Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 72
On the screen, the movie had already ended.
Liang Xie did not show up.
Su Li looked around the empty cinema hall and got up to leave.
…
He went to the restroom and splashed his face with water. His eyes were slightly red, and the tears just wouldn’t stop.
Perhaps Gu Nuan was right; online relationships were unreliable, and the other party probably had no real interest in meeting him.
He raised his head, and the reflection in the mirror showed a very ordinary Omega – average looks, average pheromones, and not much money. Apart from having a decent education, he had almost nothing attractive about him.
And even that education was something he had barely achieved, thanks to Gu Nuan’s long-term tutoring.
His classmates had jokingly told Su Li, “If you didn’t have pheromones, you’d really look like a Beta.” In other words, he was ordinary and unremarkable.
Su Li had accepted that he was an overly ordinary Omega a long time ago, especially since he had an outstanding Omega friend around him for comparison.
“…” Su Li wiped his tears away forcefully, intending to have a frank conversation with Liang Xie tonight and tell him his true thoughts. If they couldn’t date like a normal couple, Su Li would end this online relationship
Even though he was ordinary, he couldn’t be treated as someone’s pastime.
At 9:01 PM, Su Li left the restroom, unexpectedly finding that the bustling cinema lobby was nearly empty.
He walked quickly towards the exit, planning to take the elevator downstairs. However, as he passed by the ticket counter, he heard a familiar voice.
“Could you please help me purchase tickets for the upcoming showing of ‘Strangers’? I need a seat for disabled people.”
The staff member looked at the disheveled Alpha in front of her with concern. “Sir, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” Liang Xie’s bandages were a bit damp from the impromptu rain outside.
His caretaker, Zhang Jie, followed by his side. She also looked embarrassed and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She kindly advised, “Mr. Liang, how about going home today? You won’t be able to enjoy the movie properly in this state, and the doctor specifically told you to rest well today.”
Liang Xie insisted on watching the movie tonight. He was worried that if Su Li found out he hadn’t come to see the movie, he would be even more disappointed.
“Zhang Jie, you can go back first.” Liang Xie paid for the ticket, and it was for a showing that would start in seven minutes.
But how could Zhang Jie leave? She was Liang Xie’s caretaker, hired at a high salary to “take care” of him. Taking care of Liang Xie was her job.
She truly didn’t understand why Liang Xie, who rarely left the house, decided to come out to watch a movie on a rainy day. Not only was it difficult to maneuver the wheelchair, but Liang Xie also happened to stumble and fall when getting out of the taxi, scraping his arm and leaving it bleeding.
Zhang Jie and the taxi driver rushed him to the hospital, but luckily, the injury wasn’t severe, and he only missed part of the movie.
She wanted to say something but hesitated, feeling annoyed with Liang Xie deep down.
“A cripple coming to watch a movie, causing trouble for others.”
However, she couldn’t say it out loud and had to accept her professional ethics. She put on a good demeanor, pretending to be in a good mood, and planned to wait for Liang Xie in the lobby until he finished watching the movie.
During this time, she couldn’t leave. What if something happened to Liang Xie?
The cinema staff and her colleagues greeted her and two others who were helping Liang Xie with ticket checking into the hall.
Just as Liang Xie was about to thank them, a familiar voice came from behind him.
“Liang Xie?”
In an instant, Liang Xie’s body stiffened, and he fell into a cold abyss on this sweltering summer day.
Su Li saw that Liang Xie hadn’t spoken and started to get anxious. He couldn’t help but take a couple of steps forward. Although it was their first meeting, he could clearly see that this was Liang Xie.
This was Liang Xie!
Su Li opened his mouth but stood there in shock. He seemed surprised and at a loss, not even knowing what to say next.
He just stood there, looking at Liang Xie with moist eyes.
After a brief silence, it was Liang Xie who turned around first. He finally faced Su Li in the real world.
There were no extra expressions on Liang Xie’s cool and elegant face. It was as if he had sorted out his emotions that had accumulated for half a century. He calmly spoke, “Disappointed, aren’t you?” At the end of his sentence, one syllable was uncontrollably trembling.
The rain was pouring heavily in City C.
In the Gu family villa, the family had finished dinner and was sitting on the sofa, chatting happily.
Aunt Xu brought a large bowl of sliced peaches. “This year, uncle Zhang’s brother-in-law sent a few boxes from their hometown again. He brought two boxes here early this morning.”
Gu Nuan couldn’t forget uncle Zhang’s family’s peaches. He remembered eating them last year when Han Yang had just returned from abroad, and now Han Yang was his boyfriend.
