Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 87
In December, the historical drama “Snow Sword,” starring He Yunchu, was successfully aired.
It had been three years since He Yunchu’s second historical drama appearance.
In the series, he portrayed a heroic character, blending softness with strength, clad in white robes as if he were a celestial being in the snow. His striking looks and outstanding acting skills instantly propelled the viewership to its peak on the premiere night.
Whether they were fans or casual viewers, everyone contributed to the buzz around “Snow Sword,” and, of course, one of the most devoted fans was none other than Gu Nuan.
Gu Yuanchen and Ji Mu also specifically adjusted their work schedules to make time for this. The whole family went out to eat dinner at a restaurant and then strolled through the commercial streets.
Gu Nuan was concerned that Han Yang might get cold during late-night shoots, so he bought a long white down jacket for him. Ji Mu was worried that Han Yang might not be eating well on the set, so he purchased some nutritional supplements. Gu Yuanchen thought Han Yang’s attire was too plain, so he bought him an expensive watch.
Gu Nuan, seeing this, lingered at the counter and pouted, reaching out, “Father, I want one too.”
The shop assistant couldn’t let this golden opportunity slip by, immediately recommending several watch models to Gu Nuan.
Gu Nuan didn’t like any of them. He pointed to Han Yang and said, “I want the same one as his, preferably a matching couple’s watch.”
As a result, the first couple’s watch for Gu Nuan and Han Yang was obtained using Gu Yuanchen’s credit card. Gu Yuanchen sighed but couldn’t refuse; he also bought a couple’s watch for Ji Mu and himself.
Back at the villa, the family gathered in the heated living room, watching the big screen and eagerly awaiting the series.
On the first day, “Snow Sword” only aired two episodes.
No sign of Han Yang.
On the second day, the series reached its fourth episode.
Still no Han Yang.
On the third day, Han Yang was nowhere to be found.
Gu Yuanchen, not particularly interested in martial arts dramas, pretended to be polite and said, “I’m not very patient; maybe we should wait until it finishes.”
Ji Mu, on the other hand, persevered for four days but then eventually said, “I’m too busy with work; maybe I’ll wait until it’s finished.”
Only Gu Nuan, despite working overtime, continued to watch the series. He couldn’t stand the absence of Han Yang and almost gave up on the show. But at the same time, he discussed the plot, fully absorbed by it.
Even He Yunchu, with whom he had an average relationship, had now become Gu Nuan’s “favorite” character in the series. The more he watched, the more he liked it. “Bai Muxue’s background is so pitiful; how can he be so strong and kind? Oh, our little Bai.”
He was referring to the character “Bai Muxue,” portrayed by He Yunchu.
Han Yang: “…”
Gu Nuan changed his wording, pretending to be oblivious, “Brother, I mean little Bai, not He Yunchu. We must distinguish between actors and characters.”
Han Yang listened to his chattering amused, saying, “I hope you’ll like Mo Ran more.”
Mo Ran was the character Han Yang played in the series, but he hadn’t appeared yet.
On the eighth day of watching, Gu Nuan found time to invite Su Li to his home. Su Li had become more financially stable since taking on a part-time job, and he brought plenty of snacks when he came over. Gu Nuan convinced him to stay later and told him to say it was too late to return home alone when Liang Xie insisted he leave.
“You’re a great friend of mine; I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Su Li and Gu Nuan fist-bumped and toasted with their juice.
Han Yang, on the other hand, watched silently.
These little tricks of Gu Nuan’s had not gone unnoticed.
After dinner, Gu Nuan and Su Li sat on the sofa to watch the show punctually, each holding a plate of cherries.
Gu Nuan looked at the screen and sighed, “I never expected He Yunchu to be such a great actor.”
Su Li was already a fan of He Yunchu, and while munching on cherries, he asked, “Did you watch ‘Stranger’ last time?”
“I wasn’t interested in that genre,” Gu Nuan replied sheepishly.
Last time, he had been so focused on Han Yang’s limited screen time in the movie that he hadn’t paid much attention to He Yunchu’s character. He had been eagerly waiting for Han Yang to appear.
This time, he couldn’t afford to do the same. He knew that Han Yang’s character would have more screen time later in the series, so Gu Nuan paid close attention to the plot. However, he couldn’t contain his impatience and turned to Han Yang, who had just come out of the kitchen.
“Brother, what episode do you appear in? Are you sure you’re in this TV series?”
Han Yang hadn’t paid much attention to it himself, as the promotion on his public social media accounts was managed by the company. He grabbed a clean plate of strawberries from the kitchen and checked his phone. “I think I appear in the twentieth episode.”
Su Li reached for a strawberry without hesitation and munched on it, saying, “But this series only has forty episodes!”
