Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 66: The Twintail Girl’s Wild Imagination

While reading, Lin Zhengran got up and found some medicinal balm for bruises. He Qing had no idea what he was up to until he returned and asked, “By the way, does your foot still hurt?”

Lying on the bed, He Qing only just realized it. She blinked, dumbfounded. “Huh? It doesn’t hurt anymore! When did it stop?”

She looked at Lin Zhengran, and a sudden thought made her wave her hands frantically in defense.

“Don’t think I was lying! I wasn’t pretending just to make you carry me—I swear! It really did hurt earlier, but… ever since we got to your house, I kinda forgot about it, and now it’s fine… You have to believe me! I told you before, I won’t lie to you again.”

Lin Zhengran glanced at her and lifted the blanket, checking her ankle. “Why are you explaining so much? I never said I didn’t believe you. Give me your foot.”

He squatted beside the bed and examined her ankle. Earlier, it had been red but without any visible injuries. Now, even the redness had mostly faded.

“If the pain’s gone this fast, then it was probably just the cold air irritating your old injury. After taking a hot shower, the warmth helped relieve it.”

He Qing only half-processed what he said. The rest of her focus was entirely on him looking at her foot.

She felt so shy~

Wenwen had told her before that, among the parts of a girl’s body boys liked, feet were super important. Some guys even thought a pair of pretty feet was more attractive than anything else.

They’d even want to… play with them.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhengran seriously squeezed some balm onto his fingers. “Since it doesn’t hurt anymore, I’ll just apply a little as a precaution. But you should be more careful next time—don’t run around in the rain again.”

He Qing was lost in thought.

Lin Zhengran repeated, “Did you hear me?”

She snapped back to reality, jolting. “I heard! I’ll remember!”

She pursed her lips, watching him gently rub the balm onto her ankle.

I wonder what kind of features he likes most in a girl… Hands? Feet? Eyes? Nose? Lips? Or something else…

Once the clothes were dry, He Qing locked the bedroom door and changed into her freshly washed outfit. Then, Lin Zhengran accompanied her downstairs.

At the entrance of the residential complex, he asked, “Do you have enough money for a taxi?”

He Qing nodded. “I’ll just walk back—it’s not too far.”

Lin Zhengran pulled out a large bill from his pocket. Over the past few weeks, as Han Wenwen had been making money, Lin Zhengran had naturally earned quite a bit as well.

“Take this and get a cab home. No need to stress your foot.”

He Qing stared at the bill with wide eyes. “That’s a lot of money…”

Lin Zhengran added, “Just pay me back later.”

Only then did she reach out cautiously to take it, nodding meekly. “Mm… Then I’ll pay you back after I win the Taekwondo tournament next year and earn some prize money.”

Neither of them noticed that, at the street corner, a girl in a puffy jacket with twintails had her hands behind her back, slowly approaching.

It was, of course, Jiang Xueli.

The memory of yesterday afternoon still made her face burn with embarrassment—the moment when she and He Qing had awkwardly bumped into each other on the bridge.

On the way home, she had overheard He Qing mentioning that she planned to visit Lin Zhengran in the afternoon.

But Jiang Xueli had waited at home for ages, and he never came. So, she decided to take the initiative and see if he was at home.

Just as she reached the entrance of the residential area, she spotted two figures in the distance.

There was no way she’d mistake Lin Zhengran’s silhouette. But the girl with the single ponytail standing beside him… was that He Qing?!

Startled, Jiang Xueli quickly hid behind a wall, peeking out cautiously.

Why is that big idiot with He Qing?!

Are they talking about what happened yesterday?

And more importantly… they just came out of his house together!

“Let’s just see what’s going on firs—” She hadn’t even finished the thought when her gaze landed on Lin Zhengran’s neck.

A scarf.

A few meters away, He Qing said her goodbyes. She lingered, reluctant to leave. “Then… I’m going. See you next week.”

“Mm. Get home safe. Send me a message when you get to your dorm.”

He Qing’s eyes lingered on the scarf around his neck. Carefully, she reached out to adjust it for him.

From her hiding spot, Jiang Xueli’s pupils trembled.

“That scarf… it couldn’t be… He Qing’s gift, could it?”

Yesterday, He Qing had been carrying a box—clearly a gift box. It had looked large but light.

If she imagined that a scarf had been inside, everything made sense.

Which meant… He Qing already gave him her gift.

And… he accepted it.

Just then, He Qing glanced down and noticed her shoelaces had come undone. She bent down to tie them.

Jiang Xueli’s eyes widened dramatically.

Because in her eyes—

He Qing wasn’t tying her shoelaces.

She was kneeling down… to propose.

“She… She… He Qing is down on one knee proposing to that big idiot?! A confession?!”

It was exactly like her dream from the other night!

She saw He Qing look up and say something to Lin Zhengran, but she couldn’t hear it. The words were too quiet.

But she could imagine.

In Jiang Xueli’s mind, He Qing gazed up at Lin Zhengran with deep emotion.

“Lin Zhengran, marry me. That’s why I’m down on one knee, proposing to you. Will you be my husband?”

He Qing paused, then added, “If you’re willing… please take my hand.”

Jiang Xueli clutched the corner of the wall, biting her lip anxiously.

And then—

Lin Zhengran reached out and pulled He Qing up.

Jiang Xueli’s heart nearly burst out of her chest.

She saw He Qing blush and say, “I’m so happy right now. I need to go back to the dorm and calm down. In a few days, let’s go to the civil affairs bureau and register our marriage.” She waved.

And Lin Zhengran nodded. “Alright, I’ll go with you in a few days. Be careful on the way, my love~”

Of course, all of this was purely Jiang Xueli’s imagination.

In reality, He Qing had simply tied her shoelaces and then checked her ankle.

She pressed it lightly and looked up. “My foot really doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Lin Zhengran held out a hand and helped her up. “Even if it doesn’t hurt, be careful. If the pain comes back, you’ll need to see a doctor. Be extra cautious for the next few days.”

He Qing nodded. “Alright, I’m going now.” She waved.

Lin Zhengran nodded back. “Mm. Take it slow.”

He Qing took three steps, then turned back for another look.

Even after getting into the taxi, she rolled down the window and continued waving.

Once she was gone, Lin Zhengran turned to head toward Jiang Xueli’s house. There was a small rehearsal at her studio that afternoon, and after yesterday’s events, he figured he should check in.

But the moment he turned, he spotted someone peeking from behind a wall—a small pinkish face and a pair of dangling twintails.

He immediately knew who it was.

“…Jiang Xueli? Why are you hiding?”

Jiang Xueli, caught red-handed, originally wanted to run.

But her emotions exploded.

Tears welling up, she stomped forward, clenched her fists, and shouted:

“Idiot! Dumbass! Big stupid pighead! You liar! How could you accept someone else’s proposal?!”

Biting her lip, her voice choked with tears.

“You promised to marry me! If you don’t marry me, who am I supposed to marry?! Who will I be a bride for?!”

Then she spun around and ran, covering her eyes as tears streamed down her face.

“Wuwuwu~ I hate liars~”

But just as she passed Lin Zhengran, he grabbed her by the arm, utterly speechless.

“…What are you on about? What proposal? Who proposed to who? When did I lie? Explain before you run.”