ROT CH 14

Chapter 14: Is This What Falling in Love Is Like?

October arrived, and the semester had been in full swing for over a month. The freshman basketball cup was in full force, a highlight for basketball enthusiasts like Bai Chengyu’s friends. Even though there were no basketball games for sophomores, they often went to watch the freshmen play. Sometimes, when games ended early, they stayed behind to shoot some hoops.

Today was no different. As the players from the match were still trickling off the court, Wang Ziheng ran ahead and claimed a hoop. A group of friends rushed to join him, and Bai Chengyu stepped in for a half-court game.

While he was enjoying shooting baskets, a group of freshmen arrived on the sidelines and respectfully greeted them, asking if they could join the game. Bai Chengyu, who didn’t like playing with unfamiliar people—especially those prone to unnecessary physical contact—stepped aside to let the newcomers take over. He found a spot at the edge of the court to sip water and wipe his sweat while watching them play.

As they moved around the court, one of the newcomers caught his eye—it was Yue Laoshi^[1], Han Junzhou’s ex-boyfriend.

Yue Laoshi blended seamlessly with the students, a far cry from the professional and elite image he gave off the first time Bai Chengyu had seen him. Today, he dressed casually, his hair unstyled and slightly disheveled as he ran, giving him a soft and carefree look. His basketball skills were impressive, sinking shot after shot, his teammates cheering and high-fiving him with no trace of his usual teacherly demeanor.

His fair skin turned flushed as he ran, sweat beading on his face, making him look even younger. Bai Chengyu found himself staring at Yue Laoshi for a long time, so focused that Yue Qi noticed the gaze.

Feeling the intensity of a heated stare, Yue Qi glanced back and found a striking young man glaring at him from the sidelines. Yue Qi, baffled, wondered what he had done to offend this handsome youth. Classes had barely begun, and he hadn’t even scolded any students yet. Why did this person look at him with such hostility?

As Yue Qi dribbled the ball, he sneakily observed the boy sitting by himself on the sidelines.

Unaware that his gaze had been noticed, Bai Chengyu didn’t realize his expression had been interpreted as “hostile.” He simply continued to stare, his mind preoccupied with one thought: So this is the kind of person Han Dàshū^[2] likes.

He was strong—like him—an Alpha.

Yes, who wouldn’t like an Alpha? Bai Lin loved Alphas too.

When his father found out he had differentiated into an Omega, the disappointment had been palpable. He had turned away in silence, forgetting that his son was still going through the vulnerable process of secondary gender differentiation. Although his father later expressed care and concern, it was no longer the same. His love was devoid of expectations now, as if all that mattered was that Bai Chengyu lived safely.

He no longer needed to practice diligently, no longer needed to strive for martial arts championships, nor venture out to broaden his horizons. His father had not said it explicitly, but Bai Chengyu understood—there was no longer an expectation for him to inherit the Heijiao family’s legacy through relentless battles.

In an instant, his status had shifted from the strong and the elite to the weak—someone his father had always disdained. Once the proud heir of the Heijiao family, he had become a fragile rose hidden in the depths of a courtyard.

He didn’t blame his father. He was deeply disappointed in himself, too.

Who doesn’t admire Alphas?

Even Bai Chengyu himself had craved to be an Alpha. But the madness he felt wasn’t about wanting an Alpha—it was about wanting to be one.

If he were an Alpha, he wouldn’t mind having an Alpha partner. Like Han Dàshū’s choice back then, it could be a partnership of equals, standing shoulder to shoulder, a match of equals. The strong paired with the strong—that had to be exhilarating.

But now, as an Omega, his future partner would most likely be an Alpha. Based on what he knew about Alphas, Bai Chengyu didn’t believe an Alpha would treat an Omega partner as an equal. No Alpha would want their Omega to be strong. Those arrogant Alphas only saw Omegas as possessions, taking everything from them without giving anything in return.

Ironically, Bai Chengyu used to think this was perfectly natural. But now that he was on the side poised to be taken from, he saw how absurd and laughable it was. Only, it wasn’t funny to him anymore.

In fact, he felt a bit of hate.

He suppressed that bitterness in his daily life, intentionally ignoring his secondary gender. He only recognized himself as a man, believing he could do everything men could do—and do it better.

An Omega? What did that have to do with him?

Sitting on the sidelines of the basketball court, Bai Chengyu zoned out, consumed by his melancholy.

On the opposite side of the court, someone new arrived, standing outside the boundary and watching Yue Qi play. Yue Qi noticed the newcomer, waved at him, and gestured for him to wait. The other man nodded, gesturing back for Yue Qi to continue. Yue Qi made a few more shots before the game ended. His team won by three points against Wang Ziheng’s team.

Although Wang Ziheng was dissatisfied with the loss, he was thrilled by how enjoyable the game had been and made plans to play again. Yue Qi agreed with a smile, waved goodbye to his teammates, and walked to the sidelines toward Han Junzhou.

Yue Qi’s towel and water bottle were still kept in the same spot they used to use back in the day. Han Junzhou had simply taken a seat there to wait for him. Yue Qi picked up the towel and wiped his sweat, while Han Junzhou casually opened the water bottle and handed it to him. Yue Qi tilted his head back and drank half the bottle in one go.

