Chapter 14: The Grandson Became a Grandfather

Jiang Zhe's perspective once again refreshed everyone's understanding.

The faces of all the viewers were filled with amazement, uncontrollable excitement, and wonder.

"Wait, isn't the meaning contained in this sentence a bit too rich?"

"Haha, is it what I think it is?"

"Yes, it's exactly what you think."

"So exciting, so wicked, I love it!"

"..."

The grandson, to some extent, was actually his own grandfather?

This sentence indeed struck a nerve in the viewers before their TV sets, giving the Grandfather Paradox a new interpretation!

But the plot of this answer—doesn't it seem like something that would only appear in a Japanese adult film?

...

Inside the leadership conference room.

Old Zhao, Wang Guosheng, Wang Lin, and the others looked at each other, all shocked by Jiang Zhe's alternative explanation.

Old Zhao asked incredulously, "The grandson is his own grandfather? That's not right; there's an ethical conflict!"

"Is it possible that so-called ethics and morality don't need to be considered here?"

Wang Guosheng subconsciously looked at Wang Lin. "This answer?"

Wang Lin was completely bewildered and shook his head repeatedly. "This time I really don't know how to explain it. I can't keep up with Jiang Zhe's train of thought again."

...

At this moment, Professor Feng on the other end of the phone found it difficult to speak for a long time.

Professor Feng was urgently drawing diagrams in his office.

"If Jiang Zhe says the grandson is, to some extent, his own grandfather..."

"Then the grandson must have returned to the past, had a relationship with the grandmother, and fathered the father; the father then married another woman and gave birth to a son, and this son is the 'grandson' in the example."

Having drawn to this point, Professor Feng looked lost. No matter what, he couldn't explain how a grandfather and grandson could be linked like this!

Gradually, his face was filled with doubt, feeling as though his worldview had been impacted.

How could a perfectly good paradox be linked to ethics?

"No, it's impossible. This severely violates the Law of Conservation of Energy/Mass. In that case, it's impossible for the grandson to return to the past, even with a Time Machine!"

Coincidentally, this sentence was heard by Jiang Zhe on the other end of the line.

"Yes, it is indeed as Professor Feng says; it is impossible."

"What if, in the past time, the person known as the [Grandfather] did not exist?"

As these words fell, the eyes of the gradually frantic Professor Feng suddenly lit up, and his confused state of mind was swept away.

"The [Grandfather] didn't exist in the past?"

This explanation once again piqued everyone's curiosity, making them listen even more intently.

"The implications of this sentence are huge!"

"If the grandfather didn't exist in the past, then many things can be explained!"

"..."

Facing the camera, Jiang Zhe nodded slightly and continued to explain:

"Yes, in our reality—"

"When a thing needs to be done, there must be a cause, a process, and a result."

"For now, let's not consider the so-called Microscopic World and focus on this behavior to think about the truth and the answer!"

"For the grandson, his existence in 2024 is a certainty. We don't need to obsess over where his source came from."

"We only need to know that the grandson himself is the [Starting Point]."

"If a grandfather also existed in the past, then the grandson would still be born, and then we would arrive at Answer One from the first phone call: [The grandson lived in the future of 1980]."

"If no grandfather existed in the past, then the grandson would need to step into a Time Machine in 2024 to perform a filling of that past time."

As he spoke to this point, Jiang Zhe frowned slightly; he found that this answer was still a bit obscure and difficult to understand.

"Actually, time travel also needs to comply with the Law of Conservation of Energy/Mass."

"I have a short story here. After you all hear it, you will know the true meaning!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone sat up straight, staring at the screen without blinking, not daring to miss any detail!

"In 2024, the grandson obtains a Time Machine and wants to return to the past."

"Because the grandson discovers he has no memory of a [Grandfather] in his mind. To pursue the truth, he decides to go back to the past to find his [Grandfather]."

"The grandson successfully returns to 1980 and arrives at a familiar village, attempting to find traces of his grandfather."

"After searching many times to no avail, the grandson realizes in hindsight that the person known as the grandfather simply does not exist in this world!"

Hearing this, Professor Feng, far away in Kyoto, also caught up with Jiang Zhe's rhythm.

"Here, Teacher Jiang, is there another secret?"

"That is, when the grandson was in 2024, he definitely had no written or visual records related to a [Grandfather]."

"There weren't even any photos, conversations, or memories regarding a [Grandfather]."

"If there were any, a problem would occur with time, wouldn't it?"

The corners of Jiang Zhe's mouth couldn't help but curl up as he spoke. "Exactly. That is precisely it. In 2024, the grandson would certainly be unable to see any information regarding a [Grandfather]. This is called [Time Lag Compensation]."

"[Time Lag Compensation] means this person does not exist on the timeline. Just as a film screenwriter might gloss over an unimportant person in the present, as the descendant of this [non-existent person], one naturally would have no memories related to that [non-existent person]."

"Perhaps the grandson could hear from his [Grandmother] that the [Grandfather] once died in the army or went missing; however, the grandson would definitely not see the [Grandfather] living peacefully until 2024."

"Once the grandfather lives until 2024, it would create a conflict with the grandson's existence. After all, the time we are discussing is a single line, and such a situation is not allowed within a single thread."

"Thus, the grandson in 1980 must consider the future!"

"In order to ensure his own birth, the grandson can only choose to marry the young grandmother and father a son or several daughters."

"Thus, the disappearance of the [Grandfather] is successfully compensated for by the grandson from 2024."

"After the compensation, the grandson would choose to disappear, perhaps faking his death by leaving without a word, or staying away from the family where the young grandmother is."

"In this way, when time reaches the future, the grandmother raises the father, the father and mother meet, and the parents give birth to a son in the year 2000. The son lives safely until 2024, and this [son] smoothly becomes the [grandson] in our example."

"Finally, this [grandson] obtains a Time Machine by some twist of fate and decides to return to the past. But why return to the past?"

"The answer is the same as the starting point—because the grandson discovers he has no memory of a [Grandfather] in his mind. To pursue the truth, he decides to go back to the past to find his [Grandfather]."

"As for what else happens in the middle, that's for a screenwriter to consider, not me, the host."

Jiang Zhe smiled slightly, finishing his explanation.

As Jiang Zhe's series of explanations concluded, the viewers in the livestream fell silent once again.

Professor Feng on the other end of the phone also fell into deep thought.

They were all considering the possibility of Jiang Zhe's story occurring!

Although it seemed like just a story, it perfectly complied with the Law of Conservation of Energy and perfectly matched the meaning of the Grandfather Paradox.

If Jiang Zhe's example were converted into a single sentence, it would be—

The past left no visual records of the grandfather, so the grandson naturally never enjoyed a grandfather's love. To make up for the regret in his heart by searching for his grandfather, the future grandson must embark on a journey through time!

In the end, the grandson suddenly realizes, [So, I myself am my own grandfather!]

Seamless and perfect!

This answer was even more reasonable and convincing than Jiang Zhe's previous one!

Soon, the bullet comments in the livestream exploded!