Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 86
Han Yang set down his coffee cup and, during a brief break, discreetly headed to his own dressing room. As soon as he reached the door, he saw Gu Nuan’s assistant, Xiao Xu.
Xiao Xu was a composed Beta woman, a few years older than Gu Nuan. She professionally stepped aside, opened the dressing room’s door for Han Yang, and gestured politely, “Mr. Han, Mr Gu is waiting for you inside.”
“Thank you.”
After entering, Han Yang saw Gu Nuan in a well-fitted suit.
“Hello, Mr Gu.” Han Yang couldn’t help but curl his lips.
Gu Nuan sat elegantly in the chair, crossing his legs. He held a tablet and lowered his head to review some work documents. When he heard Han Yang’s voice, he calmly raised his eyes and whispered, “Close the door.”
Han Yang obediently closed the door and locked it.
The next moment, Gu Nuan put down the tablet and, at a sprinting pace, lunged onto Han Yang, hugging him tightly. He nuzzled, kissed, and acted spoiled.
“Father gave me a lot of work!” Gu Nuan was all over the place, clinging to Han Yang and unwilling to let go. He sniffed Han Yang’s mint pheromones like a puppy, making a mess of his hair.
Seeing this soft and affectionate side of Gu Nuan, Han Yang couldn’t help but smile. He kissed him and bit his lower lip lightly, enough to steal Gu Nuan’s heart.
“Brother,” Gu Nuan’s voice was soft, and he leaned against Han Yang, pecking at his chin.
Han Yang held Gu Nuan’s butt with one hand, letting him wrap his legs around him. He lifted him slightly, testing his weight, “You’ve lost weight. Haven’t been eating well lately?”
Gu Nuan said childishly, “Because I have lovesickness.”
Han Yang laughed at his remark, kissed him, and sat down with him on his lap on a couch. He praised, “Gu Nuan, you look very handsome in a suit.”
“You’ve seen me in a suit plenty of times.”
Being complimented made Gu Nuan feel better, and he chatted, “Brother, let’s discuss business on the phone. Now, just kiss me more; I’m going back to the office soon. I have another meeting to attend, and if father finds out I’m late, he’ll scold me a lot! These meetings are so boring, but I can’t slack off; I have to listen attentively and present proposals to father. He says I don’t understand anything right now, so I need to learn everything to manage things well in the future.”
Listening to Gu Nuan’s chatter, Han Yang didn’t interrupt him. Instead, he rubbed his ears and listened carefully as Gu Nuan vented.
“You have no idea how strict Father is nowadays. He doesn’t even allow me to smile in the company, saying that when I smile, I look silly and people won’t take me seriously…”
Gu Nuan imitated Gu Yuanchen’s stern expression, raising an eyebrow and speaking seriously, “Father looks at me like this and says, ‘Xiao Nuan, the business world is like a battlefield. The first impression can lead to underestimation, which is detrimental in the long run.’
Luckily, I look intimidating when I’m not talking, so people are less likely to mess with me. Otherwise, how would I survive this?”
“Listen to Uncle Gu. He’s looking out for you. Hang in there and be obedient,” Han Yang said gently.
Gu Nuan pouted and lowered his eyes, his slightly long eyelashes trembling. His mood changed as fast as flipping a page, “Brother, you know, I’m working as an intern… without a salary.”
Is there anything more miserable?
…………………
At 10 p.m. on the same night, Gu Nuan was still working overtime at the office.
After the affectionate moments with Han Yang during the day, he was full of energy and didn’t mind working late into the night.
His assistant, Xiao Xu, knocked on the door and placed some prepared documents on the desk, saying, “Mr Gu, it’s getting late. Why don’t you continue tomorrow?”
“It’s alright; I’m almost done. Thank you for your help with these documents, you can go ahead and head home,” Gu Nuan replied, taking the files. He flipped through them, concentrating under the lights, showing an earnest attitude and an impeccable work ethic.
Xiao Xu, who appreciated both good looks and high pay, was naturally content with her job. Moreover, Gu Nuan, her young boss, was interesting and seemed aloof but was actually quite easy to get along with.
With a satisfied smile, she said, “It’s what I should do.” After organizing the documents, she left for the day.
