The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C16 - CP Fans

Qing Lin had a dream. He was back in that narrow, shadow-choked alley from years ago.

Someone had him pinned against a dilapidated wall by the collar.

His messy bangs were pushed aside, cold sweat clinging to his lashes and trailing down his face, stinging his torn, bloodied lips.

The air reeked of secondhand smoke, thick, choking, and suffocating.

“Boss… did I kill him? Was he even legal age? I don’t want to go to jail!”

“Damn it! We came to collect a debt. Who the hell told you to smash a nail-studded plank over his head?!”

“It was the kid who started it! He punched me several times! The brat looked weak as hell, but…!”

The bloodied wooden board trembled in his hand, and the fat guy’s greasy face twisted in anger, full of rolls and malice.

Qing Lin lay sprawled on the ground, his mind reeling in chaos. All he could hear was noise, no words, only a low and grating sound that drowned out everything else.

He raised a hand to his head, and when it came away, it was drenched in blood.

“Damn it, you’re such a pain! We couldn’t get to Qing Baihu, so we went after his son and now you’ve messed that up too!”

“That little brat kept saying he was leaving, talking about going to school, acting like we don’t even exist!”

“His dad gambled himself into debt and vanished. Of course, the brat should pay it back. What else is he even good for?”

It was so loud.

So unbearably loud.

His head throbbed as if it were being torn apart.

The world around him was crumbling. Even keeping his eyes open made the ground whirl, as if he had woken up in another lifetime.

“Hey.”

The low, flat voice cut through the noise, halting the argument in an instant. The debt collectors turned their heads sharply.

The boy on the ground picked up his school bag and slowly pushed himself to his feet.
He brushed the dust from his uniform, wiped at the blood on his face with a sleeve.

As he moved, strands of hair slipped down, covering the cold glint in his eyes.

The debt collectors stared at him, momentarily frozen.

Blood continued to stream from the wound on his head, sliding past his brows, seeping into his eyes, trailing down his neck, and soaking into the white fabric of his clothes. In no time, the crisp school uniform was stained a deep, alarming red.

Qing Lin narrowed his eyes. A strange curve tugged at his lips. Sweat-damp bangs clung to his forehead, casting a shadow over his face like he had just emerged from the very depths of hell.

A cold gleam flickered in his eyes as he tilted his head toward the men who had yet to move.

His gaze was distant, filled with a terrifying stillness, silent and bone-chilling.

Then, he suddenly laughed.

The sound was laced with mockery and defiance, almost self-destructive.

“Excuse me,” he said, “am I allowed to leave now?”

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

Later that morning.

When Qing Lin woke up, there was a faint ache in his neck. The air conditioning had been set too low overnight, and his head felt a little stuffy.

He checked the time. Not even 6:30.

But he couldn’t fall back asleep. So, he got up, washed up, changed into clean clothes, and stepped out of his room.

Filming wouldn’t start until 8 AM, and since the cameras hadn’t been turned on yet, they had a bit more freedom to move around.

Just as Qing Lin opened the door, he spotted Shen Xuzhi at the bar counter, pouring himself a glass of water.

“Good morning,” Qing Lin greeted politely.

Shen Xuzhi gave a brief nod in response.

He was wearing a tracksuit and sports sleeves. As he lifted the kettle, the muscles in his arm flexed, veins standing out against his skin. He looked fit and healthy.

Qing Lin walked over. Shen Xuzhi handed him a cup of water and said, “It’s warm.”

“Thanks.” Qing Lin accepted it, pressed the rim of the cup lightly to his lips, and asked, “Are you heading out for a morning run—”

Before he could finish, Shen Xuzhi suddenly raised a finger to his lips, signaling him to stay quiet.

His index finger hovered barely a centimeter from Qing Lin’s mouth, close enough to startle him.

Shen Xuzhi pointed toward the couch, where Bai Wenle was still fast asleep, and whispered, “The kid’s still sleeping.”

Qing Lin nodded quickly and covered his mouth with his hand, signaling an “OK” with the other.

Shen Xuzhi gave a small smile and reached out to ruffle Qing Lin’s hair before turning back to his room to get his phone.

Qing Lin stood there for a moment, slightly stunned, replaying what had just happened.

Mmm..

…Somehow, they really looked like a pair of parents trying not to wake their kid.

