Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 32

After breakfast, Gu Nuan wanted to help with the dishes, but Han Yang didn’t let him.

Gu Nuan was like a little tail, following Han Yang to tidy up the kitchen, chattering away about school. Han Yang pursed his lips, listened quietly, and occasionally replied with a few words.

Seeing that Han Yang was in a good mood, Gu Nuan used a roundabout tactic. “Brother, I’m full. Can we rest a bit here, before we leave?”

“Mmm.”

With permission granted, Gu Nuan took a short break.

Once Han Yang finished tidying up, he started reading a book and didn’t rush Gu Nuan. Gu Nuan played with his phone on the sofa, chatting with some new acquaintances and learning that his senior, Yu Yi, was waiting for him at the dormitory.

Gu Nuan said to his friend, “[Can you tell him for me that I won’t be at school for the next couple of days? Ask him not to keep coming to the dorm to find me.]”

The friend expressed regret, “[He’s actually quite handsome. Aren’t you considering it?]”

Gu Nuan replied, “[No, I’m really not interested.]”

Han Yang was a hundred times more handsome than him.

The friend said, “[Well, poor Yu Yi.]”

Gu Nuan thought that after a while, Yu Yi would probably give up.

At four o’clock in the afternoon, Han Yang had finished reading a book.

He closed the book, turned to look at Gu Nuan, and noticed that Gu Nuan had gone from sitting to lying down.

Han Yang: “…”

Gu Nuan turned alertly, with his back to Han Yang, and said, “I haven’t digested yet; let’s rest more.” As soon as he finished speaking, his stomach made a thunderous “gurgle.”

Gu Nuan: ?!

He had to sit up, find a new excuse, and calmly said, “turns out I’m hungry again. How about we eat and then leave?”

Han Yang asked, “And then you’ll be full again?”

Gu Nuan was momentarily speechless.

He looked at Han Yang, and Han Yang looked at him, and an awkward atmosphere gradually filled the room.

Later, Gu Nuan reluctantly stood up, put his phone in his bag, and said, “Brother, I’ll head back then.”

His stomach also bid farewell to Han Yang: “Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.”

Gu Nuan was grateful for his thick skin. At times like this, as long as he didn’t feel embarrassed, the embarrassment was on Han Yang.

He forced a smile twice and turned to leave.

But Han Yang stopped him and took out two packages of instant noodles from the cabinet, one with scallion oil flavor and the other with miso flavor.

“Gu Nuan, which flavor of instant noodles do you want?”

…

Before Han Yang could react, in the next second, Gu Nuan, with his bag on his back, had approached in front of him.

“I usually eat scallion oil, but today I want to try miso. It would be great if you could make both, and we can split them halfway, just like when we were kids.”

Gu Nuan hardly ever had an appetite.

He said joyfully, “Brother, the fried eggs you made this morning were so delicious. I’m so hungry now I could eat ten of them. Will you make them for me again?”

“Mmh.” Han Yang inexplicably had tomatoes in his kitchen, which he had taken out from the refrigerator earlier and left at room temperature. “How about I also make some sugar-coated tomatoes for you?”

Gu Nuan, taking advantage of the situation, leaned towards Han Yang. “You’re the best, brother!”

Gu Nuan planned to eat until he was stuffed again. Today, he planned on staying at Han Yang’s place again!

…

However, that night, Gu Nuan lay motionless in his own dormitory bed.

Yes, it was his school dormitory bed.

Gu Nuan didn’t know which step he had gone wrong.

Clearly, he had successfully stuffed himself during dinner, and he had also silently finished his grooming at Han Yang’s house. So, how did he end up back at school?

Oh, he understood now.

This failure was caused by the unfortunate man who had come at just the wrong time—Xia Fei.

Why did he have to come, and on top of that, why did he bring a car?

It had happened just an hour and a half ago.

“Xia Fei, can I borrow your car? I want to drive Gu Nuan back to school.”

As soon as Han Yang spoke, Xia Fei, who had just entered the house, noticed Gu Nuan lying on the bed and was astonished. “Oh, Gu Nuan is still here!” He was holding several bags of braised snacks and a few bottles of soda.

 “How about we eat together before you go? These braised snacks i bought are incredible.”

Gu Nuan immediately nodded, but he hadn’t spoken yet.

