Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 47: Half-Dreaming, Half-Awake Han Wenwen

Han Wenwen seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. Lin Zhengran took the key, went downstairs, and came back with dinner.

Judging by her current condition, her fever probably wouldn’t go down tonight.

So when he went out, he also called his parents to say he wouldn’t be coming home tonight.

Lin Xiaoli and Lin Yingjun had always thought their son was braver than most boys his age, often doing things others wouldn’t dare.

“Ranran, you’re not coming home tonight? What are you up to?”

“Staying at a classmate’s place. Their home’s not far from ours. Don’t worry.”

Lin Xiaoli lowered her voice, asking curiously over the phone, “It’s not at Jiang Xueli’s house, is it? That we can’t agree to, Ranran.”

Lin Zhengran responded, not exactly lying: “No. Mom, what are you thinking? It’s at another classmate’s house. Their little fox is sick, so I’m helping take care of it.”

Dad Lin Yingjun gave an “oh” and assumed the classmate was a boy.

“I see. You scared us. Making friends at your age is a good thing. If anything comes up, call us anytime. Let us know you’re safe before bed, and be careful, okay?”

“Got it. Don’t worry.”

Back at the rental apartment with the dinner in hand, Han Wenwen was still curled up on the bed like a cocoon.

She looked cautiously toward the sound of the door opening, only relaxing when she saw it was Lin Zhengran.

“You’re back?” she even greeted politely.

“Did you just wake up?”

Han Wenwen opened her mouth like she was going to respond, but before she could speak, she closed her eyes again and drifted back to sleep.

Lin Zhengran figured the cold medicine was kicking in. Plus, she hadn’t slept properly in days, so now she was just in a half-awake daze.

He sat beside her and started eating the dinner he’d brought back.

But he had only taken a few bites when he noticed Han Wenwen’s hand reaching out and grabbing the corner of his shirt again. She furrowed her brows like she was searching for something in her dreams.

Her curled-up sleeping posture and pained expression from the illness made all of her usual fox-like facade disappear.

What was left was pure, raw emotion—like a little creature abandoned in the forest, alone and lost.

Lin Zhengran gently took hold of her frantic hand.

Her tense expression visibly softened into peace and contentment, and she held his hand in return, falling into a deeper sleep.

The few hours after taking medicine were usually the most unconscious.

That’s when she began mumbling dream talk.

While eating, Lin Zhengran listened quietly at her side—hearing all sorts of things he’d never be able to find out normally.

Like how her mother didn’t want her when she was born, and how she once overheard her aunt and uncle arguing about her over winter break.

And… the reason Han Wenwen had everyone in class thinking Lin Zhengran had a girlfriend.

She murmured, “Actually, the whole thing about the class thinking I’m your girlfriend... that was on purpose.

At first, I really was just trying to help Little Qingqing keep an eye on you. But later on, I started wanting to hang around you more and more.

When people said I was your girlfriend, I didn’t hate it at all...”

“I even got happy when they said it. I could’ve explained that we weren’t anything, but I didn’t.

I didn’t even know what I was thinking. I don’t even know when it started… when I began liking you.”

Lin Zhengran’s chewing slowed as he cast a disdainful look at this little fox.

What is she even saying... liking me? That’s absurd.

Han Wenwen held his hand tighter and kept mumbling to herself:

“Maybe I liked you from back at the bus stop.

From the first time I saw you, I already thought of you as my boyfriend.

You’re the only one who knows what I’m really thinking...

It’s all that d*mn Lianxin Festival’s fault.

Made me care about you more and more... made me more and more curious about you…

Until I realized I really was starting to like you.”

“Lianxin Festival?” Lin Zhengran muttered curiously. “What’s that?”

But Han Wenwen had already drifted off into more dream talk, mumbling about her childhood now.

So Lin Zhengran pulled out his phone and looked it up.

After reading Baidu’s explanation, he was stunned.

“A festival for seeking romantic fate? This little fox is just a kid!”

He sighed. Kids really shouldn’t be running around celebrating random festivals for no reason. Especially when they’re still underage—what’s the point of asking for romantic fate?

Just asking for trouble.

After a while, Han Wenwen suddenly opened her eyes like she had woken up. Her first words were:

“Classmate Lin Zhengran? Did you leave?”

Lin Zhengran was playing on his phone and looked over. “Not yet. You awake?”

Han Wenwen sluggishly sat up, but then realized one of her hands was missing—well, not missing, but being held.

