I'm Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: The Omnipotent Classmate Lin Zhengran

”This year’s freshman welcoming party is about to begin! Welcome to all the teachers and students present today. Next, please welcome our principal to the stage to say a few words...”

In a rural middle school like this, it was actually quite rare to host a formal welcoming party for freshmen. Many schools would simply gather the incoming students together in broad daylight for a brief speech from the principal, and that would be it. It was only in the past couple of years, with the local town’s economy improving and the school making more money, that they began to place importance on the welcoming party as a promotional effort.

The venue for the party was set up right in front of the academic building, utilizing its front steps to construct the stage. In the audience, the front row of judges consisted of figures like the dean and the principal. Behind them sat the homeroom teachers of each class, and further back were the students. Hundreds of people sat below in an orderly fashion. With banners hung around the perimeter and rows of spotlights panning back and forth to build the atmosphere, it really did look the part.

As the top student in his class, Lin Zhengran didn’t perform, but he was granted the role of student supervisor, allowing him to shuttle back and forth between the audience and the backstage area. If one were to ask why he had such authority, the answer was simply that getting good grades made it easy to negotiate anything with the teachers.

While the principal was giving his speech, Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli stood to the side. They looked toward the second row, where the homeroom teachers were seated, and spotted a few outsiders dressed in casual clothes and holding professional equipment.

Because he frequently researched the staff of Child Star Studio, Lin Zhengran was able to recognize them. ”The ones with the cameras should be from Child Star Studio. They have a partnership with our school, so they’re handling all the filming and editing for this event. Later, if you show off a good voice and excellent breath control, these people will naturally pay attention to you.”

Jiang Xueli clutched her chest with one hand, taking deep, forceful breaths. She looked extremely nervous.

Lin Zhengran glanced at her, and Jiang Xueli snapped back as usual, ”Big idiot, what are you looking at? I’m not nervous at all.”

For once, Lin Zhengran didn’t tease her like he normally would. Instead, he smiled. ”It’s okay to be nervous. I believe in you. With your skills, you’ll absolutely do fine.”

He rarely spoke such gentle words, saving them almost entirely for crucial moments. Jiang Xueli hadn’t seen such a tender look in his eyes or heard that tone from him in a long time, which paradoxically made her even more anxious. She looked away and replied shyly, ”You’re so annoying. I know.” Her chest was still heaving heavily.

”Your performance is seventh on the list, so there’s still some time before you go on. Take your time to adjust; I’m going to check on a few other things.”

Seeing Lin Zhengran turn and walk away, Jiang Xueli suddenly called out to him again, ”Big idiot!”

Lin Zhengran looked back.

Jiang Xueli stared at him blankly. She could always find confidence in him, because in her heart, Lin Zhengran was omnipotent. ”Say what you just said to me again. Just that one sentence...”

Lin Zhengran immediately understood. ”I’ll be watching your performance closely from the audience later. I believe you can definitely do it.”

A slow smile blossomed on Jiang Xueli’s face. ”I absolutely won’t let you down.”

After the performances began, Lin Zhengran returned to his class’s seating area to sit down and rest.

Han Wenwen, who was sitting next to him, looked at him playfully. ”Is Jiang Xueli a bit nervous? I saw her clutching her chest the whole time you two were talking.”

Lin Zhengran looked straight ahead and blurted out, ”She’s just a kid, after all. It’s normal to be nervous. But with her skills, it won’t be hard to attract attention. Even if she makes a minor mistake, it’ll be fine.”

Han Wenwen smiled. ”You really sound like a big brother when you talk. By the way, it took me a long time to get over my surprise when I realized you helped Jiang Xueli join the show just so she’d get picked by the people from Tongxing Company. All the other students our age are busy playing around, yet you two are plotting something this huge?”

”Jiang Xueli has no background. In her growing environment, if no one helps her and gives her an opportunity, even her incredible singing and songwriting talents will be buried in the crowd, leaving her an ordinary person. Even gold can go unnoticed if it’s buried at the bottom of the sea.”

After saying this, he noticed Han Wenwen giving him a strange look. Her eyes were full of admiration and profound meaning. Resting her elbows on her knees and propping up her face, she beamed. ”Then could you help me become a singing star too? You can name any reward you want. Once I make money in the future, I’ll definitely give it to you.”

