ROT CH 23

Chapter 23: The First Date

Once Yue Qi and the others had left, he finally spoke.

“What’s wrong? You’re fuming,” Han Junzhou asked. “Who pissed you off this time?”

Bai Chengyu turned his head away, not wanting to look at him or talk.

“Looks like it’s my fault.” Han Junzhou, self-aware, rubbed his nose. Though he wasn’t quite sure what he did to upset this little leopard, he decided to follow the flow of today’s schedule and took the initiative to explain, “Just now, when Teacher Yue finished his second class, he messaged me saying he had an Omega patient with a car accident, fractures, and pregnancy—pretty complicated. He wanted to hear my advice, so we…”

“You already have movie tickets?” Bai Chengyu interrupted, not wanting to listen to his rambling. He directly asked, “I saw you handing a ticket to him.”

Han Junzhou froze. Realizing he had been caught about the movie tickets, he felt a little embarrassed. “Yeah, I have tickets. The welfare club gave out movie tickets to the teachers, one for each person.”

“Then why the hell did you ask me to get tickets for you?” Bai Chengyu, still angry, retorted. “Why don’t you just go with him?”

“But I wanted to watch with you. I wanted you to go get the tickets and invite me to the movie,” Han Junzhou said, unapologetic.

Bai Chengyu: “…” The little cop was upset, but this teacher was taking advantage of a student. Even trying to cheat him out of a few dozen yuan for a movie ticket.

Han Junzhou, seeing Bai Chengyu’s bewildered expression, added, “So, does this count as our first date?”

“Who, who said I’m going on a date with you?” As soon as Bai Chengyu heard the word “date,” his face instantly turned red. “I just said I’d get you the tickets.”

Stubborn to the end, but the little leopard’s earlier anger had already subsided quite a bit.

“Alright, alright. Then on Friday, I’ll treat you to dinner, and you’ll get the tickets and bring me in to watch the movie. We’ll just have dinner and watch a movie, no strings attached, no date, okay?”

“……” It sounded logical, but somehow something felt off.

“……Then, what about Teacher Yue?” Bai Chengyu hesitantly asked, “Is he going to eat dinner and watch the movie with us too?”

“Of course not,” Han Junzhou finally remembered to clarify: “The movie tickets are what he asked me for. His colleagues at the hospital wanted to take their kids to watch, and they were short of two tickets. So, he asked if I didn’t need them, he could take them for his colleagues. Since you’re getting me the tickets, I didn’t need mine, so I gave them to him.” Han Junzhou emphasized, “I’m not going to the movies with him.”

As soon as he said this, Han Junzhou suddenly realized the misunderstanding. He couldn’t help but laugh as the realization hit him, a smile spreading across his face.

“What are you laughing about?” Bai Chengyu realized his mistake and that his emotions had been too obvious. He was a bit embarrassed and muttered a few curses before, with a red face, saying, “Well, I need to go back to class now.”

“I need to go back to the hospital too,” Han Junzhou said. Finishing his last sip of tea, he stood up and walked out of the restaurant with Bai Chengyu. “See you on Friday.”

“Mm.” Bai Chengyu replied softly, “See you on Friday.”

What started with such a fiery exchange ended with an unexpectedly sweet parting.

Tch, they were going to see each other on Friday again. Bai Chengyu cursed at himself mentally for being so dramatic.

On Friday.

The two of them had initially planned to go eat first, but as soon as class ended, Bai Chengyu was called to the auditorium for some help. He handed the movie ticket to Han Junzhou, telling him to go ahead and enter the theater on his own when the time came.

Han Junzhou arrived early at the auditorium. After handing the ticket to the student checking at the door, he went in and took two empty seats next to each other. Looking around, he noticed a few students looking his way, whispering excitedly. Besides them, there weren’t many people in the auditorium; it was only half full. The nostalgic movie, being an animated film, was something most young people had probably watched when they were little, so no one was keen to see it again at school. Instead, several faculty members brought their children to watch.

He messaged Bai Chengyu that he had arrived and saved him a seat. It wasn’t until five minutes before the movie started that Bai Chengyu hurriedly emerged from behind the movie screen, looking around.

Han Junzhou waved at him, and Bai Chengyu saw him, quickly ran down the steps, and sat next to him.

“Done with your work? Have you eaten dinner?” Han Junzhou asked.

“I had a bread,” Bai Chengyu was a bit out of breath. “This movie night has been so unlucky. There were so many issues…” Han Junzhou smiled as he listened to Bai Chengyu complain. Originally, the student council was supposed to show a recently released action movie, but they had mixed up the timing for the copyright release. Only after they’d started promoting it on campus did they realize they couldn’t broadcast it. They had to rush to find a replacement film. Then, right before the movie started, there were sound issues, and the school had to bring in people to fix it, which took the whole afternoon. Bai Chengyu and the other student council members had been running around trying to resolve everything.

Han Junzhou watched as Bai Chengyu resigned himself to these tasks, feeling a curious contradiction. This was clearly a young master from the Bai family, arrogant and overbearing, yet at school, he willingly served as a class representative and participated in student council activities. One could say he did it for attention, but he avoided all the high-profile tasks that garnered recognition, opting instead for behind-the-scenes work. If it was out of enthusiasm, his interactions with classmates were distant and indifferent. But calling him cold would be inaccurate too—after all, he worked tirelessly to ensure the film screening went smoothly, even skipping a proper dinner to make it happen.

“You’ve worked hard, Young Master Bai.” Han Junzhou handed his handkerchief to Bai Chengyu to wipe his sweat. “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to join the student council, let alone run around doing all this.”

Holding the handkerchief, which carried Han Junzhou’s faint rosewood fragrance, Bai Chengyu was silent for a moment before replying, “It took a lot of effort to convince my father to let me attend university. I don’t want to just drift through school.”

“Hmm?” Han Junzhou looked at him in confusion.

“I don’t know what life will be like after graduation,” