Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 36

Gu Nuan had already calmed down. Without the interference of pheromones, he was no longer trembling and resisting. He hesitated and guessed, “You stayed with me all night, and Father and Dad suddenly rushed back to the country. So… um, I’m guessing you guys already know, right?”

Seeing Han Yang fall silent, Gu Nuan pursed his lips, feeling a bit dejected.

He didn’t want Xu Minghao’s presence to forever disrupt his relationship with Han Yang.

“In fact, I haven’t been afraid of him for a long time, no, I wasn’t afraid of him before,” Gu Nuan said, losing some of his confidence. He lowered his head. “But yesterday, his pheromones made me extremely uncomfortable. I felt nauseous and kept shivering; I couldn’t control myself.”

He looked up and saw Han Yang also looking at him.

“But this has already passed. I slept and woke up fine. Meeting him was just an accident, and C City is so big that I probably won’t run into him again in the future. Brother, don’t worry, okay?”

Han Yang moved his lips, and in his expression, there was more emotional turmoil than Gu Nuan’s.

Four years ago, Han Yang was just an ordinary high school senior preparing for the college entrance exam. Thanks to his excellent grades, he had secured one of the limited early admission spots at C University.

Passing this exam would give him the chance to bypass the exhausting and stressful national college entrance exam.

For this, Han Yang studied day and night. Despite already being the top student in his class, he didn’t dare to slack off.

Seeing how hardworking Han Yang was, Ji Mu brought a plate of fruit and said softly, “Early admission is just an opportunity. Your grades are excellent, and even if you take the regular college entrance exam, you’ll have no problem getting into C University. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Seventeen-year-old Han Yang shook his head. “I promised Gu Nuan that we would go skiing during the holidays.”

The early ski trip meant that Han Yang didn’t have to attend winter cram school like the other high school seniors.

Excited, Gu Nuan, who was doing his homework on the side, nodded vigorously. “Skiing!”

Ji Mu sighed helplessly and told Han Yang, “You can’t always spoil Xiao Nuan.”

Han Yang defended, “Gu Nuan is very well-behaved.”

Gu Nuan nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing, “Yes, Dad, I’m super well-behaved.”

Ji Mu chuckled, helpless with the two of them, and patted Han Yang’s shoulder. “Alright, I can’t argue with you two. Just remember not to stay up too late, get plenty of rest; that’s the most important thing.”

After saying that, he left Han Yang’s room but reminded Gu Nuan again before leaving, “Xiao Nuan, go back to your own room and sleep later, okay?”

Gu Nuan pretended not to hear and lowered his head to focus on his homework.

It was only a little past nine, and it wasn’t yet the time when Han Yang would feel drowsy.

Since Gu Nuan saw that his brother wasn’t sleeping, he didn’t want to sleep either. He stubbornly sat by Han Yang’s side, doing his own homework. By the time Han Yang realized, Gu Nuan had already fallen asleep on the desk.

Under the desk lamp, Gu Nuan’s skin appeared delicate. He was now in his second year of junior high, and there were already a string of teenage Alphas and Betas who had developed crushes on him. But none of them dared to confess because everyone knew that Gu Nuan had a “hard-to-deal-with” older brother.

If anyone dared to bully Gu Nuan, Han Yang was the first to step in and wouldn’t hold back.

To others, Han Yang appeared as an outstanding student and a good older brother. However, in front of Gu Nuan, he was different. He was cold and rarely initiated conversations with people. As long as it involved Gu Nuan, Han Yang could confront anyone.

As a result, students in the junior high section secretly gave Han Yang the nickname “Mad Dog.”

Especially Gu Nuan’s friend, Su Li, who trembled whenever he recalled the moment Han Yang had grabbed him by the collar. This only solidified Han Yang’s reputation as the “Mad Dog.”

And Han Yang was fully aware of this nickname.

But he didn’t care.

To him, and to others, whether it was good or bad, he didn’t mind.

