The Academic God Becomes an Internet Sensation After Joining a Dating Show - Chapter 99 - CEO X Subordinate AU Part 3

Hotel Presidential Suite.

“According to the company’s strategic deployment and work arrangements, in order to expand sales channels, explore market potential, expand sales business, establish the company’s brand, and occupy the sales market.”

“We conscientiously implement the company’s sales targets and policies, actively cooperate with President Qing to fulfill our duties, and work hard with other employees to actively explore the market, successfully completing the annual sales targets.”

…….

…….

In the video conference, various department managers were giving their accountability reports.

This was a relatively urgent meeting, called suddenly in the middle of their activities.

“That concludes our report,” the manager said. “President Qing, do you have any questions?”

On the other end of the video, Qing Lin was slightly bowed, his face unclear, but a subtle, unnatural blush could be seen on his cheeks.

“President Qing?” the manager asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Qing Lin gritted his teeth, trying his best not to look too strange.

But his body trembled too violently. Even if he tried his best to endure, small beads of sweat inevitably appeared on his forehead.

His neck was already slightly moist, his eyes were red, and the tightly bitten lips finally loosened a bit. He stammered: “Meeting adjourned.”

The meeting ended.

The moment Qing Lin exited the meeting, he contracted his abdomen and instinctively arched his back. The rolling chair slid backward a considerable distance.

“Not bad, baby,” Shen Xuzhi leaned against the wall nearby. The remote control in his hand turned up the intensity another notch. He praised, “Very patient.”

Qing Lin’s mind was completely messed up. His consciousness was separated from his body. Reason slowly disappeared, leaving only a buzzing sound, the same frequency as the vibrations within his body.

“Lunatic…” Qing Lin swore, although his spoken voice was so soft it sounded like he was whimpering playfully.

Shen Xuzhi accepted the compliment calmly: “Thank you.”

The next second, he stepped forward, pulled Qing Lin off the stool, threw him onto the bed, and climbed onto him.

“The meeting was just an interruption. Now we continue,” Shen Xuzhi said. “I still haven’t heard an explanation.”

Qing Lin’s spine tingled. He fell straight onto the bed and was immediately pulled back and kissed by the man.

Shen Xuzhi ground his lips against his. Qing Lin was so frustrated it was painful, but Shen Xuzhi’s kissing skills were not only good but also controlled. After a little torture, he started to let him breathe again, comforting the trembling person.

Qing Lin wanted to explain, but he didn’t know how.

He had already explained the blind date to Shen Xuzhi. He wasn’t there to find a partner; he only went to reject the person.

Shen Xuzhi: “You came to reject someone dressed so nicely?”

Shen Xuzhi: “You even showered and put on perfume.”

Shen Xuzhi: “I’ve never seen you prepare so thoroughly when you see me.”

Qing Lin: “………”

And then came the roughness again.

But that was only a small part of it.

Shen Xuzhi was just obsessing over Qing Lin’s first love.

Qing Lin could sense that he was not in a good mood. Every movement was unusually torturous, as if he was forcing Qing Lin to say something, but Qing Lin couldn’t utter a word.

Shen Xuzhi: “Why aren’t you saying anything?

His palm pressed Qing Lin’s neck. Qing Lin’s hair was scattered, and his collarbone was covered in red marks and glistening moisture.

Qing Lin’s already weakened nerves were flooded with memories. Under Shen Xuzhi’s tight embrace, the ambiguous feelings spread, yet he still didn’t know how to find a breakthrough.

“Am I very similar to him?” Shen Xuzhi whispered in his ear. “Are you using me as a substitute?”

Qing Lin was close to biting through his lip. He felt a surge of injustice. He cried out, “We’re not lovers! Why do you care about my private life!”

The room seemed to fall silent for a moment.

What followed was an even fiercer attack. Their bones seemed to collide, leaving no space between them.

Shen Xuzhi pulled him up and said coldly, “That’s right. I have no right to involve myself.”

Qing Lin couldn’t control his tears anymore. He sobbed and cursed, “Shen Xuzhi… you bastard…”

His fair skin was tinged with a deep flush, a delicate blush spreading across every inch. The tears that slid down his cheeks were softly kissed away by Shen Xuzhi, who then pressed close, sharing his scent and breath with Qing Lin.

The scent was rich.

But it was upsetting.

