Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 264: I Confess Everything

Lin Zhengran finished washing his hands and led Jiang Xueli to the public restroom.

Jiang Xueli walked slowly beside him, hands clasped behind her back, deep in thought about how to bring it up.

She’d sounded pretty confident earlier during the girls’ discussion, saying “Seven? No way!” like it was nothing. But now that she was in the real situation—she was trembling.

Still… even if she didn’t know how to start, she had to say something. Seven girlfriends? That’s just insane.

Ultimate playboy.

They stopped in front of the restroom.

Lin Zhengran looked at her. Jiang Xueli was still lost in thought.

“We’re here. You gonna go in or not?” he asked, curious.

Jiang Xueli snapped back. “The restroom? Oh—right! I’ll go now!”

She ran into the women’s restroom and called back, “Wait for me, Zhengran, just a few minutes!”

After doing her business quickly inside, she stepped out—only to see a girl in a super short skirt chatting Lin Zhengran up.

“Hey handsome, can I get your contact info? You’re so good-looking.”

Jiang Xueli freaked out and rushed over, waving her little fists. “He has a girlfriend! Why would he give you his contact info?! Not happening!”

Lin Zhengran looked at Jiang Xueli, amused by her flustered reaction, and nodded. “Sorry, I do have a girlfriend.”

The girls trying to hit on him looked awkward and left, a bit disappointed.

“Sorry about that…”

Lin Zhengran turned back to Lili. “You done?”

Jiang Xueli gritted her teeth. “Why do girls always swarm around you, you big dummy? This has happened so many times since we were kids!”

“Can you blame me? I didn’t approach them.”

That only made her angrier. “You want to approach them?! Three girlfriends isn’t enough for you?!”

She caught him looking at her with curious eyes and instantly got shy. “I mean—normal guys just have one girlfriend. You’re already way too flirty. That’s enough, tone it down a bit.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

Jiang Xueli gave him a doubtful look—Does he really get it? Didn’t seem like it.

Lin Zhengran said, “Let’s go back? We’ve eaten, time to rest a little.”

Jiang Xueli thought to herself, We’re supposed to be on a three-hour date. Even if she couldn’t get all romantic, holding hands or hugging was fair game. So she tucked her hands behind her back again.

“Wh-what’s the rush? I ate too much just now. I want to walk it off a little. Walk with me? Didn’t you say there’s a little stream up that way? Take me there.”

Without a word, Lin Zhengran turned and started walking.

After a few steps, he noticed she hadn’t caught up. “Let’s go. What are you spacing out for?”

Jiang Xueli hurried after him. “Wait up!”

They followed the trail up the mountain from the campsite. After the rain, the forest was fresh and vibrant, a sea of green wherever you looked.

Jiang Xueli’s steps were light as she bounced along, her twin ponytails swinging with every hop.

She looked like a little spore.

Suddenly, Lin Zhengran asked, “Did your body feel sore when you got up this morning?”

Hearing that, Lili immediately realized what he meant. She covered her butt with both hands, flustered. “N-nope. Actually, I felt lighter than usual. Better than I normally do. Not sure why though.”

Lin Zhengran figured it was the effect of her energy stats.

It seemed that every time they did stuff, the girls’ stamina recovered a bit—

Maybe it even had beauty-enhancing effects.

Jiang Xueli noticed he stopped talking and mumbled softly, “You were the one who carried me back to the lodge last night, right? I... I dreamt about you.”

“What kind of dream?”

She mumbled something incoherent.

Even Lin Zhengran didn’t hear it clearly. “Huh?”

Lili lowered her head, her voice filled with embarrassment. “A... spicy dream.”

Lin Zhengran raised his brows, then chuckled. “Really? A spicy dream still counts as a sweet dream.”

Lili had no comeback for that, but truthfully... it was a pretty nice dream.

They finally arrived at the upper stream. Surprisingly, there were no other tourists around.

There was a sign nearby saying outdoor cooking was prohibited, so people just passed through without staying.

Plus, the stream really was just a stream—clear and pretty, flowing gently down the mountain. It was clean but nothing special.

Jiang Xueli bit her lip. “I saw a segment in an interview once… said a couple’s first experience really matters to their relationship. I… I felt really good last night. What about you, Zhengran? How did you feel?”

Lin Zhengran looked curiously at the tsundere girl.

She didn’t meet his gaze—being stared at like that made her feel absolutely mortified. She turned her head. “Why are you staring at me like that?! What do you mean?!”

