The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C45 - Piano

The plane landed in Santa Cruz Province.

El Calafate was bathed in sunshine today. The winter air was cold, but the sunlight on the skin brought a trace of warmth.

The two couples stepped off the plane, their breaths mingling with the crisp, fresh air that rushed to meet them. El Calafate, a small town in southern Argentina close to the edge of the Antarctic, was known for the majestic Moreno Glacier and the sweeping waters that fed the great Lake Argentino.

After collecting their luggage, the production team led them onto a bus bound for El Chaltén. The road stretched ahead, flanked by rolling hills painted in green and gold. In the distance, the gentle light of the sun glimmered across the deep blue waters of Lake Argentino.

Zhang Nanyin opened the window and leaned out, letting the icy wind, tinged with the scent of snow, brush against her cheeks. “Oh my, this feels wonderful.”

The Follow PD greeted everyone.  “Welcome, two couples, to the Patagonian Plateau!”

[New travel location unlocked!]

[Yay!]

“We’re now on our way to El Chaltén, a town within Argentina’s Glacier National Park. While it may not be as widely known as other tourist spots in the country, it’s the gateway to Mount Fitz Roy and cherished as a “hiking sanctuary” by outdoor enthusiasts worldwide.”

He added with a smile, “Today, we’ll also be visiting an elderly Argentine couple, Grandma Heather and Grandpa Renaldo, who have called this little town home for over forty years.”

“This elderly couple are friends of Director Hong Shanyue and the parents of Leo Dun, a renowned Argentine director. Since they usually live alone, they warmly welcomed us into their home. Our task this time is simple: to keep them company and help them spend a peaceful, beautiful day together.”

“At the end of the day,” the PD added, “each of you will write a reflection on your understanding of love. Rewards will be given based on your insights.”

[Ah, this episode feels so heartwarming.]

[Young couple, real couple, old couple… it’s such a calm and beautiful atmosphere]

Shen Xuzhi glanced at Qing Lin beside him. The boy’s expression was serene, and in his pale eyes it seemed as though a still lake lay reflected.

The bus pulled up in front of a villa perched on the hillside, overlooking the vast Patagonian plateau.

The moment he stepped down from the bus, Qing Lin was immediately struck by the scenery. He had never seen mountains in Patagonia so sharp and narrow, with forests cascading along their ridges. Their peaks rose unevenly into the crystalline sky, the clarity of the air making every outline distinct. Rolling green fields stretched endlessly around them, and in the distance, lakes shimmered beneath the mountains, their surfaces dotted with drifting ice.

[This place is like paradise.]

[It feels like being cleansed inside out.]

[Before I die, I have to visit Argentina.]

Grandma Heather and Grandpa Renaldo were already waiting outside to welcome them.

As a gesture of courtesy, Qing Lin and Shen Xuzhi had brought a bouquet of flowers, while Zhang Nanyin and Liu Xin had chosen local gifts for the couple.

“Oh, ¡Cómo estás!”

Grandma Heather was a petite woman in her seventies. Her hair, gathered neatly in a bun, was frosted white, and it was easy to imagine the beauty she must have been in her youth.

Before Qing Lin could even offer the flowers, she accepted them with delight, then cupped his face and pressed a kiss to his cheek in greeting.

“You’re so handsome,” she said with a warm smile. “What a fine young man.”

“Thank you, Grandma Heather,” Qing Lin replied politely.

Grandpa Renaldo, tall and broad-shouldered like many from Santa Cruz, bustled forward with equal enthusiasm, insisting on carrying their luggage.

With her arm linked through Qing Lin’s, Grandma Heather led him into the house. Behind them, Shen Xuzhi followed with the luggage while Liu Xin struck up a conversation with Renaldo in Spanish.

It was a large villa, decorated cleanly, discarding complex lines. The interior was primarily dominated by a wooden color scheme, with excellent natural lighting. The sunlight was slightly hazy, and the indoor scent had a post-fragrance of cedar and amber.