When Shen Xuzhi came back out with his phone, he returned to Qing Lin’s side and asked in a low voice, “Want to come with me?”

Qing Lin glanced at Bai Wenle, still fast asleep, and couldn’t help but smile.

Stifling a laugh, he whispered back, “Sure.”

The two quietly tiptoed out of the hotel.

It was 7 AM. Most of the guests were still fast asleep.

They took the elevator down, and the front desk staff greeted them with a soft “Good morning.”

One of the young female employees did a double take when she recognized Shen Xuzhi. After hesitating for a moment, and realizing there were no cameras, she finally worked up the nerve to speak.

“Um… Ah Zhi, I’m a really big fan. Would it… be okay if I asked for your autograph?”

Shen Xuzhi pulled his cap lower and nodded. “Sure.”

The girl looked like she might squeal. “I’m so sorry for the trouble! Just give me a second. I’ll grab a poster and a pen!”

She darted off in her heels and returned shortly with a poster. “Sorry, this was all I could find… Please sign right here.”

Shen Xuzhi took the pen. When he saw the poster, he paused for a second before quickly signing his name.

Qing Lin stood quietly to the side, watching the scene unfold.

As expected of a celebrity. His popularity really was no joke.

Then he heard Shen Xuzhi say, “Should Qing Lin sign it too?”

The girl practically lit up. She turned eagerly to Qing Lin. “Really? You really don’t mind?!”

Qing Lin: “?”

He looked slightly startled. How could he just sign something……as if he had the right?

Then he caught sight of the poster the girl handed him, and his ears instantly turned bright red.

It was the Pocky Kiss promo poster.

With eyes full of excitement, the girl pointed to the spot diagonally opposite from Shen Xuzhi’s signature. “Please sign here!”

Qing Lin hesitated, gripping the pen tightly. He looked at Shen Xuzhi, who gave him a look that said, “Go on.”

Qing Lin swallowed, then carefully wrote his name on the poster.

The girl hugged the poster to her chest, looking like she might cry from joy. “I ship you two so hard! I’m a huge fan of the ShenLin couple! I love your interactions!”

Qing Lin stared at the enlarged, high-res photo of their faces now marked with their signatures, and all he could think about was Huang Zishun’s recent outburst. “Did you kiss this big star?!”

Shen Xuzhi said, “Thanks for the support. Want us to take a photo together with the poster?”

Qing Lin: “??”

For a moment, he honestly wondered if his body had been taken over by someone else.

To the girl, this was clearly the happiest day of her life. She looked like she wouldn’t even complain if she had to work ten morning shifts in a row.

She watched Shen Xuzhi and Qing Lin hold up the poster together. The two stood close, side by side.

The moment she pressed the shutter, she felt like she could ascend to heaven on the spot.

Truly breathtaking.

Perfect beyond words.

Shen Xuzhi asked, “Is your phone an iPhone?”

The girl replied, “Ah! Yes!”

Shen Xuzhi pulled out his own phone. “AirDrop the photo to me.”

Qing Lin: “……”

The young woman stared at the photo on her phone as if it were a priceless treasure, blurting out, “You two are just too perfect together! Please, I’m begging you… at least consider getting together for real!”

Qing Lin had no idea how to respond to that.

But then, suddenly, his hand was held.

Shen Xuzhi’s fingers slid between his, lacing together tightly.

They were standing so close that the warmth between them seemed to press in from all sides, pooling in the palm of his hand and steadily raising his body temperature.

Then Shen Xuzhi spoke, his voice low and soft, brushing against Qing Lin’s ear in a way that could make anyone lose their mind.

“We’re considering it.”

—

Just like that, Qing Lin found himself inexplicably led out of the hotel lobby, hand in hand with Shen Xuzhi.

He was a little dazed the entire way.

Wait… was this really okay?

Wasn’t this moving a bit too fast? Weren’t they supposed to take things slow?

By the time he came back to his senses, Shen Xuzhi had already let go of his hand.

They had stopped by a coconut stand. Shen Xuzhi bought two coconuts and handed one to Qing Lin.

Qing Lin took a sip through the straw.

Shen Xuzhi asked, “Where do you want to go for our date later?”

Qing Lin nearly choked on his coconut water.

