Professor Shen’s Needy Little Lover - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Shen Zaiqing led Long Xin back home. As soon as they entered, Long Xin ran to the small sink by the door, obediently rinsing her palms and the soles of her feet, then drying them thoroughly on the absorbent rug before stepping further into the house.

Shen Zaiqing watched her silently from behind, then wordlessly averted her gaze to attend to her own business. Long Xin is truly both smart and conscientious, she thought. A little dragon like this would be highly sought after by any resident, even if she hadn’t come to her home.

There were still plenty of vegetables in the refrigerator. Shen Zaiqing picked a few simple items to stir-fry. There was some leftover rice from lunch, so she cracked two eggs, added some corn kernels and sausage, and made egg-fried rice.

Long Xin had thought she wasn’t hungry; after all, she had consumed a giant cup of watermelon juice and a bottle of soda downstairs. Soda is very filling, and until they reached the door, she hadn’t felt any obvious hunger.

However, the moment Shen Zaiqing poured the egg liquid into the oiled wok, waves of fragrance wafted over, triggering her appetite and causing her stomach to let out a traitorous growl. Long Xin’s posture immediately slumped, and her spirit wilted. She was starving.

Dragons are not allowed in the kitchen, especially in their cub state. Their skin can inadvertently emit small sparks, making them a dangerous presence in a kitchen; moreover, they are small and cannot help much, so it’s better they don’t enter at all. The property management requires residents to install a safety gate on the kitchen door as a warning.

Shen Zaiqing followed the rules and had installed the gate long ago. After entering the kitchen, she closed the gate and focused on preparing dinner.

Long Xin had slipped over from the sofa at some point. Originally, Shen Zaiqing had turned on the TV for her, wanting her to kill time until dinner was ready. But now, she was clinging to the bars, resting her head in the gaps, her little nose constantly sniffing the aroma coming from the stove. Shen Zaiqing knew then that she was hungry.

Shen Zaiqing took a small bowl, portioned out some of the egg-fried rice, added a spoon, and brought it over to the gate. She bent down, staring at Long Xin’s flat belly, and said, “I still need to cook a soup; it’ll be twenty minutes before all the dishes are ready. I’ll give you some fried rice first to fill your stomach.”

With that, she handed the small bowl to Long Xin.

Shen Zaiqing’s tone was gentle, her movements natural and casual, and her face held only a doting smile. Long Xin’s physical reaction was swifter than her mental judgment; she reached out both claws and naturally took the bowl from Shen Zaiqing.

“Thank you, Professor.” Long Xin lowered her head, looking at the distinct grains of egg-fried rice in the bowl, and swallowed hard. Her body’s honest reaction made her feel quite embarrassed.

Shen Zaiqing patted her head and said, “You’re welcome. From now on, we are a family. We should love and care for one another.”

To eat when hungry, sleep when tired, and lose one’s temper when angry… these are all the most ordinary and reasonable demands. Shen Zaiqing’s gaze gestured toward the bowl, encouraging Long Xin with her eyes.

Her stomach was also urging her. Long Xin obediently scooped up a spoonful of rice and put it in her mouth, thinking as she chewed that since the Professor was so good to her, she absolutely must not cause her any trouble.

She looked around the house again to see if there was anything she could help with; she was determined to share the Professor’s burden! But from her current perspective, the brooms and mops looked terrifyingly large. She couldn’t even enter the kitchen, let alone dream of washing dishes.

She couldn’t help with anything—unless she immediately transformed into her human form. But once she did, the harmonious atmosphere they had built would have to start all over again. Long Xin was afraid she and the Professor would become distant again.

Long Xin was torn with anxiety. The rice in the bowl was finished, and the urgent hunger was solved, but she didn’t know whether to stay or go. If she didn’t know what to do, would staying at the kitchen door to talk to Shen Zaiqing be a good idea?

Shen Zaiqing came over to collect the bowl and utensils. Seeing through her thoughts, she pointed to the small plants and flowers on the balcony and said, “The plants on the balcony need watering, but I can’t step away right now. Would Long Xin like to go take a look?”

“Yes!” Long Xin was more than willing.

“There is a sprayer under the faucet on the balcony; they are already connected. Just turn on the tap and flick the small handle on the sprayer to water the flowers.”

Long Xin understood. She dashed to the balcony and enthusiastically picked up the sprayer. She watered every pot carefully, ensuring no mud splashed out, and even straightened the flowers that had been tilted by the water pressure.

Shen Zaiqing’s radish soup was already in the pot; all that was left was to wait. Having a free moment, she poked her head out of the kitchen to see how Long Xin was doing.

