Professor Shen’s Needy Little Lover - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Shen Zaiqing could not see through Long Xin.

She stared into her eyes for a full minute, but failed to detect even the slightest ripple of emotion; those golden pupils remained as noble and calm as ever.

On an impulse, Shen Zaiqing decided to throw caution to the wind: “Fine, I agree.”

“I’ll kiss you once, and you’ll punch me once. We’ll be even.”

Long Xin’s interest was piqued. Her brows arched, and she moved her head directly in front of Shen Zaiqing, a smile tugging at her lips: “Then, come on.”

Even throwing caution to the wind failed to force out Long Xin’s true thoughts. Shen Zaiqing had failed once again. She struggled to maintain a calm facade, though her fingers gripping the bedsheets trembled slightly.

She still had to fulfill what she had personally promised.

Shen Zaiqing’s field of vision narrowed until her sight was entirely concentrated on Long Xin’s bright red lips.

She wondered if it was because she often ate watermelon, but Long Xin’s lips were the same shade as a ripe one; they would probably taste just as fresh and sweet…

Shen Zaiqing steeled herself and leaned her head forward.

Just as she was about to kiss Long Xin, Long Xin’s long lashes fluttered, and she shifted her lips away.

Shen Zaiqing kissed the air. Long Xin’s lips slid past Shen Zaiqing’s cheek to her ear, her voice soft as a murmur: “I’ve changed my mind.”

The gaze she directed at Shen Zaiqing’s profile was burning: “I could never bring myself to hit you.”

After saying this, her eyes closed. Her head fell onto Shen Zaiqing’s shoulder as she succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness and fell asleep.

Shen Zaiqing’s heart trembled the moment Long Xin’s head landed on her shoulder.

There was panic and confusion, but mostly it was due to the lingering tenderness in Long Xin’s words.

“I also…”

She instinctively wanted to explain the reason why she had punched her back then, but the current Long Xin couldn’t hear her; she had already slumped against Shen Zaiqing’s shoulder and fallen into a deep sleep.

Long Xin collapsed against Shen Zaiqing.

Shen Zaiqing was pulled off balance and fell back onto the bed. When her back hit the soft mattress, the Long Xin draped over her transformed back into a little dragon cub, adding no weight to her.

Shen Zaiqing’s hand was protecting Long Xin’s back, but once Long Xin’s body shrank, a gap appeared between her hand and the dragon’s back.

She had booked a twin room with two small beds. When they fell, Long Xin was still in large form, and Shen Zaiqing had feared she might accidentally tumble off the edge of the bed, so she had instinctively tried to shield her body.

Now that Long Xin had turned into a tiny dragon cub clinging to her shoulder, Shen Zaiqing no longer had that worry.

She even grasped the scruff of her neck and lifted her from her shoulder to confirm her current state.

Long Xin was indeed asleep, and very deeply so. Even when suspended in mid-air by Shen Zaiqing, she showed no reaction; her limbs and small tail hung down limply.

Shen Zaiqing stared at her sleeping face and sighed: she had returned to her harmless, innocent appearance again.

When a drunken little dragon falls asleep, it means liberation.

However, Shen Zaiqing did not feel lightened; her heart grew heavy.

She sat up from the bed, placed Long Xin on the pillow, and went to the suitcase to find her small blanket to cover her.

It had been a taxing afternoon.

Shen Zaiqing pulled the curtains by the window, blocking the slanting afternoon sun. Then she walked to the bathroom to check the bite mark on her neck.

She was shocked by what she saw.

Before looking, she had made a mental preparation, imagining the worst-case scenario, but the bite mark on her neck was even more severe than she had anticipated.

Such a large mark, bitten without any restraint it was now a clearly visible purple circle.

Shen Zaiqing had just been touched by the last sentence Long Xin said, but looking at it now, the words were beautiful, yet the actions…

Were beyond comment.

Shen Zaiqing applied some ointment to cover the red mark on her neck, gave a resentful glance at the quietly sleeping Long Xin, and left the room.

She went downstairs to the courtyard of the farmhouse.

Liu Mao was picking mulberry leaves from a tree. Seeing her approach, he greeted her with a smile: “All settled in? You came by the mini-train, didn’t you?”

“Mhm.” Shen Zaiqing gave a soft response, looking a bit tired, and found a stool in the yard to sit on.

She was still worried and unsure if Long Xin’s condition required a trip to the hospital. She wanted to take out her phone to look up information, but after searching high and low, she couldn’t find it. In her emptiness, she remembered that her phone had been taken by Long Xin and its whereabouts were currently unknown.

As Liu Mao worked in front of Shen Zaiqing, chatting with her off and on, she suddenly remembered that Uncle Liu was an experienced dragon raiser—perhaps she could ask him for advice?

Shen Zaiqing cleared her throat and asked, “Uncle Liu, Long Xin accidentally drank a bit of wine on the mini-train. Her personality changed completely and her body temperature was very high. Does she need to go to the hospital? She’s asleep now, but I’m worried about potential side effects.”