“You must be friends of Leo Dun, aren’t you? The production team mentioned you were newlyweds on a trip together.” Grandma Heather smiled as she lifted the flowers to her nose, breathing in their fragrance before turning to her husband. “Renaldo, fetch me a vase?”

“At your service.” Grandpa Renaldo gave a mock salute, earning laughter all around.

[Grandpa is so cute!]

“Oh heavens, he’s always been this mischievous,” Grandma Heather sighed with a smile, then turned to the guests, “Don’t be reserved. Treat this place as your home.”

“‘We’re truly glad you came,’ Grandpa Renaldo said warmly. ‘It’s been a long time since we’ve had visitors. Why don’t you take a look around first? Would you like me to show you?’

Qing Lin stopped before a wall lined with photographs in a vintage European style. At the center stood a tall shelf, its rows filled with vinyl records.

The records were clearly old. Their covers were worn and mottled, carrying the weight of years.

“This one is Heifetz and Piatigorsky performing Brahms’ Double Concerto.” Shen Xuzhi said, standing beside Qing Lin as he looked at the record.

“Heifetz… wasn’t he the violinist known for ‘never playing a wrong note’?” Qing Lin asked.

“You know about him?” Shen Xuzhi turned to him in mild surprise.

“I once took an elective in classical music,” Qing Lin explained. “They played Heifetz’s performance of the Violin Concerto in E Minor in class.”

[Shen Laoshi and Qing Lin know so much]

[They’re practically soulmates]

[Electives… that’s so relatable]

The two lingered quietly together.

Meanwhile, Liu Xin asked, “Grandma, what do you and Grandpa usually do in your daily life?”

Seated in an elegant wooden chair, Grandma Heather poured herself mate tea, sipped, and thought for a moment.

“Hmm… what do we do? It’s really quite simple. We lounge in our chairs and listen to the radio or wander aimlessly through the little town. We’ll stop by a bar, order two beers, a plate of ham and cheese, and listen to a gaucho play his guitar.”

[Such tender days.]

[This is what it means to live slowly and let life stretch long.]

With a smile, Grandma Heather added, “We’ve actually been to China… eighteen years ago. What a beautiful country.”

Grandpa Renaldo came back holding an antique vase, its surface adorned with embossed patterns that resembled an oil painting.

Setting the flowers inside, he smiled warmly. “That’s right… just an ordinary morning in a Beijing hutong. I’ve missed it for so many years.”

Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting mottled shadows across the floor, swaying gently like ripples of time.

It was then Qing Lin noticed the house was full of cats. They had leapt onto the rose-embroidered tablecloth, sitting there with their soft, furry bodies.

The grandparents settled everyone in, then served steaming cups of milk tea.

Soon after, Grandpa Renaldo came in carrying a basket of freshly laundered clothes. “Hey, old lady, the sheets are washed. They’re ready to be hung up.”

Qing Lin set down his teacup. “Let me help you, Grandpa.”

“I’ll come too,” Shen Xuzhi added.

“Oh, thank you so much,” Renaldo laughed. “Come on, I’ll take you to the courtyard.”

Guided by Renaldo, Qing Lin and Shen Xuzhi passed through the back of the house and into the courtyard.

Beyond lay a vast wilderness, snow-capped mountains piled high in the distance, forests rising and falling around the low snowline, and the lake glittering under the light, tranquil and expansive.

A breeze swept down from the mountains, lifting the hair of the two young men.

“The weather has been really nice lately. Normally, El Chaltén would be covered in snow this time of year,” Grandpa said, loosening his waist. “Looks like all the good weather is here to welcome you.”

He turned back and said, “Children, you can hang the sheets over there to dry.”

Shen Xuzhi and Qing Lin nodded, carrying the basket of laundry together to the drying rack at the top of the slope.

The snowcapped mountains stood timeless, as though the passage of years had never touched them.

The white bedsheet billowed in the wind, swelling into a full arc like a white sail set aloft.

