Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Fang Meng could feel Qianqian’s excitement just from reading her texts.

She copied the brief conversation word for word and sent it to Jiang Qian.

Jiang Qian only replied with a simple "Mm" on WeChat.

But in reality, the Second Miss was already hugging her pillow under the covers, lost in daydreams.

"He really did ask me..."

After waiting all morning, she could finally drift into sleep, resting up to prepare for tonight’s piano practice with Lin Zhengran.

The afternoon passed quickly as everyone was focused on rehearsing.

Even Han Wenwen, who only had a few lines as a tree, was too busy to reminisce about the morning’s events, let alone find time to get close to Lin Zhengran.

Even Lin Zhengran found himself pausing outside the stadium to admire the night sky.

"So many stars."

At the end of the dark pathway, Jiang Qian approached with her long, sleek black hair, exuding a refined elegance.

Although the Second Miss was thrilled to see her crush—she had even taken a bath, applied a face mask, shaped her brows, and trimmed her nails before coming—her expression remained composed and indifferent, as if she didn’t care about anything.

"Class monitor, I’m here."

Lin Zhengran turned to look at her.

"You came? Fang Meng said you had something to do today. If you're busy, we don’t have to practice—it’s not like it makes much difference. I know your piano skills well enough. We can just do a quick run-through tomorrow morning."

Jiang Qian stopped in front of him, her heart racing, but her face remained unreadable.

"Still, tomorrow is graduation. It wouldn’t be right to be too casual about it, so even if I’m busy, I need to practice a few times."

Lin Zhengran turned and started walking.

"Is that so? Alright then, let’s go to the piano room."

Jiang Qian nodded and watched as he walked ahead, her face unreadable, though inside she was swooning.

"So handsome~ The way he turns is so handsome, his side profile is so handsome... Even the way he walks is handsome… Everything about him is handsome..."

Noticing she wasn’t following, Lin Zhengran turned back, puzzled.

"What’s wrong? Let’s go."

Jiang Qian snapped out of her daze and responded coolly.

"Alright."

His voice is so nice too…

I really have fallen for him. Before, I cared, but this feeling is completely different...

Inside the piano room, they each sat at separate pianos.

Practice went smoothly, just as expected. Jiang Qian couldn’t help but admire Lin Zhengran’s playing—his level still felt far beyond what a high school student should be capable of.

Lin Zhengran also commented, "You’ve improved again. You’re even better than before."

Jiang Qian stared at the piano, feeling warm inside at the compliment. But her voice remained cool and composed.

"You taught me some techniques before, and I’ve been working hard for the past two years. Of course, I had to improve."

"Shall we practice a few more times? Another ten minutes or so should be enough."

"Class monitor, I have something I want to ask you…"

"Hm?"

Jiang Qian blushed slightly, still looking at the piano.

"Before, when you helped me make up with Xiao Meng, I said I’d grant you one request. But now we’re about to go to college, and you still haven’t thought of one?"

Lin Zhengran hadn’t really given it much thought. His plan was to bring it up only if he actually needed something in the future. If not, he figured he’d just leave it be—it felt like a waste to ask for something random.

Besides, he and Jiang Jingshi were now business partners, so it wasn’t like he’d never see Jiang Qian again.

But Jiang Qian didn’t know what he was thinking. She simply added,

"Any request is fine. Whatever you ask, I should be able to agree to it. You can ask for anything—even the kind of request you mentioned last time is okay..."

Lin Zhengran raised an eyebrow. "Does it have to be now?"

Jiang Qian, her face still flushed, looked at him in confusion.

"Now? Use what? Use me? Is this… a confession? If it is, as your girlfriend, I guess I can let you ‘use’ me however you want."

Lin Zhengran froze. "How did this turn into a confession?! And what nonsense are you talking about... I meant, does this request have to be used now? Is there a deadline?"

Jiang Qian blinked, then shook her head. "No, there’s no deadline."

Lin Zhengran placed his hands on the piano keys again.

"Then I’ll keep it for now, since I haven’t decided yet. If I need it in the future, I’ll let you know. After all, it’s not like we won’t see each other again."

He had said it casually, but Jiang Qian, in a daze, mistook his words for something deeper—

That he didn’t want to be separated from her.

A soft redness bloomed in her usually cool and distant eyes.

She slowly nodded. "Mm… That’s true. It’s not like we won’t see each other again."

The piano music continued in the room.

Jiang Qian had never played accompaniment for anyone before—she had always performed solo.

But with Lin Zhengran, she found that she didn’t mind losing to him. In fact, being his accompanist felt… wonderful.

After all, who in this world could possibly outshine Lin Zhengran?

To her, no such person existed.

He was the best man in the world. No contest.

He would always be first.

And she… would always be the Second Miss.

The next day, the high school graduation ceremony took place as scheduled.

Everyone was dressed formally, taking photos and lining up to enter the packed stadium.

Each class had worked hard to prepare various performances, each more dazzling than the last.

But the highlight of the entire event was undeniably the piano duet by Lin Zhengran and Jiang Qian.

After all, no one could say exactly how many girls had a crush on Lin Zhengran, nor how many boys secretly liked Jiang Qian.

Han Wenwen, however, could tell just from the overwhelming applause when they stepped onto the stage.

Some of the more emotional girls even burst into tears the moment they saw Lin Zhengran.

Crying. Sniffling.

They weren’t just crying because of the performance—

They were mourning the fact that they would never again meet someone like Lin Zhengran in their lifetime.

Years later, when they were working and catching up with old friends, they might still say—

"You know, we had this guy in high school who was insanely handsome! I still remember his name—Lin Zhengran! Not only was he good-looking, but he was amazing at everything! If I’d had the guts back then, maybe I could have ended up with him! If I could go back in time, I swear I would’ve chased him!"

As Lin Zhengran and Jiang Qian performed, Jiang Xueli and Little He Qing sat together, clapping and watching the excited crowd.

Jiang Xueli mused, "Zhengran and Jiang Qian’s popularity is insane now. It wasn’t this extreme in our first year, but in three years, it’s skyrocketed. Their hype is on a completely different level from anyone else."

Little He Qing clasped her hands together. She wasn’t paying attention to anyone else—her eyes were locked solely on Lin Zhengran at the piano.

Just like when she had cheered for him in competitions as a child, today she was silently rooting for him again.

"Go, Lin Zhengran! Lin Zhengran is so handsome~ His playing is amazing!"

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

And after the graduation ceremony, a shy boy named Jiang Chengxin finally found the courage to confess to the girl he had liked for years—Fan Momo.

Hiding behind the stadium’s bushes, he pulled out two bouquets he had stashed earlier and nervously stammered,

"Momo, I... I like you... I’ve liked you for years. Will you be with me?"

Fan Momo, munching on a banana, looked stunned.

Blushing, she hesitated before saying,

"Xiao Xin, you’re confessing to me? I don’t want to lie to you… I’ve always seen you as my best friend. I actually like our class monitor, Lin Zhengran. I’ve liked him since our first year—for three whole years."

"What?! You like our class monitor?!"

"I thought you knew. I never say anything when people talk about whether he has a girlfriend. I always get jealous… In fact, I was planning to confess to him later."