Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 57

Gu Nuan’s winter break came to an end. The new semester brought an overwhelming workload, and he was so busy that he didn’t have time to go home. For the past two weeks, he had been staying in the dormitory. Fortunately, he had become quite familiar with his classmates, and occasionally, they would go to class together, which helped improve his mood.

The only thing that worried Gu Nuan was that he hadn’t been able to see Han Yang again due to their busy schedules. Han Yang wouldn’t finish filming until mid-April at the earliest.

Gu Nuan felt disappointed and couldn’t help but miss Han Yang. He shamelessly sent messages to Han Yang.

As usual, Han Yang would respond as soon as he had some free time. Occasionally, he would even call Gu Nuan or chat briefly through messages. Sometimes, it was about trivial things on the set, and other times, it was about the food they had on the film set, which was quite monotonous.

However, Gu Nuan found it fascinating, and he always hoped that Han Yang would share more. Even the tiniest details related to Han Yang were of interest to him. On the day Han Yang ate spare rib box lunch, Gu Nuan also went to the cafeteria to get spare ribs, as if they were having a meal together.

He soon discovered that the crew ate spare rib box lunches every day.

Gu Nuan complained to Su Li, “I’m going to be sick of this food, really…”

Su Li, who was saving money for Liang Xie’s birthday gift and didn’t order anything extravagant, spat out, “I really don’t understand you rich people. If you don’t like it, why order it? It’s such a waste.”

Gu Nuan pushed his plate forward.

Su Li gave him a thumbs-up. “I like you rich people the most. Even if you don’t like something, you still order it and share it with me and others.” He helped Gu Nuan finish the spare ribs in his plate and praised, “These spare ribs from C University’s cafeteria are amazing. Which cafeteria in C City can compare to this taste?”

Gu Nuan said, “The cafeteria at our company is also quite good. I’ll take you there next time.”

“I’ve tried it. My mom often brings it home for me.” Su Li wiped his mouth. “By the way, you’re almost celebrating your birthday. What do you want this year?”

“You’re saving money to buy a gift for Liang Xie, right? Don’t worry about mine, or you won’t even have enough for vegetables.” Gu Nuan looked at Su Li’s vegetarian plate and shook his head.

Su Li raised an eyebrow. “Don’t underestimate me. I’ve found a part-time job, so I won’t fall short on both of your gifts.”

Gu Nuan admired Su Li’s determination and went to the window to order a plate of sour and spicy fish for Su Li, who had lost weight from being a vegetarian. As he paid, he received a message from Han Yang.

It was a screen full of apricot blossoms, showing that Han Yang had taken the photo with great care.

Han Yang: [I saw this at the foot of the mountain.]

This was the first time Han Yang had actively sent him a message since his confession had been rejected.

Gu Nuan’s hand trembled, and he got excited, so he went ahead and ordered a dish of lion’s head meatballs and sweet and sour pork ribs for Su Li.

Su Li: “?”

Su Li: “I know you care about me, but I really can’t eat that much.”

…

In the blink of an eye, April arrived, and spring was in the air. People around Gu Nuan began dating, and the entire campus was filled with a sweet atmosphere.

Su Li was particularly affected by this romantic atmosphere. His online boyfriend, Liang Xie, had gone from video chatting once a week to daily video calls. Liang Xie was attentive to Su Li’s every need.

If Su Li wanted something, Liang Xie would buy it without hesitation. Whenever Su Li had a stomachache, felt hungry, or was thirsty, Liang Xie would order food for him right away.

Su Li was young and experiencing love for the first time. Looking at Liang Xie, who was five years older than him, Su Li didn’t know if it was childish or asking for too much if he constantly wished to meet in person.

Fortunately, Liang Xie was handsome. Every time he smiled slightly at the camera, Su Li couldn’t help but be captivated. He would compromise on everything else.

He thought that it was okay for Liang Xie to be busy, and they could meet up when he had more free time.

So, Su Li’s online relationship was progressing quite well, and with Liang Xie being incredibly attentive, Su Li soon saved enough money from his part-time job to buy two birthday gifts.

As Gu Nuan’s childhood friend, Su Li personally handed over the prepared birthday gift to Gu Nuan. “Happy birthday! How do you plan to celebrate it?”

That day, Su Li couldn’t be with Gu Nuan for his birthday the whole day as their department had to prepare for a presentation, and a classmate had fallen ill, so Su Li, as the substitute, had to step in.

Gu Nuan accepted the gift with thanks, then sighed and said, “My father suddenly has to go on a business trip abroad, and there’s an urgent matter at my dad’s workplace. As for me, I have a full schedule, and I won’t be home until late tonight.” He didn’t plan to go home and would stay in the dormitory that night.

“Oh, what about Han Yang?”

“He’s filming.” Gu Nuan hadn’t received any messages from Han Yang for the past two days. When he had messaged him, Han Yang had simply replied that he was busy. Gu Nuan didn’t want to disturb him.

Su Li hesitated and suggested, “Then, how about the two of us go out for a late-night snack tonight?”

