Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 212: Sense of Responsibility

In the middle of the crowd, Little He Qing pulled her suitcase along. The girl wore a cute dress with a white sheer blouse, and her ponytail swayed as she walked. Her sweet eyes scanned the crowd, searching for someone.

When she finally spotted Lin Zhengran, she lit up and called out happily, “Lin Zhengran!”

She was just about to speed up, when she suddenly noticed two familiar figures standing behind him.

Little He Qing froze on the spot, a feeling of “plan failed” written all over her face. “Lili… Wenwen? Why are they here too? And Lili’s hair…”

She saw Lili’s golden twin ponytails—absolutely gorgeous.

The four of them gathered together.

Little He Qing smiled. “I’m here! Wenwen, Lili, you two came to pick me up too?”

Jiang Xueli put her hands behind her back and smiled. “I overheard while shopping with Zhengran that you were coming. We’re close sisters—of course I had to come meet you.”

Han Wenwen grinned. “I just happened to run into Lin Zhengran and Lili by chance. When I heard you were coming, I stayed to wait with them. But didn’t you say you’d be here next week? What made you come early?”

Little He Qing glanced at Lin Zhengran. Though she was disappointed that her plan had flopped, she was still happy to see him.

She really had missed him so much back home.

Even eating hadn’t been enjoyable.

Giggling, she said, “I didn’t have anything to do at home, and you guys are all here. It was boring being alone in the south, so I came early on a whim. By the way, Lili, your hair! You look so pretty with the blonde! It suits you so well! When did you get it done?”

Jiang Xueli shyly tucked her hair behind her ear. “Really? I just dyed it today. I’ve actually wanted to do it for a while. Zhengran also said I’d look good with blonde, so I finally found time to go for it.”

Little He Qing felt a twinge of jealousy and gave Lin Zhengran another glance.

Lin Zhengran reached out to take her suitcase. “Let’s go eat? You’ve been on the train all day, and it’s almost six.”

None of the girls had any objections.

Whenever Lin Zhengran spoke, they naturally went along.

As he picked up her suitcase, Little He Qing softly said, “I can carry it myself. It’s pretty heavy.”

“Anything valuable inside?”

“No, just some clothes and daily stuff for the trip,” she shook her head.

“Then let me take it.”

Seeing how firm he was, Little He Qing handed it over obediently. “If it gets too heavy, let’s take turns.”

Lin Zhengran smiled. “It’s not that serious. Let’s go.”

Jiang Xueli, hearing their exchange, pretended not to care and walked beside Lin Zhengran, though inside she was thinking, He Qing really does sound sweet every time she talks to Zhengran…

Han Wenwen linked arms with Little He Qing. She didn’t have any deep thoughts—after all, the two of them were ridiculously close—but she still felt a little jealous.

They found a noodle shop nearby. These places were everywhere near the station.

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And the three girls were all hungry, so no one bothered looking elsewhere.

Sitting at the table, Little He Qing thoughtfully wiped everyone’s chopsticks and handed them out.

Everyone thanked her.

While they waited for their noodles, Little He Qing asked the other two girls, “Do you guys like sweets? I brought some sticky rice cakes from home. My mom made them—they’re super tasty! I’ll let you try a few. I didn’t bring a lot, though.”

She had actually packed most of the sticky rice cakes separately—those were only for Lin Zhengran. No one else was allowed to touch them.

The moment Han Wenwen heard “sticky rice cakes,” she lit up. Both girls were big fans of traditional snacks like these.

“Auntie made them again this year? Awesome, I want one!”

Lili nodded too. “Thanks, He Qing.”

Little He Qing opened her suitcase. “Hang on a sec.”

She pulled out one big box and one small one. After finding the small one, she placed it on the table—inside were six mini sticky rice cakes.

These were the ones she had already prepared for Wenwen and Lili.

She handed one to Lin Zhengran first. “Lin Zhengran, this one’s for you. Try it!”

After he took his, she gave the others to the girls.

Everyone took a bite.

Lin Zhengran was surprised. “Auntie’s cooking is seriously good.”

Little He Qing giggled. “Right? I think so too. If you like it, I’ll learn from my mom sometime and make them for you myself.”

Jiang Xueli and Han Wenwen both nodded in agreement after trying them. But out of nowhere, Han Wenwen’s chewing started to slow down.

Little He Qing noticed something was off. “What’s wrong, Wenwen? You don’t like it? You seem kinda weird eating it.”

Han Wenwen’s cheeks flushed pink. She thought back to earlier in the hotel—she hadn’t felt anything then.

But now, her lips were definitely feeling sore.

Still not used to it.

“No, I just ate too much today. My cheeks are sore.”

Little He Qing blinked. “Your cheeks? Did you eat a ton of snacks today?”

Han Wenwen answered casually, “Not too many. I was walking around and saw this really strange kind of candy—white, sticky, super sweet. Kinda tiring to eat.”

Little He Qing was surprised. “What candy is that? Sounds like those chewy ones we used to eat as kids. Those would wear my mouth out too. Where’d you buy it?”

Han Wenwen waved her hand.

“Not that kind. It’s something I’ve never had before. Tastes great, but the shopkeeper said it was still experimental and not for sale yet. If I get the chance, I’ll take you down that street with me, see if we can find it again. If we do, we can…”

She couldn’t help but laugh mid-sentence because it was getting off track. “...we can buy it together.”

“Sounds great! I’m in!”

After that, Han Wenwen slowly finished her sticky rice cake, chewing carefully. Lin Zhengran, on the other hand, shot a helpless look at the little fox.

The noodles came soon after. The taste was average, but they were filling.

After leaving the noodle shop, Lin Zhengran hailed a cab. Once the four of them got in, he sat up front while the girls took the back seat.

“He Qing, once we’re back in town, I’ll help you find a place to stay,” he said.

Little He Qing nodded. “Okay.”

Jiang Xueli whispered to her, “He Qing, how about I stay with you at the hotel tonight? We can chat and hang out.”

Little He Qing had hoped to be alone with Lin Zhengran, but with both Wenwen and Lili around, that clearly wasn’t happening.

“Sure! I’ve never stayed in a hotel before. I’m kinda nervous about it.”

Han Wenwen added, “Then I’ll join too. No point going back alone just to sleep by myself.”

Little He Qing nodded again. “Awesome, come with us, Wenwen!”

After they agreed, the three girls unconsciously glanced at Lin Zhengran in sync.

Just then, Lin Zhengran happened to turn around and noticed all three of them staring at him. Casually, he said, “Why don’t I stay too? I know there’s three of you, but I’d feel uneasy leaving you all alone on your first night.”

The girls were surprised, but not entirely against it. The taxi driver, however, was stunned.

He paused—Did I hear that right? What did this guy just say...?

Oh, right. He must mean he’s staying at the same hotel for safety reasons. One of these girls is probably his girlfriend. No way he’s staying in the same room. Yeah, definitely not.

What a responsible young man.