The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - Chapter 60 - Kiss-dazed

Qing Lin froze, staring at the empty space between Shen Xuzhi’s legs.

He was treating him like a child.

Still, Qing Lin stepped forward, looking at the seat from left to right as if trying to figure out the right way to sit.

He lowered himself, but his footing slipped. Before he could steady himself, he toppled straight into Shen Xuzhi’s arms.

In the summer heat, their clothes clung thinly to their skin; even the slightest touch let their warmth seep through.

Qing Lin felt something firm yet yielding pressed against him. He turned his head—

Wow.

Shen Laoshi’s chest muscles were massive.

[Ahhhhh the size difference!!]

[This could burst right through the fabric!!]

[QL is so delicate…woo woo. I’m stealing your wife someday.]

Shen Xuzhi steadied him, adjusted their position, then leaned forward to reach behind him.

Qing Lin froze as strong arms wrapped tightly around him, sweat gathering at his temples.

Then he felt Shen’s hands tugging at his knees, unfastening the loose pad straps and refastening them snugly in place.

A low voice brushed past his ear. “Your knee pads were slipping.”

Now, seated directly on Shen Xuzhi’s lap, every part of Qing Lin was pressed against him.

And yet, this was supposed to be where Miaomiao would sit later.

But Miaomiao hadn’t come over yet—he’d gotten distracted, borrowing a kid-sized camera from the production team and happily playing with it.

The live camera panned after Miaomiao’s antics, giving Shen Xuzhi a sliver of privacy.

He covered the microphone with his hand and whispered, “Can I kiss you?”

The question was soft, courteous—a request.

Qing Lin almost answered without thinking, “Just kiss me already.”

After all, he and Mr. Shen hadn’t kissed nearly enough.

“Linlin, Xuxu! Look at my camera!” Miaomiao’s voice chimed in, holding up his new toy proudly. “I’ll take a picture of you two!”

And when a child is that excited, the adults naturally had no choice but to play along.

Shang Miaomiao fiddled with the camera, squinting with one eye shut and the other peeking through the lens.

“Linlin, Xuzhi—strike a pose!”

Qing Lin and Shen Xuzhi exchanged a glance, their hands already lifting in a peace sign.

“Not that one!” Miaomiao traced a circle in the air with his pudgy little hand. “Do the challenge pose! I wanna check if it’s right!”

“Any special details about that pose?” Qing Lin tilted his head, turning just enough that the tip of his nose brushed against Shen Xuzhi’s cheek.

The space between them was almost nonexistent. He found himself caught in Shen Xuzhi’s steady gaze, the faint scent of citrus curling around his senses. Shen’s Adam’s apple bobbed once.

“Hm?”

Qing Lin froze, stiff as a board. “Ah—”

Meanwhile, Miaomiao was happily clicking away, snapping photo after photo. To him, every shot looked perfect. Only when the crew urged them along did the three finally pile into the little car.

“Miaomiao hasn’t checked the pose yet,” he muttered under his breath, fastening his seatbelt in the front. Then he turned back to the two in the backseat with solemn authority.
“Linlin, Xuxu! You have to succeed—failure is not allowed!”

This was their final ride at Luji.

Qing Lin, oddly fired up by this four-year-old’s pep talk, patted the cub’s small shoulder. “Got it. You just keep your ears sharp for the camera clicks.”

Miaomiao thumped his tiny chest. “Leave it to me, Linlin!”

Shen Xuzhi looked at the two of them and chuckled.

“Ready—Go!!”

The little car jolted forward. Qing Lin gripped the steering wheel tightly, easing the speed to stay in control.

But the track was built to accelerate, and Miaomiao—absolutely thrilled—wasn’t about to miss a single cue. He shouted directions at every bend.

“This way! There’s a camera!”

“Snaps over there too!”

“I hear it! Quick—Xuxu, kiss Linlin! Hurry, kiss him!”

So, Qing Lin drove while Shen Xuzhi leaned in, brushing kiss after kiss against him, trying to keep up with Miaomiao’s frantic shouts.

From the front seat, Miaomiao yelled even louder.

“Xuxu! Kiss him again! Quick, quick—give him a big one!”

[Hahahahaha this is insane!]

[QL was left completely dazed from the kiss!]

[Shen Laoshi, are you for real? Those smacking sounds are way too loud!!]

[I want to kiss Linlin too, wuwuwu—let me kiss him!]

Whether Miaomiao truly heard shutter clicks or was just barking random orders, Qing Lin couldn’t tell. All he felt was the rush of wind in his ears, Shen Xuzhi’s warm breath against his skin, and kiss after kiss falling on him.

Each one was gentle, but there were far too many. With Miaomiao’s nonstop urging, Shen Xuzhi was actually grinning as he obeyed.

This is way too satisfying, Shen thought.

By the end of the lap, Qing Lin had completely lost track of himself. The person at the front seat never stopped shouting, and the back seat never stopped kissing—he was just the poor soul trapped between the two, barely managing to get the car down the mountain.

When they stopped, the staff came over with photos. “Here are your shots!”

Qing Lin wasn’t expecting much. The whole ride had been such chaos he wasn’t sure if Miaomiao had even been paying attention.

But then he looked—

Holy crap.

Three cameras. Three perfect captures.

“Yes!!” Miaomiao and Shen Xuzhi high-fived in triumph.

Qing Lin stared at his own photo, dazed. So, this was what they meant by a large sample size.

“Congratulations on clearing the mission! Here’s your voucher for the Erhai Sunset Dinner. Please enjoy!”

The staff handed over the voucher, then pulled Qing Lin aside. “Mr. Qing, pick your favorite photo. We’ll print it for you.”

