ROT CH 10

Chapter 10: Han Junzhou’s Unfulfilled Former Relationship

In the classroom, the students who had been asking questions finally left. In fact, most of the questions had been from Xue Bingsheng, with the others merely listening in. Han Junzhou had heard others call him “Xue Ba” and initially thought he was a domineering figure among his classmates. However, he later realized that Xue Bingsheng was actually a pale, frail Beta student, refined in manner. He had been given the nickname “Xue Ba” because he was the top student in their medical school class. His last name was Xue, and “Ba” was a play on the term for an academic achiever, so his peers called him “Xue Ba.”

Han Junzhou couldn’t help but worry about Xue Ba. The questions he brought up were far too convoluted, not the type of answers a typical medical student should have. It seemed like Xue was more interested in making the questions complex to show off his superiority, rather than genuinely wanting to understand the mysteries of the human body or alleviate the suffering of patients. This attitude was dangerous—arrogance in the face of life could easily cause someone to miss the chance to save a life. Only with humility and careful observation could one notice the simplest symptoms. Xue Bingsheng was only in his second year, just starting to learn about medicine, yet he seemed overly focused on rare and special diseases. In their conversations, he had often shown an almost unhealthy fascination with abnormal genes, only seeing the disease and not the person. There was no compassion for others. After just a few lessons, Han Junzhou had almost made up his mind: Xue Bingsheng was not cut out for clinical medicine.

After a while, he felt a sense of pity for Xue, but since Liang, the assistant teacher, had likely left, Han Junzhou resigned himself to locking the windows and the classroom door before heading out.

He walked out of the teaching building toward the school cafeteria. It had been many years since he left school, and back then, he always thought the cafeteria food was terrible, unworthy of being called food. Now, however, he found himself nostalgic for it. He hurried over, wondering if there was still fried chicken leg rice available. As he walked, he tried to push away some unpleasant thoughts, but the more he resisted, the harder it became. His mind kept drifting back to the image of the little leopard—its cold, aloof, and fierce demeanor—and wondered if it would soften around a little girl. What would the gentle little leopard be like? How tender would it be? Would it try to make her laugh, to cheer her up, and would she call him “little fish”? Surely, it couldn’t always look so grim and unapproachable.

The more he thought, the angrier he got. As an Alpha, his possessiveness was overwhelming. Han Junzhou tried to reason with himself: he and Bai Chengyu were not in a relationship yet, and there had been no marking. Given Bai’s current state, he probably only saw him as a casual partner. Han Junzhou needed to respect Bai’s thoughts. He knew Bai hadn’t figured things out yet, and he could wait, guide him, and allow him to willingly stand by his side. So, for now, he had to let the little leopard ignore him.

But Han Junzhou could be so magnanimous only because Bai Chengyu hadn’t yet started considering anyone else.

As the thought of his little leopard slipping away and chasing other prey overwhelmed him, Han Junzhou couldn’t hold back his anxiety and anger. The more he thought about it, the faster he walked, his brows furrowing deeper. In his distraction, he didn’t notice someone else approaching the cafeteria, and they collided.

“Sorry, sorry…” Han Junzhou quickly apologized, steadying the person he had almost knocked over. He knew it was his fault for not paying attention.

“Junzhou?” The other person called his name, their voice carrying a mix of hesitation and faint surprise.

“Yue Qi…” Han Junzhou looked up and saw Yue Qi, his former lover, whose pheromone compatibility had been an unfortunate mismatch. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you go abroad? When did you come back?” Han Junzhou straightforwardly expressed his delight.

“I just went overseas for two years to continue my studies. I came back after completing my credits,” Yue Qi hesitated briefly before adding, “I returned at the end of last year.”

Seeing Yue Qi’s familiar smile, Han Junzhou felt a twinge of pain in his heart. They had started as good friends before becoming lovers. Knowing Yue Qi so well, Han Junzhou could tell that Yue’s failure to reach out after returning last year signaled an intention to cut off contact. Not only had they failed as lovers, but now it seemed even their friendship was over.

A sense of regret passed through Han Junzhou, while Yue Qi remained silent. The two of them stood awkwardly at the cafeteria entrance, blocking the way.

A freshman trying to leave the cafeteria pulled open the door and jumped in surprise, seeing two people in the doorway. The student stammered out a greeting to Yue Qi, “Hello… Professor Yue.”

Yue Qi snapped back to reality. “Hello,” he replied quickly, stepping aside to let the student pass.

Turning back, he forced a smile and said to Han Junzhou, “Were you coming here to eat? Let’s eat together—I haven’t eaten yet either.” Han Junzhou nodded. Yue Qi pushed the door open and gestured for him to go in first.

