Professor Shen’s Needy Little Lover - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Over the next few days, whenever Shen Zaiqing had a class, Long Xin would sit quietly in a corner of the back row. With eyes full of stars and an exceptionally earnest learning attitude, she would listen to Shen Zaiqing lecture.

Professor Shen during a lecture was markedly different from the Shen Zaiqing in daily life.

As she lectured the students, she was vivid and humorous, frequently interacting with them, a faint smile always playing at the corners of her mouth. In private, she usually maintained a certain sense of distance from people, but in the classroom where she imparted knowledge, that distance temporarily vanished.

She used various methods to teach, such as role-playing scenarios and self-made props; sometimes, halfway through a class, she would lead a large group outdoors for hands-on practice.

She managed the classroom atmosphere so well that as soon as she spoke, the students’ attention would involuntarily focus on her.

Everyone liked her very much.

Long Xin was the same; as long as Shen Zaiqing started lecturing, she was starry-eyed the entire time.

The two went to class together, left class together, ate together, took naps together, and finally went home together.

Everyone now knew that Long Xin was the little dragon adopted by Shen Zaiqing. Occasionally, they would steal curious glances at her, but they no longer spread wild rumors as before.

Because their education from childhood had taught them that dragons were to be protected and respected.

Especially for a little dragon who had just entered Building No. 3 and was unfamiliar with human society, she deserved everyone’s care and concern even more.

Thus, everyone was very friendly toward Long Xin.

From beginning to end, Long Xin remained quiet, never disrupting the order of the classroom or causing trouble for Shen Zaiqing.

When Shen Zaiqing lectured, she watched her; when Shen Zaiqing finished, she waited for her.

After class, students would swarm around Shen Zaiqing to ask questions, surrounding her in layers that made Long Xin lose her focal point. She was neither annoyed nor anxious, because she knew that her Professor would eventually come to find her.

She would come over and say: “Let’s go, Long Xin, we’re going home.”

Home was Long Xin’s true home turf.

She would also cling to her and ask: “Professor, what does ‘overlapping generations’ of insects mean?”

Shen Zaiqing would tell Long Xin everything, from the simple to the profound; since there was time, she would explain a bit more to her.

Long Xin was like a super-strength absorbent sponge whatever she encountered, she absorbed, and she refused nothing.

Shen Zaiqing was very happy to share knowledge with her.

In the blink of an eye, Saturday arrived. Early in the morning, Long Xin was woken up by Shen Zaiqing. Their itinerary for today was a bit tight, so they had to get up early to prepare.

Shen Zaiqing had swapped classes with a teacher from the same department. The class she was supposed to teach next Monday was moved to the week after, and her Tuesday class wasn’t scheduled to start for another two weeks. Therefore, she had no classes next Tuesday either, allowing her to have four consecutive days off.

With such a long block of time available, it would be a total waste to stay at home instead of going out to play.

Of course, within these four days, Shen Zaiqing was humane enough to leave half a day for her own brother to have a meal and a chat.

The rest of the time belonged to Long Xin.

After packing the luggage and items for the trip, Shen Zaiqing headed straight to the restaurant with her suitcase.

Long Xin volunteered to carry the things, so she transformed into her human form at home. Leaving the house, she followed behind Shen Zaiqing like a little assistant.

The restaurant was chosen by Shen Zaiqing and was not far from Building No. 3. Coming out of the other side of this restaurant led directly to the sightseeing mini-train station. Shen Zaiqing had already bought the tickets; after eating, they could board the train right there.

They were headed to Tiandai Mountain. While the mini-train could take them there directly, it would take longer than driving and wasn’t as convenient as taking their own car. However, based on the principle of letting Long Xin learn and see more, Shen Zaiqing decisively chose the mini-train.

Shen Zaiqing and Long Xin arrived at the restaurant first and found a quiet spot to sit. Not long after, Shen Zailiang arrived.

Shen Zaiqing waved to him: “Brother, over here.”

Shen Zailiang was an unkempt man who was easy to recognize in a crowd: bangs long enough to cover his eyes, a beard he didn’t bother to shave before coming out, and wrinkled clothes. If he were any more disheveled, he would bear a resemblance to a vagrant.

Shen Zaiqing introduced him to Long Xin at a glance, the most “uninhibited” person in the crowd was her brother.

Shen Zaiqing often lamented that it was a good thing the Shen family genes were strong and her brother’s face was actually quite decent; otherwise, he would definitely be swept out the door by security at any research institute.

Shen Zailiang saw them too, waving enthusiastically as he approached and sat down across from Shen Zaiqing.

“So you are my sister’s little dragon?”

While Shen Zaiqing was ordering, Shen Zailiang turned toward Long Xin and greeted her with a standard smile.

Long Xin nodded to him politely.

“I’ve heard so much about you. I have something to show you.”

“Ever since you arrived, my status has practically plummeted. I need to share my ‘plummeting’ with you; otherwise, my heart will feel far too troubled.”

Saying this, Shen Zailiang pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and displayed the chat history between him and Shen Zaiqing before Long Xin’s eyes.

Shen Zailiang put on no airs and always had a smile on his face; he indeed gave off a feeling of being very easy to get along with. Long Xin had been a bit nervous initially, but seeing him in person, her anxiety mostly subsided.

“Look at this, isn’t the contrast huge?” Shen Zailiang complained while scrolling through the chat logs.

Curious about what he meant, Long Xin leaned her head closer.

The chat logs didn’t show much through text alone, but with Shen Zailiang’s passionate performance, they took on a different flavor.

Shen Zailiang read the content aloud as he scrolled.

Shen Zailiang: “Sis, can we eat this Tuesday?” Shen Zaiqing: “Sure.”

Shen Zailiang: “Is this restaurant okay?” Shen Zaiqing: “Sure.”

