Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten
Chapter 295: The Battlefield

In the joyful atmosphere of everyone raising their glasses, the moment Jiang Qian said those words—

Everyone at the dining table seemed to freeze. It was like a still image, paused in time.

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang's smiles stiffened on their faces, their pupils shrinking in confusion.

Grandpa's eyes widened too, his mouth agape.

Even Fang Meng hadn’t expected that Qianqian's so-called “move” would be such a blunt, direct declaration of war!

Because this was happening at the dinner table, right in front of the whole family—right in front of Lin Zhengran!

She had never even dared to say "I like you" to Lin Zhengran in private before, yet now, in this situation... she actually said it out loud.

As everyone stared at her in disbelief, Jiang Qian—despite her calm expression—was actually clenching her delicate hand into a tight fist beneath the table, trying to suppress the anxiety bubbling inside.

Her heart was beating faster, of course. She knew well that a girl should pick the right moment to confess her feelings. But... that depended on the atmosphere.

Today, the vibe between Big Sister and Lin Zhengran clearly felt off. Even if she tried to convince herself they just had mutual goodwill for now, Jiang Qian couldn’t help but worry.

Backing off now would mean losing.

Because the enemy forces (aka Jiang Jingshi) had already surrounded her base camp. If she didn’t pull a clever move to break through the siege, she’d be utterly defeated!

In the midst of this silence, Eldest Miss Jiang Jingshi was the first to react.

She shot up and furrowed her brows. “Qianqian, what did you just say?!”

Jiang Qian replied coldly, “If Big Sister didn’t hear clearly, I’ll say it again. I said I like Lin Zhengran. I’m going to be with him. He’s mine. If Big Sister still didn’t hear that, I can say it a third time. Or a fourth.”

By the time she said it the second time, the whole family knew they weren’t hearing things.

Jiang Jingshi hadn’t expected her younger sister to pull such a wild move to throw a wrench into her own plans.

This was basically a public snatch. Come to think of it—from the photo incident in the bedroom earlier to Qianqian's recent attitude toward Zhengzheng—she must have completely fallen for him by now. Probably convinced she had to have him no matter what.

But… Qianqian, there’s one thing you need to know: Lin Zhengran belongs to your big sister, and I will never give him to you. No woman would hand over the man she likes—especially one who also likes her in return.

If a woman could, that just means she didn’t love him enough. After all, women are the most possessive creatures in this world—the most selfish too.

Jiang Jingshi put down her wine glass with firm eyes and spoke gently:

“Since Qianqian’s said her piece, then Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Qianqian, Xiaomeng… what I want to say is—Zhengzheng and I are already together. I’m already his girlfriend.”

She turned to look at Lin Zhengran and asked, “Zhengzheng, right?”

Lin Zhengran, though shocked, nodded to confirm the truth: “Yeah. I’m with Jingshi now.”

Jiang Jingshi was overjoyed!

But the moment those words left their mouths, the already shocked group had their eyes widen several degrees more.

Their eyeballs nearly popped out from disbelief.

Grandpa sat there slack-jawed, and even Father and Mother Jiang forgot all decorum, gaping wide-eyed and stunned.

Fang Meng was completely speechless. She hadn’t expected Lin Zhengran to actually be with the Eldest Miss.

Jiang Qian, on the other hand, stared in disbelief: “Lin Zhengran, what did you just say… What are you two saying?”

Jiang Jingshi replied:

“If Qianqian didn’t hear clearly, Big Sister can repeat it. I said I’m with Zhengzheng—aka your brother-in-law. I’m his girlfriend now, and he’s my boyfriend. If Qianqian didn’t catch that, I can say it a third time, or a fourth—it’s all the same to me.”

After snapping out of her daze, Jiang Qian also suddenly stood up.

Everyone looked at her again.

Her clenched fist tightened even more. After a moment of hesitation, she turned to Lin Zhengran.

As someone who had never lost to anyone (except Lin Zhengran) since childhood, even though it looked like the game was already over, Jiang Qian still tried to grasp at the slimmest thread of hope.

Because Lin Zhengran—only Lin Zhengran—she wasn’t going to give him up to anyone.

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Jiang Qian suddenly walked over to Lin Zhengran.

She cupped his face in her hands, bent down, closed her eyes—and kissed him on the lips.

Her red lips met his.

Father Jiang, Mother Jiang, Grandpa, Fang Meng—all of them had their minds go completely blank.

Even Jiang Jingshi's pupils began to tremble violently.

After a simple kiss, Jiang Qian straightened back up. Even Lin Zhengran looked utterly stunned. He never imagined she’d actually do something like that.

Jiang Qian, blushing hard, bit her lip and looked at him.

“Sorry…”

Jiang Jingshi quickly stepped between them and shouted, “Qianqian, what do you think you’re doing to your brother-in-law?! He’s your brother-in-law!”

Jiang Qian looked at her sister—perhaps a bit guilty—but her possessiveness over Lin Zhengran gave her strength to keep fighting:

“So what if you’re with Lin Zhengran, Big Sister? As long as you’re not married—as long as you haven’t registered your marriage—you two aren’t officially together! That means the fight between us isn’t over. I still have a chance.

Before you get married, I won’t acknowledge him as my brother-in-law. Lin Zhengran just turned eighteen this year. There’s still four years to go before the legal marriage age. And in those four years of university, I’ll definitely make Lin Zhengran realize I’m more suitable for him than you. I hope you’ll be there at the wedding to give us your blessing.”

For the first time, Jiang Jingshi clenched her teeth:

“Qianqian, don’t even think about it! Now that I’m with him, I absolutely won’t let anyone take him from me!

And besides—you call that a kiss? Just brushing lips together doesn’t count. You clearly don’t even know what it means to kiss someone you love.”

At that moment, Lin Zhengran also stood up, about to say something.

But Jiang Jingshi turned around, picked up a wet wipe from the table, and wiped his lips clean.

Then, in front of everyone—

She stood on tiptoe and kissed Lin Zhengran on the lips, wrapping her arms around his waist.

And she kissed him boldly, parting her lips willingly.

Jiang Qian’s face turned red with shame and frustration. She couldn’t even bear to look—her heart ached.

Watching the boy she liked get kissed so openly by her sister, her eyes brimmed with glowing tears.

She turned and ran out.

Fang Meng couldn’t bear to see her crush being kissed either. She stood up and chased after her: “Qianqian! Qianqian!”

After Jiang Qian left the villa, Jiang Jingshi finally ended the kiss. Normally gentle and reserved, she had never done something like that in public before.

But this time, she had to stake her claim.

She slowly lowered her heels and, face red, softly apologized to Lin Zhengran. The sisters were both acting out of character today.

Then she turned her head toward the door, watching the direction her little sister had run.

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang were now completely blindsided by their daughters’ behavior.

Jiang Jingshi leaned her forehead back onto Lin Zhengran’s chest, lips pressed together, eyes closed.

Tonight’s grand dinner, as you could imagine, was officially ruined.

A few minutes later, all the freshly made, high-end dishes were removed from the dining room.

The professional chefs looked confused. “Why’s everything being taken back? Didn’t Master and Madam like today’s food?”

The staff helping clear the dishes didn’t know what was going on either. After all, no servants had been present for what had just unfolded.

Not long after, in the villa’s garden, Lin Zhengran and Jiang Jingshi each received a message on their phones.

It was from Fang Meng:

“Eldest Miss, Lin Zhengran—don’t worry. I’m with Qianqian. She’s fine.”