Wei Xiaoyang's gaze also turned towards them, his eyes filled with shock and a hint of something else.
There was no point in hiding it, so Duan Xu said frankly, "Yes, I started differentiating during the first semester, and it was over during the winter break. Now I don't live in the dorms; I live off-campus."
"Holy crap!"
Exclamations of surprise rose and fell, and at the same time, someone with sharp eyes noticed a small Duan Xu's neck.
"Damn! It really has differentiated!"
Ignoring everyone's surprise, Shen Yanlang stared at Wei Xiaoyang. Seeing that Wei Xiaoyang's expression was off, he immediately became alert.
[Xuxu, let's leave early.]
It's not that I'm afraid of him, but I want to avoid trouble. Anyway, we probably won't see each other again after this gathering, and I won't come to any more gatherings.
Duan Xu hummed in response. Sun Yao didn't know he was humming in response to Shen Yanlang; she thought he was echoing what she had just said.
Then everyone was shocked again, "You two moved in together so early?!"
Duan Xu: "..."
Shen Yanlang stopped looking at Wei Xiaoyang and smiled at everyone, saying, "Yes, Xuxu and I are engaged. We'll get married after graduation, and we'll invite everyone to the wedding."
"Wow~" There were quite a few people cheering in the private room, all of them extremely excited.
"We absolutely have to go!"
"I have to go, no matter how busy I am!"
The person at the table pointed to the rings on their hands, "Aren't these engagement rings? I thought they were couple rings when I saw them on WeChat Moments the other day!"
"Hey, I know this ring, it must be expensive, right?" Sun Yao's friend said.
Duan Xu smiled upon hearing this but remained silent.
Shen Yanlang wanted to show off, but at the same time, he wanted to let everyone know Duan Xu, and also to give Wei Xiaoyang a warning. "Two hundred thousand is not expensive."
[Xuxu, do you know about Wei Xiaoyang's family situation?]
Shen Yanlang noticed that Wei Xiaoyang's clothes were quite nice, so he guessed he was probably a rich second-generation. He needed to let him know that his family couldn't compare to the Shen Family.
"Holy crap! Two hundred thousand isn't expensive?"
For students, 200,000 yuan is an astronomical sum, except for those from wealthy families.
Duan Xu stood next to Shen Yanlang, smiled at everyone, and whispered to him, "I'm not too sure, but it looks pretty good anyway."
"Mm." Shen Yanlang nodded.
[Check it when you get back.]
Duan Xu looked at him suspiciously, "What do you want to do? It shouldn't be that serious, right?"
So what if she likes him? They'll hardly ever see each other again, is there any need to investigate him?
"Do you know what kind of look he gives you?" Shen Yanlang a low voice.
Duan Xu paused, genuinely unaware. He had only glanced at the person and hadn't paid any attention to Wei Xiaoyang's gaze. However, since Shen Yanlang had said that, then...
"Is he planning to cause trouble?" Duan Xu wondered.
Shen Yanlang looked down at him. His Xuxu was too naive. "No, it's not as simple as you think."
"Don't worry, I'll always be by your side. He has no chance," Shen Yanlang said, squeezing Duan Xu's hand.
Duan Xu nodded. He trusted Shen Yanlang and didn't ask any more questions.
Someone else stared at their clothes and said, "Your matching outfits are nice! Where did you buy them? I want to buy a set for my partner too."
Shen Yanlang mentioned the brand of the clothes, and then added, "Xuxu's mom bought them. She said we didn't have enough matching outfits, so she picked them out for us herself."
"Wow, you've already met the parents? And it's the first time you've met your future mother-in-law, she even bought you matching outfits!"
"Are you stupid? They're engaged, how could they not have met each other's parents?"
"Ah, right, I forgot..."
Wei Xiaoyang listened to their laughter and chatter, his face grew increasingly gloomy, making everyone at the table afraid to speak too loudly.
After Duan Xu and his group finished eating, everyone went back to their own lively meals. Soon after, the class monitor raised his glass and said that it was fate that we could get together after being classmates for so long. Let's have a drink together, whether it's alcohol or soft drinks.
After this drinking session, more people started drinking, and some even went around offering toasts.
Duan Xu and Shen Yanlang didn't get involved, but someone came to pay respects to Duan Xu —it was Wei Xiaoyang.
Wei Xiaoyang walked over with a glass of baijiu. He wanted to pat Duan Xu on the shoulder, but Shen Yanlang stopped him with his hand. "What's up?"
Duan Xu turned around and saw that it was Wei Xiaoyang, so he moved closer to Shen Yanlang.
Sun Yao and the others were also looking at him.
"I haven't congratulated you on getting a boyfriend yet, here's a toast to you." Wei Xiaoyang withdrew his hand, ignoring Shen Yanlang, and said to Duan Xu with a smile, but the smile was somewhat malicious.
Duan Xu politely shook his head, "Thank you, but I don't drink."
Zhang Hui, who had come with Wei Xiaoyang, said upon seeing this, "Duan Xu, this is too much. I was just trying to congratulate you, isn't I? A little drink isn't too much to ask, is it?"
Wei Xiaoyang glanced at Zhang Hui and said with a smile, "It's okay if you don't drink it, your boyfriend can drink it too."
Shen Yanlang frowned slightly, stood up and said, "Neither Xuxu nor I drink alcohol, so we can have soft drinks instead."
"You don't drink?" Wei Xiaoyang's tone was sarcastic. "You're an adult, and you still can't drink?"
Zhang Hui said sarcastically, "You're not underage, and you're a male alpha. It wouldn't be right for you not to drink, would it?"
Duan Xu's expression changed slightly. He said he could say it was okay, but he couldn't say Shen Yanlang!
"What's wrong with not drinking?" Duan Xu stood up as well, his tone forceful. "Who says that adults have to drink? And who says that alphas have to drink? What kind of logic is that?"
"Exactly!" Sun Yao couldn't stand it anymore, but Duan Xu beat her to it, so she continued, "I already said I wouldn't urge you to drink, but you still did! Are you crazy?!"
A few people at the table quietly echoed.
Meanwhile, the commotion attracted the attention of other students.
Shen Yanlang gripped Duan Xu smile playing on his lips. But when he looked at Wei Xiaoyang, his face immediately darkened. "This classmate, I'm being polite to you because I don't want to spoil the atmosphere of the gathering, not because I'm afraid of you."
"Hmph, then why don't you dare to drink?" Wei Xiaoyang scoffed disdainfully.
Zhang Hui chimed in, "That's right, that's right! A real man should drink!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Duan Xu cursed. "Don't try to morally blackmail us. Whether we drink or not is our freedom, and it's none of your business!"
These words left the two speechless, and their expressions turned sour, especially Wei Xiaoyang. Duan Xu was clearly speaking up for Shen Yanlang, which showed that he cared about Shen Yanlang a lot.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the squad leader quickly came over to mediate, saying, "Oh, if you don't want to drink, then don't. It's no big deal. It's just like drinking a beverage. As long as you've shown your appreciation, that's enough."
While offering words of advice, Shen Yanlang stared at Duan Xu, his eyes slightly dimmed.
[Xuxu, the way you protect me is so touching.]
"I think..." Shen Yanlang softly.
Duan Xu turned to look at him, clearly still angry with Zhang Hui and Wei Xiaoyang. Without thinking much, he subconsciously asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Shen Yanlang stared at him, his eyes conveying a profound meaning.
[I want to...]
Duan Xu: "..."
In such a serious and tense atmosphere, this sudden remark almost made him choke on his own saliva.