She Really Likes Teacher Shen

Shen Qingling had finally moved her.

He smiled lightly. "Come on, Mianmian calls me Teacher Shen now. How could I not come?"

Lin Xingmian gave a shy, helpless little smile. When the girl smiled, two small dimples appeared at the corners of her lips, sweet enough to melt anyone's heart.

Shen Qingling looked up at the sky. The clouds that had been thick overhead just moments ago had given way to a clear blue expanse, with a rainbow appearing at the horizon. One look at it felt enough to cleanse the soul.

He said to the girl again, "There's a rainbow outside. Do you want to take a look, Mianmian?"

He stood outside the door while Lin Xingmian stood within it.

Lin Xingmian hesitated for a while. Under Shen Qingling's expectant gaze, she finally walked cautiously to the doorway.

Today's sky seemed especially different.

Different from the sky she saw through the glass, too.

Shen Qingling held out his hand. "You can see it more clearly out here. It's even prettier."

Lin Xingmian bit her lip, but she still could not help shaking her head and taking a step back.

Shen Qingling laughed.

Lin Xingmian did not know why he was laughing and looked at him in confusion.

Shen Qingling stood before her, blocking the light in front of her.

"If you're afraid to face it, then stand behind me and look. Just take one look. Don't miss such beautiful scenery. There are still many things in life worth looking forward to."

Lin Xingmian stared blankly at his tall back.

His broad shoulders gave her an illusion.

As though he could shield her from wind and rain.

Lin Xingmian took two steps forward and finally walked out the front door.

She hid behind Shen Qingling, then cautiously poked her little head out and looked up at the sky.

Shen Qingling turned his face slightly and lowered his eyes. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Lin Xingmian's gaze drifted from the rainbow to Shen Qingling's eyes.

Teacher Shen's eyes are even prettier.

She nodded softly.

Shen Qingling crouched down and said gently, "Mianmian is very brave. Being able to come out and see the rainbow today is already wonderful. We'll take things one step at a time and go farther out together to see more distant, more beautiful scenery."

Lin Xingmian asked that question again.

"Will Teacher Shen always stay with me?"

"I will."

Lin Xingmian reached out and wiped the rainwater from his face.

The girl's gaze was solemn, as though she were doing something precious.

Her hand was small and soft, like a feather brushing across his face.

077: "Lin Xingmian's Heart-Throb Score has increased by 5."

Shen Qingling paused, then smiled.

"It's okay. Don't get your hands dirty, Mianmian. I'll just go back and take a shower."

"Goodbye, Teacher Shen."

"See you tomorrow, Mianmian."

Shen Qingling did not say goodbye. He said he would see her tomorrow.

Lin Xingmian felt a little more at ease.

Even after suffering countless injuries, she still could not help falling for Teacher Shen's gentleness and developing expectations she should not have had.

She did not want her expectations to be dashed again.

This time, would he become that different person?

After leaving the Lin Family, Shen Qingling's smile faded.

Being with Lin Xingmian seemed to make it easier for him to lower his guard. He was more relaxed than usual and unconsciously became gentler as well.

Whenever he faced her, his heart seemed to soften uncontrollably. He could not show her his cold side, afraid he would see sadness in those clear, innocent eyes.

Shen Qingling murmured in puzzlement, "I wonder what she's been through..."

077: "She already feels some closeness toward you. Once you completely open her heart, you'll be able to learn about her past."

Shen Qingling said, "Her depression is probably related to her family of origin. Otherwise, she wouldn't keep asking me whether I'd always stay with her."

077: "Speaking of which, your performance today was practically perfect. Even I couldn't take those words. Let alone a depressed girl like Lin Xingmian."

Shen Qingling seemed to have a natural talent for sweet talk. Every sentence struck straight at Lin Xingmian's heart.

Shen Qingling raised an eyebrow.

"I truly just want to save her."

That was why he treated her with exceptional sincerity instead of brushing her off.

A girl like Lin Xingmian was especially sensitive. She could tell whether you truly cared for her or not.

So one should not try to fob her off with a false face.

It was nearly dinner time, so Shen Qingling first went to the market near his home to buy some ingredients before returning to his rented apartment.

He planned to make a simple meal. Some dishes from outside were not even as good as the ones he made himself.

Shen Qingling brought dish after dish, complete in color, aroma, and flavor, to the table.

077 said in surprise, "I didn't expect you to know how to cook, Host."

"Women say that if you want to win a man's heart, you have to win over his stomach. The same applies to men. For women, being able to cook and having good culinary skills are also bonus points."

"You don't even need to be that good at cooking. As long as you have that attitude, they'll give you points in their hearts. Women can be complicated sometimes, and simple at other times."

