Drunk

"You're an alpha, and I'm a beta. I don't have glands." Duan Xu snorted softly.

After saying that, Duan Xu suddenly paused. He saw Shen Yanlang put on suppressant patches every day, but he had never smelled anything from him.

Then again, betas were insensitive to pheromones. Unless the other party deliberately released them and they reached a certain concentration, they could not smell them.

Shen Yanlang did not stop what he was doing. He glanced at Duan Xu and sharply noticed that his earlobes were a little red, making his heart itch. "Everything else is the same."

His earlobes are red too. Is he really that shy?

Duan Xu: "???"

Was something wrong with Shen Yanlang? Why was he looking at his earlobes?

Why are they even redder?

Duan Xu: "..."

Barbecue joints were always liveliest at night, with the mouthwatering scent of grilled food hanging in the air and making people swallow involuntarily.

Shen Yanlang and Duan Xu arrived at the barbecue joint one after the other. Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu had already ordered plenty, so they did not order anything else for the moment.

Once the barbecue arrived, each of them opened a can of beer. Zhou Zhou raised his and said, "Come on, cheers! To Brother Yan and me putting on a successful performance, and to our dorm's first group dinner!"

"Cheers!" Xiao Xu clinked his beer can against Zhou Zhou's.

Duan Xu and Shen Yanlang clinked cans as well and said together, "Cheers!"

After setting down his beer, Zhou Zhou took a bite of lamb skewer and said after swallowing, "Not bad."

"Mm, it's alright." Duan Xu nodded after trying it too.

"Brother Yan, you were fucking handsome tonight. The forum's probably blown up by now!" Zhou Zhou pulled out his phone and opened the forum. "Damn, it really has!"

Xiao Xu leaned a little closer to Zhou Zhou. After seeing the posts on the phone, he said, "Your performance last night was great too. I saw posts about it on the forum as well."

"That's different," Zhou Zhou said. "Brother Yan is the campus heartthrob!"

Xiao Xu pressed his lips together. "..."

Shen Yanlang raised his brows slightly and said calmly, "Classical dance is our traditional dance. In my opinion, it deserves more promotion."

Duan Xu agreed. "I think so too."

Shen Yanlang glanced at Duan Xu, the corners of his lips lifting.

Xiao Xu immediately smiled at that. "Exactly! Our traditional culture should be promoted!"

Zhou Zhou grinned. "Then shall we have another toast?"

"Come on! Cheers!"

Can after can, by the time they had finished the barbecue, they had also finished all the beer they ordered.

Duan Xu had never drunk alcohol before. Thinking beer would not get him drunk, he had not paid much attention. In the end, after three cans, he was drunk.

When it was time to pay, all three of them stood up, but Duan Xu was still sitting there, his unfocused gaze a little blank.

"No way, he's drunk?" Zhou Zhou could hardly believe it. He waved a hand in front of Duan Xu's eyes. "Xuxu?"

Duan Xu looked up, glanced at him, then turned back and continued staring into space.

"Pfft..." Zhou Zhou could not help laughing.

"He's really drunk, and it was only three cans of beer!" Xiao Xu scratched his head, unable to believe it either.

Shen Yanlang sat down and patted Duan Xu on the shoulder, his voice low. "Duan Xu? We should head back."

Duan Xu looked at Shen Yanlang again, let out a slow "oh," then stood up and swayed a little.

Zhou Zhou and Shen Yanlang supported him from either side. Then Shen Yanlang said, "I'll take him. You two go on ahead."

Shen Yanlang was an alpha. Even if he was not a sports student, his stamina was far better than theirs. Supporting Duan Xu by himself was no problem at all.

"Alright, then." Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu had no objections, though they still watched the two of them leave the barbecue joint together.

The other two left first, while Shen Yanlang slowly helped the drunk Duan Xu down the path back to the dorms.

Duan Xu was conscious. He knew he was drunk, his head was spinning, and his reactions had become much slower.

