Dating the Heartthrob Superstar-Chapter 43: It’s the Best

Chapter 43: The Best

Lin Qin went to the small convenience store near the bus station to buy water. He stood in front of the refrigerator for a while, not because he couldn’t decide which water to buy, but because he was debating how to ask the shop owner for directions later.

He hesitated for quite a while, and the shop owner was already looking at him with confusion. Lin Qin finally took a deep breath, grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, and walked to the counter to pay.

Sitting at the counter was a young girl, around sixteen or seventeen years old, probably still a high school student, scrolling through her phone. When she saw someone coming to pay, she glanced at the water in the customer’s hands and said, "Four yuan."

"Can I use WeChat Pay?" Lin Qin hadn’t brought any cash with him.

"You can. Just scan the QR code on the table," the girl said with a slight look of surprise. She thought this customer’s voice was particularly pleasant, and couldn’t help but want to see what he looked like, so she lifted her head to take a look.

Then the girl froze, thinking she must have been mistaken.

Lin Qin had no idea what was going through the girl’s mind, nor did he realize that he might have been recognized. He pulled out his phone to scan the QR code, and after paying, he noticed the girl staring at him with wide, fiery eyes.

Lin Qin nervously swallowed and took a step back, "Excuse me... do... do you need something?"

The girl, who had been skeptical a moment ago, now noticed the camera behind Lin Qin as he stepped back. She immediately confirmed her hunch and exclaimed excitedly, "You... you’re Lin Qin, aren’t you?"

"Huh?" Lin Qin, completely unprepared to be recognized, stared blankly for a moment before nodding.

The girl was so thrilled she almost screamed but managed to hold it in, jumping on the spot a couple of times before calming down. "Lin Qin, I’m a fan of yours! Can you sign an autograph for me?"

Not knowing how to refuse, Lin Qin signed for the girl.

The girl, to her credit, kept a respectful distance and did not overstep, though her fervent gaze still made Lin Qin a bit uncomfortable.

"Lin Qin, are you filming ’Together with Us’? Is Meng Chao — Meng — also here?" she eagerly pressed on.

Before Lin Qin could respond, the cameraman firmly interjected, "Sorry, that’s classified information about the production team and cannot be disclosed."

"Oh," the girl replied, her enthusiasm slightly dampened, and she didn’t continue asking more questions.

Lin Qin had originally intended to ask her for directions. But feeling the girl’s excitement, he hesitated, worried that she might enthusiastically offer to guide him, which he really didn’t know how to refuse.

After saying goodbye to the girl, Lin Qin left the store. Outside, there was an older woman standing at the entrance. Lin Qin hesitated for a long moment before nervously walking up to her and asking, "Excuse me, ma’am, do you know if there’s a house nearby that’s built on a bamboo-covered mountain?"

"Oh sure, there is!" The woman enthusiastically gave Lin Qin an answer and then went on a tangent. She began telling him about the owner of the bamboo house, about how the owner was from the Meng Family, what they had done, how they made their fortune, how much wealth they now had, and how much good they had brought to Nanjiang Town.

She went on and on, sharing all sorts of details, except for how to actually get to the bamboo house. Lin Qin stood there, listening intently like a well-behaved child, not even thinking of interrupting her lengthy monologue.

When the woman finally finished her introduction of the entire Meng Family, she suddenly realized Lin Qin had originally asked her something. But by then, she had forgotten what it was.

"What exactly did you ask me about earlier?" The woman scratched her head, looking embarrassed.

Patiently, Lin Qin repeated his question.

The woman nodded in realization and then said, "Oh, I’ve heard of such a house, but I really don’t know where it is. Maybe you should ask someone else?"

Lin Qin: "..."

Although a bit speechless, Lin Qin thanked the woman and continued looking for someone else to ask for directions.

At first, when asking for directions, Lin Qin felt anxious. But after asking several people in a row, it was as if he had crossed some kind of internal barrier. Lin Qin became more and more comfortable, and by the end, he didn’t feel nervous at all.

Meanwhile, these moments of Lin Qin asking for directions were being transmitted to the bamboo villa through the camera behind him.

Meng Chao and the director sat in front of the monitor, closely watching Lin Qin’s every move.

At the beginning, the director was worried. Could someone with Lin Qin’s personality really bring himself to ask for directions? What if he couldn’t find the place by nightfall?

Meng Chao was also concerned but didn’t show it. He sat there seemingly calm, but the director knew Meng Chao was anxious too. The faint veins on his neck gave him away. freewebnσvel.cøm

The director asked, "Is this really going to work?" He had never imagined that this episode of the show would inadvertently serve as a form of therapy for Lin Qin.

"I believe in him," Meng Chao said resolutely. His eyes never left the monitor as he watched Lin Qin, knowing that Lin Qin was already doing his best to overcome his fear and anxiety, actively reaching out to one stranger after another.

In treating social anxiety, there’s a method called exposure therapy. It involves placing the person in settings that provoke their stress and fears, forcing their anxiety to rise to the surface repeatedly until they eventually grow calm in such situations. The goal is to help them overcome their fears.

Lin Qin’s greatest fear was interacting with people. Now, he had to interact with strangers and even take the initiative to do so. At first, his anxiety and fear would inevitably escalate. But when those emotions peaked, he would realize that communicating with others didn’t lead to anything bad. Over time, his body would grow accustomed to the feelings of fear and anxiety, and these emotions would diminish. Gradually, Lin Qin would feel much more at ease when facing strangers in the future and would remember this confidence. Resistance to such situations would vanish.

This was Meng Chao’s goal, and clearly, Lin Qin was accomplishing it beautifully.

Meng Chao watched the monitor as Lin Qin approached the intersection of the mountain road. He knew the task was successfully completed and could no longer sit still. Turning to the director, he said, "I’m going to pick him up." With that, he strode off on his long legs.

The director watched Meng Chao’s hurried back and shook his head with a smile.

When Lin Qin finally reached the intersection of the mountain road, he saw a car parked in the distance. Meng Chao was leaning against the car door under the blazing sun.

Lin Qin instinctively quickened his pace and ran toward Meng Chao. Stopping in front of him, it was as if all the exhaustion and heat instantly disappeared.

"Brother Chao, I found you," Lin Qin said, his voice filled with relief.

Meng Chao didn’t care that Lin Qin’s hair was drenched with sweat. He reached out and ruffled Lin Qin’s hair with a smile. "I knew my kid is the best."