Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 48

Han Yang held Gu Nuan’s hand and gently rubbed it, and the words he had kept deep inside him only came out when Gu Nuan was drunk. “I’m still very scared now, scared that the same thing from back then might happen again when you and I are together.”

Han Yang wished he could be braver, but every time he thought about what happened four years ago, he felt like he was filled with ice, cold to the point of suffocation, waking up from nightmares again and again.

The more he loved Gu Nuan, the more frightened and guilty he felt.

Han Yang believed he was a harbinger of disaster, and he should really stay far away from Gu Nuan.

But he couldn’t do it; he couldn’t bear to.

Over these four years, from initially avoiding Gu Nuan to eventually deciding to return to China and stay by Gu Nuan’s side, he had imagined countless future scenarios, all of them involving Gu Nuan. He couldn’t bear to be away from Gu Nuan.

Han Yang’s heart had long been tied to Gu Nuan.

“Mmmh.” Gu Nuan sighed deeply, drunk, seemingly not paying attention to anything. He couldn’t handle alcohol, and his first time drinking had caused him to miss the perfect opportunity to confess. He was now in a daze, still immersed in his worries about whether Han Yang would find him annoying.

Han Yang could only say again, “I’m not annoyed with you at all, really.”

Gu Nuan’s eyes became moist, and he asked Han Yang, “But even if you get annoyed with me… What does it matter? You’re not my brother.”

“I am,” Han Yang replied seriously.

“You’re not. You’re my son, and you even washed my feet!” Gu Nuan said nonsensically, extending a finger and wiggling it around, “I used to wash my father’s feet when I was little, it was a family chore.”

After saying that, Gu Nuan hiccupped and then covered his mouth with both hands, his cheeks turning red.

Then he hiccupped again, and again, and again. He hiccupped countless times. Han Yang had finished washing his feet, gone to the bathroom to wash his hands, and returned to find Gu Nuan still hiccupping, but now with a rhythmic pattern.

In frustration, Gu Nuan said, “I don’t want to hiccup anymore.”

Han Yang leaned over and spoke soothingly, “Take off your coat; it’s time for you to sleep.”

Gu Nuan was hiccupping and didn’t feel like sleeping.

He grabbed Han Yang’s hand, and suddenly, he recognized Han Yang again. “Brother, give me a kiss,” he said without any embarrassment. Gu Nuan didn’t even realize what he was saying. He was saying this with a single-minded focus, “Dad said that when you have hiccups, someone kissing you will make it stop. That’s how Father used to stop his hiccups when I was a kid.”

“That’s just a superstition.”

“I don’t think so,” Gu Nuan pouted and asked Han Yang to kiss him.

But Han Yang refused, saying, “Aren’t I your son?”

Tears welled up in Gu Nuan’s eyes, and he said with determination, “You’re my big brother! brother, am I going to be the first person in the world to die from hiccups?”

“No,” Han Yang frowned, disliking how Gu Nuan mentioned the word “death.”

Gu Nuan persisted, “I’ll die because of hiccups!” His alcohol tolerance wasn’t great; he was talking nonsense and holding Han Yang’s hand, not letting go. “Kiss me, please, you can’t just watch me die because of hiccups!”

It had come to begging now.

But Han Yang still didn’t kiss him; he had other ways to coax Gu Nuan into sleeping.

Just like when they were younger, Han Yang and Gu Nuan lay down together on the bed, and Han Yang gently stroked his ear. He would never do such intimate actions when Gu Nuan was awake.

His voice was like a gentle spring breeze, “Xiao Nuan, it’s time to sleep.”

Gu Nuan wiped his tears, didn’t get the kiss he wanted, and was upset. He scolded, “You’re just being stingy. Is your mouth made of gold that you won’t even give me a kiss?”

But with it being nearly noon and Gu Nuan having attended classes all day, he was exhausted. He didn’t fuss for long and soon fell asleep comfortably under Han Yang’s touch, without hiccups.

If he woke up the next day and remembered the things he had said tonight, he might feel so embarrassed that he’d want to die.

Fortunately, Gu Nuan couldn’t hold his alcohol well, had poor memory, and had no clue the next morning.

