Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 152: Zhengran, Why Are They Calling You President Lin?

Lin Zhengran instinctively said, “I came with her.”

“With her? Weren’t you a former member of the studio? Sorry, but I can’t let you in. This place is strictly for internal personnel—”

Before the young security guard could finish his sentence, a woman in her thirties suddenly rushed out from inside the company.

She had short hair that reached her neckline, not the type to give off a strong corporate presence but more of a mature academic vibe. She had a high-class appearance and wore a women's suit.

Lin Zhengran had seen her before—during the previous meeting with Jiang Jingshi, Sister Wang, and that young male artist in the office. This was the woman who had poured tea for everyone.

At that time, Jiang Jingshi hadn’t even let her pour tea for herself. If he remembered correctly, this woman was Jiang Jingshi’s secretary or assistant.

“President Lin! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you’d be here this early. I was caught up with something just now and got delayed in receiving you, truly my apologies.” She approached quickly, speaking as she jogged over.

The title "President Lin" didn’t immediately register with anyone—including Jiang Xueli—so she was still stuck on what the young security guard had just said. She insisted, “He can’t enter? Of course, he can! He’s always accompanied me before. If you don’t believe me, I can call Sister Wang right now and you’ll hear for yourself.”

The young security guard, seeing the woman arrive, didn’t pay much attention to what Lin Zhengran or Jiang Xueli were saying. Instead, he nodded toward her.

“Sister Pan! You’re here!”

The woman’s full name was Pan Lin. She treated Lin Zhengran with great respect, afraid he might not have heard her explanation, so she quickly clarified why she was late.

“I didn’t expect you to arrive so early. President Jiang told me you’d be here at nine, so I thought I had more time. I didn’t expect you to come before eight. My poor reception, truly sorry.”

Pan Lin seemed a little flustered, clearly nervous about arriving late.

Lin Zhengran didn’t mind. “It’s fine, I did come earlier than planned.”

Pan Lin glanced at the security guard, who still looked a bit confused, and waved her hand, signaling him to continue his post. The meaning was clear—she would personally handle President Lin’s reception.

The young security guard nodded. He didn’t understand much of what was going on, but he knew enough to follow orders. Returning to his post at the entrance, he couldn’t help but glance back at Lin Zhengran, wondering who exactly this young man was.

Wasn’t Sister Pan President Jiang’s secretary? Even Sister Wang was polite to her in the company, yet she was so deferential to this young man. Could he be some big boss’s son? But that didn’t seem right either—he looked even younger than himself.

Just who was he?

Pan Lin continued, “President Lin, let me take you inside first. President Wang is still in a meeting with the members. She probably didn’t expect you this early;otherwise, she would’ve come to greet you personally.”

Lin Zhengran could tell her nervousness was making the atmosphere awkward. He nodded. “Alright. But there’s no need to be so formal—there’s no need for everyone to come and greet me.”

Jiang Xueli, listening from the side, was utterly confused, her head filled with question marks.

What was with all these "President" titles? And who was this woman? She’d never seen her before. None of this made any sense.

As the three of them walked into the company, Jiang Xueli whispered to Lin Zhengran, “Zhengran, who is she?”

Pan Lin seemed to notice Jiang Xueli’s confusion. She recognized her.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Pan Lin, President Jiang’s secretary. She had something to do this morning and won’t be back until noon, so she left me here to temporarily receive President Lin.”

“Oh, I see.” So this woman was Jiang Jingshi’s secretary. Jiang Xueli quickly greeted her, “I’m Jiang Xueli. Hello, Sister.”

Pan Lin smiled and nodded. “Hello, I know you. I’ve been keeping up with the Little Star Rankings recently—you’re our company’s most outstanding singer.”

Jiang Xueli grinned sheepishly, feeling a bit unworthy of the praise. “Not really…” Then she hesitated. “But President Lin… Who exactly is she talking about? Zhengran?”