Gu Nuan sat beside Gu Yuanchen, but before he could reach for a piece of peach, Gu Yuanchen habitually picked one up with a toothpick and handed it to Gu Nuan. Gu Nuan received it and was about to take a bite but realized that Han Yang loved these peaches even more.
So, he handed it directly to Han Yang and said, “Brother, this one’s big!”
Gu Yuanchen: “?”
Ji Mu noticed the situation and quickly picked up a piece, handing it to Gu Yuanchen. He kindly comforted him, “This one’s big too, you can have it.” Implicitly, he meant, “Don’t be upset; you’ve also experienced the honeymoon phase.”
Gu Yuanchen looked at Han Yang with silence and made it awkward for Han Yang to eat the peach.
Gu Nuan, focused on picking up the second piece of peach, didn’t notice their eye contact. He picked it up and handed it to Gu Yuanchen, saying, “Father, you’ve been working hard on your business trips.”
Gu Yuanchen’s heart instantly warmed. Just like Gu Nuan, he was easy to coax.
Ji Mu had a deep understanding of this.
At this moment, Ji Mu looked at the family’s interaction, smiling to himself.
As they enjoyed the sweet peaches, Gu Yuanchen asked Han Yang, “Did you visit the company this afternoon?”
“Yes, I’ve been busy with the follow-up acting work, and it’s almost coming to an end in the next half-month.” Conveniently, the time for blood extraction and medication preparation for Gu Nuan would take about half a month.
Gu Yuanchen smiled and said, “The CEO of your company, Mr. Liang, wants to establish a long-term partnership with me. He’s well-informed about our company and suggested having you as the spokesperson to fill in the gap for a year. I think it’s a good idea. I didn’t expect him to be one of the grandchildren of the Liang Group’s chairman. However, his personality is quite different from the reserved Liang family members, which is quite unusual.”
“Before, Lao Liang mentioned a few things occasionally. He said that when he was in his early teens, he went to live with his father. On the contrary, his twin brother lived with his mother in the Liang family and was being groomed as one of the heirs. Unfortunately, there was an accident later, and he injured his leg.”
Han Yang didn’t elaborate further.
Gu Yuanchen wasn’t interested in the Liang family’s affairs, as there was little connection between his family and the Liang Group. He had met with Lao Liang personally to ensure that Han Yang could accompany Gu Nuan for treatment without any worries.
Gu Yuanchen appreciated young people like Lao Liang, who had ideas. Moreover, because their goals were aligned—to make Han Yang successful in the future—they got along very well.
Furthermore, Han Yang’s current market value wasn’t high, so the endorsement fee was a small amount of money for Gu Yuanchen. It would also keep Han Yang from disappearing from the public eye. Why wouldn’t he do it?
“Han Yang, what do you think?”
As the pheromone isolation agent was a necessity in society, being the spokesperson was an advantageous opportunity for anyone. The old Han Yang might have refused such a windfall, but now he wouldn’t.
“Thank you, Uncle Gu.” He then shook Gu Nuan’s hand warmly and said, “For the next year, let’s work hard together.”
Work hard to heal his glands and reassure their family.
Gu Nuan smiled with great joy. He had never thought that treating his glands would be such a delightful thing. It was as if all his fears had been dispelled, and he nodded, “Yes!”
Glancing at the window outside, the impatient summer rain suddenly subsided.
…
The rain gradually stopped, leaving the earth exceptionally clean after its cleansing.
At 9:15 PM, the city after the rain emitted a fragrance of grass mixed with cement.
Inside the cinema, Liang Xie kept his head down, not looking at Su Li anymore. Since he couldn’t walk, many people had left him, and Su Li would probably do the same.
Liang Xie didn’t want to meet Su Li because he was afraid that this situation would happen again. He had become used to Su Li’s presence and even liked it. When he first found out that Su Li liked him, Liang Xie had spent a sleepless night, feeling both happy and fearful.
Happy that their feelings were mutual, fearful of today’s silence.
It’s over, he thought.
Afterward, he softly said to Zhang Jie, “Let’s go back.”
Zhang Jie was puzzled, but she did want to get back quickly to change out of her dirty clothes. She glanced at Su Li but didn’t linger. In her three years of taking care of Liang Xie, she had seen many people come and go. There were Liang Xie’s former classmates, friends, and even his insincere relatives who left when they found out that Liang Xie was no longer a candidate for inheritance.
She pushed Liang Xie’s wheelchair, passing by Su Li.
The wind was gentle, and Su Li’s voice was very soft. “Liang Xie, wait a moment!”