Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 5

With aunty Xu’s help, Gu Nuan changed to a smaller fruit platter and cut two relatively small peaches. It had to be said that his knife skills, although reminiscent of a chicken pecking at rice, still produced neat and visually pleasing results, earning a perfect score.

He happily carried the fruit platter to the living room and spotted his father, Gu Yuanchen, at the entrance putting on his shoes.

Gu Nuan asked with concern, “Father, are you going out? It’s almost dinner time.”

“There’s suddenly some work at the company that I need to handle,” Gu Yuanchen, a very handsome alpha despite being in his forties, replied. Even his age couldn’t conceal his aura. He turned to his partner, Ji Mu, and said, “I should be done quickly.”

Ji Mu was also usually busy with work, so he understood Gu Yuanchen well. He responded, “Then we’ll eat dinner later, waiting for you.”

After that, Ji Mu saw Han Yang coming down from the second floor, and he immediately shifted his gaze and asked warmly, “Is your luggage all unpacked?”

“Yes, Uncle Ji,” Han Yang lowered his head slightly, displaying a polite yet intimate attitude toward Ji Mu.

He took the initiative to walk to the entrance and saw that Gu Yuanchen took a deep breath, looking weary. Han Yang had always been a sensible child, so he quickly said, “Uncle Gu, let me drive you to the company.”

“No need, you’ve just arrived home. Rest well,” Gu Yuanchen replied.

Han Yang insisted, “I’m not tired.”

On one hand, he was concerned about Gu Yuanchen, and on the other hand, he had something to discuss privately with him. After seeing Gu Nuan again, he appeared calm on the surface, but inside, he was in turmoil, unable to wait any longer.

He said with a few words, “You look a bit tired. It’s better not to drive yourself.”

Seeing his persistence, Gu Yuanchen accepted, thinking that the child was concerned about him. “Alright.” He added, “Regarding your future work, I’d like to discuss it with you as well.”

Poor Gu Nuan, who had just cut the peaches, hesitated where he stood.

“Father, please come back earlier,” Gu Nuan said from a distance.

Gu Yuanchen waved to Gu Nuan. “Xiao Nuan, come here.” His voice was gentle and his attitude towards his beloved younger son could always undergo a 180-degree transformation.

Gu Nuan walked over, only to see Gu Yuanchen pick up a piece of peach from the fruit platter and take a bite. “Thanks for cutting the peaches.”

As usual, he hastily left the house.

Han Yang followed, changed his shoes, and just before stepping out of the front door, he apologized to Gu Nuan, “Please put this in the refrigerator for me, I’ll eat it when I come back.”

Gu Nuan approached with the plate, picked up a piece, and stuffed it into Han Yang’s mouth, smoothly feeding him. “It won’t be fresh when you come back, so I’ll cut you some fresh ones later.”

With a mouthful of peach, Han Yang blinked.

“Is it sweet?”

Han Yang nodded, his cheeks full, which made Gu Nuan burst into laughter. “You haven’t changed at all, just like in the past.” He skillfully wiped the corner of Han Yang’s mouth with his hand. “But I remember when I first met you, you didn’t even want to eat the strawberry candy I gave you.”

Gu Nuan’s smile was charming, sweet even without pheromones. He remained an irresistible omega.

For this reason, Han Yang averted his gaze, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

He said, “I’m leaving.”

As the front door closed, Gu Nuan furrowed his brows slightly and muttered to himself, “He does look handsome up close. The foreign environment really does wonders,” He turned his head and met Ji Mu’s gaze, and couldn’t help but be surprised. “Dad, why are you looking at me like I’m just a crazy fan?”

“Isn’t that the case?”

“You’ve got it all wrong. I have fundamental differences from crazy fans.”

“What differences?”

Gu Nuan said confidently, “Have you ever seen a crazy fan living under the same roof as their idol?”

Approaching 5 o’clock.

Han Yang sat patiently on the sofa in Gu Yuanchen’s office, waiting for Gu Yuanchen and his secretary to finish their meeting. Han Yang was not yet an employee of the company, and he hadn’t decided whether he would work there, so he wouldn’t be involved in this meeting.

