Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 150: Purely Childhood Sweethearts

【These past two days, you and the Demon Cult Maiden originally planned to challenge the Yanluo Pagoda for cultivation. It is said that this pagoda was forged by an ancient Demon Lord, possessing supreme pressure within. On the top floor, there are treasures and supreme techniques that can greatly enhance one's abilities. However, you and the Demon Cult Maiden barely made it past the second floor before the overwhelming pressure of the pagoda forced you to retreat.】

【The Demon Cult Maiden even felt physically unwell and weak because of this, so you had no choice but to withdraw temporarily and rest, planning to return another day. After returning to your residence, the two of you spoke from the heart under the moonlight, holding each other closely, officially becoming cultivation partners.】

【This was your first official entry into Yanluo Pagoda. Although you did not complete the challenge, the powerful pressure still had an effect on you, strengthening your physical body. Over the past two days, the spiritual energy link between you and the Demon Cult Maiden has also become clearer.】

【You have gained +5 Strength, +3 Stamina, and an increase in Spirit Cultivation.】

Another weekend arrived. On Saturday morning, Lin Zhengran got up from his dormitory bed and went to the sink to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Although spending time with these three little girls always seemed to trigger random adventures, he hadn't expected that even shopping with Han Wenwen would count as "tower climbing" in the system’s eyes.

And according to the system, after visiting all one hundred locations, there would be a mysterious grand prize.

Lin Zhengran couldn’t help but grow curious about what kind of reward he would receive.

It seemed that the next time he was alone with Wenwen, he would have to continue shopping around.

While washing up, his phone popped up with a message.

It was from Jiang Jingshi.

Jiang Jingshi: "Zhengran-di, are you up? When are you planning to come to the company?"

Lin Zhengran replied: "I’ll definitely be there before nine."

"Alright, but something suddenly came up for me this morning, so I might be a bit late. You can chat with Sister Zhang about Lily’s matters first, and then I’ll take you to see our new company in the afternoon."

"No problem."

The speed at which Jingshi completed the company's registration procedures was faster than Lin Zhengran had expected.

It could only be said that she was exceptionally talented when it came to business affairs.

What normally took others a month, or even half a year, she managed to get done in just one week.

In this regard, her abilities were indeed unmatched.

As Lin Zhengran returned to the dormitory to change clothes, another message popped up from Jiang Xueli.

"Zhengran? Are you awake?"

It was only a little past 7 AM. Since they had night study yesterday, Jiang Xueli had asked what time they would meet today. Lin Zhengran had casually said around 8 AM.

So Jiang Xueli had gotten up early, taking on the role of an alarm clock.

Instead of replying with a message, Lin Zhengran directly called her.

This startled Jiang Xueli in her dorm, making her fumble with her phone, nearly dropping it several times before she quickly answered and ran to the balcony.

"Hello? Zhengran? Why are you calling all of a sudden?"

Lin Zhengran: "Don’t tell me you’re already ready?"

Jiang Xueli let out an "er" sound, glancing at the boys' dormitory in the distance. "No way! Didn’t you say 8 AM? I just woke up…"

Lin Zhengran let out a long sigh as he gathered his things.

"Every time I tell you guys a meeting time, you all seem to get ready an hour early. It makes me want to start saying a later time on purpose."

Jiang Xueli thought to herself, That’s because I want to see you earlier. Even if it’s just five minutes earlier, it’s still worth it.

She didn’t know what the others thought, but she figured most girls in love would feel the same way.

In winter, staying in bed was nowhere near as important as seeing Lin Zhengran.

Hmm… actually, aside from extreme emergencies, nothing was more important than seeing Lin Zhengran.

Lin Zhengran spoke over the phone: "If you’re already ready, let’s head down. We can grab some breakfast first and meet at the track."

Jiang Xueli, hearing that it was time to go, grinned widely, revealing her little tiger teeth.

"Okay! I’m all set! See you at the track entrance!"