Facing the breeze, Qing Lin lifted his gaze to the sky, vast and freshly washed in blue as if painted anew. He traced a gesture in the air and said to Shen Xuzhi.

“This feels like a grander version of that scene in Miyazaki Hayao’s The Wind Rises. It’s the kind of place where you’d set up an easel and paint beneath the brilliant sun.”

At his words, Shen Xuzhi stepped closer. He bent slightly, tilting his head as he leaned toward Qing Lin’s lips.

“And then I should walk over and kiss you.”

Under the sunlight, the brown-green grassland surged with the wind like waves, while on the lake, ripples broke into rolling light.

Qing Lin caught his words and fixed his gaze on Shen Xuzhi. In those eyes, the light scattered like diamonds, soft and gentle within the depths of dark pupils.

His brows eased, his expression softened, and with a warmth like the sun itself, he smiled.
“You’re right.”

It was an answer Shen Xuzhi had not expected. He froze in place.

If they had really been truly lovers, he would not have hesitated to kiss him.

[Aaaahhhhhhhhhh]

[Keep talking, don’t stop! This is definitely worth talking about!]

[Help, this is way too much! Both of them are such flirts. How can I even listen to this?]

[Kiss him, kiss him, don’t just talk about it!]

“Qing Lin…” Shen Xuzhi’s throat tightened as he leaned in, unable to stop himself from reaching for Qing Lin’s hand.

But before he could touch him, a voice rang out from behind.

“Children, aren’t you cold out there?” Grandpa Renaldo shouted from afar. “Come back quickly and have a hot cup of tea.”

Qing Lin turned his head aside, neatly dodging Shen Xuzhi, and called back, “Ah, okay!”

Shen Xuzhi pulled himself back just in time. Hearing Qing Lin’s response, he followed him down the slope, ears burning red as the two of them slipped back into the villa.

Heaven… just now, he had nearly lost control.

Inside the villa, Zhang Nanyin was already seated comfortably, chatting with Grandma Heather.

“The Perito Moreno Glacier, you must see it,” Grandma Heather said. “Young people should always experience it up close at least once.”

“Apparently. we’re all going there tomorrow,” Zhang Nanyin replied.

“I couldn’t help noticing how many instruments you have here,” Liu Xin said. “There’s a ukulele hanging on the wall, a violin on the table, and even a harmonica in your pocket. Do the two of you play all of these?”

“Oh, our whole family loves music,” Grandma Heather said with a cheerful laugh. “My husband plays the violin, Gaius is fond of the drums, and whenever the grandchildren visit, they always play the ukulele for us. Leo Dun knows the most. But, of course, everyone has their own life now, and it’s been years since they last came home.”

Her expression brightened as she spoke, and she rose to her feet. “Come, I’ll take you all to a place.”

Just then, Shen Xuzhi and Qing Lin returned. Grandma Heather beckoned to them warmly. “You two as well, my dears. Come along.”

Heather and Renaldo led everyone deeper into the house and opened a door.

Qing Lin looked inside, his pupils widening.

The room opened into a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, where the vast sky stretched endlessly above. Sunlight poured in, flooding the space with brilliance and clarity, giving it an expansive, breathless atmosphere.

Beyond the glass, the mountains rolled on without end and nestled among them lay a lake shimmering in full view.

At the very center of the light-filled room stood a grand piano. It seemed to rest at the foot of the mountains themselves, as if every note struck upon its keys would drift outward and dissolve into the wilderness beyond.

[Oh my god!!]

[That window looks straight out to the mountains—what a breathtaking scene.]

[“Once you start playing the piano here, you could lose yourself in it for an entire day.]

“This is the piano room,” Grandma Heather said, a gentle smile on her face. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It’s simply too dreamy,” Liu Xin sighed.

“Our son Leo Dun was the best at playing,” Grandma Heather said, resting her cheek against her hand. “But after he started his own family, the piano has been left untouched. I’m old now, and my hands tremble. I truly miss Schubert’s Nocturne No. 7.”

