The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C35 - Kissing

Shen Xuzhi sucked at Qinglin’s lips with possessive force, one hand coiling his neck, pressing firmly against the pale skin as he tilted his head lower. His tongue pried past his teeth and slid inside.

Qing Lin felt heat rush to his head, his body weakening under the onslaught. Shen moved relentlessly against his lips, the taste of citrus mingling with his tongue, fingers kneading his scalp with slow, deliberate pressure.

Mr. Shen was kissing him.

And he was using his tongue…

Then the hand buried in his hair slid forward, cupping his cheek and forcing him to open his mouth once more.

Qing Lin’s head spun, his arms around Shen’s neck loosening slightly. The rabbit-ear headband he still held shifted, partially blocking the view of their kiss.

The live broadcast abruptly cut to a wide shot, showing only Liu Xin and Zhang Nanyin’s perspective. From afar, the two men could be seen leaning close to one another, framed by the blinding lights.

[Are they actually kissing?!!]

[Ahhhh, the rabbit ears! Move, you’re blocking the kiss!]

[Why cut to a wide shot?! Cowardly producers! Are they really kissing or not?!]

[Why this angle again?? Just like last time with the Pocky Kiss — did they kiss or not??]

Unlike the audience’s guesses, Qing Lin was caught in a storm unlike anything he had ever felt.

A hot, insistent tongue invaded his mouth, flooding his senses with nothing but Shen Xuzhi’s breath. The kiss was fierce, overwhelming, sending jolts from his scalp down his spine, his entire body trembling with static electricity.

Qinglin weakly pushed at Shen, his fists patting against his back.

That snapped Shen Xuzhi out of his daze. Realizing his recklessness, he hurriedly released his grip on Qinglin’s cheek. The hand supporting his waist lifted slightly, making Qinglin’s slim body arch in his arms.

Their lips parted. The floodlights above were almost blinding.

Qinglin’s eyes were glazed, hazy with confusion. Pale irises shimmered with a mix of ambiguity and unshed tears, while his ears and cheeks burned red.

Shen Xuzhi looked at the scene before him, his voice hoarse as he slowly asked, “Is this my reward?”

As the tension reached its height, his eyes softened, lingering on Qing Lin with warmth, and he gave a gentle smile. “Wife, I love you.”

“Mr. Shen…” Qing Lin’s mind was still muddled, words spilling unconsciously.

The frantic beat of his heart jolted him awake, and he suddenly remembered the task point.
“Husband, I love you too…”  

[Shen Laoshi is way too fierce—did he really kiss him into a daze?]

[I swear it’s just for the cameras. He still remembered to finish the mission.]

[No way that was fake! Qing Lin is totally stunned. Those lips look way too kissable.]

[Impossible! If it were real, why not cut to a close-up? No footage, no proof! There’s no way Xu-ge actually kissed Qing Lin. It has to be reality-show acting!]

Qing Lin could no longer hear the roaring cheers of the crowd. His mind had narrowed to a single, urgent thought. “Shen Laoshi… I want to leave…”

Shen Xuzhi’s pupils darkened, heavy with desire and tightly controlled restraint. His throat shifted as he swallowed, and a low, soft hum escaped him. “Mmm.”

“Enough, isn’t it?” Shen Xuzhi turned to the bearded man. “If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving now.”

Staff hurried forward to block the bearded man and his group, security stepped in to mediate, and Shen Xuzhi carried Qing Lin away from the racetrack.

“Put me down,” Qing Lin muttered, still dazed. The fierce, overwhelming kiss had left him shaken. But when he realized he had no strength left, he buried his face into Shen Xuzhi’s neck instead.

“Forget it… my legs are weak.”

Shen Xuzhi’s hand tightened on his waist, mirroring the quickening beat of his heart.

The arena was still in uproar.

The arena remained in uproar, but Qing Lin pressed himself against Shen Xuzhi’s chest, shutting out the chaos as rationality slowly returned.

As his head cleared, he didn’t forget to pat Shen Xuzhi’s back and whisper, “Money… money. Don’t forget the money.”

Shen Xuzhi hadn’t expected Qing Lin to still be thinking about money.

He had thought of instructing his assistant to handle the payment collection, then, with Qing Lin still in his arms, walked into the so-called “rest area,” which turned out to be nothing more than a cramped changing room.

He set Qing Lin gently onto a bench between two rows of lockers, exhaling a long, heavy breath. Qing Lin sat there like a delicate doll, staying exactly where Shen Xuzhi placed him, obedient and motionless

As he settled, the slit of the cheongsam slid higher, revealing the soft curve of his thigh. A striking contrast to the heat blooming across his snow-pale cheeks.

Shen Xuzhi’s jaw tightened as his gaze dropped.