With that, she eagerly pocketed her phone and practically flew down the dormitory stairs, her ponytail bouncing with every step.

Lin Zhengran knew she had already been ready and also headed downstairs.

By the time he arrived at the track entrance, Jiang Xueli was already there, naturally moving faster than him.

From a distance, he spotted the proud little tsundere standing there under the crisp winter morning sunlight.

She wasn’t standing still—she was swaying back and forth like she was humming a song.

Her low twin ponytails shimmered with a hint of gold under the sunlight.

Compared to Han Wenwen and He Qing, Jiang Xueli’s hair was longer. The other two only had hair that reached just below their shoulders when let down, but Jiang Xueli’s hair already extended past her slim waist.

Today, the little girl was wearing blue jeans and a gray-and-white wool sweater, looking surprisingly good.

It was a well-fitted outfit, and anything she wore carried an energetic vibe.

When Jiang Xueli spotted Lin Zhengran from afar, she waved her hand enthusiastically, as if to say, I’m here! I’m here!

Lin Zhengran walked up to her, and Jiang Xueli eagerly took a few steps forward to meet him.

"Zhengran! You’re up so early!"

Lin Zhengran was curious. "You probably woke up even earlier than me, right? What time did you get up?"

Jiang Xueli clasped her hands behind her back, her expression betraying her fib.

The truth was, she had woken up around 4 or 5 AM.

Not because of an alarm, but because she was so excited to see Lin Zhengran that she naturally woke up way too early.

Going back to sleep was impossible—she had just lain there, tossing and turning, thinking about meeting him today.

"Just around 6:30. Then I brushed my teeth and washed my face, so now it’s 7."

Even her voice sounded different—she was a terrible liar.

Lin Zhengran, already used to her antics, casually lifted his hand and flicked her forehead.

Jiang Xueli yelped and clutched her head in protest. "Why are you hitting me for no reason?!"

"You’re terrible at lying. Every time you lie, your eyes wander, and you can’t look at me properly."

Jiang Xueli stubbornly turned her head away, face flushed. "No way~"

Truth be told, even on normal days, she didn’t dare to look Lin Zhengran in the eyes for too long.

There was no way she wouldn’t get shy.

Lin Zhengran glanced at her and commented, "By the way, I haven’t seen you wear this outfit before. It actually looks pretty nice."

Jiang Xueli’s face turned even redder, her voice flustered. "I-it’s nothing special! Just normal clothes! Nothing different!"

She was clearly feeling pleased.

Lin Zhengran chuckled. "Yeah, it’s not much different. It’s just that you’re cute, so the outfit looks extra lively on you."

Jiang Xueli’s face practically started steaming. She had no idea when this idiot had started becoming so smooth with his words.

Yet, at the same time, his tone felt oddly genuine.

She didn’t know what to make of this personality. "Enough already… I’m not that good-looking."

Feeling the need to return the compliment, she shyly muttered, "You… You look pretty handsome today too."

Lin Zhengran glanced at his clothes. "Did I wear anything different from last week?"

Jiang Xueli had nothing to say. "Nope."

To her, he always looked good, no matter what he wore—her affection bar was already maxed out.

Lin Zhengran started walking toward the school gate. "Let’s go, we can grab some breakfast outside while it’s still early."

"Oh!"

Jiang Xueli quickly caught up, the two of them walking together with the many other students heading out for the weekend.

Between them and the food street stood a massive intersection.

As the light turned red, they stood by the roadside, waiting.

Jiang Xueli kept her hands clasped behind her back, staying silent, but inside, a storm of emotions was raging.

It had already been two weeks since they watched that movie together, and since he made her hot brown sugar water when she had cramps.

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A full fifteen days.

Back then, she really felt like they were together. They had even held hands.

But ever since that day, with He Qing and Han Wenwen around at school, their daily lives seemed to have returned to normal.

They ate together, went to class, left school, and joked around as usual.

It was nice, sure, but Jiang Xueli felt like she had lost all chances to be alone with Lin Zhengran.