Hearing this, Liu Mao stopped picking leaves, smiled, and comforted Shen Zaiqing: “I was wondering why you looked so worried after coming down; so it was about this.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Once they fall asleep, they’re fine. Don’t worry too much. A dragon’s self-healing ability is very strong. If they drink, they just need a good sleep and their body will recover.”

Shen Zaiqing felt comforted and nodded, murmuring, “That’s good.”

“You must have been frightened today. I went through the same thing when I first raised a dragon.”

“At the time, I felt like the sky was falling. But the outcome wasn’t too bad; a dragon’s will is stronger than we imagine.”

Shen Zaiqing nodded, agreeing with the last sentence. She had seen it today Long Xin was in a lot of pain, but she had endured it the whole time, refusing to use magic to ease her physical discomfort.

“After experiencing it a few more times, I learned to keep a calm heart.”

“So, the little dragons Uncle Liu raised have drunk wine more than once?”

“Yes, I’ve raised a few older ones. They always seem to have some mysterious affinity for alcohol that you just can’t stop, hahaha.”

Recalling the past, a smile appeared on Liu Mao’s face. He stopped picking leaves and sat on a mound of earth in the mulberry field to chat with Shen Zaiqing.

Liu Mao followed the developments of the Dragon Clan and Building No. 3 closely, knowing even more news than Shen Zaiqing.

Shen Zaiqing learned from him that in recent years, the birth and hatching rates of dragon cubs had indeed declined. His farmhouse wasn’t as lively as it used to be.

Long Xin and she were the first dragon cub family to visit him this month, and there were very few future bookings.

“Generally, those who haven’t been here look forward to it. Those who have already played here spend their time in places they haven’t visited; they don’t become repeat customers. After all, three months is a short time; they want to see and experience as much as possible.”

“The experience Building No. 3 brings them is beautiful. In the limited time they have, they naturally want to collect all kinds of beauty. It’s understandable.”

“The assessments for the next few stages are very painful for them. They have to grind away their sharp edges and forcibly suppress their instincts.”

The transformation from dragon to human was bound to be a difficult process.

Seeing the atmosphere turn a bit somber, Liu Mao changed the subject and told Shen Zaiqing about the funny things that happened while he was raising dragons. Every little dragon had one or two unique habits, most of which were adorable.

The process of raising a dragon was truly healing.

When it came to dragons, Shen Zaiqing and Liu Mao had much to talk about. The two chatted until the sun set behind the mountains, still wanting more.

Liu Mao eventually had to leave, smiling apologetically at Shen Zaiqing: “My old lady and granddaughter are coming back soon. I need to pick some vegetables. My old lady is cooking tonight; she says she wants to show off her skills.”

“Whatever you like to eat, I have it all here. I’ll go pick a bit more.”

Shen Zaiqing quickly stopped him: “Don’t go to too much trouble. Just follow whatever dishes you usually eat; no need to adjust specifically for us.”

“Besides, I don’t know when Long Xin will wake up. If it’s just me, I can just manage with something simple.”

Liu Mao pulled a phone from his pocket, checked the time, and said, “By my estimate, she’ll probably wake up in an hour or two. She drank the wine at noon, and it wasn’t a large amount. She won’t sleep until dawn, don’t worry.”

Shen Zaiqing insisted, “It’s really fine, keep it simple. Long Xin just likes eating rice; we can just leave a bowl of rice for her tonight.”

Liu Mao looked half-doubting, but after sunset, it grew dark quickly in the mountains. He couldn’t delay and had to leave quickly.

Since Shen Zaiqing didn’t specify her requests, he would play it by ear and pick whatever he saw.

By dinner time, Long Xin still hadn’t woken up. Aunt Liu specifically left food for her, keeping it warm in the hearth.

After eating, the Liu couple took their granddaughter to watch TV in their room. Shen Zaiqing sat at the small square dining table on a low stool, admiring the bright moon visible through the doorframe.

Beside her hand was a plate of mulberries of various shapes and species. Some had been picked too hastily and were not yet ripe.

Shen Zaiqing set the unripe mulberries aside.

Footsteps sounded from behind slow but very rhythmic. Before Shen Zaiqing even turned her head, she heard a familiar “Professor.”

“You’re awake?” Shen Zaiqing turned her head to look and saw a dazed Long Xin stepping down the stairs.

She appeared in human form, her deep amber eyes full of confusion. Her hands hanging at her sides were clenched tightly. She asked Shen Zaiqing uneasily: “Professor, what happened this afternoon? Why don’t I remember anything at all?”

Her memory ended with that bottle of drink on the sightseeing train. After finishing the drink, she felt physically unwell and slumped on the table. She had no memory of what happened afterward.

“That bottle of drink you bought was wine. You were drunk, so you don’t remember anything.”

Long Xin sat down beside Shen Zaiqing and asked trepidatiously: “Then… did I do anything bad?”

Shen Zaiqing forced a standard smile, shook her head, and said: “No. You were very good and obedient, even while drunk.”

The weight in Long Xin’s heart lifted slightly, but she felt something was a bit strange.

Why did the Professor look at her with such a resentful gaze?

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