Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 41
After dinner, Gu Nuan and Gu Yuanchen went to the kitchen to make fruit juice, while Ji Mu took Han Yang to the study.
“Today, I went to your school again to check the surveillance footage, and I turned up the volume to the maximum. I faintly heard Xu Minghao asking if you were really going to rank in the top ten,” Ji Mu said, unsure due to the low volume. “Han Yang, you need to tell me the truth about this.”
Han Yang was momentarily speechless.
Ji Mu, who was perceptive, saw Han Yang’s expression and immediately guessed, “Does he have something on you? something he’s holding over you?”
Han Yang couldn’t bring himself to say it. How could he admit that Han Yongnian had already started scheming against the Gu family’s assets?
However, Ji Mu didn’t press the issue. “Do your best in your exams, no matter what he has. I will help you handle it.”
Han Yang was in turmoil, feeling deeply uncomfortable. In his mind, he couldn’t help but see Han Yongnian’s ugly face, which disgusted him.
In stark contrast, Ji Mu, who had always protected and cared for him, felt entirely different.
In their silence, Ji Mu spoke again in a gentle tone, “Han Yang, I’ve actually wanted to have a proper talk with you for a while now, but I couldn’t find the right opportunity.”
Han Yang opened his mouth to speak, “Uncle Ji?”
Ji Mu lowered his gaze and deliberately softened his tone. “I know you’ve always been reluctant to trouble us since you were young, and you’ve always been responsible. I also understand your desire to grow up and become independent while living under our roof. I understand why you have this idea.”
Han Yang realized that Ji Mu had known all along.
Ji Mu continued, “But, Han Yang, to me, you’re still a child. You can rely on me more.”
As he said this, Ji Mu’s tone was filled with genuine concern, as if he couldn’t bear to see Han Yang in any discomfort. Sometimes, he wondered if his own reserved nature had pushed the child away.
He gently touched Han Yang’s cheek and said to the young Alpha with a tender smile, “Even though we don’t share blood ties, in my heart, both you and Xiao Nuan are my children, and I truly worry about you.”
Hearing these words, the wound on Han Yang’s hand began to ache faintly.
This pain would continue to spread to his heart.
Han Yang sat quietly, and under Ji Mu’s insistence, he was swayed by the soft lighting. He sat in the study chair, hesitating for a while, and gradually relaxed.
However, Ji Mu didn’t want to force him further, but as he looked at the bandage on Han Yang’s hand, he felt that this matter couldn’t be left unresolved.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. Rest well,” Ji Mu said, intending to investigate on his own.
But before he could take a step out of the room, he heard Han Yang speak softly, “Uncle Ji.”
Ji Mu turned around.
What he saw was a teenager looking lost and helpless.
“Han Yongnian… came to see me.”
Han Yongnian was always a nightmare that Han Yang couldn’t erase; just mentioning him would make him scared, and seeing him would make him tremble.
Profound fear that was ingrained in his childhood.
………………………….
One week later, Han Yang went to take his exams.
Gu Nuan cheered him on early in the morning, boosting his confidence before the exam.
As he put on his shoes, Gu Nuan asked, “Brother, are you going to take the exam at C University?”
“Yes.”
“My classmate said the glutinous rice cakes there are delicious. Can you buy me some after the exam?” Gu Nuan put two strawberry candies in his pocket. “I’ve gone to the movies with Su Li several times this month and bought a lot of books. I accidentally used up all my pocket money. Can I trade candy with you?”
Han Yang ruffled his hair and smiled, “okay.”
“Brother, we have a grade-level speech competition this afternoon,” Gu Nuan said happily. “We’ll finish school at 3:30.”
“I’ll finish the exam at 3:15, and it’ll take me about twenty minutes to get there by taxi. I’ll come to the school and go home with you. Otherwise, the glutinous rice cakes will get cold.”
“Sounds good! Should we go to the bookstore first?”
Occasionally, Uncle Zhang didn’t have to pick them up. Han Yang would take Gu Nuan to bookstores and stationery stores, and they would end the day with some dessert before going home.
Han Yang agreed, “Sure, wait for me at the school gate.”
That day’s exam was quite important. Ji Mu personally drove Han Yang to the exam center before going to work, and uncle Zhang took Gu Nuan to school in another car.
There was some traffic on the way, and by the time Han Yang reached the exam center, there wasn’t much time left.
His classmates who were also taking the exam were surprised to see him. One of them said, “Han Yang, your hand isn’t fully healed yet. Can you take the exam?”
Han Yang looked at his right hand and replied, “I can.” He had rested for a week, and the pain was manageable.
