The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C26 - Breathing

“Ah, it’s open.”

With a crisp click, Qing Lin successfully removed Shen Xuzhi’s cuffs.

Shen Xuzhi rotated his wrist slowly, the cold bones moving in a deliberate circle, his long fingers curling slightly.

Qing Lin quickly unlocked his own cuffs. Noticing Shen Xuzhi had kept his head down the entire time, uncooperative earlier, he asked quietly, “Mr. Shen, what’s wrong?”

Shen Xuzhi’s eyes lifted just enough to meet his gaze, and in that instant, an unspoken weight settled between them, an indescribable pressure thickening the air.

Qing Lin swallowed hard. His instincts warned him that Mr. Shen was in a bad mood right now and perhaps even dangerous.

He rose quickly and said, “Let’s head out then.”

“Qing Lin.”

The low, magnetic call pulled him back. That voice, if misheard, could almost sound seductive, enough to make one’s heart skip a beat.

Qing Lin turned, meeting Shen Xuzhi’s gaze, but the other said nothing more.

The words stuck in Shen Xuzhi’s throat. He mulled them over again and again, only to swallow them back down, staying silent as he rubbed his sore arm.

Qing Lin watched him for a moment, pressing his lips together.

Shen Xuzhi ran a hand through his hair, braced his elbows on his knees, and lowered his head, resigned to the quiet, feeling there was nothing left worth saying.

Reaching behind him for his phone, his eyes flickered toward Qing Lin once more and that was enough to make Qing Lin sit back down beside him.

Shen Xuzhi’s hand trembled slightly as he picked up his phone.

Qing Lin’s neat, short hair fell gently across his forehead, his eyes shimmering with a faint mist. His irises were a soft amber, smooth and flawless like polished jade.

He looked over quietly, his face still calm and composed, expression unreadable.

“Mr. Shen, would you like me to give you a massage?”

Qing Lin’s gaze lowered to the faintly taut veins tracing Shen Xuzhi’s forearm. “You seemed a little tired earlier. Wouldn’t a massage make you feel better?”

But Shen Xuzhi’s arm didn’t actually feel that uncomfortable.

Though Shen Xuzhi truly wanted Qing Lin’s touch, an undefined restlessness held him back. Unable to name the vague feeling twisting inside, he stubbornly said, “No need.”

Silence settled over the room once more. Only the soft hum of the air conditioner filled the quiet resting space.

After a long while, Qing Lin lowered his head and spoke in an unusually gentle voice. “During today’s recording… did I do something wrong?”

He sat upright, naturally well-behaved, with the faint flush still lingering on the corners of his eyes and the tips of his ears, a delicate color that hadn’t yet faded after they’d held hands earlier.

Shen Xuzhi’s gaze lingered on him for a few seconds before he turned away, his brows knitting together. Even he couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason for his current mood.

Leaning back against the sofa, his eyes returned to the straight, slender line of Qing Lin’s back.

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he reached out, brushing a hand over the pale, delicate nape. Before Qing Lin could react, Shen Xuzhi’s fingers moved up to ruffle the soft hair at the back of his head.

His voice came low and slightly hoarse. “Go on ahead. Tell them I’ll rest a bit longer.”

Qing Lin glanced back. The tension had melted away, replaced by calm in Shen Xuzhi’s eyes.

“Alright.” Qing Lin stood.

Before stepping out, he turned once more, meeting Shen Xuzhi’s gaze with a faint, beautiful smile, his lashes like delicate fans, his voice soft and soothing. “Mr. Shen, rest well.”

Then he left.

Shen Xuzhi watched until Qing Lin disappeared from view. The moment he was alone again, his eyes darkened once more.

Qing Lin had just smiled.

It was a beautiful smile, yet there was something slightly strained about it. Shen Xuzhi couldn’t tell if it was genuine or merely a carefully measured gesture meant to please the “client.”

Was it acting, or was it real emotion?

At that moment, his phone vibrated twice. Shen Xuzhi picked it up and saw a WeChat message.

[Shen Qianyin: President Shen wants you to attend a dinner with several CEOs from Xiaxing Enterprises for the third phase of the business association.]

Shen Xuzhi typed back curtly.

[X: Not going]

The messages kept coming.

