Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 27

Han Yang couldn’t forget what happened four years ago, nor could he forget the sight of Gu Nuan curled up on the ground, convulsing, when he found him in that warehouse.

The entire warehouse was filled with a chaotic mix of artificial alpha pheromones, and the slender Gu Nuan was bound by his own school tie, with a large wound on his knee.

He was alone in a corner, his tears dry, leaving clear tear streaks on his face.

When Han Yang saw this scene, even his legs went weak. He took a step forward, stumbled to his knees, then quickly got up and practically crawled over to Gu Nuan. He removed his own clothes and wrapped them around Gu Nuan, forcefully pushing away the things emitting various artificial alpha pheromones around Gu Nuan.

The strong smell of blood filled his nostrils, and Han Yang’s hands were stained with blood from injuring himself again while breaking open the warehouse lock.

Old wounds were torn open, and new ones stained the bandage already wrapped around his hands.

He hoarsely shouted, “Gu Nuan!”

However, as soon as Han Yang touched Gu Nuan, Gu Nuan started to resist desperately, sobbing as if he didn’t recognize Han Yang.

His weak cries were soft but felt like a sharp knife stabbing at Han Yang’s heart, repeatedly twisting it.

At this moment, even the minty pheromones turned into an attack on Gu Nuan’s fragile glands, just like the other pheromones.

For an underage omega, whose glands and pheromones were not fully developed, being exposed to so many different alpha pheromones at once was undoubtedly life-threatening.

Moreover, these pheromones were all artificial, and their side effects and harm were even more terrifying.

But the person playing this prank on Gu Nuan was unaware of this fact; he just wanted to teach Gu Nuan a lesson.

It was a rainy day when Han Yang took Gu Nuan to the hospital.

Upon receiving the call, Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen rushed to the hospital immediately. They didn’t even have time to ask Han Yang what had happened before they were called in to discuss with the hospital staff.

Han Yang sat in the hospital corridor, feeling like he was in an icehouse. His gaze was empty, and his ears were filled with chaotic echoes.

He heard the doctor say, “He’s no longer in critical condition, but his glands were originally delicate. Being stimulated by so many chaotic pheromones has caused significant damage to his glands, and he has stopped producing his own pheromones.”

Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen turned pale, unable to speak for a while.

Ji Mu even couldn’t stand steadily and had to be supported by Gu Yuanchen to remain on his feet.

The doctor continued in a softer tone, “With advanced medical care nowadays, if he perseveres with treatment, there may be a chance for recovery. Moreover, the child is still young, and perhaps as he reaches adulthood and his glands develop fully, there may be some improvement. In the meantime, we will arrange for a beta or omega specialist to treat him. He is currently highly sensitive to any alpha pheromones.”

Including Han Yang and Gu Yuanchen’s pheromones.

Ji Mu remained silent and stayed by the bedside. Gu Yuanchen and Han Yang also sat in the hospital corridor, never leaving.

During this time, Gu Yuanchen learned the whole story from Han Yang’s account. 

As the night deepened, considering that Han Yang was currently in a crucial period of his high school studies, Gu Yuanchen patted his shoulder, trying to sound relaxed, “I’ll have uncle Zhang take you home. We’ll be here with Xiao Nuan. You have an exam tomorrow; go back early and rest.”

Han Yang sat motionless, and his left hand was helping to wrap his bandage. Beneath his lowered head, shadows deepened. He stared at his bandaged hand and clearly felt the hand placed on his shoulder by Gu Yanchen was ice-cold.

“I’m sorry.”

After a long while, that was all he could utter.

“It’s all because of me, all because of me…”

Gu Yanchen’s hand stiffened for a moment.

“The one lying on that hospital bed should be me, it should be me…” He kept muttering, as if he had lost his mind.

If something happened to Gu Nuan, Han Yang would have died alongside him.

“I’m sorry.”

Gu Yanchen couldn’t bear it any longer, his tone no longer gentle, but rather firm, “Han Yang, it’s not your fault. It was our negligence. But if you starve yourself, exhaust yourself, or if something else happens to you now, Uncle Ji and I will be even more worried.”

Han Yang’s eyes reddened, and when he heard these words, tears fell onto the back of his hand.

No one knew what was going through Han Yang’s mind, and his thoughts were all in chaos.

He covered his face, tensing up completely.

Gu Yanchen couldn’t get him to respond and was afraid he’d starve himself and would also get sick, so he went out to buy Han Yang some dinner.

When he returned, Han Yang was gone.

That night, Han Yang almost killed someone.

If Gu Yanchen hadn’t arrived in time to stop him, who knows what might have happened to Han Yang’s life in the future.

And that was one of the reasons Han Yang lost his guaranteed spot at C University, just one of them…

…………

“Ah!”

Han Yang’s thoughts returned to the present with Gu Nuan’s cry.

Holding Gu Nuan, who was shedding tears, he trembled silently in Han Yang’s arms, unable to stop. Han Yang saw that Gu Nuan’s gland had quickly swollen after the injection, and the alcohol-soaked cotton ball pressed against it had a small red bloodstain.

