Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 18

When they returned to the villa, the long dining table in the dining room was already filled with dishes that Han Yang loved, many of which were personally cooked by Ji Mu.

Under the soft lighting, Gu Nuan was obediently helping Ji Mu set the table.

“You’re back!” Gu Nuan ran over with excitement, grabbing Han Yang’s hand. “Let’s go wash our hands; so we can eat soon.”

Gu Yuanchen went upstairs to change his clothes, calling Ji Mu to join him, probably to have a private conversation.

Han Yang and Gu Nuan walked to the sink together.

The rain outside had started again, and Gu Nuan lowered his head to turn on the faucet. The sound of running water mixed with the rain, creating a noisy ambiance. He squeezed out two pumps of hand soap, habitually sharing one with Han Yang, and they both lathered up and rinsed their hands.

Gu Nuan was much shorter than Han Yang. He stood on his tiptoes and gestured, “Brother, did you grow taller again?”

“No.”

“Then you must have lost weight. Being slimmer makes you look taller,” Gu Nuan said, handing two paper towels to Han Yang after drying his own hands.

As they walked towards the dining table, it was mostly Gu Nuan talking while Han Yang listened.

Xiao Meng was finishing up the last dish and would be off work once she was done. Gu Nuan stepped forward and helped set the table, asking Han Yang in passing, “Are you on a diet?”

“I have a part-time job as a model, and it requires me to maintain my physique. I’m not deliberately dieting, but I pay attention to what I eat,” Han Yang replied. “What about you? You seem to have lost weight.”

Gu Nuan sat down, boasting, “I’ve never been able to gain weight.”

However, Xiao Meng jumped into the conversation, “Well, it’s because you changed your medication recently, and your appetite hasn’t been great lately. Xu Jie went to great lengths to make you eat more.” Her intention was to speak well of Xu Jie, but she didn’t know much about the Gu family’s situation and ended up saying something she shouldn’t have.

Han Yang’s face suddenly turned very unsightly; he knew what medication Gu Nuan was taking.

An omega without pheromones like Gu Nuan would have a difficult time maintaining normal gland function without medication. Once Gu Nuan’s glands started to go dormant, he might never have pheromones again in his lifetime.

Gu Nuan hastily took a bite of plain rice and interrupted Xiao Meng, “Where did you hear that? I’m actually hungry! I’ve always had a good appetite; didn’t I have stomach inflammation a while ago?”

Only then did Xiao Meng realize her mistake and stared blankly at Auntie Xu, who was not far away.  Auntie Xu was frustrated, having reminded Xiao Meng countless times not to speak too quickly.

Han Yang sat silently, and Gu Nuan stopped eating after a few bites.

Han Yang looked at Gu Nuan, and at this moment, even though they were so close, he couldn’t sense any pheromones from him. In that instant, Han Yang’s guilt filled his eyes. “I’m sorry…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Gu Nuan covered his mouth with his hand. “It’s not your fault. Don’t mention it again.”

Gu Nuan’s bright eyes blinked, and he began to put food on Han Yang’s plate, changing the subject. “Dad’s beef stir-fry is quite delicious.”

Han Yang remained silent.

Gu Nuan smiled, put down his chopsticks, and reached under the table to hold Han Yang’s hand, gently shaking it, just like when they were children. “I think it’s quite nice not to have pheromones; life is much more convenient. And you don’t know this but there were so many people pursuing me when I started college. If I had pheromones, how could I handle it?”

Thinking about it, Gu Nuan felt lucky not to have pheromones.

Chatty Gu Nuan went into action and gradually pulled the two of them out of the heavy awkward atmosphere that had been building. He talked endlessly about things at his school, while serving food on Han Yang’s bowl.

Han Yang’s bowl was almost full by the time they were done.

Since Gu Yuanchen and Ji Mu had yet to sit at the dining table, they could only focus on serving dishes.

With a heavy heart and a lot on his mind, Han Yang sighed and pulled his hand out of Gu Nuan’s grasp.

Gu Nuan stubbornly grabbed Han Yang’s hand again without any shame.

By the time Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen came down, Han Yang’s expression had relaxed considerably.

It had been a long time since the family had eaten together, and gradually, they began to chat and laugh, with even Gu Nuan, who had a poor appetite, constantly using his chopsticks.

Gu Nuan had always been talkative, and now that he hadn’t seen Han Yang in two years, as soon as they met, he was about to pry into Han Yang’s entire life.

“Brother, when you were taking photos abroad, did you meet any celebrities?”

“Brother, do you pick your own clothes for photoshoots? I’ve noticed that your outfits always suit you well.”

“Brother, now that you’re back, do you plan to continue modeling?”

“Brother…”

“Brother?”

Ji Mu interrupted Gu Nuan and used a bowl of chicken soup to silence him. “Let Han Yang eat his meal in peace.”