Forget deepening their relationship—she felt like it was regressing! It was too normal!

And with the whole Little Star Rankings event taking up their attention, even when they did talk, it was mostly about the rankings.

They hadn’t talked about anything intimate, nothing couple-like.

Other couples were out there whispering sweet nothings, kissing, hugging…

Meanwhile, the two of them just talked about music and rankings all day.

Could this really work?! Even relationships needed maintenance, right?

Especially since they had just started dating!

As her thoughts spun in circles, she suddenly noticed a couple arguing on the roadside early in the morning.

The girl's voice was loud:

"What have you been doing all week? You don’t even reply to my messages! I don’t even know where you are!"

The boy looked innocent, but he was just as irritated. They didn’t seem to be from the same school.

"I was studying! I’m really busy! Do you think I just play around all day? I have to finish my work first so I can make time to see you! I’m literally doing this so we can be together sooner!"

"I never said you couldn’t study! I know you’re working hard! But I never get to see you! How am I supposed to date you if I never see you? Are you trying to break up with me again?!"

The boy: "Fine, break up then! Who’s afraid of who?! Let’s just never see each other again!"

"Fine! Break up!"

After that, they stormed off in opposite directions.

People around them had different reactions—some sighed, some wanted to laugh.

But Lin Zhengran? He just thought there was no way those two were actually breaking up.

High school relationships were often impulsive, but breakups caused by indifference were more likely to be real.

These two? They were fighting because they missed each other.

And from the way they looked at each other, all Lin Zhengran saw was sugar-coated drama.

Breaking up like that?

Yeah, not happening.

But while he knew this, Jiang Xueli didn’t.

That clumsy, tsundere little idiot heard their conversation and froze.

Suddenly, she realized—wasn’t this exactly how she and Zhengran had been acting all week?

Even though they saw each other every day, they were too busy with their own things.

Would Zhengran… break up with her?

It had only been half a month! Were they already going to split up?!

…Wait. Again?

No, no, no! There was absolutely no way she was letting him break up with her!

It had been eight years! She had finally gotten together with him!

Did he have any idea what those eight years had been like for her?!

She wouldn’t break up even if it killed her!

She had to think of something—fast.

"Z-Zhengran."

Lin Zhengran looked at her curiously. "What’s up?"

Jiang Xueli had no idea what to say.

When they were with the others, conversation was easy.

Before dating, she could talk to him for hours.

But now that they were alone as a couple, she didn’t even know how to start.

Her eyes darted to a nearby streetlamp, and she blurted out,

"Zhengran, look at that streetlight. Doesn’t it look old?"

Lin Zhengran followed her gaze. The lamp was flickering slightly.

"Looks pretty new to me."

Jiang Xueli: "…"

She blinked. "N-no way. Didn’t it seem brighter yesterday when we passed by the school gate? It’s dimmer now, so it must be old."

Lin Zhengran was speechless. "That’s because last night, there were no other light sources. It was dark, so the streetlamp looked brighter. It’s daytime now, so of course it seems dimmer."

Jiang Xueli awkwardly swallowed.

"That’s a thing?"

What the hell am I even saying?! I should’ve just kept my mouth shut! Now he probably thinks I’m an idiot!

Lin Zhengran looked at her, watching the gears turning in that ridiculous little head of hers.

How did she even come up with a topic like whether the streetlamp was old or not?

The red light turned green.

Jiang Xueli saw people starting to walk across and instinctively stepped forward—

Only to be pulled back by Lin Zhengran.

"Wait."

Before she could react, a car sped past the school gate, honking loudly.

A wave of angry curses followed.

Especially from the old security guard:

"You driving so fast in front of a school—what, you trying to get reincarnated early?! Damn brat!"

He really cared about the students, and he had a sharp tongue.

Lin Zhengran turned to Jiang Xueli.

"Why were you in such a hurry? Didn’t you even check for cars?"

His expression was serious.