Amid the chaos, Qing Lin bit his lip, the sharp metallic taste of blood filling his mouth, and said to the person above him:

“Shen Xuzhi, maybe we shouldn’t see each other for a while.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Chengqi ShenLin Immersive Internal Group (/≧▽≦)/~”

[Seriously, what’s going on recently?]

[Ahhh, what happened to my CP, my CP? Are ShenLin Immersive giving each other the cold shoulder?]

[President Qing hasn’t come to see Director Shen recently. Boo-hoo-hoo. What happened to them? Boo-hoo-hoo.]

[Did you see the photos from the Group’s ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday? They were clearly standing together, but! Neither of them acknowledged the other! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Save me!]

[No way, no way! What happened!!]

The young female receptionist glanced into Shen Xuzhi’s office, then quickly typed:

[Don’t you all think this makes them even more shippable!!]

[That intense “divorce but still obsessed” energy!!]

[Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Every attempt to avoid suspicion just makes it worse! The more they dodge, the stronger the chemistry! It’s driving me insane!!]

[Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!]

[Holy crap, you totally get it, bestie!!]

[!!! I suddenly understand everything now!!]

[Oh my god, I went back and checked the photos again! Damn! There’s definitely something going on between them!!]

[Wow, wow, wow. Any insiders who can dig deeper? I need to know the truth!]

The young female receptionist was overjoyed and typing furiously, when she suddenly heard a cough beside her.

The young woman immediately put down her phone and smiled sheepishly at Shen Xuzhi: “Director Shen… I’m sorry, I wasn’t intentionally playing on my phone…”

Shen Xuzhi didn’t seem to blame her. He just glanced outside, not seeing the person he was looking for.

The sharp-eyed, bold young girl, born after 2000, asked, “Director Shen, are you looking for President Qing?”

Shen Xuzhi glanced at the girl.

After a moment of silence, Shen Xuzhi asked: “Has he not been here recently?”

The young woman nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes. President Qing hasn’t been here for a few days. Did something happen between you two…”

Shen Xuzhi looked at the receptionist, who was almost ten years his junior, and felt that children these days were a bit too nosy.

But he really had no explanation. He also didn’t want to be stubborn. He was indeed waiting for Qing Lin. He felt that he had gone a bit too far a few days ago.

It had simply gone on for too long, in all sorts of places and positions. They had used every corner of the room.

Qing Lin eventually passed out. Only then did Shen Xuzhi regain some of his senses. He cleaned him up, put him in bed, and covered him with the blanket.

He looked at the sleeping person, leaned down, and kissed his lips. He kissed him for a while before slowly leaving.

Shen Xuzhi wouldn’t normally lose control, but when he heard Qing Lin say they shouldn’t see each other anymore, he instantly couldn’t control himself.

Qing Lin wouldn’t explain his first love, said he had no right to interfere, didn’t explain the ‘substitute’ comment, and now didn’t want to see him because of his first love.

Shen Xuzhi was a little angry.

But he had no reason to be angry.

After much deliberation, he concluded he was in the wrong.

He shouldn’t have thrown a childish tantrum with Qing Lin, nor should he have been so rough with him in bed.

Moreover, he was only now realizing that seeing President Qing was ten thousand times harder than he had imagined.

The frequent meetings or coincidental encounters that Shen Xuzhi usually experienced were all deliberately orchestrated by Qing Lin.

How could a lofty, untouchable flower on a high mountain be so easily obtained? It was simply that he had lowered himself for him.

Shen Xuzhi knew he was at fault.

He loved Qing Lin.

He had loved him since the very first day he saw him in the interview room.

That’s why he hadn’t rejected his invitation afterward, and though he didn’t want to, he still developed that FWB relationship with him.

It was all his fault.

Shen Xuzhi went up to the rooftop and smoked a cigarette, quietly contemplating for a long time.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Qing Lin would occasionally remember the boy playing the piano in the music room during high school.

For a period of time, Qing Lin would sneak to the art building in the middle of the night to paint.

He had always loved painting, but only started formal studies in high school. His basics were not as good as those classmates who had been practicing since childhood, so he secretly put in extra practice every night.

One day, while he was painting, he suddenly heard piano music.

It wasn’t very coherent. It sounded as if he were composing and revising as he played, occasionally striking a wrong note—or perhaps simply testing the sound.

Qing Lin listened to him play every night. He had never heard this piece before.