Gu Nuan obediently drank his soup, finally putting an end to his questions.

With a gentle tone, Han Yang answered, “I’ve met some celebrities a few times, but they’re probably not the ones you’re interested in. Stylists usually select the outfits for photoshoots, and there’s usually a theme. This time, I plan to continue modeling and try out auditions.”

“Auditions?!” Gu Nuan nearly choked on his soup. “For acting?”

“Yes,” Han Yang said. “I have some connections in that field from my time abroad, and they’ve introduced me to some opportunities. I plan to give it a try.”

Ji Mu was a bit worried and immediately served a bowl of soup to Han Yang. “You’re usually so quiet. Why are you suddenly interested in acting?”

Before Han Yang could answer, Gu Nuan jumped in, saying, “Dad, Brother has talent! Remember when the lead actor in their high school play got into an accident and had to be hospitalized? It was Brother who filled in for him.”

It had been a fortunate coincidence back then. The role of the lead actor happened to match Han Yang’s appearance, and besides the injured lead actor and Han Yang, there was no other alpha in the entire school who fit the role. The director at the time was an upperclassman who had worked with Han Yang, and she couldn’t convince Han Yang to take the role, so she specially asked Gu Nuan, who was still in middle school, for help. In the end, they managed to get this silent figure to play the part.

Originally, the upperclassman thought that Han Yang would just read his lines as instructed, at least to get through the entire scene. Unexpectedly, the untrained Han Yang gave a performance that was no worse than the injured lead actor’s.

The school play won first place at the school’s anniversary event, and Han Yang’s fame spread throughout the school. As Han Yang’s number one fan, Gu Nuan naturally supported him on his path to acting and even persuaded Han Yang to join the drama club.

Han Yang obediently followed his advice.

However, Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen, due to their work schedules, couldn’t attend that drama performance and were unaware of Han Yang’s acting talent. At that time, they thought that Han Yang joined the drama club because he indulged Gu Nuan and was dragged into it by him. After all, Han Yang didn’t appear in many performances and mostly worked behind the scenes.

…

After Gu Nuan finished talking about everything, Han Yang put down his chopsticks and finally found the opportunity to speak, “The audition schedules are unpredictable, and there’s a lot of preparation to do. So I’ve rented a place outside and plan to move out.”

Gu Nuan, who had just picked up a piece of meat, dropped it back onto his plate.

Ji Mu served Han Yang another dish without hesitation and asked calmly, “You’ve planned this for a while?”

“Yeah.”

When Gu Yuanchen had called Ji Mu upstairs earlier, it was to discuss this matter. Ji Mu, as a parent, naturally didn’t want his child to move out so early. However, he knew Han Yang well. Despite his seemingly indifferent demeanor, Han Yang was a very well-planned individual.

Ji Mu didn’t intend to oppose him. “You’ve just graduated, and it’s normal to face challenges. If you encounter any difficulties, you should talk to the family instead of trying to handle everything on your own.” He put down his chopsticks and gently held Han Yang’s shoulder. “If you change your mind and want to work at the company, don’t feel embarrassed about it.”

“Okay, I understand, Uncle Ji.”

With that settled, it was Gu Nuan who suddenly found that the food in his hand didn’t taste as good anymore.

That night, Gu Nuan lay on his bed feeling heartbroken. He couldn’t understand why Han Yang wanted to move out.

Over the past few years, Han Yang had spent so long studying abroad, and now that he had finally graduated and returned to China, he wanted to move out. Gu Nuan couldn’t help but feel sad, thinking that his brother was growing up and slipping away from him.

Could it be that he was enchanted by the allure of the foreign world?

His phone vibrated twice on the bedside table, and Gu Nuan picked it up to see a message from Su Li.

Su Li: [Aren’t we going to the movies this weekend?]

Gu Nuan replied with a lack of enthusiasm: [Not going.]

Su Li: [Then I’ll come to your house to hang out.]

Gu Nuan: [My brother is at home. You don’t like running into him, remember?]

Su Li: [Tsk, do you think I want to come? My mom just found out that Han Yang is back and she can’t wait to bring some gifts over to please your dad.]

Gu Nuan: [Up to you.]

Su Li’s parents both worked at the Gu family’s company, and were very supportive of the Gu family in every aspect. Whenever something happened, they would come over to visit and express their concern.

Gu Nuan replied slowly, and Su Li called him immediately, scolding him, “I don’t get it. Why are you being so cold to me ever since Han Yang came back?”

Gu Nuan said listlessly, “He’s planning to move out already. Maybe he…”

The unspoken second half of the sentence hung in the air.

He wondered if Han Yang didn’t want to be with him anymore.

He had liked Han Yang since middle school, but nobody knew about it. Everyone assumed he treated Han Yang as a brother, but that wasn’t the case for Gu Nuan himself.