Shen Xuzhi quickly reached out to pat his back, worried he might cough too hard.

After a moment, Qing Lin finally caught his breath and asked, “…Mr. Shen, was it really okay for us to sign that girl’s poster just now?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Shen Xuzhi replied casually, using a napkin to wipe the corner of Qing Lin’s lips.

“It’s just…” Qing Lin said quietly, “It was a poster of our Pocky Game.”

“You didn’t think the poster looked good?” Shen Xuzhi asked. “Don’t worry. You look good no matter what.”

Qing Lin: “…”

He took another sip of coconut water and began to wonder if maybe he was just overthinking.

It probably wasn’t a big deal after all. They had already signed a contract and were expected to maintain the CP image. Even if it was just a private fan interaction, she would definitely post it on Weibo and bring more exposure to the CP.

So, Shen Xuzhi had already thought that far ahead.

“This area’s a bit far from the beach,” Shen Xuzhi said. “Let’s just walk around nearby.”

Qing Lin nodded.

Since Shen Xuzhi was a public figure, it wasn’t convenient for them to visit the crowded outer market, so they strolled through the quieter row of shops near the hotel instead.

The island had a completely different atmosphere. The sky was a vivid, almost unreal shade of blue, and instead of thin wisps of cloud drifting by, there were thick, fluffy masses that looked like cotton candy.

Shen Xuzhi asked, “Since we’re not doing survival mode today, is there anywhere you want to visit?”

Qing Lin took another sip from his coconut before replying, “I saw a brochure about the aquarium in the hotel lobby yesterday. It looked pretty interesting.” He paused, then added, “But let’s check with Wenle first. He’s with us too, so we should see what he wants.”

Shen Xuzhi inwardly thought Bai Wenle was a massive obstacle, but he didn’t show it. No matter how annoyed he felt, he still appreciated Qing Lin’s thoughtfulness.

“Alright.”

“What about you? Any place you want to go?” Qing Lin asked.

Shen Xuzhi held his coconut and gave it some thought

There were a lot of things he wanted to do with Qing Lin, but with Bai Wenle tagging along, he was once again reminded of how much of a nuisance Bai Wenle really was.

“I’m good with anything this time.”

After walking around the area twice, Qing Lin started feeling a bit hungry, so they grabbed some breakfast and returned to the hotel. The moment they stepped inside the suit, they saw Bai Wenle standing on the couch, yelling at them.

“Where the hell did you two sneak off to without me?!”

“We went to grab breakfast,” Qing Lin replied calmly.

Bai Wenle marched over and eyed the plates and trays they were carrying with suspicion. After a moment, he asked warily, “…Did you get black rice cake?”

Qing Lin opened one of the steamers. “Yeah, we did.”

Bai Wenle’s mood visibly softened. He picked up the steamer and muttered begrudgingly, “Fine. I’ll trust you… for now.”

The cameras had already started rolling. The three of them sat down at the table to enjoy a hearty breakfast.

“Xu-ge, where are we going on our date today?” Bai Wenle asked with a bright grin.

Shen Xuzhi took a sip of congee, then glanced over at Qing Lin before answering, “How about the aquarium?”

Bai Wenle’s eyes lit up. “Wow, Xu-ge, that’s so romantic! Let’s go, then!”

Qing Lin bit into his sausage and quietly turned his gaze away.

I’ll look up the aquarium guide,” Bai Wenle said, pulling out his phone.

But just as he began scrolling, his hand suddenly stopped mid-swipe. He stared at the screen for a moment, frozen, then suddenly shot to his feet.

“Damn!”

Both Shen Xuzhi and Qing Lin turned to look at him.

Bai Wenle spun his phone around, revealing a trending topic plastered across the screen.

[@GossipEntertainment: Shocking news! A staff member from Anlu Hotel revealed that while on duty this morning, they spotted Shen Xuzhi and Qing Lin together, looking every bit like a successfully matched couple out on a date. The two even signed a CP poster and were seen holding hands the entire time. It was so sweet, we can’t handle it! [Photo] [Photo]

#IntoTheShenLinVerse

#ShenLinMorningDate

#ShenLinSignedCPPoster

#OfficialCPIsServingSweetness]

Bai Wenle’s black rice cake instantly lost all flavor. “Wait, didn’t you two say you were just going out to grab breakfast?!”