Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 118: Jiang Xueli Confesses Her True Feelings

Jiang Xueli returned home with the medicine she had bought. Her parents weren’t off for the National Day holiday, so as usual, she was home alone.

She saw the note and some pocket money her mom had left on the coffee table.

As always, she set her bag down and was about to take a shower first thing after getting home.

After all, Lin Zhengran was coming over soon.

But the pain in her abdomen made it hard to even think about bathing.

She hesitated in front of the bathroom door, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

In the end, her willpower won over the discomfort.

"I should still take a shower. I’ll smell nicer and look better afterward. Every moment alone with him is precious."

"Besides, it’s just period cramps. A bath shouldn’t make it worse." She comforted herself, warming up a kettle of water and taking the "Yuanhu Pain Relief Pills" prescribed by the doctor.

Then, she finally headed to the bathroom.

She took off her coat, removed the hair ties from her twin ponytails, and let her long hair cascade over her shoulders.

Barefoot, she walked into the bathroom, let the hot water run for a moment, and then closed the door.

The doctor had told her to keep a positive mindset and not dwell on unhappy thoughts.

But how could she help it?

As she bathed, all she could think about was He Qing holding Lin Zhengran’s hands that morning, blowing warm breath onto his palms.

She frowned.

"Zhengran… big idiot."

Another wave of pain hit her, making her crouch down to clutch her abdomen.

After a quick rinse, she smartly placed the house key under the doormat so she wouldn’t have to get out of bed to let that big idiot in. Then, she climbed into bed to rest.

—

Meanwhile, Lin Zhengran had nothing pressing to do after returning home.

He showered, had breakfast, and double-checked the competition’s date and location to ensure there were no changes.

Once everything was confirmed, he headed to Jiang Xueli’s house.

When he arrived, he knocked on the door.

No answer.

Jiang Xueli, curled up in bed, heard the knocking and called Lin Zhengran.

When he picked up, she explained, "Hey, Zhengran? The key’s under the doormat. Let yourself in."

"Under the doormat? Aren’t you home? Why’d you put it there?"

"I… I’ve got a stomachache and don’t feel like getting up. But…" She didn’t want him to leave. "I’ll be fine after a bit. I can still practice singing."

"Stomachache?"

Lin Zhengran found the key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

The first thing he noticed was her bag and clothes casually tossed onto the sofa. He recalled how she had already been feeling unwell on the bus earlier.

So, he went straight to her bedroom.

Opening the door, he saw Jiang Xueli lying on the bed, her long hair spread out, clutching her stomach.

The usual feisty and proud girl looked unusually frail today.

Her eyebrows were furrowed slightly, her lips a little pale, yet she still looked as stunning as ever.

When she saw him enter, she mustered up a smile despite her discomfort.

"Zhengran, you’re here? Take a seat. My stomach hurts, but I just need a little time to recover. It’s not urgent. We can still talk about the competition while I rest."

She gritted her teeth through the pain, but a thin layer of sweat had already formed on her forehead.

Lin Zhengran sat on the edge of her bed. "Forget the competition for now. What’s going on with you? Did you see a doctor?"

Jiang Xueli, despite acting tough, was just like any other girl—whenever the guy she liked showed concern for her, it made her feel instantly better.

But this morning’s events still weighed on her, making it hard to express herself.

"Yeah… I saw a doctor. They said it’s just…" She hesitated, feeling embarrassed. "Period cramps. Nothing serious, just a minor issue."

"Period cramps?"

Jiang Xueli lowered her voice. "What? I’m a girl, you know. Lots of people get them—it’s not a big deal."

Seeing how weak she looked, Lin Zhengran got up, planning to go buy something for her.

But before he could even take a step, Jiang Xueli instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"Zhengran, where are you going?! Don’t leave! I can practice singing today!"

She panicked, forcing a grin. "See? My stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. Look, I’ll sit up right now!"

She tried to push herself up with her arms, but the moment she sat up, the pain intensified.

