So Restrained

Duan Xu gave a hum and said with a smile, "The exhaustion from hiking yesterday, the cold at night, and the difficulty of getting up early were all for this final moment. It really was worth it."

"This trip really wasn't for nothing. We got lucky too—the weather was nice, and it didn't rain," Zhou Zhou said.

Xiao Xu nodded. "If it had rained, we wouldn't have been able to see the sunrise."

Xue Jingshu let out a breath. "All right, that's about it. Let's get ready to head down."

"Come on, come on, let's get down the mountain already. We can catch up on sleep after breakfast!" Du Shen said, pulling Ye Xinyu along at the front.

Shen Yanlang and Duan Xu walked at the very back. Shen Yanlang directly took Duan Xu's hand, their fingers interlocking, then turned to him with a smile. "Xuxu, I'm really happy I got to watch the sunrise with you."

Duan Xu turned to look at him. Though a little embarrassed, he smiled as well. "Me too."

It's just a pity I didn't get to kiss him during the sunrise.

Duan Xu: "..."

They went to the shop first. The owner had opened up, so they returned the tent and got their deposit back. Then the group headed down the mountain with their backpacks.

Going downhill was faster than climbing up, and they did not stop to rest. They reached the foot of the mountain in just over an hour.

Once they reached the parking lot, they drove straight back to the hotel, had a simple breakfast, then returned to their rooms one by one like wilted eggplants to catch up on sleep.

They had been as excited to watch the sunrise that morning as they were listless now. Duan Xu did not even have the energy to fuss over sleeping with Shen Yanlang.

So Shen Yanlang very consciously held him as they caught up on sleep in the same bed.

They slept until after two in the afternoon. When Duan Xu woke up, he discovered that Shen Yanlang was already awake.

Not only that, one of Shen Yanlang's arms was beneath Duan Xu's neck as a pillow, while the other rested around his waist. The arm serving as his pillow was even holding a phone.

"Awake?" Shen Yanlang put down his phone and naturally kissed the corner of his mouth.

Duan Xu was stunned. This... made it seem as though they had been together for years. Shen Yanlang's tone and movements had been so natural that he had not reacted in time.

"Still not awake? Want to sleep a little longer?" Seeing Duan Xu dazed, Shen Yanlang could not help smiling.

Xuxu is so cute when he's just woken up.

Duan Xu finally came back to himself and glared at Shen Yanlang. "Didn't you say you wouldn't kiss me without my permission?"

"Hm? Did I kiss you just now?" Shen Yanlang looked puzzled, as though he truly had not kissed him.

Duan Xu: "..."

Heh. Men!

Duan Xu could not be bothered to argue with him. Taking advantage of Shen Yanlang's inattention, he hurriedly sat up and even jumped out of bed. "What time is it? Did I sleep too late?"

"It's not late." Shen Yanlang looked at Duan Xu regretfully.

I should've pulled him back and kissed him again.

Duan Xu rolled his eyes with his back turned, picked up the phone from the bedside table, and checked it. It was 2:13 p.m., and there were quite a few messages in the group chat.

He opened it and saw that only Ye Xinyu had not woken up yet. They said they would go eat once she woke up, then drive back to school.

Xue Jingshu had also said he would treat them to dinner that night, as promised before—a dinner to celebrate getting into a relationship.

Duan Xu got up and freshened himself up, packed the things that needed packing, then sat on the single sofa and played on his phone.

"Xuxu, the sofa isn't comfortable." Shen Yanlang leaned against the headboard and patted the spot beside him. "Come play on the bed."

Duan Xu looked up at him expressionlessly.

Once he gets on the bed, I can hold Xuxu. Maybe I can even kiss him.

"You play by yourself." Duan Xu gave a soft snort.

Shen Yanlang raised his brows slightly and simply threw back the covers to get out of bed, though he did not immediately go over to Duan Xu.

