Chapter Text
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Shen Qingqiu stared briefly at the foreign items in his hands. Before he'd gone and kicked the bucket, his TikTok 'for you' page had bestowed unto him sage wisdom that, till now, he'd never thought he'd need. His hair as Shen Yuan was short, pin-straight and rather thin, but when a sixty-second video of a black woman with long, beautiful curly hair came along, detailing step-by-step how she took care of it, he watched with rapt interest.
He'd actually fallen down quite the rabbit hole that evening, soaking up all the tips and tricks from video to video like a sponge– nevermind their uselessness as far as his own hair was concerned.
This morning, his little white lotus had seemingly failed to manage his curly hair. He'd bowed to his shizun as he greeted him, pink-cheeked and reverent as always, but the ponytail at his nape was a frizzy mess.
Suddenly all those videos came rushing back to the forefront of Shen Qingqiu's brain, and he'd excused himself to go consult the System in private. How could he let the harem-wooing protagonist walk around looking like nobody loved him?! The Halo was still in full effect, of course— the plot ensured that Luo Binghe would be devastatingly charming no matter what state he found himself in— but that was no excuse for a master such as Shen Qingqiu to neglect his disciple!
Now, he summoned his Binghe from his classes a bit early, and within minutes the young man materialized in his doorway carrying a blinding smile, folding into a bow.
"This disciple greets Shizun. Did Shizun have a task for me?"
"No, a present. Come."
Binghe's eyes grew wide as he hurried over to his master, curious. "A present from Shizun? Have I done anything in particular to earn such an honor?"
Shen Qingqiu shook his head, gaze warm. "This master noticed Binghe was having trouble maintaining his hair today."
Binghe stood up straight as a reed and turned the color of cinnabar. "This lowly one apologizes! I only–"
Shen Qingqiu hushed him gently and said, "No need for apologies. This master understands that your hair type is different than your peers', and laments that you were not sooner given proper instruction on how to care for it. Your Shizun has failed you, and for that he is sorry."
Luo Binghe looked starstruck. His shoulders sagged a bit with relief, and he leaned into the hand Shen Qingqiu placed upon his head. "Shizun needn't apologize either. This disciple is only grateful that Shizun has taken time out of his busy day to care for his Binghe specifically."
Ah, this sweet-talker! So filial. Truly, any normal person would be unable to resist patting such a darling disciple's head once more. What are all those curls even there for, if not to be lovingly smoothed with a gentle hand?
Shizun pulled out the items he'd gotten from the System: a silk bonnet, a satin pillowcase, a wide-tooth comb, and some oil.
He instructed: "Before you sleep, braid your hair and put it under this bonnet. It will protect your curls from friction when you sleep, and keeps them nice and healthy."
Binghe nodded.
"Put this pillowcase on your pillow. It serves the same purpose."
Binghe nodded again.
"Comb your hair with this, and only when it is completely wet– combing it dry will cause frizz. When you wash your hair, rub this oil into your scalp."
Binghe nodded a third time.
"If you understand, follow me. I will show you how to properly wash and dry that hair of yours."
When Shen Qingqiu finished, he stood back and watched the undefeated protagonist of Proud Immortal Demon Way stare, awed, at his own reflection. "Shizun, what magic have you taught me?"
His curls were now bouncy, soft and defined, and Shen Qingqiu watched his hand as it visibly fought not to tug at them.
Shen Qingqiu almost snorted, but could feel the System side-eye him and killed the noise in his throat .
"Only some simple methods this master has learned over time. Think nothing of it."
Binghe suddenly whipped around and attached himself to his master's midsection in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, Shizun. Your Binghe will not forget what you've taught him."
"Yes, yes," Shen Qingqiu said, not in the least bit pleased with himself. He wrapped his sticky disciple in his arms for only a few minutes before sending him off, back to his lessons.
[ Congratulations! Protagonist Satisfaction Points +250! Keep up the good work (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧]