Genius Club

“Have you ever heard of Coco Cat?” Lin Xian asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Uh… never heard of it,” the sales clerk replied, scratching his head in confusion. “Are you sure about the name? We have all sorts of toys here. Maybe describe it for me, and I can help you find it.”

Lin Xian paused, then exaggerated his facial expression to mimic that of Coco Cat. “It looks like this.”

Recognition lit up the clerk’s face. “Ah, now I know what you’re talking about! Follow me, we’ve got it right here.” He led Lin Xian to a towering, brightly lit shelf in the center of the store.

“Here you go! All of these!”

The shelf, stacked ten levels high, was brimming with plush toys.

“Is this the cat you meant?” The clerk beamed, pointing at the toys. “This one’s our best-seller! Been popular for a century and it’s still in high demand. But you’ve got the name mixed up. It’s actually called—”

“I see it.”

In that moment, Lin Xian felt a chill as if doused in ice water. He stared at the hundreds of identical toys on the shelf, each one returning his gaze. A large sign proclaimed: Centennial Best Seller! Century-long Hit—Rhine Cat

Outside, the early morning square was deserted. Shops around were dark, their lights off, doors shut. Only the hum of nocturnal insects and the distant cries of cicadas filled the warm night air, lending it an eerie tranquility.

Sitting on a bench, Lin Xian felt a profound disconnect from everything around him. Everything seemed surreal, out of place.

He opened his hand to look at a Rhine Cat keychain, the only item he could afford. It was a perfect replica of the Coco Cat from his dreams, except for the name.

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“Why did it change?” Lin Xian muttered to himself, his unease growing. This wasn’t just fear or dread—it was a disorienting sense of loss, of not being in control anymore.

He had always seen himself as a god in his dreams, where he was all-powerful and the world bent to his will. Now, he felt like a character in The Truman Show, trapped and observed.

Suddenly, at exactly 00:42, the world flashed with a blinding white light, and everything seemed to burn away.

The night wind blew, stirring the curtains wildly. Lin Xian realized he had forgotten to close the window.

“Forgot to close the window again…” he murmured, pulling his blanket closer, but it did little to ward off the internal chill.

For a dream that had remained consistent for years… change was the ultimate terror.

Lin Xian grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

“Hello?”

“Gao Yang, something’s wrong.”

“What’s up?” Gao Yang’s voice was sharp, alert.

“My dream… it changed.”

“That’s actually great news!” Gao Yang’s enthusiasm was palpable. “It means you’re evolving! Didn’t I say? More sci-fi movies, more novels, and your dream world would expand! Did you dream about spaceships or something?”

“It’s not that kind of change…” Lin Xian sighed, sitting up as he heard the background noise of a lively crowd. “Where are you?”

“At a bar, watching the World Cup in Qatar. It’s not far from you. Wanna come over?”

Checking the clock, which showed past one AM, Lin Xian felt too restless to stay home.

“Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

As Lin Xian entered the bar, the cheers and roars of football fans hit him before he even saw the crowd. Normally a quiet spot, the World Cup had transformed the bar into a buzzing hub of excitement.

“Over here, Lin Xian!” Gao Yang called out from a small table in the corner, his figure conspicuous as he maneuvered through the crowd.

“Watch here. I’ll grab us some beers.”

“I didn’t come for the game,” Lin Xian said, although the noise made it hard to be heard.

“We can talk over the game!” Gao Yang vanished into the crowd.

Lin Xian and Gao Yang had a deep-rooted friendship; their parents had worked together, and they had grown up in the same neighborhood, attended the same schools from kindergarten through high school. Lin Xian had gone on to Donghai University, thanks to his skills in sketching and academics, while Gao Yang had studied at a technical college up north. After college, Gao Yang had moved to Donghai City and started selling cars.

Lin trusted Gao Yang deeply. He had only ever shared the secret of his recurring dream with him.

“Here we go!” Gao Yang returned with beers, placing them on the table and popping them open. “Drink up, it might calm you down. Now tell me, what’s happening.”

They clinked bottles and took a long drink, the cold beer briefly grounding Lin Xian.

“It’s a long story,” Lin Xian started, setting down his beer. He recounted his journey, from the encounter with Big Cat Face, to creating the Rhine Cat based on his dream, to his shock when everyone in his dream had overnight forgotten Coco Cat, now only recognizing Rhine Cat.

“Uh-huh, uh-huh,” Gao Yang nodded, his face tense yet thoughtful as he sipped his beer. “So, you sketched a cat, and it showed up in your dream.”

“You didn’t get it at all!” Lin Xian exclaimed, frustration evident. “I’ve been explaining this whole time and that’s what you took from it?!”

Suddenly, Gao Yang leapt up, yelling and pounding the table like an excited sports fan.

“Whoa, calm down!” Lin Xian stepped back, only to see the whole bar erupt in cheers.

“He scored! Messi is amazing!!”

“Great job, Argentina!”

“Messi! AAAAAH!!!”

Lin Xian turned just in time to see the bar’s big screen replay a goal.

“You weren’t listening at all!”

“I was, I swear!” Gao Yang laughed, sitting back down. “Come on, we’ve known each other twenty years. You’ve told me about your dreams hundreds of times. It’s always the same!”

“The point is, why did it stay the same for twenty years and only change today?” Lin Xian pressed.

Gao Yang drained his beer and set the cup down with a thud, fixing Lin Xian with a serious look. “Let me tell you why.”