Damn it.

What had he just done?

He had actually kissed Qing Lin.

And in that brief, reckless moment, he’d felt a fierce urge to go further—to tear open the cheongsam, to claim more, to push him until he couldn’t breathe.

The realization hit him like a weight. He’d lost control, swept up in raw impulse.

What if Qing Lin thought he had crossed the line? What if he resented him for it?
And if the fragile thread between them snapped, how could he ever reel it back in?

Suppressing the turmoil clawing at his chest, Shen Xuzhi reached for the down jacket nearby and carefully wrapped it around Qing Lin.

“I’m sorry.” He sank to his knees in front of him, tilting his head upward, voice low and weighted with remorse.

“I apologize. If you’d been too startled in that moment, the truth might have slipped out. And I… I’m sorry for kissing you without your consent. Please, don’t be angry with me.”

Qing Lin had been startled indeed. His lips still carried the lingering heat of Shen Xuzhi’s kiss.

And it was his first kiss, taken in front of a crowd, no less.

Yet Shen Xuzhi’s apology rang so earnest, guilt pressing heavily in every word, that it softened something inside him.

Wrapped in the down jacket, Qing Lin’s heartbeat gradually steadied. To reject such a sincere apology felt ungracious, even overly dramatic.

After all, he had already signed the contract, already accepted the money. Actors performed kiss scenes all the time. Was this really any different?

And besides… Mr. Shen had apologized so earnestly…

“It’s fine.” After a brief pause, Qing Lin tugged the jacket tighter around himself and added softly, “Actually… I almost exposed us. Thank you for saving the situation.”

Shen Xuzhi stayed half-kneeling before him, his dark eyes fathomless, shadows swirling in their depths.

In truth, he would have preferred Qing Lin to scold him, even lash out at him, anything would have been easier to bear than this polite, distant gratitude.

The silence stretched. At last, Shen Xuzhi’s voice broke through, low and rough, as if scraped raw in his throat. “Really… it’s okay?”

“If you feel uncomfortable, you have to tell me,” Shen Xuzhi said. “I want you to tell me.”

The room went quiet. Qing Lin seemed to actually consider the question, thinking about where he felt uncomfortable.

Then Shen Xuzhi heard him say—

“You kissed too fiercely. It felt like you were going to eat me alive.”

The words were delivered with calm, almost clinical composure, and that very detachment unsettled Shen Xuzhi even more.

Something inside him snapped, like a taut string breaking.

And faintly, he recalled, in the height of that reckless passion, he might have actually bitten Qing Lin’s lip.

The flames that had only just subsided flared up again. Even knowing Qing Lin was merely voicing his thoughts objectively, Shen Xuzhi felt his throat tighten, his voice muffled, and his body heat rising once more.

“I must have bitten you.” His voice was low as he leaned forward, hand reaching out. “Let me see.”

He tilted closer, cupping Qing Lin’s face and lifting his chin. His fingers brushed lightly across his lips, tugging the lower lip down. A faint smear of lipstick stained his fingertips.

Qing Lin’s mouth parted slightly, teeth just barely separated to reveal a narrow gap. His pale eyes, still misted over, held a calm, docile light.

Shen Xuzhi’s gaze deepened once more.

He wanted to do something badly he shouldn’t.

Before the thought even settled, impulse overtook him.

his black eyes lingered on the pale line of jaw beneath those lips, and suddenly the finger holding his chin slipped past his mouth, pressing against a molar to force it open wider.

The sudden intrusion drew an involuntary sound from Qing Lin—a muffled “mmph.”

If Qing Lin so much as closed his mouth a fraction, his soft lips would wrap around Shen Xuzhi’s finger.
Shen Xuzhi’s eyes narrowed, desire tugging at his restraint. He wanted, desperately, to press in deeper.

Qing Lin’s mouth was small, almost unable to hold much, yet perfectly shaped, matching that dangerously enticing face.

The inside of his lips was tender pink, and near the corner, Shen Xuzhi’s bite had left a tiny flush of red.

Shen Xuzhi turned his face, lingered for only a moment on that broken spot, then slid his long fingers downward. The side of his finger pressed against the lip’s flesh, brushing over the warm trace of moisture.

Qing Lin’s jaw was beginning to ache, his brows knitted slightly, and he wanted to turn his head away…

“Xu-ge! Qing Laoshi! Are you two alright in there?”

The sudden shout shattered the moment. With a loud pia, the door burst open, and Wang Zhan’s anxious face appeared in the doorway.

What greeted his eyes was Shen Xuzhi kneeling on the ground, two fingers probing inside Qing Lin’s mouth.

Qing Lin’s eyes glistened with moisture, as though powerless to resist, left to be handled entirely at Shen Xuzhi’s mercy.