The melody carried a soft, tender tone. He would change a few notes again and again, replaying them until he found the ones that sounded just right.

During these times, Qing Lin would silently help him choose while he painted.

Every time he chose the same note, Qing Lin would think in his heart that they seemed to have quite a strong understanding of each other.

The silent stars recorded their unspoken companionship. The feelings for the person playing the piano, who had accompanied Qing Lin, began to quietly sprout.

One day, Qing Lin secretly opened the door and saw the back of the person playing the piano.

It was a boy. His back was very straight, his neck line was beautiful, and his demeanor was extraordinary.

He could now play his piece perfectly, the melody lingering and graceful.

Qing Lin wanted to go up and say hello, but he felt a little too shy to disturb him.

Until one day, he found a sticky note on his easel.

Written in elegant and sharp handwriting, it said—

“Thank you for listening to me play the piano.”

Qing Lin felt as if his heart had been pierced. He rushed to the music room without hesitation, but all he saw was the piano.

Qing Lin tried to find him. He asked many people and even secretly watched the music and art students practice, but he couldn’t find the boy with that specific feeling again.

Qing Lin regretted it immensely. If he had been a little earlier, a little braver, perhaps he wouldn’t have carried this unrequited love for so many years without even knowing his name or face.

“President Qing, he’s here again.”

The secretary said to Qing Lin.

Qing Lin looked through his documents without lifting his head, “Tell him to just give you the revised proposal.”

The secretary hesitated and said, “But Director Shen said he wants to give it to you personally.”

Qing Lin said, “Then tell him to go back. It’s not the appointed time anyway. He can give it to you later.”

The secretary: “…What about the roses and the cake…”

“Put them away,” Qing Lin said.

Shen Xuzhi had been like this for a long time.

They had been in a cold war for a while, and then he suddenly went crazy and started looking for him every day.

Qing Lin avoided seeing him, not only because he was still angry about that night but also because he didn’t know how to face Shen Xuzhi.

Shen Xuzhi truly gave him the feeling of his first love.

Every time he was with him, or heard him play the piano, he would inexplicably think of those high school nights.

That’s why he would unconsciously flinch every time Qi Youhuai or Shen Xuzhi mentioned his first love.

He really didn’t want to think about it, but he would unconsciously do so. Looking at it this way, he truly felt a little guilty toward Shen Xuzhi.

Was he avoiding him because he felt guilty?

He also realized that Shen Xuzhi was just Shen Xuzhi, and he purely liked Shen Xuzhi.

But with all these feelings gathered together, he didn’t know how to organize and express them.

The secretary noticed the conflicted look on his boss’s face and gently reminded him, “President Qing, today is the company’s variety show night.”

Qing Lin replied, “So what? I’ve never attended before.”

The secretary leaned in slightly and added, “Director Shen will be performing this year.”

Qing Lin: “.”

The air hung heavy in silence for a long moment. Then, Qing Lin calmly lifted his glass and took a deliberate sip of water. “Which number is his act?” he asked at last.

The secretary exhaled in quiet relief and hurriedly handed him the program list.

The Variety Show Night.

Like the annual Group Sports Day, this event marked the year’s end and stood as one of the company’s most cherished traditions.

This year, the Chengqi Group had booked the largest theater in Hangzhou. The venue was packed—the front rows reserved for senior executives, while employees who had managed to secure tickets filled the seats behind them.

“Director Shen! Please check the sound—see if everything’s working properly!” called the producer from the broadcast room.

Shen Xuzhi tested the microphone, adjusted a few parameters, and communicated with the sound engineer.

“Director Shen, we need your signature on this company document.”

“Director Shen, there’s a problem with the costume rental backstage!”

“Director Shen, could you come over here for a moment!”

Shen Xuzhi rubbed his temples, dealing with the tasks one by one.

“Thank you for your hard work, Director Shen. I bought you coffee,” the young female receptionist said.

“Thank you.” Shen Xuzhi took the coffee, checked his phone, and saw that Qing Lin still hadn’t replied to his message.

[President Qing, will you be attending tonight?]

The young woman sensed Shen Xuzhi’s thoughts and cautiously asked, “Director Shen, have you and President Qing not made up yet?”

Shen Xuzhi said nothing. He simply put his phone away and downed his coffee in one motion.

“President Qing will attend today!” the young woman added eagerly.

Shen Xuzhi lowered his gaze. “President Qing never attends the variety show night.”