Pan Lin hadn’t expected her to ask this. Did this girl not know?

“Uh… President Lin is President Lin. Who else could it be?”

“Huh? It really is Zhengran?” Jiang Xueli stared at Lin Zhengran. “What’s going on?”

Lin Zhengran smiled at her. “It’s a bit complicated. I’ll explain it to you properly later.”

Jiang Xueli was even more confused. She had been with Zhengran almost every day—going to and from school together. Except for the two days he had taken leave the previous week, she had seen him constantly.

But now, it felt like she had been missing from his life for years—like something major had happened, and she was the only one left in the dark.

They walked a few steps further into the company.

As soon as they stepped through the entrance, the sensor doors slid open. Jiang Xueli’s bright, clear eyes widened in shock.

The spacious lobby had sleek, high-end, and modern decorations on the walls.

Not only were there elevators on both sides, but also a grand spiral staircase, along with various soundproofed music rooms and large posters. The entire setup was on a completely different level compared to the old studio—like night and day.

It felt like they had walked into the ultimate dream music base.

At that moment, in the far end of the first-floor lobby, a long line of singers stood neatly in formation.

There were at least a hundred of them, all standing silently.

At the front, Wang Lan—Sister Wang—was addressing them.

“You’ve all been here for over a week now, so I’m sure you’ve gotten familiar with the environment. According to—”

Hearing the door open, Wang Lan turned her head. Seeing Lin Zhengran, her face instantly filled with surprise and a hint of panic.

She hadn’t expected him to arrive so early.

After what had happened last time, Wang Lan was now very aware of Lin Zhengran’s current status. Without hesitation, she paused the meeting, telling the singers to wait for a moment, and then quickly jogged over.

“President Lin! Why are you here so early? I didn’t know you’d arrive this soon—so sorry…”

Lin Zhengran sighed. Sister Wang’s attitude had completely changed since last time. She had always been kind to him before, but now, there was unmistakable respect in her tone.

Pan Lin, noticing Wang Lan’s anxious expression, felt a similar panic earlier. If she didn’t handle Lin Zhengran’s reception properly, President Jiang would definitely be furious—not just a little, but extremely angry.

After all, anyone who worked closely with President Jiang knew that Lin Zhengran and Jiang Jingshi’s relationship wasn’t just business partners or simple friends.

President Jiang even referred to him as her fiancé from time to time—enough said.

Pan Lin explained, “I originally planned to come and wait for him at eight, but I didn’t expect President Lin to arrive even earlier. So as soon as I saw him outside, I rushed over.”

Lin Zhengran smiled. “It’s fine. So, Sister Wang, you were in a meeting?”

“Yes, it’s the weekend, so I was holding an early meeting. Since I knew you and President Jiang were coming today, I wanted to set aside time for you.”

Throughout their conversation, it seemed no one had paid much attention to Jiang Xueli standing beside Lin Zhengran.

When Wang Lan had rushed over, Jiang Xueli had quickly greeted her—but Sister Wang had been so nervous that she didn’t even hear her.

Listening to their conversation, Jiang Xueli started feeling something was off…

Was Sister Wang’s status actually lower than Zhengran’s?

Back in the studio, she hadn’t treated him with this much respect.

As soon as that thought crossed Jiang Xueli’s mind, Wang Lan happened to greet her. “Lili, you’re here too. Haven’t seen you in two weeks.”

Jiang Xueli responded, “Morning, Sister Wang. Last week, I saw the announcement in the group chat about the studio’s restructuring, so I didn’t come by. Since I had time this week, I decided to drop in.” She glanced at the rows of singers standing in formation in the distance and asked quietly, “Should I go line up too? I wasn’t part of the meeting.”

Wang Lan and Pan Lin both looked toward Lin Zhengran.

With him here, Wang Lan knew she had to defer to him first.

Lin Zhengran said, “Sister Wang, Lili doesn’t need to join the meeting, right? After all, she’s mainly here today for a separate discussion.”