[Shen Qianyin: I know you won’t attend, just letting you know. Dad probably just wants you to try to pull in some investment.]

[Shen Qianyin: Your recent travel-reality show went viral, so I guess the group won’t bother you for a while.]

[Shen Qianyin: But I didn’t expect that from you, kid. I assumed you only knew how to look indifferent.]

[Shen Qianyin: Is it him? The one you’ve been waiting for all these years?]

Shen Xuzhi lowered his eyes and picked up the handcuffs resting on the table. The silver metal caught the light, throwing a sharp reflection across his face.

The air conditioning hummed loudly, chilling the lounge and making the atmosphere feel as heavy and cold as the air itself. Sunlight leaked through a narrow gap in the curtains outside, but it left no trace, scattering ineffectively across the room, which remained harshly lit by stark white lights.

Slowly, deliberately, Shen Xuzhi typed a single word.

[X: Yes]

______________________________________________________________________________

Because some earlier footage couldn’t be used in the final cut, the production team needed extra backup clips.

They were now gathering everyone to re-record a group game from before the mutual selection round.

Bai Wenle finally emerged from survival mode, still reeling from the real hardships of going out to sea and fishing.

“Ahhh, Xu-ge!” Bai Wenle rushed to Shen Xuzhi the moment he returned. “I’m going to die of exhaustion. The nets were so heavy my hands are rubbed raw. And when we switched to the smaller boat halfway, I fell into the sea. I’m completely covered in fishy smell!”

Shen Xuzhi responded with a casual, soft “Hmm,” barely glancing at him as he took the equipment handed over by the production team.

Bai Wenle froze, shocked by his indifference, and was about to protest when Nan Yu chimed in.

“Alright, Wenle, Xuzhi just came back from a sweet date. He can’t empathize with you right now.” Nan Yu said.

Qiao Weilan raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, the handcuff punishment has already gone viral. They really know how to make things entertaining.”

Bai Wenle’s face soured at the news. “Handcuffs? What did they do?!”

He hurried over to look at the trending post Qiao Weilan was scrolling through. The high-definition photo showed Shen Xuzhi lowering his head as he fastened handcuffs onto Qing Lin’s wrist.

Oh my.

A sly fox! Qing Lin is such a sly fox!

“Everyone, gather over here on the beach,” the stage manager called, urging them to hurry.

Bai Wenle was so furious he felt he might explode. Qing Lin had already stolen his Xu-ge. What more could he possibly want?

By the beach, Hong Shanyue and the production team were already stationed, ready to film a game resembling an individual competition. The crew had set up an area in the shallow water with eight small rubber boats.

Hong Shanyue explained, “Everyone, please choose a rubber boat. We’ll play two rounds, and your goal is to collect balls that match your boat’s color. Whoever collects the most will receive a power card.”

Qing Lin glanced at the floating boats and felt uneasy. They looked unstable, as if they could tip over at any moment.

Jiang Wen spoke up with the same concern. “These look easy to capsize. What if someone falls into the water?”

Xu Jing replied, “I think there are lifeguards, and life jackets will be provided. The water doesn’t seem very deep.”

Soon after, everyone stepped onto their rubber boats, one by one.

.

Qing Lin hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t actually swim, and it seemed the production team hadn’t asked about that when they compiled his profile.

Still, it shouldn’t be a major problem. The show’s planners couldn’t rearrange everything just for him.

Carefully, he stepped onto his boat. It wobbled beneath his weight, drifting with the gentle motion of the water.

Floating on the sea felt strangely surreal, as if he were suspended in a separate dimension, separated from a world he had never known by a transparent layer of water.

“Alright, let’s start the first round: rapid knowledge Q and A! If you know the answer, press the button beside your boat. The light behind it will turn on,” Hong Shanyue announced.

“First question: What’s the best way to mop the floor?”

“Dingdong!” Bai Wenle’s light flashed first. “Mop!”

Hong Shanyue shook his head. “Wrong.”

Ning Yian immediately followed, “Dish soap?”

“Wrong.”

Qing Lin hesitated for just a second before pressing the button. “Sodium dodecyl sulfate, an anionic surfactant.”

“Wow, impressive,” Hong Shanyue said, “but unfortunately, that’s wrong.”

