Professor Shen’s Needy Little Lover - Chapter 23.2

Along the way, Shen Zaiqing looked for stone markers indicating the boundary of the protective layer. Once she found one, she could confirm the starting point. But after searching for a long time, she hadn’t seen one. She guessed it might be further in, perhaps near the guesthouse.

Shen Zaiqing only hoped nothing would go wrong on the way.

Long Xin walked, and Shen Zaiqing followed. At a fork in the road, Shen Zaiqing saw Long Xin skip the main road and step onto a narrow, uneven ridge between fields. She called out urgently, “Long Xin, wrong way! Not that road!”

She remembered Long Xin was drunk; that ridge was so narrow she feared a slip would send her into the vegetable fields. The fields on either side of the ridge were at different heights—the left was about twenty centimeters down, but the right was much lower, about a meter deep. There was water in the right-side field; a fall would mean being covered in mud.

Shen Zaiqing didn’t want Long Xin’s emotions to fluctuate, so she stood there trying to call her back. But Long Xin seemed not to hear, continuing forward on her own. Only after walking a distance did she turn back to face Shen Zaiqing.

She had her hands in her hoodie pockets, eyes slightly narrowed, standing straight and expressionless. Shen Zaiqing had a feeling that if she didn’t follow her, Long Xin would just stay on that ridge and wait her out. Dragons are very persistent creatures.

Shen Zaiqing compromised after thinking about it. she couldn’t stay in a stalemate; the longer it took, the more complicated things would become. They had to get inside the protective layer quickly. She gritted her teeth, grabbed the side handle of the suitcase, and stepped onto the ridge.

Long Xin continued as before—walking a bit, stopping to check Shen Zaiqing’s position, then turning to walk again. Shen Zaiqing had to stop and start; the suitcase was large and full, and the narrow ridge didn’t allow for dragging. It was exhausting. She had to stop and rest every few paces.

The ridge was long. After gritting her teeth for a long time, she was only halfway. Fine sweat appeared on her face and neck. Seeing Long Xin looking at her, she tried to communicate again. She shook her aching arms and said in a soft voice, “Long Xin, I can’t carry it anymore. Come and help me.”

She didn’t know what state Long Xin was in. She was quiet, not saying a word, and no longer shouting about turning into a nine-thousand-pound dragon, but the gold pupils hadn’t faded. When she looked at her, there was neither a smile nor warmth.

“No.”

Long Xin shook her head expressionlessly at Shen Zaiqing, then turned her head, chin slightly raised, narrowing her eyes to look at the distant undulating mountains.

It was 2:00 PM. The sun was still strong, but the temperature was comfortable. The warm sunlight fell on her, making her squint happily. She curled her lips, giving the smile that had been gone for so long to the sunlight. The breeze blew her hair, the ends brushing her cheeks, bringing a smile to the corners of her eyes. Her hands stayed in her pockets the entire time.

She looked entirely like she was “enjoying” herself.

Shen Zaiqing was far from “enjoying” anything. Sweat soaked her collar and her arms ached, but she could only resign herself to picking up the suitcase and continuing forward. At most, she muttered huffily, “I’m never buying her clothes with pockets again. This look is too infuriating.”

The moment Shen Zaiqing picked up the suitcase and moved forward, Long Xin withdrew her smile, and coldness returned to her eyes. She turned toward the path ahead and stepped rhythmically.

On the long ridge, surrounded by emerald vegetables, the sound of water in the fields, scarecrows with outstretched arms, and bees and butterflies flying about. Two people walked one after the other, maintaining a steady distance.

Whenever the person behind stopped, the one in front would stop and turn to look. The sunlight fell on her face, those golden pupils blinking; though her expression was cold, those eyes still reflected only one person’s figure.

Gritting her teeth to the end, Shen Zaiqing felt a sense of relief the moment she set the suitcase down. Not just physical relief, but psychological as well.

She had seen the stone marker written in Chinese and Dragon script, indicating the range of the protective layer. This was the boundary; as long as they crossed it, they would reach the place where Long Xin could do whatever she wanted. Shen Zaiqing’s mind was at ease.

Long Xin was a few paces ahead and had already entered the protected area.

Drenched in sweat, Shen Zaiqing squinted and broke into a smile. Beneath her feet was a concrete road that allowed her arms to be free. She felt immense happiness as she rolled the suitcase along the ground.

After walking several hundred meters along the concrete road, Shen Zaiqing saw the farmhouse she had booked online. Long Xin had already headed straight for it.

