Planning a Mountain Climb

Shen Yanlang had admitted it himself on the forum, and more and more people were shipping the two of them. Some had even started giving Shen Yanlang advice.

If he thought it was good, Shen Yanlang took it. If not, he skipped over it.

As the weather grew colder and December arrived, Shen Yanlang still had not won Duan Xu over. The people in the thread were getting anxious for him, asking every day: Had the campus heartthrob caught him yet?

Duan Xu, meanwhile, had spent the past month tangled in all sorts of conflict and torment. He blushed more and more often whenever he faced Shen Yanlang.

Shen Yanlang saw it all, but he did not pressure him.

By the end of the month, classes had mostly stopped. Final exams were in early January, so the four roommates went to the library every day to claim seats and study, not returning to the dorm until nine at night.

Zhou Zhou loved browsing the forums most. He had originally planned to check Shen Yanlang and Duan Xu's CP thread first, but the moment he opened the forum, he found a new trending, explosively popular post.

#The Student Council President Finally Has a First Lady!#

Zhou Zhou drew in a sharp breath. As he opened the post, he told his roommates, "Guys, President Xue has a first lady!"

"Hm?" Shen Yanlang thought he had misheard.

Xiao Xu always unconditionally went along with Zhou Zhou. "Really? It's on the forum? Let's look together."

Zhou Zhou handed his phone over, and one sat while the other stood as they read through the post.

Duan Xu glanced at Shen Yanlang. "Why don't you take a look too?"

Shen Yanlang and Xue Jingshu came from families that had been friends for generations. They had known each other since childhood and were closer than ordinary friends. Since the other man had started dating, it was only right for Shen Yanlang to show some concern.

But Shen Yanlang did not look at the post. Instead, he directly messaged Xue Jingshu.

Shen Yanlang: [You're dating?]

Xue Jingshu: [You're only asking about me now? Busy chasing someone, are you?]

Shen Yanlang: [Are you dating or not?]

Xue Jingshu: [I am. Han Xi. I'll treat you all to dinner another day.]

Xue Jingshu: [Xiaoyan, you really are hopeless. You've been chasing him for so long and still haven't caught him. Of course, I wouldn't mind sharing some of my dating expertise.]

Shen Yanlang: [Get lost!]

Shen Yanlang put away his phone and said to Duan Xu, who was opening the forum, "They're dating. Han Xi."

"Who?" Duan Xu froze, his eyes widening as his whole body went blank.

Shen Yanlang could not help smiling. "What kind of expression is that? Is it so surprising that they're together?"

Duan Xu looked dazed. Only one thought filled his mind.

The male lead's love interest ran off with another alpha?!

"N-No, it's not surprising." Duan Xu did not know what he was saying. He looked at the top of Shen Yanlang's head again.

But halfway through, he realized something was off. Shen Yanlang did not like Han Xi either, so it could not count as being cuckolded anymore.

Could Xuxu still have feelings for Han Xi?

Duan Xu: "..."

"Let me see the post." Duan Xu felt that he needed to see the history of their relationship.

The thread was lively. The original poster had directly uploaded photos of Xue Jingshu confessing to Han Xi, as well as photos of the two embracing afterward.

[Well... how should I put this? I'm not surprised at all that they got together.]

[Same, and wishing them 99 years!]

[Exactly. When has President Xue ever kept someone by his side like that? Them getting together was only a matter of time.]

[They're such a perfect match! An elite senior alpha and a cold, aloof junior omega—they look made for each other!]

[By the way, President Xue has already won Han Xi over. When is the campus heartthrob going to win Duan Xu over?]

[Haha... doesn't the campus heartthrob have any pride?]

Seeing this, Duan Xu could not help smiling. The ticking time bomb that had been weighing on his heart seemed to vanish, and he felt much lighter.

Han Xi was already with another alpha, so he could consider himself now, right?

Shen Yanlang caught Duan Xu's smile. His eyes were bright too, making Shen Yanlang's heart itch.

When he turned and saw Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu engrossed in the post, their backs still facing them, he leaned close to Duan Xu and whispered in his ear, "Xuxu, I want to kiss you."

Duan Xu's ear twitched. He turned his head and said, "You can't kiss me."

They had to confirm their relationship before they could kiss.

"Without your permission, I won't kiss you." Shen Yanlang's gaze fell on his earlobe.

When will I get to take a bite?

Duan Xu's ears heated up. He pushed Shen Yanlang away. "Stay farther away from me."

"Okay." Shen Yanlang smiled and retreated. Just as he was about to say something else, his phone rang with a voice call.

He picked it up and saw that it was Xue Jingshu. "What is it?"

"Put it on speaker," Xue Jingshu said.

Shen Yanlang turned on the speaker, and Xue Jingshu's voice filled the dorm room. "Hello, is everyone there?"

The other three heard him and turned around, all looking confused.

Shen Yanlang shrugged. "We're all here. Say what you need to say."

"New Year's Day is almost here. It's a three-day holiday—anyone interested in going mountain climbing to see the snow and sunrise?" Xue Jingshu asked.

The moment he finished speaking, all four fell silent. After a moment, Zhou Zhou said, "Final exams are right after New Year's Day. Aren't you afraid of failing if you go out and have fun?"

"I'm not afraid." Xue Jingshu had excellent grades, so he was not worried about finals at all.

The four roommates: "..."

Their silence made Xue Jingshu realize that he needed to win them over one at a time, so he called out to Shen Yanlang. "Xiaoyan, I know your grades. Finals won't be a problem for you. It's a rare holiday—don't you want to go relax?"

"Winter break starts after finals," Shen Yanlang said flatly.

Xue Jingshu: "..."

"Is that so? Looks like you don't want a boyfriend, then. Fine by me," Xue Jingshu said in an indifferent tone.

Shen Yanlang paused and looked at Duan Xu. Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu followed his gaze.

Duan Xu: "..."

No, don't look at me! I'm very shy!

"Xuxu, do you want to go?" Shen Yanlang looked as though he would leave the decision entirely to him, but in reality—

We have to go. We'll stay at a hotel, one room.

Duan Xu: "!!!"

"I-I think... finals are... more important." Duan Xu answered weakly.

Xiao Xu scratched his head awkwardly at that. "I think so too. I'm a little shaky in my academic classes, so I need to focus on studying."

Seeing that, Zhou Zhou said, "Then let's study first."

Regret showed in Shen Yanlang's eyes, but he said, "Then we won't go."

Xue Jingshu pondered for a moment. "In that case, let's go after finals. That should be fine, right?"

This time, no one objected. Duan Xu could not find any reason to refuse and could only agree through tears.

"Then it's settled for now. After the exams, don't go home—we'll leave directly," Xue Jingshu said. "Oh, right. Invite Du Shen and Xiaoyu too."

Shen Yanlang hummed and ended the call.

"Who are Du Shen and Xiaoyu?" Xiao Xu asked.

Shen Yanlang said, "A childhood friend and my cousin."

Duan Xu's eyes shifted slightly. Were they the two people he had seen at the amusement park during his National Day part-time job?

That made eight people going mountain climbing. It was quite a large group.