Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 253: Lili’s Thoughts

The room had gone quiet.

Jiang Xueli’s phone was still playing information about the Music Candidate show—contestant profiles and past music works—but she was no longer paying attention.

She just listened to the sound, hugging her knees, sitting at the edge of the bed, spacing out.

In the distance, the sound of a fox-like “ying ying” cry echoed softly.

By the window, the little fox (Han Wenwen) stretched lazily and comfortably woke up first.

Her fox-like eyes gazed at the ceiling, then at the window, which showed it was nearly evening. After pausing a moment, she picked up the phone from under her pillow in surprise:

“It’s past four already? I actually slept for a full three hours?”

She let out a long sigh, thinking—even though it was only a short while in the bathroom earlier...

but having Brother Zhengran help her...

was totally different from doing it herself.

The pleasure level was way off the charts.

She turned to look at Little He Qing, still sleeping soundly under the covers, and at Jiang Xueli, sitting silently on the bed hugging her knees. freewebnoveℓ.com

Han Wenwen whispered, “Xiao Qingqing’s already back? Where’s Brother Zhengran...”

Her voice trailed off. But Jiang Xueli seemed completely out of it, still lost in her thoughts.

Han Wenwen sighed in relief and slowly sat up, using her hands to push against the bed. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders.

“Is Lin Zhengran back yet?”

Still no reply.

Han Wenwen curiously looked over at her. “Lili? Lili!”

After calling twice, Jiang Xueli finally snapped out of it and turned her head, realizing Han Wenwen was awake.

“Oh, Han Wenwen, you’re up. What’s wrong?”

Han Wenwen gave a helpless smile. “You’re spacing out? Don’t tell me you’re nervous about Music Candidate already?”

Jiang Xueli chuckled. “Nothing to be nervous about.” Compared to Zhengran: “The competition’s not that big of a deal—and it’s not like it’s happening tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Han Wenwen didn’t understand. She could tell Lili’s vibe was totally different from before her nap. She continued, “Did Lin Zhengran come back?”

“Yeah, he’s resting in the room. Said we’ll go eat at five.”

After that, she went back to zoning out.

The little fox blinked, puzzled about what had gotten into Lili. Why did she suddenly seem like she’d lost half her soul?

She got out of bed.

Her long white legs poked out from beneath her skirt as she reached for her slippers, put them on, and walked to Lin Zhengran’s room. She gently knocked on the door.

Lin Zhengran replied, “Come in. It’s not locked.”

The little fox opened the door just a crack, poked her fox-like head inside, and spotted Lin Zhengran sitting on the bed reading.

He looked up and smiled. “You’re awake? What’s up?”

Han Wenwen shook her head meaningfully, smiling sweetly. “Nothing. Just checking if you were back.”

Then she winked at him and closed the door.

But just as she was about to go wash her face, her nose twitched involuntarily.

She sniffed.

Something smelled... off.

She glanced at Lin Zhengran’s closed door again.

Her face first showed confusion—then a faint blush.

Wait... isn’t that Zhengran gege’s... you-know-what scent?

She was pretty sure she wasn’t imagining it.

It was faint, but definitely there.

She turned to look at the half-open window.

The rain outside had stopped, and the wind was still.

But because the window was ajar, the scent in the room would have partially dissipated over time.

Which meant... she couldn’t quite tell when it had started, or exactly where it was coming from.

But it had been there.

First, she ruled out the possibility of Zhengran doing it himself.

After all, before she “served” him last week, she had never smelled that kind of scent on him.

So it meant Zhengran didn’t have a habit of handling things on his own.

But this afternoon...

She had been asleep.

Lili had been going over application materials.

Xiao Qingqing was the quiet, obedient type—and she was sleeping right there on the bed. Totally impossible.

Could it be... that Zhengran’s desire had simply spiked today?

That was why she could faintly pick up that scent?

If so, then didn’t that mean... her nose had gotten even sharper?!

She’d evolved!

If that’s the case, it looks like Brother Zhengran won’t let her off tonight.

And she should properly serve him—claim Zhengran’s first time for herself.

Having made up her mind, the little fox no longer planned to just wash her face.

She decided to shower instead—to prepare for the night.

Back at her bed, she opened her suitcase and pulled out a towel and shower gel.

“Lili, are you using the bathroom? If not, I’m gonna go shower.”

Jiang Xueli gave a soft “mm.”

“Nope.”

Han Wenwen: “.....”

What’s going on with her?

Carrying the towel and shower gel, she stopped beside her and asked with concern:

“Lili? Are you okay? Did something happen?”

Jiang Xueli chuckled weakly and waved her hand.

“No, nothing. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Nothing happened, and nothing will happen.

There’s no way anything happened. Seriously, nothing at all. I’m just overthinking.”

“Uh... you could’ve just said one sentence. Why are you repeating yourself so much...”

Jiang Xueli blinked. “Did I repeat myself?”

“More than just a little,” Han Wenwen said seriously. “You sure everything’s okay?”

Hearing that, Jiang Xueli suddenly grew anxious.

“Of course everything’s okay! Why would you think anything’s wrong?! There’s no way anything’s wrong!”

Han Wenwen stared at her—something felt off.

“Well, as long as you’re fine. I’m gonna shower now.”

“Mm, go ahead, go ahead.”

Han Wenwen went into the bathroom and locked the door to shower and freshen up.

Jiang Xueli stayed sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, turning her gaze toward the bed where He Qing still lay sleeping.

Her brows knit slightly, her face full of jealousy.

By the time Han Wenwen finished showering, it was past 5 PM.

During that time, Lin Zhengran had checked his phone and saw that there were no new messages from the company.

Which meant that Jiang Jingshi had probably taken care of everything herself these past few days.

He sent her a few messages:

“Jingshi, how’s your health lately? Has the company been busy these days?”

Jiang Jingshi replied almost instantly:

“Feeling great! The company’s not too busy either. How about you—everything going smoothly over there?”

“Yeah, going well.”

“That’s good. Ever since you and I got together, something really magical happened—my work efficiency’s gone way up these past few days. It’s crazy how much easier everything feels now.”

Lin Zhengran chuckled and chatted with her a bit more.

Ever since they formed their pact, he had clearly felt his cultivation progress speeding up.

Thanks to the pact, he gained a threefold bonus from his contract partner’s growth.

But the three little girls normally didn’t gain XP very fast—they weren’t studying or working constantly.

Jiang Jingshi, however, was different.

She was buried in company affairs every single day, learning tons of diverse and intensive things.

Which meant Lin Zhengran’s experience points had been climbing nonstop.

He was even about to level up again soon.

At around 5 PM, Han Wenwen had finished drying her hair and was sitting on her bed.

Lin Zhengran stepped out of his room.

Even though Jiang Xueli had been spacing out this whole time, the moment she saw him, she instantly snapped back to attention and quickly sat up straight.

Lin Zhengran asked, “Are you two hungry? If you are, let’s go out and grab something to eat.

Let’s skip the hotel food tonight.

The lunch they served earlier didn’t taste that great anyway.”

Jiang Xueli nodded. “Mm.”

Han Wenwen nodded too. “Okay.”

Then she glanced toward the still-sleeping He Qing. “What about Xiao Qingqing? Should we wake her up?”

Lin Zhengran looked at He Qing, and Jiang Xueli watched him closely—

That soft, gentle expression on his face stirred her jealousy again.

Lin Zhengran said, “Let her rest. No need to wake her for now.

We’ll just bring the food back and eat in the room.”