Han Yang helped him decline, saying, “No need; he’s already stuffed from dinner.”

Xia Fei glanced at Gu Nuan, and Gu Nuan pleaded for help with his eyes. Xia Fei misunderstood, saying, “It does look like he’s stuffed; he can’t keep his eyes open. You should hurry and take him back. We were in the middle of a conversation last time, and you passed out before we could finish.”

There was no alcohol today, as Xia Fei had driven, so he had only bought soda.

With a shrug and a smile, Xia Fei waved to Gu Nuan. “See you next time, Gu Nuan.”

Gu Nuan wished he could puncture Xia Fei’s car tires.

…

Thinking about it, Gu Nuan rolled over in frustration.

He tossed and turned, and in the end, he sent a message to Han Yang: “[can I visit you again?]”

No reply.

Gu Nuan could only go to sleep, as he had an early morning hospital appointment the next day.

Meanwhile, Han Yang took a can of beer from the refrigerator. His phone was in the bedroom, and it briefly vibrated, but it didn’t catch his attention.

Xia Fei took a bite of a lotus root slice, opened a soda bottle, and deliberately said, “I think Xiao Nuan probably likes you.”

This direct statement caught Han Yang off guard, and he almost dropped his beer. He turned around, still wearing his usual ice-cold expression, which Xia Fei was accustomed to. Han Yang typically had just one expression unless he was acting, and only in front of Gu Nuan did he show signs of softening.

Han Yang opened the beer and said, “He’s my younger brother.”

“You and him have no blood relation, and you’re not even on the same household registration.” These were things Xia Fei had unintentionally asked Han Yang about in the past.

Han Yang remained silent, sat down, and took a sip of the ice-cold beer. He would never bring out the beer when Gu Nuan was around.

“You… Why do you have to drink alone? If I hadn’t driven here today, I would join you,” Xia Fei grumbled and placed a strawberry-flavored soda in front of him. “You used to buy this kind when you were abroad, right?”

“Not anymore.”

“Why? The way you used to drink it, both Lao Liang and I thought you were addicted, you drank it every day.”

Xia Fei was speechless and took the soda back. “Alright, let’s not talk about that. A few days ago, I met with Lao Liang, and he said you weren’t very willing to participate in talent shows. He’s worried but he doesn’t want to force you.”

Han Yang frowned slightly at the use of the word “force.”

It was clear that Xia Fei was trying to persuade him.

“You see, when you were a model abroad, it was more like a part-time job. But now that you’re back in China, nobody knows you, and it’s challenging to stand out. Even if you act in my dad’s movie later, it probably won’t make a big splash. The company is currently giving you small roles that aren’t much different from being an extra. This industry is vast, and without a bit of luck… the road ahead is quite long.”

Han Yang didn’t have a formal acting background, and he was a complete newbie in terms of work in this field.

Lao Liang had to proceed cautiously; at most, he would assign Han Yang some third or fourth male lead roles this year. However, despite gaining valuable experience, his exposure would be minimal. If the roles themselves weren’t outstanding, there would be no chance for him to shine.

At this rate, if Han Yang wanted to act in better dramas and play better roles, he would have to endure for at least a year or two.

Although Lao Liang was Han Yang’s friend, he was also a businessman. Since he had signed Han Yang, he naturally hoped that Han Yang would help him make money as soon as possible. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Xia Fei took a bite of braised meat and said, “I happen to have a friend who works in the talent show industry.” While wiping his hands, he analyzed the situation for Han Yang. “I’m thinking, why don’t you listen to the company and participate in a few talent shows to get some exposure? With his help, at least we can get a few more shots in the first two episodes. You’re good-looking, gaining some fans shouldn’t be a problem.”

Getting recognized on screen was better than having no recognition at all.

Xia Fei genuinely considered Han Yang as a brother and a close friend. When he was in trouble overseas, all his friends who could avoid him did so, except for Han Yang, the silly boy who came to help him without a second thought.

Without considering the consequences.

It was also that incident that made Xia Fei realize that as long as you treated Han Yang a little better, he could repay you several times over. Although Han Yang appeared cold and had a reserved personality, his heart was warm.

Xia Fei had been puzzled for a long time about why someone with Han Yang’s seemingly cold personality had such a warm heart. It wasn’t until he learned about Gu Nuan’s existence that he realized his heart was warm because someone had been holding it close all along.