The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - C53 - Holding Hands

Qing Lin woke to find the car had stopped. He hurriedly sat up, flustered, glancing at Shen Xuzhi behind the wheel.

Oh no—he had actually fallen asleep. How embarrassing.

“Awake?” Shen Xuzhi asked when he noticed him stir.

“Sorry, Mr. Shen. You should have woken me,” Qing Lin said quickly.

“No problem,” Shen Xuzhi’s voice were calm. “We’re near school. I’ll see you in.”

Qing Lin immediately shook his head and insisted. “No, it’s fine. I can walk in myself.”

Shen Xuzhi turned the wheel smoothly. “It’s my duty to bring you back.”

For a moment, silence hung in the car. Then Shen Xuzhi added, “For now… let’s not go to the rental place.”

“Hm?”

Qing Lin blinked, surprised he even knew he had rented a place. Though he didn’t understand, he simply nodded. “Ah… okay.”

With a long break before the next round of recordings, Qing Lin devoted himself to a school research project.

His tasks weren’t difficult—mainly organizing data. The technical work was handled by the science and engineering team.

By early August, most of the dorm had emptied out as students left for summer break. Qing Lin settled into a quiet routine: group meetings in the mornings, rest in the afternoons, and recording updates for “ShenLin Qijing” at night.

Because of the Orphic incident, the entire art circle was abuzz with attention. Qing Lin had not let go of the mess Qing Yejie and his group had caused, and he had recently been trying to dig up information on this man called Ma Zi.

Meanwhile, Follow Heart’s Argentina episodes were airing, and online discussion was steadily rising. One scene in particular drew attention. The moment Qing Lin earned money through his art.

[“@AuntieLiuInC-Entertainment: The latest episode of Follow Heart! ShenLin Qijing couple travels Argentina. Qing Lin performs on the street, selling nearly 100,000 pesos worth of paintings! Not only is he a top student, but he can also paint! #TravelRomanceVariety #ShenLinQijing #QingLinArt”]

[Wow! Qing Lin can really do it all! Amazing!]

[His paintings must be incredible to sell for that much!]

[Exaggeration… probably staged.]

[Qing Lin is unstoppable! A man of ten talents!]

Auntie Liu, one of the more influential gossip reporters in the entertainment world, added her own post, and once her words went out, the topic shot straight into the trending charts.

[It’s not like there aren’t celebrities who can draw well, but what does it even mean when they hype him up for making money off it?]

[Isn’t he from Zhejiang University?]

Meanwhile, another thread rose quickly to the top of the forums, bearing an unabashedly straightforward title— “Is Qing Lin’s top-student image at Zhejiang University just hype?”

1^st comment: Everyone’s talking about Qing Lin making money with his paintings. Out of curiosity, I used some connections to check what level he’s really at… and guess what? I found his art exam registration for the university!

2^nd comment: [image]

3^rd comment: What’s your point?

4^th comment: So… Qing Lin was actually an art student? He got into Zhejiang through the art track? Then what about the “top-student” image everyone’s been selling?

5^th comment OP: Getting into Zhejiang University through the art exam route requires much lower scores. My younger sister scored just over 500 last year and still got in that way. Maybe Qing Lin did too…

6^th comment: Wow, there’s even a picture. Isn’t this solid proof?

Replies kept pouring in, and soon everyone was mocking Qing Lin for supposedly taking the art exam route.

20^th comment: Seriously? You’re looking down on Zhejiang University? Even if he got in through art, so what? Did any of you get accepted? Stop being salty. You just can’t stand seeing someone else do well.

21^st comment: What’s wrong with studying art? Who says art students can’t also be good academically? Who are you looking down on?

22^nd comment: Exactly, that’s such a stereotype. Plus, I have a friend at Zhejiang University who says Qing Lin isn’t even an art student, and that his grades are actually excellent.

53^rd comment: Please, everyone, our Linlin has already secured a guaranteed graduate placement at Tsinghua!

54^th comment: Guaranteed postgrad at Tsinghua… if he’s that amazing, why not go straight to Tsinghua for undergrad? Why wait for grad school? Besides, Tsinghua even has an art school.

55^th comment: Isn’t QL also some kind of YouTube vlogger? A regular high school student would be way too busy for that. Where would he find time to stream? Pretty high chance he’s an art student.

230^th comment: Just because he has an art exam admission ticket, you’re calling him an art student? By that logic, since you and a pig both have mouths, why don’t you claim you’re a pig too? That’s totally baseless, just random speculation.

…

237^th comment OP: I’ve got nothing against art students, but honestly, the Chinese entertainment industry doesn’t need to be so obsessed with this whole ‘genius student’ image. It’s just… embarrassing.

238^th comment: OP has a point.

239^th comment: You guys are ridiculous. Some vocational school students shamelessly call themselves top students, and now you’re upset that Qing Lin—even if he got in through art—still earned his place at Zhejiang University on his own? What are you even jealous of?

240^th comment: Exactly! Always supporting Qing Lin! It’s not just about his genius-student image, but also his EQ, his way of dealing with people, and his charm!

241^st comment: Linlin, soar bravely! We’ll always love and follow you!

242^nd comment: I’m at Zhejiang University. Let me clarify: QL is not an art student. He’s in our School of Economics.

243^rd comment: But he could have changed majors.

244^th comment: The one above must be clueless. Art students can’t change majors.

Qing Lin’s Fans, haters, and the so-called neutral bystanders, those claiming they were “just expressing opinions”, argued relentlessly in the thread.

Then, out of nowhere, the OP suddenly posted.

341^st comment OP: Uh, wait a second, everyone. I just checked Zhejiang University’s art admissions for that year… Qing Lin’s name isn’t there. Huh.

