Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 29

That day, the trip to the hospital had worn Gu Nuan out. As soon as he arrived back at the dorm, he ate something, took his medicine, and went to bed early.

He slept until midnight when he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to remind Ji Mu to give Han Yang the shrimp dumplings. He reluctantly pulled himself out of his dreams, wide awake now.

He thought about calling Ji Mu but realized that the phone screen displayed “3:30 AM.”

Unfortunately, he had woken up at an awkward time.

Gu Nuan could only lie bored in bed, his mind replaying events from the day. He thought of the faint scent of mint, which had left an imprint in his mind, making it impossible for him to forget.

It had a sweet taste.

Poor Gu Nuan, who had been sent to a school full of omegas during high school, hadn’t tasted the comforting alpha pheromones for a long time. He had inadvertently become addicted, tossing and turning in bed in the middle of the night as he reminisced.

“So, mint can be this sweet?”

“So, this is the taste of brother’s soothing pheromones?”

“So… it can act as a painkiller.”

Gu Nuan muttered to himself, hugging his blanket tightly and taking a couple of sniffs.

Only taking in the scent of laundry detergent…

Suddenly, Gu Nuan thought about changing the dorm’s laundry detergent to a mint-scented one. He decided to take action, ordered mint-scented laundry detergent online, and hoped it would prevent him from freezing to death during the winter.

To calm down, Gu Nuan logged into a game that Su Li had recommended for him to download. He wasn’t a fan of gaming and quickly got bored after a few rounds.

As Gu Nuan was about to log out, he noticed that Su Li had logged in.

Su Li’s in-game ID was “Dip the Youtiao in Soy Milk.”

Gu Nuan’s in-game ID was “Strawberry Who Doesn’t Stay Up Late.”

Youtiao in Soy Milk: [I can’t believe it! Who did I just run into!]

Strawberry Who Doesn’t Stay Up Late: […]

Strawberry Who Doesn’t Stay Up Late played along: [It’s me! The contemporary gaming master!]

Youtiao in Soy Milk: [Pff, you’re clearly the contemporary ‘Doesn’t Stay Up Late’ player—Gu Nuan, are you so lovesick that you can’t sleep?!]

Su Li was being quite dramatic, and it was a bit over the top.

Strawberry Who Doesn’t Stay Up Late: […Say it in plain language.]

Youtiao in Soy Milk: [Do you want to play a match?]

Youtiao in Soy Milk: [Wait a moment; I’ll call my partner to join us!]

Gu Nuan: ?

Youtiao in Soy Milk: [You didn’t expect this, did you? I got out of singlehood before you did. You know this person too; it’s the one who played ranked matches with us last time. Cough cough, quite aloof. Be careful not to talk too much and focus on your gameplay.]

Gu Nuan’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground, and he silently sent Su Li a string of question marks.

[Su Li, are you… are you in an online relationship?]

Gu Nuan was so shocked that he couldn’t even play the game properly and quickly logged out. He worried about whether Su Li might be getting catfished.

But Su Li reassured him, saying that he had been playing games with this person for several years and trusted him.

The early autumn night was a bit chilly, and Gu Nuan couldn’t fall asleep. He checked his schedule for the next day and found that he had no morning classes, which relieved the pressure of staying up late.

He got up, drank some water, and realized that the hot water in his thermos had cooled down.

Gu Nuan boiled a kettle of water and absentmindedly turned on the light. He had tidied up his small dorm room to the best of his abilities, and with the sound of the boiling kettle and the soft light, the otherwise cold room felt slightly warmer.

This single dorm room even had a small balcony, though it was so small that it could barely fit two adult alphas. However, it provided a clear view of the starry sky outside.

After the water had boiled, Gu Nuan poured himself a cup of hot milk and held it in his hands. He went to the balcony to look at the stars.

He remembered the sunset photo that Han Yang had taken for him last time and couldn’t resist taking a photo of the night sky tonight. He knew that Han Yang usually kept his phone on silent at night, so he sent the photo.

In less than half a minute, Han Yang replied.

Han Yang: [Why aren’t you sleeping yet?]

Gu Nuan was startled, and the hot milk scalded him. He hurriedly walked back into the room and replied with a voice message, “I woke up, making hot milk to drink, but it burned me!”

Han Yang quickly replied: [Are you okay?]

Just seconds after sending the message, his phone rang again. The voice on the other end was steady and clear, as deep as the night sky.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Gu Nuan took a sip of milk. “Brother, did Dad bring you the shrimp dumplings?”

“Shrimp dumplings?”

“I knew it, Dad forgot. They were delicious, and I specifically packed them for you. But it’s okay; I’ll go again in a few days. If you’re free, we can go together.”

Gu Nuan kept talking without stopping, sitting cross-legged on the bed, and didn’t wait for Han Yang’s response before asking, “Why are you still awake at this hour?”

Han Yang didn’t tell Gu Nuan that he couldn’t sleep because of Ji Mu’s words during the day. Ji Mu had asked him in such a way that it was evident he had seen through the thoughts he thought he had hidden so well.

Taking a deep breath, uncontrollably, he wiped his face. He casually came up with a reason, “I’m waiting for a message.”

“Is it about the movie?” Gu Nuan was concerned and didn’t want to put his phone down. “Why does your voice sound muffled?”

“Yeah, maybe I’m a bit restless,” Han Yang replied in a self-deprecating tone. He clenched his fist, his palm calloused from the years of work he had put in abroad.

In the past few years, he had desperately wanted to become independent. Therefore, during those years, he had worked very hard and endured a lot of hardships.

But Han Yang wasn’t afraid of hard work; he was afraid that he would gradually become fragile and unable to leave behind the warmth that the Gu family had provided. He was afraid that he would forget who he really was and whose blood ran through his veins.

