Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

The southern town wasn’t rainy, but it was freezing cold.

Wrapped in a thick down jacket and a scarf, Han Wenwen made her way alone to the heart of the Lianxin Festival—the ancient tree.

Even though today wasn’t the festival itself, the area was still inhabited, and the tree remained decorated with colorful lights. A small guard post stood nearby, where an old man was on duty.

Han Wenwen approached and asked, "Grandpa, can I draw a token?"

The old man smiled at her question. "You're drawing a token for the New Year? Did you tie your red ribbon yet?"

She lifted the red ribbon she had prepared, decorated with colorful cloth, and tied with the same wish she had written back in elementary school. She was here today to see if the tree's blessing of a true destined partner was really accurate.

Under the old man’s supervision, she tied the ribbon to the tree and picked a new wooden token.

The old man chuckled. "This old tree is pretty accurate. The surname I drew back then turned out to be the exact same as my wife’s now."

Han Wenwen's eyes lit up. "Really? But I actually came here once before, years ago… I just forgot the surname on the token. So I wanted to check if it’s still the same. Do you think it’ll still be accurate?"

Han Wenwen looked down at the token in her hand, her warm breath puffing into the cold air as she read the carved character—"Lin".

Her pupils trembled slightly. Then, a smile slowly spread across her lips.

Looks like Lin Zhengran really is my true destined one.

…But Qingqing…

Han Wenwen shook her head, brushing the thought aside. She bid farewell to the old man and headed back to her uncle’s house.

—

The streets were glowing with lanterns, every house lively with celebration.

Her uncle’s home was no different—except this year, she was the only one there.

Her uncle had gone to spend the New Year with his girlfriend’s family, naturally not bringing Han Wenwen along.

Sitting on the steps alone, her face cupped in her hands, she stared at the wooden token in her palm and murmured to herself,

"Lin Zhengran really has too many fated romances, doesn’t he?"

Her stomach growled, breaking the silence. She got up, rummaged for food, and reminded herself, "Next year, I’ll have to figure out my own place to stay during break. If I keep staying here, my future aunt is definitely going to get annoyed."

—

At midnight, fireworks exploded into the sky, lighting up the dark with brilliant colors.

At the same time, Lin Zhengran’s phone buzzed three times.

One message from Jiang Xueli.

One from He Qing.

And one from Han Wenwen.

"Dumbass, Happy New Year!"

"Lin Zhengran, Happy New Year."

"Lin Zhengran, Happy New Year."

Lin Zhengran replied to all three at once.

—

Half a month later, the new semester began.

Han Wenwen and He Qing returned from the south, and the four of them were reunited again.

Perhaps because of the break, those two were finally a little less chaotic than before.

…Though they still weren’t exactly normal.

Han Wenwen continued her self-appointed duty as childhood friend monitor, making sure that in every group project, PE class, or any situation requiring pairs, she was firmly glued to Lin Zhengran’s side—keeping other girls from getting too close.

The two of them had also become more familiar with each other, and Han Wenwen seemed increasingly at ease around him.

One day, the teacher asked students to recite their assigned readings to each other.

Since Han Wenwen wasn’t great at studying, she completely blanked out.

Lin Zhengran, without mercy, raised his hand and reported, "Teacher, she didn’t memorize it."

During break, Han Wenwen puffed up her cheeks in frustration, glaring at him. "Lin Zhengran, you’re so heartless! You didn’t even try to cover for me! Any other guy would’ve kept quiet instead of snitching on me!"

Lin Zhengran remained indifferent. "What a shame, I’m not ‘any other guy.’" He glanced at her and added, "Besides, you’re not even a girl—you’re just a fox."

She tilted her chin up proudly. "Hmph!"

…A reaction she probably wouldn’t have had before.

—

Time passed quickly, and two months flew by in what felt like an instant.

Then, one day, their class had a mock exam.

Han Wenwen ranked near the bottom.

The homeroom teacher called her to the office for a serious talk, telling her that if she kept up these grades, she would have no chance of getting into high school.

Lin Zhengran happened to walk past the office at that moment.

Through the window, he saw Han Wenwen standing there, her expression seemingly unfazed.

But having far more life experience than his peers, Lin Zhengran could see it—she wasn’t nearly as cheerful as she looked.

She was hiding something deeper inside.

—

That same day, during PE class, Han Wenwen sat by the metal fence, her school jacket draped over her bent legs as she secretly played on her phone.

Lin Zhengran looked ahead and remarked, "That dumb girl finally stopped pulling stunts on me. I’m guessing you just ran out of ideas for her, huh?"

Han Wenwen froze for a second, then gave him a sheepish smile. "Lin Zhengran, how do you always figure these things out?"

Lin Zhengran rolled his eyes. "Come on. Anyone could tell those ridiculous schemes weren’t her idea. If they were, she wouldn’t be acting so bizarre all the time—her brain and her actions never matched."

Han Wenwen sighed, setting her phone aside. "I really thought all my plans would help Qingqing make some progress with you… Even just holding hands would’ve been nice. But it looks like it backfired. She told me you’ve been scolding her more than ever lately. Guess I just made things worse."

Lin Zhengran didn’t bother commenting.

They both sat there, watching the green field as students ran and played.

Suddenly, Han Wenwen murmured, "School life is really nice, huh?"

She rested her chin on her knees. "When I was younger, I hated school. It always felt suffocating. But after I met Qingqing, I finally realized school could actually be fun. She was my first friend."

Lin Zhengran glanced at her. "Why are you suddenly getting all sentimental?"

Han Wenwen gave him a mischievous smile. "Well, since I’m basically your ‘rumored girlfriend,’ I figured I should at least guess what’s on your mind. Like right now, for example…"

She struck a sultry pose, her fox-like eyes twinkling. "I bet you’re thinking, ‘What the hell is this fox up to now?’ So, I figured I’d just answer you directly~"

Lin Zhengran snorted.

Then, Han Wenwen hugged her knees, speaking in a half-joking, half-serious tone. "Honestly, with my grades, I probably won’t be able to get into high school. That’s why I wanted to use this last year to help you two get together."

She looked out at the school, her voice softening. "Because after middle school, I probably won’t see Qingqing anymore…" She hesitated for a moment, then added quietly, "…And I probably won’t see you again either, Lin Zhengran."

"Wenwen? What did you just say?!"

Behind the fence, He Qing had arrived, overhearing her words.

She froze in place.

Han Wenwen’s body stiffened. She turned around in a panic, worried He Qing had caught the real meaning behind her words.

"Qingqing?"