Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 28

Gu Nuan who had become excited by Han Yang’s response, which turned out to be a sudden move, only to be hit by the pain in his gland again. He instantly regretted his vigorous actions on the bed, curling up, realizing his mistake.

Han Yang was scared out of his wits by this action, quickly helping him sit up slowly and trying to soothe him by gently patting his back.

“Don’t move around.”

“Mm…”

“I’ll hold you.”

Han Yang sat on the edge of the bed, allowing Gu Nuan to lean against him and continuously releasing comforting pheromones. Han Yang had discovered by chance that their pheromone compatibility seemed decent, but they hadn’t measured it precisely, and there was no need.

Gu Nuan no longer had pheromones, and the issue of compatibility was an irrelevant topic for them.

Fortunately, his comforting pheromones were effective for Gu Nuan, especially after this injection.

In the past, either Ji Mu or Gu Yuanchen accompanied him, but when it came to comforting pheromones, after Gu Nuan had grown up, they couldn’t compare to what Han Yang provided.

Han Yang’s embrace was broad and comforting, and Gu Nuan finally saw Han Yang’s expression clearly.

It was the expression he liked most on him, handsome and gentle.

But now was not the time to be happy; Gu Nuan was in excruciating pain.

He couldn’t speak at all, and tears rolled down his cheeks. Maybe because he had just expressed his dissatisfaction to Han Yang, Gu Nuan didn’t want to pretend anymore. Once he started crying for real, he’d be like a child, with tears and snot all over Han Yang.

Han Yang didn’t mind, patiently wiping his tears and snot and consoling him in a gentle tone.

Just like when they were children, Han Yang’s comforting words were few but pleasant to listen to.

Gu Nuan was susceptible to this, and when the pain subsided, he didn’t want to leave Han Yang’s embrace. He sat up straight, hugging Han Yang’s neck tightly, and his tear-streaked cheek rubbed carefully against Han Yang’s.

It was soft, and the warm breeze by Han Yang’s ear felt like the tail end of summer.

A brief, fleeting moment.

“Was everything you said just now true?”

He used his curled index finger to rub his eyes, wiping away the teardrops on his lashes, then let go and looked up at Han Yang. He poked his wrist with his finger.

“You won’t leave in the future, right?”

Gu Nuan’s hand was slightly cool. He reached for Han Yang’s hand and shook it instinctively.

Han Yang held his hand and quickly warmed it up. “I won’t.”

Regardless of his identity, whether as family or a friend, or even the lingering delusion that hadn’t left his heart… he would be within reach for Gu Nuan whenever he wanted to see him.

For the precocious Gu Nuan, this sentence was undoubtedly a veiled confession.

The moment Han Yang said it, fireworks and firecrackers exploded in Gu Nuan’s heart. If it weren’t for the fact that the city prohibited such fireworks, Gu Nuan would have wanted to set them off in front of his own door right now.

Boom, boom, boom – let it burst!

But Gu Nuan was clear in his heart that he couldn’t take this sentence as a confession. Han Yang’s feelings for him might not have reached that point yet. They needed someone to break through this layer of window paper, and apart from Gu Nuan himself, there was no one else.

Internally thrilled by Han Yang’s words, Gu Nuan put on a well-behaved appearance on the surface.

“You really promise?”

“Yeah.”

Gu Nuan smiled through his tears, and the pain in his gland had also subsided.

He checked the time; it had been exactly twenty minutes, just like usual, neither more nor less.

Even one second of extra pain was too much.

When Ji Mu hung up the phone and returned, he saw this scene.

Gu Nuan was lying on the bed, sitting up with his legs crossed. Han Yang was sitting obediently by the bedside, peeling an apple for him.

“Dad, you’re too slow.”

“I had a work issue.” Ji Mu had finally managed to take a day off today, but the colleague working with him on the project had made a significant mistake. Luckily, Han Yang had accompanied him, allowing Ji Mu to have time to go to the car to retrieve his laptop and deal with the problem.

The subsequent procedures were all too familiar to Gu Nuan. He underwent a routine pheromone check, and Dr. Wang adjusted his medication for the next two months based on his gland’s condition.

“At the moment, there’s no problem with your gland, but the recovery of your pheromones isn’t ideal,” Dr. Wang looked at the examination report and spoke honestly. “If you want to fully recover, the process may be more challenging than you imagine… The injections still need to continue. Can you persevere?”

