The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C5 - Introductions

“One minute?!”

Everyone gasped and turned to look at Qing Lin.

He had just stepped in from the blazing sun. A soft sheen of sweat highlighted his lashes, brows, and lips. His nose was slightly flushed, and his skin looked smooth and luminous.

Caught off guard by the sudden attention, he blinked in confusion.

[WTF, is this for real? One minute?!]

[I couldn’t even finish reading the question in one minute…]

[All I understood was that Xiao Zhang is a total player.]

[Exactly.]

Su Mingxuan pointed at the projector, then at Qing Lin and asked, “You solved that question in one minute?”

Qing Lin turned back to glance at the question and confirmed it was one he had solved before. He nodded.

Su Mingxuan exclaimed, “Oh my god, you’re amazing. A total academic genius!”

The other guests chimed in with admiration, and even Shen Xuzhi nodded repeatedly in agreement.

As the crowd kept calling him “genius,” Qing Lin replied calmly, “It was nothing to impressive. It’s just a relatively novel logic puzzle.”

[QL is amazing. Solving that in one minute shows his brain works on a whole different level.]

[Sapiosexuals are absolutely into this kind of thing!!]

[It wasn’t even solved on the spot. Just because someone said ‘one minute’ doesn’t prove anything. And now they’re all calling him a genius…are they building a persona?]

[Can the person above stop hating for no reason? Please?]

Jiang Wen asked, “So you really solved it in one minute? Could you walk us through how you got to the answer?”

[I want to know too!]

Qing Lin glanced sideways and began his explanation.

“The question goes like this. From Xiao Qi’s first line, ‘I don’t know who this person is,’ we can infer that the name includes a homophone. That allows us to eliminate He Qi, He Bei, and Yu Xie.

Next, Xiao Liu says he knows the surname and is certain Xiao Qi wouldn’t recognize the person. This suggests the given name must be one that appears more than once in the list, rather than a unique name. So, we can rule out surnames like Yu and He.

Then, because Xiao Qi is able to figure out the given name, it has to be a unique one. That rules out ‘Xin.’

Seeing Xiao Qi’s confidence, Xiao Liu also arrives at the same conclusion. So, the answer is Zheng Feng.”

He paused for a moment, then added thoughtfully, “You could probably approach it even more neatly using algebraic substitution. The logic itself isn’t all that complicated. It’s just a matter of unraveling the thread.”

The others nodded slowly, murmuring quiet “oh”s that made it clear they only half understood.

[Five bucks says not a single one of them actually understood it.]

[Damn, I have no idea what he just said, but why is he so hot while explaining… hnnnngh.]

[“It’s not that hard”—okay, humblebrag much.]

[Or maybe he just memorized the answer to keep his persona from cracking too soon.]

“All right, all right,” Hong Shanyue suddenly called out, banging a pot to get everyone’s attention. “Enough of the chit-chat!”

Jiang Wen laughed, “Didn’t you set up this whole livestream just so we could talk?”

The studio erupted in laughter.

“Yeah, but we still need to follow the program format,” Hong Shanyue said, grinning. “Okay, everyone, time for introductions!”

With a megaphone in hand, he continued, “Even though you’re all top figures in your respective fields, from what I know, some of you have never worked together or even met before. So, let’s begin with a quick round of introductions so everyone can get to know one another better.”

“Let’s go in order of arrival. Xuzhi, you’re up first.”

[AAAAHHH it’s Little Zhi!!]

[My husband!!!]

[I just know SXZ is only going to say his name and stop there. My cool, distant man of few words never says more than three sentences when he’s around strangers.]

[Exactly. With that unbeatable eight-meter aura, Brother Xu doesn’t need words to win hearts. Hnnnngh]

Shen Xuzhi leaned back lazily in his chair. When his name was called, he slowly straightened, resting both arms on the table. The movement caused the fabric of his shirt to shift, briefly outlining the lean muscle underneath.

