Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 65: The Clever He Qing's Moment of Enlightenment

He Qing was overwhelmed with surprise, but when Lin Zhengran called out again, “Come here,” she hurried over.

She turned her back to him first, letting him dry the back of her hair.

Her small hands were clasped nervously in front of her, while the warm air from the hairdryer made her feel cozy. Occasionally, she would sneak peeks at Lin Zhengran through the mirror, watching him seriously dry her hair. Her cheeks grew redder each time.

“You’ve grown a bit taller since last year, haven’t you? How tall are you now?” Lin Zhengran asked casually.

Softly, He Qing answered, “157 cm! I measured just a few days ago. But my growth has slowed down since last year… I feel like I’m still a bit short. If I could reach 165 cm, that would be perfect.” She added in a small voice, “Wenwen is already 163 cm…”

Since he was a full head taller than both of them, Lin Zhengran had never paid much attention to their heights. “Really? You two seem about the same to me.”

He Qing stroked a lock of her hair. “She’s definitely taller than me. Lin Zhengran… do you think girls look better when they’re short or when they’re tall?”

Lin Zhengran answered truthfully, “I don’t really have an opinion on that. It’s all the same to me.”

“Then… what kind of girl do you like?”

He Qing pursed her lips. That’s not even a real answer! But in reality, Lin Zhengran was simply being honest.

He reminded her, “The back is almost dry. Turn around so I can get the front and the top.”

“Oh!” He Qing spun around—only to suddenly find herself face-to-face with his broad chest.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Blushing furiously, she lowered her head, her forehead nearly touching his chest.

Lin Zhengran, on the other hand, was completely unbothered. He casually ran his fingers through her hair, methodically drying it.

But the more natural he was, the more awkward she felt. Her hands clenched and unclenched anxiously, and every time he touched her hair, her forehead would brush lightly against his chest.

This is the first time he’s ever dried my hair… I’m so happy~

She couldn’t help but fidget, her fingers sneaking toward the hem of his shirt to give it a little poke. She let the warm air blow through her hair, deep in thought.

Wait… isn’t this kind of thing something only couples do?

But when he does it with me, it doesn’t feel weird at all. Why is that?

Suddenly, He Qing’s hand stopped moving.

A realization struck her.

Memories from before, combined with their conversation earlier on the street, all pieced together in her mind.

Her sharp little brain had finally figured it out!

Though… an outsider might not have understood her thought process.

Covering her red face with her hands, she thought to herself:

So that’s it…

That’s what’s going on?!

At that moment, she realized something incredibly, incredibly important.

Lin Zhengran noticed her sudden weird behavior. “Why are you covering your face? Look up.”

He Qing quickly responded, snapping her head up. She bit her lip and looked at him.

Clutching the hem of her clothes, she spoke to herself in her mind:

So that’s why! I finally figured it out… It all makes sense now!

Lin Zhengran and I… we’re already a couple! Hehehe~

Meanwhile, Lin Zhengran had no idea what crazy thoughts were running through her head.

Once he finished drying her hair, he put the hairdryer away. “Alright, tie your ponytail back up.”

“Oh! Okay.”

He Qing’s expression was filled with pure joy as she turned to the mirror. She bit down on a hair tie and gathered her hair into a neat ponytail.

By then, Lin Zhengran had already gone back to his bedroom, lying on his bed and eating an apple.

After tying her hair, He Qing shook her head lightly, making her ponytail sway.

She spotted the slightly dirty gift box on the floor. Carefully opening it, she took out the scarf, folded it, and hid it behind her back.

Then, she walked into the bedroom.

Lin Zhengran, still chewing on his apple, saw her sneaky movements and instantly knew she had brought the gift.

He Qing slowly pulled out a delicate gray scarf. “This is your gift. I knitted it for you, bit by bit. I chose a finer yarn and made it double-layered so it would be warmer.”

She hesitated before continuing, “Originally, I… had a different reason for giving it to you…” Shaking her head, she murmured, “But I just realized I was thinking about it the wrong way. So now, this is just a winter gift. I hope you like it.”

Lin Zhengran looked at the finely crafted gray scarf, feeling both surprised and not surprised at all.

In his past life, girls had given him scarves before, but He Qing’s was different. She had used fine yarn, which made the knitting process much more tedious.

Moreover, the detailed edge work and intricate finish showed how much effort she had put into it.

Sitting up, Lin Zhengran picked it up for a closer look. “How long did this take you?”

He Qing was about to sit down, but when he asked, she immediately stood up straight. “Half a month!”

“You’ve done this before? It looks really well made.”

That one casual compliment was enough to make He Qing happy for an entire day. Her tone turned cheerful.

“Nope! This was my first time knitting anything. At first, I didn’t even know how, so I kept messing up and redoing it. But since it was for you, I didn’t want it to be sloppy.”

Lin Zhengran looked up and saw her eager expression, as if she had please praise me! written all over her face.

Instead, he reached out and flicked her forehead.

He Qing yelped, covering her head. “What? You don’t like it?”

Lin Zhengran kept a straight face as he said, “I like it. I’ll take good care of it.” He Qing blushed, but then he added—

“But you spent half a month on this, got hurt during Taekwondo training, and spent your days spacing out. Do you have a problem?”

He Qing pursed her lips and, for once, talked back. “How is that a problem? You’re really important to me.”

Fidgeting with her fingers, she mumbled, “No one’s more important than you…”

Lin Zhengran flicked her forehead again.

She still had a lot of growing up to do.

“I’ve told you before—always take care of yourself first. If you ever stay up late or get hurt just to make me something again, I won’t accept it. Got it?”

“…Mm. Got it.”

Lin Zhengran glanced at the scarf again before casually wrapping it around his neck.

Seeing this, He Qing beamed. “Let me help you put it on properly!”

“I never said I was going to wear it.”

She froze and stared at him. Then, in a mosquito-like whisper, she muttered, “Try taking it off, I dare you.”

Lin Zhengran sighed. She knew exactly what that look meant.

Tentatively, she reached out and gently adjusted the scarf, crossing it over and tucking in the end.

“There, all done.”

Clasping her hands together in front of her, she grinned. “You look really good with it! I’ll go get a mirror!”

She excitedly ran off to find one.

With the dryer running, it would be a while before their clothes were ready. Lin Zhengran sat on his bed, reading under the blanket.

He Qing boldly climbed onto the bed beside him, sneaking under the same blanket.

Her little feet wiggled happily beneath the covers.

“What are you reading?” she asked cutely.

“Linear Algebra.”

Since the system treated studying as cultivation, Lin Zhengran made it a habit to read whenever he had free time. His enhanced focus and memory allowed him to retain information far beyond the average person.

He Qing peeked at the page, but it looked like a foreign language to her.

Still, she was delighted just to sit beside him.

Lin Zhengran asked, “Can you even understand this?”

“Nope! Everything you read is too advanced for me.”

“Then why are you sitting here?”

“Ehhh, I just like sitting here.”

Seeing his skeptical look, she avoided his gaze and pretended to read along.

It didn’t matter whether she understood.

As long as she was beside him, today felt like a wonderful day.

Under the covers, her little feet kept happily swinging.