Chapter 96: Closer Encounters and Fate

Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

“Huh?”

Lin Xiaoli and Lin Yingjun had just picked up their teacups when they froze in shock.

Fang Meng, too, stared at them in a daze.

“Hm?”

Fang Meng’s mother turned to her husband and asked, “Honey, didn’t this really happen? Or am I remembering wrong?!”

Fang Meng’s father suddenly recalled, “No, no, you’re right! Don’t you two remember? Back in college, you two were inseparable, and Fang Meng’s mom and I were also dating. The four of us joked that if our kids were born around the same time, we’d arrange a childhood engagement for them. Have you seriously forgotten?!”

Lin Xiaoli and Lin Yingjun exchanged wide-eyed glances, memories of their university days flooding back.

At the same time, they blurted out, “Oh yeah… that did happen…”

The couple fell silent, but a sense of impending doom loomed over them. After all, that engagement had been a joke at the time.

They never expected that both their children would be conceived within the same year, be born around the same time, and—on top of that—end up as a perfect boy-girl pair.

This had long been forgotten, and they never thought much of it.

But now, recalling it wasn’t the problem—the real issue was that their son, Zhengran, wasn’t like other boys…

Putting aside his childhood friend and that one female classmate—that was already two girls interested in him. And on top of that, his grandfather had recently introduced him to a fiancée. And now, here they were, about to add yet another girl into the mix…

Fang Meng’s mother smirked. “Judging by your expressions, I take it you both remember now?” She gestured for her daughter to come over. “Mengmeng, come sit down. Let’s talk about this.”

Fang Meng obediently sat down, still stunned that she was involved in something like this. “A childhood engagement? I have a childhood engagement?”

Her mother nodded. “Yep! Back then, the four of us were the best of friends, so we made this arrangement. Oh, right, Xiaoli.” She turned to Lin Xiaoli. “What’s your son’s nickname again? And where is he studying now?”

Lin Xiaoli forced a smile, feeling a little awkward. “His nickname is Zhengran. He’s currently studying at First High.”

“Oh, what a coincidence! Mengmeng is also at First High!”

Lin Yingjun was surprised. “Huh? So they’re actually in the same school?”

Fang Meng’s father burst into laughter. “Now that is fate! You must have pictures of your son on your phone, right? Can we see one?”

Lin Yingjun and Lin Xiaoli exchanged glances before chuckling helplessly.

What else could they do at this point but go with the flow?

Zhengran, son… don’t blame us for making things more complicated for you. This is just fate. Besides, Xiaomeng is really cute—she probably has a lot of admirers too…

Lin Yingjun eventually found a photo from last year’s winter break and handed his phone over. “This was taken last year. Take a look.”

Fang Meng’s parents took the phone and were immediately stunned.

At the same time, they exclaimed, “He’s this good-looking?!”

Their shock was genuine.

Lin Zhengran had always been exceptionally handsome, but with the system’s added charm bonuses, his appearance had only become more and more striking over the years. Even just from a photo, he exuded an undeniable allure that naturally made people feel drawn to him.

“Your Zhengran inherited all of your best features! He looks so likable.”

Lin Xiaoli felt a surge of pride. “Zhengran is really good-looking. Yingjun and I can’t even compare.”

She then handed the phone to her daughter. “Mengmeng, take a look. This is your Zhengran-ge, your childhood fiancé.”

Fang Meng had been skeptical at first.

How good-looking could he really be?

In her opinion, the most handsome guy in her class was already Lin Zhengran himself. She doubted anyone could be more attractive—certainly not more than the guy Jiang Qian was obsessed with.

But when she took the phone, she froze.

She even rubbed her eyes, staring at the figure in the snowy landscape, wrapped in a long coat.

This… this guy looked exactly like Lin Zhengran.

Apart from the outfit, it was practically a perfect match.

Wait… wasn’t this just Lin Zhengran?!

Fang Meng’s pupils dilated, her slightly parted lips revealing her shock.

So Lin Zhengran is actually my fiancé?!

And the guy Qianqian likes… is technically my boyfriend?!

I’ve been… totally blindsided?!

Her mother called out to her. “Mengmeng, what do you think?”

“Huh?” Fang Meng snapped back to reality.

Her mother chuckled. “Why are you spacing out? I asked if you want to meet your Zhengran-ge. Since we all live in the same city, we can visit your Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin’s house sometime so you two can meet.”

Fang Meng stared at the photo.

“This…”

She didn’t know what to say.

After a long pause, under the expectant gazes of the adults, Fang Meng finally muttered, “…Alright, I guess we can meet.”

Her parents clapped in delight. “Great! So Xiaoli, Yingjun, it’s settled then? Next time, we’ll visit your home so the kids can meet and become friends. And while we’re at it, the four of us can have a proper reunion!”

Lin Yingjun smiled helplessly, accepting his fate. “Alright. Just let us know when you’re coming. Now that we’ve reconnected, we should definitely keep in touch. Maybe in the future, we can even take the kids out together in the city.”

Meanwhile, Fang Meng continued staring at the photo of Lin Zhengran.

Since Qianqian still likes him despite him having a girlfriend… I guess I’ll just have to dig deeper and find his weaknesses. The only way to uncover them is to get closer to him…

But… I have to admit, he really is pretty damn handsome.

It was the weekend, but ever since starting high school, Lin Zhengran had stopped going home every week, opting to visit once every two weeks instead.

After all, every time he went home, he had to help these girls practice their respective talents.

So weekends at school weren’t much different for him.

Since he’d be accompanying Little He Qing to a competition next week, he decided to use this weekend to sleep in at the dorm. Even though the system’s bonuses kept him from ever feeling fatigued, the occasional lazy day was still one of life’s small pleasures.

To prepare, he headed to the large supermarket outside school to stock up on some ready-to-eat food and instant noodles.

While browsing the shelves, he suddenly bumped into someone—a beautiful woman in high heels, her long, slightly wavy hair cascading down her back. She had been focused on the shelves and hadn’t noticed him.

A pleasant fragrance filled the air.

She turned to look at him, and he looked down at her.

The moment he saw her, Lin Zhengran couldn’t help but think—Why do the girls these days keep getting prettier and prettier?

The woman, dressed in form-fitting jeans, lifted her gaze to examine him. Her oval face, coupled with those gentle yet captivating eyes, exuded elegance. She softly apologized, “Sorry, I was looking at the shelves and didn’t notice you.”

Lin Zhengran smiled. “No worries. I wasn’t paying attention either.”

Neither of them said anything more as they turned back to the shelves, both eyeing the same brand of instant noodles.

Then, coincidentally, they reached out at the same time, their hands landing on the same cup of noodles.

They froze for a moment, eyes meeting.

After a brief pause, they both chuckled and, at the same time, withdrew their hands.

“You take it,” they said in unison.