Qing Lin turned his gaze toward him, waiting for him to speak.

He had to admit. Shen Xuzhi carried the unmistakable aura of a celebrity. Not many people could make a plain black shirt look that good.

Hmm.

His bone structure was perfect for sketching.

Qing Lin quietly studied the angles of Shen Xuzhi’s face, tracing from the sharp line of his jaw to the graceful curve of his nose, from the shape of his lips to the outline of his ears until his eyes finally settled on those sharply defined, symmetrical eyes.

A moment later, those deep eyes lifted, framed by long lashes, and met Qing Lin’s gaze with unwavering focus.

The moment their gazes met, Qing Lin tensed.

Shen Xuzhi’s stare burned with intensity. Maybe it was something natural to celebrities. His dark eyes carried a weight of emotion, calm yet captivating, and their indifference only added to their pull.

Noticing Qing Lin looking at him, Shen Xuzhi narrowed his eyes slightly. The gentle lift at the corners of his lids softened his otherwise distant aura and made him appear unexpectedly approachable.

His expression was gentle, far less aggressive than when they first met.

His eyes were stunning, glowing with light.

Even though their eyes met, Qing Lin didn’t look away.

After all, this was Shen Xuzhi’s self-introduction. Watching someone speak was just basic courtesy.

Still, something felt off.

Qing Lin had thought he’d just glance his way and move on, but instead, Shen Xuzhi didn’t look away at all. He even dipped his chin slightly and kept his gaze fixed right on Qing Lin, and nowhere else.

“I’m Shen Xuzhi,” he began. “I’m twenty-three years old, from Hang City. I’m 1.87 meters tall, an only child, have my own house, car, and savings. I hold strong values, enjoy working out and singing, and I’m currently a music producer exploring opportunities in the film industry.”

He said all of this while looking straight at Qing Lin, his tone completely serious.

Qing Lin blinked, a little taken aback. He was the first to look away, glancing around with faint discomfort before sneaking a look back, only to find Shen Xuzhi still watching him.

What was he doing?

Why was he staring like that?

It almost felt like he was talking to him specifically.

Was there a camera behind Qing Lin or something?

“I don’t have any bad habits,” Shen Xuzhi continued. “Though I used to smoke occasionally…” He paused, looking at Qing Lin, and added, “But I can quit. In fact, I’ve already stopped.”

Qing Lin had no idea where to look anymore. What was with this guy?

He was seriously… strange.

When Shen Xuzhi finished speaking, the studio fell completely silent. Everyone just stared at him in disbelief.

Meanwhile, the comments section exploded.

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

[Ah Zhi, are you kidding me?!]

[My dear, who told you that’s how self-introductions are supposed to go, hahaha!]

[I can’t take it. I’m laughing so hard! SXZ’s intro sounds exactly like that blind date guy I met yesterday. Are they reading from the same playbook?]

[Our Xu ge is too honest. He says everything.]

[That’s right, Xu ge! Smoking is bad! Quit it!]

After all, no one expected that this guy, who usually can’t even be bothered to finish a sentence, would suddenly speak so properly and chatter on at length.

Since the live broadcast never panned to Qing Lin, no one watching online noticed anything out of the ordinary.

“Oh my god, is that really how we’re supposed to introduce ourselves…” Jiang Wen sighed after hearing Shen Xuzhi’s intro. “Let me make it clear, I definitely didn’t prepare anything like that.”

[It’s okay, Wen-jie. Normal celebrities wouldn’t prepare it like that either.]

[Shen Xuzhi: What do you mean by that?]

“Alright, it’s my turn,” Jiang Wen said. “My name is Jiang Wen. I’m 26 years old and a film and television actress from the mainland. I’ve been nominated for Most Popular Actress and received the Golden Film Goddess Award. I’m cheerful and easy to get along with.”

[Wenwen goddess is amazing!]

[I love confident women!]

Su Mingxuan quietly let out a sigh of relief too. His own introduction was about the same style.

