Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

The four of them sat on the bed.

Lin Zhengran sat cross-legged in the middle. Jiang Xueli sat duck-style with her golden twin-tails draped over her thighs. Little He Qing hugged her knees obediently, and Han Wenwen had her arms resting on bent legs.

All three girls stared intently at him.

It felt like a family meeting.

Lin Zhengran, taking the lead like the head of the household, said, “I’ve been busy this past week with some stuff, but luckily it didn’t mess up our travel plans. How’s everyone doing with packing?”

He Qing was the first to raise her hand in support. “All done! I’m ready to go anytime!”

Jiang Xueli raised her hand too. “I made time to go home and pack the past few days—my suitcase is all set.”

Han Wenwen held up her fox-like hands, smiling. “Same here.”

Lin Zhengran nodded. “Great. I haven’t packed yet, but I’ll throw my stuff together tonight. Tomorrow, we head out.”

Little He Qing looked concerned. “You just finished dealing with work stuff, shouldn’t you rest up a bit? Even though it’s a vacation, we’re still going hiking and stuff—it might get pretty tiring.”

The little fox chimed in too. “Zhengran, maybe you should rest an extra day. It’s not like we’re in a rush.”

“No need. You three are underestimating me. Yeah, I’ve been busy, but it’s not like it’s physical labor. Plus, I’ve been resting all day today. A good night’s sleep and I’ll be just fine.”

The three girls saw that he really did look okay.

So they didn’t argue.

Lin Zhengran laughed. “If anything, you three should be the ones getting ready. Hiking is real physical work.”

Little He Qing patted her chest. “No problem.”

Jiang Xueli was just as confident. “It’s just hiking—piece of cake.”

“Alright, it’s settled then. Tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., we meet right here in front of this hotel. We’ll take the car and head out for the mountains!”

All three chimed in together, “Okay!”

Since they were leaving the next morning, the four of them parted ways that night.

They waved goodbye to each other, then went home to get a good night’s rest, preparing for a week-long trip.

On the surface, it was just a vacation. But in truth, each of the three girls had their own plans.

Han Wenwen wanted to investigate how her skin had improved—she planned to try something with Lin Zhengran again to find out the truth.

Jiang Xueli couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss at the hotel last week. She kept dreaming about that moment and was determined to get intimate with Zhengran this trip—she wanted to take his first time.

Only Little He Qing had purer intentions. She just wanted to spend as much time with Lin Zhengran as possible.

Though... there was something else on her mind.

Does Wenwen like Lin Zhengran too?

That’s something she wanted to figure out during this trip.

With all their thoughts swirling, after a night of rest...

The next morning, as the sun rose, Lin Zhengran stood by his window in a daze.

Dark clouds had swallowed up the usual blazing sunlight, leaving the room dim.

Even though there hadn’t been heavy rain for over a month, it just had to rain today...

Fine droplets tapped steadily against the window, as if hinting that this trip might be more complicated than expected.

But it didn’t change the trip itself. Lin Zhengran rolled his suitcase out the door.

“Mom, Dad—I’m heading out on that trip with He Qing, Lili, and Wenwen. Should be gone a little over a week.”

His parents stood by the door to see him off.

“Alright, you four be safe. Call us when you get there,” his dad said.

Lin Kai looked out the window at the gloomy sky. “The weather’s not great today. Take it slow on the road.”

“Don’t worry. This little rain won’t bother us,” Lin Zhengran smiled. Then he remembered something. “Oh, Mom—when are you going to that job interview?”

Lin Xiaoli didn’t overthink why her son was asking. “Even though I have experience, I still need to study a bit more. I’ll stay home and learn for about a week. I’ll probably go after you’re back.”

Lin Zhengran gave a quick “Mm” and left.

He met up with the three girls outside the hotel, all of them holding umbrellas.

Even with the cloudy sky, the three of them—He Qing, Han Wenwen, and Jiang Xueli—had all changed into new outfits and looked absolutely stunning.

Drop-dead gorgeous.

Jiang Xueli held up her umbrella and frowned. “It’s actually raining today? The forecast didn’t mention any rain.”

Little He Qing asked, “Will the tourist spot even be open?”

Han Wenwen flipped through the updated weather report on her phone. “It says the next three days won’t be great. Sun won’t come out until the fourth day.”

Lin Zhengran explained:

“No worries. We’re not going to one of those big tourist attractions. The place we’re headed to is always open. I originally planned for us to take a bus, but with this weather, public transport might be a hassle.

How about we just rent a car? We’ll get an SUV and do a road trip. I’ll drive.”

All three girls were surprised and spoke at once: “You’ll drive us?”

Jiang Xueli quickly shook her head. “Forget renting a car, Zhengran. That’s not a good idea. You don’t even have a license—what if we get caught?! That’d be a disaster!”

Little He Qing added, “Yeah, that’s illegal.”

Lin Zhengran pulled a driver’s license from his pocket.

“Who says I don’t have a license? Here it is—I always bring it with me.”

The three girls stared in shock.

Han Wenwen was especially confused. She’d spent plenty of time secretly hanging out with Lin Zhengran, but she’d never heard of this.

She took the license and checked it.

“It’s real?! When did you even get it? How did I not know?”

Jiang Xueli and He Qing also leaned in, clearly confused.

Jiang Xueli asked, “Yeah! When did you learn to drive?! I thought getting a license took forever—booking tests, practicing, all that.”

Lin Zhengran figured: In my past life, I already knew how to drive. This time, with the System, it was a piece of cake.

“I signed up really early. My instructor helped me book the test slots. I just went in, passed, and got the license. Didn’t take much time, so of course you didn’t know.”

Han Wenwen was curious. “That easy?”

Jiang Xueli let out a breath and smiled. “Well, makes sense. It’s you we’re talking about. Nothing ever slows you down.”

Suddenly, Little He Qing looked super excited. Knowing they were going on a road trip made her feel like they were a little family going on an outing. Having grown up without much of a father figure, she’d always longed for this kind of experience.

Clenching her little fists, her eyes sparkled:

“So we’re driving?! We won’t have to rush! We can go wherever we want!”

Lin Zhengran smiled. “We can even enjoy the rain on the way. It’s a vacation—comfort is what matters most.”

Jiang Xueli glanced at He Qing, thinking she looked so happy.

With their minds made up, the three girls hopped in a cab with Lin Zhengran and headed to the rental place.

Lin Zhengran rented a nice SUV—a Land Cruiser, spacious enough for the three girls to move around freely in the back.

After loading up their luggage, the four of them officially hit the road and began their journey.