Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 61
Until dawn, Gu Nuan still didn’t want to sleep. It was only after Han Yang coaxed him several times with sweet words that he reluctantly returned to his room.
He lay on the bed, holding Han Yang’s hand and asked, “Will you still be here when I wake up tomorrow?”
“I have to go back in the afternoon, but if you wake up around noon, maybe we can have lunch together.”
When Gu Nuan heard that Han Yang was about to enter a long-distance relationship with him, he fell silent.
Han Yang asked, “What’s wrong?”
Gu Nuan gently rubbed Han Yang’s hand with his forehead. After the initial excitement of their first love had subsided, he looked at the face he had yearned for for so long and suddenly became uneasy. He didn’t want to be separated, “Brother, when I wake up, will we still be lovers?”
“Of course,” Han Yang furrowed his brow and smiled helplessly, “What are you thinking?”
Gu Nuan had one worry on his mind, and he expressed it directly to Han Yang, his tone lacking confidence. If it weren’t for Han Yang’s intermittent presence over the past few years, he wouldn’t be so anxious.
Han Yang understood and firmly held Gu Nuan’s hand. “I won’t regret being with you, and I really like you.”
He could say it as many times as Gu Nuan needed to feel reassured.
Or…
Han Yang half-crouched, his forehead close to Gu Nuan’s. “What do you need from me? From now on, you can ask me to do anything.”
Gu Nuan hadn’t expected Han Yang to say this, and he was moved by Han Yang’s sincerity. He felt warm in his heart. “Well… I want you to like me a little more every day, more than the day before.”
Han Yang was taken aback.
Gu Nuan’s request was so simple, but it wasn’t the first time he was hearing this sentence from Gu Nuan.
Over a decade ago, during the winter.
When Han Yang first arrived at the Gu family, he was introverted and didn’t like to speak. Han Yongnian’s mistreatment of him caused him to wake up from nightmares every night, fearful and sleepless. Because of this, Ji Mu arranged for him to receive psychological therapy. Initially, he went every week, then it became once every two weeks, always on weekends when he didn’t have classes.
Each time, Gu Nuan accompanied him.
And Gu Nuan would always have a strawberry-flavored lollipop in his pocket. When Han Yang came out of the therapy room, Gu Nuan would unwrap the lollipop and eagerly hand it to him.
Gu Nuan tiptoed to touch Han Yang’s head, imitating how Ji Mu praised him and said to Han Yang, “Brother is so good. We need to listen to what the therapist says so that you can get better faster.”
Han Yang slightly lowered his head, not able to smile even though he was happy.
Beside them, Ji Mu said in a gentle tone, “Nuan, you shouldn’t touch your brother’s head like that; it’s impolite.”
“Sorry, Brother,” Gu Nuan immediately apologized and affectionately shook Han Yang’s hand.
Han Yang’s face changed slightly, regretting his previous withdrawal. He didn’t want Gu Nuan to be scolded because of him, so he quickly said, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I… You can touch my head anytime.”
Gu Nuan heard this and said with confidence to Ji Mu, “Dad, Brother said his head belongs to me!”
“He didn’t say that. What are your little ears hearing?” Ji Mu was both amused and frustrated by Gu Nuan, and he pinched his cheek affectionately. Then he reached out and held Han Yang’s hand, bent down slightly, and tried to make eye contact with him. “Han Yang, relax a bit. We’re all family now, there’s no need to be so tense around family.”
Han Yang listened to Ji Mu’s words with a mixture of understanding and hesitation, nodding slowly.
But he still couldn’t fully grasp the concept of family.
Were these newly added family members really family?
Han Yang noticed that since he came to the Gu family, Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen had paid almost half of their attention to him. Because he was different from the other children, he couldn’t sleep at night and lacked the ability to communicate normally with people. He wasn’t normal; he was sick.
But he, who was like this, was brought in this warm villa and enjoyed everything that didn’t originally belong to him.
He even… took away half of the care that should have belonged to Gu Nuan.
Han Yang yearned for the care from Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen, but he always felt guilty. Because of this, he spoke even less, as if saying one less word would reduce his presence.
Han Yang thought to himself: he had to give back all the love from Ji Mu and Gu Yuanchen to Gu Nuan. Gu Nuan was so good; he was different from himself. How could he take away half of his love?
Han Yang began to scold himself.
If it’s not yours, you shouldn’t take it. If it’s something that belongs to Gu Nuan, he shouldn’t take it even more.
He liked Gu Nuan so much.
However, one evening, Gu Nuan, who had sensed Han Yang’s indifference towards him for several days, pouted, hugged his small pillow, and quietly sneaked into Han Yang’s room.