It was almost noon when Gu Nuan woke up the next day, and the first thing he wanted to do was use the bathroom. However, as soon as he got out of bed, he tripped over the bedding mat Han Yang had laid by the bed, tumbling down and landing on top of Han Yang.

Han Yang was awakened by being crushed.

Gu Nuan was dazed, and his mind felt like an atomic bomb had just exploded, creating a whirlwind of chaos. Waking up in the morning to find a handsome man you had a crush on lying beneath you would make anyone’s heart race, and any human would want to kiss. Gu Nuan’s brain malfunctioned, and without thinking twice, he followed his inner desires.

Han Yang made a muffled sound of protest, but before he could open his eyes, his lips were captured by Gu Nuan.

Han Yang suspected that Gu Nuan was still not fully awake.

Gu Nuan was the first to speak, pretending as if it were an accident. “Brother, do you believe in accidents?”

Han Yang had just woken up, and his voice was still hoarse. “What?”

Gu Nuan’s heart was pounding, he felt like he was floating on air. He looked at Han Yang and, with his mouth not matching his actions at all, he said, “It’s like… have you seen TV dramas? Like that one, ‘XXX,’ where the main characters often accidentally fall in love.”

“…” Han Yang didn’t know how to respond.

“Brother, I used to think those were all lies, but I didn’t expect they were true!” Gu Nuan continued, demonstrating a poor but cute performance.

Early in the morning, Gu Nuan was like a mischievous deer, hopping around and giggling, completely lost in thought. He voluntarily went to the kitchen to fry some eggs, but this time, he ended up overcooking two of them. To prevent Gu Nuan from wasting more food, Han Yang took the spatula from him and urged, “Go sit on the couch.”

Gu Nuan was savoring the taste of their morning kiss, clutching the keys hanging around his chest and smelling the minty pheromones emanating from Han Yang. He was refusing to leave the kitchen. He wanted to make this “brunch” with Han Yang.

“Brother, you can order me around as you wish, let me help you in the kitchen.” At this moment, Gu Nuan seemed like a tail-wagging puppy.

Han Yang couldn’t resist him and said, “Go to the fridge and get two steaks.”

Gu Nuan promptly fetched them.

Han Yang began defrosting the steaks and instructed, “Peel two cloves of garlic.”

Gu Nuan peeled three cloves in one go.

Once the steaks were defrosted, Han Yang placed them in a frying pan and said, “Get some black pepper from the cabinet on the left.”

Gu Nuan also brought white pepper and placed it beside the pan.

When Han Yang turned around, Gu Nuan accidentally bumped into his chest.

The kitchen window was in the perfect spot for the sunlight at this moment and Gu Nuan’s eyes gleamed like amber, scattered with countless emotions of fondness.

The steaks in the pan were releasing an enticing aroma, but it couldn’t match the minty scent coming from Han Yang.

Gu Nuan remembered what Su Li had said: an opportunity for confession, a chance.

Perhaps it was now.

Gu Nuan, in a daze, had entered a minty dream and looked up, gazing at Han Yang without moving.

“Gu Nuan, the steaks are almost done. Why don’t you step out first?” Han Yang took a step back.

Gu Nuan immediately followed, taking the initiative to embrace Han Yang. He tiptoed and, with a blush, kissed Han Yang’s lips again.

“This, this time it’s not an accident,” Gu Nuan left Han Yang’s lips, stuttering with nervousness. He gently loosened his grip, retreated a step, and maintained a distance that allowed them to speak calmly. His breathing became rapid, and he didn’t know where to place his hands.

Han Yang stared at him.

Gu Nuan whispered, “Brother…” He tried to hold Han Yang’s gaze, feeling like he was about to combust. His heart was pounding loudly in his throat, endlessly making noise.

“I like you.”

Gu Nuan was so sincere. “Can you… can you be in a relationship with me?” He raised four fingers, standing nervously straight. “I swear! If we’re in a relationship, I will treat you very well, super well, forever!”

Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Gu Nuan in its glow.

Gu Nuan saw Han Yang turning to the side, not looking at his face. He couldn’t see Han Yang’s expression, but he felt the loneliness in Han Yang’s silhouette.

He heard Han Yang say, “I’m sorry.”