He was asking Gu Nuan. Gu Nuan glanced at Ji Mu and Han Yang, both wearing serious expressions.

In his heart, he muttered, “I actually don’t want to continue…”

But he obediently replied, “I can!”

Dr. Wang nodded with satisfaction. There weren’t many omegas who could persistently endure these injections. Gu Nuan was quite resilient. He had been enduring these injections for four years, but unfortunately, the results were minimal. Dr. Wang prescribed some medication and gave some standard advice.

Before leaving, Gu Nuan couldn’t resist asking one more question, “Dr. Wang, you said my gland is stable now. So, what would happen if I stop taking medication and getting injections?”

Once this question was asked, both Ji Mu and Han Yang were stunned. Dr. Wang pushed his glasses up his nose and said, “Currently, with your condition, you can’t stop taking medication. As for the injections, if you feel that living without pheromones is acceptable, you can choose not to continue. It won’t have a major impact.”

Gu Nuan’s heart swayed like the Pacific Ocean; the injections were truly too painful. Dr. Wang smiled and said patiently, “But without pheromones, you can only be a beta. You won’t be fully marked by an alpha, and you won’t be able to live like an omega. I’ve encountered omegas who chose not to continue the injections before. It all depends on your choice.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Nuan glanced at Han Yang. Han Yang was an alpha. For alphas and omegas, marking was a crucial bond. Some people might even become soulmates and never part ways because of complete marking.

In his heart, Gu Nuan calculated his options. He gritted his teeth and said, “Then I’ll continue with the injections.”

However, this intention of his had already been subtly noticed by the observant Ji Mu.

On the way home, Ji Mu drove, and Gu Nuan and Han Yang sat in the back seat. Gu Nuan had been through quite an exhausting afternoon and was leaning on Han Yang’s shoulder, half-asleep.

Han Yang looked out the window, seemingly indifferent, but he kept turning his head to look at Gu Nuan.

Ji Mu occasionally glanced at them through the rearview mirror, feeling that the atmosphere was somehow different from before.

Soon, Ji Mu dropped Gu Nuan off at school. Gu Nuan reluctantly opened his eyes, got out of the car slowly, and said, “Dad, brother, I’m going in now.”

“Get some rest today, and don’t forget to take your medication!” Ji Mu reminded as he lowered the car window.

Gu Nuan, feeling drowsy, stretched and waved his hand. “I know!”

After Gu Nuan walked away, Han Yang finally unbuckled his seatbelt. “Uncle Ji, I’m getting off too. It’s out of your way to drop me off, and there’s a bus that goes directly to my place.”

“No need, I’ll drop you off,” Ji Mu’s fingertips tapped on the steering wheel as he considered how to approach the topic. “I have something to ask you.”

Han Yang listened quietly.

After driving for a while, Ji Mu decided to be straightforward. “It’s about Xiao Nuan.”

“…”

“His pheromones will recover someday, and he’ll fall in love, and get married. I often wonder what kind of alpha he’ll meet.” Ji Mu didn’t need to make it too clear; he just wanted to have a basic understanding and hoped that Han Yang could provide some insights.

Gu Nuan had grown up, with secrets of his own. Ji Mu, as a parent, was reluctant, but he had thought it through. If it were an alpha like Han Yang, he actually had no objections.

Although Han Yang had lived in the Gu family since he was a child, he had never considered himself as Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen son. There seemed to be some barrier between them.

It was precisely because of this that Ji Mu felt that the relationship between Han Yang and Gu Nuan wasn’t that of siblings but rather a pair of “childhood friends who grew up together.”

Han Yang was a smart person, and he quickly understood Ji Mu’s implication.

Excessive tactfulness was one of Han Yang’s shortcomings, and he couldn’t change that.

Ji Mu was aware of this, but he didn’t expect that Han Yang’s response would momentarily leave him unsure how to proceed.

Han Yang responded calmly and confidently, “Gu Nuan will definitely meet an alpha who loves him and treasures him, don’t worry uncle Ji.”

To this ambiguous response, Ji Mu smiled faintly and said, “Yes, that’s a given.”

A brief silence fell inside the car, and Han Yang felt a deep inner struggle. At present, he couldn’t easily cross that bridge.

…

As the car passed a traffic light, Han Yang opened his calendar on his phone. Two months later, there was a date he had marked with a note: “Han Yongnian’s release from prison.”