Wang Zhan: “…!!”

The manager was struck speechless. He jabbed a trembling finger toward Shen Xuzhi, stammering, “You—you—you—” without ever finishing the thought

Shen Xuzhi spared him only a glance, his gaze a few degrees colder than usual.

Then he withdrew his hand, rose to his feet, and lowered his eyes briefly toward Qing Lin, who was still catching his breath. Reaching for the down jacket, he pulled the hood over Qing Lin’s head, the wide brim shading his entire face.

“Rest for now,” Shen Xuzhi murmured.

Without another word, he led the tongue-tied Wang Zhan out of the lounge. The instant the door shut, Wang Zhan could no longer contain himself.

“What on earth were you doing!” he burst out. His voice, flustered and cracking under strain, was forced low so no one else could hear.

“Filming variety show,” Shen Xuzhi replied evenly, as if nothing were amiss.

“I know you’re filming variety show!” Wang Zhan rubbed his palms together anxiously, lowering his voice even further. “I mean just now—what were you doing? Did you see how pitiful Linlin looked…” His words faltered, tripping over themselves, until he finally managed, “…How could you force him like that!”

Shen Xuzhi was silent for a beat, then answered simply, “I couldn’t hold back.”

Wang Zhan: “…”

Completely defeated, the manager could only stare at him.

Shen Xuzhi remained in his racing suit, leaning back against the wall. His expression was unreadable, thoughtful yet as composed as ever.

Wang Zhan let out a heavy sigh. Only recently had he discovered that this bold man had secretly signed some sort of business-couple contract with Qing Lin under the studio’s name. To him, it was nothing short of blatant coercion of a younger boy.

And he still had the audacity to talk about “gradual progress”—what part of this looked gradual? Wasn’t it nothing but brute force all the way through?

To think Wang Zhan had once considered playing the role of wingman, only to realize now that this guy had laid the trap long before.

“Forget it.” He waved a hand in defeat. “Judging by the two of you, things… actually seem to be going well. Anyway, what I came to tell you is—about that hugging kiss. Because of the filming angle, it wasn’t clear whether you actually kissed or not. It’s already blowing up on Weibo.”

Wang Zhan scratched his head anxiously, repeating for emphasis, “So I came to remind you—don’t go on Weibo! Don’t respond in any way! Absolutely no response! And the same goes for Qing Laoshi.”

But at this point, he couldn’t help himself. The curiosity burning in netizens was eating at him too. He lowered his voice, hesitant yet itching to know.

“So… did you actually kiss or not?”

Shen Xuzhi fell silent for a moment. Slowly, he lifted his hand to his lips, a faint flicker of emotion flashing through his eyes, his breath unconsciously growing heavier.

Wang Zhan: “…”

Xu-ge really was really bold.

Shen Xuzhi fell silent for a moment. Slowly, he lifted his hand to his lips, a faint flicker of emotion flashing through his eyes, his breath unconsciously growing heavier.

Wang Zhan blinked, “Right now?”

Shen Xuzhi’s tone was matter-of-fact. “I just did something bad. I need to distract the kid.”

Wang Zhan: “…”

Fine then. Wishing you all the best in chasing your wife.

Left with no choice, Wang Zhan went to find the program team and returned with a thick stack of bills, handing it over to Shen Xuzhi.

Taking the money, Shen Xuzhi knocked on the lounge door and stepped back inside. He waved the cash lightly and said, “The program team just handed this over. Want to confirm it?”

As expected, at the sight of money, Qing Lin immediately let go of the earlier “mouth incident.”

“Alright.” Fully collected now, Qing Lin accepted the pesos and began counting them carefully, one by one.

Shen Xuzhi leaned back, quietly watching the beauty in the cheongsam, absorbed in the meticulous act of counting bills.

“Yes, that’s right. Eleven thousand pesos.” Qing Lin carefully stacked the bills to one side “Four thousand from winning the race, fifteen hundred for serving as assistant referee, and with the cheongsam doubling the funds, it comes out to exactly eleven thousand.”

Shen Xuzhi’s gaze lingered on the cheongsam draped over him. “So… are you taking it off now? It’s time to move on to the next stage.”

Qing Lin lowered his eyes to the outfit. There was no reason to keep wearing it, too little fabric, and the chill was already creeping in.

He gave a small nod, set the money aside, and rose to his feet, slipping off the down jacket.

The high-slit cheongsam clung snugly to his waistline, unembellished and uncovered, its stark simplicity making the cut of the dress even more striking.

Qing Lin reached back for the zipper. For a moment, the room fell into silence.

Then, turning his head slightly, he said softly.

“Shen Laoshi… could you help me with the zipper?”