The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C12 - Sign It

Qing Lin immediately hung up the video call without a second thought. Shen Xuzhi walked over and gently asked, “Are you busy?”

“No,” Qing Lin answered a little to quickly.

But after just spending the last few minutes talking about him with his roommates, the awkwardness lingered. He instinctively wanted to avoid further interaction, so he added hastily, “Well… actually, I do have a few things to take care of.”

Shen Xuzhi simply gave a quiet “Mm,” pulled out a chair beside Qing Lin’s table, sat down, and said, “Alright, go ahead.”

Qing Lin: “…”

He’s not leaving?!

But since he had already claimed to be busy, he couldn’t just sit there doing nothing.

To save face, he scrolled through his phone a few times, then finally decided to open his IELTS prep app and work on a set of reading comprehension exercises. If he spent ten or twenty minutes on it, he could at least say he hadn’t lied.

He randomly selected a practice set and began.

The island breeze was gentle, the scenery peaceful, and the atmosphere so quiet it was easy to focus.

Before he knew it, time had flown by. Once he got into the zone, he ended up finishing all three sets of forty multiple choice questions in one go.

It wasn’t until he checked the answers that it suddenly hit him.

Oh no. He’d forgotten all about Shen Xuzhi.

He had left Shen Xuzhi sitting there for over half an hour.

Qing Lin quickly turned around to apologize, but instead of finding someone bored or annoyed, he saw Shen Xuzhi quietly seated at the next table.

He wore a pair of glasses, his head lowered as he studied a page from his score notebook. Warm sunlight streamed in from the side, casting a gentle glow across his calm, refined profile.

Shen Xuzhi’s slender fingers moved over the score notebook, composed and steady.

Qing Lin paused, gaze lingering for a moment.

It felt oddly familiar, like something from a memory. As if he had once, somewhere in a forgotten sketchbook, quietly drawn someone just like this.

Noticing Qing Lin’s gaze, Shen Xuzhi suddenly looked up. “Are you done?”

Qing Lin quickly averted his eyes and replied lightly, “Yeah. Sorry for making you wait so long.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t feel like I was waiting.” Shen Xuzhi paused, then added, “I wonder if you’ve seen the trending topics, Mr. Qing?”

So, Shen Xuzhi had seen the trending searches too.

Qing Lin couldn’t help picturing the photo again, the one his roommate had shown him earlier. A faint blush rose to his ears. “I’m really sorry for getting you involved. I didn’t think it would turn out like this.”

Then he added, “That photo was just taken from an odd angle. But don’t worry. I already saw a popular account share a screenshot from the livestream to clarify things. There’s nothing between us. Once the full episode is released, the truth will be out, and your name will be cleared completely.”

As Qing Lin kept referring to him so formally, going on about “you” and “clearing your name,” Shen Xuzhi felt a headache coming on.

He stayed quiet for a moment before finally speaking.

…Are you really that against the idea of being involved with me in a rumor?”

Qing Lin: “…”

“It’s not like that… I just think, with all the controversy surrounding me, it might affect your reputation.”

Shen Xuzhi shut his eyes for a moment, a faint crease forming between his brows.

“Can you please stop calling me ‘you’ like that?”

Qing Lin pressed his lips together, lowering his head with a quiet “Oh”.

Shen Xuzhi placed a hand on his knee, leaned in a little, and said softly, “Go ahead. Finish what you were trying to say.”

Since he had already said that much, Qing Lin didn’t hold back. “The Pocky Game was my fault. I was too focused on winning at the time, so I got a bit impatient.”

Too focused on winning.

A bit impatient.

Shen Xuzhi’s gaze darkened.

It felt as if a wall stood firmly between them. Qing Lin remained polite, distant, and careful, maintaining a clear sense of boundaries.

But that wasn’t what Shen Xuzhi wanted.

Still, it was exactly this seriousness of Qing Lin’s that might offer the perfect opening.