Shen Zailiang: “Sis, something came up Tuesday. Can we move the meal to Saturday?” Shen Zaiqing: “Sure.”

Shen Zailiang: “Sis, my meeting isn’t over yet. Can we push the meal back an hour?” Shen Zaiqing: “Sure.”

After a long stretch of such repetitive and simple dialogue, the timeline reached the day Long Xin arrived at Building No. 3.

Shen Zaiqing: “Brother, I have a little dragon now. Her name is Long Xin.” Shen Zailiang: “Congrats!” Shen Zaiqing: “(Thank you sticker).jpg”

Stickers were a rare sight in their chat; Shen Zaiqing had actually sent one that day.

Then, following that.

Shen Zailiang: “Sis, something came up Saturday. Can we move the meal to Sunday?” Shen Zaiqing: “No.”

Shen Zailiang: “Can we do Saturday a bit later? I still have a bit of a modification to finish.” Shen Zaiqing: “No.”

Shen Zailiang: “Then is this restaurant okay?” Shen Zaiqing: “No.”

“To summarize simply: before the little dragon, my sister was an obedient, agreeable sister. After the little dragon, I’ve become ‘spilled water’ (discarded).”

“The last time I was neglected like this, let me think… was back when she was in graduate school and spent all day going to…”

Shen Zailiang was about to air Shen Zaiqing’s dirty laundry when she suddenly stuffed a piece of salted egg yolk cake into his mouth, blocking it.

“Don’t listen to his nonsense.” Shen Zaiqing reclaimed Long Xin’s attention, pouring sweet and sour plum juice into her cup while shooting a sharp glare at Shen Zailiang.

Shen Zailiang looked defeated, chewing the not-so-tasty salted egg yolk bread and swallowing all his unfinished words.

He didn’t dare provoke his sister in front of the dragon herself.

Long Xin lowered her head and sipped the plum juice through a straw, her eyes containing a smile. Her impression of Shen Zaiqing’s brother was very good; she found him to be a very interesting person with no airs whatsoever.

And it was clear that he and Shen Zaiqing shared a very good relationship.

“Finished complaining? Feel better now?”

Shen Zaiqing cut the steak on Long Xin’s plate into small pieces before setting it in front of her. These words were addressed to Shen Zailiang.

Cutting the steak on his own plate, Shen Zailiang’s eyes crinkled with laughter as he nodded vigorously: “Much better. Seeing your little dragon today, I admit defeat.”

While eating his steak, Shen Zailiang’s gaze rested on the large suitcase next to Long Xin: “But speaking of which, why are you two in such a hurry? The itinerary is so tight. For our first meeting, I prepared a gift for Long Xin. It’s just a bit rushed, so there’s a tiny flaw.”

Shen Zailiang muttered: “It makes me quite embarrassed to give it away.”

Shen Zaiqing said: “The semester just started, so there isn’t much coursework or school business yet. Later on, things will get busy, and it’ll be impossible to squeeze out time like this.”

Shen Zaiqing looked at Shen Zailiang. Seeing him hesitating, she said: “A tiny flaw won’t affect its use. If you brought the gift, then give it.”

Shen Zailiang was just waiting for his sister to build the bridge. He gave a bashful laugh and took out the gift he had prepared for Long Xin.

It was a metal object in the shape of a bracelet.

He handed the item to Shen Zaiqing and urged her: “Put it on Long Xin, hurry, put it on.”

Shen Zaiqing took it, turned it over in her hands a few times without seeing anything obvious, then pulled over Long Xin’s left wrist and put the metal bracelet on. She asked: “What is this for?”

Shen Zailiang explained: “This is a multi-functional bracelet. See that vent on the side? Press the button on the left, and cold air will come out of that vent. You can adjust the temperature with that knob on top.”

“This small opening at the other end is fitted with an LED bulb; it can be used as a flashlight.”

Shen Zaiqing noticed a small, smooth screen in the center of the bracelet and asked: “What about this? What is this for?”

Shen Zailiang: “This is a positioning device. If you get lost or can’t find your way, you can turn it on. Compared to map apps on phones, this positioning is more accurate, the signal is stronger, and the operation is simpler.”

“Tiandai Mountain, where you’re going, has poor signal and winding roads; it’s very easy to get lost.”

Shen Zaiqing couldn’t help but roast her brother: “Brother, out of these functions, only the cold air one is somewhat practical. The others aren’t needed for Long Xin. A dragon’s sense of direction is very strong, and they have night vision; how could she get lost?”

Shen Zailiang pulled out an identical bracelet, placed it in Shen Zaiqing’s hand, and said with a smile: “You’re right. In these designs of mine, only the cold air function was designed for Long Xin. All the others were prepared for you, my sister.”

Shen Zaiqing’s smile froze.

Shen Zailiang turned to Long Xin and said: “My sister always has this mysterious confidence in her sense of direction, but she takes the wrong turn every single time. She also disdains using tools, so she’s constantly getting lost.”

“And she’s afraid of the dark.”

“So, if such a thing happens while you two are out playing, please, Long Xin, you must find her as quickly as possible.”

Shen Zaiqing clutched the metal bracelet, wanting to defend herself with a few words, but Long Xin beside her had already solemnly promised her brother: “I will.”

“I will definitely find her as quickly as possible.”

The gravity in Long Xin’s voice made Shen Zaiqing unable to interrupt; she swallowed her words back down.

Actually, thinking about it further, there was no need to defend herself. The fact that she had a poor sense of direction and was afraid of the dark even if others didn’t know, could Long Xin not know?

She had met her precisely when she was lost in Longya Mountain.

All her pathetic states had been seen by her.

Was her brother implying that history was about to repeat itself?

Truly a jinx.

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