Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 62: Little He Qing Holding the Scarf Box

During lunchtime, in the middle school girls’ dorm, Little He Qing had already neatly folded the scarf and placed it inside a delicate gift box.

Then she spent the whole morning holding that box tightly in her arms, afraid it would somehow get bumped or disappear into thin air.

She kept taking deep breaths, nervous as h*ll.

Han Wenwen came in carrying lunch she’d bought off-campus: “I’m back with lunch! I even specially bought your favorite skewered meat, Qingqing.”

Little He Qing sat on the bed, a little embarrassed: “Thanks, Wenwen. I’ll go get lunch tomorrow instead.”

Han Wenwen gave her a smile and a glance, placing the food on the foldable table:

“What’s there to be tired about? Today’s the big day for Qingqing, and as your bestie, I’m here to cheer you on—pre-celebration feast!”

Little He Qing shyly lowered her head. Han Wenwen handed her a pair of chopsticks, and only then did she carefully put the gift box down—but just a moment later, her face went pale.

Han Wenwen blinked: “You okay?”

Little He Qing trembled nervously: “Wenwen, what do you think he’ll say? Honestly, I’m kind of scared...”

Han Wenwen opened her chopsticks and bit down on the tip: “Well, that’s hard to say. Lin Zhengran isn’t like other boys, but there’s one thing I’m sure of…” She grinned:

“After today, you and Lin Zhengran are definitely gonna be closer.”

Little He Qing slowly nodded.

The two best friends sipped their drinks and ate their lunch.

Elsewhere, Jiang Xueli and her mom brought Grandma back home. Sitting on the couch, Grandma asked her a few questions about her time at the Children’s Talent Agency.

Holding her granddaughter’s hand: “Lili’s really grown up—becoming so impressive. Maybe one day, Grandma will even see you on TV!”

Jiang Xueli stood in front of Grandma, a little shy at the praise.

Grandma asked, “But won’t singing mean you have to travel far from time to time? Can you handle that on your own? Are you scared?”

Jiang Xueli could be honest in front of Grandma:

“Grandma, I actually haven’t gone far from home yet. But next year, I’ll be competing right here in town. Thankfully, I have a really, really good male classmate. He stays with me every day and teaches me. When he’s around, I’m not scared at all.”

Grandma looked at the expression on her granddaughter’s face when she mentioned him and understood. She smiled and nodded: “I see. Looks like that boy treats you really well.”

Jiang Xueli nodded: “Yeah, he’s really good to me. And super talented! He knows how to do everything! Remember I told you I had an amazing classmate? That was him.”

Grandma’s eyes were full of love: “Our Lili is the best. Grandma believes you can do anything—no doubt about it!”

Jiang Xueli smiled and kept nodding: “Thanks, Grandma.”

She gave her grandma a big hug.

At 3 p.m., two girls set out at the same time—one from the dorm, the other from home. Jiang Xueli held a zoo flyer, and Little He Qing held the gift box with the scarf. They each said goodbye to their grandma and best friend, heading toward the bridge with the white doves.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhengran also left home, holding a bag of mixed grain, planning to go feed the pigeons early.

He was the first to arrive—his house was the closest.

A sky full of white doves seemed to sense food and flapped their wings, flying toward him in a flurry.

Lin Zhengran scattered the grain on the ground, and the doves quickly surrounded him.

On the side of the road, Little He Qing got out of a taxi, holding the box. She looked toward the bridge and was startled to see Lin Zhengran already there.

“Lin Zhengran?”

She panicked. She had shown up more than an hour early!

She clutched the gift and rushed over.

On the other side, Jiang Xueli was casually strolling from home, her twin ponytails bouncing with her nervous steps.

When she saw the figure feeding pigeons under the bridge, she was equally surprised and delighted: “Big dummy? Why’s he here so early?”

She quickened her pace and ran toward the bridge too.

They both wanted to call out to him. But it was that very call that made them speak at the same time from opposite sides.

“Lin Zhengran! Why are you here so early?”

“Big dummy! When did you get here?!”

Just a second before they spoke, neither Little He Qing nor Jiang Xueli had expected the other to be there. Their eyes widened as they caught sight of each other, shocked.

Their steps slowed and stopped at the same time.

Jiang Xueli saw the box in Little He Qing’s hands. Little He Qing saw the flyer in Jiang Xueli’s hands.

Both tightened their grip a little.

Lin Zhengran turned around when he heard their voices and looked at them.

The three of them stood by the bridge, staring at each other, and the awkwardness instantly filled the entire area.

Jiang Xueli’s eyes trembled as she stared at the box. She didn’t know what it was, but it had to be an important gift! He Qing… is she really here to confess?

Little He Qing stared at the flyer in Jiang Xueli’s hands, swallowing nervously.