“But he is coming!” she said quickly. “My insider source is reliable! I heard from Little Huang in the secretarial department that President Qing asked for this year’s program list—and even wanted to know when your performance would be!”

“Really?” Shen Xuzhi asked, his voice calm but with a faint flicker of disbelief.

“Really, really!” she nodded earnestly.

Shen Xuzhi’s eyes drifted toward the piano across the room.

He had already made up his mind.

He loved Qing Lin.

And he would make Qing Lin forget his so-called first love.

But that night, Qing Lin never came.

Shen Xuzhi was the final act of the night. He bowed to the audience, scanning the crowd one last time—but there was still no sign of Qing Lin.

“Director Shen, that was amazing! Let’s celebrate! How about a drink?” an employee said enthusiastically.

Shen Xuzhi glanced around once more. “Did President Qing come?”

“President Qing? He never attends these events,” the employee replied casually.

Shen Xuzhi fell silent.

A dull ache spread through his chest.

“Director Shen?”

He looked up, forcing his emotions down, and said evenly, “Alright. Let’s go for a drink.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Qing Lin stepped out of the conference room and checked the time. It was already 23:30.

There was a negotiation tonight that Qing Lin had to attend as the CEO. By the time the negotiation ended, the evening show was already over.

He had a slight headache. He had said he would go but didn’t, and the misunderstanding between him and Shen Xuzhi must have deepened.

It was very late at night. The stars were sparse, and the city’s neon lights had dimmed.

Qing Lin glanced at his phone. In the end, he hadn’t replied to Shen Xuzhi’s message.

Should he call him instead?

This silent standoff couldn’t go on forever—it was meaningless.

Just then, his phone began to vibrate.

Qing Lin stiffened. Seeing “Director Shen” flash on the screen, his pulse quickened.

But when he answered, the voice that came through was unfamiliar and muffled by background noise.
“Hello, are you Shen Xuzhi’s partner?”

Qing Lin frowned, “What?”

“President Qing!?”

The voice on the other end faltered. There was a brief shuffle, followed by someone hurriedly picking up the phone. “President Qing… ah—why is it President Qing? Um, Director Shen is drunk…”

Qing Lin’s tone dropped. “What happened?”

The employee stammered, “We went out for drinks after the show tonight. Director Shen seemed upset and just kept drinking—an entire box and a half! Two cases of beer… We couldn’t stop him, and then he just passed out!”

Qing Lin: “…”

But since the call had already been made, Qing Lin had no choice but to say, “Send me the address of the party.”

“Oh—oh, okay! Thank you so much for the trouble, President Qing!”

Qing Lin ended the call and drove to the location the employee had given him.

It was a small, privately booked izakaya, the kind with dim lights and the heating turned up too high.

When he stepped inside, he immediately spotted Shen Xuzhi slumped over the table.

Director Shen’s normally pale skin was flushed with a faint rose tint. The usual chill in his expression had melted away, leaving him looking unexpectedly gentle.

Under the amber glow of the lights, his refined profile softened. A few loose strands of hair clung to his forehead, and his half-lidded eyes shimmered faintly with the daze of drunkenness.

Qing Lin walked up and gently pushed him: “Director Shen.”

Shen Xuzhi didn’t move.

Qing Lin thought he was asleep. He bent down to look at him. When he met his sleepy eyes, he was suddenly pulled down fiercely.

Qing Lin was startled. What followed was a hot kiss.

The man seemed to suddenly sober up, leaning close to Qing Lin without warning. He cupped his cheeks with both hands, forcefully prying open his teeth and delving inside, mercilessly licking and intertwining.

The smell of alcohol rapidly spread, stimulating Qing Lin’s nerves.

The entire staff: “!!!”

Holy cow.

Qing Lin was caught off guard by the sudden deep kiss and was being watched by his subordinates. His face quickly turned red.

He originally wanted to push Shen Xuzhi away, but the man released him after kissing him for a while.

Shen Xuzhi looked at Qing Lin, his eyes bloodshot. After a moment, tears actually welled up.

“Why didn’t you come?”

Shen Xuzhi was like a wronged big dog, clinging tightly to Qing Lin and burying his face in his shoulder, “Don’t you want to see me play the piano? Am I still not as good as your first love…”

“Can you give me another chance? I love you, Qing Lin. Can you forget your first love? Can we be together…”

The employees had just stumbled upon a massive piece of gossip.