Long Xin was very adept and clearly loved her task; she had washed every leaf of the small flowers clean of mud spots. Finally, she even rinsed the balcony floor, making the entire area look brand new.

“Long Xin is so wonderful.” Shen Zaiqing was not stingy with her praise and rewarded her with a small dessert after dinner.

When a dragon eats dessert, their mood becomes exceptionally joyful—especially since this piece was a reward from Shen Zaiqing. Eating it felt sweet all the way to her heart.

The aftereffects lasted until she finished her bath and was ready for bed; her mind was still full of the taste of that cream cake.

“Goodnight, Long Xin.”

“Goodnight, Professor.”

Shen Zaiqing turned off the light for Long Xin, closed the door, and walked to her own room.

For her, today was also a day very much worth looking back on. Shen Zaiqing sat at her desk and began writing in her diary. The diary entry began: I met the little dragon from seven years ago again.

The orange light fell on Shen Zaiqing’s face. She had her dark hair pinned up, revealing her elegant neck, her whole being immersed in a gentle and calm aura. She wrote slowly, crafting every word with extreme care. When she felt melancholy, her elegant brows would knit slightly; when joyful, a smile would escape from the corners of her mouth.

By the time she finally put down her pen, two hours had passed. It was late into the night. She had written two full pages.

The night breeze brushed against the hem of Shen Zaiqing’s clothes. She turned off the lamp and closed her diary, but she didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy. Fragments of their time together were still playing in her head. She wanted to see if Long Xin was sleeping soundly. She had heard that dragons are very particular about their beds; in deep forests and ancient woods, they sleep in nests lined with straw. She wondered if Long Xin could get used to a human bed.

Shen Zaiqing quietly pushed Long Xin’s door open just a crack. The light from the living room hit the bed, but she saw no sign of Long Xin.

Long Xin was gone.

Shen Zaiqing pushed the door open wide, her gaze first darting toward the open window. Her heart leapt into her throat. In a society ruled by law, and with Building No. 3 so strictly guarded, her little dragon couldn’t have been stolen by a thief, could she?

Shen Zaiqing took two steps into the room and quickly spotted Long Xin.

She was lying on the floor, sleeping spread-eagle. The small blanket had been dragged down from the bed but wasn’t covering her; instead, it was scattered messily on the floor, far from her body. There was a round rug by the bed, but Long Xin wasn’t lying on it; she was sleeping on the tile floor, with half her body under the bed.

She must have been hot. Shen Zaiqing noticed fine beads of sweat on Long Xin’s forehead, and her hands were clenched tight.

“Long Xin.” Shen Zaiqing knelt beside her and called her name twice, even giving her rounded belly a little nudge, but Long Xin didn’t react at all. It seemed the data saying dragons sleep like logs was also true.

Shen Zaiqing carried Long Xin to her own room. Throughout the bumpy journey, the dragon didn’t wake once, sleeping deeply. If a snot bubble were hanging from her nose, her sleeping posture would look exactly like a cute little creature from a cartoon.

Shen Zaiqing placed Long Xin on her own bed, closed the windows and doors, and turned on the air conditioner. Dragon cubs are particularly afraid of heat; Long Xin probably couldn’t stay on the bed and thus lay on the cool floor. As a first-time dragon raiser, Shen Zaiqing lacked experience. Luckily she had come to check; otherwise, sleeping on the floor all night might have made her sick on her first day. Shen Zaiqing would have felt terrible about it.

With the air conditioner on, the room’s temperature dropped, and the sweat on Long Xin’s forehead receded. She found a comfortable position on Shen Zaiqing’s bed, hugged the small watermelon-patterned blanket, and fell fast asleep.

The records said that if a dragon is sleeping soundly, their claws will be open. Conversely, if they are restless, the claws will clench. Shen Zaiqing watched as Long Xin’s clenched claws slowly opened, resting gently beside her head, her breathing perfectly steady.

Shen Zaiqing got herself a thick quilt. Since the AC was set low, she couldn’t let herself catch a cold. One like summer, one like winter? It was clearly spring, yet a dragon and a human were sleeping through two different seasons.

The last light in the room went out. Shen Zaiqing glanced at Long Xin one last time, and after confirming all was well, she gently closed her eyes and drifted into dreamland.

The air conditioning unit hummed, and moonlight leaked in from the top of the curtains, bringing a hazy glow.

Long Xin’s eyelashes fluttered, and she woke from her dream.

She was in Shen Zaiqing’s room. And the person she longed for was right before her eyes, at a distance she could reach with just a hand.

Long Xin transformed into her human form.

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