Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 156: A Flustered Jiang Xueli

Seeing Lin Zhengran conducting one-on-one coaching, Jiang Jingshi and Pan Lin slowed their steps to avoid disturbing him.

Wang Lan walked over to greet them. "President Jiang, you’re back."

Jiang Jingshi nodded and raised her hand slightly, and Wang Lan immediately understood. The three of them quietly watched Lin Zhengran, listening as he passed on his techniques to the employees.

During a brief moment when Lin Zhengran paused to take a sip of water, Pan Lin remarked, "President Lin really is a once-in-a-lifetime genius. If he ever decided to step onto the stage himself, I feel like no one else would even stand a chance."

Her words were a bit exaggerated, but they reflected exactly what both Wang Lan and Jiang Jingshi were thinking. After all, neither of them had ever seen a sixteen-year-old who had completely mastered all theoretical knowledge, could teach others, and even tailor improvements to each individual’s weaknesses.

Wang Lan noticed Jiang Jingshi standing for a long time and softly reminded her, "President Jiang, have a seat. President Lin is probably going to be at this for a while."

Jiang Jingshi replied that she was fine.

It wasn’t until Lin Zhengran turned around, noticed Jiang Jingshi, and smiled at her, pointing to the sofa beside him, that she finally nodded at him and took a seat along with the others to wait.

Finally, around 4 PM, Lin Zhengran wrapped up his one-on-one coaching.

As he stood up, Jiang Jingshi and the others approached.

"Zhengran, you really teach well. I’ve been listening in for so long, and even I’ve learned quite a bit."

Lin Zhengran didn’t boast, only responding politely, "Sister Jiang, are you done with your work?"

"It was just a meeting. Once it was over, I came straight back."

Wang Lan chimed in briefly before excusing herself to handle other matters.

Hearing that only the two of them were left talking, Pan Lin figured that President Jiang and President Lin wouldn’t sit down for a deep conversation today—it was already getting late.

She glanced at Jiang Jingshi’s earrings, thinking of a way to subtly remind President Lin about them.

Before she could, Jiang Xueli had already finished filming her MV, changed into her casual clothes, and walked over.

"Zhengran!"

Pan Lin’s hopes were instantly crushed. With Jiang Xueli here, this was…

But to her surprise, Lin Zhengran suddenly brought it up himself in the middle of their conversation.

"Oh, right, Sister Jiang, I forgot to ask this morning—these earrings you’re wearing, aren’t they the ones from the picture you sent me last time? They look great."

Jiang Jingshi was slightly taken aback, and Pan Lin immediately focused her attention on them.

Hearing this, Jiang Jingshi lightly touched her earrings—delicate, refined, designed like scattered stars falling from the sky. Subtle yet intricate.

"Mm, that’s the one. You said before that this style suited me, so I bought it."

Lin Zhengran complimented, "Sister Jiang, this kind of fine earring really does look beautiful on you. It suits your aura perfectly."

Jiang Jingshi’s cheeks flushed slightly.

Being praised by someone you care about feels completely different from being complimented by just anyone.

Her expression softened, and she was clearly delighted by the small detail. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean it."

Seeing Jiang Jingshi’s happiness, Pan Lin smiled as well, thinking that President Jiang had finally gotten what she wanted.

Jiang Xueli walked up and greeted Jiang Jingshi, mentioning that she had just finished recording her MV.

Lin Zhengran then said his goodbyes. "Sister Jiang, if there’s nothing else tonight, I’ll be heading back. Lily has been filming all day too—she needs to rest, or tomorrow’s outdoor shoot won’t go well."

Pan Lin asked, "President Lin, are you taking Lily home?"

Her words carried a different meaning.

Even though he was still a student, Lin Zhengran wasn’t an ordinary one, and at their age, being alone together at night was…

Fortunately, Lin Zhengran answered, "Yeah, I’ll drop her off."

Pan Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Jingshi, staying polite, said, "Then get some rest early. Do you need me to arrange a ride for you?"

"No need, Sister Jiang. We’ll just take a cab. We’re leaving now—don’t forget to rest too."

Jiang Xueli also politely bid farewell. "Goodbye, President Jiang."

With that, the four parted ways.

Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli left Zhengshi Music, while Jiang Jingshi and Pan Lin stood in the lobby, watching them go.

Jiang Jingshi replayed his compliment in her mind.

