Shen Yanlang

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Shen Yanlang (沈岩琅)
Alias(es)	Brother Yan / Yan-ge; Xiaoyan; “Shen Jingjing” (jokingly suggested) 16 26
Species/Race	Human; S-rank Alpha
Gender	Male
Affiliation	University dormitory; School of Computer Science; Cycling Club
Occupation/Role	Software engineering student; protagonist gong
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “New Roommate”

Background & History

Shen Yanlang transfers into Duan Xu’s dormitory as its fourth resident. His bed and desk are beside Duan’s, placing the two in immediate proximity. Duan recognizes him from his dream as the story’s protagonist gong and reacts to him with extreme fear, which Shen cannot understand because he has not released any pheromones. 1 2

He is an S-rank alpha studying software engineering. Though born into a prominent A City family, he intends to establish his own software company after graduation rather than enter the family business. He declines Xue Jingshu’s offer to join the Student Union, preferring to enjoy university life over taking on additional responsibilities. 4

Shen joins the Cycling Club with Duan Xu and the rest of their dormitory. His campus visibility quickly grows after a candid cafeteria photograph leads students to identify him as the new campus heartthrob. 4 5

Appearance

Shen Yanlang is a tall, broad-shouldered young man whose refined features and steady bearing make him appear both striking and dependable. His appearance draws constant attention on campus. 2 5

• Strikingly handsome face with refined features and affectionate peach-blossom eyes. 2
• Calm, stable temperament that gives others a sense of reliability. 2
• Tall, broad alpha build; he has sharply defined abdominal muscles and V-lines. 3 7
• Often uses scent blockers; his pheromones carry a woody scent with a trace of sun-warmed heat. 2 8
• Was voted the campus heartthrob during his first semester. 5 6

Personality

Shen initially presents himself as composed, restrained, and indifferent to public attention. Privately, however, he is highly confident in his appearance and openly considers himself exceptionally handsome. 5

He values leisure, companionship, and autonomy over status. This is reflected in his refusal to join the Student Union despite the possibility of eventually becoming its president. 4

Around Duan Xu, Shen becomes attentive, jealous, and increasingly bold. His outward care—walking Duan to class, sharing meals, carrying his belongings, and monitoring his health—develops into direct romantic pursuit. He can be shamelessly flirtatious in his thoughts and actions, but becomes more conscious of Duan’s boundaries after recognizing that his pheromones and advances can overwhelm him. 7 24 40 43

Abilities & Skills

Alpha Physiology

As an S-rank alpha, Shen possesses strong pheromonal pressure and heightened senses.

• His pheromones can force an aggressive alpha to his knees. 29
• He uses scent blockers regularly and carries a woody, sun-warmed pheromone scent. 2 8
• He recognizes Duan Xu’s jasmine pheromones before Duan’s secondary differentiation is confirmed. 8 10
• He can help soothe Duan’s unstable differentiation with his pheromones, but must carefully limit their intensity when Duan becomes uncomfortable. 11 40

Violin Performance

Shen has studied violin since childhood and performs Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major as the finale of his department’s freshman welcome party. His performance captivates the audience and deeply impresses Duan Xu. 5 7

Archery

Shen received professional archery training and is said to never miss. He demonstrates this by striking the center of the target at Azure Cauldron Mountain. 36

Software Engineering

He studies software engineering and is expected to create his own software company after university. 4

Equipment / Items

• Scent blockers used daily to suppress his alpha pheromones. 8
• Suppressor patches purchased for Duan Xu when Duan’s jasmine scent becomes more noticeable. 29
• Violin used for his freshman welcome performance. 5 7
• Bow and arrows used during the mountain trip. 36

Relationships

• Duan Xu — Roommate, pursued love interest, and later boyfriend. Shen becomes interested in Duan after initially being confused by his fearfulness; he later confesses, waits through Duan’s hesitation and differentiation, and officially begins a relationship with him on New Year’s Eve. 3 23 40 47
• Tang Che — Romantic rival for Duan Xu. Shen reacts coldly to Tang’s concern for Duan and openly clashes with him when Tang tries to monopolize Duan’s time. 19 22
• Han Xi — Shen rejects Han’s apparent confession and repeatedly insists that he has no feelings for him. Han later begins dating Xue Jingshu, removing Duan’s fear that Han is Shen’s destined partner. 6 23 26
• Xue Jingshu — Childhood acquaintance from a family friendship and fellow top-tier alpha. Xue frequently teases Shen over his difficulty in winning Duan’s acceptance. 11 26 36
• Du Shen — Childhood friend who joins the New Year mountain trip and knows of Shen’s professional archery training. 26 36
• Ye Xinyu — Shen’s cousin. Her presence at the amusement park initially causes Duan to mistakenly suspect she is Shen’s romantic interest. 9
• Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu — Dormmates and Cycling Club companions. Both witness and tease Shen’s escalating pursuit of Duan. 4 25
• Ye Lan — Mother. She asks Shen to bring Duan home for the family to meet. 50

Story Role / Major Arcs

New Roommate and Campus Heartthrob

Shen’s arrival confirms that Duan Xu’s dream of being a minor character in a novel may be real. While Duan fears Shen as the protagonist gong, Shen simply wants to understand his unusual behavior and become friends with the roommate he expects to live with for four years. 1 3

He begins spending time with Duan through shared classes, meals, and the Cycling Club. His popularity grows quickly after his appearance and elite background become known across campus. 4 5

Attraction and Misunderstanding

Shen repeatedly prioritizes Duan over others: he follows Duan rather than continuing a conversation with Han Xi, saves an intimate-looking campus photo of them, becomes jealous of Tang Che, and carries Duan back after he gets drunk. 6 7 8

His concern becomes especially evident when Duan’s late secondary differentiation begins. Shen accompanies him to the hospital, worries about potential aftereffects, and stays attentive throughout the process. 10 11

Confession and Pursuit

After Duan avoids him following their first kiss, Shen finds him in the library, confronts the situation despite Tang Che’s presence, and confesses directly: he likes Duan and wants him to be his boyfriend. Duan refuses in panic, but Shen decides to pursue him rather than give up. 21 22 23

His courtship includes bringing Duan breakfast, queuing for meals, accompanying him to work, studying with him, and publicly defending him from hostile forum comments. He openly states online that he likes Duan and is pursuing him. 24 25

Mountain Trip and Waiting

During the New Year mountain trip, Shen becomes increasingly open about his possessiveness, protects Duan from unwanted attention, shares physical intimacy with him, and repeatedly seeks an official relationship. Duan asks him to wait until he is ready and fully differentiated; Shen agrees. 35 38 40

When an alpha harasses Duan at a service area, Shen intervenes immediately, restraining him with overwhelming pheromones and removing Duan from danger. 29 30

Official Relationship

Following Duan’s completed differentiation, Shen reunites with him during winter break. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, he and Duan simultaneously confess their feelings, finally making their relationship official. 45 46 47

They spend New Year’s Eve cooking dumplings together and begin discussing a shared future, including spending future New Years together and using special nicknames for one another. 48