Seeing Qing Lin give such a high-level answer and still fail, the other participants immediately lost their confidence.

Then Shen Xuzhi calmly pressed his button. The light blinked on, and he answered with a straight face, “With force.”

“Bingo! Correct! Shen Xuzhi earns a blue ball matching his boat!”

The group fell silent. What was that? A cold joke?

“Haaa, is this how the game works?” Jiang Wen shivered, as if the answer had sent a chill through her bones.

“Next question: What does an elephant’s left ear look like?”

“Like a banana leaf?”

“Like a fan!”

Qing Lin caught on to the pattern and pressed the button. “Like the right ear.”

“Correct! Qing Lin earns a red ball!”

Bai Wenle shouted in frustration, “What is this? Can’t we have a proper question?”

Hong Shanyue checked the question board. “Alright, next question: Please state the drag force acting on the object shown in the picture.”

“……”

Xu Jing muttered under his breath, “…I think only Qing Lin knows this one.”

Qing Lin glanced at the question and immediately pressed the button, but unexpectedly, Shen Xuzhi answered the question before him.

“23N.”

“Correct!”

Everyone turned to look at Shen Xuzhi as he calmly accepted a blue ball from the staff.

“So, Ah Zhi turns out to be a top student too,” Su Mingxuan muttered under his breath.

From that moment, the quiz practically became a private duel between Qing Lin and Shen Xuzhi.

Qing Lin couldn’t figure out why Shen Xuzhi had suddenly taken an interest in competing with him. Step by step, Shen Xuzhi pressed him, even cutting in front at times. He didn’t always take many balls, but somehow, he always ended up with exactly one more than Qing Lin.

The atmosphere shifted instantly into intense competition. Both of them focused completely on the questions, their expressions growing increasingly serious.

Ning Yian leaned over to Su Mingxuan, whispering cautiously, “What’s going on with them? Why are they competing like this?”

Su Mingxuan looked equally puzzled, while Jiang Wen could no longer contain herself. She shouted anxiously, “Hey, Shen Xuzhi! Can’t you go easy on Linlin a bit? You already set up a date with him. Can’t you be at least a little gentle?”

Shen Xuzhi, startled by her outburst, relaxed slightly. Still, both he and Qing Lin answered every question, finishing the round with an equal number of balls.

“All right, first round over. Qing Lin and Shen Xuzhi are tied with ten balls each,” Hong Shanyue announced. “Second round: collect balls matching your boat’s color within the time limit. Anyone who falls into the water is immediately out. This is your chance to turn things around!”

Everyone knew how powerful the power card was, and a surge of excitement rippled through the group.

As the colored balls floated on the water, grabbing them inevitably led to clashes. Combined with the unstable boats and everyone’s competitive mindset, Jiang Wen collided with Ning Yian, and both capsized, knocking themselves out of the game.

When Jiang Wen surfaced, dripping wet, she wiped her face and laughed. “An-an! You actually pushed me!”

Ning Yian stuck out her tongue playfully. “I came down too~”

“Jiang Wen OUT! Ning Yian OUT! Everyone, watch your safety~”

Qing Lin, cautious of tipping over, carefully reached only for the red balls nearby.

Xu Jing approached and said, “I grabbed some red balls over there; they’re yours, right?”

Qing Lin’s eyes brightened, curving into a grateful smile. “Yes! Thank you so much. You’re purple, right? I’ll get your balls for you.”

Shen Xuzhi, watching quietly from nearby, noticed their interaction.

What’s with that, he thought.

He could also show a different side to others if he wanted

Shen Xuzhi glanced at the single red ball mixed in his pile of blue ones, and a surge of jealousy and restless frustration welled up in his chest.

Yet there was no outlet for it or perhaps he didn’t even have the right to show his displeasure. He simply couldn’t accept, not yet, that Qing Lin didn’t feel the same way.

And they were supposed to be partners. The contract had been initiated by Shen Xuzhi himself.

He had dug this hole, now he had to face it.

Meanwhile, Qing Lin carefully counted his balls and felt fairly secure. He had promised to collect the purple balls for Xu Jing and noticed many small blue balls drifting nearby.

Since Mr. Shen’s color is blue, he might as well take some.

Qing Lin paddled the boat slowly toward them, reaching out for the wobbling balls.

