The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C49 - Nonsense

Qing Lin returned to the hotel and fell straight into sleep.

On the boat ride back, he had already been nodding off, his head heavy against Shen Xuzhi’s shoulder. Without a word of complaint, Shen Xuzhi carried him on his back, the boy resting quietly against him.

When Wang Zhan came to take over and caught sight of them, he asked in surprise, “What’s wrong with Linlin?”

“Drunk,” Shen Xuzhi answered simply.

Wang Zhan frowned. “Ah, so he really can’t handle his liquor.”

But Shen Xuzhi only smiled, his voice low. “Doesn’t he look adorable when he’s drunk?”

Wang Zhan: “…”

He carried Qing Lin all the way back to his room. Seeing him fast asleep, Shen Xuzhi didn’t wake him. Instead, he slipped off his coat, gently wiped his face, and turned off the lights, letting him rest undisturbed.

Qing Lin truly did want to sleep. After an entire day’s hike, his body was completely drained, and with alcohol blurring his thoughts, drowsiness swept over him with ease.

But there was another reason.

He felt half-crazed just remembering the kiss he’d given Shen Xuzhi.

He had already died of embarrassment inside more times than he could count. To avoid confronting it directly, he decided to just pretend nothing had happened, shove everything aside, and sleep it off.

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the window, spilling gold across the white sheets.

Qing Lin sat up on the bed, loosened his shoulders, and gazed out the window at the endless mountains and valleys.

He stared at the view for a moment before vaguely recalling that he had drunk a little too much at the end of yesterday’s hike.

“Knock, knock, knock.” Someone was at the door.

Hearing it, Qing Lin turned and saw the door slowly open. Shen Xuzhi stepped in, wearing a black sweater and greeting him warmly. “Good morning.”

Qing Lin froze for a moment at the sight of him.

Their eyes met, lingering just a little too long. Only after glancing at the time did Qing Lin scramble out of bed, flustered, and stammer, “Ah, good morning.”

“Come have breakfast,” Shen Xuzhi said.

Qing Lin nodded.

After speaking, Shen Xuzhi closed the door behind him.

Qing Lin stood by the bed, pondering, and realized something was off.

Wait. Why was he so nervous?

He picked up his jacket, slipped it on, washed his face in the bathroom, and went to the door.

He had kissed Shen Xuzhi yesterday.

But Shen Xuzhi hadn’t reacted much. So why was he feeling nervous?

It was just part of completing the task. After all, he had kissed him in so many places, he wasn’t even sure which one counted. And he had been drunk—this could be excused as a moment of drunken foolishness.

Still… he ought to apologize to Shen Xuzhi, since he had kissed him without permission.

Then again… last time Shen Xuzhi had done the same, even more forcefully.

Qing Lin’s thoughts were in chaos. He twisted the doorknob and peeked out.

Shen Xuzhi was making coffee, standing in the sunlight. His side profile was warm and defined, his nose straight, posture upright.

Qing Lin quietly closed the door again.

No… why did he feel so awkward? Even though it wasn’t the first time he had kissed him, his heartbeat skipped just seeing him.

“Qing Lin?” Shen Xuzhi’s voice came from outside. “Why did you close the door again?”

“I— Oh, I closed the door after realizing no one had come out,” Qing Lin replied as he stepped out.

Shen Xuzhi raised a brow.

Qing Lin sat at the table as Shen Xuzhi brought over breakfast. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing toned forearms, veins slightly raised.

Qing Lin’s gaze drifted upward, catching sight of those full lips.

Hmmph.

He quickly looked away.

He should apologize, right?

But… how could he even start?

Shen Xuzhi noticed Qing Lin wasn’t eating, so he asked, “What’s wrong? Not to your liking?”

Maintaining a straight face, Qing Lin replied, “I want a bowl of hangover soup.”

Shen Xuzhi blinked.

The two finished their breakfast in silence.

During that time, Shen Xuzhi tried several times to speak, but Qing Lin unintentionally shut him down, swallowing his words before they could be said. Qing Lin ate faster than usual, almost gulping down each bite without properly chewing.