“Um.” Gu Nuan, who was comfortably asleep, let out a soft hum and mumbled in his sleep, “I’m full, I can’t eat anymore…” It wasn’t clear what delicious food he was dreaming about, but Gu Nuan muttered in his sleep, looking satisfied.

Watching him, Han Yang couldn’t help but reach out and touch his cheek.

So soft.

Gu Nuan’s eyelashes were long, and they cast a small shadow under the light.

Han Yang’s heart trembled, and he felt like a thief, knowing it was wrong but unable to resist. He leaned down and kissed Gu Nuan’s cheek. It was very light, and he wasn’t sure if he had actually touched him. Regardless, Gu Nuan’s cheek was as soft as a cloud, making Han Yang lose touch with reality.

Han Yang pursed his lips; he liked Gu Nuan, he had always liked him.

It was affection between an Alpha and an Omega, but it was also affection between two individuals.

After a while, Han Yang lifted his head and saw Gu Yuanchen standing at the bedroom door, which he hadn’t noticed earlier. Startled, he immediately stood up, causing the chair to make a screeching sound and waking Gu Nuan.

“Uncle Gu… I…” Han Yang almost bit his tongue.

The three of them locked eyes, and it was Gu Yuanchen who spoke first. His voice was more serious than usual. “Xiao Nuan, if you’re tired, go back to your room and sleep. Your brother and I need to talk.”

The next day, Han Yang performed poorly on a mock exam.

After the exam results were released, he dropped from first place in the entire grade to second place.

The top spot had been taken by someone else, an Alpha named Xu Minghao.

This person was no stranger to Han Yang; they were in the same class, sitting in front and behind each other. Due to some business dealings between the Xu and Gu families, Xu Minghao knew a bit about Han Yang’s situation, and he looked down on Han Yang, who had been brought back from the mountains by Ji Mu.

“Mite” and “parasite” were the nicknames Xu Minghao coined for Han Yang, solely because Han Yang’s arrival had taken away his first-place position.

“Hey, Mite, haven’t you eaten recently?” Xu Minghao, who had taken first place, was showing off in class. “I’m treating tonight; are you coming?”

His minions laughed sarcastically, “Has he ever been to such an expensive restaurant? Will he even know how to eat if he goes?”

The classmates around them remained silent, sitting quietly in their seats. Some watched the spectacle, while others whispered, “Isn’t Xu Minghao’s mother a mistress? According to my mom, she left as soon as she gave birth to him. Why is he acting so arrogantly? Compared to Han Yang, he’s still inferior.”

“It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion. Even though he’s a charity case, he’s still better than Xu Minghao, right?”

Xu Minghao didn’t hear these comments. He was entirely focused on taunting Han Yang. He approached Han Yang, who was unfazed by his sarcasm, and said, “Hey, Mite, haven’t you eaten recently?”

Han Yang didn’t pay attention to Xu Minghao’s taunts and quietly finished organizing his exercise book before walking out of the classroom. This was what irritated Xu Minghao the most—no matter how much you provoked him, he could ignore you.

Thus, Xu Minghao increasingly resembled a clown.

Han Yang walked out of the classroom without stopping, leaving Xu Minghao standing there alone. Several classmates from ordinary backgrounds suppressed their laughter. However, one of Xu Minghao’s friends kicked a desk in frustration.

Unwilling to give up, Xu Minghao followed Han Yang outside and grabbed his collar.

In the noonday sun, before Xu Minghao could say anything, he heard a crisp voice from afar. “Brother!”

Xu Minghao turned to look, and from a distance, he saw Gu Nuan running toward them, carrying a red water bottle. Gu Nuan was a student in the junior high section.

Han Yang’s voice was cold, devoid of any warmth. “Let go.”

“You…”

“I don’t want to cause any trouble, but if you dare to make a scene in front of my little brother, I won’t let you off.” Han Yang’s pheromones already carried an unpleasant scent, which frightened Xu Minghao into taking a step back and releasing his hold.

Both being Alphas, Xu Minghao didn’t want to admit that Han Yang’s pheromones had frightened him.