Jiang Xueli rarely saw him actually get mad, and she immediately apologized,

"S-sorry… I wasn’t paying attention."

Lin Zhengran flicked her forehead.

"Ow!" She clutched her head. "Why did you hit me?!"

"You weren’t even paying attention while crossing the street?"

"I won’t do it again…" She didn’t even dare rub her forehead.

Only then did Lin Zhengran grab her hand and lead her across.

Jiang Xueli lowered her head, following him obediently—until she noticed their hands.

When did we start holding hands?

Was it just now, when he pulled her back?

Her cheeks burned red. She stared at their intertwined fingers, quietly trailing behind him.

Lin Zhengran turned back to look at her.

Jiang Xueli jumped, her body stiffening.

"I-I really learned my lesson! I’ll check for cars next time before I cross!"

She looked up at him with big, determined eyes, as if making an oath.

Lin Zhengran sighed and turned around.

"As long as you remember."

Only then did Jiang Xueli breathe a sigh of relief.

Lin Zhengran rarely seriously got angry, but that look just now?

Scared her to death.

Once they crossed the street, Jiang Xueli glanced down at their linked hands.

Quickly, she took two steps forward so she could walk beside him.

Then, she gave his hand a little turn—so she could interlock their fingers.

She beamed.

Good. Looks like breaking up had nothing to do with her after all.

"Break up." Lin Zhengran suddenly said.

Jiang Xueli’s face froze.

Just a second ago, she was smiling.

Now, she turned to stone, her eyes welling up with tears—

Until she noticed the store in the distance.

《Fen Shu Ba》.

A potato chip franchise.

It even had a subtitle: Official Direct Sale of Potato Chips.

Lin Zhengran glanced at the store. "Didn’t expect to see a snack shop like this near our school. You wanna get some?"

Immediately, Jiang Xueli snapped out of her panic.

She wanted to smack him.

Jiang Xueli blinked at Lin Zhengran, feeling the lump in her throat slowly ease.

But she wasn’t as much of a snack addict as He Qing.

"Let’s buy some after breakfast. Just one bag to try."

Lin Zhengran nodded. "Let’s have soup dumplings for breakfast. That shop up ahead is pretty good."

"Mm!"

The two of them arrived at the bun shop and ordered three baskets of soup dumplings—two beef, one pork.

Jiang Xueli sat across from Lin Zhengran, grabbing chopsticks and some pickled vegetables.

While waiting for the food, she stared at Lin Zhengran.

He, on the other hand, was scrolling through some company documents Jiang Jingshi had sent him earlier.

Without looking up, he asked, "Why do you keep staring at me? Your brain has been a mess since this morning, hasn’t it?"

"Huh?" Jiang Xueli’s thoughts were exposed in an instant. "No, I wasn’t thinking about anything!"

"Oh? Then why did you zone out while waiting for the bus?"

Jiang Xueli instantly broke into a cold sweat.

She felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

Lin Zhengran put his phone down and gave her a knowing look.

He might not have been able to read every thought in her head, but when it came to overthinking, Jiang Xueli was in a league of her own.

No one could beat the internal drama she played out in her mind.

"What did Sister Wang tell you these past two days?"

Jiang Xueli made a noise of acknowledgment and pulled out her phone, showing Lin Zhengran their chat.

"Just read it yourself. Sister Wang said I got first place in the Little Star Rankings, right? So she asked me to come in today to discuss filming a personal MV for You Are My Star."

"She also mentioned something about forming a team for me later on?"

Jiang Xueli knew what the studio was capable of.

That tiny little office—what kind of "team" could they possibly put together?

She let out a chuckle. "But I think that’s just empty talk. I’ve known those studio people for years, but I’m not actually close to them. If I work with them, I doubt I’ll be able to shoot anything decent. I bet you wouldn’t agree either."

To her surprise, Lin Zhengran had a completely different response this time.

"No, I actually think it’s not just talk. And I think it’s time for you to have a team."

