Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 55
“They said you brought someone in here. Just to avoid any scandals that might affect my drama, I came to check it out,” He Yunchu remarked. While he claimed to be here to supervise the drama, he was secretly looking forward to some gossip and wanted to inquire about Han Yang’s relationship status.
Han Yang turned around to explain, his tone carrying a hint of apology, “Senior, this is my younger brother. He wasn’t feeling well, so I borrowed your dressing room without asking, I’m sorry.”
He Yunchu listened and felt a bit bored. When genuine gossip was right in front of him, Han Yang unexpectedly offered an explanation, and the other person involved in this gossip was a younger brother?
He closed the door as he entered, casually saying, “It’s fine, didn’t I say my things are yours? Feel free to use the dressing room.” After all, it was just a dressing room, and He Yunchu didn’t care.
If it were his sports car or mansion, He Yunchu might have been more stingy.
Listening to their conversation, Gu Nuan stood quietly. Han Yang gestured for him to sit down, but he hesitated. He hadn’t expected this room to be He Yunchu’s private dressing room, nor did he anticipate that He Yunchu would be so friendly toward Han Yang.
To let Han Yang use even a private dressing room…
Gu Nuan, inexplicably feeling jealous, didn’t greet He Yunchu. Instead, He Yunchu approached and took the initiative to inspect him.
“Han Yang, does everyone in your family have such good genes?” He Yunchu marveled at Gu Nuan’s good looks and said, “If your younger brother debuts, how many people do you think he’ll captivate?”
Gu Nuan: “…”
Han Yang: “He’s not going to debut.”
He Yunchu, seeing that Gu Nuan wasn’t talkative, thought that Han Yang’s family members all had cold personalities and didn’t mind. He casually asked Gu Nuan, “Are you an Omega? How old are you?”
He Yunchu was a Beta and couldn’t smell pheromones, so he naturally wouldn’t mistake Gu Nuan for a Beta.
Gu Nuan replied, “I’m 19 years old.”
He Yunchu nodded and exclaimed, “Youth is a wonderful thing. It’s so cold outside. Would you mind if I come in and have my boxed lunch here? It just needs a quick microwave heating.”
Han Yang said, “Not at all.”
Gu Nuan quickly waved his hand and said, “This is your dressing room after all.” His legs were still weak, and at Han Yang’s suggestion, he sat back in the soft chair, thanking He Yunchu, “Thank you for letting me rest here.”
“The young one is quite polite.”
“I’m not a child,” Gu Nuan replied with a hint of jealousy, unable to resist. “My name is Gu Nuan.”
“Alright.” He Yunchu humored him, not bothering to inquire about the specific characters in Gu Nuan’s name. Surnames were private matters, and he didn’t pry into it.
He Yunchu’s attitude toward Gu Nuan was neither warm nor cold. After about half a minute, he kindly asked, “Do you want to eat grilled chicken rice? I ordered a lot, and they’re all outside. It’s just a bit cold, so you need to heat it up in the microwave before eating.”
Han Yang glanced at the time; it was already past 12 noon. He wasn’t very hungry, but he knew Gu Nuan must not have eaten anything all morning. Later, Gu Nuan would have to take his medicine, so he needed something in his stomach first.
Han Yang said, “I’ll go get you some food. You can rest here. Senior is very kind; he won’t mind.”
Gu Nuan didn’t want to be alone with He Yunchu and grabbed Han Yang’s sleeve pitifully. “Brother, I’m not hungry, I won’t eat.”
But as soon as he said that, Gu Nuan’s stomach protested loudly, demanding food.
Gu Nuan: “…”
This was beyond embarrassing.
Gu Nuan was petrified, and He Yunchu almost choked on his laughter, finding it quite amusing. He didn’t hesitate to say, “Go ahead, don’t be shy.”
Han Yang didn’t tease Gu Nuan; he crouched down, gently saying, “You’ll need to take your medicine later. So you’ll have to eat.”
Blushing, Gu Nuan lowered his head and, in compliance, said, “Then, I’ll eat a little.”
As soon as Han Yang left the room, the atmosphere inside the dressing room gradually became awkward, and neither He Yunchu nor Gu Nuan spoke.
The water that Gu Nuan had in his hands had turned cold, so he put it down and rubbed his hands, trying to ease the awkward silence.
To maintain his figure, He Yunchu usually only took a few bites of high-calorie boxed lunches like this. At the moment, he was playing a mobile game on his phone.
He still had half an hour until his afternoon scene, during which he occasionally played games in his dressing room to relax. He unintentionally glanced at Gu Nuan and noticed the boy sitting so upright.
He Yunchu was quite self-absorbed and thought that his charm as a famous star had made Gu Nuan nervous.
After all, it was Han Yang’s younger brother, so He Yunchu didn’t want to appear too aloof. He took the initiative to speak to Gu Nuan, “Han Yang usually seems quite cold, but he speaks gently to you. Does he usually dote on you?”
Gu Nuan, having not expected He Yunchu to strike up a conversation again, nodded.
He Yunchu smiled and said, “But to really get to know your brother, you have to spend time with him. He may seem cold and indifferent on the surface, but after you get close, he’s actually quite nice.”
“I know,” Gu Nuan replied.
Seeing that Gu Nuan had responded, He Yunchu thought he liked talking about Han Yang and continued, “By the way, Han Yang is quite a good cook, isn’t he? Does he often cook at home?”
Gu Nuan was taken aback, grabbing onto the key point. “Did my brother cook for you?”
