Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 12: Swan Chocolate

After thorough observation, Lin Zhengran identified that He Qing had only one undefeatable opponent: a chubby boy named Xiao Long.

Xiao Long, with his chubby cheeks and tall stature, had only joined taekwondo this year. However, his natural advantages allowed him to dominate even senior students. For He Qing, with her small arms and legs, defeating him seemed impossible.

Lin Zhengran asked, “Have you ever fought Xiao Long before?”

He Qing nodded. “Twice. The first time, he threw me to the ground in one move. I was completely dazed.”

“And the second time?”

“The second time, he threw me to the ground again in one move. Still dazed.”

Lin Zhengran sighed. “Do you think you can beat him?”

“No,” He Qing admitted honestly. Her reward for the truth was a flick to the forehead.

Holding her head, He Qing looked up at him pitifully.

Lin Zhengran asked again, “Let me ask you one more time. Do you think you can beat him?!”

This time, He Qing, looking as if she’d made a mistake, hugged her head and nodded. “I can beat him.”

“Good!” Lin Zhengran grinned. “See? You just need some confidence! In kids’ fights, size isn’t everything. What matters is mental strength! As long as you don’t fear him and show a fierce, unyielding expression even if you get hit, he’ll definitely be intimidated by you.”

He Qing tilted her head in confusion. Mental strength? Intimidation? What did those even mean? None of this was in her school textbooks.

Still, she nodded earnestly. “Got it!”

“For the next month, our training will focus on one thing: sharpening your awareness! Once your aura can overpower your opponent, things like strength and kicking techniques will just be extras. He won’t stand a chance.”

Lin Zhengran adopted a coaching posture, pointing at her. “Now, give me a scary or intimidating expression!”

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He Qing blinked in confusion before awkwardly baring her teeth in a toothy grin.

Lin Zhengran groaned and tugged at her cheeks. “What are you doing? Showing off your pearly whites? Trying to look cute?!”

He Qing shut her eyes tightly, looking wronged. “I wasn’t trying to look cute… I just don’t know how.”

Lin Zhengran sighed heavily. “Fine. With your personality, who’d ever be scared of you? Just follow my lead. I’ll teach you how to frown, keep a cold face, and glare sideways.”

Under his hands-on guidance, He Qing managed to settle on a somewhat intimidating expression.

On the street, as the sun set, He Qing ran with furrowed brows and gritted teeth, trying her best to look fierce. The result was a mix of adorable and silly.

Lin Zhengran looked as if he’d swallowed a mosquito. “This is going to take a while,” he muttered.

Pointing to the road, he ordered, “Now, run three laps around the block with me. No changing your expression while you run! Go!”

He took off running.

“Wait for me!” He Qing called, scrambling to keep up. “You’re too fast! I can’t catch up!”

“I’m waiting, aren’t I? Now hurry up! And don’t drop your expression—where are your bared teeth? Keep them up!”

The month flew by, and training reached its final stages.

On a rest day, He Qing accompanied her mom to the supermarket. Walking into the mall hand-in-hand, He Qing suddenly remembered something and scampered off to an expensive dessert counter.

Pressing her nose against the glass display, she peered at the back of the counter where a white swan-shaped chocolate dessert was displayed.

The dessert wasn’t very big—about the size of her two hands—but it was pricey, costing several hundred yuan.

The store clerk, a pretty young lady, recognized He Qing immediately. “Back to see the dessert again, little one?”

He Qing nodded, her soft voice piping up. “Big Sister, no one’s bought this chocolate yet, right? Please keep it for me. I’ll buy it at the end of the month.”

The clerk crouched down with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll save it for you. But…” She pointed at He Qing’s mom, who was shopping nearby. “Isn’t that your mom? Why don’t you ask her to buy it now? I can even give you a discount!”

He Qing shook her head. “It’s not for my mom to buy. I want to win it in a competition. My coach said I could pick any prize under 500 yuan if I win, and I want this.”

“Oh?” The clerk looked intrigued. “What kind of competition are you entering? You seem pretty confident about winning.”

“Taekwondo! I’m sure I’ll win!”

The clerk chuckled, patting He Qing’s head. “You’re so cute. Don’t worry, I’ll protect this dessert until the end of the month. It’s delicious, so you won’t regret it!”

He Qing shyly thanked her, then added, “It’s not for me to eat. I’m giving it to someone else. He really likes chocolate.”

She thought Lin Zhengran would love the gift, and this was why she had to win.

When Aunt He called out that it was time to go, He Qing quickly rejoined her.

Her mom asked, “Did you see a dessert you liked? You always stop by there. Don’t you want to buy one?”

He Qing shook her head vigorously. “Nope, not buying. Let’s go home, Mom. I need to find Lin Zhengran.”

She knew this dessert was special. If she got her mom to buy it, it wouldn’t feel the same. It had to be a prize, or it wouldn’t taste as good. She couldn’t give a disappointing gift to Lin Zhengran—it’d make him angry.

At the end of the month, the taekwondo center buzzed with excitement.

Though it was just an internal competition, the promise of prizes had the participants fired up.

In the locker room, He Qing adjusted her snow-white taekwondo uniform and took a deep breath in front of the mirror.

Stepping out, she immediately caught sight of Lin Zhengran sitting in the stands, arms crossed. Their eyes met, and for once, Lin Zhengran gave her a rare thumbs-up.

He Qing’s cheeks flushed red as she nodded firmly. Today, she had to win—especially in front of him.