So Good

Duan Xu tilted his head slightly, wanting to hear what he would say next, and deliberately said, "Zhou Zhou's tastes a little better."

"Is that so?" Shen Yanlang smiled generously, though he was practically dying of frustration inside. "Looks like I still need to work harder."

[I'll go back and learn from a professional barbecue chef.]

Duan Xu: "..."

There was really no need to go that far.

But... Duan Xu was still touched by those words. He blinked and smiled. "I was kidding. Yours tastes better."

Shen Yanlang raised his brows. "Really?"

"Mm." Duan Xu nodded. He was about to say a few more words to praise him when a boy suddenly walked over.

The boy wore a light blue tracksuit. He had a sweet-looking face and a slender figure, with a delicate sort of beauty. He looked like an omega, and he was holding a plate of grilled skewers.

He held the skewers out to Shen Yanlang and said shyly, "Shen Yanlang, I grilled this meat. Please try some."

Duan Xu blinked and immediately understood the boy's intentions.

But for some reason, whenever he had seen people showing interest in or confessing to Shen Yanlang during class or meals before, he had felt nothing at all. Now, though, it seemed to feel a little different.

To hide the strange feeling in his heart, Duan Xu pretended not to care and ate his skewer.

Shen Yanlang understood as well. People had been constantly showing interest in him since middle school, but none of them had caught his eye. Besides, his studies had been more important back then.

His first reaction was to look at Duan Xu, but seeing Duan Xu's indifferent expression left him somewhat disappointed.

When he turned back, Shen Yanlang put on an expression that kept people at arm's length and said coldly, "No need. I have my own. Thanks."

"S-Sorry for bothering you." The boy looked embarrassed after being rejected. Too awkward to linger, he ran off carrying his grilled meat.

In fact, quite a few people had wanted to approach Shen Yanlang after he arrived, but no one had dared to be the first.

Now they had seen what happened to the first one. They figured the result would be the same if they went over, so they all gave up the idea.

After that person left, Duan Xu's eyelashes trembled. He could not say what he was feeling; even he thought it was strange.

[Xuxu doesn't care at all. Does he really not have even a little interest in me?]

As soon as the thought ended, Duan Xu stopped chewing. His other hand clenched tightly around his pants, and his breathing skipped a beat. He did his best to remain calm. "Brother Yan, I-I'm going to the restroom."

"Mm." Shen Yanlang nodded. He was feeling a little down at the moment, so it was good for Duan Xu to leave for a while. Otherwise, he was afraid he would not be able to hold himself back.

Duan Xu strode away in the direction of the restroom.

After reaching the restroom, he did take care of business. Only after washing his hands did he find an empty corner and quietly squat down, burying his face between his knees.

Duan Xu's heart was beating rapidly, and his mind buzzed. He replayed Shen Yanlang's words over and over, unable to stop himself from recalling everything he had heard before.

When all those inner thoughts were linked together, he could seemingly clearly sense the gradual changes in Shen Yanlang's feelings for him, all the way up to now.

Shen Yanlang liked him?

Probably, right? Otherwise, why would he think that way? He had even wanted to take advantage of him.

But... didn't he have a destined partner?

Oh, right. The plot was strange now too. He had undergone a second differentiation, Han Xi did not seem to like Shen Yanlang either, and Shen Yanlang's feelings toward him...

How had everything gotten so messed up?

Duan Xu felt like the current situation was a tangled mess of threads, impossible to sort out no matter how hard he tried.

"Why are you hiding here? What happened?" Shen Yanlang's voice rang out above him, startling Duan Xu. "Y-You, why are you here?"

"You hadn't come back." Shen Yanlang squatted down as well, meeting Duan Xu's eyes. "What happened? Can you tell me?"

Shen Yanlang had not been able to wait for Duan Xu any longer, so he came looking for him. When he found him, Duan Xu was squatting alone in an unlit corner, his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried against them.

He did not know what Duan Xu had gone through, but he could tell that something was wrong with Duan Xu's mood.

"I can't." Duan Xu pressed his lips together. How was he supposed to explain something like this?

Besides, he could not even sort things out himself right now. He did not know how to explain it, and he could not possibly reject Shen Yanlang just like that either, considering Shen Yanlang had not confessed to him.

Hey, wait. Why was he acting as if he was looking forward to Shen Yanlang confessing?

Shen Yanlang fell silent for a moment. In the pitch-black corner, his eyes looked deep and shadowed as he asked softly, "Do you still want to eat?"

"If you don't, we can go back to school."

Shen Yanlang did not want to force Duan Xu. Besides, Duan Xu saying "I can't" was better than pretending nothing was wrong when something clearly was.

[It's still not enough.]

Duan Xu blinked. In the darkness, his eyes shone like stars. Pressing his lips together, he said, "I want to eat. It wouldn't be good for us to leave by ourselves."

"Then shall we go back now?" Shen Yanlang stood and held out a hand.

Duan Xu gave a quiet "mm," but he did not take his hand. Instead, he braced himself against the wall and stood on his own.

Shen Yanlang calmly withdrew his hand at the sight, though his gaze darkened slightly.

The two returned to the grill. Not long after, Huang Yonghe and Yu Qingqing came over, and two cans of beer had been placed beside their grill.

"Junior, how's your grilling? Let me have a taste." Huang Yonghe unceremoniously took a skewer, then gave one to Yu Qingqing as well. "Mm, not bad. You've got skills, Junior!"

"Thank you, Senior." Shen Yanlang's voice was low, without much inflection.

Huang Yonghe was too oblivious to notice, but Yu Qingqing felt that the atmosphere between Shen Yanlang and Duan Xu was strange. She could not figure out what was strange about it, though, so she only said, "Let's have a drink together!"

"Come on, come on!" Huang Yonghe and Yu Qingqing each picked up a can of beer.

Shen Yanlang picked up a can and popped it open, then hesitated as he looked at the other can. [Should I let Xuxu drink?]

Before he could decide, Duan Xu had already picked up the other can and opened it. Smiling, he raised it. "Cheers! President and Senior Yu, you worked hard today!"

"It wasn't hard at all, it's what we should do. Cheers!" Huang Yonghe laughed heartily.

Seeing that, Shen Yanlang stopped overthinking and clinked cans with them.

After chatting with them for a while, Huang Yonghe went over to Zhou Zhou's side, leaving only the two of them here again.

Duan Xu's thoughts were simple now. Alcohol could get people drunk. He wanted to get drunk; if he was drunk, he would not have to think so much.

So Shen Yanlang watched as Duan Xu drank can after can, one more than he had drunk last time.

"Xuxu?" Shen Yanlang waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Are you drunk?"

It took Duan Xu quite a while to answer. "Drunk."

After saying that, he nodded seriously.

Shen Yanlang: "..."

[So good.]

Duan Xu frowned and tried to open another can, but Shen Yanlang pressed his hand down and said sternly, "You're drunk. You can't drink any more."

Duan Xu pouted unhappily, yet obediently answered, "Oh."

Shen Yanlang could not help letting out a low laugh. Taking advantage of the fact that Duan Xu was drunk, he said it outright. "How can you be this cute, this good?"

"I'm not cute." Duan Xu refuted him seriously.

But in Shen Yanlang's eyes, Duan Xu's wide-eyed, solemn declaration that he was not cute was unbearably adorable.