“Nothing. Last night felt really nice. You were even tastier than I expected, Lili.”

She gave a tiny “hmph,” but inside, she was thrilled.

Lin Zhengran looked around and spotted an interesting spot.

“We’ve seen this already—let’s check out somewhere else.”

“Okay.”

They reached a grassy slope on the mountain. Lin Zhengran sat down, leaning against a tree.

“This is nice.” He asked, “You keep bringing up last night—what, didn’t get enough?”

Her face turned bright red. “No way! If it wasn’t enough, I wouldn’t still be talking about it. I am talking about it because it was... too good.” She couldn’t finish.

She was still clinging to the feeling.

Lin Zhengran knew there was no one else nearby. He could hear everything clearly.

He patted the ground in front of him. “Come sit.”

Jiang Xueli froze. After a moment of hesitation, she obediently sat on Lin Zhengran’s lap.

He reminded her, “Not facing me—sit with your back to me. How else are you gonna enjoy the view?”

“Huh? Oh…” She had no idea what he was up to.

But honestly, what view could beat Zhengran’s face?

Still, she sat with her back against him, nestled in his arms.

A breeze rustled their hair. Jiang Xueli gently held Lin Zhengran’s hand.

Lin Zhengran said, “Last night, we didn’t get much cuddling time with everything going on. Think of this as a makeup cuddle.”

“We did cuddle a little… you don’t have to make it up.”

He looked down at her.

Jiang Xueli’s bright eyes fluttered, understanding what he meant. But she’d promised He Qing and Wenwen not to go beyond hugging.

Otherwise, she’d be facing the ice bucket punishment.

Still… she was just about to kiss him when—

Lin Zhengran cut in, “You came to talk to me alone. What is it you wanted to say?”

She froze. Wait... does he know?! No way…

“N-nothing really. I just wanted you to walk with me…”

Why didn’t I just say it? Why did I lie instinctively?

“Really?” He raised a brow. “Repeat after me: Jiang Xueli is a dummy.”

“Why would I say something like that?!” But seeing his serious expression, she bit her lip, flustered and embarrassed. “Jiang Xueli is a dummy…”

“Louder. Who’s gonna hear you with that tiny voice?”

She lowered her head, face red. “Jiang Xueli is a dummy!”

“Keep going. Jiang Xueli is a little dog.”

Jiang Xueli wanted to crawl into a hole. “I’m a little dog…” Her eyes welled up. “I’m sorry, Zhengran! I won’t lie anymore, okay?! I’ll tell you everything!”

Just three sentences and she folded.

Jiang Xueli sold out her besties on the spot, laying out the entire plan in detail.

Call me a traitor if you want, but it’s Zhengran we’re talking about! What could I do?!

Lin Zhengran knew she wasn’t lying this time and said deliberately, “So that’s what this is about.”

“Yeah…”

He asked, “So, Lili, you think seven is too many?”

Jiang Xueli looked terrified—Zhengran was too scary when he was like this.

“I-I didn’t say that. Maybe it’s just… a tiny bit too many. Just a little! But Zhengran… you really want seven girlfriends?”

Lin Zhengran replied, “Didn’t I already say? Seven is just the upper limit. Doesn’t mean I will have that many. But I definitely won’t go over.”

“Okay… Well, it’s not like you’ve only been flirty for a day or two. There are seven days in a week, right? You should leave one day to rest, yeah? Six’s already a lot. If you really don’t want a rest day, I’ll go on two dates a week with you, how about that?”

Lin Zhengran couldn’t help but laugh.

“Tempting.”

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him, hoping he wouldn’t be mad anymore. But Lin Zhengran asked, “Didn’t you make a deal with the other two? No intimacy, or it’s an ice bucket punishment?”

Jiang Xueli sighed. “Yeah, but what can I do? I lied just now and felt like you were upset—I have to make it up to you, right? Besides, we’re going to the hot spring after this anyway. So if I get dumped with ice water, I’ll just soak right after.”

She leaned in and kissed Lin Zhengran on the lips. “Don’t be mad, okay? Just this once, alright?”

The two kissed slowly. Jiang Xueli turned around and straddled him,

Getting all close and snuggly.

As the kiss deepened, their hands started to roam.

But Lin Zhengran reminded her, “Lili, this is a tourist area. Someone could come by any minute.”

“Then tonight… I’ll sneak into your tent?”

“Mm.”

Lin Zhengran pulled her in for another kiss.