Once I finish packing, sitting on the sofa while holding Xuxu wouldn't be bad either. I could even have him sit on my lap.

Duan Xu looked up in horror. Shen Yanlang had his back to him and did not see it.

Shen Yanlang was such a beast!

There was no way Duan Xu would let him have his way!

Duan Xu decisively got up and, before Shen Yanlang could react, opened the door, shut it behind him, and left.

When Shen Yanlang turned around, all he saw was Duan Xu's retreating back. "Why did you go out?"

Duan Xu had originally wanted to find Zhou Zhou, but then he remembered that Xiao Xu was there too. He might disturb them if he went over, so he squatted in the hallway and played on his phone instead.

After Shen Yanlang finished packing, he opened the door and found Duan Xu squatting against the wall, playing on his phone. He laughed. "Xuxu, would you rather squat in the hallway and play on your phone just to avoid me?"

Duan Xu looked up at him and firmly refused to admit it. "I'm not avoiding you."

"Really?" Shen Yanlang leaned against the doorway. "Then what are you doing right now?"

"Squatting and playing on my phone!" Duan Xu looked at him as if he had asked the most ridiculous question.

Shen Yanlang: "..."

Could it be that I really am being too much of a rogue?

Shen Yanlang began to reflect on himself.

But I've already been very restrained.

Duan Xu: "..."

If he could not hear Shen Yanlang's thoughts, it would have been fine. Those actions were a little roguish, but not too much, and since they liked each other, he could treat them as a bit of flirtation.

But the problem was that Shen Yanlang was constantly thinking want to kiss, want to bite, want to hold him. Who could stand that?

"Get up. Your legs will go numb if you squat too long." Shen Yanlang reflected inwardly, but did not show it on his face.

Duan Xu had indeed been squatting for too long, so he braced himself against the wall and stood up.

"Are your legs numb?" Shen Yanlang asked, supporting him.

Duan Xu was about to shake his head when the dense, needle-pricking sensation hit him. "Hiss—yeah, they're numb. It hurts."

Seeing this, Shen Yanlang did not dare move him. "Bear with it. It'll be fine once it passes."

Duan Xu's face scrunched up, and the pain was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Shen Yanlang had not meant to think about anything else at a time like this, but Duan Xu's eyes shimmered with tears and his expression was pained, so certain inappropriate images suddenly came to mind.

Shen Yanlang's Adam's apple bobbed unnaturally. His voice was low and hoarse. "Xuxu, is it better now?"

"Not yet." Duan Xu had no time to pay attention to him. He only wanted the pain to pass quickly, but—

Will he look like this during his heat?

No, he should be even more enticing than he is now.

Duan Xu: "!!!"

"You!" Duan Xu turned and glared at Shen Yanlang. After taking several deep breaths, his legs finally felt less numb than before, and he directly shook off Shen Yanlang's hand. At the same time, he muttered, "You old pervert!"

After shaking him off, Duan Xu took his phone and went back into the room, completely unwilling to deal with him.

Shen Yanlang, however, froze for a moment.

Was my expression that obvious just now?

It probably wasn't obvious, right?

But Xuxu seems to know exactly what I'm thinking. He even called me a pervert?

Duan Xu: Heh!

After that, Duan Xu did not want to talk to Shen Yanlang. He did not say a word to him the entire time, only reluctantly responding once everyone had gotten up, packed their things, and was ready to leave.

By the time they drove back to school, it was nearly eight o'clock. So they simply went to the hotpot restaurant Xue Jingshu had booked first and planned to return to school after eating.

Why were they still having hotpot?

Because they had not enjoyed the hotpot on the mountaintop to the fullest.

It was past ten after they finished eating. Du Shen and Ye Xinyu took a cab home, while the rest went straight back to school, making it in just before the curfew.

Although the school had a curfew, hot water was available around the clock during winter. So after returning, they showered one after another, washing away their exhaustion and the smell of hotpot.