During each of Duan Xu's heat cycles and his most vulnerable periods, he would use all his strength and reason to restrain himself from marking Duan Xu.
But he loved Duan Xu too much and couldn't bear to see him suffer even the slightest grievance, let alone hurt him because of it, not even the slightest harm from birth control pills.
He's usually quite a rogue and admits to being a beast, but he wouldn't be so casual about something so important like this.
Duan Xu pursed his lips slightly, staring at Shen Yanlang's deep, affectionate eyes for a long time, before finally feigning anger and saying, "Hmph, I'll just let you suffocate!"
Shen Yanlang chuckled softly upon seeing this, then stood up, bent down, and kissed him on the forehead. "Good boy, I'll go cook."
Duan Xu didn't respond. After watching Shen Yanlang leave the bedroom, he buried his head in the blanket.
Shen Yanlang didn't say it to himself, but Duan Xu knew what he was thinking. It was precisely because he knew that he was even more moved, and as a result, his feelings of liking and love for him increased to the point that he couldn't contain them all.
Previously, Duan Xu was uneasy because of Wei Xiaoyang's situation and wanted to be marked by Shen Yanlang as soon as possible, but as time went by and Wei Xiaoyang was sentenced to life imprisonment, his unease decreased.
Shen Yanlang also realized this, and coupled with his pity for Duan Xu, he changed his mind and did not fully mark him.
"If it's not marked, it's not marked. Anyway, he's not the one holding back," Duan Xu thought with a hum.
But thinking about it, he couldn't help but laugh. If it were anyone else, they probably would have marked him long ago. Only Shen Yanlang would be so foolish as to restrain himself for his sake.
Oh my, where can you find such a great boyfriend? He's so lucky!
Hey-hey!
*
This semester went by pretty fast. Before we knew it, summer had turned into winter, and now it's the end of the semester again. After the exams, it'll be winter break and the New Year.
After the exams, the eight of us sat together for our last get-together, eating hot pot and discussing starting a company next year.
"I've already recruited two technically skilled people; they're seniors from our school's School of Computer Science," Xue Jingshu said, adjusting his glasses.
Shen Yanlang added, "The senior students I worked with on projects before were also good, but they still have a year before graduation."
"That's no problem. If they're willing to come and their skills are up to par, we can reserve a spot for them." Du Shen poured Ye Xinyu a drink.
Ye Xinyu, took a sip, and said, "So now there are nine of us in total."
"It's okay." Zhou Zhou took notes on his phone. "The only thing is that the technique might still need a bit more, and three people are a bit too few."
Shen Yanlang nodded, "I'll ask them later, but they don't have much free time, so we'll still need to recruit from outside."
Duan Xu blinked, ate the potato slices Shen Yanlang had put on his plate, and said, "Why don't you guys play some games first? That way, we can manage with fewer people."
Upon hearing this, Han Xi glanced at Duan Xu and said calmly, "We do have that plan."
"Let's all think about it during this winter break, see if we have any good ideas." Xue Jingshu added the last dish of vegetables to the clear soup pot. "We'll start preparing after school starts."
"No problem!" the group responded in unison.
The discussion then turned to issues like company name and location. We had a preliminary direction, but we still needed to decide on a final decision.
*
During the winter break, since Qiu Shan and Duan Hu were not going home until the day before New Year's Eve, Qiu Shan Duan Xu went to the Shen Family with Shen Yanlang. He was only sent home by Shen Yanlang on the day Qiu Shan and the others returned.
They couldn't spend New Year's Eve together, but after the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Yanlang came to stay at Duan Xu's house again, and didn't go to school with Duan Xu until the start of the new semester.
The start of a new semester also marks the beginning of their busy period.
During the winter break, everyone brainstormed and decided on the company name together – Summit Technology.
Why is it called that?
When they were talking about the mountaintop camping and hot pot they had on that trip, Duan Xu was the first to suggest, "The mountaintop doesn't necessarily mean the summit; it can also mean standing at the very top. Our goal is to stand at the very top!"
Shen Yanlang unconditionally agreed with Duan Xu, "The meaning is very good, very good indeed."
Next, Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu also thought it was good.
Then came Du Shen and Ye Xinyu, and finally Xue Jingshu and the others.
Of course, this was also carefully considered; it not only has commemorative significance but also a certain symbolic meaning, and it is indeed very suitable for them.
And so, the name was decided.
Duan Xu, who came up with the name, happened to be a designer, so the company logo design was given to him.
Two months later, the cold winter was over, replaced by a warm and vibrant spring.
In the study, Duan Xu leaned forward, staring intently at the screen, his hand moving the mouse slowly.
After a while, he stopped moving the mouse and stared at the screen, pursing his lips and frowning. Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he slammed his hand on the table.
Shen Yanlang, who was coding nearby, was startled. His hand trembled, and he made a typo. But he wasn't angry. Instead, he turned to the side, frowned, and pulled Duan Xu's hand. "Why are you squeezing so hard? Does it hurt?"
Duan Xu originally wanted to tell him his decision, but after Shen Yanlang that question, he noticed that his hands were red from clapping and a little sore, so he changed his mind and said, "If you blow on them, it won't hurt anymore."
Hearing this, Shen Yanlang chuckled, then blew on Duan Xu and kissed his palm. "Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Duan Xu chuckled. "I have something to tell you."
"Yes, go ahead." Shen Yanlang held Duan Xu's hand tightly, looking at him intently.
Duan Xu cleared his throat and said, "I've decided to participate in this year's Visual Creative Design Competition. I'm not aiming for an award, I just want to see where my skills stand."
"And..." Duan Xu paused, somewhat hesitantly, "I'd like to use the company logo to enter the competition, is that alright?"
In two months, Duan Xu revised and improved the design, and had already designed the company logo. However, he was unsure if it was good or not, so he wanted to give it a try.
"Okay." Shen Yanlang held Duan Xu's hand affectionately. "Actually, I think your design is very good."
Duan Xu wouldn't listen, "You always say it's good no matter what I do, so your words have no credibility."
Shen Yanlang: "..."
"Then ask them in the group." Shen Yanlang said, actually letting go of Duan Xu and sending the logo that Duan Xu had designed to the company group.
Shen Yanlang: [image. jpg]
Shen Yanlang: [This is the company logo designed by Xuxu, what do you all think?]
The logo features the company name and pinyin, with a typographic design. At the very front is a mountain composed of many small squares, each in shades of blue, but with varying saturation and brightness, creating a sense of depth and technology.