Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

“Just send it! Send it already!” She shouted after typing the message, her finger hovering over the send button.

Jiang Xueli walked to the sink and filled it with hot water, then removed the hair ties from her twin ponytails, placing them beside her phone.

The screen still displayed her chat with Lin Zhengran.

However, the message in the input box—"Lin Zhengran, today is my birthday..."—remained unsent.

With her long hair draped over her shoulders, Jiang Xueli gazed at her own weary, lifeless reflection in the mirror and sighed. “No wonder that idiot always says I yell too much. Maybe he’s not entirely wrong… What the hell am I even doing?”

She washed her hair and dried it off.

While blow-drying, she suddenly got the idea to tie her waist-length hair into a single ponytail.

Placing her hands together in front of her, she imitated the demeanor of a pure-hearted girl.

Blushing, she looked at the mirror as if it were a certain someone. “I-I… idiot… today is my b-birthday…” She closed her eyes and muttered against her own will, “Not that I absolutely have to spend it with you, but I just so happened to pick up two movie tickets!”

She tied her hair back into twin ponytails, deciding that a single ponytail didn’t suit her. Once she finished blow-drying, she sat on the couch, opened her phone again, and searched for a phrase she had looked up years ago.

“What does ‘tsundere’ mean?”

Baidu’s answer remained unchanged: “An ancient god!”

Back then, Jiang Xueli had ignored the words “ancient times” and only saw “god,” thinking it was high praise. But now, she suddenly became curious—why was tsundere referred to as an ancient god?

She searched again: “Why is tsundere called an ancient god?”

Baidu’s response:

"Why is tsundere called an ancient god? Because in the past, the tsundere personality was highly favored. A girl’s push-and-pull, her shy yet stubborn attitude, were all considered adorable traits to boys. However, this personality has a fatal flaw: if taken to the extreme, a tsundere will never be able to take the first step or speak their true feelings. This leaves an opening for others to swoop in, leading to only one possible ending—missing their chance, growing apart, and ultimately watching the one they love end up with someone else."

Jiang Xueli’s tired eyes suddenly widened at the explanation, especially at the word “separation.”

Her pupils trembled. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from staying up all night, but she suddenly saw flashes of scenes that had never actually happened in real life.

In her mind, Lin Zhengran and He Qing were playing around, growing up together, hugging, kissing, moving in together. And as they grew closer, her hesitation would only push her further away. In the end, she would be sitting in the audience at their wedding, staring blankly as they exchanged vows.

“Congratulations to the newlyweds!”

A loud cheer erupted from outside the apartment complex.

Jiang Xueli snapped out of her daze, jolting up in terror. Her vision blurred, and when she wiped her eyes, she realized tears had fallen.

She rushed to the balcony, looking toward the source of the cheers.

It turned out that a newlywed couple in her neighborhood was receiving well wishes from their friends.

Her teary eyes fixated on the happy couple.

For a moment, in her daze, she saw them as the future Lin Zhengran and He Qing. She opened her mouth, about to call out—

“Idiot… don’t…”

Reality snapped back into focus. Jiang Xueli stared at the unfamiliar newlyweds below, slowly clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth, her gaze firming with determination.

It was as if she had made a decision. She turned and ran out of the house.

Her lively twin ponytails seemed to sense their owner's emotions, bouncing anxiously with every step as she rushed downstairs.

While running, Jiang Xueli pulled out her phone, found Lin Zhengran’s number, and called him without hesitation.

The call connected quickly.

Lin Zhengran, sounding bored, answered, “Huh? What’s up?”

Jiang Xueli shouted, “Idiot! You’re home, right? Come downstairs now, I need to talk to you!”

“What? I just got back from the supermarket. I was just about to—”

“I’m coming to you! Don’t go home yet, wait for me downstairs!” she cut him off.

She hung up and sprinted toward Lin Zhengran’s place. The images from earlier burned vividly in her mind.

As if that was truly the ending that awaited her hesitation.

Jiang Xueli wiped away her tears as she ran, her eyes growing even more determined.

Idiot, even if we end up apart, at the very least, I need to hear you say you don’t like me with your own mouth. I won’t just hand you over to someone else like this.

Crossing the intersection, Lin Zhengran stood at the entrance of the apartment complex, holding his groceries.

Seeing Jiang Xueli running toward him, panting heavily, he asked curiously, “What’s with the rush? What’s so urgent?”

The moment Jiang Xueli saw Lin Zhengran, she suddenly felt half her anxiety ease.

Her steps slowed. Hiding the movie tickets behind her back, she tried to steady her breathing and walked up to him.

Lin Zhengran asked again, “So? What’s up?”

Jiang Xueli’s face was flushed. Her tsundere nature fought against her instincts. She knew Lin Zhengran well—if she simply handed him the tickets, he probably wouldn’t go with her. He hated doing things he found boring, and this was exactly why she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

But…

“I-I-IDIOT!” she suddenly shouted, making Lin Zhengran jump in surprise. She stretched out her arm, eyes shut tight, her mind going blank.

“C-Could you go watch a movie with me?!”

She said it.

Even she was shocked by her own boldness. When she calmed down and opened her eyes, she felt utterly humiliated by Lin Zhengran’s stunned expression.

She quickly hid the movie tickets behind her back, turned her head away, and felt like she could never show her face again. Her cheeks were burning.

“I-I mean… I just happened to find these two tickets in the trash… It’d be a waste not to use them.”

She forced a laugh, trying to play it off, her fingers nervously clutching the tickets.

“But, honestly, wasting them wouldn’t be a big deal either. It’s just some crappy romance movie. Even elementary schoolers wouldn’t watch something like this anymore, so whether we go or not, it’s not real—”

She froze.

She stopped mid-sentence, looking back at Lin Zhengran. Her voice softened.

“…Would you go with me? I know you probably won’t agree, though.”

Lin Zhengran’s shocked expression turned neutral. He exhaled and took the tickets from her hand.

“That’s what this is about? You made such a big fuss over something so small?”

“…Huh?” Jiang Xueli was dumbfounded.

“S-S-Small?!” She stammered, feeling utterly insulted. She clenched her fists and leaned forward in rage.

“Small?! Do you have any idea how much courage it took for me to ask this?! You idiot! You pighead! How can someone like you even have girls liking you?! Even if you don’t want to go with me, you don’t have to—”

“I can go with you,” Lin Zhengran interrupted.

A car drove past.

Jiang Xueli froze mid-rant, staring at him blankly. “…What did you say?”

Lin Zhengran spoke softly, “I said, I can go with you. Today’s your birthday, right? Watching a movie with you isn’t a big deal. Consider it half of my birthday gift to you.”