The waves made the task tricky, and Shen Xuzhi’s blue balls drifted even further away. Determined, Qing Lin stretched out as far as he could.

Then, without warning, a violent collision struck from the back of the boat.

Bai Wenle had sneaked up on Qing Lin’s red boat, trying to stop him from winning, laughing gleefully as he shouted, “Go down!”

Qing Lin felt the boat jolt violently. A flash of yellow caught his eye, and the momentum tipped his boat sharply.

In an instant, balance was lost. Qing Lin’s hands grasped at the edge, his heart nearly stopping.

Then, he plunged headfirst into the water.

“Splash—”

The island’s water, surprisingly cold even in summer, hit him like a merciless blade, cutting off his air instantly. He hadn’t even held his breath before plunging in, and a mouthful of seawater flooded his throat, swallowing him into the salty depths.

Qing Lin couldn’t swim well. He couldn’t open his eyes. He tried to push upward, but the overturned boat blocked his path.

Light vanished above him.

Darkness pressed in from every side.

His heart stuttered. Panic surged, crashing through him like waves. He struggled to swim and shift the boat, but it felt as though an invisible hand was dragging him back.

He felt trapped in the water.

The darkness above restricted his movements. His heart raced as salty water filled his nose.

Breath stolen, oxygen thinning, body immobile.

Water rushed at him from all directions, battering him, wrapping him in a crushing pressure that seemed intent on tearing him apart.

Drowning threw his mind into chaos. Pain clawed through his throat and chest, nerves twisted and crushed, each breath blocked in relentless suffocation.

The fear at the deepest part of memory surged back and forth.

Darker than this time, water more suffocating than this.

His breath was stolen by the merciless waves. But his hands were tightly bound by thin ropes.

He wanted to call for help, to lift his head, to shake off the darkness pressing down on him.

Just then, a hand reached out and seized Qing Lin.

The warmth was infinitely stronger than the cold seawater, like plunging into fire beneath the waves, yet it remained unquenched, holding him firmly and unwaveringly.

Nearly losing consciousness and powerless, Qing Lin was pulled from the water by Shen Xuzhi. Instinct for survival made him cling to the person in front of him, like grasping the last straw, holding onto the final light.

“Qing Lin! Qing Lin!”

His mind swirled in a haze. He couldn’t hear clearly, but he held tightly to Shen Xuzhi’s shirt, looping his arms around his neck.

His eyes were wide, red-rimmed, hair plastered to his pale face. His throat burned, raw and tortured, as if sliced by a knife.

His mouth gaped, desperately gasping for air.

Shen Xuzhi’s anxious voice echoed in his mind.

“Qing Lin! Breathe! Quick, breathe!”

Shen Xuzhi held him tightly, calling his name over and over, unwilling to let him slip into unconsciousness. His voice trembled with urgency, his arms gripping him even tighter.

Qing Lin couldn’t form a single word. He only breathed rapidly, still struggling for air, each heavy inhalation pressing painfully on Shen Xuzhi’s heart.

Beneath it all, a deep fear simmered.

He looked up at Shen Xuzhi, pupils constricted, lips pale, eyes wide with panic and helplessness. He wanted to call out “Mr. Shen,” but couldn’t.

“Qing Lin! Qing Lin!” Shen Xuzhi shouted again, carrying him out of the water and onto the shore. “Someone help! Quickly, someone help!”

In his arms, Qing Lin resembled a fragile bird, neck twisted, eyes bloodshot, utterly weak.

Shen Xuzhi felt as if his mind might shatter.

The instant Qing Lin had fallen into the water; he had plunged in without hesitation to save him.

But now, seeing the pale, frail boy struggling to breathe, clutching at his sleeve, staring at him with eyes that should have been bright yet were filled only with helplessness, unable even to call his name.

Shen Xuzhi felt fear like he never had before.

He had thoughts he couldn’t act on, impulses to vent meaningless anger, yet all of that faded into heartache.

Shen Xuzhi held Qing Lin tightly, stroking his icy face gently.

Suddenly, all previous awkwardness, all petty anger, felt meaningless.

His thoughts grew simple.

All he truly wanted was for Qing Lin to reach out and take his hand himself. No promises, no vows, lies would even be fine, just softly whisper, “I will never leave you.”