"A solo singer still needs a team to support them. You need both individual performances and group collaborations—it’s just part of the process."

"Huh? Seriously? But…" Jiang Xueli hesitated. "Didn’t you say before that the studio’s level doesn’t match mine? Wouldn’t working with them just bring me down?"

"Yeah, that’s what I said before."

That was back then. Now, things had changed.

Before, the biggest figure in the studio had been Sister Wang.

Now, the owner was him.

As long as he wanted to, Jiang Xueli could have all the resources a music company had to offer.

Not to mention that Jiang Jingshi’s team was also involved now.

With the right selection process and Lin Zhengran’s personal guidance, they could definitely form a high-level girl group around Jiang Xueli.

Lin Zhengran handed her phone back.

"Before, we were just laying the foundation. Now that the foundation is set, it’s time to step onto the stage. Forming a team, releasing new songs, filming MVs—it’s a full process. If my guess is right, in less than six months, you’ll be ridiculously famous. You’ll probably even be holding your own concert."

Jiang Xueli didn’t usually believe what other people said.

But if Lin Zhengran said it, she always believed him.

"A… concert?"

Looking at his confident gaze, she felt both excited and nervous.

A concert was every singer’s dream.

"I can hold a concert? But so far, I’ve only competed in a small-town contest."

"That’s enough. With the right resources, you could’ve been famous already with your previous level, let alone now. Just trust yourself. And if you can’t do that, then trust me."

Jiang Xueli pursed her lips, staring at him eagerly.

Just then, three baskets of steaming hot soup dumplings arrived.

Lin Zhengran picked up his chopsticks. "Eat first."

Jiang Xueli nodded and picked up a dumpling, chewing on it slowly.

Lin Zhengran glanced at her hair and asked curiously, "By the way, don’t you need a haircut? Your hair’s gotten really long."

Jiang Xueli looked down and saw that her twin ponytails nearly reached her waist when she sat down.

"Yeah, it’s a bit long. I’ll see if I have time today. If I’m not too busy, I’ll go get it trimmed in the evening."

Lin Zhengran dipped his dumpling in chili oil. "I’ll go with you tonight."

Jiang Xueli was surprised and looked up at him.

She dipped her dumpling in the same chili oil, a little shy. "Okay."

After that, Lin Zhengran continued eating.

Jiang Xueli suddenly giggled. "You eat so fast. Can’t you slow down a bit? It makes me anxious just watching you."

Lin Zhengran: "I’ve always eaten like this since I was little."

Jiang Xueli sighed. "That’s true. You’ve always eaten fast. I kept telling you there’s no benefit to it, but you never listened. You never change."

Lin Zhengran reached for a napkin, but before he could, Jiang Xueli had already grabbed two and handed them to him instinctively.

She asked, "But is beef dumpling really that good? You’ve been eating it for years."

"Haven’t you been eating pork dumplings for years too?"

"Yeah, but I still don’t get why you like beef. It’s too chewy."

Saying that, she took a beef dumpling from Lin Zhengran’s basket and popped it into her mouth.

After chewing for a moment, she concluded, "Yup, still too chewy. Not tasty."

Lin Zhengran watched her puffed-up cheeks as she chewed and was reminded of their elementary school days.

Back then, they had always eaten together, and she would constantly steal his food.

Feeling nostalgic, he took one of her pork dumplings and tried it.

"Still, beef is better when it comes to soup dumplings."

Jiang Xueli let out a tsk, unwilling to back down. "What do you know about soup dumplings, you big idiot?! Pork is obviously the best!"

Out of the three girls, the one who knew Lin Zhengran best was Jiang Xueli.

And the one who knew Jiang Xueli best was also Lin Zhengran.

Though Lin Zhengran sometimes noticed these things, Jiang Xueli never really thought about it.

She had never paid attention to the fact that she spent her entire life bickering with him.

That from the moment they met, they had always been together, never separating.

The purest childhood sweethearts.