The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C11 - Trending

Qing Lin had won the vegetables for their clay bowl steamed rice.

Meanwhile, in the backstage control room, the production team was scrambling to manage the real-time comments and live broadcast.

“Are we good? What’s the feedback?” Hong Shanyue asked as he removed his headset.

Feng Jian replied, “The live broadcast only caught one angle, but it’s a pretty suggestive one.”

Hong Shanyue checked the footage. The camera angle was a slightly off, and with only one centimeter of Pocky left between them, it looked exactly like they had kissed.

“Quick, switch to another camera angle and play it back in slow motion,” he instructed the broadcast room.

He turned off his intercom just as Feng Jian snorted. “Told you. Pre-recordings have their advantages. Livestreams are risky.”

Hong Shanyue rubbed his temples. “Lucky we still have the delay buffer. If not, Shen’s pretend-girlfriends and fantasy wives would’ve already flooded our official account. But we’re definitely hitting the trending tab with this one.”

“Well, it is a romance show. It thrives on controversy,” Feng Jian said. “Qing Lin might be a hot potato, but he’s doing really well so far. I mean, ‘Pocky Kiss’? That’s a perfect hashtag.”

Hong Shanyue nodded, glanced back at the monitor, and picked up the intercom again, speaking quietly.

“Camera team, avoid close shots of Shen Laoshi for now.”

He let out a sigh and shook his head.

At that moment, Shen Xuzhi stood motionless, his gaze drifting to Qing Lin’s back just a few steps away. After a pause, his expression shifted, eyes darkening, pupils sharp and focused like a predator sizing up its prey.

He looked down at the card in his hand, lowered his lashes, and slowly ran his tongue across his dry lips.

———————————————————————————————————————

Qing Lin and Shen Xuzhi had gathered all their ingredients and returned to their cooking station.

With the tools laid out, the process was straightforward. Qing Lin rinsed the rice, set it to steam, and began prepping the vegetables.

Within ten minutes, a rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted from their side of the set.

The other contestants couldn’t help but follow the scent, gathering nearby to watch. Qing Lin moved with quiet focus, slicing the vegetables with smooth, practiced motions. His knife skills were precise, his expression calm and unhurried.

[He actually knows how to cook…?]

[Is there anything he can’t do?]

With everyone’s meals basically ready, they each carried their dishes to the dining table.

Under the blue sky, on white sand, by waves of the turquoise sea, the eight of them sat down to enjoy a homemade breakfast they had prepared together.

“This rice is so amazing!” Jiang Wen exclaimed after taking a bite of the clay pot rice, unable to hide her delight.

“It definitely has that signature island taste,” Su Mingxuan chimed in.

“Well, that’s thanks to Xiao Lin and Xuzhi. They really worked hard today.”

Xu Jing took a sip of water, then turned to Qing Lin. “Qing Lin, are you actually good at cooking?”

“I know a few home-style dishes,” Qing Lin replied with a modest smile. “If there’s a chance, I can cook some for everyone to try.”

“Yes, please!”

“Seriously? I’m looking forward to it!”

Shen Xuzhi stayed quiet, focused on his food. Still, he kept stealing glances at Qing Lin from time to time.

Just as everyone was finishing up, Hong Shanyue’s voice came in over the narration. “Alright, it’s time to collect your gold coins!”

Each team stepped forward to receive their coin pouches.

Jiang Wen opened hers and frowned. “Wait, weren’t we supposed to get ten coins for completing the task? Why do I only have eight?”

The others began checking theirs and realized the same.

Hong Shanyue explained, “Think back carefully. Did anyone ask for help during the challenge? If so, there might’ve been a labor fee deducted from your total.”

“Ah!” Ning Yi’an suddenly cried out. “You don’t mean that Weibo influencer, do you?”

“That’s right,” Hong Shanyue confirmed with a smile.

Groans of realization spread through the group. “I knew it. There’s no way the production team would be that generous.”

Hong Shanyue continued, “Shen Xuzhi and Qing Lin’s clay bowl steamed rice received the full ten coins and placed first. Congratulations! As a bonus, we’ve prepared a special reward. Please come up and accept it.”

Qing Lin and Shen Xuzhi stepped forward. The PD handed them a card, gold-edged, with delicate vine-like patterns spiraling toward the center, where a crowned king was embossed in relief.

“This is a Power Card. As the name suggests, whoever holds this card has the power to make one request. For example, switching accommodations, spending time alone with someone, or choosing to be grouped with the person you’re interested in.”

“Of course, you can also use it to shake things up, like pairing two people who like each other, or deliberately splitting them apart.”

[Whoa, whoa—this just got way more interesting!]

[Wait, you can actually do that? This is getting spicy. Total power move!]

[Only Director Hong would come up with something this chaotic and genius!]

[Okay, I’m just gonna say it—Jiang Wen is clearly into Shen Xuzhi. Ning Yi’an and Nan Yu? No chemistry at all. But Qiao Weilan? She’s definitely not straight. Su Mingxuan’s been running to Ning Yian every chance he gets—he’s so obvious. And did anyone else catch how Xu Jing might have a thing for Qing Lin? But honestly, there’s something going on between Shen and Qing. If anyone else had gotten that Power Card, the whole group dynamic would’ve exploded!]

That marked the end of the VIP early-access livestream. What followed was the regular, pre-recorded segment of the show.

The cast was given some free time, as the next scheduled activity wouldn’t begin until 6 p.m.

Variety shows shoots didn’t always run from morning to night. Once the production team had enough footage, they could call it a day early.

Despite the “survival mode” theme, the experience wasn’t as intense as the name suggested. Outside of filming hours, the cast was treated quite well.