On top of that, a cool draft hit her skin—

The blanket covering her slipped down, revealing her smooth, bare shoulder.

She turned her head and—

Oh no.

In her rush to lie down earlier, she had completely forgotten…

She hadn’t put on any clothes after her shower.

She was completely bare beneath the blanket.

"AHH!"

Jiang Xueli’s face turned beet red as she yanked the blanket up to cover herself.

"Don’t look!" she shrieked. "How could I forget—"

Then, she realized her clothes were still at the bathroom door.

Her face burned even more.

But before she could dwell on that, another sharp pain hit her abdomen, making her clutch her stomach again.

Now she was flustered and in pain.

Lin Zhengran had no idea what she was doing, flailing around like some sort of lion dance performance.

Without a word, he leaned over and tucked the blanket securely around her.

Jiang Xueli shut her eyes tightly, panicking. "W-What are you doing?! Don’t come any closer! I may not be able to fight back right now, but I will get mad! And when I’m mad, I’m really scary! I’ll definitely hold you accountable!"

Lin Zhengran flicked her forehead.

"Shut up."

She winced from the light pain, finally calming down.

He sighed. "Why are you acting so weird while feeling unwell? Just lie down and rest. Have you eaten?"

She peeked at him from under the blanket. "No… I wasn’t in the mood to eat. And why’d you flick my forehead?"

Lin Zhengran sighed again. "Did you at least take your medicine? Painkillers?"

"Yeah, I did…"

"Unbelievable. You took medicine but didn’t eat? You do know that an empty stomach makes cramps worse, right? And taking painkillers on an empty stomach? Really smart move. Now lie down properly!"

Jiang Xueli, intimidated by his stern tone, didn’t dare talk back. She obediently curled up under the blanket.

Lin Zhengran stood up. "I’m going to buy you some warm food. Stay in bed and wait for me."

"Oh…"

Just as he reached the door, Jiang Xueli anxiously called out, "Zhengran… You’re not going to leave me behind, are you?"

Lin Zhengran turned back. "What do you think? When have I ever abandoned you? If I wanted to leave, I wouldn’t make up an excuse—I’d just say so directly. Now stay put."

With that, he stepped out of the room, checked the fridge—nothing useful—then headed out.

Jiang Xueli lay in bed, blankly staring at the door.

She listened to him leave, repeating his words in her mind.

I believe he won’t abandon me… but then why did I see him and He Qing being so close this morning…?

Lin Zhengran went to the store, buying brown sugar, red dates, and lemons.

Then, he stopped by a food stall to get millet porridge and steamed buns.

When he returned, he checked on her first.

"Still hurting?"

Jiang Xueli saw him and immediately felt better. She nodded slightly. "A little… What did you buy?"

"You’ll see in a bit."

Lin Zhengran closed the bedroom door behind him and headed to the kitchen.

Even though he hadn’t dated in his past life, he had read way too many random books.

Besides, while he wasn’t exactly popular with the guys in this life—thanks to a certain trio of clingy girls—he actually had quite a few good friends in his past life.

He particularly remembered one "big warm guy" from his college dorm.

That dude used to go on and on about how he spoiled his girlfriend—cooking her brown sugar water, giving her massages, warming up her hands and feet, even rubbing her stomach when she had cramps.

Nobody cared about those details, but he repeated them so often that Lin Zhengran and his other roommates ended up memorizing them anyway.

Now, relying on those leftover memories and a quick online search for a proper recipe, Lin Zhengran spent the next while messing around in the kitchen.

Eventually, he successfully made a fresh pot of brown sugar water.

He took a sip himself—tasted decent.

Satisfied, he poured some into a cup, grabbed the breakfast he’d bought, and carried everything to Jiang Xueli’s bedroom.

—

Jiang Xueli looked up as he walked in, spotting the cup in his hand.

She had heard him doing something outside earlier, but she hadn’t expected this.

"Brown sugar water? You bought it?"

