Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 161: Always Bullying Me

“You actually look pretty good without the jacket too,” Lin Zhengran commented.

Jiang Xueli blushed. “This isn’t the time for compliments!”

Lin Zhengran brushed past her and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Jiang Xueli shivered slightly, feeling inexplicably relieved.

But then she realized—she hadn’t heard the sound of the door locking.

Concerned, she called out, “Zhengran, you forgot to lock the door.”

“There’s no need. It’s not like you’d peek, right? Since you won’t, there’s no reason for me to lock it.” His reasoning was flawless.

Jiang Xueli blinked, finding his logic somewhat convincing… but still…

After hesitating for a moment, she slowly reached for the doorknob, gently twisting it open, and peeked her head inside.

At that exact moment, Lin Zhengran turned around.

Their eyes met.

The next second, Lin Zhengran strode over and knocked her forehead with his knuckles.

“Are you a pervert? Were you really trying to peek?”

Jiang Xueli let out a startled yelp, realizing too late what she had done.

“I—I didn’t think you actually left it unlocked! I thought I just didn’t hear the sound of the lock clicking!”

Lin Zhengran was speechless.

“Get back on the bed.”

Jiang Xueli, utterly mortified, covered her face. “Okay, okay!”

Lin Zhengran sighed—this girl was hopelessly dense.

He locked the door this time.

Sitting on the bed, Jiang Xueli started overthinking.

Would Zhengran misunderstand her intentions? She really was just curious if he locked the door…

Then she heard the sound of running water.

He’s already showering? That was fast…

She looked down at her bare thighs.

While standing, her outfit had looked fine, but once she sat down, the illusion shattered.

Panicked, she clutched the jacket tied around her waist, pressing her legs tightly together and angling them inward.

This isn’t working… everything’s still visible…

Meanwhile, water dripped from her hair.

Normally, she would wrap a towel around her head to absorb the moisture, but that wasn’t an option tonight.

She grabbed the hairdryer, plugged it in, and started blow-drying.

However, it wasn’t very effective.

“Ugh, my hair is still too wet. At least it’s shorter than before…”

Out of nowhere, Lin Zhengran’s sharp voice rang from the bathroom.

“Jiang Xueli.”

She jumped, almost dropping the hairdryer. “What?!”

Lin Zhengran was staring at the damp towel in his hands.

“What the hell did you do to this towel? Why is it completely soaked?!”

Jiang Xueli answered matter-of-factly, “Of course, it’s wet! I used it, didn’t I? And since you’re going to use it after me, I had to wash it first!”

Lin Zhengran was utterly exasperated.

“At least wring out the water, can’t you?”

“I did wring it out!”

Lin Zhengran squeezed the towel—though it wasn’t dripping, the moment he applied pressure, water pooled in his hand and trickled down.

A vein popped on his forehead.

Did she want to get smacked?

“You sure? I could wring out half a bucket of water from this, and you’re telling me it’s dry?”

“I tried my best! I don’t have that much strength!”

Lin Zhengran didn’t respond immediately, probably too frustrated to even argue.

Realizing she had caused another problem, Jiang Xueli tried to fix it.

“If the wet towel bothers you, my shirt is still in there. I think only half of it got wet. You can use the dry part to wipe off instead. It’s not like I can wear it tomorrow anyway.”

Lin Zhengran sighed. “Forget it. I’ll just wring this out myself.”

Jiang Xueli hunched her shoulders, already anticipating another forehead flick when he came out.

She continued drying her hair.

Barely two minutes passed before Lin Zhengran finished his shower and stepped out.

Jiang Xueli turned in shock. “Already?! That wasn’t even five minutes, was it?”

Lin Zhengran responded, “More like ten. I washed everything I needed to.”

Jiang Xueli glanced at him, fresh out of the shower, pants on but shirtless.

His toned abs and chest muscles still carried a slight sheen of moisture, making them way too eye-catching.

She immediately turned away, continuing to blow-dry her hair as if nothing happened.

“I knew guys showered fast, but I didn’t think it’d be that fast…” she muttered under her breath.

Right on cue, Lin Zhengran walked over and flicked her forehead.

“Ow!” Jiang Xueli yelped. She had been waiting for that. At this point, getting smacked was routine.

“How much longer do you need to dry your hair?” he asked.

Jiang Xueli held up the hairdryer, the buzzing noise filling the air. “This thing isn’t very powerful. Probably another half hour since my hair is so wet.”

“Half an hour? I could dry my whole head twice over in that time. How about I go first, then I’ll help you after?”

“You’re going to dry my hair?”

She turned to look at him—then immediately turned away again because her eyes automatically drifted to his abs.

Flustered, she shoved the hairdryer into his hands. “Fine, you go first.”

Lin Zhengran took it. “I’ll be quicker than you. Go sit on the bed and wait.”

“…I’ll just get under the covers.”

“Suit yourself.”

Jiang Xueli carefully climbed into bed, touching her still-damp hair.

I’ve been drying it for so long, but it still feels wet…

Lin Zhengran, meanwhile, swiftly dried his short hair, movements efficient and crisp.

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Jiang Xueli, lying under the covers, couldn’t help but sneak glances at him.

His sharp side profile and well-built frame were simply too attractive.

Even though they always bickered and fooled around, she had to admit—Zhengran was ridiculously good-looking.

And his physique was flawless.

Any girl would fall for a guy like this…

A few minutes later, Lin Zhengran finished drying his hair and walked back to the bed, noticing that Jiang Xueli was deliberately staring out the window.

“What are you doing?”

Jiang Xueli stiffened. “N-Nothing! Just admiring the view! It’s so dark tonight…”

Lin Zhengran ignored her excuse. “Close the curtains.”

“Oh.”

She bit her lip and sat up slightly to pull the curtains shut.

When she turned back, she saw that Lin Zhengran had also gotten into bed—right next to her.

She freaked out.

“Zhengran! Why are you so close?!”

“Can you stop being so paranoid? How else am I supposed to dry your hair? And because you insisted on staying here, I have to sleep with pants on.”

Jiang Xueli understood, but still…

I’M NOT WEARING ANYTHING UNDER THIS SHIRT!

Lin Zhengran gestured. “Come here, I’ll dry your hair.”

“…O-Okay…”

Blushing, Jiang Xueli turned toward him.

The hairdryer hummed as Lin Zhengran gathered her silky strands in his hands.

Jiang Xueli clenched her fingers, biting her lip as she felt his fingers running through her hair, the warmth of the air flowing through it.

Lin Zhengran noticed how tense she was. “Are you nervous?”

She jolted, her grip tightening.

Of course, I’m nervous! We’re alone in bed together!

“…N-Not really…”

Lin Zhengran smirked. “And to think you were imagining all sorts of things earlier. If we actually did something, you’d probably start crying.”

Jiang Xueli, completely humiliated, shot back, “I am not that weak! I just…”

Her mind suddenly flashed to the image of a guy tugging on twin ponytails.

Her face went bright red.

“I just… feel embarrassed, okay?! Any girl would feel shy in this situation! Stop teasing me, you big idiot! You always bully me! Ever since we were kids, all you’ve ever done is bully me!”