Wang Lan quickly nodded. “Of course, Lili doesn’t need to attend.”

Jiang Xueli blinked at Wang Lan, then at Lin Zhengran, then at this new acquaintance, Sister Pan…

Why did it feel like they were all listening to Zhengran?

What the hell was going on?!

Lin Zhengran said, “Sister Wang, go ahead and continue your meeting. We’ll wait for Sister Jiang to return before discussing official matters.”

“Alright, then you two go rest in the office. I’ll find you once the meeting is over.”

Pan Lin added, “Perfect timing. I’ll take President Lin to see his new office.”

Lin Zhengran nodded, and Wang Lan returned to the singers to continue the meeting.

Among the hundred or so singers, many of them recognized Lin Zhengran. They were former artists from Wang Lan’s previous studio and knew that he was Lili’s boyfriend—he had often come by when she was recording.

But now, something felt… different.

Even though they couldn’t clearly hear the conversation just now, the way the three interacted didn’t make Lin Zhengran seem like just an ordinary guest.

Aside from Wang Lan, Pan Lin, and Lin Zhengran, nearly everyone else was completely baffled, their curiosity about this young man growing.

As Lin Zhengran, Jiang Xueli, and Pan Lin made their way upstairs, Wang Lan finally clarified to the gathered singers.

“You all saw President Lin just now, right? This afternoon, he will be conducting a comprehensive training session for all of you. It’ll be a long session, so don’t schedule anything else. Make sure you’re prepared—it’ll be extremely beneficial to you.”

Upstairs, Pan Lin opened the door to Lin Zhengran’s office.

While his expression remained calm, Jiang Xueli froze at what she overheard.

Zhengran was going to train everyone? Why?

The amount of new information was overwhelming. What was happening?!

Why did she know nothing about any of this?!

Inside, Lin Zhengran’s office was similar to Jiang Jingshi’s. A sofa, coffee table, desk, and filing cabinets—simple yet high-end, with a nearly identical interior style to Jiang Jingshi’s.

The only real difference was that the feminine touches had been swapped out for a more masculine design.

Pan Lin introduced, “This is President Lin’s office. It’s right next to President Jiang’s. As for the headquarters office, it’s still under renovation. President Jiang said she’d personally take you to see it once it’s ready. I can’t disclose the layout details here.”

Jiang Xueli, still in a daze, stammered, “Headquarters…?”

What did she mean by headquarters now?!

Pan Lin smiled. “I’ll go prepare some tea for President Lin. You two can rest here for a while.”

With that, she left the office, gently closing the door behind her.

Finally, only Jiang Xueli and Lin Zhengran were left in the office.

Lin Zhengran examined the office layout, then sat down in front of the computer, booting it up to check various files. The company’s artist profiles had already been uploaded.

Before he could go through them in detail, a certain someone suddenly grabbed his arm and started shaking him violently.

Her voice came out stammering, trembling, as if her brain had turned into a tangled ball of yarn.

“Z-Z-Z-Zhengran! Zhengran! What the hell is going on?! Tell me everything right now! What’s happened?!”

She was shaking him so hard his brain felt like it was being scrambled.

Even his hand on the mouse wobbled unsteadily.

Jiang Xueli, like a machine-gun, rattled off question after question.

“Why are people calling you President Lin?! Why do you have your own office?! What does headquarters even mean?! Why are you giving them training?! Why is Sister Wang suddenly so respectful to you?! Hurry up and explain what’s going on!!”

Lin Zhengran exhaled a long breath, raised his hand amid her violent shaking, and—smack—flicked her forehead.

Jiang Xueli yelped in pain, jerking her head back, finally calming down a little.

She stopped shaking him.

Clutching her forehead, she complained, “That one really hurt! What was that for?!”

Lin Zhengran turned to her. “Why are you panicking? You nearly shook my brain loose. Isn’t it obvious? I’m now one of the…” He paused, choosing the right term. “One of the people in charge here, along with Sister Wang and Sister Jiang. That’s why they call me President Lin.”

