Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 21
“I really didn’t want to pick the time when Han Yang is at home to come and hang out,” Su Li said, lounging comfortably in Gu Nuan’s room with his legs crossed, leaning back on the lazy sofa while playing games.
Gu Nuan was still sulking about what had just happened. “You make it sound like you love coming over here regularly.”
Su Li laughed again. “Don’t blame me for what happened just now. Have you ever thought about how you usually talk? I could tell something was off, let alone Han Yang.”
“You don’t understand my brother; he can be soft-hearted sometimes.”
“Yeah, yeah, I don’t understand. I don’t want to understand him at all.”
But Su Li truly admired Han Yang for not breaking his composure.
Gu Nuan was not in a good mood and muttered dejectedly, “We have enough cars and drivers at home, but he insists on moving out. I just want him to stay.”
Su Li wiggled his toes, thinking about last night’s conversation, and suddenly leaned closer.
Gu Nuan stepped back. “What are you doing?”
Su Li firmly pressed his shoulder and asked seriously, “Do you really like Han Yang?”
“……”
“Say something.”
Gu Nuan nodded candidly. “Yes, I like him.”
“When did it start?”
“During junior high?”
“Wow!” Su Li lamented, accusing him. “You’ve been hiding this from me for so long?”
Gu Nuan wasn’t doing it on purpose. “I didn’t know what this kind of liking was before. I thought it was just liking him as my brother. I only realized it in the past few years, but he was also not in the country, and I was busy with the college entrance exams.”
As they say, when it comes to everything else, studies come first.
He just wanted to take it slow, get used to being with Han Yang for a while, and let him know that he had grown up. Then, when Han Yang came back, he could confess. Who could have expected that plans couldn’t keep up with changes, and Han Yang wanted to move out already. Once Han Yang moved out, their chances of meeting would be significantly reduced.
“When he went abroad, I was still in junior high, and I was afraid he would always see me as a child. So I wanted to adapt to it for a while, let him know that I’ve grown up!”
Otherwise, Gu Nuan worried that his confession would definitely be rejected. Who would accept a child’s confession, especially when that child was his brother whom he had grown up with?
It was really complicated.
Gu Nuan was getting anxious; he had never dated or pursued anyone before, and now he was faced with a big problem. This was a hundred times harder than the last question on a math exam, where at least he could still score some points.
In his desperation, he grabbed Su Li’s hand. “Su Li, even though neither of us knows anything about love and we lack experience…”
“No, I’ll definitely get to have dating experience this year!”
“Don’t interrupt me. Do you have any way to help me stop my brother from moving out?”
Su Li interrupted him, “I don’t.”
Gu Nuan quickly let go of his hand, giving him a skeptical look.
Taking a deep breath, Su Li advised Gu Nuan, “If you really like Han Yang, you should just let him move out.”
Gu Nuan didn’t understand.
Su Li explained, “Aren’t you worried that he’ll keep seeing you as his little brother or a child?”
This was Gu Nuan’s biggest concern. Han Yang was just too good to him, but that kind of goodness looked like caring for a younger brother no matter who saw it.
Su Li gave him advice, “Let him move out, and then boldly pursue him. Gu Nuan, if you like someone, you have to pursue them. Don’t stand still and wait for a miracle to happen. Think about it; if Han Yang continues to live here, with your dad, your father, and Xu Auntie watching, what kind of romantic sparks can you expect? If you keep going like this, you’ll only have brotherly love forever.”
Besides, Su Li didn’t believe that Han Yang truly saw Gu Nuan as just a little brother.
Otherwise, why would Han Yang’s expression change even a bit when he got closer to Gu Nuan?
However, Su Li did manage to make Gu Nuan see something he hadn’t expected. Gu Nuan was a bit relieved and no longer obsessed with Han Yang’s insistence on moving out.
“Su Li, didn’t you say yesterday that you didn’t really support me liking my…”
Gu Nuan hadn’t finished his sentence when Su Li playfully interrupted, “No, I fully support you. You have to believe in our years of friendship.” He held Gu Nuan’s hand. “You must do your best to win him over!”