“Qing Lin, I didn’t come here to hear your apology,” Shen Xuzhi said, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back with ease. “I never saw the trending search as trouble. And I never believed that being linked to you would hurt my career in any way.”

He looked straight at Qing Lin. “On the contrary, the popularity of our CP is surprisingly high. This kind of attention benefits both me and the show. So, as for the idea of us becoming a contract couple, do you have any thoughts?”

As he spoke, Shen Xuzhi pulled out a document and slid it across the table.

Ah…

So, it really was a contract relationship.

Qing Lin opened the document and skimmed through the terms.

It turned out to be a proper, formal contract.

Noticing the faint hesitation on Qing Lin’s face, Shen Xuzhi shifted his posture and spoke slowly,

“I did think about the fact that you’re not from the entertainment industry. Asking you to form a CP with me might be a bit much. If you’re truly uncertain, I won’t pressure you.”

He leaned against the backrest with a lazy posture, his dark eyes sweeping across the table.
“But just as you said, my reputation’s already been touched. Forming a new CP with someone else wouldn’t have the same effect. Our collaboration aligns with the trend.”

Qing Lin: “…”

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Shen Xuzhi was trying to coax him, even if there was no clear proof.

Qing Lin flipped through the contract, pausing briefly at the compensation amount, then noticed the Party A stamp belonged to Shen Xuzhi Studio.

“This isn’t a contract from StarMei Entertainment?” he asked.

“No,” Shen Xuzhi replied. “This one was drafted by my studio.”

As if he had already anticipated Qing Lin’s concerns, Shen Xuzhi added calmly,
“You’ve probably looked into it, but I’ve never had a scandal before, so my team is putting special emphasis on this CP’s popularity. They drafted a separate contract to include the couple pairing as part of my personal career development.”

“All compensation will come from my studio. It won’t overlap with anything you’re receiving from StarMei.”

A faint smile tugged at Shen Xuzhi’s lips, as if something had slipped through unintentionally.
“This is a first for me,” he said softly. “Don’t you think, Mr. Qing, that you owe me a little responsibility for that?”

Damn.

Qing Lin swallowed hard. The situation was heading in a direction that didn’t quite favor him. “But… I don’t really know how to do this.”

“Mr. Qing, you’re being too modest.” Shen Xuzhi replied.

Shen Xuzhi was sure that even the way Qing Lin grew flustered and avoided his eyes was enough to send his heart racing past 150.

“If you have any questions about the contract, feel free to ask.” He glanced at the document again as he spoke.

Qing Lin flipped through a few pages before pausing to point at a clause.
“It mentions an ‘ambiguity phase’ and a ‘dating phase’ at the start. What exactly does that mean?”

“The ambiguity phase refers to the mutual selections and early dates on the show,” Shen Xuzhi explained. “Since it’s a romance reality program, there needs to be a natural sense of progression.”

Qing Lin nodded, turned another page, then hesitated before asking, “Under the ‘dating phase,’ clause fifteen says ‘physical contact when necessary’… What exactly does that include?”

“Things like touching, holding hands, hugging…anything couples normally do,” Shen Xuzhi replied.

Oh. That seemed manageable. Still within his limits.

“Of course, if you want to kiss, I won’t say no.” Shen Xuzhi added smoothly.

Qing Lin nearly choked.

A faint flush rose to his ears, and his voice quickened slightly. “Mr. Shen, please don’t tease me like that.”

Shen Xuzhi turned his head to the side, unable to hide his amusement.

See? Indeed, he was good at it.

Still, Shen Xuzhi waited patiently for Qing Lin’s response.

He wasn’t entirely sure Qing Lin would agree. In fact, he had already braced himself for rejection.

But then Qing Lin looked down at his phone.

In that instant, all the hesitation, embarrassment, and uncertainty in his expression disappeared.