After all, the production team had reminded them that this was a top-tier idol dating show, so they needed to reflect that top-tier identity.

“My name is Nan Yu, but feel free to call me Yuyu. I graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy and now serve as the lead dancer at the National Opera House. I also hold the title of national first-class dancer.”

“Hello everyone, I’m Xu Jing, a pianist. I’m 27 years old and have received the International Delson Award along with several other music awards. I’m currently on a national tour and would love for you to experience the beauty of music.”

“I’m Qiao Weilan. I’m 25 and perform in a band. We’re on tour at the moment. As for the rest, you’ll probably get a clearer idea by checking online rather than hearing it from me.”

[Yuyu!! My little swan!]

[The Delson Award? Only a handful of people in the country have ever won it!]

[Hahaha, can’t believe Qiao Weilan turned out to be the one who talks the least.]

[God, they’re all so talented and amazing. I’m starting to question if I even have the right to watch them fall in love.]

[Seriously though, what is Qing Lin going to say? “Hi, I have 88 followers on Bilibili”?]

[This is peak awkwardness. If it were me up there, my social anxiety would have already finished me off.]

With everyone else done, it was finally Qing Lin’s turn.

[Oh look, the academic genius is finally up.]

[I’m really curious how he’s going to introduce himself.]

[This is getting ridiculous!]

Qing Lin was conflicted. Director Hong had told him to prepare a self-introduction, the goal being to show off how impressive he was and elevate the tone of the show.

But he really didn’t think he had anything to brag about.

“My name is Qing Lin, I’m 21 years old, a Bilibili content creator. I’m honored to be part of this show,” he said under everyone’s watchful gaze. “I’m currently an undergraduate at Zhejiang University.”

[Whoa, Zhejiang University?]

[What’s the big deal? It’s not like he’s from Tsinghua or Peking University. For all we know, he might be at the bottom of his class at ZJU.]

[Why so bitter? Las if you could get in yourself.]

[The hype accounts really oversold it. I thought he was from MIT.]

Qing Lin wasn’t sure what else to add after that. Then he noticed Shen Xuzhi quietly watching him, and for some reason, it made him feel like his introduction had been too brief.

After a moment of hesitation, he added, “I’m doing a double major and have a guaranteed place for postgraduate studies at Tsinghua.”

[…]

[…………]

The moment he said that the tone of the comments shifted. The hate noticeably dropped off.

“Wow! A genius from Tsinghua!” Ning Yian looked at him with admiration. “Qing Lin, you’re so amazing!”

[Holy—]

[Zhejiang and Tsinghua? Those are my dream schools!]

[Sorry, I have a soft spot for academic geniuses. I think I really like Qing Lin now.]

[Double major and direct admission to Tsinghua? What’s his BiliBili account? Does he stream academic content? I need to follow him!]

But of course, some were still stubborn.

[So, what if he’s a genius? He looks completely out of touch with reality. Probably just another bookworm.]

[I don’t buy it. He seems like the scheming type, like a fox. He definitely joined this show hoping to climb the social ladder.]

[Enough with the hate. You antis are ruining the mood.]

“Now that everyone has introduced themselves, I’ll explain the first segment of the show,” Director Hong Shanyue announced.

“The theme of Follow Heart is titled The Moon in the Wilderness.”

“Have you ever wandered into a quiet place, where the sea breeze meets the fading light, and through the glimmering trees, you catch sight of your own moon?”

“The guests will all live together on this island. Your choices in romantic interest will lead you down different paths in this love journey. If two people choose each other, they will become an official couple and enjoy special privileges. If not, they’ll be sent to the isolated side of the island. The roses in your hands symbolize your invitation. But if you end up alone, you’ll need to complete tasks and that is necessary to survive in this island.”

“And one more thing. Don’t let assumptions hold you back. Don’t avoid those who make your heart skip a beat. Because there’s a twist to this show—”

“None of the guests’ sexual orientations are disclosed.”