Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

After the homeroom teacher left, the classroom buzzed with two main topics—some students discussed performances, while others simply chatted. The noise seemed to have quieted down, yet at the same time, it felt even more chaotic.

As Lin Zhengran and Jiang Qian took down the names of students signing up for performances, a few girls suddenly asked curiously,

"Class President, we heard that other classes are organizing class gatherings. Should we have one tonight too? We can even invite the teacher!"

A boy chimed in, "Yeah! Now that high school is over, everyone else is gathering. Do we still have any class funds left? If we do, we can use it for dinner, and if it’s not enough, we can all split the cost."

Seeing that the class was enthusiastic about the idea, Lin Zhengran smiled and nodded.

"A class gathering sounds good. Let me ask everyone first. We do still have some class funds left. I was originally planning to distribute them, but if everyone prefers, we can use them for dinner instead."

Cheers erupted from both the boys and girls.

Lin Zhengran stood on the podium and asked, "Who wants to join the gathering tonight? Raise your hand, and I’ll count."

As soon as the words left his mouth, every single person raised their hand.

Lin Zhengran grinned. "Alright, since everyone’s in, let’s meet this afternoon. The class funds will cover part of it, and if there’s any shortfall, I’ll pay—"

Before he could finish, Jiang Qian walked up to the podium and interjected, "I’ll cover the rest. I’ll treat everyone to dinner."

Then, in a low voice only the two of them could hear, she added, "You don’t need to pay either—consider it my treat for you too."

The whole class cheered in unison, "Thank you, Class President and Vice President! Wishing you both prosperity as vast as the East Sea and longevity as great as the Southern Mountains!"

Fang Meng, sitting below, smiled to herself. What a ridiculous blessing.

She quietly watched the two of them.

Once the gathering was settled, Lin Zhengran and Jiang Qian went to inform the teacher.

Hearing about the dinner, the homeroom teacher was delighted. "That sounds great! Let me finish my work for today, and I’ll join you all for dinner tonight!"

The restaurant they picked was a large barbecue place with two floors.

Coincidentally, Class 3-3, which included He Qing and her friends, had also chosen this restaurant for their gathering. However, their group was seated on the first floor, while Lin Zhengran’s class took the second-floor private room.

Lin Zhengran found out about this earlier in the afternoon when he called his three usual friends. Since both classes were planning gatherings, they figured they might as well meet at the same location.

Inside the spacious second-floor private room, students chatted and laughed while eating. Some students clinked glasses with the homeroom teacher, imitating adults with their toasts, talking about how they would miss everyone and hoped they could still meet up in the future.

Some girls even got emotional, crying uncontrollably, wiping away tears and snot as they talked about their memories.

The homeroom teacher, smiling gently, reminded everyone, "Drink in moderation tonight, and if you're a girl, try not to drink at all if you can."

At their table, Lin Zhengran sat with Jiang Qian and Fang Meng.

He drank beer, while the two girls originally had fruit juice.

However, when they saw that he had opened a bottle of beer, they both silently switched to alcohol as well.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, Lin Zhengran said, "I know you have money, but every time we collected class fees, you always contributed the most. As Class President, I can’t let you pay for everything. The teacher also just pulled me aside and insisted on covering part of the cost, so how about we just split it among the three of us? No more arguing."

Jiang Qian glanced at the teacher in the distance. Since Lin Zhengran had already said so, she could only agree.

Then, in her usual cool tone, she asked, "Are you signing up for a performance at the graduation ceremony? You and I are doing the student representative speeches, so technically, we’re supposed to perform too. But I noticed you haven’t signed up yet."

Lin Zhengran shrugged. "I haven’t decided what to do yet. I’ll just pick something random."

Jiang Qian cut him off, "Let’s do a piano duet. I’ll be your accompaniment this time."

He had no particular preference, so he agreed casually. "Alright. That actually fits nicely with how we started high school."

Jiang Qian smiled.

Fang Meng, sitting beside them, took a sip of her drink, feeling an unfamiliar twinge of discomfort in her chest.

Ever since their reconciliation a month ago, both Fang Meng and Jiang Qian had started seeing Lin Zhengran differently.

Fang Meng couldn’t deny that she had begun to care about him.

Though the past two months had been consumed by studying for the college entrance exam, leaving little time for conversation, Fang Meng found that her gaze would often drift toward Lin Zhengran whenever she looked up from her desk.

She didn’t know when exactly her feelings had changed—maybe when they sang together at the karaoke night, or maybe even earlier.

But one thing was clear—she was paying attention to him now.

Similarly, Jiang Qian had also started seeing Lin Zhengran differently.

After their reconciliation, Fang Meng had spent an evening carefully explaining his habits, his outlook on life, and his values.

That was when Jiang Qian finally understood the source of her curiosity about him.

She had already suspected it before, but now she was sure—Lin Zhengran was like a stronger version of herself.

If she had never gone through that painful experience in middle school, if she had grown up without being shaped by it, she might have turned out just like him—strong, confident, and unshaken by doubt.

She had always admired his self-assurance, his refusal to sacrifice his personal life just for ambition, and his ability to balance strength and ease.

Deep down, Jiang Qian envied that.

Because, in reality, she hadn’t been happy for a long time.

She longed to be free from her own obsessive nature—to be herself again, just like when she was a child.

Jiang Qian suddenly asked, "Have you finalized your university choice? Are you sure you won’t change your mind again?"

Lin Zhengran nodded, remembering their previous argument. "You and Fang Meng are still planning to go to Stanford, right? It’s a great school, especially for finance. Huge potential."

Jiang Qian didn’t reply.

Instead, she took a sip of her drink, eyes fixed on her glass, lost in thought.

She had once wanted to attend Stanford because it was the best finance school in the world.

But now, she wasn’t so sure if going there was the right choice anymore.

Suddenly, the private room door opened.

A small fox-like face peeked in.

"Is the Class President here?"

Lin Zhengran turned and saw that it was Han Wenwen. Smiling, he got up and walked over.

As he reached the door, he noticed that the other two troublemakers were also waiting outside.

He chuckled, "You three came upstairs? Your dinner’s over already?"

The three girls shook their heads.

He Qing, always the well-behaved one, said sweetly, "No, everyone downstairs is drinking, but we don’t drink, so we came up to see what you were up to."

Jiang Xueli asked curiously, "Zhengran, have you been drinking?"

Lin Zhengran nodded. "Just a little."

Jiang Qian and Fang Meng watched as Lin Zhengran laughed and chatted with the three girls at the door.

Their emotions were complicated.

The next day, Lin Zhengran had just finished compiling all the performance sign-ups and was about to submit them to the teacher.

Just then, a male classmate suddenly approached him nervously.

"Class President! I— I need your help with something!"

"...I like you!"

Lin Zhengran: "Huh?"