She turned and saw it was in Lin Zhengran’s hand. Her face flushed slightly red.

She quickly pulled it back, clutching the blanket with both hands, retreating to the corner of the bed, and stared at him, panicking.

“Scared~ Classmate Lin Zhengran, why are you holding my hand? What are you trying to do?”

Lin Zhengran was speechless.

“You think I wanted to? You kept pulling at my shirt in your sleep. I had no choice but to control your hand.”

Han Wenwen blinked blankly, still not fully awake. “Oh, I see…”

Then she tried to defend herself: “Still, you can’t just hold a girl’s hand like that.”

She glared at him. “Classmate Lin Zhengran really isn’t a good person~ you took my hand’s first time.”

“What kind of ridiculous metaphor is that... Han Wenwen, you’ve got issues.”

Then he caught himself: “Wait, no, you do have issues right now. You’re sick.”

Han Wenwen stared off blankly, then got off the bed and headed to the bathroom.

“I’m going to the bathroom. I can’t hold it anymore. Classmate Lin Zhengran, don’t peek.”

Lin Zhengran didn’t even consider her a normal person right now.

Right after that, she opened the door again and said, “Oh, and cover your ears. I’m gonna pee.”

Lin Zhengran: “.....”

Insane.

“Hurry up,” Han Wenwen stared him down. “I really can’t hold it.”

So Lin Zhengran reluctantly covered his ears.

To be honest, sick Han Wenwen didn’t seem much different from a normal girl.

Seeing him cover his ears, the little fox finally locked the door with peace of mind and used the bathroom.

Afterwards, she came back and lay flat on the bed again.

Staring at the ceiling, she muttered, “So sleepy. My head really hurts...”

Lin Zhengran handed her dinner. “Since you’re awake, eat a little and take your medicine. You’ll probably be back to normal by tomorrow morning.”

Then she’d realize all the absurd things she said tonight.

Han Wenwen, with her fox-like eyes, stared at him.

Being sick had made her speak and act without thinking:

“Classmate Lin Zhengran, why are you so good-looking?

Back then, guys always said I was pretty and that they liked me. I never understood what they meant...

But after seeing you, now I do. It’s the feeling of wanting to make you mine.”

Lin Zhengran sighed. “So are you going to eat or not?”

Han Wenwen suddenly pouted. “Why are you being so mean? I didn’t do anything~

Call me Wenwen and I’ll eat.”

Lin Zhengran felt like flipping the table.

“Eat or don’t!”

Han Wenwen bit her lip, then turned her back to him.

“So mean. I don’t wanna talk to you anymore.”

She paused, then clutched her head. “Ugh, my head hurts so much.”

Trying not to stoop to a sick person’s level, Lin Zhengran still held the dinner and medicine out:

“Come on, eat. After you take the medicine, scoot over. Leave me some space. Do you think I don’t need to sleep tonight?”

No response.

Reluctantly, Lin Zhengran muttered, “Wenwen.”

Han Wenwen turned back with surprise and smiled shyly, “Didn’t catch that.”

That was it. Lin Zhengran, unable to hold it in, gave her a solid forehead flick.

Finally, she behaved, obediently ate, took her medicine, and lay back down.

She’d cursed him for not being a good guy when she first woke up, but now, even in her sleep, she tried to hold his hand again.

So Lin Zhengran grabbed a pillow to create a barrier between them—yet she still tried to reach over it.

He had no choice but to dodge.

Han Wenwen kept feeling around. “Where’s the hand?”

“No hand. I didn’t grow hands.”

“Liar. Classmate Lin Zhengran isn’t a fish. You totally have hands. Where are they?”

“I just didn’t grow them.”

He growled, feeling her fingers touching all over his arm.

“You stinky fox! Take your hand off my arm! I said I didn’t grow any!”

“Why are you so mean? And calling me names, too.”

“Stinky fox! I’ll say what I want!”

It was a maddening night.

Even Lin Zhengran didn’t know how he made it through peacefully with this fox by his side.

Until the next morning, when daylight came.

Han Wenwen’s fever had gone down quite a bit.

But when she woke up and turned to see Lin Zhengran’s sleeping face on the pillow next to her, the memories from the feverish night slowly returned.

Her face instantly turned red.

Her eyes stared at him in panic.

For the first time in her life—she was blushing that hard.

What the h*ll did I do last night while I had a fever...