“WHAT?!” Jiang Xueli completely forgot the pain in her forehead.

“What do you mean one of the people in charge? Are you saying that this company—” She stretched out her arms dramatically. “—this huge, fancy company—has you as part of it?! You’re a boss now?! Like, a real boss who gets annual dividends?!”

Lin Zhengran nodded. “Pretty much. Any profits the company makes, I get a share.”

“No way! But where did you get the money to start a company?! Isn’t that super expensive?!”

Regarding the money issue, Lin Zhengran had actually discussed this with Jiang Jingshi in detail.

Right now, practically all the funding was coming from her, and it was a huge sum.

Compared to her, the money he had was insignificant—he was just contributing his presence.

But for some reason, Jiang Jingshi insisted on giving him a major stake in the company.

So, he made her a promise.

Lin Zhengran had personally guaranteed that within six months, he would increase the company’s profit by at least 60%.

If he failed—

Jiang Jingshi had covered his mouth before he could even finish, already knowing what he was about to say.

“Zhengran, you’re not allowed to say anything negative about yourself. I trust you completely. When you trust someone, you trust them fully. If we lose money, I’ll bear it myself—you’re still the boss. And if we profit, we profit together.”

For Lin Zhengran, making money with a platform like this was incredibly easy. He had only said six months to be conservative—it wouldn’t even take that long.

In a way, his promise was simply a way to acknowledge how much Jiang Jingshi believed in him.

Even so, he was still surprised at the extent of her trust.

So at the time, he had simply replied, “Then I won’t say anything else. Sister Jiang, just wait and see in six months.”

Jiang Jingshi had smiled warmly and nodded.

Now, he explained to Jiang Xueli, “I didn’t invest money—just myself. I promised Jiang Jingshi that within six months, I’d increase the company’s profits by over 50%, which is why I became an investor.”

Jiang Xueli’s jaw nearly dropped. “Over 50%?! How much is the company making now?!”

Lin Zhengran asked, “Do you mean individually or combined?”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, Zhengshi Company is structured as a headquarters model. Just now, you asked what headquarters meant, right? This is what it means—currently, Zhengshi Company owns three subsidiaries: Zhengshi Sports, Zhengshi Music, and Zhengshi Streaming. We’re in the music division now, so are you asking about—”

“WAIT!” Jiang Xueli’s eyes widened as she practically screamed, “You mean this company is only a subsidiary?! There are two more?! And then there’s a headquarters on top of that?!”

Lin Zhengran couldn’t help but flick her forehead again. She winced.

“Keep your voice down! Good thing the music company’s glass is soundproof—otherwise, you’d be screaming everyone’s ears off. Yes, this is one of the subsidiaries. There are two more, making four companies in total.”

“Then how are you supposed to meet that promise?! That’s insane!”

“You think I can’t?” Lin Zhengran chuckled. “Since I dared to make the promise, of course, I have a plan.”

Jiang Xueli looked into his eyes. Though she felt this kind of promise was a bit exaggerated… she had always believed in Lin Zhengran.

She had never been wrong following him.

Suddenly, she laughed. “Then if you succeed, Zhengran, how much will you be making in a year?”

“How would I know? It’s based on dividends. If I fulfill my promise within six months, my earnings will be based on my shares after that.”

Jiang Xueli racked her brain. “I get it now. So that’s why you’re giving everyone a unified training session later—because this company will be yours in the future. That means… you’re my boss now?!”

“Mm. From now on, we can train here, but I’ll still train you one-on-one. The others will get group training. After all, I’ve personally trained you since we were kids—you’re different from them.”

For a music company to make money, it mainly needed to focus on nurturing just three or four key artists, or even just one or two.

Spreading resources too thin wouldn’t bring in profits.

In fact, in the future, Jiang Xueli alone might end up contributing over half of the company’s earnings.