“Uh…” Gu Nuan gritted his teeth.

The nurse gently patted his back. “Didn’t I tell you earlier? Don’t hold it in, take deep breaths. If you need to cry, just let it out. This type of injection is painful; there’s no shame in crying.”

Enduring it too forcefully might harm oneself, after all.

Gu Nuan shook his head, tightly sealing his lips, and mumbled through clenched teeth, “It doesn’t hurt.”

The nurse…

She glanced at Han Yang, probably thinking that the younger brother was trying to be strong in front of the older brother, so she didn’t say much. She asked Han Yang to assist Gu Nuan to the nearby rest area they had arranged.

Gu Nuan thought of getting up upon hearing this but was shaking so much that he almost couldn’t stand.

Han Yang picked him up.

Suppressing his nausea, Gu Nuan shivered and inhaled the scent of mint on Han Yang’s body, hoping to receive more soothing pheromones. In just a few steps, he was gently embraced by Han Yang, and for a moment, he seemed to feel Han Yang’s intense emotions.

It was like a sudden, brief torrential rain at the end of summer, arriving unexpectedly, as if it had been brewing in heavy clouds for a long time.

Unfortunately, Gu Nuan’s consciousness was blurred during these few minutes, and he couldn’t distinguish or see Han Yang’s current expression.

He rubbed his forehead against Han Yang’s chest and vaguely guessed that Han Yang was feeling guilty and sad.

So, with tears filling his eyes, his consciousness unclear, he blurted out, “Just a small needle.”

Han Yang…

His words were stubborn, but the pain was truly unbearable. Gu Nuan didn’t want to lie down on the hospital bed assigned for rest. As soon as he was put there by Han Yang, he clutched Han Yang’s sleeve tightly.

Anxiously, he called out, “Brother…”

“I’m not leaving.”

Gu Nuan sniffed and forcefully suppressed his crying, saying, “I’m not in pain.” He pointed to the shopping bag on the table. “I’m thirsty. I want some strawberry milk.”

While Han Yang turned to get it, Gu Nuan took a few deep breaths. He was in agony.

When Han Yang turned back, Gu Nuan immediately closed his mouth, his eyes filled with tears. Han Yang saw it and felt the pain in his heart. He helped Gu Nuan insert the straw and handed it over to him to take small sips.

Gu Nuan didn’t drink much; he didn’t have the mood for it now. He just wanted to shift his attention. Based on his experience, after this injection, the pain wouldn’t subside for at least twenty minutes.

He sat up, breathing heavily, and his emotions were in turmoil.

Following the nurse’s example, Han Yang helped him by patting his back. “You have to cry it out.”

Gu Nuan shook his head.

“Why are you pretending it doesn’t hurt?” Han Yang’s voice deepened slightly, a tone he rarely used with Gu Nuan.

Gu Nuan looked up, tears hanging on his eyelashes. He leaned over and burrowed into Han Yang’s embrace, not saying anything, just wanting Han Yang to hold him.

Han Yang held his shoulders and resolutely said, “I won’t hold you if you don’t cry it out.”

Gu Nuan was startled. Was he being too stingy? “Wh-why?”

Han Yang turned his head away, not looking at him.

Looking at Gu Nuan would make him soft.

Gu Nuan became anxious, lightly tugging at his clothes, attempting to act spoiled. However, after studying abroad for a few years, Han Yang seemed to have picked up a bad temper from somewhere and surprisingly didn’t yield. Helpless, Gu Nuan said, anxious and aggrieved, “If I say it hurts, I’m afraid you’ll, you’ll avoid me again…”

Just like back in the hospital room, when Gu Nuan had a high fever and Han Yang never came to see him. When he was almost recovered and could get out of bed, he realized that Han Yang had been coming every day, but he never actually came inside to see him.

“I don’t want you to avoid me.” Gu Nuan’s entire face turned red, sitting on the bed in confusion, wiping away his tears haphazardly.

Han Yang was suddenly at a loss for words. He had indeed avoided Gu Nuan for a while, out of guilt and self-blame.

He felt that he didn’t have the face to see Gu Nuan again…

Seeing that Han Yang didn’t want to hold him, Gu Nuan quietly lay down, and his tears soaked the pillow as he complained to Han Yang, “You went abroad to study just to avoid me… Don’t think I don’t know! If I hadn’t kept looking for you, you probably would have forgotten about me. We… we were so close when we were young. When you graduated from high school, you grew wings and acted like you didn’t want me anymore!”

After saying this in one breath, he felt even sadder, and the pain in his gland intensified.

The nurse heard him shouting from outside and yelled back, “Rest properly, and it won’t hurt.”

Gu Nuan thought he should let himself suffer. But then he reconsidered, suffering wouldn’t do him any good.

Why wasn’t Han Yang comforting him?

Just when he thought there was no way out, his hand was gently held by Han Yang.

As if showing weakness, Han Yang’s voice was as low and deep as a pebble sinking into the sea. “I won’t leave again.”