His long lashes cast a faint shadow beneath his eyes, and a fleeting chill crossed his face, so brief it was almost impossible to catch. Just like that, his emotions became unreadable.

Then, in a quiet voice, Shen Xuzhi heard him say, “I’ll sign the contract.”

Qing Lin picked up the pen and swiftly signed his name under Party B, then pushed the document back across the table. “May I ask when the payment will be processed?”

Shen Xuzhi’s gaze dropped slightly, his tone steady. “Anytime.”

Qing Lin’s slightly tense features relaxed a little. He folded his hands on the table, fingertips rubbing together, slightly damp with sweat.

Just then, Shen Xuzhi’s phone rang. He rose and stepped aside to answer, exchanging a few brief words with the person on the other end.

Qing Lin stayed seated, a faint sense of regret creeping in.

Had he come across as too direct? Too transactional? Would Mr. Shen think he was the type to give in easily for money?

He slowly looked up and saw Shen Xuzhi standing beneath the open sky, sunlight outlining his figure in soft gold as he spoke on the phone. The anxiety pressing on Qing Lin’s chest gradually eased.

Forget it.

They came from two different worlds. What Shen Xuzhi thought of him… didn’t really matter.

Still, there was a quiet sense of helplessness. Not quite sadness, but something close.

Qing Lin spread his hands out and stared at them in a daze.

Then, without warning, a warm hand rested gently on his head.

He looked up instinctively. Shen Xuzhi was still holding the phone in one hand. With the other, he was gently smoothing down Qing Lin’s hair, pressing down the strands that had been sticking up.

His expression remained distant, the light in his glasses cold and sharp. But his movements, quiet and careful, held a kind of quiet gentleness.

It didn’t feel like fixing his hair.

It felt more like a soft, tender pat.

“Mm, alright. Let’s leave it at that for now.” Shen Xuzhi ended the call and turned back, asking,
“What were you thinking about just now?”

Qing Lin leaned back slightly, lifting his head to meet Shen Xuzhi’s gaze directly.

Light filtered through the lenses of his glasses, casting faint golden ripples that softened the usually cold and indifferent depths of his gaze.

Qing Lin’s lips parted slightly as he calmly said, “I was thinking about how good you look in glasses, Mr. Shen.”

Shen Xuzhi was clearly caught off guard.

Qing Lin spoke without the slightest trace of embarrassment, as casually as if he were asking, “Did you eat yet?” His voice was calm and unhurried.

After holding Qing Lin’s gaze for a moment, Shen Xuzhi was the first to look away. A beat passed before he asked awkwardly, “So… have you thought of anything else?”

Qing Lin straightened up and answered softly, “I think your bone structure is quite beautiful. You have a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes. The glasses helped define the contours of your face, adding a sense of dimension. But under the light, they also soften the shadows, giving your features a gentler feel. Mr. Shen, you look very gentle with glasses on.”

Shen Xuzhi stiffened again. A faint flush crept across his face, and his heartbeat faltered.

He hadn’t expected Qing Lin to answer so earnestly. And yet, despite the genuine sincerity in his voice, every word somehow felt like subtle seduction.

Why did he feel like he was being outmaneuvered by this innocent-seeming young man?

Qing Lin pursed his lips slightly, his gaze flicking to the contract on the table. Then, with quiet intent, he reached out and lightly tugged the hem of Shen Xuzhi’s shirt.

“Mr. Shen…”

Shen Xuzhi almost jolted.

From that angle, Qing Lin looked so obedient it was almost outrageous.

“Mr. Shen, do you prefer sweet, obedient, pure little white flowers, or alluring, seductive, dangerously charming wild cats?” Qing Lin blinked his long lashes and said it all with a composed voice and that delicate, angelic face, “Whichever you like, I can be.”

Then, with a slight bite to his lower lip, he added, “If I’m not good enough yet… I can learn.”

Shen Xuzhi: “…”

This kid was truly something else.