"Where would I even buy this? Brown sugar is sold, sure, but just dissolving it in water isn’t as effective. So, I made it myself in the kitchen."

"You… made it yourself?" Jiang Xueli stared at him, utterly stunned. Her face turned bright red.

She had no idea how much of an emotional nuke this act of kindness was to a girl in her condition.

"You actually know how to make this? Isn’t it a hassle?"

"It’s pretty simple." He sat on the bed and asked, "Can you sit up?"

"Yeah."

This time, she carefully adjusted the blanket to cover herself as she sat up.

Her gaze lingered on him as he blew on the hot drink, hesitating before she mumbled, "Where’d you learn this? Don’t tell me… He—"

"I just looked it up," Lin Zhengran cut her off. "I’ve never made it before, but it’s easy enough to learn."

Jiang Xueli blinked.

So… I was wrong?

Lin Zhengran blew on the drink again. "Try a sip."

She was still lost in thought, staring blankly.

"What’s wrong?" he asked.

Jiang Xueli snapped out of it and quickly shook her head. "N-Nothing! I was just… wondering if He Qing gets cramps too."

Lin Zhengran instantly understood.

She thought he had learned this because he’d made it for He Qing before?

He flicked her forehead.

"Ouch!"

"I just said I learned it today! Are you deaf? And He Qing doesn’t get cramps. Do you think I’d go out of my way to learn this if I didn’t see you suffering?"

Jiang Xueli’s eyes widened, and for once, she was completely speechless.

Her face flushed as she lowered her head. "So… you learned it just for me?"

Lin Zhengran sighed, shoving the cup toward her. "I don’t feel like explaining anymore. I’ll hold it for you—just drink it already."

Jiang Xueli reached out. "I can hold it myself!"

But the second she moved, her blanket slipped again.

Flustered, she grabbed it back up, her face burning.

Lin Zhengran was so done. "Just hurry up. I’ll hold it for you. Stop making this so complicated."

"I-I’m not!" she stammered. "It’s just… you’re being way too nice today. It’s embarrassing…"

She peeked up at him. "I’m drinking, okay?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Jiang Xueli slowly brought her lips to the rim of the cup and took a small sip.

She licked her lips, savoring the taste. "It’s really sweet… and there’s even red dates and lemon in it? You actually put in this much effort?"

"Since I was making it anyway, I figured I’d do it properly," Lin Zhengran said. "Drink some more, then eat your breakfast."

"Oh… okay."

She took another sip, but it was still too hot. Lin Zhengran blew on it for her.

"Try again."

That simple action hit her way harder than she expected.

She obediently took another sip.

Then nodded. "Okay, I think I’m ready to eat now."

Satisfied, Lin Zhengran set the cup aside and handed her the breakfast and porridge.

Maybe it was her improved mood, the medicine, or the brown sugar water, but her cramps actually felt a lot better.

She finally calmed down enough to properly adjust her blanket before reaching out. "I’ll feed myself."

Lin Zhengran handed her the food.

"Thanks," she murmured before taking small bites.

All the while, her bright, proud eyes occasionally snuck glances at him.

Whenever he looked back, she quickly averted her gaze, pretending nothing had happened.

Once she finished, he asked, "Feeling better now?"

"Much better."

Then, she blushed again and mumbled, "But… how do you know so much about girls’ issues? If He Qing doesn’t get cramps, then how did you know that not eating makes them worse…?"

"What does He Qing have to do with this?"

"Ah—no! I mean—um…"

Lin Zhengran narrowed his eyes.

"You saw what happened at the school gate this morning, didn’t you? That’s why you keep bringing up He Qing."

Jiang Xueli hugged the blanket tighter and hesitated.

Then, she slowly nodded.

"Yeah… I saw it all. But I wasn’t spying!" she clarified quickly. "I just happened to be there a few minutes early, and then I saw her holding your hands… warming up my boyfriend’s hands."