342^nd comment: Wait, wait, wait…

The thread fell silent for a few tense seconds.

Then the OP posted again.

343^rd comment OP: Holy sh*t holy sh*t holy sh*t!

344^th comment OP: Ahhhhh I’m so sorry!!! Go ahead and roast me all you want! I was completely wrong!

345^th comment OP: [Image]

346^th comment OP: This is so embarrassing, I could die of shame. I apologize to Qing Lin. You really are a top student, a real top student. I’ll slap myself in the face, I’m so sorry QAQ

The OP had posted a picture—apparently a screenshot of an official exam result, likely obtained from somewhere.

The message was clear.

[Provincial Examination Institute

Name: Qing Lin

Chinese: 129, Math: 145, English: 146, Science: 280, Rank: 000001]

Silence settled over the thread—brief, deceptive—before it ignited again.

347^th comment: ……!!!

348^th comment: WTF!!!

349^th comment: Holy crap, a total score over 700! Rank 1! Top scorer in a major province for the college entrance exam.”

350^th comment: Ahhhh, this is the wildest face-slap I’ve ever witnessed! They dug through everything and actually found his Gaokao results—OP just roasted themselves! Feels amazing!

351^st comment: Seriously, that was way too fast. I hadn’t even started digging yet. Note to self: don’t jump to conclusions next time, @OP.

352^nd comment: Qing Lin, from today on I’m officially your fan too. Genius-student filter activated. I’m crying.

353^rd comment: For f**’s sake, I’ve said so many times he’s in Zhejiang University’s Economics department, but nobody listens. The internet is exhausting.

354^th comment: Wait… with these scores, why didn’t he just go to Tsinghua directly?

_____________________________________________________________________________

The thread shot straight to the HOT section and quickly climbed the trending searches.

By the time Qing Lin finished writing his report and returned to check it, he felt a flicker of bewilderment. Scrolling through, he noticed that someone had dug up his art exam admission ticket. The ID photo still showed the young, tender face of his past self.

He lowered his eyes to the ticket, a faint sentiment stirring in his chest.

At first, he had truly poured himself into art. But by his sophomore year, after helping pay off his father Qing Baihu’s mounting debts, Qing Baihu’s gambling had only worsened.

Art demanded money he no longer had, and under the crushing weight of responsibility, he was forced to abandon it. In the end, that admission ticket remained unused.

Sometimes, he thought perhaps this was the life he was destined for—a life in which he could never hold on to his true passion, no matter how desperately he wanted it.

“Ding ding ding—” His phone suddenly rang.

Qing Lin came out of his memories, picked up the phone, and answered.

“Hello, Qing Lin.” It was Professor Bao, who had once taught him. “Are you on campus right now?”

“Hello, Professor Bao. Yes, I’m at school,” Qing Lin replied. “Is something the matter?”

“Here’s the situation,” Professor Bao explained. “The Hangzhou Planetarium is opening today. We borrowed some guides from Zhejiang University, but the student originally assigned had an urgent matter. I was wondering if you could step in. There aren’t many students staying on campus this summer, so it’s a bit of extra work. Sorry for the trouble.”

“Of course, I can,” said Qing Lin.

“That’s wonderful. I’m at Building 5 right now. Could you come pick up the presentation notes?”

Qing Lin collected the presentation notes and called a cab to the Hangzhou Planetarium. On the way, he quickly looked up background information.

The government had recently been promoting astronomy education, and the Hangzhou Planetarium was a public exhibition hall jointly established with national-level research institutions. It combined research facilities with university resources, aiming to popularize astronomy for elementary and middle school students. Zhejiang University’s guides were assigned to lead the children through the exhibits, explaining the wonders of space.

When Qing Lin arrived, the opening ceremony was already underway. The plaza was packed with people, and even he couldn’t help but feel a little taken aback by the scale of it.

“Wow, do young people really love astronomy this much nowadays?”

Qing Lin started to move forward, but a sudden shout froze him in place.

“Ahhh! It’s Qing Lin!” a girl screamed.

Startled, he found himself immediately engulfed by a crowd.

“It’s Linlin! He’s so handsome in person!”

“You’re so fair, and your eyes are so beautiful!”

“You’re also here to see Shen Laoshi! Ahhh, this is too sweet!”

Qing Lin blinked, utterly confused, pressed tighter by the excited fans.

He even heard a male fan yelling, “Linlin! Ahhh, Linlin!”

The loud shout echoed through the venue. The fan continued, “I’m Ai Qing! I’m gentle and kawaii! Shen Xuzhi is too dominant for you! I can, I can! You’ll like me!”

Laughter and squeals rippled through the crowd. Another scream rang out from behind, and the crowd instinctively parted.

Suddenly, a hand reached for Qing Lin.

He quickly looked over.

Shen Xuzhi, wearing a mask and formal attire, had somehow appeared right in front of him. His tall figure was impossible to miss. Even with the mask, Qing Lin could clearly recognize him.

“Let’s go,” Shen Xuzhi said softly, his gaze calm, his features relaxed.

Qing Lin, unsure why Shen Xuzhi was here, simply nodded and followed. The crowd cleared a path, excited but careful.

The male fan was still relentless. “Linlin! Linlin! I’m kawaii! You’ll like me!”

Halfway through, Shen Xuzhi suddenly turned his head. He still held Qing Lin but slowly moved from his wrist to his palm. Then, in a polite tone, he addressed the crowd, “Sorry, perhaps Linlin likes me a little more.”

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The surrounding crowd erupted in screams, and Qing Lin, utterly bewildered, was led away by Shen Xuzhi.