Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten
Chapter 318: Obstacles

The last day of military training also marked the time for the freshman welcome party.

Even though Lin Zhengran and Jiang Qian had transferred to a new school, they were still chosen as student representatives to give speeches on stage.

However, this time, Lin Zhengran didn’t sign up for any performances—only Jiang Qian had registered for a piano solo.

Standing on the podium, Lin Zhengran delivered a speech full of motivational lines that sounded passionate on the surface but were really just standard official talk.

He Qing, Han Wenwen, and Jiang Xueli sat in the audience, their cheeks slightly flushed and smiling.

For a girl, there’s nothing greater than seeing her boyfriend standing in the spotlight, giving a speech in front of a crowd.

Lin Zhengran: “That’s all I wanted to say. Thank you, everyone.”

Right after he finished, a round of enthusiastic applause broke out—boys and girls alike, but especially the boys were clapping like crazy.

Clap clap clap!

Some guys even started chanting: “Lin Zhengran! Lin Zhengran!” The atmosphere was electric.

The surrounding teachers and heads of departments felt this year’s freshman representative was surprisingly popular. As expected, a top scorer really had powerful charisma—very impressive.

The three girls exchanged confused looks.

Little He Qing was puzzled: “What’s going on? Isn’t Lin Zhengran unpopular with the guys? Why are they all so hyped up?”

Jiang Xueli clapped while shaking her head: “I don’t get it either. Back in high school, when Zhengran gave speeches, the boys weren’t nearly this enthusiastic.”

Han Wenwen thought for a moment, then smiled playfully.

She could guess what was behind it all, but she had to admit—the boys really were acting like a bunch of little kids.

On stage, Lin Zhengran listened to the rowdy applause. He recalled how, ever since people started coming to the dorm to talk to him, some had actually managed to get girlfriends by repeating what he said.

Because of this, more and more people had been visiting their dorm lately. It was like a virus—his “followers” were spreading fast.

Rumor had it, before confessing their feelings, these guys would even press their hands together and whisper sincerely, “Oh Supreme Father, may my confession go smoothly today~ Lin Sect~”

After the speech, since Lin Zhengran and Jiang Qian were also the hosts for the event, they couldn’t return to the audience but had to stay backstage.

Watching the freshmen perform one act after another, Jiang Qian stood beside Lin Zhengran in her formal dress.

Her long, waterfall-like hair quietly draped over her shoulders.

Her cool expression was directed at the stage, but her gaze couldn’t help drifting toward Lin Zhengran beside her.

She hesitated before finally speaking. “Lin Zhengran…”

Lin Zhengran turned to her, puzzled. “Hm? What is it?”

Jiang Qian bit her lip. “I wanted to say that today’s performance is actually—” Before she could finish, Jiang Jingshi, wearing glasses, walked over from backstage and called out, “Jiang Qian, please come over. A teacher needs to speak with you.”

Hearing her sister’s voice, Jiang Qian glanced at Lin Zhengran and reluctantly walked over. “What’s up, Sis?”

Jiang Jingshi blinked her pretty, almond-shaped eyes. “Jiang Qian, what did you just call me? In school, we’re teacher and student. We don’t have any other relationship.”

Jiang Qian coldly replied, “What is it, teacher?”

Jiang Jingshi smiled but didn’t answer.

…

Five minutes of silence passed.

Jiang Qian frowned. “Are you going to say something or not?”

Jiang Jingshi finally spoke. “It’s nothing really. I just didn’t want you to be alone with your brother-in-law. So I called you over. Otherwise, I knew you were about to say something to him.”

Jiang Qian’s face turned red with anger, her teeth clenched.

Her eyes blazed with murderous intent toward her sister.

She had spent days preparing the words she was just about to say to Lin Zhengran.

Jiang Jingshi wasn’t fazed at all. She grinned. “Jiang Qian, you’re so fierce. But it’s useless. I’m the teacher, so I make the rules.”

And so, after being called away, Jiang Qian never got another chance to speak to Lin Zhengran that night.

It wasn’t until it was her turn to perform that she stepped gracefully onto the stage.

She sat in front of the piano.

Her slender hands rose, then gently fell onto the keys.

Tonight, Jiang Qian played a piece that existed only in this world—a piano solo titled “Apology and Love.”

It expressed both regret toward a person she liked and a firm promise: I’ll keep loving you, and I’m determined to win your heart.

It was a very special piece.

Standing backstage alone, Lin Zhengran listened to the beautiful melody. He more or less understood what Jiang Qian had wanted to tell him earlier.

After the piano performance ended, Jiang Qian stood and gave a slight bow.

Her exceptional skill earned thunderous applause from the audience.

As she stood up, she instinctively turned back to glance backstage. She felt certain Lin Zhengran would understand the meaning behind her piano piece.

But… even if he did, some things still needed to be said face-to-face.

In the audience, little He Qing’s wide, innocent eyes sparkled under the stage lights. “I gotta say, Jiang Qian looks really pretty on stage.”

Jiang Xueli actually thought Jiang Qian had a unique aura too, but she still put on a haughty front. “He Qing! You can’t praise a rival like that!”

Little He Qing insisted, “I’m just being objective, Lily! Don’t worry, I’d never betray you. I’m also Lin Zhengran’s girlfriend—I don’t want more girls joining our squad!”

Though the little fox didn’t understand music very well… that piece, along with Jiang Qian’s glance backstage, made her feel like there was a story behind it.

---

In the days following the freshman welcome party—

Jiang Qian began trying to find chances to talk to Lin Zhengran alone.

The piano had spoken. Now it was time for a face-to-face conversation. But as expected...

College life offered more freedom, which ironically made it harder for Jiang Qian to get close to Lin Zhengran.

Because her older sister was an incredibly annoying obstacle—Jiang Jingshi constantly called her to the office, gave her small errands, or dragged her into pointless chats.

Basically, she was doing everything she could to stop Jiang Qian from getting near Lin Zhengran.

Jiang Qian finally snapped, yelling, “Don’t you get tired of this?! Why do you keep calling me over?!”

Jiang Jingshi sat casually in her office, sipping tea. “I don’t find it tiring. You want to flirt with your brother-in-law, and as your sister, I have every right to block that. And if you hadn’t been hovering around Zhengzheng these past few days, I wouldn’t even be bothering you.”

Jiang Qian clenched her fists and growled, “What brother-in-law?! They’re not even married—just dating.”

Jiang Jingshi elegantly crossed her legs and sipped her tea. “Sure, call it what you want. But in my heart, he’s your brother-in-law. You might as well give up. Did you really think I didn’t catch the message in that piano piece? There’s no way I’m letting you cling to him.”

Jiang Qian’s fists tightened with a crack crack sound.

And even when she managed to dodge her sister’s interference, it didn’t help—because Lin Zhengran was protected by He Qing and the other two.

Ever since the water bottle incident during training, the three girls had grown wary of Jiang Qian.

Now, every time she tried to talk to Lin Zhengran alone, the trio would intercept her.

Jiang Xueli: “What do you want with Zhengran again?! If it’s something important, tell me—I’ll pass the message.”

Han Wenwen smiled: “Zhengran is really busy.”

Little He Qing nodded hard: “Super busy.”

From behind the trio, Jiang Qian looked across the hallway into the next classroom, where Lin Zhengran was reading. Though the obstacles were many, she just turned and walked away—determined to try again later.

Han Wenwen sighed, “She’s really persistent. We’ve blocked her so many times, and she still keeps trying.”

Jiang Xueli didn’t get it either. “She likes Zhengran that much? She hasn’t shown a single sign of giving up.”