Professor Shen’s Needy Little Lover - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Long Xin?”

“Come in.”

Shen Zaiqing hadn’t expected Long Xin to seek her out proactively. Long Xin had been behaving very timidly and nervously; Shen Zaiqing felt she needed to give the dragon space to adapt to the environment and to her presence.

Perhaps she had something important to tell her.

Shen Zaiqing rose from her desk, thinking that since Long Xin’s body was currently quite short, she might not be able to reach the door handle, so she intended to walk over and open it.

But just as she stood up, the door clicked—”clack”—and Long Xin twisted it open.

To avoid startling this trembling little “silly dragon,” Shen Zaiqing stayed where she was and waited for her to speak first, a soft smile on her face.

Dragons are natural mathematicians. As Long Xin skirted from the door to Shen Zaiqing’s desk, she walked in a beautiful, perfect arc. They perform such actions unconsciously walking in perfectly straight lines, climbing stairs with identical rhythm, or hollowing out a watermelon into a perfectly regular hole…

“What is it?” Fearing the silly dragon wouldn’t know how to start, Shen Zaiqing prompted her.

“Professor, I have something for you.” Approaching the desk, Long Xin looked up.

The desk was a bit high. Long Xin stood on her tiptoes and raised her arms high over her head to reach the surface, handing over four forms. To prevent the papers from wobbling, she tapped the ends with her palm, ensuring all four sheets landed flat on the table.

“This is the information for you.” Conscious of her “guilty” secret, Long Xin didn’t dare look up at Shen Zaiqing, her voice tiny as she spoke.

The desk blocked Shen Zaiqing’s line of sight to the dragon’s lower body; Long Xin waited silently for judgment.

Shen Zaiqing picked up the documents, holding them in her hands as she read. Then, she gave a knowing smile; she understood where the crux of the problem lay.

After reading everything carefully, she looked toward where Long Xin stood and said: “Mm, I’ve looked through it. The information is fine. I’ll keep the evaluation forms safe.”

No problem?

Long Xin looked up sharply, took two steps back, and stood on her tiptoes to see the expression on Shen Zaiqing’s face.

However, she saw no look of disgust, no discomfort nothing but the same consistent gentleness.

Why? Hadn’t she always wanted a little dragon cub?

Staring at Long Xin, whose shock was written all over her face, Shen Zaiqing’s eyes curved as she spoke bluntly: “What I have always wanted to raise is a cute little dragon with a good personality, someone I can get along with. Nothing else is important.”

“I won’t look at you with different eyes because of your age or your race.”

Her voice was so soft that Long Xin thought she was dreaming.

Shen Zaiqing walked to Long Xin’s side, knelt down, and placed her hand on her shoulder, using the physical touch to tell her that none of this was a dream.

“Be more confident. You don’t need to feel inferior to other dragon cubs. Whatever they have, you have too.”

“In my eyes, I actually think Long Xin is much cuter than them.”

“So, for the next three months, I have high hopes for you. Long Xin will surely become a shining dragon. Do you have the confidence to get a high score from me?”

Having received such a high evaluation so soon after arriving, Long Xin’s body temperature skyrocketed. Steam rose from her head, and her green skin showed signs of turning red. She was like glowing charcoal in a stove—her temperature only rose, never falling.

She was even more at a loss now. Earlier she had been trembling with fear; now she was dizzy from Shen Zaiqing’s words.

Wanting a response, Shen Zaiqing whispered in her ear: “Do you have confidence?”

“I… I do.” Long Xin answered in a daze.

“Very good.” Shen Zaiqing’s eyes crinkled with laughter as she patted the heated head. “Then there’s nothing else, right? I have some work to process. Long Xin, go play in the living room for a while.”

She used an excuse to send Long Xin out of the study, giving her space to calm down alone.

After leaving the study, Long Xin didn’t go to the living room. Instead, she went into the bathroom, turned on the tap, scooped up a handful of cold water, and splashed it on her face.

Shen Zaiqing’s gentle words still echoed in her ears.

“Long Xin is much cuter than other little dragons.” “I have high hopes for you.” “Long Xin will become a shining dragon.”

Long Xin had walked in prepared for the end of the world, but she had received a completely opposite outcome. How could there be such a gentle person in this world? And she was the one who met her.

Steam rose in the bathroom it was the cold water hitting Long Xin’s face and being heated by her skin.

Long Xin stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror and slowly, slowly, let a smile spread across her face. A life bathed in sunlight officially began at this moment.

Shen Zaiqing was her sun.

As evening approached, Shen Zaiqing took Long Xin downstairs for a stroll.

Her body had fully restored to its standard size, the same as other dragon cubs, so she didn’t have to worry about curious gazes in the elevator. Shen Zaiqing planned to take her around the complex to familiarize her with the environment.

Their complex had many novelties, including several giant amusement facilities. Although Building No. 3 was an isolated building, with the landscaping and facilities included, its land area was larger than the entire Xinghewan residential complex.

Building No. 3 had its own gate; inside and outside were two different worlds. The buildings, greenery, and facilities within the range of Building No. 3 were enclosed in a transparent protective layer. This was the restricted flight zone for dragons. Any further out, and they would hit a hard wall.