At the counter, they ordered their meals. There was only one serving of fried chicken leg rice left, and Yue Qi graciously let Han Junzhou have it, choosing kung pao chicken with rice for himself instead. They carried their trays to a table and sat down.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been here. Did they renovate the cafeteria?” Han Junzhou glanced around, his tone tinged with nostalgia. “It looks much cleaner now.”

“But the food is even worse,” Yue Qi replied, disdainfully stirring the watery kung pao chicken sauce into his rice until it gleamed orange-red.

“It’s worse than before?” Han Junzhou was shocked. “That’s impressive. The chef must have some talent! You’re not joking, are you? If it’s that bad, why eat here?”

“I’m here for the nostalgia,” Yue Qi said, winking playfully. Seeing the familiar mischievous expression, Han Junzhou burst into laughter.

As they ate, Han Junzhou tried to make conversation. “That student just now called you ‘Professor.’ Have you switched from being a doctor to teaching?”

Yue Qi swallowed his food before replying, “I’m still a doctor. I’m back in the surgical department at A University’s affiliated hospital. This semester, I’m just helping Professor Chen teach as a substitute. Do you remember Professor Chen Tingyu? He used to teach us general biology. He’s been unwell, so I’m covering his freshman biology class.”

Han Junzhou nodded. “I remember. I’m here for a similar reason—Professor Li Fan roped me into helping with a second-year sub-gender reproduction class.”

“Oh, so it’s you,” Yue Qi said with sudden understanding. “Dean Li was losing his mind trying to find a substitute after Professor Chen fell ill right before the semester started. Every time I saw him, he was stressed about it. So, he ended up finding you.” Yue Qi laughed, shaking hands with Han Junzhou. “I guess that makes us colleagues now.”

Professor Chen’s illness wasn’t serious; he just needed some time to recuperate. The two exchanged experiences about teaching, lamenting the differences between students from their own school days and the current generation. Yue Qi also shared some interesting cases he had encountered abroad. Their conversation was relaxed and enjoyable.

After eating for over an hour, Yue Qi checked the time and said he had a surgery in the afternoon and needed to head back to the hospital. The university’s affiliated hospital was just a short walk from the medical school.

Han Junzhou urged him to go quickly. Before leaving, Yue Qi hesitated and said, “Are you currently…” But he cut himself off, smiling and shaking his head. “Never mind. Let’s keep in touch.”

Han Junzhou watched Yue Qi’s departing figure, a sense of melancholy stirring within him.

Back then, after much hesitation and countless moments of uncertainty, it was Yue Qi who finally mustered the courage to break the barrier between them. He had hoped to take their friendship to the next level. Discovering that Han Junzhou shared the same feelings had left Yue Qi so overjoyed he’d run two laps around the campus track.

They were each other’s first love. Naively, they had assumed that their long-standing friendship had already forged a solid understanding between them. Han Junzhou had been renting a place off-campus, and Yue Qi occasionally stayed over when it was too late to return to the dorm. Once they officially got together, the excitement and passion of their new relationship led them to hastily decide to move in together. Yue Qi packed his things and moved into Han Junzhou’s place that very night. Having just made a promise to each other, they didn’t want to be apart for even a moment.

But their beautiful first love didn’t have a fairy tale ending.

The competitive nature of two Alphas was too much for the relationship. They often turned minor disagreements into full-blown battles. Back when they were just friends, they had at least tried to restrain themselves, mindful of their hidden feelings for each other. Plus, living separately meant that after an argument, they could each go home, cool off, and start fresh the next day.

However, living together meant they were around each other constantly, and the friction only increased. With no time or space to calm down after conflicts, both became emotionally exhausted.

The biggest hurdle they couldn’t overcome, though, was their incompatibility in the bedroom. Their pheromones clashed, and their bodies refused to fully connect. They tried various positions, taking turns leading, but none allowed them to complete the act. Ultimately, they could only resort to using their hands to satisfy each other.

The dissatisfaction in their intimate life, combined with the daily friction of living together, led to an explosive argument. Looking back, Han Junzhou couldn’t even remember what had triggered it. But it was a meaningless fight that spiraled out of control.

After that argument, Yue Qi had had enough and suggested they take a break. Han Junzhou hadn’t tried to stop him.

Yue Qi moved his belongings back to the dormitory. Both believed that some time apart would help, but in reality, their relationship never recovered. They drifted further apart until graduation, their love cooling into nothingness.

Though they never formally said the words “break up,” the bittersweet farewell they exchanged made it clear to both of them that their love had ended.

Han Junzhou still felt a twinge of regret. He had lost a confidant. If they had never confessed their feelings back then, perhaps they could have remained like-minded friends today.

Lost in his reminiscence, Han Junzhou failed to notice the group at the next table, who had been discreetly observing him from behind a leafy potted plant for the past half hour.

(To be continued…)

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