Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Behind the bushes near the school cafeteria, a group of mischievous girls from the class, including Jiang Lin, were chatting nervously.

“Jiang Xueli has been sticking with Lin Zhengran these past few days. Do you think they’ve found something out?” one girl asked.

“They shouldn’t have. How could they? No one was around when we put the phone in her desk,” another replied.

“There was no one, but Lin Zhengran is the top student in our class. I’m worried he might figure out it was us.”

“What should we do? I didn’t expect things to blow up this much. If the teacher finds out, we’ll all get in big trouble. Our parents will be called, and we might even get expelled!”

The more they discussed, the more panicked they became. For days, they had been restless over the situation.

Just around the corner outside the bushes, Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli were pressed against the wall, listening. Jiang Xueli held a recorder in her hand, her expression growing darker as she heard their conversation.

“These little brats! So it was them! I won’t let them off the hook!” Jiang Xueli growled through clenched teeth.

Lin Zhengran hushed her, motioning for silence, as the girls started mentioning Jiang Xiao.

Jiang Lin replied, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Actually, Jiang Xiao saw us when we were planting the phone. But she promised not to snitch and said she’d pretend she didn’t see anything. I didn’t think she’d turn around and accuse Jiang Xueli in class.”

“Well, it makes sense. Jiang Xiao likes Lin Zhengran, doesn’t she? She doesn’t like Jiang Xueli.”

Behind the corner, Jiang Xueli’s eyes widened. Her suspicions were spot on. Turning off the recorder, she whispered to Lin Zhengran, “Now everything’s clear, and we’ve got the evidence.”

Lin Zhengran smirked, “Your name’s about to be cleared. So, do you want to go straight to the teacher, or scare them a bit first? If you walk out there with the recorder now, I bet they’ll all start crying.”

Jiang Xueli clenched her fists, puffing up with anger. “Of course, I’m going to scare them! Even if we’re in the same class, this was too much bullying. I’m not letting this slide!”

Tossing her twin ponytails with confidence, Jiang Xueli stepped out from the corner, recorder in hand, and shouted, “Don’t you think you’ve gone too far?!”

Her voice startled the girls so much they froze in place, their faces pale with panic.

“Jiang... Jiang Xueli?! And Lin Zhengran?! What are you two doing here?”

Jiang Xueli held up the recorder. “What do you think? I’ve recorded everything you just said. You’re in for it now—get ready for the teacher to call your parents!”

Lin Zhengran stepped out as well, but before either of them could say anything else, over half the girls started bawling. They wailed apologies, sobbing about how they never thought things would go this far.

Jiang Lin, the ringleader, was the first to cry.

Lin Zhengran watched, speechless. Kids really can’t hold it together.

Of course, no amount of crying could undo the situation. The incident would inevitably be reported to the teacher. Whether or not Jiang Xueli forgave them would determine how severe the punishment would be.

Before reporting the incident, Jiang Xueli sought out Jiang Xiao alone.

“This has something and nothing to do with her,” she told Lin Zhengran. “I’ll handle this myself.”

Lin Zhengran shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m just here to help.”

When Jiang Xueli confronted Jiang Xiao, she revealed she already knew everything and even had the girls’ confession recorded. Jiang Xiao hung her head. Although she didn’t cry, her face was contorted with guilt and pain, as if she’d anticipated this outcome.

She said, “I knew I couldn’t keep this hidden. With Lin Zhengran helping you, he was bound to figure it out. I’m sorry.”

Jiang Xueli’s expression was cold. “It’s too late to apologize now. I’m going to ask the teacher to change our seats. We won’t be deskmates anymore.”

As she turned to leave, Jiang Xiao suddenly squatted down, covered her face, and began to cry. “Jiang Xueli, I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have done it! I don’t even know why I did it. I just... I hated seeing you two together.”

Jiang Xueli hesitated for a moment before speaking frankly. “Honestly... at first, Lin Zhengran and I weren’t even that close. If it weren’t for all this drama, we probably wouldn’t have spent so much time eating and chatting together.”

Jiang Xiao cried even harder.

With that, Jiang Xueli left. She didn’t realize how much more painful her words were than outright scolding.

That afternoon, Jiang Xueli, recorder in hand, marched into the homeroom teacher’s office with the group of girls, Jiang Xiao, and the class monitor. She laid out the entire situation.

The teacher, stunned by the revelation, scolded the girls harshly and summoned their parents, except for the class monitor’s. The office echoed with cries for the rest of the afternoon.

Afterward, the teacher apologized to Jiang Xueli privately. “I’m sorry, Jiang Xueli. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way in class. Your role as discipline officer will be reinstated. I’m truly sorry.”

Jiang Xueli smiled and nodded.

The next morning, Class 2-2 sat in their seats as the teacher addressed them sternly from the podium.

“After thorough investigation, it has been proven that Jiang Xueli was wrongfully accused in the recent theft case. She did not take the class monitor’s belongings or anyone’s money. I won’t name those who framed her, but you know who you are. It’s only because of Jiang Xueli’s forgiveness that this matter is resolved. But let this be a lesson to you all. If anything like this happens again, I won’t go easy on the culprits!”

The teacher’s voice rose as she lectured for another ten minutes. Although no names were mentioned, it was obvious who was at fault. Those who had accused Jiang Xueli looked visibly embarrassed.

The teacher concluded, “From today onward, Jiang Xueli will resume her role as discipline officer. I hope she continues to uphold her duties diligently. Let’s give her a round of applause!”

The class erupted in applause, growing louder and louder. Jiang Xueli, shy and flustered, sat in her seat, blushing.

With that, the week-long theft case was officially closed. Everything returned to normal. As kids often do, the class soon forgot about the incident entirely.

Jiang Xueli, however, remained the same. She diligently wrote names on the blackboard whenever students talked during class.

One mischievous boy teased, “Hey, Discipline Officer, do you really like Lin Zhengran? If I tell you I’m good friends with him, will you leave my name off the board?”

Blushing, Jiang Xueli retorted, “What nonsense are you talking about?! Who said I—” She paused, flustered, and changed her tone, “I’ll like whoever I want! What’s it to you? I’m putting your name at the top of the list!”

The class erupted into laughter, and the teasing intensified. “The Discipline Officer really likes Lin Zhengran! Look, she’s blushing!”

Frustrated and embarrassed, Jiang Xueli glanced at Lin Zhengran, who remained indifferent. This made her even angrier. Overwhelmed, she blurted out, “What does it matter to you?! So what if I do like him?! Anyone who teases me will have their name written on the board!”

The entire class fell silent, stunned. Even Jiang Xueli froze, realizing what she’d just said.