Jiang Xueli suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

"...Actually, you’re right. We’ve been together for two weeks now, but I feel like we haven’t really spent any time alone together… Maybe you think dating me is boring. That’s why… you cheated… That’s why you want to break up with me and be with someone else."

"Huh? Be with someone else?"

"Huh, what huh?"

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Jiang Xueli lifted her head to glare at Lin Zhengran. Normally, she’d be throwing a fit by now, but since he had just taken care of her, she couldn’t even get mad properly.

Not that she ever could bring herself to be truly angry with him.

"You never lie to me! Are you seriously not going to admit what happened this morning?! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"I mean… yeah, it did happen."

Jiang Xueli bit her lip, feeling wronged. She shut her eyes tightly and huffed.

"Then there you have it! You do want to break up with me! You want to be with He Qing instead!"

She clenched her blanket, voice trembling.

"I hate this. We just got together. We haven’t even done anything yet—no, actually, we haven’t had time to do anything at all! And now you’re just… throwing me away!"

Hugging the blanket tightly, she buried herself in it, as if accepting reality—but in truth, she couldn’t accept it.

The proud tsundere facade crumbled.

"Fine, whatever. If we’re breaking up, we’re breaking up."

Her voice wavered, but she forced herself to sound strong.

"Even if you don’t want me anymore… I still like you. I’ve liked you since forever. Since elementary school, when the whole class doubted me, but you believed in me… that’s when I fell for you."

Her voice softened.

"Every morning, the thing I looked forward to the most was seeing you. I’d try to find excuses just to talk to you more.

"I know I’m stubborn. I know I don’t always say what I mean. But that’s just because I get shy."

As she spoke, her nose tingled, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"I don’t know how other girls can be so bold with their feelings. Every time I want to say I miss you, I just… I can’t. And even when I do say it, I end up contradicting myself right after…

"That’s why I always give other people a chance to butt in.

"I don’t want to be a tsundere! I’ve been trying to change ever since high school, but… this is just who I am."

She sniffled, hugging her knees.

"I hate being a tsundere. Who would like being like this?! Always arguing with the person they like, always pretending they don’t care… always making them mad…"

"But the truth is—I really like you."

Jiang Xueli reached out for tissues, but couldn’t find any.

Lin Zhengran wordlessly handed her one.

She took it and even remembered to say, "Thanks," before continuing her rant.

"...I know this probably isn’t very attractive, but even if you do dump me, my heart is still full of you, you idiot!

"I don’t even look at other guys. I can’t fit anyone else in my heart anymore."

She wiped her eyes, then—just to vent some frustration—gently kicked Lin Zhengran under the blanket.

She completely missed the curious look on his face.

"I mean, it’s not like I’m saying all this to make you change your mind or anything," she huffed.

"It’s just… I should’ve told you all of this a long time ago. Might as well get it all out today."

Tears clung to her lashes as she choked out her final words.

"I really like you.

"And when I said before that if you couldn’t find a girlfriend, I’d marry you… that was a lie.

"You’re way too popular with girls. There’s no way you wouldn’t be able to find a girlfriend.

"I just wanted an excuse to marry you. That part was real."

She lowered her head.

"...That’s it. I’ve said everything.

"Whatever you say next, I’ll accept. Go ahead."

Her lips quivered again.

She tried to sound accepting, but her tears were already spilling over again.

"Even if you say you don’t want me anymore, I… I’ll still accept it… even though I really don’t want to… wahhh…"

—

Lin Zhengran stared at her, speechless.

This was… probably the longest, most heartfelt speech she had ever given him.

"You seriously think I don’t want you anymore?" He sighed.

"How many times have I told you before? I don’t just leave people. So of course, you’re still mine."

"…Wahhh—huh?"

Jiang Xueli had been mid-sob when his words registered.

She blinked, confused.

Wait… what?

She had braced herself for the worst, but he was keeping her?!

She quickly wiped her tears. "Then… what about He Qing?"

Lin Zhengran answered casually, "Oh, He Qing? She’s mine too, of course. I’m not letting go of either of you."

"…What?!"