In front of the farmhouse was a patch of mulberry trees. It wasn’t large enough to be a picking garden, but every tree was laden with fruit of various varieties, looking quite impressive. Shen Zaiqing couldn’t help but think that once Long Xin got in there, she would surely eat until her belly bulged.

But at this moment, the person in question was freezing cold, indifferent to the tempting mulberries. Her hands were stuck in her pockets as if glued there, a posture she had kept the whole way.

Shen Zaiqing sighed, grabbed the suitcase, and followed.

“Are you Professor Shen and Long Xin?” Someone wearing a bamboo hat poked their head out from the mulberry leaves and called out, face full of smiles.

Shen Zaiqing looked down and recognized the owner of the farmhouse, greeting him with a smile: “Yes, I am Shen Zaiqing. Are you Uncle Liu?”

The farmhouse owner’s name was Liu Mao. He used to live in Building No. 3 and had raised a dragon for fifteen years before moving out as he got older. The development of the west side of Tiandai Mountain was a suggestion he made to the Dragon Management Bureau. He personally loved dragon cubs and opened this farmhouse specifically for them after leaving Building No. 3.

“Hard work on the road. I’ll take you to your room to rest first.” Liu Mao patted the mud off his hands and walked up the earthen steps beside the path. “I’ll pick some fresh mulberries for you to eat in a bit.”

“Thank you,” Shen Zaiqing nodded.

Long Xin waited under a dense camphor tree, the wind messing up her hair, but she didn’t care. The farmhouse courtyard was on her left, but she wouldn’t intrude until the owner arrived.

“Your room is on the second floor. Follow me.”

This was the closest Shen Zaiqing had been to Long Xin the entire way, walking up the stairs side-by-side. Shen Zaiqing was still struggling with the suitcase, hoisting it up the stairs. Seeing this, Liu Mao reached out and asked, “Professor Shen, do you want me to help you carry it?”

Shen Zaiqing shook her head politely: “No thank you, Uncle Liu. It’s not that heavy; I can handle it.” They were almost there, so it wouldn’t hurt to carry it a bit longer.

She still remembered Long Xin’s promise before leaving: “Professor, I’ll carry this suitcase the whole way. I’ll watch it carefully; you don’t have to worry about it or fear it getting lost.”

And now? The one who promised wouldn’t even look at her, acting completely indifferent.

Their positions had completely swapped; she was now Long Xin’s little assistant, providing her with high-quality service.

Once they reached the room, Shen Zaiqing finally managed to catch her breath.

She placed the suitcase by the door, went to the bathroom to wash her hands, and wiped her sweaty cheeks and neck. Then, she sat at the foot of the bed, letting her mind go blank.

After her breathing evened out, she turned her head to look toward Long Xin.

Long Xin was leaning against the wall, sitting in a very peculiar posture. Despite there being a bed, she sat on the corner of the nightstand, pressing her head and body against the wall.

Her eyes were closed, and her hands were finally out of her pockets, hanging loosely in front of her.

When a dragon gets drunk, they actually just need a good sleep, and everything will be fine.

There’s no need to send them to the hospital or administer any tranquilizer shots.

Provided, of course, that they are willing to sleep obediently.

Shen Zaiqing knew she was still feeling unwell and still wanted to persuade her to go to sleep. So, she stood up, walked to Long Xin’s side, and tugged on her arm, saying, “Long Xin, come lie down on the bed. After you sleep, you won’t feel so miserable.”

Long Xin’s eyes snapped open the moment Shen Zaiqing touched her. Her pale gold pupils stared straight at Shen Zaiqing, her entire body radiating a dangerous aura.

Shen Zaiqing stubbornly met her gaze, pulling her arm to lead her toward the bed, commanding, “Lie on the bed and go to sleep!”

A huff of air escaped Long Xin’s nose, and annoyance flooded her golden pupils. Her body suddenly lunged forward, instantly pinning Shen Zaiqing down onto the bed.

She looked down at Shen Zaiqing from above: “I told you, I don’t want to sleep. If you touch me again, I’ll bite you.”

“Long Xin, you dare bite me?” Shen Zaiqing lay on the soft bedding, her long, waterfall-like black hair spread out, her fair and elegant neck exposed before Long Xin’s eyes.

Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

“What is there to not dare?”

Long Xin lowered her head and pressed her lips against Shen Zaiqing’s neck.

“Hiss.”

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