Chapter 388: The Five Sisters - Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 388: The Five Sisters The stillness of the sunset remained unchanged, yet a breeze rustled the shadows cast by the treetops at their feet. "What did you just say..." she asked again. Lin Zhengran had no choice but to admit, "I said I might have had a bit of a crush on you for a long time. Maybe it was on the day of our high school graduation, or that time I went with Jing Shi to your place, or perhaps it was after we started college. Anyway, I can feel that you're different from everyone else in my heart." Jiang Qian could hardly believe it; her eyelashes quivered, and her face quickly flushed with a bright red. For the first time, the usually aloof second daughter found herself wanting to speak but lacking the courage. She sat back down, her head lowered as she gazed at the ground, her ears burning red. "Really? I thought you didn't have any feelings for me," she murmured, her voice barely audible. Sitting close to her, Lin Zhengran took out a small box from his pocket. "I only just realized it myself. When I officially started dating He Qing, Wenwen, and Lily in our senior year, I wasn't planning on finding another girlfriend. Three seemed like quite enough. But sometimes, when you meet someone, there's nothing you can do about it. So that time on vacation, when Wenwen and the others were discussing how many people we would date in the future, I ended up not saying three. Maybe deep down, I felt like there was someone else I liked that I hadn't won over yet." Jiang Qian clenched her hands into fists, remaining silent. Lin Zhengran looked at Jiang Qian. "It's inevitable when we've known each other for so long; I can't help but care about you. After all, you've always been a prominent figure on campus, and especially in recent years, you've helped me a lot." Under the shadow of her fringe, Jiang Qian's eyes were partially hidden. "You've helped me even more... I never thought you would one day say such things to me. Let me be honest with you, ever since my sister brought you home, I've been scared. Inside, I'm not as invincible as I appear." Her voice remained cool, but there was a surprising softness to it. "I was afraid that if you really got together with my sister, you wouldn't like me anymore. In my eyes, my sister and I are very similar, but clearly, she was more to your liking, and my parents favored her more. So that day at the dinner table, when my sister wanted to make your relationship public, I acted out of embarrassment and kissed you in front of them." After a brief pause, she spoke earnestly, "I'm sorry. Although I already apologized to you through my phone, I felt it wasn't formal enough. Plus, after I apologized, I didn't dare look at my phone again, so I'm saying it again today." She added, "I'll apologize to my sister too; what happened that day was a bit too much." Lin Zhengran chuckled, "You and your sister have indeed been at odds with each other lately. It's been over a month, and you two haven't really spoken much, have you?" Jiang Qian nodded. Lin Zhengran handed the small box to Jiang Qian. "Here, it's a remedy I made myself. Take it, and it will heal the wounds on your hands and help your skin recover faster." With a blush, Jiang Qian accepted the box. She opened it to reveal the pills inside. "You made this yourself? Thank you. Should I take it now?" "You can." Jiang Qian took a pill and placed it in her mouth. The medicine was miraculous, but she couldn't focus on its wonders at that moment. She pursed her lips and looked up at Lin Zhengran. In the silence that followed, she asked clearly, "What does this make us? Are we officially together now? I've never been in a relationship, so I want you to tell me clearly. Anyway, I like you. Ever since I fell for you, I've always liked you." Lin Zhengran slowly took her hand; when their fingers touched, she flinched slightly but quickly let him hold her hand. Lin Zhengran said, "Isn't it obvious? I like you too, so of course, we're together now." Hearing this, Jiang Qian smiled happily. She looked up at the sky, her heart racing with excitement. "So this is what being in a relationship feels like. No wonder my sister's been acting so carefree since she got together with you. Now I get it." With that, she slowly leaned on Lin Zhengran's shoulder, and they exchanged glances. In a daze, Jiang Qian’s eyes shimmered, and her lips moved closer to his. Not far away, hidden in a secluded corner, Fang Meng watched their kiss with trembling eyes. She gripped the wall with some force. "Qian Qian... Lin Zhengran..." She was happy for Qian Qian's success, yet an unavoidable hint of jealousy appeared on her face. The next morning, in the student council president's office. Jiang Qian entered with a radiant energy, her demeanor exuding confidence. Everyone in the office turned to look at her, including Lin Zhengran, seated there, and Han Wenwen, making tea for him. He Qing and Jiang Xueli, busy with other tasks, also looked up. Jiang Qian approached Lin Zhengran with her letter of appointment. "President, from today, I'm the vice president. My application was approved." Lin Zhengran acknowledged this with a calm nod. As they exchanged looks, Lin Zhengran called out with a smile, "He Qing, Lily, come over here, and Wenwen, I have something to tell the three of you." The three of them sensed something amiss in his tone, exchanging puzzled looks, and slowly approached. Surely not... Yet it was exactly as they feared. Lin Zhengran straightforwardly took Jiang Qian's hand: "He Qing, Wenwen, Lily, yesterday afternoon Jiang Qian and I officially got together. From now on, make sure to get along peacefully." Han Wenwen, He Qing, and Jiang Xueli were wide-eyed in surprise, frozen for a solid half-minute. Jiang Xueli, clutching her fists, stammered, "Seriously?! Yesterday afternoon?! What happened yesterday afternoon?!" Han Wenwen sighed heavily with jealousy. Little He Qing pursed her lips, her hands fidgeting before her. "I guess it happened after all." Lin Zhengran shrugged helplessly with a smile: "It can't be helped." He addressed Jiang Qian with a new familiarity: "Qian Qian." Jiang Qian blushed slightly and nodded, then changed her form of address to the three in front of her: "He Qing... Wenwen, Lily, we're sisters now. Just call me Qian Qian." The three of them, unable to do anything but give in to the new hierarchy, unanimously responded, "Qian Qian..." Moments later, Jiang Qian sat on the sofa for the first time with the three companions. Still, as the second young mistress, she maintained perfect posture, sitting upright with a straight back. Jiang Xueli took a sip of tea and asked, "Jiang Qian, I didn’t expect you to get what you were after, did you?" Jiang Qian wasn’t sure how to reply, her voice pleasant. "It was surprising to me too. I thought I’d have to keep competing with you for a while longer, but I didn’t anticipate such a quick outcome." Han Wenwen, sitting beside Lin Zhengran, rested her head on his shoulder. "So from now on, we're the five sisters." Little He Qing was curious. "Does Jiang know about this?" Lin Zhengran, sipping his tea, replied, "I haven't told Jing Shi yet. I’ll give her a call shortly." (End of Chapter)