"You have the worst alcohol tolerance of anyone I've ever met." Shen Yanlang supported him as they walked. "Have you never drunk before?"

It took Duan Xu a while to react before he gave a soft "mm."

Shen Yanlang chuckled. He's pretty cute when he's drunk.

Hearing Shen Yanlang's thoughts, Duan Xu assumed Shen Yanlang had said it aloud and retorted, "No!"

"No what?" Shen Yanlang found it amusing. They happened to pass that pavilion, and since no one was inside, he helped Duan Xu over there. "Sit down for a while and sober up."

When Shen Yanlang helped him sit down, one arm was wrapped around Duan Xu's waist.

His waist is so slim. I can circle it with one hand.

"Go away!" Duan Xu did not like being told his waist was slim, so he pushed Shen Yanlang with one hand.

Unfortunately, he was no match for an alpha, much less when he was drunk. That push was no more than a scratch.

Shen Yanlang sat beside him, the smile never leaving his lips. "If I go, who's going to help you back?"

"I... can... go back... myself." Leaning against the pillar, Duan Xu spoke slowly, then smacked his lips.

"Heh..." Shen Yanlang was practically charmed to death by how cute Duan Xu was. He leaned closer and said in a low voice, "You can barely speak clearly. Do you think you can make it back?"

There were no lights in the pavilion, only faint moonlight. In the dimness, Duan Xu's pale cheeks stood out sharply, and his clear almond-shaped eyes blinked like stars.

Shen Yanlang had originally wanted to check on Duan Xu's condition, but as he watched, his thoughts wandered.

His skin is really pale.

His eyes are pretty too. I want to keep looking at them.

Tsk, he closed his eyes.

"Duan Xu? Did you fall asleep?" Shen Yanlang called.

Duan Xu had just closed his eyes when he said impatiently, "You're so noisy!"

Shen Yanlang raised his brows. He had only said one sentence, and Duan Xu already thought he was noisy. "Alright, then I won't talk. Let's go back."

Duan Xu did not move. He looked sleepy, and Shen Yanlang had no choice but to pull him, trying to help him up.

But Duan Xu was like he had no bones. With that pull, he fell straight into Shen Yanlang's arms.

Shen Yanlang caught him and held him close.

Duan Xu's head landed perfectly on Shen Yanlang's shoulder, his warm breaths brushing Shen Yanlang's neck one after another.

Shen Yanlang's breathing stalled. He subconsciously bobbed his Adam's apple, and for some reason, he stayed still in that position.

"Duan Xu?" After an unknown amount of time, Shen Yanlang called again, but Duan Xu had fallen asleep and did not respond.

Shen Yanlang tilted his head slightly and stared at Duan Xu. He said nothing, but his thoughts began flooding in again, though Duan Xu could no longer hear them.

He's so soft. He doesn't feel like a boy at all.

He feels so comfortable to hold.

And there's a faint fragrance on him... a fragrance?

Shen Yanlang suddenly froze and sniffed hard. He caught the scent of jasmine, so faint that only an alpha's senses could detect it.

He frowned slightly. That scent was clearly pheromones. He looked around. Which couple was making out outside? Could they not show a little restraint?

To avoid being affected, Shen Yanlang simply scooped Duan Xu into his arms and strode toward the dorms.

Under normal circumstances, Duan Xu would definitely have woken up. But he was drunk, and the movement did not wake him at all. He even slept soundly, so much so that when Zhou Zhou told him to look at a forum post the next morning, he was still completely dazed.

#Shocking! The campus heartthrob has someone in his arms!#

The post opened with a picture. At the end of a tree-lined path late at night, Shen Yanlang was just emerging while carrying Duan Xu. Under the streetlight, half of him was illuminated and half was shadowed.

Duan Xu happened to be in the shadows, so the photo showed only Shen Yanlang's face and not the person in his arms.