the bottlenecks in Xun Meng’s understanding. Xun Meng learned a lot from her.

"An’an, thank you so much," Xun Meng said sincerely, expressing gratitude.

Shen You’an simply smiled, handed the pen back to her, and reopened the book she had been reading before.

Xun Meng stole a glance.

Spacetime Physics.

It was a classic work on spacetime physics, relatively profound and abstruse—essentially impossible to understand without a solid foundation in physics.

Xun Meng suddenly said, "According to the theory of relativity, the flow rate of time and the shape of space can change depending on the movement of an object. This means if an object moves at a speed close to that of light, time for the moving object would pass more slowly, while space would simultaneously compress. By the same principle, if a person could move close to the speed of light, it would enable time travel."

Shen You’an looked up at her, the eyes behind her glasses clear and unfathomably deep, pulling one into a daze without realizing it.

Xun Meng smiled shyly. "An’an, I like to read books on physics in my free time too, but I hope you won’t mind if what I said didn’t make much sense."

"You explained it very well." The eyes behind Shen You’an’s glasses suddenly brightened, shining brighter than the dazzling sunlight outside.

Excitedly, Xun Meng said, "I firmly believe that one day, physicists will successfully develop a machine capable of time travel!"

Shen You’an curved her lips slightly. "I believe that too."

At this moment, Yan Lu turned her head from the front seat, speaking mysteriously: "Have you guys watched the movie *The Butterfly Effect*?"

Xun Meng replied, "Yes, the teacher played it for us in middle school."

Yan Lu glanced at the silent Shen You’an. "The protagonist uses a diary to travel back to the past, trying repeatedly to fix a miserable childhood. However, each time he alters something, it ends up steering events toward another tragic conclusion. This demonstrates the paradox and contradictions inherent in time travel—any slight alteration to the past can trigger immense changes in one’s current life trajectory, ultimately resulting in a chaotic causal loop."

Xun Meng murmured, "If I traveled back to my past and changed my life trajectory, then the version of me that exists now wouldn’t even be me anymore."

Yan Lu snapped her fingers. "Exactly. So, it’s better to focus on living in the present instead of constantly dwelling on the past. You might discover, if you truly were to return to the past, that you’d start yearning for the present all over again. Humans always cling to regrets, but they fail to realize that regret is the essence of life."

"You make a good point. Honestly, my love of spacetime physics doesn’t stem from any obsession with the past. Physics itself is about exploring mysterious and fantastical worlds, and the process is uniquely fascinating in its own right."

The always-quiet Shen You’an suddenly spoke: "Spacetime shifts according to the will of objects. If the past consistently exists, then what use is there for the present to exist at all?"

Yan Lu and Xun Meng both looked at Shen You’an. Her calmness was so absolute it startled them.

Yan Lu abruptly grabbed Shen You’an’s hand. "An’an, that kind of thinking is very dangerous! Could it be that you truly have no one or nothing worth treasuring in this space?"

Shen You’an’s pitch-black eyes were like tranquil, deep waters, unmoved and imperturbable.

She lowered her head slightly, and only her gentle voice emerged: "Are you being naïve, or am I?"

Yan Lu clicked her tongue. "I know you. Constantly immersed in books like these—with your intelligence—who knows, maybe someday you’ll actually figure out how to make it happen for real."

Yan Lu gazed at her deeply. "An’an, what regret from your past could be pushing you this far?"

Shen You’an was unreadable, as if perpetually shrouded in mist.

She was layered and complex yet straightforward in certain ways—to the point of being single-minded.

Just as Xun Meng mentioned earlier, for some, immersion in spacetime physics stems from pure passion. For others, it’s driven by an unspoken obsession buried deep within.

Ordinary people spend their lives stumbling through unmet desires, their sighs becoming echoes of regret, ultimately resigning themselves to life’s grave.

But those with high intellect and strong execution are terrifying; they might crack the mechanisms of time travel and truly traverse the past to mend their regrets.

She had no doubt about Shen You’an’s capability. There was a kind of inexplicable magic about her—everything she sought seemed destined for accomplishment.

Such resolve requires a powerful driving force. So, what kind of regret compels Shen You’an to risk everything to return to the past?

Yan Lu didn’t receive an answer, as the class bell rang.

Shen You’an turned to look out the window.

The sky stretched high, clouds drifted lightly, and brilliant sunlight illuminated a few overwintering migratory birds perched on bare branches.

What was her regret?

Was it having parents alive and well, surrounding her with laughter?

Was it the simplicity of coarse meals and an idle, peaceful life?

Luxuries, scholar accolades, noble lineage, illustrious prospects—none of these mattered to her.

Fate had toyed with her repeatedly, but she refused to yield. She would use her acquired knowledge to challenge destiny itself.

This time, she’d see who would win.

Shen You’an closed her book, her previously calm emotions now turbulent and unsettled. She took a deep breath, attempting to soothe her internal chaos.

Perhaps, in this era, time travel is nothing more than a beautiful fantasy confined to film and television. Should it ever be realized, ridicule and disbelief would surely follow.

Yet, no one knew she had already experienced time travel—that she had arrived in this world through it.

In truth, she herself was a time travel experimenter.