The office, brightly lit, was nearly empty, with just a few employees left working late. By 11 p.m., only Gu Nuan remained.
At that moment, Gu Nuan received a text message—he had received a substantial amount of money in his bank account.
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be seeing things. However, half a minute later, Gu Yuanchen sent him a message: “[If you want a salary, you can tell me directly. There’s no need to complain to Han Yang, who will then complain to your dad.. But, Gu Nuan, considering your current work abilities, I think it’s too early to discuss a high salary. This is your allowance from me. Keep up the good work.]”
Gu Nuan was startled and quickly replied to Gu Yuanchen: “[There’s no way brother would complain! It must be Dad who asked. How can you shift the blame to Brother?]”
Gu Yuanchen was as cunning as ever and emphasized his point: “[And who do you want me to blame kiddo, your dad?]”
Gu Nuan responded: “[You’re obviously biased towards Dad. I won’t talk to you anymore. I’m still working overtime tonight.]”
This time, Gu Yuanchen immediately called Gu Nuan, saying, “Why are you still working so late? It’s so late. Go home and sleep. If you can’t finish your work, put it off for tomorrow. You’re still in the learning phase, take your time with everything.”
“It’s okay; I want to make progress quickly. Uncle Chen has already told me that you’ve bought a villa overseas.”
“Chen Yuan has a big mouth…”
Gu Nuan thoughtfully added, “Don’t worry, Father. I don’t plan on going home tonight. I’ll finish my work here and sleep at the office.”
In the office space Gu Yuanchen arranged for Gu Nuan, there was a lounge with all the amenities, like a small bachelor apartment. A perfect sanctuary for high-end workaholics.
Moreover, he had a little plan in mind: “Father, um…”
“What is it?”
“If I do well with the project you’ve assigned me this time, can you give me an advance on my salary?”
“If you do well, of course,” Gu Yuanchen asked, “but Isn’t the allowance I’ve given you enough? What do you want to buy with it? The amount isn’t small.”
“I… I want to buy a car for my brother.”
Gu Nuan had already picked out the car he wanted to buy for Han Yang, but his total savings fell short; he was almost there, but not quite.
Gu Yuanchen paused and then said, “Your dad has already picked out a car and plans to give it to Han Yang for the New Year. You’ll have one too.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Nuan got anxious. “No! I must be the one to give the car to my brother. I’ll just take the one you’ve prepared for me.”
He made it very clear, “If I do well with this project, you have to pay me a salary. I’ve estimated it; if this project goes well, it’ll be profitable!”
Gu Yuanchen couldn’t help but give in. “Fine, as long as you do a good job.”
While that’s what he said, given Gu Yuanchen’s nature, he’d certainly pay a generous salary once the time came. After all, the child was working hard, and as a parent, how could he not support that?
Gu Nuan hung up the phone with relief and happily updated his social media status: “[we are making progress!]”
Gu Yuanchen quickly liked the post and commented: “[Rest early; there are new blankets in the office’s storage cabinet, a gift from your dad.]”
Gu Nuan replied to Gu Yuanchen: “[Thanks, Dad and Father =3=]”
Twenty minutes later, Han Yang sent him a message: “[I’m downstairs at the company with some bubble tea for you. I don’t have an access card, so come down to get it; I have to head back to the film set.]”
Gu Nuan: “!”
He instantly felt elated and, without hesitation, took small, excited steps towards the elevator. Since there was no one around the office at the moment, he didn’t care how he looked. No one was there to judge him.
However, he didn’t expect to run into an employee who had come back to retrieve something from the office after realizing she’d left it there.
Gu Nuan gradually restrained his cheerful expression, froze awkwardly, and reverted to his usual seriousness in the slightly awkward atmosphere. He stood frozen and stiff in place. Then, in the uncomfortable silence, he resumed his regular manner and entered the elevator without a word. He glanced at the employee, stating coolly, “Aren’t you getting off?”
The employee stammered, “I… I’ll wait a bit and leave later. You can go first.”
“Alright.” Gu Nuan calmly closed the elevator, continuing to act suave as ever.
Once the elevator doors closed, the employee slapped herself, muttering, “Am I dreaming? Is Little Mr Gu… always this cute??”