She couldn’t help but touch her earring again, smiling to herself as she instructed Pan Lin, "Pan Lin, didn’t I order some medium-sized earrings recently?"

"Yes, a few of them were ones you’d been wanting for a while. You said you really liked them," she replied.

Jiang Jingshi didn’t hesitate. "Switch all of them to fine earrings. Cancel the medium ones for now."

Pan Lin couldn’t help but think, Just because of that one sentence from President Lin…?

"Got it. I’ll contact the stores tonight and have them exchange all the medium-sized ones."

After speaking, she followed Jiang Jingshi’s gaze, looking in the direction Lin Zhengran had left.

From a distance, he seemed to be chatting and laughing with Jiang Xueli.

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Even if she didn’t want to admit it, Pan Lin knew—sometimes, the things that seemed the easiest to obtain were the hardest for President Jiang to get.

For example—Lin Zhengran.

—

Far away, Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli took a cab back to the city.

In the car, Jiang Xueli excitedly clenched her little fists, eagerly chatting about funny moments from the MV shoot that afternoon.

Like how she messed up some shots, or how she couldn’t hold back a laugh even when she was supposed to stay serious.

She had no idea how the final cut would turn out.

She also brought up the team situation. "Zhengran, if I have a team, does that mean I’ll always perform as part of a group from now on?"

Lin Zhengran explained,

"Of course not. Even though we’re selecting a team for you, 90% of your performances will still be solo. The main purpose of forming a team is to have backup singers who can complement you during group performances, which helps promote both you and our company. But fundamentally, you’re still a solo artist."

Jiang Xueli leaned back against the taxi seat. "Ohh, I thought it was going to be like a girl group."

Lin Zhengran shook his head.

"You’re overthinking it. Girl groups are professional teams where all the members’ skills are evenly matched, so they perform as a unit. But your skill level is way above the others in our company, so there’s no way to form a proper group with them. And I never planned for you to go that route anyway."

Jiang Xueli nodded in understanding. "What about the other girl groups in our company?"

Lin Zhengran said, "They are actual professional teams. But you’re a special case—you’re different from them."

Jiang Xueli grinned. "Well, whatever Zhengran tells me to do, I’ll do it!" She patted her chest confidently. "No matter what performance, I won’t mess up!"

Lin Zhengran asked, "By the way, after we get your hair done, are you going back to the dorm to sleep, or heading home?"

Jiang Xueli thought for a moment. "I’ll go back to the dorm. If I go home, it’ll be too late, and my parents have work tomorrow—they won’t get a break even on weekends. I don’t want to disturb them."

"Alright, either way is fine."

Jiang Xueli glanced at her phone to check the time. It was still early.

She remembered that the girls’ dorm usually locked up at 10 PM on weekdays and 11 PM on weekends.

Getting a haircut and heading back should be fine.

So, the two of them stopped by a restaurant to eat first.

After finishing their meal—

They headed straight for a nearby hair salon.

Since it was the weekend, the salon was packed.

They checked out several places, but each one was full of young people getting their hair cut. With no other options, the two of them finally sat down in one of the salons, waiting patiently.

The sound of scissors snipping filled the air as hairstylists trimmed their clients' hair.

Jiang Xueli ran her fingers through her twin ponytails, which reached down to her hips. After waiting for nearly an hour, it was almost her turn.

"Zhengran, I shouldn’t cut it too short, right?" She was worried that if she asked for it too short, the stylist might just chop it all off.

Without her twin ponytails, would she still be Jiang Xueli? Of course not. They were her totem—her very identity.

Lin Zhengran: "Just cut it to your lower back."

"My lower back?"

Lin Zhengran reached out and lightly tapped her waist. "Here."

The moment his fingers brushed against her, Jiang Xueli’s body trembled slightly.

Then, she suddenly heard a faint snapping sound from behind her.

Something seemed to have broken the instant he touched her.

A clasp.

It snapped.

Jiang Xueli panicked, immediately crossing her arms over her chest, blushing as she bent forward.

Luckily, she had been sitting against the wall, with Lin Zhengran blocking her from view. Plus, the salon was noisy, so no one else seemed to notice.

Lin Zhengran looked at her sudden movement and asked curiously, "What’s wrong?"

Jiang Xueli bit her lip, dumbfounded. W-what… How did it break?