Lin Zhengran continued to watch the stage. ”To be honest, if you really knew how to sing, I think it wouldn’t matter whether you had my help or not. You’re far more calculating than He Qing and Jiang Xueli. You’re not the type to just sit around and wait for things to happen.”

Han Wenwen froze in surprise. She sat up straight. ”Your way of complimenting people feels really weird, you know? But no matter how calculating I am, I’m still no match for you. I’ve met a lot of boys, but you’re the only one whose thoughts I can’t see through at all.

”And you’re right. If I had any talent, I would have already found a way to pursue it. But talent isn’t something everyone has. I also hope that one day, someone can tell me what my talent actually is.

”When that time comes, I’ll definitely express my deep gratitude to him.”

The two of them finished watching the first performance. Suddenly, Han Wenwen asked gently, ”You’ve been spending quite a bit of time with Jiang Xueli lately. Did you notice that Qingqing is a little unhappy? You haven’t spent much time with her over these past three weeks.”

Lin Zhengran gave a brief hum of acknowledgment. ”I’ll spend time with her once this busy period is over.”

”Being busy with two childhood friends must be quite a handful. What exactly are your thoughts on them? Could you secretly tell me?”

”I don’t have any thoughts about twelve-year-old girls. What do they know? Their minds aren’t even mature yet.”

Han Wenwen laughed and cast another glance at Lin Zhengran. Suddenly, she leaned down on her knees, tilted her head, and scrutinized him. ”I don’t believe it. No matter how stubborn you are in denying it, you’re still twelve years old yourself. Would a boy of this age really be completely uninterested in pretty female classmates? Let me be blunt: Xiao Qingqing will win. Over these three years of middle school, I will definitely make sure you two get together.”

Lin Zhengran looked at her, bored, but he soon remembered the events of that day. After middle school, Han Wenwen would be homeless. Given her personality and current grades, it would be nearly impossible for her to make it to high school relying solely on herself. Therefore, she wasn’t joking when she said this. This cunning fox knew full well that her days of eating, going to school, and coming home with Xiao Heqing—acting as her best friend—were numbered.

Seeing him staring at her, Han Wenwen curled her lips, showing no sign of weakness. ”It’s not very good manners to keep staring at your childhood friend’s bestie. If you weren’t so different from other boys, I’d mistakenly assume that the reason you aren’t with Xiao Qingqing is actually because you like me.”

Her gaze was as soul-stirringly alluring as ever, but Lin Zhengran remained completely unaffected. They locked eyes until the very end, and it was Han Wenwen who finally looked away first. Images of a snowy day at the bus stop flashed through her mind as she yielded to him. Her slender fingers unconsciously curled into tight fists. With a slight blush on her cheeks, she murmured in a very quiet voice, ”I told you not to keep staring. As a girl, I get shy too, you know.”

However, the blush and the words made it impossible to tell if she was being genuine or not.

”Just watch the show,” Lin Zhengran said.

Their seats were right next to each other. Han Wenwen opened a pack of snacks and shared half with Lin Zhengran. From a distance, they looked very well-matched. Of course, Lin Zhengran accepted the snacks, because in the eyes of his system, anything given by this vixen counted as a miraculous panacea.

Jiang Xueli’s performance began, and everything went exactly as Lin Zhengran had predicted.

Under his meticulous four-year guidance, this twin-tailed Miss Jiang possessed skills that completely surpassed those of most of her professionally trained peers. Her original song, brilliant singing voice, skilled technique, and playful, adorable image immediately made the female boss scouting for child stars in the audience exclaim in surprise.

”What a gifted girl... This is the first time I’ve ever seen a girl with such immense talent!”

This was Han Wenwen’s first time hearing Jiang Xueli sing, and she was equally astounded by her voice. Moreover, while shocked by her singing talent, she was also stunned by her stage presence. Given Jiang Xueli’s tsundere personality, it should have been impossible for someone her age to perform with such confidence on her very first time on stage—unless someone had been subtly instilling confidence in her over the years, gradually chipping away at her inherent shyness.

She realized something almost instantly and glanced at Lin Zhengran beside her. She wondered, ”Did Lin Zhengran really make all of this possible for Jiang Xueli? If that’s the case, could I also take control of my own life with his help?”