Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 1

At the end of a summer day, around noon, dark clouds unexpectedly gathered in the sky, but there was no sign of a rain shower. An eighteen-year-old youth stood quietly at the entrance of a teaching building at C University, gazing into the gloomy sky, seemingly patiently awaiting something.

People passing by would cast curious glances at him, whispering among themselves, which made him feel somewhat uneasy. He took a couple of steps back, hiding behind the door. Finding a nearby bench, he sat down and retrieved a pair of headphones from his bag.

The cheerful notes of music melted away the oppressive atmosphere of the day, isolating him from the outside world. He was unaware of the rumors circulating about him.

“Is he the one who gave the speech at the opening ceremony this year? They say he entered with the highest score in the city.”

“Yeah, I heard he comes from a wealthy family.”

“He’s quite good-looking; I bet there are a lot of people pursuing him.”

“He seems aloof; the other day, one of the senior students from our department greeted him, but he acted like he didn’t see it.”

“Really? I’ve been admiring that senior for two whole weeks!”

After saying this, the one who spoke hugged themselves and asked their friend somewhat oddly, “By the way, have you ever smelled his pheromones?”

For such an outstanding person, nobody knew what his pheromones smelled like. Some said it was the scent of gardenia, while others claimed it was mint… There were various answers.

“Right, he’s an omega; there’s not a trace of pheromone on him, like a beta?”

As their steps carried the gossip further away, it gradually faded.

Gu Nuan felt a bit absent-minded as he listened to the music through his headphones, effectively blocking out the one-sided conversations. He blinked, his naturally long eyelashes and delicate features making him look like an exquisitely crafted doll when sitting still. From a distance, he exuded a kind of allure that invited admiration from afar.

Ping

A message appeared on his phone, sent by his omega childhood friend, Su Li, who was majoring in a different field at C University. [I heard you have a nickname in your major, ‘High Mountain Flower’?]

Even through the screen, Gu Nuan could feel Su Li’s laughter – a three-dimensional, surround-sound kind of laughter. His childhood friend, the same age as him, always seemed to have the latest gossip before Gu Nuan did.

Gu Nuan was completely puzzled. [Huh?]

Gu Nuan: [Me?]

Su Li replied quickly; indicating that he had probably finished his class[They say a senior from the sophomore class approached you and you didn’t even respond? You’ve really grown up, Gu Nuan. I never saw you this aloof before.]

Gu Nuan was speechless, and his attractive brows furrowed. He immediately called Su Li, who answered without hesitation.

Su Li launched into a barrage of words, completely different from his calm exterior.

If Gu Nuan, in the eyes of strangers, was a cold and distant high mountain flower, then to those who knew him, he was a chatty little sun, radiating warmth. While he appeared aloof to the public, among friends, he was a chatterbox, bursting with enthusiasm.

The phrase “appearance doesn’t match behavior” was highly appropriate for Gu Nuan.

“That senior didn’t just greet me. He…” Gu Nuan glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, before lowering his voice as though sharing a top-secret piece of information, “He asked me if I wanted to date him! I said no, but he insisted on getting my contact information, very persistently!”

This statement made it sound like he had stepped on a landmine.

Gu Nuan took a deep breath, a hint of a headache creeping in. “This… who would entertain him? Responding to him would give him hope, but I don’t have any interest in him.”

Su Li burst into laughter, thoroughly entertained.

With a face like Gu Nuan’s, he could easily become a mother’s dream son-in-law. Unfortunately, Gu Nuan didn’t appreciate his good looks and wasted this handsome face.

Back in high school, there was a saying about him: “A well-favored Gu Nuan, but what a waste of a mouth.” Even with his exquisite appearance, Gu Nuan’s chatty nature significantly diminished his attractiveness.

“You’re eighteen now; it’s time to start dating. We spent all those years in a high school full of omegas, and it feels like we wasted our youth,” Su Li commented casually as he continued walking, speaking with a carefree tone, “I’ve done some investigation; the senior who confessed to you is quite decent, and he seems honest. At the very least, you could add him on social media.”

Su Li said, “You should learn from me; I’ve even asked for social media accounts from two Alpha seniors.” Since Su Li had an average appearance, he had to work extra hard to catch someone’s eye.

Upon hearing this, Gu Nuan bluntly stated something that left Su Li speechless, “But I don’t have any pheromones.”

Alphas and omegas were drawn to each other by their pheromones. Gu Nuan didn’t believe in love at first sight, nor did he think that someone could deeply fall in love with him after a single meeting.

However, when it came to not wanting to waste time, he was being quite hypocritical because he already had someone he liked.

…

With these words, Su Li indeed couldn’t find anything to say. He remembered that Gu Nuan used to have a faint strawberry sweetness about him. However, something happened to Gu Nuan one day during his eighth-grade year, and he fell seriously ill. After several days of unconsciousness, he became a “beta.”