Why is Jiang Xueli here… could she also… be here to confess?

Suddenly, both girls, blushing, quietly looked at Lin Zhengran:

One timid and shy, unable to say a word in front of others.

The other tsundere and stammering, not knowing what to say.

In the end, it was Lin Zhengran who asked, “What are you two daydreaming about?”

Their embarrassed brains practically exploded.

The white doves, unaware of the awkward atmosphere, cooed softly. Some flapped their wings and took off, their pure white feathers fluttering down in front of the three of them.

Back in the girls’ dorm, Han Wenwen sat at the edge of the bed, her slender fingers brushing her lips—those same lips that had kissed someone’s forehead.

Her face was filled with shyness… and jealousy.

That afternoon, a heavy rain fell, and the three of them ended up in the same taxi… Soaked through, Little He Qing and Jiang Xueli sat inside the car, both blushing and silent.

No matter what Lin Zhengran asked, they just kept their heads down, completely mute.

The next day, the rain had stopped, but the roads were still damp.

The morning sun was decent. Little He Qing held the box with the scarf inside and walked slowly along the side of the road.

Yesterday afternoon, she hadn’t managed to give her gift. Jiang Xueli and the sudden downpour had completely thrown off her plan.

Then she happened to see a little golden retriever stuck in a broken manhole cover by the roadside. She hurried over and gently tried to comfort the puppy: “Don’t bite me, okay? I’ll help you get your paw out.”

The little golden retriever whimpered a few times, seemingly understanding her words. It lay flat and didn’t move, its tail wagging slowly.

Only then did Little He Qing cautiously walk over and crouch down. One hand held the gift box with the scarf, the other helped the puppy free its paw.

But maybe because she only used one hand, and she didn’t want to set the box down, the force was unbalanced. With one tug, the puppy’s paw came loose—but Little He Qing ended up landing on the muddy, wet ground with a thud.

The splash of mud also soaked the puppy in water and muck.

She let out an “Ah!” and quickly stood up, turning to check the dirt and stains on her butt. She awkwardly patted at it a few times, but it was useless—in fact, it just made things worse.

And because she’d gotten splashed, the puppy instinctively shook itself off. Mud flew off like a washing machine, splattering all over Little He Qing.

With a startled cry, Little He Qing shut her eyes and clutched the box tightly to her chest.

There was mud here and there on her clothes—and naturally, the box didn’t escape either.

The little golden retriever, as if realizing it had done something wrong, whimpered apologetically. Knowing it was dirty, it didn’t dare go near her, almost like it was saying, “I didn’t mean to!”

He Qing didn’t respond right away. She first checked the now-dirty gift box, quickly opened it to look inside—and thankfully, the scarf was still clean and good as new.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and put the lid back on. She smiled at the puppy: “It’s okay, it’s okay. My butt’s already dirty anyway, I’ll have to wash up later. You should go now—don’t fall into any more cracks. Stay safe.”

The puppy whimpered again, watching Little He Qing from afar as she walked away.

Covered in mud, Little He Qing made her way to the entrance of a kindergarten—it was where she and Lin Zhengran used to attend together. Familiar memories came rushing back, and she felt deeply nostalgic.

After a while, she continued walking until she reached a small river. There was a long bench there, and she placed some tissue on it before sitting down, afraid her muddy clothes would dirty the bench.

Looking at the countless muddy spots on her body, her mood took a dip.

“I knew you’d be here. When I dropped you two off last night, didn’t you hear what I said to you?”

Little He Qing’s expression of frustration shifted immediately, because that voice was so familiar. She turned her head to look at the person: “Lin... Lin Zhengran?”

At some point, Lin Zhengran had appeared next to her. When he saw her messy hair, muddy clothes—especially the dirt all over her butt—he asked in confusion, “What the h*ll happened to you? Were you playing in the mud or something?”

Little He Qing panicked and stood up quickly, her eyes trembling as she shyly hugged the box: “I… I just helped a puppy, and I accidentally fell down. Why are you… why are you here? And what about something you said yesterday? I didn’t hear anything.”

Lin Zhengran let out a helpless sigh. He remembered how, after the rain yesterday, he’d called a taxi and let Jiang Xueli and He Qing get in first.

But during the entire ride, both girls just sat there blushing. No matter how many times he talked to them, they didn’t respond—like a couple of statues, lost in who knows what thoughts.

Completely spaced out.

Lin Zhengran reached out his hand. Little He Qing thought he was going to flick her forehead and shut her eyes tight—but he didn’t hit her immediately. His hand just paused mid-air, and when she cautiously opened one eye, smack, Lin Zhengran finally tapped her forehead.

“Ow!” she yelped.

Lin Zhengran said, “Come on, I’ll take you to my place to wash up. And don’t you have something you wanted to tell me?”