Mountain-Top Hot Pot

Du Shen handed him the bow and arrow, then said to Duan Xu and the others, who had no idea how capable he was, "Yan-ge trained professionally before. He never misses!"

Zhou Zhou clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Is there anything Yan-ge can't do?"

"Probably not," Xiao Xu said, scratching his head.

Xue Jingshu smiled faintly, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone to hear. "No, there is. He can't chase a boyfriend."

The moment he finished speaking, there was first a stretch of silence, followed by a burst of laughter.

"Hahaha..."

Shen Yanlang: "..."

He glanced at Duan Xu beside him. He said nothing, but appropriately let his pitifulness show.

Since I'm being laughed at, feel a little more sorry for me and say yes sooner.

Duan Xu awkwardly looked away. He really was thinking about it—should he confess while he had the chance?

After thinking for a while, he shook his head and rejected the idea. No, he had not even finished differentiating yet.

Shen Yanlang already had all kinds of hooligan thoughts while he had not finished differentiating, and he had even failed to resist kissing his gland. If he confessed now and gave Shen Yanlang the status of boyfriend, would he not become even more of a hooligan?

Duan Xu had rarely come into contact with this sort of thing growing up. What he longed for was a beautiful, romantic love with soul-deep compatibility, like the love between his father and mother.

Shen Yanlang was too much of a hooligan! He really was far too much of a hooligan!

He needed time to adapt. Like now, when Shen Yanlang merely said things in his mind, Duan Xu was speechless but no longer as shocked as he had been at first. Of course, he would still get embarrassed when he ought to.

What are you thinking about?

Shen Yanlang saw that Duan Xu had originally been looking at him, but his gaze had gradually drifted away. He was clearly lost in thought.

Duan Xu came back to himself and pretended not to know. "Weren't you going to shoot?"

"Mm, I'll shoot for you to see." As Shen Yanlang spoke, he stared at Duan Xu, a strange depth flashing through his eyes.

Duan Xu: "???"

What kind of look was that?

Seeing Duan Xu's clear, puzzled eyes, Shen Yanlang could not help curling his lips. He turned and walked toward the distance.

Xuxu is too innocent. It makes me want to... even more.

At the same time, Zhou Zhou and the others made drawn-out noises of realization, their gazes moving suggestively between Duan Xu and Shen Yanlang.

Duan Xu had not understood before, but he understood now. His face immediately reddened, and he shouted in embarrassment and anger, "Shen Yanlang, have some shame!"

"Pfft, hahaha..." No one could hold back their laughter. Even Han Xi had a smile on his face.

Shen Yanlang walked to the target, then turned to look at Duan Xu. His gaze was steady and his tone serious. "Why are you scolding me?"

Duan Xu: "..."

When it came to thick skin, Shen Yanlang was number one in the world!

Du Shen and the others laughed until their stomachs hurt. Du Shen even said, "Yan-ge, I've known you for nearly twenty years. I never expected you to be this kind of person!"

"Cousin, I'm seeing you in a whole new light." Ye Xinyu gave him a thumbs-up.

The corner of Xue Jingshu's mouth lifted. "Heh, men."

Han Xi turned to look at Xue Jingshu, and Xue Jingshu looked back at him. His gaze deepened, and his tone became meaningful. "I'm a man too."

Han Xi looked away. He still appeared cool and aloof, but the tips of his ears had reddened.

Duan Xu happened to see it. He found it very novel, but did not dare look too much. So even a cool and aloof omega gets shy sometimes!

After the laughter and teasing, Shen Yanlang nocked an arrow and drew the bow. His posture was perfect, his profile handsome, and his expression changed along with it. If he were dressed in military uniform, he would look exactly like a young, accomplished general.

Duan Xu's heart started racing.

Just then, with a whoosh, Shen Yanlang released the arrow. It flew past Duan Xu's eyes in the blink of an eye and struck the target dead center.

"Clap clap clap..." The others applauded, and Duan Xu could not help joining in.

"Yan-ge is amazing!"

"Yan-ge is awesome!"

Shen Yanlang looked toward Duan Xu. Seeing him applauding too, his eyes sparkling brightly, Shen Yanlang's heart itched. He picked up the bow and walked over.

He handed the bow to Du Shen first before going to Duan Xu's side and asking softly, "Am I impressive?"

"Very," Duan Xu answered honestly.

Shen Yanlang smiled. Just as he was about to say something, Ye Xinyu cut in, "Xuxu, do you want to try? If you don't know how, Cousin can teach you~"

"No, thank you." Duan Xu declined with a smile, firmly refusing to give Shen Yanlang an opportunity to act like a hooligan.

Shen Yanlang was a little disappointed, but he did not say much. He asked, "Want to take another walk around?"

We can be alone for a little longer, then confess naturally.

Duan Xu raised his eyes and gave him a sweet smile, but his words were not sweet in the slightest. "No, I'll stay here with them."

Shen Yanlang was momentarily dazed. Only when he came back to himself did he realize what Duan Xu had said. He smiled helplessly. "All right, I'll stay with you."

Duan Xu was satisfied. That was more like it. How nice it was to be a little more proper!

However, being proper was impossible.

There'll be plenty of chances when we sleep tonight. Maybe I can kiss him again.

Duan Xu: "..."

It got dark early in winter. Before six o'clock, the sky had already dimmed, and the temperature dropped with it. It was much colder than during the day. Fortunately, they had come well prepared, so their bodies were not cold, though their hands and feet were.

Around six, the sky became completely dark. Xue Jingshu said, "Let's start cooking early. Once we're done, we can lie down in our sleeping bags."

No one objected. They went to the shop together to choose ingredients and brought a large pile back to the side of the tents.

They had deliberately brought a picnic blanket when they came up, and they rented another mat from the shop. They laid down the mat first, then the blanket, so they would not end up sitting in a puddle.

The fog had been fairly thick in the afternoon, and the grass was covered in droplets of water. Although the fog had dispersed by now, the droplets on the grass had not dried yet.

The eight of them bustled about, dividing up the work. Before long, they had the fire going. The fuel was a small gas canister the owner had specially carried up, connected to a simple stove. The pot was not large, but it was enough for hot pot.

Once everything was ready, the eight of them sat around it, two in each direction. Some meatballs and other ingredients had already been added to the pot. Once it boiled, they could cook it a little longer and eat.

"The altitude is high up here, so the boiling point is relatively lower. Cook it a bit longer later," Xue Jingshu reminded them.

Ye Xinyu let out an "Ah." "Good thing there's plenty of oil in the pot, or it wouldn't cook through."

Zhou Zhou pulled out a large pile of snacks. "Come on, everyone, have something first to tide yourselves over."

No one stood on ceremony. Each of them took the snacks they wanted, eating while staring eagerly at the pot.

Duan Xu inhaled the wafting fragrance, so tempted that he almost drooled. Come to think of it, he had not eaten hot pot since he started reviewing. He really wanted some!

"Don't rush." Shen Yanlang handed him a cracker. "It'll be ready soon."

Steam was rising from the pot, and the water gradually began to boil. Everyone's eyes lit up, and Du Shen shouted, "It's boiling, it's boiling!"

Xue Jingshu glanced at Du Shen. "Don't get excited. It's not cooked yet."

Du Shen: "Oh."

Everyone's eyes dimmed again, but they all continued staring at the pot like starving wolves who had not eaten for days.

After waiting another seven or eight minutes and making sure it was cooked, seven pairs of chopsticks from the group of eight went into the pot at once, because Han Xi did not move.

Before long, every meatball in the pot was gone.