Qing Lin was set up to rest under a pavilion at the resort. A canopy shaded him from the afternoon sun, and the breeze drifting in from the ocean was cool and refreshing.

He didn’t have anything pressing to take care of. The area around him was quiet and deserted, offering a rare moment of calm and solitude.

Sometimes, he thought that if life allowed it. If he didn’t have to worry about anything else, just staying like this, quiet and undisturbed, would be more than enough.

Just then, his phone rang.

Qing Lin assumed it was a call from the crew, but the moment he saw the caller ID, his nerves tightened.

“Hello, is this Qing Lin, the tenant from Unit 402?”

It was his landlady. A middle-aged woman with a stern, grating voice that never failed to put him on edge.

““Have you been at the apartment lately?” she continued. “The neighbors said there’ve been some shady-looking people hanging around downstairs, even knocking on your door sometimes. Scared them half to death. They thought it was the police or something!”

Qing Lin’s face darkened, his brows drawing together in a cold, unhappy expression.

The landlady didn’t stop. “Don’t go stirring up trouble, alright? If something happens, how do you expect me to keep renting that place out?”

Qing Lin’s tone remained calm and even. “Sorry, Auntie. I appreciate you letting me know.”

“Tch, I only gave you that cheap rent because you looked like a decent, well-mannered student. Didn’t think you’d turn into a headache.” Her words turned sharp and petty. “Next time, I’m raising the rent. Do you have any idea how hard I work—”

“Auntie.” Qing Lin cut her off, his voice light but cold and emotionless. “We signed a lease agreement. The monthly rent is clearly stated. You can’t just raise it arbitrarily.”

A string of harsh curses came through in dialect, bitter and angry.

“Ugh, I’ve had it with kids like you. Just my luck, huh!”

Then, the call ended abruptly.

Qing Lin put the phone down and turned his gaze to the endless stretch of sea, falling into thought.

Turns out they still found him.

He leaned back against the table. Sunlight bathed the front of his body, while the shadows behind him deepened, casting his figure in a solitary, faraway silhouette.

He had rented an apartment off-campus since staying at school over break wasn’t convenient, and he had nowhere else to go. It was cheap and simple.

He had been on the run for so long, yet those people still managed to track him down.

Even though Qing Baihu’s debts no longer had anything to do with him, they still wouldn’t let it go.

Still, it could’ve been worse. At least the landlady wasn’t the type to follow celebrity gossip. She had no idea about his other affairs.

If she started digging or asking more questions, he’d just say it was a classmate looking for him. Hopefully, that would be enough to cover it.

But the phone buzzed again.

Qing Lin pressed his lips together, thinking something else must have gone wrong with the apartment, but to his surprise, it was Huang Zishun calling.

As soon as he answered, a clamor of voices erupted from the other end.

“I told you not to call him! He said he might be filming.  You’re disturbing—”

“Hey, hey, he picked it up!”

“Hello! Linlin!”

“Is it Qing Lin? Lin! I missed you so much!”

Qing Lin had to pull the phone away from his ear. The call switched to video, and suddenly several heads popped into the screen.

“Qing Lin! How could you go on a variety show without telling us?”

“Yeah! And it’s a dating show too!”

“Lin, are you filming right now?”

Seeing his lively roommates pop up on the screen, Qing Lin felt his mood ease a little. He hadn’t even made it through all their excited greetings before the dramatic whining began.

“When are you coming back? I swear I can’t finish this analysis report without you. Please come save me, I’m begging!”

“Same here! Our project group can’t function without you, Lin, seriously. We’re doomed!”

In the middle of the chaos, Huang Zishun waved an iPad with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Don’t mind them. Just your standard college meltdown.” He grinned. “Anyway, let’s talk about you…”

He lifted the iPad to the camera, revealing a photo. “Did you kiss this big star?!”

Qing Lin: “?”

He leaned closer to look. The picture was a behind-the-scenes snapshot from their Pocky game challenge.

It captured Shen Xuzhi’s back, almost entirely blocking Qing Lin from view. From a distance, Qing Lin appeared to be standing on his tiptoes, leaning in toward Shen Xuzhi, as if going in for a kiss.

“When I saw this picture, I literally went, ‘Whoa, holy crap!’” Huang Zishun said, eyes wide with a mock shock. “Lin, you’re seriously bold! Charging into love headfirst. I’m rooting for you!”

“Seriously, you guys made it onto the trending list! Not gonna lie, after watching the preview of the dating show, I could tell you and Shen Xuzhi had great chemistry. Gotta say your taste is spot on!”

“Damn. Ugh, I can’t stand it anymore. Have you seen the crap people are saying online? What kind of garbage are they spewing?” one of the roommates, scrolling through his phone, growled.

“I don’t care what they say. I’m officially a solo Qing Lin stan and a die-hard ShenLin shipper. Watch me go roast every last one of them on your behalf!”

Qing Lin sat there, completely baffled.

What on earth was a solo Qing Lin stan?

And ShenLin ship?

Only when he opened Weibo and saw the entertainment trending list, with #PockyGame at number one and #ShenLinShip at number two, did a sinking feeling begin to settle in.

This was bad.

“It’s not like that. You guys seriously believe everything you see online…” Qing Lin tried to explain, hoping to calm them down.

But before he could say more, Huang Zishun suddenly pointed behind him and shouted, “There! That’s the big star you kissed!”

Qing Lin spun around immediately.

At some point, Shen Xuzhi had appeared. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, his bangs naturally falling over his eyes, casting shadows that made his expression look hazy and real.

He adjusted his glasses slightly and spoke in a low, composed voice. “Not like what?”