He walked to the balcony, his phone gently pressed against his ear. He looked up at the night sky. It was nearly as clear as the photo Gu Nuan had sent, and it should be a sunny day tomorrow.

In his phone, Gu Nuan’s voice was melodious, and every word could calm Han Yang’s restless heart.

“Brother, don’t worry, I’m sure they picked you. After all, you act so well!”

“Yeah.”

“When I praise you, why don’t you be a bit more modest?”

“Okay, I’ll be modest.”

Han Yang’s voice became much gentler.

After joking around, Gu Nuan’s tone softened as he said, “Even if you don’t get chosen this time, there will be another chance, right? You have to believe in yourself; you’re very talented, and there will always be people who appreciate you. Last time, I heard from Xia Ge that the senior named Lao Liang has been wanting to sign you, right? That means he believes in you. So… don’t stay up late, get some rest. Anyway, I’ll always support you, and I…”

At this point, Gu Nuan shyly scratched his head and smiled, “I’ll always be your first fan.”

What was that word again? Diehard fan?

Gu Nuan didn’t know much about being a fan, but he believed he was the first and biggest fan of Han Yang.

In the long hours of the night, knowing someone cares about you and encourages you, no one would feel lonely.

Han Yang’s heavy mood had been lightened considerably by Gu Nuan. He smiled silently, and his smile was beautiful, but Gu Nuan couldn’t see it; he could only hear his response, “Okay.”

Gu Nuan was surprised. He had said so much, and Han Yang had only replied with one word.

Gu Nuan pursed his lips, picked at the bedsheet with his fingertips, and thought that he must have tired Han Yang out with his words. “Are you feeling sleepy? You should go to sleep; I won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll come to see you this weekend and bring you some delicious shrimp dumplings.”

He was about to hang up the phone when Han Yang stopped him.

“Gu Nuan.”

“Yes?”

“I’m planning to sign the contract. I might be very busy soon. If I don’t respond quickly to your messages, don’t get upset.”

Han Yang wasn’t lying. He had other auditions and work commitments lately, probably not even coming home every day. And indeed, he needed some time to sort out his own feelings as well.

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Gu Nuan.

Han Yang was really entering a semi-disappeared state.

For a full two months, Han Yang had been so busy that he didn’t have time to visit the Gu family villa or meet Gu Nuan. Whenever Gu Nuan wanted to see him, Han Yang was never at home. He was always busy until late at night or didn’t return until the early hours of the morning.

…………………………

Gu Nuan and Su Li met at a fried chicken shop. One was obsessed with their online lover, and the other was constantly worried about Han Yang’s hard work.

Su Li, who didn’t understand much about this, said, “Don’t people in his industry have irregular working hours? Besides, he’s just a small, small, small, small…..upcoming actor.” He deliberately emphasized “small,” “He has to accommodate other people’s schedules, who cares if he gets enough rest or not.”

“…”

“Maybe he doesn’t even have time to eat. And if he does, he’s probably eating those terrible boxed meals.” Su Li exaggerated, while playing with his game, and added, “It’s tough, really tough.”

Gu Nuan felt more and more sorry for Han Yang. He stood up and said, “I’m going to buy some good food for my brother.”

Su Li shouted from behind, “I was just joking! hey!

……………………………….

 Gu Nuan checked the time; it was already past 6 p.m. He sent a message to Han Yang and received a reply half an hour later.

“I probably won’t be home until around midnight today, so you don’t need to come to find me.”

Half a minute later, Han Yang sent another message to Gu Nuan: “My role has been confirmed, and filming starts next month. I can finish my scenes in just one day.”

Hearing this, Gu Nuan was thrilled and decided to pack some shrimp dumplings for Han Yang, along with other dishes. Later, he thought that a celebration wouldn’t be perfect without fried chicken, so he took a taxi back to the villa around 9 p.m. He didn’t care about the dormitory’s curfew time. He packed all the food into a newly bought insulated bag and left it neatly outside Han Yang’s rental room.

He sent Han Yang a message and, afraid that he might not notice it, he also left a note on the door.

Just as he finished writing the note, the elevator door behind him opened.

There was only one tenant on this floor, and the others were unoccupied.

Gu Nuan turned around excitedly and saw Xia Fei, who was supporting the barely conscious Han Yang as they walked out.

“Xiao Nuan?” Xia Fei wasn’t drunk and spoke clearly. “Why are you here so late?”

“I brought some food for my brother.”

“Why didn’t you take it inside? It’s not safe to leave it outside.” Xia Fei casually remarked, “Come over here and help.”

Gu Nuan walked over and helped Xia Fei support Han Yang. Han Yang seemed a bit tipsy, but he was sleeping soundly. Gu Nuan was concerned, “Is my brother drunk? Did you guys go drinking?”

“He’s probably just tired. He had a few drinks and fell asleep. I guess getting the role relieved some stress.” Xia Fei spoke at a normal volume and didn’t wake up Han Yang.

Gu Nuan gently touched Han Yang’s face to make sure he wasn’t cold, especially since it was already mid-November. He thought about finding Han Yang’s keys but was surprised to see Xia Fei casually pull out a set of keys from his own pocket and opened the door to the rented room.

Gu Nuan: “…”

Xia Fei: “Why are you looking at me like that?” He raised the keys in his hand, realizing that Gu Nuan was actually looking at the keys, and asked in confusion, “Don’t you have a set?”

Gu Nuan: “…”

Xia Fei felt like he had asked the wrong question seeing Gu Nuan’s expression.

Gu Nuan looked at Xia Fei with envy and a hint of sorrow, saying, “I don’t.”