Gu Nuan quickly pulled his hand away. “I think you’re hiding something from me.”
Gu Nuan may be inexperienced in matters of the heart, but he wasn’t stupid. Su Li had a few tricks up his sleeve, and Gu Nuan couldn’t be oblivious to them.
Su Li found it awkward and couldn’t say anything.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Han Yang, who had been preparing snacks, brought two cups of tea to Su Li’s mother, placing them on the coffee table. “Auntie, please have some tea.”
“Thank you, it’s been years since we last met, and Han Yang has become so handsome.” Su Li’s mom grabbed Han Yang’s hand and patted it. “You used to love the crispy meat I made for you the most, so I brought some for you today.”
Han Yang had originally intended to bring the tea and then return to his room, but he didn’t expect to be detained by Su Ling and ended up sitting down.
The atmosphere became awkward for a while.
Fortunately, Ji Mu walked over and broke the silence. “Han Yang, you should go rest and adjust to the time difference. He just returned to the country, and he didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Oh, okay, then go rest. We’ll chat next time, we’ll chat next time,” Su Ling immediately agreed.
Han Yang didn’t feel sleepy, so he stood up and went to the study, planning to pick a few books to read in his room.
Xu Auntie brought some snacks and refilled Su Ling’s tea.
Su Ling was good at conversation and liked tea. Ji Mu, on the other hand, was always reserved and rarely spoke. Nevertheless, he listened patiently and occasionally made a comment or two, displaying a warm and gentle attitude.
Su Ling had two cups of tea and finally brought up the topic she wanted to discuss. “Is Han Yang planning to work at the company?”
Ji Mu took a sip of tea. “He has his own plans and won’t be working at the company.”
Seeing this, Su Ling didn’t inquire further and instead praised, “Han Yang is quite impressive. He studied abroad and worked as a model at the same time, even appearing in multiple magazines.”
“Yes, he’s always been responsible. Modeling was a part-time job he took up to support his studies.”
“Yes, yes, we’ve always seen Han Yang as responsible. By the way, he must have quite a few admirers, right? Is he seeing anyone?”
Ji Mu was a straightforward person. “Children’s matters should be left to the children.”
Su Ling hesitated, wanting to say something but held back.
Ji Mu decisively added, “Han Yang and Su Li are both independent-minded kids and have plans and dreams of their own.”
He had put an end to Su Ling’s words.
This left Su Li, who was eavesdropping on the staircase upstairs, secretly delighted. He hadn’t expected Ji Mu to shut Su Ling down with just a couple of sentences. Unfortunately, Su Ling wasn’t someone who easily gave up.
Su Li elbowed the side of Gu Nuan’s body. “Did you catch what my mom meant?”
Gu Nuan covered his mouth, looking at Su Li in shock. He exclaimed, “Su Auntie actually wants to set you up with my brother?!”
“When I realized her intentions this morning, I was almost scared to death!” Su Li hugged himself, growing more frightened as he thought about it. “Although it’s absolutely impossible between me and Han Yang, as long as Han Yang doesn’t have a partner, my mom will pester me all day long.”
Su Li didn’t want to go through that ordeal. If he had to choose between being with Han Yang and eating feces, he’d prefer the latter.
Coincidentally, Gu Nuan’s newfound feelings for his brother made it challenging for Su Li not to support him.
Gu Nuan gulped, his mind drifting off course. He nervously said, ” I need to take action quickly!”
“Yes, yes! Pursue him quickly!” Su Li cheered on the sidelines.
Both of them were just eighteen years old and loved to mess around. As they talked, they ended up sitting on the floor directly.
Not long after, a chilly breeze suddenly swept over them from behind.
When they turned around, they saw Han Yang holding several books and standing behind them. He furrowed his brows slightly, his gaze automatically skipping over Su Li. Then, he approached, reached out, and gently held Gu Nuan’s hand with a not-so-strong grip. “Don’t sit on the floor; it’s cold.”