Chapter 26: Film Series Fusion
Glancing at The Princess Diaries world, Mia was packing her clothes, seemingly preparing to run away from home.
The most vulnerable moment Mia experienced in the original story was about to occur: the car breaking down, a torrential downpour, and her sitting alone in her dilapidated convertible, crying.
This scene was one he couldn't miss.
It would happen in about half an hour, and now, Jake wanted to investigate The Princess Diaries 2.
Opening the Level 1 movie folder, besides the world he had activated, The Princess Diaries 2 was indeed quietly sitting in the corner, not far from the first film.
He tapped the movie with his finger, ready to enter, but the result was somewhat unexpected.
"Film series detected. Merge timelines?"
Same series?
That's right, the relationship between the first and second films.
He quickly considered the consequences of merging. Obviously, if the two films merged, the plot of the first film would eventually lead into the plot of the second.
If they didn't merge, after the first film concluded, the story would continue normally, like an ordinary person's life, without the dramatic plot of the second film.
"Of course, merge!" Jake clicked "confirm" after only a moment's thought.
"I didn't spend all this time pursuing Mia just to have her marry someone else in the sequel."
Without merging, the two movies would be completely separate, each becoming its own independent world, and Jake had no intention of letting that happen.
After he clicked "confirm," the two Princess Diaries icons suddenly jumped from his phone screen, rotating around it in a strange orbit, slowly merging together.
The rotation was similar to celestial mechanics; here, the first movie revolved around the phone, and the second around the first.
For a few seconds, the entire house was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a while, Jake let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't the sci-fi display that unsettled him, but rather the realization that just when he thought he was beginning to understand this ability, it always revealed something new.
"Movie series merging... are these worlds real or simulated?" If they're real, how could two worlds merge into one? Like digital files. If they're simulated, how does he physically arrive in each movie world?
This question was similar to his earlier confusion about why he'd gained this ability, and whether he was unknowingly part of some larger experiment.
If it really was all orchestrated, whoever was directing it had extraordinary capabilities.
His philosophical musings ended there. In the newly merged Princess Diaries world, Jake saw Mia reading the note left by her late father and driving off in her beat-up car.
He immediately ran to his closet, grabbed an umbrella, and activated his travel ability...
"This rain is intense!" Having just arrived and before he could even open his umbrella, Jake was drenched by the downpour.
He quickly opened the umbrella to shield himself, but the rain pounded against it and splashed onto him, leaving him thoroughly soaked.
"Even knowing the plot, this girl is still a handful." Holding the umbrella, the effects of his daily training became apparent.
Even in the pouring rain, carrying the umbrella, his running speed didn't slow down much.
Jake had test-driven Mia's car before; if it hadn't been flooded, the speed was decent, but in its current state, it wasn't much faster than walking.
Sure enough, within minutes, Jake spotted Mia's car stalled at an intersection.
The torrential rain pounded against the vehicle, accompanied by frustrated shouting: "Is this punishment for driving without a permit?!"
It was definitely Mia's voice.
Jake approached and saw Mia lying dejectedly across the seat, muttering to herself, "I'm invisible, and I'm getting drenched."
This was a strong-willed girl; Jake had never seen her cry since meeting her.
This time, perhaps hidden by the rain, she could finally let it out.
Mia lay on the seat with her eyes closed. The convertible with its broken top couldn't keep out the rain; drops fell like hammers from above, hitting her forehead, face, hands, and body... She felt the impact, but even more so, she felt overwhelmed.
Because she was afraid to be a princess, she'd disregarded her grandmother's reputation and fled, causing embarrassment in front of the media and the whole world.
The rain was hitting...?
"Huh?" Mia opened her eyes in confusion. She could clearly hear the rain, but why couldn't she feel it anymore?
The streetlights were desperately trying to illuminate the rainy night. By this dim light, Mia saw a large umbrella above her head.
It was Jake holding the umbrella—one he'd gotten free with a grocery delivery order.
Although using a promotional umbrella felt a bit cheap, seeing Jake's face again filled Mia with immense relief.
"Jake!" She sat up and threw herself into his arms.
"Hey! Easy, I can't hold the umbrella!" Jake struggled to help Mia up while maintaining his grip.
"Forget it, let's just get soaked together." Holding the umbrella in one hand and hugging her with the other was too difficult, so Jake simply tossed the umbrella aside.
In the pouring rain, the young man and woman embraced each other, soaked to the bone.
Jake tried his best to shield Mia from the worst of the rain, then listened attentively to her experiences over the past few days.
Suddenly, a grandmother she'd never heard of before appeared and revealed that she was actually a princess.
She was told that she must inherit the throne and become the queen of Genovia, a small European country.
This was followed by intensive training—princess etiquette, diplomatic protocol, and a complete makeover.
Holding Mia's face in his hands, Jake carefully looked at her and discovered that, indeed, thanks to professional styling, she now radiated natural beauty. Her thick eyebrows had been shaped elegantly, and her frizzy hair had become sleek and manageable. She was completely transformed.
Just looking at her face, Jake felt a surge of emotion.
"I don't know what to do. I don't want to disappoint my father's memory and my grandmother, but I'm afraid I can't handle that responsibility," she told Jake, expressing her deepest concerns.
Mia herself didn't know why, but although she and Jake had been close before, it felt like they were just good friends. Only now, when he appeared during her most vulnerable moment in the rain, did Mia feel that she might actually be falling for this person who showed up when she needed someone most.
"I wouldn't mind if my girlfriend was a princess."
"Who said I'm your girlfriend!" she protested, pushing herself up from Jake's embrace, scrunching her nose.
"You could choose not to be a princess," Jake shrugged indifferently.
"But I'm afraid I..."
Jake waved his hand to interrupt her worries. "I'll always support you. Trust me, Genovia will thrive under your leadership, my princess."
"What did you just say?"
"My princess."
"Princess? I like the sound of that. Say it again..."
"Yes, my princess."
"Ahem." A sudden cough interrupted the two in the rain. A large, bald man in a limousine bearing diplomatic flags pulled up beside them. "Although I hate to disturb you, it seems we're running late for the press conference."