Since it was Saturday, his dad, Lin Yingjun, had the day off from work.
Hearing a knock at the door, he went to check and found Xiao Heqing standing there.
Xiao Heqing had changed into a pretty white dress today, her ponytail brushing her shoulders. She looked up with large, watery eyes. It was obvious she had dressed up carefully, looking like a little white swan. "Mr. Lin, is Lin Zhengran here? I came to see him."
Lin Yingjun smiled and opened the door wide. "Ah, it's Qingqing. Come on in, Lin Zhengran is resting in his bedroom."
"Thank you, Mr. Lin."
Hearing that he was resting, Xiao Heqing tiptoed to Lin Zhengran's door. Not daring to knock and disturb him, she simply called out softly, "Lin Zhengran? Lin Zhengran? It's He Qing. I have something to tell you."
Lin Zhengran was lying on his stomach in bed, flipping through a book. "Just come in, but remember to close the door."
"Okay!"
Xiao Heqing gently opened the door, saw Lin Zhengran on the bed, and quietly closed it behind her. She walked over and stood beside him, her small hands clasped together in front of her, looking as meek and well-behaved as always.
Lin Zhengran turned his head in confusion.
Xiao Heqing stared at him eagerly, pursing her small lips. "I came today to ask you two things, and there's one more thing I need to tell you. Three things in total."
"That many? Just spit it out."
Lowering her head, Xiao Heqing hesitantly finally asked the question that had been on her mind for days. "Last week, during the school sports meet, I heard someone say that you... you and your class's disciplinary committee member are boyfriend and girlfriend..."
Lin Zhengran remained expressionless. "That did happen. And then?"
His complete indifference made Xiao Heqing's heart suddenly ache. Her eyes immediately turned red, and she practically cried out the second half of her question, choking on her words. "Is it true? Do you really have a girl you like?"
As soon as she finished, tears began to DRIP DROP from her eyes.
Speechless, Lin Zhengran closed his book, sat up, and gave her a hard rap on the head. "What are you crying for?! All you ever do is cry in front of me! Of course it's fake! Do you even have to think about it?"
Xiao Heqing clutched her head. Hearing that it was fake, the pain magically vanished, her tears stopped, and her large eyes suddenly lit up again. "Huh? It's fake?"
Lin Zhengran crossed his arms and sat cross-legged on the bed. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who would like you little brats?"
He was telling the truth. Before his reincarnation, he had been a twenty-eight-year-old man. What twenty-eight-year-old guy would be interested in a seven or eight-year-old little girl? He only found this bunch of noisy kids incredibly annoying.
"That was just because something happened a while ago, and rumors started flying around the class," Lin Zhengran explained. "But it's one thing for others to believe it." He glared fiercely at Xiao Heqing. "I take time out of every week to teach you taekwondo. We're together all the time, and you still believed it?! Do you not have a brain?!"
Despite being scolded by Lin Zhengran, Xiao Heqing was actually happy.
A smile appeared on her face, though she didn't dare show it in front of him. She tried her best to hold it in, muttering, "I didn't believe it. I thought it was fake... I thought it was just everyone talking nonsense."
"Then what were you just crying about?"
Xiao Heqing lowered her head, blushing as she scolded herself directly. "Because I don't have a brain. It's totally empty inside."
Lin Zhengran was speechless. "At least you're self-aware," he said. "So what's the second question?"
Now that she knew he didn't have a girl he liked, Xiao Heqing grew a bit bolder. "The second question goes together with the third thing I wanted to tell you. Can I say them at the same time?"
After receiving Lin Zhengran's permission, Xiao Heqing explained the situation with her grandmother.
"Grandma got sick recently, and her health isn't good. My mom has to go back to take care of her, so..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "So I'm going to transfer schools next month... By the time I come back, I'll probably be in middle school."
Lin Zhengran hadn't expected it to be such a major issue, though he had somewhat anticipated this long ago. After all, Mrs. He went back to her hometown every winter and summer vacation to care for her mother, usually staying for an entire month. It was clear that Xiao Heqing's grandmother had always been in poor health.
It was only a matter of time before they had to move back. This was exactly why Lin Zhengran had been teaching Xiao Heqing to speak up for herself since kindergarten; otherwise, it would be inevitable for her to get bullied after transferring schools.
He patted the bed, signaling for her to sit down.
Xiao Heqing sat down gingerly beside Lin Zhengran, looking at him with deep reluctance.
Lin Zhengran let out a laugh. "Transferring is a good thing! Now that you've learned taekwondo, no one besides me bullies you anymore. Once you move, even I won't be able to bully you. Aren't you happy about that?"
Xiao Heqing shook her head. "I'm not happy." She lowered her head again, fidgeting with her small hands. "I'd still rather have you bully me every day... I just want to be bullied by you..."
Lin Zhengran didn't speak immediately. Instead, he flicked her on the forehead again, prompting Xiao Heqing to quickly cover her head with her hands.
"There really is something wrong with your head! You're completely abnormal!" Lin Zhengran looked displeased as he leaned against the headboard. "No matter what, I'm practically your teacher now, as well as your childhood friend. Remember not to embarrass me after you switch schools. Don't let anyone pick on you."
Xiao Heqing nodded. "I won't. Not many boys can beat me in a fight now. I'm really strong..."
"I know you're strong, but you getting bullied was always an issue of your temper. In the future, if someone gives you trouble, get angry when you need to. I know you'd never go looking for trouble, so just make sure to protect yourself."
As she nodded, Xiao Heqing felt the urge to cry again.
Even if she didn't have a brain, after all these years, she finally understood why Lin Zhengran used to force her to do bad things back in kindergarten.
However, her budding tears were quickly glared back down by Lin Zhengran's stern look. He then asked her what the second thing actually was.
Xiao Heqing explained, "My grandma knows I'm learning taekwondo. I originally told her I would win a championship for her to see this New Year, but if I transfer schools, I won't be able to. So, I was hoping you could teach me more this month... Let's see if I can win that championship ahead of schedule. Also, the coach said that whoever wins the championship gets to pick any prize they want, and I really want that prize too."
Lin Zhengran agreed without much hesitation. "Alright. Since you're leaving soon, I can at least do this much. Coincidentally, I've had some recent epiphanies. Helping you win a championship will be a piece of cake."
He hadn't expected his newly acquired skills to come in handy so quickly. If it weren't for his doubled teaching speed, helping He Qing win the dojo championship half a year in advance would have been quite a stretch.
Hearing his promise, Xiao Heqing didn't doubt him for a second. As long as he gave his word, he never broke it.
[He Fairy received a letter recalling her to the sect. Not only did she question your relationship with Miss Jiang, but she also made a request of you before her departure, asking you to impart more Cultivation Fist Intent to her. Although there might not be any benefits this time, you accepted her plea and plan to teach her everything you know over this coming month.]
Miss Jiang... Bringing up Miss Jiang was just ridiculous.
Following their daytime conversation in his bedroom, Lin Zhengran began dedicating as much time as possible to teaching Xiao Heqing taekwondo over this final month. Whether it was after school in the evenings, during lunch breaks, or on weekends, the two were practically inseparable.
Lin Zhengran taught her meticulously, carefully analyzing anyone at the taekwondo dojo who could potentially defeat Xiao Heqing.
Xiao Heqing listened and learned just as earnestly, not daring to slack off in the slightest.