Just as she was about to say something else, Pan Lin returned, carrying a tray with freshly brewed tea. “President Lin, Lili, the tea is ready.”

Jiang Xueli instinctively straightened up and replied nervously. Now that she understood the situation, she suddenly felt a bit excited.

If Zhengran was now the boss, didn’t that mean… she was technically the boss’s wife?

And in the future, all the money she earned would practically be going into her own household! Zhengran would also be making a ton of money!

Lin Zhengran got up to grab his tea, glancing at Jiang Xueli, who was still lost in thought.

He smiled at her.

Jiang Xueli, a little flustered, smiled back.

Then she followed him to sit on the couch.

Pan Lin placed the tea in front of them. “President Jiang’s driver just called. She’s already on her way back and should arrive in about ten minutes. Please wait a little longer.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll go tidy up President Jiang’s office. If you need anything, just call me—I’ll be right next door.” With that, she exited the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Jiang Xueli let out a breath only after Pan Lin left, then exchanged looks with Lin Zhengran.

Lin Zhengran curiously gazed into her bright, sparkling eyes. “What’s wrong? More questions?”

Jiang Xueli shook her head, her twin ponytails swaying.

She grinned. “Nothing… just thinking that you suddenly became so impressive. And not just a little impressive—very impressive.”

“It’s not really sudden. It was bound to happen eventually. Didn’t I tell you before that signing you with the studio was just a temporary step? In the end, I always planned to keep you by my side.”

Jiang Xueli beamed and nodded.

A few moments later, Wang Lan finished the meeting with the singers downstairs and headed up to discuss business with Lin Zhengran.

At the same time, a Rolls-Royce pulled up at the company entrance.

The security guard immediately lifted the barrier and greeted the passenger. “Good day, President Jiang!”

Jiang Jingshi smiled, and in the distance, Pan Lin hurried over to meet her.

“President Jiang, you’ve arrived.”

She promptly opened the car door for her.

Jiang Jingshi asked, “Zhengran is already here, right? What time did you receive him?”

Pan Lin, feeling extremely on edge, cautiously recounted the morning’s events. She knew this wasn’t something she could gloss over—if she tried to cover it up and Jiang Jingshi found out later, it would be much worse.

“President Jiang… President Lin arrived at eight this morning. I thought he’d be coming at nine, so when I was busy downstairs at eight…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Jingshi’s elegant brows furrowed, her expression gradually darkening.

“What did you say? Didn’t I tell you to go down early to wait for him? Why did I leave you here if not for that?”

“I’m sorry, President Jiang… I…” She knew Jiang Jingshi would be upset, but she hadn’t expected such a drastic change in her expression. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

“He wasn’t upset, was he?”

“No… President Lin is very kind. He was very polite to me.”

“I figured Zhengran wouldn’t get angry over something so small. But don’t let it happen again—learn from this.”

Pan Lin nodded carefully. “Understood, President Jiang.”

With that, she followed Jiang Jingshi into the company.

She felt slightly relieved now, but one thing was clear—compared to everyone else, Lin Zhengran definitely held a special place in Jiang Jingshi’s heart.

After all, when Jiang Jingshi had her investigate things, she had discovered that Jiang Jingshi and Lin Zhengran had known each other since childhood.

Childhood sweetheart connections were no joke.

Jiang Jingshi entered the building and headed straight to the second floor, where she found Lin Zhengran talking with Wang Lan in the office.

“Zhengran, Sister Wang, sorry for being late.”

As soon as she entered, Lin Zhengran, Jiang Xueli, and Wang Lan all stood up to greet her.

“President Jiang.”

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“Sister Jiang.”

“President Jiang…” The last greeting came from Jiang Xueli.

Jiang Jingshi walked over to them, but her eyes landed on Lin Zhengran first.

“Have a seat,” she said before turning to Jiang Xueli. “Lili, you’re here too? Then let’s get straight to business.”