The secretary outside the office was a young beta, and he had seen the family photo on Gu Yuanchen’s desk, leaving a deep impression of Han Yang’s handsome appearance. He had also heard earlier that Mr. Gu had plans for his foster son to intern at the company.

Perhaps in a few days, Han Yang would become a member of this company.

The assistant brewed a cup of tea for Han Yang and quietly observed him for a few seconds. “Please enjoy your tea.”

“Thank you,” Han Yang replied politely.

The assistant placed the tea on the glass coffee table in front of the sofa and said with a smile, “If you need anything, just call me. I’ll be in the office area outside.”

Han Yang didn’t say much and repeated, “Okay, thank you.”

The assistant’s gaze unintentionally fell on the scar on the left side of Han Yang’s ear, which was quite noticeable when viewed from the side. It was easy to overlook when viewed from the front, but it was quite prominent when seen from the side.

It was an ugly and unhealed scar, one that had formed again after scabbing and shedding, looking oddly out of place. Having something like that on Han Yang’s head was a major flaw in his appearance.

Han Yang noticed the assistant’s gaze but paid it no mind. He lifted his head, and his tone became distant. “Is there anything else?”

“No, I’m sorry,” the assistant said, quickly leaving the office.

As the glass door closed, Han Yang lowered his head and unconsciously pressed his index and middle fingers against his temple. He rubbed his temples.

Time passed second by second, and Gu Yuanchen’s work was not yet finished. Apparently, there was a rather tricky problem to solve.

Han Yang sat quietly on the sofa for a while, then got up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the office.

The rain had stopped for the time being, and the world had been cleansed, creating a soothing atmosphere. From this vantage point, he could see the gentle glow of the setting sun enveloping the earth until nightfall.

He remembered that when he was a child, Gu Nuan loved taking Ji Mu’s phone and photographing the sky.

Han Yang took out his phone and snapped a picture of the post-rain sunset. He sent the photo to Gu Nuan. Normally, Gu Nuan would reply instantly, but today, he seemed busy and didn’t respond immediately.

Han Yang put away his phone, turned around, and saw two picture frames on Gu Yuanchen’s desk.

They were two different family photos.

One was taken four years ago, just before Han Yang went abroad. The other… Han Yang couldn’t help but approach it, reaching out to pick up the picture frame.

More than ten years had passed, and this photo was still kept in excellent condition. Through the glass of the frame, Han Yang saw his younger self.

In the photo, he was wearing a school uniform, looking tense and nervous. Seven-year-old Gu Nuan wore the same uniform and held his hand tightly, smiling like a little sun.

Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen sat on either side, protecting the two of them in the middle, resembling a family of four.

Han Yang remembered this photo. It was taken shortly after he arrived at the Gu family, and Gu Nuan had suggested, “Since we’re a family now, let’s take a photo together!” His voice had been warm, melting the cold of that winter.

After many years, Han Yang could still recall that warmth.

He looked at the photo, his fingertips caressing the young Gu Nuan’s cheek. Even he didn’t know that he had shown a very natural smile.

But in an instant, he suppressed that smile.

Han Yang thought that he had changed a lot. Since he came to the Gu family at the age of eleven, he had been changing. With time and age, he became more insatiable, more ungrateful, and more frightening.

But Gu Nuan would never know his dirty and unsightly thoughts.

Han Yang thought he could hide them well.

Just like in the winter of his childhood, he hid all his emotions, shrinking into a cold shell, allowing the cold wind to shatter his body.

Author’s Note:

In the next few chapters, there will be a storyline about the childhood encounters of the main characters. I’ve written a short story about it before. Now, in order to better integrate it into the main story and set the stage for future developments, I’ve removed Gu Nuan’s point of view and added some details about Han Yang’s experiences. The general plot and direction remain unchanged, but consider this version the official one. It will be updated until this part of the story is concluded. Please don’t mind if you’ve read it before.