Qing Lin was completely mesmerized by the sight of Shen Xuzhi’s tears. Holding the man gently in his arms, he turned to the onlookers and asked calmly, “Why did you call me?”

“We didn’t know where Director Shen lived, so we thought of calling someone to pick him up,” one bold employee explained. “I saw a contact named ‘Darling’ and figured it must be his partner…”

Qing Lin paused.

The atmosphere became subtle.

Shen Xuzhi seemed to have recovered a little and was about to kiss Qing Lin again.

Qing Lin quickly covered his mouth and managed to carry the man into the car.

Before he even reached the car, Qing Lin was pinned against the car hood by Shen Xuzhi and forcefully kissed again.

“Shen Xuzhi!” Qing Lin’s legs were so weak from the kissing that he couldn’t stand straight. He called him in a soft voice.

“Qing Lin, let’s do it,” Shen Xuzhi held Qing Lin tightly, refusing to let go. “I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Qing Lin sighed, kissed his face, and said, “I was also wrong.”

Qing Lin said, “I never considered you anyone else. You are the person I like. Although I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”

Shen Xuzhi’s eyes were still moist. Hearing Qing Lin say he loved him, he turned his head and kissed him again, “I believe you.”

“As long as I’m the one you love now, that’s all that matters.”

Qing Lin woke up the next morning feeling sore all over.

They had been intimate for too long yesterday. The sun was already high in the sky when he woke up. Qing Lin opened his eyes and found he was lying in Shen Xuzhi’s arms.

The man’s sleeping face was truly handsome, and his physique was one in a million, a pleasure to behold.

Qing Lin had confirmed their relationship with Shen Xuzhi yesterday in bed, being coaxed by the drunkard into saying many embarrassing things.

He took his phone, handled a few reports, and then received a video from his secretary.

[Secretary: [Video]]

[Secretary: This is Director Shen’s performance from last night.]

Qing Lin clicked on it.

In the video, the man was wearing a tuxedo. His fingers flew across the keys, and the piano music flowed gently.

This piece…

Qing Lin was momentarily lost in thought. He typed:

[What is this piece called?]

[Secretary: This song is Director Shen’s original composition.]

[Secretary: He composed it when applying to Berkeley. The copyright was purchased, but it was released this year. This is the first time it’s been performed in public.]

His thoughts suddenly drifted back to a time long past.

A cool breeze lifted the curtain, and beneath the moonlight stood the young man he had never been able to forget.

Sensing movement, Shen Xuzhi slowly opened his eyes.

“Are you sober now?” Qing Lin asked softly.

They had already confessed their feelings to each other the night before. Shen Xuzhi pulled Qing Lin into his arms, murmuring a gentle, “Mhm.”

He was in high spirits. After a brief embrace, he began nuzzling against Qing Lin’s neck and ear, his lips parting to capture Qing Lin’s in a lingering kiss.

“Wait a moment, I need to tell you something first,” Qing Lin pushed him.

“What is it?” Shen Xuzhi said.

“I want to tell you about my first love.”

Shen Xuzhi froze for a moment, but what had to be faced could no longer be avoided. “Alright,” he said quietly. “Go ahead.”

“My first love was back in high school,” Qing Lin began. “I liked a boy who played the piano—someone I’d never even met.”

“He used to practice in secret at night. I was in the room next door, painting while listening to him play. Then one day, he left me a note… thanking me for being his listener.”

“I felt at the time that he was my ideal type. If we had known each other then, I would have definitely married him.”

Shen Xuzhi was clearly jealous.

But the description sounded somewhat familiar, so he quietly listened to Qing Lin speak.

“Actually, he didn’t need to thank me,” Qing Lin said softly. “The music was beautiful. I can still remember the piece he played, even now.”

He turned to Shen Xuzhi. “Shen Xuzhi, I listened to your performance.”

“And I heard that same piece many years ago.” Qing Lin leaned forward and kissed him.

Shen Xuzhi looked at Qing Lin, incredulous.

Shen Xuzhi stared at him in disbelief. “You… you were the one painting next door?”

“Yes,” Qing Lin murmured, nodding. “Director Shen, you’ve been jealous of yourself all this time.” He brushed his lips against Shen Xuzhi’s again, his voice gentle. “So, you are my first love.”

And that means,” he added, a small smile curving his lips, “we’re going to get married.”

-End of AU-