“Qing Laoshi, let’s do your makeup over here.”

Hearing this, Qing Lin, who was still eating, looked up. “Okay, I’m coming.”

He stood, deliberately avoiding Shen Xuzhi’s gaze. “Shen Laoshi, I’ll go do my makeup first.”

Shen Xuzhi watched him walk away, shaking his head with a small, fond smile.

Qing Lin… nervous.

He actually gets nervous.

Qing Lin followed the staff to a temporary makeup room set up in another guest room. The makeup artist, Xiao Ya, greeted him warmly. “Good morning, Linlin~”

“Morning, Xiao Ya-jie,” Qing Lin replied, settling onto the makeup stool.

“Yeah, the camera angle will be better here for this shot,” Feng Jian said, stepping in from the hallway. “Ah, good morning, Qing Lin.”

“Morning, PD Feng.”

“Hey Feng, why are you here with the South team today?” Xiao Ya asked.

Feng Jian smiled at Qing Lin. “It’s my turn on duty. I just wanted to check in on the real-time status of the hottest group,” Feng Jian said, lowering his gaze slightly. “Did you see the trending topics?”

Qing Lin shook his head. He had gone to bed early and hadn’t had the chance.

“Yesterday, four of the top ten trending topics involved you. Amazing, Qing Lin—you really are trending material,” Feng Jian said. “You’re like our lucky charm for the show.”

The “lucky charm” meme had recently been popularized again by Daniel on YouTube.

“Right! Number one on the entertainment trending charts was #QingLinGainsFans#. Our Linlin is going to blow up!” Xiao Ya grinned. “Check your BiliBili, your followers are skyrocketing! Be sure to post some videos to show appreciation to your fans.”

Qing Lin smiled silently.

At that moment, Shen Xuzhi walked in.

“Yo, Xu Zhi,” Feng Jian greeted. Then he remembered something, turning to Qing Lin: “Oh, Qing Lin, you didn’t finish yesterday’s daily task for intimacy boosting. That’s 1,000 pesos deducted.”

Hearing this, Qing Lin blurted out, “I kissed him.”

“Kissed him?” Feng Jian raised an eyebrow. “Where?”

Qing Lin… paused.

Shen Xuzhi leaned against the doorframe, watching him with a teasing smile.

“…chin,” Qing Lin stammered.

Shen Xuzhi tilted his head, pressing a fist to his lips, probably trying not to laugh.

Qing Lin froze.

“Ah, I see. But the camera didn’t catch it, so it doesn’t count,” Feng Jian said. “Next time, make sure the task is recorded. This time, the money is still deducted.”

Qing Lin lowered his eyes.

If that had been recorded, kissing Shen Xuzhi, he’d probably be trending for the wrong reason, getting roasted by Shen’s hardcore fans.

“Come on, Linlin, let’s do your makeup,” Xiao Ya said, patting his shoulder, as she applied moisturizer.

Feng Jian’s phone rang. He excused himself and answered, “How are you doing, Director Hong…”

“Hmm?” After a pause, his voice rose slightly. “Orphic accepted the commission?”

Qing Lin, who was still having his makeup done, turned to look at Feng Jian.

“Ah, Linlin, don’t move!” Xiao Ya said.

Qing Lin quickly turned back. “I’m sorry.”

Orphic accepted the commission?

He could hear Feng Jian speaking on the phone behind him.

“Did they really accept it? The poster for the next episode… haven’t they been ignoring our messages on Weibo?”

“Tsk… that rate… isn’t that a bit…”

“Indeed… the fan works really brought us a lot of attention… but that price is outrageous…”

Feng Jian frowned as he left the makeup room.

Qing Lin’s expression shifted, growing serious.

There was no way Orphic had personally accepted the commission. That would leave only one possibility.

Qing Yejie.

“Alright, Linlin, your skin is amazing. It looks good even with light makeup,” Xiao Ya complimented, gathering her things. “I’ll head out. You can rest a little and pack your things for the next recording.”