Gu Nuan thought carefully and looked worried. “Brother, do you think your scenes got cut?”
“It shouldn’t be,” Han Yang added, “At least I hope not.”
Fortunately, the director hadn’t cut too much of Han Yang’s scenes.
By the eighth day, Han Yang’s popularity had skyrocketed.
“Snow Sword” had no clear couples (CPs), and Han Yang, as the third male lead, silently guarded the main character from behind, earning the empathy of many fans. This empathy quickly spilled into real life, with Han Yang gaining more and more fans. The moment Gu Nuan put his phone down, the screen’s numbers changed dramatically.
Simultaneously, Han Yang’s other series became popular, and the pheromone isolation spray he endorsed was featured on large screens in various city centers, starting a promotional campaign.
His agent, Lu Yuan, arranged interviews for Han Yang with several media outlets, emphasizing his seemingly aloof yet devoted personality, capitalizing on this momentum.
Han Yang didn’t oppose it, as he could genuinely maintain this “persona” throughout his career.
December was a special month, turning Han Yang from an unknown small-timer into a well-known celebrity.
As a result of his surging popularity, Han Yang was offered the lead role in a new suspense series.
This news excited Gu Nuan the most, but he was held back by his first-time involvement in a work project and couldn’t celebrate with Han Yang the day he received the good news.
It wasn’t until the next day that Han Yang visited him at the company.
“I came to wait for you after work.” Han Yang had asked Lu Yuan for a car.
………………..
At 10 o’clock in the deep night, a rising actor and a busy corporate heir met in the chilly wind downstairs, exchanging their “tokens.”
Han Yang gave Gu Nuan a cup of hot milk tea he bought for him, and Gu Nuan gave Han Yang a single strawberry.
Han Yang: “?”
That night, Han Yang was wearing the white down jacket that Gu Nuan had bought for him. His handsome face showed a hint of confusion as he held the strawberry. “Just one strawberry?”
His voice was husky and quite pleasant to hear.
Gu Nuan, dizzy from his busy work, couldn’t think clearly. Driven by his emotions, he had not seen Han Yang for two weeks, and he wiped his imaginary drool away, saying, “Brother, it’s cold here. Let’s go upstairs.”
He suddenly grabbed Han Yang’s sleeve and walked back, swiping his access card to open the door. He led Han Yang into the elevator. Once he was sure Han Yang couldn’t escape, he let go and said, “There was only one strawberry left.” He glanced at Han Yang’s handsome face, took a sip of the hot milk tea, and said happily, “You look so good in this down jacket.”
He pointed at the strawberry in Han Yang’s hand. “These strawberries are super sweet today; why don’t you have it? that was the last one.”
Fortunately, the last one was relatively large, and it didn’t feel embarrassing to give it away.
Han Yang chuckled, taking two bites of the strawberry, and then Gu Nuan handed him the half-full cup of milk tea. Han Yang pushed it back to Gu Nuan, and said, “I added two portions of your favorite pudding.”
Gu Nuan pursed his lips, and he and Han Yang held hands.
Han Yang said, “My hands are too cold.”
“I don’t mind,” Gu Nuan said, gripping Han Yang’s hand and gently rubbing it a few times, saying with concern, “Why didn’t you wait for me in the car? It’s so cold outside.”
Han Yang smiled, and Gu Nuan’s hand warmed his heart. “I just wanted to see you as soon as possible.”
Every second earlier was precious, and he couldn’t bear to wait a second longer.
…………………
Gu Nuan’s personal office was warm, thanks to the heating, and the lounge inside was warm too.
After finishing the milk tea, Gu Nuan retrieved an extra-large thick blanket from a cabinet in the lounge and began piling it onto the bed with some effort.
Han Yang came over to help. “Aren’t you coming back to our apartment with me?”
Gu Nuan assured Han Yang, saying, “I still have a lot of work to do. It’s a waste of time going back and forth, so I’ll sleep here tonight.”
Han Yang nodded in agreement.
But then, Gu Nuan surprised Han Yang by taking out a set of disposable toiletries from the cupboard. With a puzzled expression, he asked, “Brother, would one blanket be enough for us?” He frowned, rubbed his chin, and then adjusted the room’s temperature by a few degrees, worried about Han Yang getting cold during the night.
It was only then that Han Yang realized what Gu Nuan meant. “You want me to sleep here with you?”
“I was thinking… since you don’t have work until tomorrow afternoon, let’s just sleep here,” Gu Nuan said, hesitating as he held a new pillow. He asked, “Don’t you want to?”
Han Yang couldn’t have been happier.
But before Han Yang could say anything, Gu Nuan approached him and whispered a few words in his ear.
Han Yang froze, then asked eagerly, “Really?”
Blushing, Gu Nuan nodded.