They exchanged no words, but their actions flowed with effortless familiarity.

That day, they had been invited to dinner by Dean Li Fan to reminisce with several former classmates, seniors, and juniors with whom they had been close. Han Junzhou knew Yue Qi hadn’t bought a car since returning to the country late last year, so he had agreed to pick him up. But, as expected, Yue Qi had ended up drenched in sweat from playing basketball before the dinner.

On the other side of the basketball court, Bai Chengyu watched as Han Junzhou attentively handed Yue Qi a water bottle and then pulled out a spray can to mist him all over—it was probably a blocker spray.

Not only Han Junzhou, but several of the Alphas who had just been playing basketball were now sweating profusely. They were all busy wiping off the sweat and reapplying their blocker sprays. Luckily, they were outdoors, so the mingling scents quickly dissipated in the breeze. By the time the faint remnants of those scents drifted over, they were no longer strong enough to affect any Omega.

Bai Chengyu caught the faint smells lingering in the air, identifying a few familiar scents—pine from Wang Ziheng, red tea from Liao Sheng, and mint from Li Wenting. There was also a faint, lingering scent that struck him. Looking at Yue Qi in the distance, Bai Chengyu suddenly realized he knew what Yue Qi’s scent was.

No wonder Han Junzhou liked the courtyard at Qinglangxuan so much. He often sat under that tree, lost in his memories of someone.

Bai Chengyu glanced once more at the two people chatting and laughing on the other side of the court, then stood up and left.

Han Junzhou was scolding Yue Qi for being so troublesome—knowing they had dinner plans, yet still deciding to play basketball and end up drenched in sweat. Yue Qi, feeling guilty, pleaded for mercy.

“It’s just been so long since I last played,” Yue Qi admitted sheepishly. “When the students told me the court was quieter today, I couldn’t resist. Okay, okay, stop scolding me! Let me go shower. I can be really quick now…”

His words trailed off awkwardly. Between ex-lovers, topics like these always brought back too many memories, and Yue Qi instinctively stopped himself.

But Han Junzhou’s thoughts had already drifted to the past.

Yue Qi was a man of meticulous habits, and his attention to detail extended to how he bathed. Sure, he could take a quick, three-minute shower if needed, but when time allowed and he felt relaxed, he’d soak in the bath for hours, meticulously grooming himself. Han Junzhou often teased him for wasting water and time, but more often than not, he’d end up barging in, trying to initiate intimate moments that rarely succeeded.

Those blush-inducing days were long gone. There was a tinge of regret, but nothing either felt the need to recover. After a few moments of awkwardness, they both moved on.

Yue Qi pushed Han Junzhou to hurry up, but before leaving, he glanced back at the court. The boy who had been there earlier was gone.

“What are you looking at?” Han Junzhou asked, turning to follow Yue Qi’s gaze.

“There was a student who kept staring at me earlier. I wonder what’s up with that?” Yue Qi shrugged.

“Huh? I didn’t see anyone,” Han Junzhou said, looking carefully around. Most of the people on the court were leaving, and no one seemed to be watching Yue Qi. “Kept staring at you? Interested in you, maybe?” Han Junzhou teased. “Our Qi-qi is still charming even as an old man, huh?” He thought about how annoyed he’d been when Bai Chengyu called him “uncle” the last time and decided to use the same tactic to annoy Yue Qi.

As expected, Yue Qi, who was even more vain, immediately protested. “You’re the old man!” he exclaimed indignantly, punching Han Junzhou lightly on the arm. Then, nudging him forward toward the A University dorms, he added, “That student probably wasn’t interested in me. He looked at me like I’d stolen his toy or something, glaring at me like he was unwilling to accept it. Honestly…” Yue Qi recalled the youthful anger on that boy’s face and chuckled. “It was kind of cute.”

Han Junzhou laughed too. “So, it’s not that someone was interested in you—it’s that you, this weird old man, took a liking to someone else.” He pointed at Yue Qi teasingly. “Yue Qi, do you think Dean Li would skin you alive if he knew you had your eyes on a student?”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Yue Qi chased after Han Junzhou, hitting him lightly. “Don’t say such things! I’m not that desperate, just glancing at a student and immediately making a move—who said I have a crush on him? Stop making things up!” The two of them laughed and teased each other as they ran back.

At that moment, Bai Chengyu, who had just wanted to leave but couldn’t quite bring himself to, stepped out from behind the tree. He was far away, so he couldn’t hear the conversation, but he could see the intimate teasing between the two. Though they were just ex-lovers, their relationship seemed so comfortable and sweet. Was this what love was like? Having someone by your side to play around with—seemed pretty nice. Bai Chengyu blankly watched the two immature “uncles” running off into the distance, feeling a pang of envy.

Bai Chengyu instinctively touched his eyes, which Han Junzhou had once praised as beautiful, and thought about how he had always been alone. When he needed it, it was only for brief physical contact. Deep down, he felt a bit lonely.

He recalled the smile Han Junzhou had given Yue Qi just now. He wondered if Han Junzhou had ever smiled like that at him.

Bai Chengyu had never noticed it before, but now, he really wished he had someone too.

(To Be Continued…)

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