Shen Xuzhi did a quick touch-up as well. According to the variety show script, today’s schedule would be relatively light—mostly sightseeing and team bonding.

He glanced at Qing Lin, who sat with his back to him, and was about to start a conversation.

But Qing Lin suddenly stood up.

Shen Xuzhi’s hand hovered in midair.

Qing Lin, expressionless, strode to the door. He turned back with a cold look. “Mr. Shen, I’ll go ahead.”

Shen Xuzhi: “…”

Qing Lin nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Shen Xuzhi froze in place.

Shen Xuzhi froze in place. Not now…he’s being so composed so quickly.

Moments ago, he had been clearly nervous.

Running a hand through his hair, Shen Xuzhi felt a twinge of frustration, unsure what else to do. He finally decided to pack his things too.

____________________________________________________________________________

Qing Lin returned to his room, opened his phone, and logged into Orphic’s Weibo account first.

He scrolled through the private messages. After his recent fan art of Shen Xuzhi had gone viral, the show team had commented on the post and sent collaboration requests—but he hadn’t replied.

Judging by what Feng Jian had said, the commission price was astronomical.

Switching to his secondary account, he saw the fan group buzzing with activity. Evening had settled over China, and messages scrolled across the screen in an endless stream.

[II love my waifu: Thank you so much, Ta!]

[Wind in May: Ta, you’re so approachable! I’ll recommend you to all my friends!]

[Crazy Potato: Ta, I’m in 9th grade and decided to become an art student because of your art!]

Judging by this, Qing Yejie seems to be chatting with them.

Qing Lin wasted no time and sent a message immediately.

[~: @Orphic Did you accept the Follow Heart commission?]

Qing Yejie hadn’t replied yet, but the group was already excited.

[Wind in May: !!!]

[My Cp is Definitely Real: No way! Seriously? A dream collab!]

[Rabbit P: Is this for real?! Ta, you’ve never accepted commissions before, right?]

[Crazy Potato: Yeah, Ta never took on projects QAQ]

[Wind in May: It must be the show’s gracious invitation! Ahhh, I’m so excited! Can’t wait to see the finished work!]

[Small Balloon: Looking forward to the poster!]

Everyone seemed to have no doubts about Orphic accepting the commission. After all, the program team had been inviting him for so long, and now it made sense that he would agree to cooperate.

After a while, messages kept coming in, but it wasn’t clear whether Orphic had replied.

[Small Balloon: By the way, Ta, can the previously mentioned merchandise be arranged quickly? I really want the finished products!]

Seeing this, he frowned.

[~: What merchandise?]

[Wind in May: You must have been the one who joined late. These are the actual products based on Master O’s artwork; they’re being discussed in another group.]

[Wind in May: Orphic’s art is getting physical merchandise. Desk mats, acrylic stands, decorations, and more.]

[Wind in May: It’s currently in the crowdfunding stage.]

Qing Lin’s expression gradually hardened.

This “Wind in May” was far more enthusiastic than he expected, even sending a private message with the link to join the group. When he joined, he saw the pinned announcement for the crowdfunding page, but the group owner wasn’t listed as “Orphic.”

Suddenly, a knock at the door broke his concentration.

“Qing Laoshi, are you ready? We need to head to the airport,” a staff member called.

“Oh, I’m coming,” Qing Lin said. He took a quick screenshot of the crowdfunding page, packed his phone into his suitcase, and headed toward the show team to check out.

The final stop in Argentina was Ushuaia, the southernmost city on Earth.

That morning, they had flown from El Calafate to Ushuaia. The large production team drove them to the airport, cameras set up to capture the journey. Most of the filming followed a scripted format, with question-and-answer segments carefully arranged.

Once they arrived at the airport, Shen Xuzhi and Qing Lin were escorted to a lounge to wait for their flight. Liu Xin and Zhang Nanyin joined them briefly for a group photo for Weibo promotion.

After the tasks were completed, some time passed.

Though Qing Lin went about his work seriously, his mind seemed elsewhere. There was a subtle tension in his usually serene expression. His eyes were heavy, layered with unspoken thoughts, and he kept staring absentmindedly at the front seat.