What was she supposed to do now, out in public like this?

"Lily?" Lin Zhengran called her again.

This time, as he glanced at her back, he immediately noticed that after she bent forward, there was no clasp visible on the back of her outfit.

His eyes flickered—he realized what had happened.

Jiang Xueli mumbled, "Z-zhengran… come outside with me for a sec. There are too many people here."

Without a word, Lin Zhengran took off his jacket and handed it to her.

"Put this on. Zip it up."

Jiang Xueli’s flushed face turned toward him.

She was already wearing a coat—it was winter, after all—but still, she shyly hid behind him, taking his jacket with a soft "thank you."

She hurriedly put it on and zipped it up.

Lin Zhengran’s jacket was huge, making it look extra loose on her. Since she already had her own coat underneath, nothing appeared out of the ordinary once she stood up.

But the embarrassment was still there.

Lin Zhengran led her out of the salon, taking her to a quiet corner in the night.

Jiang Xueli crouched down again, hugging herself in embarrassment. "It… it broke… What do I do?"

Lin Zhengran, seeing this situation for the first time in his life, was at a loss. "This… can actually happen?"

"I didn’t expect it either…" Jiang Xueli peeked up at him, her face still red. "By the way, how did you even notice?"

"I saw it from behind. When you bent forward, there was no clasp on your back, so I figured it out."

Jiang Xueli’s blush deepened as she bit her lip. "Why are you looking at everything?! Don’t just say it out loud like that!"

"Weren’t you the one who asked?"

She fell silent.

Fine. Let him look. He’s my boyfriend anyway…

After a moment, she asked in a small voice, "Is there a lingerie store nearby? I wasn’t paying attention earlier, but I need to buy a new one."

Lin Zhengran pulled out his phone and searched. "Looks like there’s one nearby. I’ll go buy it for you."

The store wasn’t exactly close—it was at least a street away.

Lin Zhengran figured she probably wouldn’t want to walk that far in her current state.

"W-wait, what? You’re going to buy it? You’re going to buy… lingerie? For me?!"

Lin Zhengran: "What else should we do?" He glanced at his phone. "The store isn’t that close. If I don’t go, are you going to walk all that way like this? No one else will notice, but you’d probably feel really uncomfortable, wouldn’t you?"

Jiang Xueli struggled to explain, "That’s… true, but still—it’s lingerie! A girl's lingerie! You can’t just—"

Her face turned redder and redder, her voice stammering and trailing off.

Lin Zhengran: "Yeah, I know it’s lingerie. So what?"

Jiang Xueli looked at him in disbelief. "‘So what’?! You’re a guy! If you go buy it, people might think you’re a pervert! Aren’t you embarrassed?!"

Lin Zhengran was completely unfazed. "You’re my girlfriend. Why would I be embarrassed? And even if you go, I’d have to go with you anyway—I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you go alone. That would just slow us down even more."

"That’s different! If we go together, people won’t misunderstand you!"

Jiang Xueli was flustered. She knew Lin Zhengran was a straightforward person, but in this situation—her lips parted, then closed again before she finally muttered,

"I just… I don’t want people to misunderstand you."

Lin Zhengran sighed, looking down at her. "It’s fine. Even if they do, who cares? Besides, if I’m going to buy lingerie for you now, chances are, in the future, you’ll have to buy boxers for me. If my underwear ever rips, you wouldn’t refuse to buy me a new one, would you?"

"That kind of thing wouldn’t just rip out of nowhere!"

"Anything’s possible. Just look at what happened today."

"I—"

Jiang Xueli’s breath hitched.

She looked up at him, her wide eyes trembling slightly.

Her small hands gripped the jacket tightly as she lowered her head and whispered, "If that ever happens… I’m your girlfriend, so of course I’d buy them for you."

Lin Zhengran raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"

He crouched down to get a closer look at her embarrassed face.

Jiang Xueli turned her head away.

"What now? What else do you want to say?"

Lin Zhengran continued, "Then what if, when you go buy boxers for me, someone calls you a pervert? What would you do then?"

Jiang Xueli squeezed her eyes shut, even more flustered. "I… I’d just tell them I’m buying them for my boyfriend!"

"And what if they don’t believe you?"

Jiang Xueli instinctively shouted in embarrassment, "They can believe whatever they want! What does it have to do with me?!"