The Gu family sought out famous doctors, but it was all in vain.

“…”

Su Li scratched his head. “You know, many Alphas do date and marry betas. I don’t think pheromones are that essential…” He started to feel awkward and decided not to continue.

Ignoring that, Su Li quickly changed the subject. “Let’s not talk about this now. Tomorrow is the weekend; do you want to go watch a movie? There’s a film playing that fits your taste.”

Gu Nuan rarely declined Su Li’s invitations, but this time, he did. “Maybe next time. I have plans for this weekend.” After a moment’s hesitation, he added, “My brother is returning to the country, and I want to pick him up at the airport.”

The next second, Su Li almost tripped.

His eyes widened, and he exclaimed, “That crazy dog is coming back?!”

Before he knew it, Su Li had slapped himself on the mouth. He was taken aback by his own words, and he couldn’t stop himself. As expected, the usually good-tempered Gu Nuan immediately lowered his voice and called him by name, “Su Li, you can’t talk about my brother like that.”

Before Su Li could even apologize, Gu Nuan had hung up the phone. He was genuinely angry.

Su Li tried calling Gu Nuan several times in a row, but Gu Nuan kept hanging up. Su Li had to send a message to apologize. He knew he had spoken too quickly, and he had crossed a line with Gu Nuan.

With a heavy heart, Gu Nuan looked at his phone and saw five consecutive apology messages from Su Li. He finally replied, “Don’t call my brother that way in the future.”

Su Li responded quickly, “Okay, okay, I promise I won’t! I swear!”

At the same time, Gu Nuan’s phone received a timely message. He turned and saw a private car waiting outside.

The driver, Uncle Zhang, apologized repeatedly, explaining that he was delayed due to traffic. He opened the door for Gu Nuan and said, “Young Master, please get in.”

The air conditioning inside the car was comfortable, set to a temperature that Uncle Zhang had adjusted. He handed Gu Nuan a bottle of strawberry milk, concerned that Gu Nuan might be thirsty.

Gu Nuan was somewhat surprised. “I haven’t seen this brand of strawberry milk in a long time. I remember my dad used to buy it for my brother and me when we were kids.”

“Yes, I saw it on the side of the road and thought you might like it.”

Uncle Zhang had been working as a driver for the Gu family since Gu Nuan was five years old, responsible for taking Gu Nuan to and from school. He had watched Gu Nuan grow up.

After a few days without seeing Gu Nuan, he had more to say, asking questions like, “Young Master, are you getting used to living in the dormitory? Have you made any friends in your major? Is the cafeteria food good? If it’s not good, should we have meals sent from home?”

Facing Uncle Zhang’s series of questions, Gu Nuan answered cheerfully without a trace of impatience. “No need to worry; I’m eating well and sleeping well. I just haven’t gotten to know my classmates yet, and even when I do meet them, I’m not sure what to say.”

In Gu Nuan’s view, university was quite different from high school. Apart from attending classes, students rarely crossed paths. Even when they did, they weren’t very familiar with each other and didn’t exchange more than a few words. They mainly stuck to their dormitory groups.

In Gu Nuan’s major, there were only three Omegas, including himself.

C University was known for its excellent treatment of Omega students, and their dormitories were mostly single or double rooms. Gu Nuan was fortunate enough to be assigned a single room.

This meant that Gu Nuan was having trouble making friends, and he didn’t even have a basic roommate.

However, Gu Nuan wasn’t too concerned about this. He reassured Uncle Zhang, “It’s only been a few days since the start of the semester. I’ll get to know people gradually.”

“Alright, I was just worried.”

When they passed by a convenience store, Gu Nuan suddenly said, “Uncle Zhang, can you stop here for a moment? I… I want to buy something!” His eyes involuntarily glanced at the row of fashion magazines at the store’s entrance.

Uncle Zhang noticed the magazines too and smiled. He knew exactly what Gu Nuan wanted. “Young Master, you’ll be back tomorrow, right?”

Gu Nuan nodded, his tone becoming more cheerful. “I’ll be back early tomorrow. I’ll go to the airport with my dad to pick him up.”

After Uncle Zhang had parked the car, Gu Nuan quickly walked to the shelf and, without saying a word, picked up the most conspicuous magazine.

After paying, Gu Nuan flipped through it rapidly. In no time, he found a familiar face.

Although this time, the person appeared as an inconspicuous figure on one of the pages, Gu Nuan could always spot him in an instant.

It was like a magical ability, similar to telepathy. Gu Nuan couldn’t help but smile with excitement and anticipation as he whispered softly, almost as if he were talking to himself, his tone filled with joy, “I’ll be able to see you soon.”

Brother.