Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 220: Secret Crush

When she saw his cup was halfway empty, she’d top it up. She’d notice the weather and adjust the AC to the perfect temperature. She’d even pre-sort the documents he’d need to handle next.

If you weren’t paying attention, you’d think someone else had done it all.

Maybe even Jiang Jingshi herself had never intended for Lin Zhengran to notice. She just wanted to be good to the person she cared about—purely, simply.

To put it plainly, even though Jiang Jingshi was experienced and savvy, a diplomatic genius in the Jiang Corporation with maxed-out social skills, when it came to winning the heart of the man she liked… she was completely clueless.

All she knew how to do was silently take care of the little things—cautiously, carefully.

Like a girl secretly crushing on a senior at school, doing everything behind the scenes. Maybe even until graduation, the senior would never know that a junior had been thinking of him every day.

Back when she invited Lin Zhengran to start a company together—that was probably the boldest move she’d ever made.

And now, today… when illness struck, she could no longer hold back the emotions in her heart. That’s why she had clung to Lin Zhengran’s arm.

And Lin Zhengran had to admit, the unwavering trust she’d shown him from the beginning, combined with three years of quiet companionship—it moved him.

Han Wenwen knew this best: if you wanted Brother Zhengran’s love, the most important thing was sticking by his side, wholeheartedly, with absolute trust. Things like beauty or figure didn’t matter to him at all.

Because Brother Zhengran was too exceptional—he’d seen more than enough of those kinds of girls. They couldn’t sway him.

And pretending to be devoted didn’t work either. All the girls around him were truly sincere. In that environment, fakes could be spotted instantly.

At that moment, Jiang Jingshi’s cheeks were flushed, and her lips gently touched Lin Zhengran’s.

No one knew what emotions were stirring in her heart. Maybe it was the feeling of finally getting the person she longed for. Or maybe it was the hope of living again sparked by this boy.

A line of joyful tears slid down her cheek.

Just as she was about to embrace Lin Zhengran, lips slightly parted, ready to quietly enjoy this beautiful moment with the man she loved…

Two different ringtones went off at the same time, shattering the mood.

There was a brief silence. The two of them looked at each other, then pulled out their phones.

One call was from Lily. The other, from Jiang Jingshi’s younger sister, Jiang Qian.

Jiang Jingshi blushed, glanced at Lin Zhengran gently, always putting others first. She muted her phone. “You answer yours first. Jie won’t say anything yet—I’ll take mine after.”

Lin Zhengran didn’t refuse. He picked up Jiang Xueli’s call.

“Hello, Lily?”

Jiang Xueli was still at the hotel room with Han Wenwen and Little He Qing. The three girls had gone shopping in the morning, and now in the afternoon were sprawled out on the bed playing poker—enjoying their freedom after starting high school.

Of course, the phone was on speaker, so all three could hear the call.

Jiang Xueli spoke playfully, “Zhengran, are you still busy?”

Lin Zhengran glanced down at his tear-soaked shirt. Jiang Jingshi was gently touching the damp spot, her eyes filled with guilt.

“I am,” he said, “but I’m almost done.”

Little He Qing chimed in through the phone, “Lin Zhengran, are you coming over tonight? If you are, the three of us will wait for you for dinner.”

He thought for a moment. “No need to wait for me to eat. But I’ll probably still come by tonight—later, though.”

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Little He Qing said, “You’re not coming for dinner...?” She nodded slowly. “Alright, then what time...”

Han Wenwen cut in, “Classmate Lin Zhengran, can you give us a rough idea of when you’ll be here?”

He checked the time—already past 4 PM. It’d still be a while before he could leave. “Around six or seven. I’ll message you all before I head back. You three should go eat dinner first. I’ll come as soon as I’m done.”

The three responded.

After chatting a little longer, the call ended.

Back at the hotel, each of the girls held some playing cards. The bed was covered in cards, with the phone that had just ended the call lying in the middle.

Jiang Xueli said with a tsundere huff, “Seems like he really is busy. So we’re not waiting for him?”

Little He Qing nodded like a pecking chick. “He said so himself—we shouldn’t wait. Let’s just go eat.”

Han Wenwen stayed quiet, staring at the phone on the bed.

Little He Qing had been paying attention to her lately. “Wenwen, why aren’t you saying anything? What are you thinking?”

Han Wenwen spaced out. “It’s nothing. I just thought... it was really quiet over on his end.”

Jiang Xueli didn’t get it. “Quiet? Isn’t that normal? He probably just found a quiet place to take the call.”

Han Wenwen thought that made sense. Normal people would do that.

She was probably just overthinking. Always thinking Brother Zhengran would be surrounded by girls no matter where he went.

She laughed. “I’m just saying stuff. Come on, let’s play another round of landlord and then head down for dinner!”

The three girls continued their card game.

Meanwhile, back in the Rolls-Royce, Jiang Jingshi looked at Lin Zhengran and finally said, “I got your shirt all soaked from crying. I’ll buy you a new one later...”

Lin Zhengran looked down at his shirt. “It’s just a little. No big deal. I’ll wash it tonight anyway.”

Jiang Jingshi smiled. “Alright, then I’ll take my call now—it’s from my sister.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Qian had called twice already. Jiang Jingshi picked up.

Her cool voice came through seriously: “Jie, what are you doing? Why didn’t you answer?”

Sitting gracefully in the backseat, comforted by Lin Zhengran’s support and promise, Jiang Jingshi no longer felt as scared.

Her tone had steadied, though her voice was still a little hoarse from all the crying.

“Working. What brings you to call Jie, Qianqian? That’s rare.”

Jiang Qian answered, “Grandpa and Mom and Dad all came today. You should come home tonight. They said they want to discuss matters about the corporation.”

Jiang Jingshi thought: Dad’s probably planning to have Qianqian start getting involved with the company.

“Alright, I’ll head back once I’m done here.”

Jiang Qian asked coldly, “What’s up with your voice? Sounds like you’ve been crying.”

Jiang Jingshi’s face turned red, but she tried to keep her usual tone.

“What are you talking about? Why would Jie cry? Only Qianqian used to cry when she was little. I just caught a little cold, that’s all. Okay, we’ll talk at home. I’m hanging up.”

Jiang Qian didn’t think much of it. She responded with a simple “Mm” and added, “I’ve never cried,” before hanging up herself.