Chapter 174 - 150: Pure Childhood Sweethearts (Part 3)

Chapter 174: Chapter 150: Pure Childhood Sweethearts (Part 3)

Jiang Xueli: "....."

Jiang Xueli blinked. "N-No, I don’t think so? I mean, when we walked past the school gate last night, I felt like this streetlight was brighter than it is now. It’s not as bright anymore, so it must be getting old."

Lin Zhengran was speechless. "That’s because when we saw it yesterday, it was nighttime. There were no other lights, so of course the traffic light looked bright. Now it’s daytime, so of course it doesn’t seem as bright."

Jiang Xueli swallowed awkwardly. "Oh, is that a thing?"

’What am I even saying?! I should have just kept my mouth shut. He’s going to think I’m a total idiot!’

Lin Zhengran eyed the little fool. Seeing her lost in her own little brainstorm, he had no idea what she could possibly have been thinking about to wonder if a streetlight was old or not.

The red light turned off and the yellow light came on.

Seeing the red light was gone, Jiang Xueli prepared to follow the crowd down the steps and cross the street.

But Lin Zhengran suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Don’t rush."

Before his voice had even faded, a car sped through the intersection in front of the school, drawing a wave of curses.

It startled the students who had been just about to cross.

The old security guard was the most foul-mouthed of all. "Driving that fast in front of a school, are you in a hurry to get reincarnated? You damn snot-nosed kid!"

The old guard, ever protective of his students, certainly had a way with words.

Lin Zhengran also reminded Jiang Xueli, "Why are you in such a hurry to cross on a yellow light? Don’t you look for cars?"

Seeing that Lin Zhengran’s face was genuinely angry—a rare sight, as Zhengran didn’t get angry often—Jiang Xueli immediately apologized. "S-Sorry... I was a little distracted."

With that, Lin Zhengran raised his hand and gave her a flick on the forehead, this time with a little more force.

It made Jiang Xueli’s forehead sting, but she didn’t say a word.

Lin Zhengran: "You get distracted even when you’re crossing the street?"

"I won’t... anymore..." She didn’t even dare to rub her forehead.

Only then did Lin Zhengran take her hand and lead her forward.

Jiang Xueli followed him with her head down in frustration, until her eyes fixed on their joined hands and she stared blankly for a moment.

’When did we start holding hands?’

’Was it when he grabbed me just now?’

Jiang Xueli’s cheeks flushed, and she followed silently behind Lin Zhengran.

Lin Zhengran looked back at her.

Jiang Xueli flinched. This time, she was truly nervous.

"I really know I was wrong! I’ll definitely learn my lesson next time! I’ll only cross when there are no cars!" she said, opening her big, earnest eyes as if taking an oath.

Lin Zhengran let out a long breath and turned back around.

"As long as you learn your lesson."

Only then did Jiang Xueli breathe a sigh of relief.

Although Lin Zhengran had never been truly, seriously angry with her, the look he’d just given her was enough to scare her to death.

After crossing the street, Jiang Xueli looked at her hand held in his, then quickly took two steps forward to walk beside Lin Zhengran.

She shifted her hand slightly, allowing her to grip Lin Zhengran’s hand back.

Their fingers intertwined, and her face filled with happiness.

’Looks like this whole breaking up thing has nothing to do with me after all.’

"Let’s break up," Lin Zhengran said.

The smile had just appeared on Jiang Xueli’s face, but it instantly froze. She stood as rigid as a wooden plank, tears about to well up in her eyes, when she suddenly saw the name of a new store in the distance: Potato Division Bar, with a line of small text underneath it: "Official Potato Chip Direct-Sale Store."

Lin Zhengran: "I didn’t expect to see a specialty snack shop like this by our school. Want to try some?" He immediately thought of He Qing and Wenwen; those two foodies would probably jump for joy in front of the store if they knew it had opened.

Jiang Xueli blinked, looking at Lin Zhengran. Her heart, which had leapt into her throat, came crashing back down.

Still, she wasn’t as much of a foodie as He Qing.

"Let’s buy some after breakfast. We can get a bag to try."

Lin Zhengran hummed in agreement. "Let’s get buns for breakfast. The place up ahead is pretty good."

"Okay!"

Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli went to the bun shop and ordered three steamer baskets of soup dumplings—two with beef and one with pork.

Jiang Xueli sat across from Lin Zhengran and went to get chopsticks and some small pickles.

While waiting for the buns, Jiang Xueli stared at Lin Zhengran.

Lin Zhengran, meanwhile, was scrolling through some company files on his phone that Jiang Jingshi had sent him earlier.

Without looking up from his phone, Lin Zhengran asked, "Why do you keep staring at me? Your mind has been racing with all sorts of nonsense since this morning, hasn’t it?"

"Huh?" Jiang Xueli, having been found out, said, "No, I wasn’t thinking about anything."

"Not thinking about anything, yet you were distracted while waiting to cross?"

Jiang Xueli broke out in a cold sweat.

She was on pins and needles.

Lin Zhengran put down his phone and looked at Jiang Xueli to talk business. Although he couldn’t know all the girl’s thoughts, brainstorming was Jiang Xueli’s specialty. No one had more drama going on in their head than her.

"What has Wang been telling you these past couple of days?"

Jiang Xueli acknowledged him, then took out her phone, found the chat, and showed it to Lin Zhengran.

"You can just read it. Wang said that since I’m number one on the New Star chart, right? She wants me to go over today to talk about filming a solo music video."

"It’s for my song, ’You Are My Star.’ She also said she might set me up with a group or something later?"

Jiang Xueli actually knew the studio’s capabilities. A small studio like that, forming a group? She chuckled drily.

"But I think the whole group thing is probably just pie in the sky. I’ve known the people at the studio for years, but I’m not actually close with them. I don’t think I could perform well if I collaborated with them, and I’m sure you wouldn’t agree to it either, Zhengran."

But to Jiang Xueli’s surprise:

"No, I don’t think it’s pie in the sky this time. And I also think it’s about time you had a team. Having a team doesn’t conflict with going solo. As a singer, you need to perform alone, but you also need group songs. It’s a necessary path."

"Huh? Really? But..." Jiang Xueli didn’t understand. "But didn’t you say before that the people at the studio aren’t on my level? If I form a group with them, won’t it just drag my level down?"