Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 6

Eleven years ago.

In the midst of a continuous winter fog, the hallway’s lights were dim.

Eleven-year-old Han Yang was wearing a thin, old sweater as he sat expressionless in a corner, using the motion-activated lights in the hallway to do his homework. Whenever the hallway darkened, he would tap his foot on the ground.

“Click—”

The light came on, but his hollow eyes seemed like a vortex with no end in sight.

A clear voice rang out, “Do you want candy?”

Han Yang looked up and saw a young omega boy staring at him intently, holding half a packet of strawberry candies.

A faint strawberry scent wafted through the air, inexplicably making Han Yang’s head spin. Han Yang, being an underage alpha, couldn’t tell whether it was the taste of candy or the scent of pheromones emanating from the boy.

Han Yang instinctively resisted the boy’s approach.

But the omega boy, with an innocent and curious expression, approached and introduced himself, “I’m Gu Nuan, Gu as in ‘care,’ and Nuan as in ‘warm.'” He crouched down to look at Han Yang’s homework. “Do you do your homework here every day?”

“…”

“My dad and I came to see Grandma Zhang today. Grandma Zhang used to take care of me at our house. Now that she’s old and retired, my dad said we should visit her more often. She lives on the third floor.”

Han Yang, still not responding, absentmindedly scratched his head. With his amber eyes, clear and untainted, the boy continued, “Brother, it’s so cold here.”

The use of “Brother” caught Han Yang off guard. He tightened his grip on the pen and drew a straight line on his homework with a harsh, grating sound.

Gu Nuan, exuding a sweet strawberry candy fragrance, continued to speak to Han Yang, “Aren’t you cold?”

Han Yang had a keen sense of smell and unintentionally swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He hadn’t eaten anything all day.

In his world, hunger was the norm.

Han Yang was rarely cared for by anyone, so when the boy handed him half a packet of strawberry candies in a somewhat presumptuous manner, he frowned.

“These strawberry candies are super delicious!” Gu Nuan said with a smile after giving Han Yang the candy. He helped Han Yang tap the ground to turn the motion-activated lights on and off.

This time, Han Yang didn’t refuse. He silently put the candy in his pocket.

“Thank you.” Han Yang’s voice was very soft, almost as if it were a faint whisper, making it hard to hear.

At the same time, a faint scent of mint filled the air, originating from Han Yang’s pheromones. It wasn’t very noticeable, but in the cold winter, the refreshing mint made people shiver.

Gu Nuan couldn’t help but shiver, and Han Yang caught this moment, suddenly turning pale and hastily suppressing his own pheromones.

“Is your scent mint?” Gu Nuan curiously asked, “It’s so cool!”

Han Yang’s brow remained furrowed, and he remained as silent as a mute.

He detested his own pheromones.

So, Han Yang paid no further attention to the enthusiastic Gu Nuan. He closed his workbook, ran up the stairs, and all the way there, he was panting lightly. Downstairs, Gu Nuan was calling out for him frantically. However, in less than a minute, Gu Nuan was taken away by his parents.

Han Yang heard the father’s warm voice in the distance as they left. “Xiao Nuan, didn’t I tell you not to run around?”

This voice grew fainter.

Han Yang, standing outside the door, had to endure the insults and mockery from the neighbors next door. They opened their door and slammed it loudly, disgusted by the woman and boy who had just moved close to them.

…

Han Yang crouched quietly at the door, waiting for it to open. He took out the strawberry candy Gu Nuan had given him and ate it cautiously, taking one piece at a time, and only biting it in half.

His fingers drew circles on the rough ground, causing his fingertips to ache.

Suddenly, the door opened.

A woman dressed provocatively walked toward the elevator in high heels. She had no expression on her face.

She entered the elevator without turning back.

Han Yang looked up, catching a strong fragrance of perfume. He turned around and saw a man in an oversized coat walk to the door. He tossed a piece of banknote at Han Yang. “Go buy three bottles of beer and a pack of cigarettes.”

“…”

“Are you deaf?”

The elevator door opened again, and the woman from earlier said impatiently, “I forgot something.”

Han Yang took the opportunity to grab the banknote and ran forward, rushing into the just-opened elevator. His hands and feet were icy cold, and running was the only way to warm himself up a bit. He regretted taking the elevator; he should have taken the stairs like he usually did.

When the elevator reached the third floor, the door opened.

What met Han Yang’s eyes was a warm family of three. The little boy nestled in his alpha father’s arms, yawning, was none other than Gu Nuan. His dad, the omega, was rubbing Gu Nuan’s hands, afraid he might get cold.

It looked like a normal and warm family, something Han Yang saw the most but could never have.

Han Yang stared blankly for a few seconds and then lowered his head in dejection. The banknote he was holding tightly was damp as if it would crumble with a little force…

When the elevator stopped on the first floor, they all walked out one after another. Under the streetlight, Han Yang’s skinny figure resembled a straight power pole, rigid as a block of ice. His shadow was long and thin, casting endless darkness.

Han Yang stood still, unable to help but take one more look at the family of three.

He didn’t know what he envied, but he always had a lot of curiosity and anticipation for the unknown.

So, when Gu Nuan’s alpha father suddenly walked towards him, Han Yang had a moment of confusion. Han Yang instinctively moved aside, afraid of blocking his way.

As a result, the man did approach him and handed him a scarf, as red as strawberries. Han Yang knew it was Gu Nuan’s scarf; it had just been wrapped tightly around Gu Nuan’s neck. Han Yang awkwardly raised his head and saw that the scarf was inexplicably handed to him.

A voice not too near or far, plain and unfamiliar, not too intimate but pleasant to the ears, sounded, “It’s so cold today, be careful not to catch a cold.”

The scarf had a faint strawberry scent, which was very pleasant. It wasn’t until this moment that Han Yang realized it was Gu Nuan’s pheromone.

Not far away, a car’s window was partially lowered. Gu Nuan, who had fully awakened inside the car, leaned against the car window, waving to him with a bright smile. “Brother, see you next time! I’ll come to play with you again~”