077 said, "Then wouldn't you have to cook for them every day? Wouldn't that be exhausting for you?"

Shen Qingling smiled and denied it. "No, no, no. To women, this is merely a strength I need to show off once in a while. As long as they know I can cook, they'll give me points. Besides, given the financial circumstances of my former exes and me, I didn't need to cook every day."

"If I really cooked for them often, they would instead feel sorry for me. So this is like a medal. Everyone only needs to know you have one and see it once. You don't need to compete for them every day."

Shen Qingling was used to getting up in the morning afterward and making breakfast for women. They would be touched by it.

In truth, this was merely a cheap gesture for Shen Qingling, but women would be moved by such little details.

077 said, "I get it now. You cooked today to post it on your Moments and build your image. Wouldn't those girls gain more Heart-Throb Score for you then? Am I right?"

Shen Qingling said, "Congratulations, you've learned to answer before being called on. But unfortunately, your answer is wrong."

"I won't post it on my Moments. Once everyone knows about this, the targets won't feel surprised when they see me cook. It's better to wait until they see it with their own eyes before they feel moved."

"Besides, it's best to establish the image that I don't actually love cooking, but am willing to cook for her because I want her to be happy. That way, she'll be even more touched."

077 said, "I see. Then why are you cooking for yourself today, Host?"

Shen Qingling said, "It's been too long since I last cooked. I'm afraid I'll get rusty, so I'm practicing in advance."

077 said, "I think you just wanted to eat it. I have to say, Host, you really are a hardworking man. It seems being a male god requires more effort than being an ordinary man."

Shen Qingling said, "Of course. Just like Goddesses can become Goddesses only because they put in effort."

"They pay more attention to maintenance than ordinary girls, doing skincare every morning and evening and visiting beauty salons for treatments from time to time. To maintain their figures, they have to go to the gym or practice yoga. There are many fattening foods they cannot eat, because eating them can cause breakouts and weight gain. So much delicious food is simply beyond their reach."

"To put it bluntly, a Goddess with no flaws from any angle, with a refined face and figure, is built with money and effort."

"Truly naturally beautiful Goddesses do exist, but if they want to do nothing and remain beautiful forever, then they either need to spend money and time, or they hit the genetic lottery and can stay that way for life. But most belong to the former category. The latter are extremely rare."

It was the same for becoming a male god. For him to remain glamorous as a male celebrity in his previous life, he had needed to do all those things as well.

For example, he had to go to the gym and learn aesthetics and fashion coordination. He had even taught himself how to curl his hair and apply makeup.

So the first step to becoming a male god was not being lazy.

If one was both poor and lazy, then one should forget about it in this lifetime. Once you became a workhorse, all that remained was weary hardship.

Fortunately, he had the system in this life and did not need to compete in any of that.

This face of the Original Host had won the genetic lottery. He could maintain this handsomeness without doing anything at all.

077 said, "With me, Host, you don't need to worry. I can give you anything you want, including the cooking skills you mentioned. All these cheat abilities can be purchased in the System Shop."

Shen Qingling still trusted 077 on the point that anything produced by the system was no ordinary product.

After chatting with the system for a while, Shen Qingling took out his phone and checked it.

Both Ruan Mingyi and Song Zhining had sent him messages.

Ruan Mingyi invited him to have dinner with her tomorrow.

Song Zhining, meanwhile, mentioned having lunch together at the Song Family tomorrow.

Quite unfortunately, Ji Yunmiao had also sent him a message.

"Qingling, thank you so much for being willing to become Mianmian's teacher. My little sister really likes you; she's just not good with words."

"If it's convenient for you, I'd like to invite you to have lunch with Mianmian tomorrow. Would that be okay?"

Ji Yunmiao had naturally made this decision because she had sensed changes in Lin Xingmian.

After class, Ji Yunmiao bought a small cake and went to see Lin Xingmian.

The girl was neither playing piano in the music room nor painting.

She sat at the desk in her bedroom, looking at the picture Shen Qingling had drawn for her.

There was a sailboat amid a sea of clouds. What did that mean?

Ji Yunmiao placed the cake on the table. "Big sister bought the little cake Mianmian liked most when she was little. Mianmian can try it later."

Lin Xingmian blinked and looked toward the cake.

Would Teacher Shen like cake?

Ji Yunmiao was accustomed to her silence. Smiling, she looked at the painting and asked, "Teacher Shen drew this, right?"

"Yes."

"Then what does Mianmian think of the new Teacher Shen today? Do you want him to teach Mianmian?"

Lin Xingmian looked at the painting placed on the desk and said softly, "Teacher Shen is very nice."

She really liked Teacher Shen.