Chapter 95: Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng’s Childhood Betrothal

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng’s Childhood Betrothal

Jiang Xueli’s brain short-circuited as she watched Xiao Heqing return to the classroom.

After a long silence, she finally clutched her head, feeling as if her mind had exploded!

She recalled the scene on the military training ground that day: Zhengran had confessed to her, and she had agreed. Although she hadn’t had much alone time with him over the past two days, wasn’t he her boyfriend now?! Because of this, she had been so shy the night she delivered the water that she hadn’t slept a wink. That bottle of water he had taken a sip from—Jiang Xueli had been so reluctant to part with it that it took her two days to finish it sip by sip.

"What is going on?!" Jiang Xueli clutched her head, her eyes tightly shut and her face flushed red. "Whose boyfriend is that idiot anyway?! Did he confess to He Qing too?!"

Just then, Han Wenwen came out of the classroom and saw Jiang Xueli’s pained expression. "Lili? What’s wrong?"

Jiang Xueli hastily dropped her arms. Clasping her hands behind her back, she blushed awkwardly. "N-Nothing... I’m going to the restroom."

She hurried to the girls’ restroom to wash her hands, clenching her small fists, her face full of jealousy. She thought to herself that she had to find that idiot and get to the bottom of this! He had clearly confessed to her that day! She had heard it with her own ears!

He wouldn’t dare go back on his word, would he?! That two-timing womanizer!

It was a bright, sunny noon. In this public high school, there was a beautiful lotus pond where koi fish swam freely.

In the small pavilion nearby, Jiang Qian, who was usually as cold as frost, sat on a bench and stared at the pond’s surface, which occasionally rippled as fish bumped against it. Away from Lin Zhengran, the shy blush had vanished from her face, and she had returned to her usual, aloof self.

"You said you had something important to tell me? What is it?"

Her assistant, Fang Meng, stood beside her holding a document. She asked seriously, "Qianqian, have you noticed how strange you’ve been acting these past few days?"

Jiang Qian gazed at the lotus pond, but her mind wandered back to Lin Zhengran. She thought of his profile and the sight of his hardworking back.

Hearing no response, Fang Meng called out again, "Qianqian? Are you listening to me?"

Jiang Qian finally snapped out of it. She blushed, but upon seeing it was Fang Meng, she calmed down. "What’s wrong? Oh, I heard you. I don’t think there’s anything strange about me at all. I’m perfectly normal."

Fang Meng retorted, "No, you’re not! You were just thinking about Lin Zhengran again, weren’t you!"

Jiang Qian turned her head away, looking back at the lotus pond with a guilty conscience.

Fang Meng was speechless. "You really are a hopeless case... At first, I actually believed you’d get over it in a day or two. But looking at it now, as long as your curiosity about him doesn’t fade, this isn’t over." She let out a long breath and looked at the document in her hand. "Fortunately, I’ve found something crucial that might alleviate your symptoms, Qianqian."

She handed the document to Jiang Qian. "Take a look, and you’ll understand."

Jiang Qian took it and saw that it detailed Lin Zhengran’s relationship with a girl named He Qing. As she read, Fang Meng explained.

"This girl, He Qing, is Lin Zhengran’s girlfriend. He admitted it himself, so it can’t be fake. According to my brief investigation, the two of them are childhood sweethearts who went to the same middle school. Lin Zhengran has always taken good care of her. So, Qianqian, the reason you’re blushing over Lin Zhengran right now..."

Jiang Qian looked at the photo of Lin Zhengran on the document and shyly covered her face with her hands.

Fang Meng was dumbfounded. She quickly snatched the document away to stop her from acting crazy. "Qianqian, are you even listening to me?! Are you okay?!"

Jiang Qian took a moment to compose herself before letting out a long breath. "I don’t know why you’re telling me all this. It’s not like I like him. What does it matter to me if he has a girlfriend or not? I’m just interested in his wide array of talents."

Fang Meng was also a bit stunned. "Seriously? So you do know you don’t like him. That makes things easier." Her tone calmed down as well. "I just saw that you haven’t been acting right lately. You blush every time you talk to him, so I was worried that if this continued, you might actually develop feelings for him. That’s why I tried to find a way to cool you down."

Jiang Qian slowly stood up, her frosty eyes staring coldly at Fang Meng. "Meng, what are you thinking? Why would I like any guy? Besides, I swore a long time ago that if I ever have to find a boyfriend, he has to be vastly stronger than me and surpass me in every aspect. Otherwise, it’s impossible for my heart to be moved."

Fang Meng sat to the side, finally breathing a sigh of relief. "That’s true. I remember you making that vow, so..." She suddenly grew tense again and looked at Jiang Qian. "Wait, isn’t that exactly describing Lin Zhengran?! How is that any different from what you wished for?!"

Jiang Qian asked shyly, "Is it? Does he really match that?"

"Of course he does! Look, you’re blushing again! You can’t like him just because he’s highly capable. When you look for a boyfriend, you should find a guy who treats you well, not just someone powerful. You’re going to ruin yourself like this! And how did things even escalate to this point?!"

But in the very next second, Jiang Qian returned to normal. "I already told you, I don’t like him. How could I ruin myself?"

Fang Meng was speechless. Was she becoming schizophrenic?

Jiang Qian slowly stood up. When Fang Meng asked her where she was going, she replied, "I’m going back to the academic building to sit for a while. And... I might as well go see that girl named He Qing. I want to see exactly what Lin Zhengran likes about her and where I fall short compared to her."

"Huh?" From behind, Fang Meng couldn’t see Jiang Qian’s expression, but she did notice Jiang Qian’s tightly clenched fists. She slowly leaned sideways to steal a glance at her profile, only to see her looking puffed up and jealous.

Fang Meng stared blankly.

Then, she hurriedly jumped up and hooked her arm around Jiang Qian’s neck. "I’m not letting you go! You are totally jealous right now! If you keep this up, you’re really going to fall for him!"

"I won’t."

"You will!"

"I won’t. Let go of me."

"Who would believe that?!"

"Then tell me, what reason do I have to like him?"

"How should I know?! It’s not like I’m the one who likes him!" Fang Meng was physically and mentally exhausted.

The weekend arrived quickly. Fang Meng visited her family once every two weeks, but when she returned home today and walked through the door, she suddenly noticed that her parents weren’t the only ones on the sofa; another couple was sitting there as well.

Fang Meng’s parents made the introductions: "Mengmeng is back? Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Lin, and this is Mrs. Lin. They were our classmates and old friends we haven’t seen in many years. We just happened to bump into each other while out and about today."

Lin Yingjun and Lin Xiaoli greeted Fang Meng, "Hello, Meng! We haven’t seen you in so many years. You’ve grown so much, and you’re so pretty."

Fang Meng had never met them before, but she still nodded politely. "Hello, Mr. Lin, Mrs. Lin."

Fang Meng’s parents laughed. "Oh, right! Seeing Mengmeng suddenly reminded me—your son must be quite grown up by now too, right? Back in school, didn’t we agree that once our two kids grew up, we’d get them together? We even arranged a childhood betrothal!"