This was an isolation layer designed specifically for dragons. It didn’t affect the daily lives of dragons or humans, but acted like a giant cage restricting the height and width of their flight to avoid interfering with flight paths.

These rules were man-made, taking into account the order of human society and public safety. Dragons can not only fly but also possess many offensive weapons—claws, the ability to breathe fire or water, and strength incomparable to humans when enraged. Of course, humans in this era have integrated with dragons for decades, and friendly coexistence is generally achieved; the probability of a dragon hurting someone is not high.

An adult dragon possesses three forms:

1. 1. The Cub State: Around 40 centimeters long, very small and light. A human can easily pick them up by the scruff. In this state, dragons can only fly at low altitudes. When unhappy, they can breathe fire or spit water, but with limited power.

1. 1. The Adult Dragon State: This is only achieved once the dragon reaches maturity. A dragon in this period is a full-power Chinese dragon—whiskers by the mouth, a bright pearl under the chin, an inverse scale under the throat, and a Boshan crown [Note 1] on the head. They can ride clouds and mist, breathe fire, spit water, and generate defensive shields. Racial differences manifest most clearly here in appearance. Modern dragons are divided into five races by color: Green, Red, Black, White, and Gold. Among them, Green Dragons have the lowest status; their ancestors were brutal and did many bad things, resulting in a poor reputation. The most noble are the Gold Dragons, though their survival rate is extremely low and they have almost vanished. The Dragon Clan Chief is elected from the White Dragon family, which currently holds the highest status.

1. 1. Human Form: The “protected zones” are specifically for transformation. Staying in human form for long periods causes their constitution to decline into a sub-healthy state, so protected zones are set up in resting areas. However, outside of these zones, dragons must appear in human form. This is a mandatory regulation; violations are severely punished. In human form, dragons are no different from ordinary people—they cannot use magic, breathe fire, or spit water, and their strength is reduced.

Dragons of this era are moving closer to humans to enjoy a more colorful world. They can study in schools, work to earn money, and use that money to buy things (though they mostly love buying lots of watermelons). They can also form intimate relationships with humans—provided they pass various assessments to obtain “human” qualification.

Building No. 3 is the first stage of these assessments. 99.9% of dragon cubs are sent here after birth to live with humans for three months. An adult dragon like Long Xin, who is 2,500 years old, entering the first stage of assessment is extremely rare.

Shen Zaiqing didn’t pry into the reasons, though she sensed it was inseparable from the status of her race. She didn’t judge people by their birth, and she certainly wouldn’t be led by the nose by the dragon race’s “racial theories.” She only hoped that during these three months together, Long Xin could say goodbye to her troubles, stop suppressing herself, and enjoy the pleasures of life with a clear conscience.

For example, right now, as they passed a milk tea shop, Long Xin was so attracted by a poster of iced watermelon juice that she couldn’t move her feet. She stood frozen in front of the shop in the exact same posture as other dragon cubs like a stone bollard.

Shen Zaiqing thought this was wonderful. Whatever other little dragons had, her dragon must have too.

Shen Zaiqing bought her a giant cup of iced watermelon juice. It was a bit of a struggle for Long Xin to hold it with both hands, as the cup was half as tall as she was. She rested the bottom of the cup against her round belly for leverage.

Shen Zaiqing originally wanted her to drink while walking; the famous “Carefree Lake” of Building No. 3 was not far away. It was sunset, the perfect time to see the beautiful glow on the water. But seeing her struggle, Shen Zaiqing led her to a nearby bench to sit and drink slowly.

Coincidentally, the bench they sat on faced another “famous landmark” of Building No. 3 the two jaboticaba trees Shen Zaiqing had planted. Thus, they could see a very interesting scene.

A security guard held a small megaphone and shouted: “Line up if you want jaboticabas! Only those in line get to eat!”

Beside him, a long queue of dragon cubs, barely reaching his knees, stretched down the road. The guard estimated the timing based on the number of people and shouted again: “There are quite a few in line today. Each dragon only gets one minute. Remember, one minute limit!”

Every little dragon within a dozen meters had gathered under the trees to queue, except for Long Xin, who remained on the bench sipping her watermelon juice. The dark purple fruits emitted an alluring fragrance less than three meters away, yet she remained completely unmoved.

A lady carrying a similar drink walked over and sat next to Shen Zaiqing, asking with a smile: “Why hasn’t your little dragon joined the line? Does she not like jaboticabas?”

The lady’s own dragon cub had only finished half its watermelon juice before its heart was captured by the ripe fruit on the tree; it had abandoned the juice and joined the queue obediently. This wasn’t an isolated case; other guardians had similar experiences—it was hard for a little dragon to escape the allure of the jaboticaba.

Shen Zaiqing’s dragon was special; she could sit perfectly still and finish her watermelon juice from beginning to end. Naturally, the lady was curious.

Shen Zaiqing replied with a smile: “My dragon doesn’t need to queue to eat jaboticabas.”

“She knows that, so she didn’t go join the line.”

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