“No need, you focus on your tasks,” Gu Nuan said, raising the gift box in his hand. “I’ve received quite a few gifts, so I’m having a pretty happy birthday.”

Among those gifts was one from Yu Yi.

Despite Gu Nuan’s refusal, Yu Yi had no choice but to leave it behind and quickly leave. When Gu Nuan opened the gift Yu Yi had given him, he found a white camera inside, along with a small card.

[I’ve noticed that you often take photos of landscapes with your phone, so I chose this camera for you. I think it suits you well. Hope you like it. —Your friend, Yu Yi.]

Gu Nuan checked the price of the camera and hurried to Yu Yi’s dormitory to return it. However, by the time he reached there, Yu Yi had already left, and he couldn’t catch up with him even if he tried with all his might.

To Gu Nuan, this camera wasn’t expensive, but for Yu Yi, who came from a less privileged background, it was several months’ worth of living expenses. Gu Nuan had checked that the camera store was far away, and based on the packaging, Yu Yi had likely bought it online, with a one-week return policy.

Gu Nuan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he had been unusually busy today, as if he had stepped into a field of apricot blossoms.

The only thing that saddened him was that Han Yang hadn’t sent him a single birthday message.

He waited while attending his classes, and by evening, he still hadn’t received any messages. He stared at his screen in frustration, finding it hard to believe that Han Yang had forgotten his birthday.

He thought, “Did I fall for an Alpha who has no memory?”

Wait, that wasn’t right. After all, Han Yang was genuinely busy, so busy that he didn’t even have time to reply to messages. Forgetting his birthday was understandable.

Gu Nuan walked into a convenience store with a dejected look, planning to buy some dinner to pass the time. However, just as he entered the store, he received a message from Han Yang: “Where are you?”

Gu Nuan: “Huh?”

Han Yang: “Are you at home or at school?”

Gu Nuan: “I’m at school. Why?”

Han Yang: “I’m coming to pick you up. Do you have time?”

Gu Nuan was shocked and thought he must be mistaken, so he read it carefully again.

Gu Nuan: “!”

He hadn’t misunderstood. Not a single word!

A wave of joy surged through his heart, and he hurriedly typed: “Aren’t you filming? Can you take a break? Where are you right now? Are you almost here?”

Han Yang probably couldn’t type easily while driving, so he sent a voice message instead: “I’m in the car, and it’ll take about an hour to get to the school gate. Are you available?”

Gu Nuan: [Available]

He was in such a hurry that he didn’t even add a period at the end. He rushed back to his dormitory, took a quick shower, and changed his clothes. Before leaving, he remembered that Su Li had given him a bottle of men’s cologne—a fresh scent that could uplift one’s mood.

Generally, perfume wasn’t very popular among Alphas or Omegas; it was mostly used by Betas. Su Li knew that many people gossiped behind Gu Nuan’s back about why he didn’t have pheromones, so he bought him a relatively expensive, natural-smelling cologne as a thoughtful gift.

Su Li’s gift was considerate, and Gu Nuan decided to wear it that day.

He hadn’t looked forward to a birthday this much in years.

The weather in April wasn’t too hot, so Gu Nuan wore a single-layer shirt with a thin shirt on top. It might have been fine during the day, but it was getting a bit chilly in the evening.

Gu Nuan didn’t have time to change into warmer clothes. He checked the time and realized that Han Yang should be arriving soon.

A few minutes later, a car stopped at the school gate, just as he expected—a low-key sedan.

Gu Nuan looked on curiously.

The passenger side window slowly rolled down, revealing a man wearing sunglasses and a mask, who waved at him. Gu Nuan furrowed his brows, unable to recognize the person until he spoke, “Kid, come here!”

Gu Nuan: “…”

How could it be He Yunchu?

Before Gu Nuan could think too much, Han Yang, who was in the driver’s seat, had already gotten out of the car and approached him. “I borrowed a car from a senior and needed to drop him off at his apartment first, so it might take a little time. Originally, I wanted to finish early, but there were some unexpected issues on set, and I had to reshoot my scene several times… Fortunately, I made it in time.” He noticed that Gu Nuan was dressed lightly, so he took off his own coat and handed it over. “Hurry and get in. I’ve made a reservation at a restaurant.”

Han Yang had initially planned to rush back to the Gu family villa to celebrate Gu Nuan’s birthday with everyone, but today, both Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen had last-minute commitments. He had heard from Ji Mu that Gu Nuan would likely be alone today, so he put in a lot of effort and asked for many favors to finish filming the afternoon scenes ahead of schedule.

Among those helping him, He Yunchu played a significant role, and it was his generous loan of a car that allowed Han Yang to return smoothly from the neighboring city before dinner.

Gu Nuan stubbornly refused to take Han Yang’s coat. “I’m not cold.” He glanced at He Yunchu, who kept waving and making heart signs, then grabbed Han Yang’s arm and exerted slight force, saying, “Brother, I’m buying you a car!”

“?”

“Today, we’re going car shopping!”