“That Xu Minghao is really ruthless, letting your hand get like this. He didn’t even show up today.” One classmate muttered, knowing a bit about Xu Minghao’s family. “Just a few days ago, he was kicked out of his house by his dad in the middle of the night and stood in the rain for an hour or two…”
Before he could finish, the bell signaling the start of the exam rang.
The classmates taking the exam all went inside and found their seats with their student numbers.
Han Yang did the same.
When he received the exam paper to write his name, his pencil lead suddenly broke. Fortunately, he had a spare pencil.
Meanwhile, in a dim warehouse on the other side, cigarette butts littered the floor. Xu Minghao was biting his nails, his eyes red as if he hadn’t had a peaceful sleep for two or three days. He had replaced the bandage on his face earlier that morning, but the scar kept tearing open, bleeding, and wouldn’t heal properly.
His friend had brought two bottles of beer and had a few other items in his pocket.
“Brother Hao, everything is arranged, and we didn’t leave any evidence of our involvement,” the friend, who was prone to causing trouble, said with a smirk. “I was really lucky. That old scoundrel didn’t seem to know what he was doing. He was acting all timid, about to board the high-speed train back to his hometown, and I managed to stop him.”
“…”
I had to go through a lot of trouble for this!,” he said, handing a can of beer to Xu Minghao. “But this old scoundrel really has the audacity. He actually asked me, a student, for so much money. It made me laugh. I jokingly told him that I could bring someone discreetly who would double the amount!”
Of course, Xu Minghao didn’t actually plan to pay that money.
He had given his own savings to his friend as a down payment, and promised to pay the rest when the job was done. But in reality, Xu Minghao had no intention of paying the final installment. When things got out of hand, someone would naturally take care of Han Yongnian.
And he and his friend, being underage, would only receive minimal punishment in such a case.
After all, Xu Minghao thought that his current situation was far from good. He felt like he had nothing to lose. He believed it was just a matter of scaring someone, and nothing serious would happen.
“You didn’t tell him that Gu Nuan is from the Gu family, did you?”
“I’m not that dumb. How could I tell him that? The junior high school section ends at 3:30 this afternoon. I asked that old scoundrel to go upstairs and give that young master a few punches to scare him,” the friend said knowingly. He knew that the Gu family had a driver who picked them up from school every day, so they would quickly find out if someone had attacked Gu Nuan and realized it was Han Yang’s biological father.
Han Yang and Gu Nuan had embarrassed Xu Minghao and made him suffer, so he wanted to make them suffer in return.
Wasn’t Han Yang extremely protective of Gu Nuan? Didn’t he want to keep Gu Nuan away from others? Didn’t he want to keep Han Yongnian from finding them?
So he would let Han Yongnian go after Gu Nuan and let Han Yang see how it felt when the person he cared about the most, was hurt by his own father..
Xu Minghao gritted his teeth. He opened a can of beer, but before he could take a sip, his hand trembled, and he threw the can fell to the ground.
The beer’s bubbles spread across the floor and quickly disappeared.
He kicked the can in frustration.
Just three days ago, the follow-up project cooperation between the Xu family and the Gu family had failed to secure a contract. When Xu Song thought about the incident involving Xu Minghao and Han Yang, he flew into a rage and kicked Xu Minghao out of the house on a rainy night.
It was at that moment that Xu Minghao realized just how dire his situation was in his own home.
Xu Song didn’t mistreat him in terms of food and clothing, But in Xu Song’s eyes, he might not even be as valuable as a pet dog in the Xu family. He was summoned and dismissed at will, and when trouble arose, Xu Song didn’t hesitate to kick him out.
So, even if he had secured a guaranteed admission quota, what did it matter? His veins carried the blood of that woman who wasn’t valued by his father, and the Xu family would always treat him as a cheap outsider.
…
The friend opened another can of beer and handed it to Xu Minghao. He also took out a few items from his pocket and said, “Brother Hao, don’t think too much about it. Look at this, it’s super powerful. Just open a bottle, throw it into the dance floor, and even Betas will be shaking their buttocks at us!”
“…”
“Artificial Alpha pheromones, this stuff is incredibly strong, and many people have become addicted to it.”
The friend wasn’t into studying and always used to idle around at school. Xu Minghao came from a better-off family, so he became Xu Minghao’s sidekick. Naturally, he was associated with many individuals in the underworld, and these things were introduced to him by those people.
When used on adult Omegas or Betas, it could have a strong stimulating effect.
However, Xu Minghao wasn’t interested in these things and waved them away in annoyance. A few bottles fell to the ground, and the friend didn’t bother picking them up as they had plenty.
The warehouse’s windows were hit by raindrops, creating a loud pattering sound in the heavy rain.
Suddenly, the friend received a call from Han Yongnian, which surprised him. He turned to Xu Minghao and swallowed hard, then had a heated argument on the phone and, under the other person’s threat, reluctantly provided an address.