Rogue

Carrying him up to the bed wouldn't have been impossible for Shen Yanlang, but how could he pass up such a perfect opportunity?

So Shen Yanlang sat down on his chair with Duan Xu in his arms, while Duan Xu sat on his lap, his upper body still leaning against his chest.

Duan Xu: "!!!"

Holy shit! What was Shen Yanlang trying to do?

Duan Xu's breathing quickened slightly, his hands unconsciously curling into fists.

Shen Yanlang didn't turn on the light. The dorm room was still fairly dark, but some light from the streetlamps outside filtered in, barely enough to see by.

He lowered his gaze to Duan Xu's little clenched fist, then slowly moved it up to his pale, tender cheek. He raised a hand and gently stroked it.

Ah! Save me!

Duan Xu screamed inwardly. He had originally wanted to just wake up, but the thought of facing Shen Yanlang after waking made him chicken out. Besides, he had been pretending for so long already—if he woke up now, it would only be more embarrassing.

Sensing Duan Xu's unsteady breathing, Shen Yanlang silently curled his lips into a smile. You gave me permission. Then I won't hold back.

Then Duan Xu felt Shen Yanlang's hand settle beneath his chin, gently lifting it. A warm breath washed over his face.

Duan Xu: "!!!"

A soft, warm touch landed on his lips, carrying a faint woody fragrance and the scent of blazing sunlight. Shen Yanlang's breath brushed against the tip of his nose again and again, making him forget how to breathe.

In the dorm room, Shen Yanlang's pheromones drifted out of control, slowly winding around Duan Xu and drawing out his pheromones in response.

The fresh fragrance of jasmine blended with the woody scent and the heat of blazing sunlight, like a budding jasmine flower sheltered by a towering tree beneath the scorching sun.

Shen Yanlang lingered greedily over that softness for a long time, while restraining himself from doing anything even more excessive.

Duan Xu's face was hot enough to steam an egg, red as an apple. Fortunately, the light was dim enough that it wasn't too obvious.

By then, he was practically floating out of his body, his mind completely blank.

After pulling away, Shen Yanlang chuckled softly. He knew Duan Xu was awake, and since Duan Xu hadn't pushed him away, that meant he felt something for him too. That made Shen Yanlang very happy.

But since Duan Xu was pretending to sleep, it meant he hadn't fully made up his mind yet. He probably had concerns of his own.

In that case, Shen Yanlang would wait for him. Once he figured things out, it wouldn't be too late to confess properly.

With that in mind, Shen Yanlang carried Duan Xu over and sat him on his chair, letting him lean over the desk. Then he went to the balcony, soaked a cloth in hot water, and wiped Duan Xu's face.

When he was done, he stepped onto his chair and lifted Duan Xu directly onto the bed, tucked him beneath the blanket, and finally pressed a light kiss to his forehead. "Good night, Xuxu."

Duan Xu still hadn't recovered from that kiss. His mind remained dazed until Shen Yanlang drew his bed curtains, climbed down from the chair, and turned on the dorm lights.

Duan Xu abruptly opened his eyes. His watery gaze stared at the top of the curtains as he finally came back to himself, and his first thought was—

My first kiss is gone! My first kiss is gone! Gone! Gone! Gone!

Duan Xu pouted, wanting to cry.

Just then, he heard Shen Yanlang open the wardrobe, then head into the bathroom. The bathroom door shut, and the sound of running water followed.

He listened quietly for a while, making sure Shen Yanlang wouldn't come out anytime soon. Then he flipped upright in one motion and slammed his fist against the bed twice. "Rogue! You big rogue!"

After gritting his teeth alone for a while, he finally calmed down somewhat. But once he did, the fact that Shen Yanlang liked him filled him with endless worry.

Even though the plot had already gone completely off the rails, what if?

Shen Yanlang was the male lead, and Han Xi was the romantic lead. They were the official pairing—could they really be broken apart?

Ah, no, that wasn't right. How could he be so awful, wanting to break them up?

What he should be thinking about most was how to reject Shen Yanlang.

He lay back down and pondered the troubling question with even more seriousness than he would an exam problem.

More than half an hour later, Shen Yanlang came out of the bathroom.

Duan Xu was startled. How long had Shen Yanlang been washing up in there?

His phone had been left on the desk by Shen Yanlang, and he had been lost in thought, unable to tell roughly how much time had passed. He only wondered about it for a moment before letting it go.

Just as Shen Yanlang finished tidying up, Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu returned as well—though Zhou Zhou was being supported by Xiao Xu.

Shen Yanlang glanced at them and asked Xiao Xu, "You got him drunk?"

"It wasn't me, I didn't!" Xiao Xu hurriedly waved his hands as he helped Zhou Zhou sit down. "He got carried away drinking. I couldn't stop him."

"Right! I'm happy!" Zhou Zhou was still conscious. He raised a hand and grinned. "My alcohol tolerance is good, right? I drank ten... three bottles!"

Shen Yanlang: "..."

Xiao Xu went along with him from the side. "Yes, yes, your alcohol tolerance is the best. Let's wash up first, then go to sleep."

Zhou Zhou lay sprawled over the desk and thought for a while before raising one hand. "If you help me over there, I'll go."

With Zhou Zhou staring at him so directly, Xiao Xu instinctively swallowed before going over to support him. "I'll help. I'll help you."

Zhou Zhou leaned against Xiao Xu, and the two headed to the balcony together.

Shen Yanlang watched them with a hint of envy. When would Duan Xu take the initiative to ask him for help too?

Listening to their conversation from the bed, Duan Xu blinked. Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu would probably get together naturally, right?

That was nice!

Duan Xu was distracted by the other sounds in the dorm and temporarily stopped thinking about Shen Yanlang. It wasn't until lights-out, when the room had fallen quiet, that a question suddenly occurred to him: Shen Yanlang liked me, but did I like him?

He didn't figure out the answer for the time being and drifted off to sleep in a haze.

The next morning, Zhou Zhou and Duan Xu were the only two drunk people in the dorm still asleep.

Xiao Xu had gone for his daily training. Afraid that Duan Xu would be embarrassed if he saw him after waking up, Shen Yanlang thoughtfully left the dorm to find his childhood friend, Du Shen.

"Mmm..." Duan Xu turned over and slowly woke up.

He was dazed for a moment after waking, with the strange feeling of not knowing what day it was. It took him quite a while to come around.

He pulled aside his bed curtain and found Zhou Zhou sitting in his spot, staring blankly into space. He called lazily, "Zhou Zhou, what are you doing?"

"Huh?" Zhou Zhou snapped back to himself and yawned. "Just woke up. Clearing my head."

"Oh." Duan Xu responded as he climbed down from the bed and sat at his own spot to wake himself up too.

Then he suddenly remembered something. "Where are they?"

"Xiao Xu went to training. I don't know where Yanlang went." Zhou Zhou only knew where Xiao Xu had gone because he had checked his phone. As for Shen Yanlang, he had no idea.

Duan Xu breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good."

"What's wrong?" Zhou Zhou faced the aisle, propping his head up with one hand, looking utterly listless. "Did you two make up last night?"

Duan Xu: "..."

He had still been half-awake, but those words instantly reminded him of last night's kiss. He became more awake than ever.

Seeing Duan Xu's unnatural expression, Zhou Zhou looked surprised. "No way? You still haven't made up? Didn't Yanlang bring you back later? I thought you'd already made up."

To be honest, after that, earth-shaking changes had taken place. As for whether they had made up or not... that was hard to say.