After evening self-study, Duan Xu and Shen Yanlang returned together. The moment they entered the dorm, they heard Zhou Zhou shouting, "Holy shit! That was way too fast, wasn't it?"
"What was too fast?" Duan Xu could not help asking.
Zhou Zhou looked up at them and waggled his eyebrows. "Go check the school forum, especially Yan-ge. Someone took photos of you, and they've dug up all your information."
Upon hearing that, Shen Yanlang immediately understood and gave an indifferent hum.
Seeing how calm he looked, as if it had nothing to do with him, Duan Xu could not help admiring him.
But the next moment—
It was only a matter of time before someone photographed me. Can't help it—I'm too handsome.
Duan Xu: "..."
He really could not tell that Shen Yanlang was so narcissistic.
Still, Shen Yanlang had refined, handsome features, a steady temperament, and a pretty good personality. Anyone who saw him would think he was strikingly handsome. He had every right to be narcissistic.
Duan Xu remembered that Shen Yanlang was even considered the campus heartthrob.
After putting away his books, Duan Xu took out his phone and opened the forum. The very first post had a "Hot" tag after it.
#Peak Freshman Looks, Future Campus Heartthrob!#
When he clicked in, the first thing he saw was a candid photo of Shen Yanlang and himself eating in the cafeteria.
The angle was excellent, taken from Shen Yanlang's front side. He happened to be sitting by the window, and the midday sunlight filtered through the trees onto him, as though it had gilded him in light.
[This shot is way too beautiful!]
[Waaah! With a face like that, I could drool over him for the rest of my life!!!]
[I thought the title was just clickbait, but after coming in, I realized the OP was being honest!]
[One minute! I need all the information on this junior!]
[He's obviously an alpha. Junior, I'm available!]
Senior girls were truly terrifying.
After reading it, Duan Xu closed the forum. Luckily, the person who had taken the photo had not captured him. Of course, even if they had, he would have been ignored.
Not bad candid photography skills.
Duan Xu: "..."
"Yan-ge, I guarantee you'll be the new campus heartthrob. No doubt about it." Zhou Zhou read the post with great interest.
Shen Yanlang remained calm. "Whatever."
I've never met anyone better-looking than me.
Duan Xu: "..."
This was not ordinary narcissism!
Xiao Xu dug out his pajamas, preparing to shower, but after glancing at Zhou Zhou, he said in a less-than-friendly tone, "Why does a guy like you care about another guy's looks?"
"Why can't I care?" Zhou Zhou looked baffled. "I like looking at him!"
Xiao Xu choked, glanced at Shen Yanlang, and seemed like he wanted to say something. In the end, he said nothing and headed for the bathroom.
Zhou Zhou was speechless. "What's his problem?"
Duan Xu looked at Zhou Zhou. Once Xiao Xu had gone inside, he smiled and said, "Maybe he's jealous?"
"Screw you!" Zhou Zhou laughed and cursed, but did not say anything else.
Shen Yanlang looked thoughtful. Jealous?
Hearing that, Duan Xu gave a light cough. He really wanted to explain it to Shen Yanlang, but it did not seem appropriate, so he ultimately let it go.
*
First-year classes were not numerous, but they were scattered throughout the schedule. There were two to four classes every day, and before they knew it, a week had passed.
Shen Yanlang noticed that Duan Xu had become more talkative than before, so he attributed his initial odd behavior to having scared him.
Since their class schedules overlapped a great deal, they spent more time together than they did with Zhou Zhou and the others, and naturally became closer.
On Friday night, no one in the dorm went home. They arranged to go out for spicy hot pot together.
At the table, the four of them ate and chatted.
"You guys know about the freshman welcome party, right? Is anyone performing?" Zhou Zhou asked after taking a bite of luncheon meat.
Xiao Xu looked up and stared at him. "You're performing?"
"Yeah!" Zhou Zhou nodded and smiled with narrowed eyes. "I'm dancing. You all have to come support me when the time comes."
"No problem." Duan Xu nodded, then asked, "What kind of dance?"
"Classical dance." Zhou Zhou took another bite of kelp.
Duan Xu's eyes lit up. "You must have started learning classical dance when you were little, right?"
Zhou Zhou said, "Yeah, I started when I was five."
Xiao Xu's eyes brightened too, and he immediately said, "I'll definitely go!"
"I'll go too," Duan Xu added.
He remembered thinking Zhou Zhou had an unusual aura the first time he saw him. So it turned out he had studied classical dance.
Shen Yanlang gave a hum without speaking, glancing at Duan Xu beside him.
Although it was already late September, the heat had not faded. It was still sweltering at night, and since they were eating spicy hot pot, a fine layer of sweat had formed on Duan Xu's nose. His lips had turned vividly red from the spicy broth.
His lips are red from the spice, like someone kissed him hard.
"Cough, cough..." Duan Xu choked on Shen Yanlang's words.
Seeing this, Shen Yanlang poured him a glass of water. "Don't rush. Eat slowly."
Duan Xu glanced at him as he drank, silently complaining: Whose fault was that?
"Yan-ge, you still haven't said whether you're performing or not?" Zhou Zhou felt that with Shen Yanlang's looks alone, the teachers would never let him off the hook.
Sure enough, Shen Yanlang set down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, "Violin performance."
"Damn!" Zhou Zhou gave him a thumbs-up. "That's awesome!"
Xiao Xu also gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive!"
Shen Yanlang looked toward Duan Xu, who wore a baffled expression.
Why isn't he praising me?
Duan Xu: "..."
"I'll go watch," Duan Xu said, lowering his head to eat the last bite of food.
Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu said they would go too. The two colleges' welcome parties happened to be scheduled at different times.
Shen Yanlang nodded and smiled slightly. "I'll save you seats near the front."
"Tickets for the front seats are hard to get, aren't they?" Zhou Zhou had finished eating and wiped his mouth as well.
Xiao Xu had finished long ago, and his gaze never left Zhou Zhou. "Yan-ge definitely has connections!"
Shen Yanlang merely smiled without saying anything.
Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu immediately understood and smiled too.
Seeing them all smiling, Duan Xu could not help curling up his lips as well.
He really looks good when he smiles, though his lips are so red.
Duan Xu's smile froze on his face. Seeing that Shen Yanlang was still looking at him, he said, "Let's go if we're done eating."
"Let's go, let's go! Time to head back!" Zhou Zhou was eager to get back and play games.
Xiao Xu followed him. "You're playing games again? Are they really that fun?"
"You'll know whether they're fun if you try them!" Zhou Zhou even tried to persuade Xiao Xu. "Why don't you play too? We can team up."
Xiao Xu hesitated for only a second. "Okay."
Shen Yanlang and Duan Xu followed behind them, crossed the road, and entered the campus gates.
Shen Yanlang tilted his head slightly and looked at Duan Xu. "Does Xiao Xu like Zhou Zhou?"
Duan Xu looked back at him. The sky was in that dim state before nightfall, and Shen Yanlang's handsome features seemed much blurrier. "You noticed too? I found out during military training."
Shen Yanlang understood. "But he doesn't seem to have realized it himself."
"Yeah." Duan Xu shrugged. "Who knows what he's thinking."
Shen Yanlang suddenly chuckled. "He'll figure it out eventually."
"That's true." Duan Xu nodded in agreement.
Before you continue