“Yes, he did. I’m still savoring it.”
“…”
“A few days ago, I had a bad cold and couldn’t taste anything. I really wanted to have pine nut porridge, and I was nearly going crazy. Takeout just didn’t taste right, you know? When you’re sick, you long for the feeling of home. But I couldn’t ask my mom to cook porridge and bring it all the way here, right? She’s in F City, too far away.”
Thinking of this, He Yunchu felt warm-hearted. “After Han Yang found out, he went to the hotel’s kitchen and made me a pot of pine nut porridge. It was amazing. I would’ve drunk the whole pot if I weren’t afraid of gaining weight.”
Good-looking guys who could cook were the envy of many.
Ever since he had that pot of pine nut porridge, He Yunchu often boasted about Han Yang’s cooking skills. But when it came down to it, he had only tasted that one pot of porridge.
That was because he had given Han Yang guidance on many things, and Han Yang had wanted to repay him by cooking porridge.
He Yunchu, in front of Gu Nuan, praised Han Yang profusely, “Your brother is really great.”
If it weren’t for him not being interested in me, I would have pursued him long ago.
He Yunchu didn’t say this out loud, but it was written all over his well-maintained face.
Gu Nuan looked at him but didn’t respond. He realized that He Yunchu was charming even through a screen, and now that he saw him in person, he thought this person was a true feast for the eyes.
Furthermore, He Yunchu was outstanding, a mature and successful adult. Gu Nuan was just a student, and he and Han Yang didn’t belong to the same social circles. They couldn’t talk about work-related matters.
He recalled what the crew member had said: “He Yunchu looks so good that Han Yang won’t be able to resist.”
Suddenly, Gu Nuan’s mood sank to its lowest point.
He Yunchu’s words made Gu Nuan lose his appetite completely.
Han Yang handed Gu Nuan a piece of chicken from his lunch box and said, “There were quite a few people using the microwave, so I had to wait for a bit.” By the time he went to get lunch, there was only one box of grilled chicken rice left.
Gu Nuan shoveled food into his mouth, and a grain of rice stuck to the tip of his nose.
Han Yang helped him remove it and said, “I have to shoot another scene soon. You can rest here for a while, Senior said you can use his dressing room for as long as you want.”
Gu Nuan didn’t want to hear about He Yunchu anymore, and he didn’t want to stay in the dressing room any longer.
“Um,” he pouted, eating the chicken Han Yang had given. “I have to go find Xia-ge. We might need to head back early.”
Han Yang, who had missed Gu Nuan greatly, unexpectedly saw him today. His gaze hadn’t left Gu Nuan the whole time.
Watching Gu Nuan eagerly eating, Han Yang raised his hand slightly, wanting to pat Gu Nuan’s head, but he remembered that he had rejected Gu Nuan before.
At this moment, such a gesture seemed unnecessary. He withdrew his hand and said, “Alright, be safe on your way home. Send me a message when you get back.”
After this incident, the two seemed to have returned to their usual way of interacting.
Neither of them mentioned the hasty confession from before.
…
Twenty minutes later, Gu Nuan, who had said he was going to find Xia Fei, appeared again at the set where Han Yang was filming.
Indeed, he had gone to look for Xia Fei, asking when they would return. Unexpectedly, Xia Fei had quite a few connections in the entertainment industry. Not only was the director here his friend, but even the lighting technician was an old acquaintance of his.
Seeing him engrossed in conversation, Gu Nuan didn’t want to disturb them, so he walked over to where Han Yang was.
He stayed behind the crew members, finding a corner that wouldn’t attract much attention, and watched Han Yang film.
In this scene, He Yunchu was injured, and Han Yang carried him to seek medical help. They cooperated well and got through it in one take. After the director called “cut,” He Yunchu clung to Han Yang, not getting off him, and gave a triumphant “Yeah” gesture to the camera, eliciting laughter from the crew.
Someone joked, “Yunchu, do you like this junior that much?”
He Yunchu retorted, “A good-looking and hardworking junior, who wouldn’t like him?”
Everyone knew He Yunchu had a playful personality and didn’t take it seriously. “You have a good eye!”
However, Han Yang felt very uncomfortable, and He Yunchu noticed it. He used a voice that only the two of them could hear. “Manager Liang gave us the task of promoting a brotherly image and showcasing bromance. Bear with it for a while; don’t lose your temper in front of him. These moments will earn you points in the behind-the-scenes footage. If you don’t smile at the camera soon, I’ll push you into a hole.”
Han Yang: “…”
Han Yang: “I don’t need those points. I’ll explain it to Liang later.” With that, he let go of He Yunchu, his face showing determination.
He Yunchu didn’t mind either way and added, “When you explain it to Manager Liang, don’t blame me for anything, or else the things I want might go down the drain.”
He Yunchu wasn’t taking Han Yang with him unconditionally.
Unfortunately, Gu Nuan was unaware of all this. All he saw was the intimate interaction between Han Yang and He Yunchu, and all he thought about was what He Yunchu had said to him at noon.
He believed that He Yunchu must like Han Yang.
Gu Nuan watched He Yunchu with envy. Just a few years ago, that embrace belonged only to him. Now, he and Han Yang barely exchanged words on a regular basis, hardly even saw each other. Furthermore, his confession had been rejected.
Gu Nuan lowered his head, kicked a pebble with his toe, sent a message to Xia Fei, and then went straight to the gate, hailed a taxi, and went back home.