Qing Lin was touched by the thoughtfulness. He chose one, and the staff quickly had it printed in-store.

Not long after, Shen Xuzhi glanced at his watch. “We’ve still got time before dinner. Want to check out another ride? Or maybe go a few more rounds on luji?”

Qing Lin tallied up their points. They’d already fulfilled all the requirements on the temporary parents’ evaluation form, which meant this recording session was essentially complete.

“Would you like to explore the area a bit?” a Luji staff member suggested. “When you visit Dali, there are three must-do activities: cycling around Erhai Lake, hiking Cangshan Mountain, and experiencing our Yunxiang Mountain Luji. You’ve already tried Luji, so why not consider the other two?”

“They all sound wonderful,” Qing Lin replied, “but if we head to Erhai Lake now, we’d just be rushing back in time for dinner. Shen Laoshi, how about we stroll around Yunxiang Mountain instead?”

Shen Xuzhi nodded. “Sounds good.”

Reality, however, didn’t live up to their plan. Because of the show’s filming, the mountain roads were crowded with fans and tourists. Livestreaming was impossible, and even basic activities were stalled.

To keep filming on track, the crew cleared the area around the Yunxiang Mountain restaurant.

And so, their plans fell through. The three of them ended up spending the entire afternoon in the Luji restaurant. By the time the production team gave the go-ahead again, it was already evening.

The blazing sun had yielded to twilight, and the sky glowed with a soft, wine-colored sunset. The evening light felt close enough to hold in their hands.

They arrived at the Sunset Restaurant, its glass wall reflecting clouds tinged like spilled wine and a lake shimmering at its heart.

“Wow, it’s gorgeous!” Shang Miaomiao exclaimed. “You can see both the mountains and the lake!”

Dinner was a special set menu, served quickly and lavishly—plate after plate of exquisite dishes laid out before them.

Qing Lin scooped some rice for Miaomiao and passed the bowl over. “Miaomiao must be starving. Eat plenty.”

Miaomiao nodded solemnly. “Linlin should eat more too!”

Qing Lin, worried the boy might suggest something outrageous like having Xuxu feed him again, quickly added, “Mm, Linlin can eat by himself just fine.”

Being spoon-fed in front of the staff and diners would be mortifying.

But today Miaomiao was surprisingly well-behaved, probably because he’d worn himself out playing. Still, he suddenly remembered his self-appointed duty to look after Linlin and Xuxu.

He looked at Shen Xuzhi across the table, frowning. “Why isn’t Xuxu taking care of Linlin?”

Qing Lin blinked. “Huh?”

Miaomiao insisted, “My dad peels shrimp for my daddy. Why won’t Xuxu peel shrimp for Linlin?”

Qing Lin immediately glanced at Shen Xuzhi, flustered. “It’s fine, Shen Laoshi—”

But to his surprise, Shen Xuzhi silently reached for a plate nearby, already piled with perfectly peeled shrimp, and placed it in front of him.

Qing Lin’s eyes widened.

Wow.

And before he could recover, Miaomiao pressed on. “And steak too. My dad always cuts it into small pieces for my daddy—”

Without missing a beat, Shen Xuzhi swapped Qing Lin’s plate with one of neatly sliced steak, then looked calmly back at Miaomiao.

“…” Miaomiao faltered, then muttered under his breath, “But Linlin wanted juice earlier, and now you’re still—”

“Mr. Shen,” a waiter interjected just then, “here’s the fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice you ordered.”

Miaomiao: “…”

“Just put it over here,” Shen Xuzhi said smoothly.

Shen Xuzhi carefully dabbed a tissue at the corner of Qing Lin’s mouth, wiping away a faint smudge. Then he tilted his head toward Shang Miaomiao and gave him a smug look that clearly said, See? Told you so.

Miaomiao was left speechless. After muttering under his breath for a moment, he finally tapped his spoon against his bowl and conceded, “Alright, Xuxu, you did great.”

Qing Lin felt utterly helpless.

It was as if he’d suddenly been downgraded to someone who needed to be cared for every second—completely unlike the way he’d lived before.

A bit flustered, he turned to Shen Xuzhi. “Shen Laoshi, thank you for all the trouble.”

“No need to be so formal,” Shen Xuzhi murmured, lowering his eyes as he patiently peeled shrimp. His voice was calm, deliberate, and full of quiet tenderness. “Miaomiao’s right—Linlin deserves to be loved the most.”

Qing Lin’s heart tightened.

He found himself staring off, though his gaze kept drifting back to the man beside him. The evening light from Erhai Lake streamed in through the glass, outlining the two of them together in a soft glow.

Miaomiao immediately felt overshadowed.

Sure, he was happy that Linlin and Xuxu got along so well—but when it came to doting on Linlin, he wasn’t about to lose either!

Qing Lin took a bite of cake and sighed happily. “This cake is delicious.”

The moment he spoke, Miaomiao jumped in. “Linlin, eat mine. Miaomiao’s cake is for Linlin.”

Not to be outdone, Shen Xuzhi slid his own plate over. “Mine’s yours too.”

Seeing Shen Xuzhi do this, Miaomiao quickly speared a bright strawberry with his little fork and held it up. “Miaomiao’s giving Linlin his favorite strawberries!”

Qing Lin smiled warmly. “Thank you, Miaomiao. I love strawberries.”

Before he could reach for it, Shen Xuzhi leaned in and brought the strawberry directly to Qing Lin’s lips. “I’ll buy you a whole cartload when we get home.”

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

[Two kids fighting for his attention—this is priceless.]

[Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh my heart!]

[Husband aura: MAX.]