Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

"If you put it that way, I suppose you're right." Lin Zhengran's expression remained calm. "But she’s known me since kindergarten."

"You..." Jiang Xueli was momentarily speechless, then suddenly puffed up in frustration. She clenched her little fists, leaning forward like a plane about to take off. "Then what about me?! I’ve known you the longest!"

"Technically, you could also be considered a childhood friend. As for who knew me first, it's about the same. She was with me from small class through second grade, while you were from first to sixth grade."

The more Lin Zhengran explained, the angrier Jiang Xueli became. She puffed up her cheeks and raised her tiny fists, ready to hammer him. "You're so infuriating!"

Her punches, however, were completely harmless.

"What’s there to be angry about? There's no rule that says I can only have one childhood friend." Lin Zhengran effortlessly caught her flurry of phantom punches. "Besides, I'm just stating facts. You wouldn’t want me to lie to you, would you?"

"Well... that’s true. If you lied and I found out later, I’d be even angrier." She stopped punching but still clenched her eyes shut and yelled, "But something about this just feels wrong!"

She stared at Lin Zhengran, feeling both frustrated and strangely unsettled. In the end, she could only huff, flip her twin ponytails, and storm off.

Lin Zhengran stood there and called after her, "Walking so fast? You don’t need me to walk you home?"

"Alright, then. Walk carefully."

Jiang Xueli suddenly stopped in her tracks, gritting her teeth. Her tiny fists clenched even tighter as she turned around abruptly. "Come walk me home!"

"Huh? Didn’t you just say you didn’t need me to?"

"I never said that!" she huffed. "You always bully me, but now you’re suddenly listening so well?! If you want to walk me home, don’t let my words change your decision!"

Lin Zhengran wanted to say that he honestly didn’t care either way. He had only come downstairs to talk about singing practice.

Jiang Xueli knew that if she kept arguing, he might really just leave her behind. So instead, she walked right up to him, tilted her head, and looked up at him. "Big dummy, walk me home."

Lin Zhengran sighed as he met her gaze. These little girls are such a hassle...

After walking a very jealous Jiang Xueli home, Lin Zhengran returned to take his call.

The first thing He Qing asked was, "Who was just at your place? Was it... a girl?"

Lin Zhengran: "....."

That winter, the snowfall was heavier and came earlier than usual. Although Jiang Xueli had been grumbling ever since she learned about his other childhood friend, she was still very serious about learning to sing.

As the twelfth lunar month approached, Lin Zhengran planned to visit the mall to buy some materials for Jiang Xueli’s vocal training.

The snowflakes fell thickly as he walked along the still-thin layer of snow toward the mall.

At a street corner, he found himself walking the same path as a girl dressed in a down jacket, wearing skin-colored tights, and a scarf wrapped around her neck. A subtle jasmine fragrance wafted from her.

At first, Lin Zhengran paid her no mind. But then he noticed that she was walking at the exact same pace as him, just slightly ahead.

Her long, draped hair covered a scarf that reached down to her waist. It swayed with each step, resembling a fox’s tail.

After a while, the girl seemed to sense someone behind her and turned around.

It was then that Lin Zhengran realized—it wasn’t just the scarf that looked like a fox. She did too.

She had a delicate, oval-shaped face with striking features, especially her naturally seductive eyes. She looked just like a reincarnated fox spirit, incredibly distinct.

Because the mall was near the junior high school he was set to attend, Lin Zhengran was very familiar with the area. However, the "fox girl" seemed a bit lost.

She stopped at a bus stop, blinking her fox-like eyes in confusion. "Where’s First Middle School? It’s snowing so much that I can’t recognize the streets."

Lin Zhengran casually pointed. "Go straight to the end of that road."

She looked at him curiously and smiled. "Thanks, handsome."

After that, they went their separate ways.

At the mall, Lin Zhengran carefully selected the materials he needed. In the middle of shopping, he received a call from Jiang Xueli.

"Big dummy! You went shopping? Why didn’t you take me with you?"

Lin Zhengran continued browsing. "Why would I? I’ll just buy what I need and find you after. Be good and wait at home."

After purchasing everything, he was about to leave when—once again—he ran into the fox girl at the entrance.

She seemed to have just arrived.

Recognizing him, she nodded politely.

Lin Zhengran nodded back.

As they passed each other, she took out her phone and reported to her best friend:

"Hey, Qingqing? I went to check out First Middle School—it looks nice! I couldn’t go inside, but it’s so pretty!" She giggled as she listened to her friend’s response. "Okay, okay, I’ll take some pictures for you later. I’ll tell you all about the trip when I get back."

Since he had to take the bus home, Lin Zhengran walked to the stop. Buses in town only came once every half hour.

The snow was getting heavier, covering the entire town in a thick, white blanket. The bus stop was also piled with snow.

He stood alone at the stop for about ten minutes.

Then, someone else arrived.

It was a familiar face.

Han Wenwen, carrying her shopping bags, noticed the same boy she had now encountered for the third time. Even she tilted her head in slight confusion.

Lin Zhengran was just as puzzled.

They exchanged a brief, knowing smile and stood on opposite sides of the bus stop.

As he stared off into the distance, something clicked in his mind.

A fox...

Wasn't He Qing’s southern best friend also nicknamed "Little Fox"?

And wasn't her name... Wenwen?

But surely, it wasn’t this Wenwen.

On the other side, Han Wenwen scrolled through her phone, her fingers slightly pink from the cold.

After chatting with her best friend for a bit, she scrolled through her photos and found one from six months ago—taken during the Lianxin Festival.

They said that if you made a wish for love at the Lianxin Festival, your fated partner would appear within a year. Even if you weren’t together right away, you’d definitely meet in some unexpected way.

Han Wenwen smiled and sent pictures of the school to He Qing.

She had been curious all these months—how would her destined one show up?

A soft meow interrupted both their thoughts.

They turned around at the same time.

A small cat was stuck in the tree behind the bus stop, meowing pitifully from the cold.

Without speaking, they both instinctively stepped forward.

The tree was too tall and straight, and with the snow making it slippery, climbing was impossible.

"Can we get it down? It’ll freeze to death up there," Han Wenwen asked.

Lin Zhengran looked up at the trembling kitten. "Find a cardboard box. I’ll get something to stand on."

"Okay."

Both quickly gathered supplies.

Lin Zhengran set a broken chair under the tree while Han Wenwen held it steady. He lifted the box and called to the kitten.

Sensing their kindness, the kitten tried to jump into the box but slipped.

Luckily, Lin Zhengran caught it in time.

Han Wenwen let out a startled gasp.

Afterward, she crouched down and stroked the kitten’s head, grinning. "It’s not a stray—it has a collar."

"Then let’s wait. Maybe its owner will come looking."

She nodded.

Looking up, she smiled. "I’m Han Wenwen."

Lin Zhengran suddenly had a strange feeling.

"Lin Zhengran."

Han Wenwen blinked. "You’re a Lin?"

"Why?"

She tilted her head, fox-like eyes glimmering. "Oh, nothing. Nice name."

She continued petting the kitten, wondering—could the Lianxin Festival really be this accurate?

She smirked.

"If we’re meant to be, we’ll meet again."

Lin Zhengran thought, If you’re He Qing’s best friend, then we definitely will.

"Maybe."