Han Yang was startled; he didn’t know why Gu Nuan had come to his room.
“Shh!” Gu Nuan climbed onto Han Yang’s bed, holding his pillow skillfully, and slipped under the covers. “Dad might find out.”
Han Yang was speechless but didn’t say much. Instead, he obediently helped Gu Nuan tuck in the covers, afraid that he might catch a cold.
Seeing that Han Yang was tucking him in, Gu Nuan’s anger dissipated. He beckoned for Han Yang to lie down with him. “Why have you been ignoring me lately?”
Han Yang lay on the bed, not knowing how to answer.
Gu Nuan grabbed Han Yang’s hand under the blanket and said shamelessly, “I like you so much, why are you ignoring me? You weren’t like this before, Brother~” In the end, Gu Nuan’s tone took on a hint of playfulness.
“…”
“Brother!” Gu Nuan sat up, lowered his eyebrows, looking aggrieved.
Han Yang tightened his grip on Gu Nuan’s hand and asked before Gu Nuan could start crying, “Aren’t you angry?” His voice was low, filled with unknown guilt and emotions.
“Hmm?” Gu Nuan rubbed his eyes and didn’t understand what Han Yang meant.
“…I’m here, and I’m taking away their love for you.” Han Yang had seen classmates in the past complain about their parents having a second child and taking away what originally belonged to them. Forcibly taking something away was the most detestable behavior, and when Han Yang realized that he was doing just that, he began to distance himself from the Gu family.
Gu Nuan tilted his head, not quite understanding the issue. He thought hard, which made his answer slow.
Slow enough for Han Yang to stare at the dimly lit ceiling for a long time. Sometimes, curiosity and fear would accompany him when he was close to an answer.
But what was he afraid of?
He didn’t even know himself.
After a while, Gu Nuan held Han Yang’s hand as he slowly pieced together his thoughts. Finally, he said in a naturally cheerful tone, “Then, Brother, just love me a little more every day. Can you do that?” He asked innocently, “Brother, will you love me?”
Every word from Gu Nuan was like a blossom on a cheerful tune, spreading a fragrant scent. It warmed Han Yang’s once cold heart. The sun could melt winter, and it could also lead Han Yang to spring.
Han Yang lowered his eyelids and turned to look at Gu Nuan for a long time. It felt like an eternity before Gu Nuan urged him, and he finally responded with a natural smile, making a decision in his heart.
He answered warmly and confidently, “Yes.”
Gu Nuan was overjoyed. He threw his arms around Han Yang, and his joyful voice pierced through Han Yang’s lonely heart like a gust of wind, embracing it and warming it.
“Brother, maybe spring will come tomorrow?” Gu Nuan asked innocently.
Now, they had both grown up and experienced more than a dozen springs together.
Gu Nuan was still urging Han Yang, “Brother.”
Han Yang laughed warmly, and in April’s spring, he answered, replacing the response with his warm breath, “Yes, I will love you a little more every day.”
Gu Nuan’s face turned bright red. He had used the words “like me a little more every day,” while Han Yang had used “love you a little more every day.”
Liking and loving, though they sounded similar, were quite different.
Han Yang enjoyed seeing Gu Nuan happy and took the initiative to say, “When Uncle Ji and Uncle Gu return, let’s tell them that we’re together.”
A glint of excitement appeared in Gu Nuan’s eyes, and he nodded vigorously, “Yes!” Finally, he asked Han Yang, “Brother, after your drama airs, many people will recognize you. Shouldn’t we keep our relationship a secret?”
“I’ll tell everyone from the beginning that I have a partner; there won’t be any secrets.”
“Can I come to see you often then?”
Gu Nuan was afraid of appearing too clingy, so he quickly explained, “Not too often, just occasionally.” He wasn’t an Omega now, so they wouldn’t have a marking relationship, and it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t see each other for a year.
But Gu Nuan couldn’t bear to wait that long.
Han Yang wouldn’t let Gu Nuan feel uneasy again. He said straightforwardly, “Gu Nuan, this time, I’ll come to you. Whenever I have time, I’ll come to see you. If I don’t have time, I’ll make time.”
In reality, Han Yang had a selfish motive for saying this. He didn’t want Gu Nuan to be photographed by others, and he didn’t want anyone in the entertainment industry to have their eyes on Gu Nuan.
In his heart, Gu Nuan was handsome, and he was like a little ray of sunshine, truly outstanding. Han Yang might seem indifferent on the surface, but deep down, he was incredibly possessive. However, he cleverly kept his possessiveness to himself and pretended to be generous and indifferent on the surface.