“Qing Lin?” Shen Xuzhi called from beside him.

He noticed the boy’s unusual stillness and hesitated, unsure whether it was fatigue or something else.

“Ah…” Qing Lin looked up. “What is it, Mr. Shen?”

Shen Xuzhi reached out, placing a hand on his forehead and checking his temperature. His voice was gentle. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, no,” Qing Lin said quickly, smiling. “I wear thick clothes every day, so I haven’t caught a cold or a fever.”

“Are you too tired? Our Lin-bao has lost weight since coming to Argentina.” Zhang Nanyin, who was very fond of Qing Lin, pulled two candies from her pocket and offered them. “Have a coffee candy to wake yourself up.”

Qing Lin smiled and accepted them, showing no unusual reaction. “Thanks, Nanyin-jie.”

But Shen Xuzhi noticed.

Qing Lin seemed preoccupied.

He lowered his gaze, trying to offer comfort, but he couldn’t even figure out how to start.

“Passengers flying to Ushuaia, please proceed to gate A502 for boarding.”

Qing Lin rose from his seat, leaving the camera behind for the moment, and moved toward the gate.

He unlocked his phone and tapped into the crowdfunding group. The chat was still buzzing with talk about merchandise.

[Fatty: : The iPad case series would look so good if it were made into a real product, right?]

[PerseveredBerry: 199 for a set is too expensive. Can’t the price be lowered QAQ]

[Pretty Qi: Exactly. We’re students, we can’t afford that… even though it looks really nice QAQ]

[Small Balloon: The group already reached 20,000. Once it hits 30,000, the products can be released, right?]

Qing Lin walked quickly, head lowered, Director Feng’s words about high-priced commercial work flashing across his mind.

A pop-up window flashed on his screen, his fan bombarding him with frantic messages.

[Ou’s Little Sweetheart: Did you take the Follow Heart poster commission!!?]

[~: I didn’t]

[Ou’s Little Sweetheart: Then that person using your name accepted the commission! Can you even stand that!!?]

[~: I really can’t anymore.]

[~: And I just found out they even opened another group to crowdfund merchandise.]

[Ou’s Little Sweetheart: !!!!]

[Ou’s Little Sweetheart: There is such a thing?! That’s infringement, right? It’s illegal!]

Qing Lin bit his lip and lowered his eyes. The mist that lingered in them gradually dispersed, leaving only a shadowed heaviness in his gaze. He couldn’t find the words to describe what he felt—only that it pressed down on him, stifling and uneasy.

[~: This can’t continue any longer.]

Switching back to the group chat, he typed quickly.

[~: Excuse me, everyone.]

[~: Please stop the crowdfunding. There’s no such event.]

The moment the sentence appeared, it stirred fresh controversy, adding fuel to the group’s already heated discussion.

[Wind in May: Come on, Orphic has spoken, and now you start talking nonsense.]

[Fatty: Ou-ta is in the group, you know]

[~: I am Orphic]

[Pretty Qi:?]

[Small Balloon: Are you kidding?]

[Takgoye: I’m dying of laughter. Do you really think anyone would believe that?]

[QiuQiu: Isn’t he just a ShenLin CP fan? I remember seeing him post CP stuff before.]

[123: Yeah, exactly. He’s a CP fan. If you’re going to pretend to be the artist, at least make it convincing.]

[Fatty: Didn’t the artist refuse to ship ShenLin? He’s already made his stance clear.]

[Wind in May: @~ lol, if you really are Ou-ta, then why don’t you go on Weibo right now and post “I’m the head of Shen Lin’s CP fans” to prove it.]

The chat filled with jeering, messages flying one after another, treating him as nothing more than a joke.

Then, a new message broke through the noise.

[OMG!!! You guys need to check Weibo right now!]

At that moment, the Weibo feed refreshed, and a notification popped up.

“The account you follow closely, @Orphic, has posted a new Weibo update.”

[@Orphic: I am the head of the ShenLin’s CP fans]

For five seconds, the group fell silent.

Then it exploded.