Lin Zhengran let out a long sigh. "See? You already understand perfectly well."

"But—"

Jiang Xueli looked up at him, gripping her jacket even tighter. "It’s not the same. I don’t care if people misunderstand me… but I don’t want them to misunderstand you."

She tried to stand up.

But Lin Zhengran suddenly said, "Stay put."

She flinched, looking at him with wide, panicked eyes. "Why are you being so stern with me?!"

Then—bonk!

She got a flick to the forehead.

"Ow! That hurts!"

Lin Zhengran: "Stop overthinking. It’s just buying lingerie. Stay here and wait."

Jiang Xueli didn’t dare argue anymore.

When Zhengran got serious, he was kind of scary.

"What’s your size?" he asked.

Jiang Xueli hesitated for a moment, then quietly told him.

Lin Zhengran was slightly surprised.

It wasn’t an A.

It was the second size up.

Jiang Xueli, still nervous, asked in a small voice, "What’s wrong?"

Lin Zhengran shook his head. "It’s fine, I’ll go buy it."

As he was about to leave, he suddenly asked, "By the way, I gave you my jacket—aren’t you cold?"

Without turning around, he replied, "Not cold."

"Come back soon, okay?"

"I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t worry, you won’t be waiting long."

Instead of taking the main road, Lin Zhengran chose a shortcut through the alleys so he could move faster without being seen. That way, Jiang Xueli wouldn’t have to wait anxiously.

Jiang Xueli watched him leave, her mind replaying what he had just said.

Her face slowly turned red, burning hot.

A boy buying lingerie for a girl.

Even though Lin Zhengran had looked completely unfazed, Jiang Xueli was sure he must have been dying of embarrassment inside.

Anyone in his place would be.

But just like he said—if his underwear ever ripped, she would buy him a new pair.

If people called her a pervert, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Boys cared about their pride when they were out in public… yet he still went to buy it for her.

How much does he have to like me to do this?

She felt like she should treat him even better in the future.

But… she already liked him with all her heart.

If she treated him even better, how was she supposed to do that…?

She pulled out her phone to check how far the lingerie store was.

After searching, she was shocked—it was nearly a kilometer away!

If he walked, it would take at least ten minutes!

"Why is it so far?!"

Just as she said that, Lin Zhengran appeared at the entrance of the alley, holding a bag.

"Here."

"…Huh?"

Jiang Xueli stared at him in disbelief. "That fast?! Isn’t it a kilometer away?!"

Lin Zhengran raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, a kilometer?"

Jiang Xueli showed him her phone. "It says the nearest lingerie store is a kilometer from here. How did you come back in under a minute?"

Lin Zhengran hadn’t expected her to check.

He casually made something up. "Oh, I was heading to that store at first, but then I saw another one much closer, so I just went there instead."

Jiang Xueli didn’t think too much about it. "Oh, I see."

She took the bag from him and checked the lingerie inside.

Simple, but nice-looking.

She crouched down and said, "Turn around while I change. Also, keep an eye out for people."

Lin Zhengran turned and stood at the alley entrance, watching the surroundings for her.

Only then did Jiang Xueli quietly unzip her coat in the darkness, removing the broken one and replacing it with the new one.

After she put her coat back on, she held the damaged lingerie in her hand and let out a relieved sigh.

She walked back to Lin Zhengran, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Zhengran, I’m done."

Lin Zhengran turned and glanced at the lingerie in her hand.

"As long as you’re changed. Just throw that away."

"Mm, but before that…"

Jiang Xueli pulled out Lin Zhengran’s jacket.

Instead of handing it back, she helped him put it on directly.

Lin Zhengran gave her a confused look.

Jiang Xueli said, "What’s wrong? I’m helping you put on your jacket."

"I can wear it myself."

Jiang Xueli, acting all proud, said, "Why should you? I refuse to let you! You’ve been so good to me, so I’ll help you put it on."

But as she tried to dress him, her hands were all over the place, struggling with the sleeves and collar. Clearly, she wasn’t good at this.

In the middle of fumbling with the jacket, the lingerie in her hand slipped and fell.

Lin Zhengran instinctively caught it.

And then, without thinking, he muttered, "Huh… this thing is actually really warm."

Jiang Xueli’s face instantly turned bright red.

"Ah! Don’t touch that! And—what are you even saying?!"