Du Shen handed him the bow and arrows, then said to Duan Xu and the others, who had no idea how capable he was, "Yan-ge studied this 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."
As soon as he said that, there was first a moment of silence, followed by a burst of laughter.
"Hahaha..."
Shen Yanlang: "..."
He glanced at Duan Xu beside him and said nothing, but appropriately let his pitifulness show.
[Since I'm being mocked, pity me a little more and agree sooner.]
Embarrassed, Duan Xu looked away. He really was considering 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 finished differentiating yet.
Shen Yanlang already had all sorts of lewd thoughts while he had not even finished differentiating, and he had even failed to hold back from kissing his gland. If he confessed now and gave Shen Yanlang the status of boyfriend, would he not become even more shameless?
Duan Xu had rarely come into contact with this sort of thing while growing up. What he longed for was the beautiful, romantic, soul-deep love his father and mother had.
Shen Yanlang was too shameless! Seriously, way too shameless!
He needed time to adjust. Like now, when Shen Yanlang merely said things in his head, he was speechless but no longer as shocked as he had been in the beginning. Of course, he would still be embarrassed when he ought to be.
[What are you thinking about?]
Shen Yanlang saw that Duan Xu had been looking at him, but his gaze gradually drifted away. He was obviously 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." Shen Yanlang stared at Duan Xu as he spoke, a hint of something else 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 before turning and walking into the distance.
[Xuxu is too innocent. It makes me want to... even more.]
At the same time, Zhou Zhou and the others let out drawn-out "oohs," their gazes moving ambiguously between Duan Xu and Shen Yanlang.
Duan Xu had not understood before, but he understood now. His face immediately turned red, and he shouted in embarrassed 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 position, then turned back to look at Duan Xu. His gaze was calm, and his tone was serious. "Why are you scolding me?"
Duan Xu: "..."
When it came to thick skin, Shen Yanlang was the undisputed champion!
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 see 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. His face still appeared cool and distant, but the tips of his ears had turned red.
Duan Xu happened to see that, and he found it quite novel. He did not dare stare for long, though, and silently thought, So even a cool omega can get embarrassed!
After the laughter and teasing died down, Shen Yanlang drew the bow and nocked an arrow. His posture was flawless, his profile handsome, and even his gaze changed. If he put on a military uniform, he would definitely look like a young and promising general.
Duan Xu's heart began beating faster as he watched.
Just then, with a whoosh, Shen Yanlang released an arrow. It flew past Duan Xu's eyes in the blink of an eye and struck the target dead center.
"Clap clap clap..." Everyone 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 shining brightly, Shen Yanlang's heart itched. He picked up the bow and walked over.
He handed the bow to Du Shen first, then walked over to Duan Xu and asked in a low voice, "Am I impressive?"
"Very impressive," 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 rejected her with a smile, resolutely refusing to give Shen Yanlang an opportunity to act shamelessly.
Shen Yanlang was a little regretful, but he did not say much. Instead, he asked, "Do you want to walk around nearby some more?"
[We can be alone a little longer, then I can confess naturally.]
Duan Xu raised his eyes and gave him a sweet smile, but his words were anything but sweet. "No, I'll stay here with them."
Shen Yanlang blanked out for a moment. When he came back to himself and realized what Duan Xu had said, he smiled helplessly. "Okay, 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 they were not cold overall—only their hands and feet were chilly.
Around six, it became completely dark. Xue Jingshu said, "Let's start cooking early. Once we're done, we can crawl into our sleeping bags."
No one objected. They went to the shop together to pick ingredients, then carried a huge pile back beside the tent.
They had specially brought a picnic blanket when they came up, and they rented an extra 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 quite heavy in the afternoon, and the grass had been covered in droplets. Although the fog had dispersed by now, the droplets on the grass had not dried.
The eight of them busied themselves, dividing up the work. Before long, they had a fire going. The fire came from a small gas canister the owner had specially transported 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 in a circle, two facing each direction. Some meatballs and other ingredients were already in the pot. Once it boiled, they would only need to cook it a little longer before eating.
"The altitude is high up here, so the boiling point is relatively lower. Let it cook a bit longer," Xue Jingshu reminded everyone.
Ye Xinyu let out an "ah." "Good thing there's plenty of oil in the pot, or it might not cook through."
Zhou Zhou pulled out a huge pile of snacks. "Come on, everyone, have something to tide yourselves over first."
No one stood on ceremony. Each of them took snacks they wanted to eat, munching while staring eagerly at the pot.
Duan Xu sniffed the aroma drifting out, so hungry he wanted to drool. Ever since he started reviewing, he had not eaten hot pot. He really wanted it!
"Don't rush." Shen Yanlang handed him a cracker. "It'll be ready soon."
Steam was rising from the pot, and gradually, the water 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 every single one of them kept staring at the pot like hungry wolves who had not eaten in days.
After waiting another seven or eight minutes and making sure it was cooked, seven pairs of chopsticks descended into the pot among the eight of them, because Han Xi did not move.
Before long, an entire pot of meatballs was gone.
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