Zhang Nanyin turned to the others. “Hey, isn’t Xuzhi a pianist? I’m sure he knows that piece.”

All eyes immediately shifted Shen Xuzhi.

He bent down slightly and asked, “Would you like to hear it?”

“Of course I would. Oh, child, can you really play?” Grandma Heather exclaimed, her face lighting up with delight.

Shen Xuzhi bowed politely. “It would be my honor.”

He walked to the center of the room, sat at the piano, lifted the lid, and placed his hands carefully on the keys. Calm, composed, he drew a slow, deliberate breath before pressing down.

Notes flowed from his fingertips, delicate yet resonant, weaving together into a rich, intricate melody.

The enchanting tune gradually enveloped everyone, carrying them into a serene calm after the storm, as if waiting for clouds to part and sunlight to spill through. Wide-ranging chords elevated the music even higher, filling the room with grandeur.

It was Qing Lin’s first time hearing Shen Xuzhi play.

The sound of the piano evokes the vastness of the ocean, majestic and grand. The arpeggios of the right hand intertwined seamlessly with the melodic lines of the left, each note striking the chest with resonant power.

The man at the piano radiated quiet poise, fully absorbed, brows slightly furrowed in concentration, head bowed over the keys. To Qing Lin, it felt as though his own heartbeat had been caught and carried along with the music.

He stared, almost entranced.

How dangerous.

Too easy to be drawn in.

“Perfecto!” Grandpa Renaldo clapped enthusiastically, leading the others in applause. “Child, I’m so moved. Thank you for your music. It brought back such joyful memories.”

[Ahhh Shen Laoshi!!]

[Shen playing the piano! Shen playing the piano! I’m completely mesmerized by it!!]

[It’s over, I’ve fallen in love. He’s too charming. Ah Zhi really is my ultimate dream guy.]

[Men at the piano are lethal… I’m dying, we need a full version please!!]

“Oh! The thing in the oven should be done. I need to take something out,” Grandma Heather said suddenly.

“Then, let us help,” Liu Xin and Zhang Nanyin offered in unison.

A few of them stepped out together, leaving the room behind. Before leaving, Grandma Heather turned back with a warm smile. “You two can keep playing,” she said softly.

Silence settled over the space, leaving only the two of them.

Shen Xuzhi lowered himself onto the piano bench, his head bowed slightly, dark eyes shaded by his fringe. The warm yellow sunlight filtered through the window, softening his refined features, bathing him in a gentle glow.

Calm. Serene. Quiet.

His deep eyes held Qing Lin’s against the light, and in a voice gentle and warm, he said, “Let me play a piece for you.”

Qing Lin stood in front, watching.

Shen Xuzhi turned back to the keys. The music that followed was unlike the uplifting melody he had played before; it was gentle, tranquil, and intimate.

Qing Lin recognized it immediately. Scenes from Childhood – Dreaming. Schumann’s tender “love letter” to his beloved.

The notes sank into his ears like evening bells, like the wind brushing past, carrying distant echoes, or like someone softly humming. The melody was delicate and flowing, yet it held a quiet power that soothed the heart.

Outside, the flawless blue sky bathed the piano and Shen Xuzhi in sunlight, stretching long, gentle shadows across the floor.

His slender fingers danced over the keys with effortless grace, each movement precise and fluid.

Qing Lin watched the man playing for him and instinctively raised his hand, holding it before his eyes. With his knuckles forming a square, he framed Shen Xuzhi and the distant mountains in a perfect rectangle, as if capturing a painting.

Un Teatro unico al Mondo.

Those were the words that flashed through his mind.

A one-of-a-kind theater in the world.

The music echoed through the room, romance and tenderness spilling across the hillside, carrying the breath of freedom over the distant mountains.

For a single, infinite moment, Qing Lin felt as if he could sit there and listen to Shen Xuzhi play like this for the rest of his life.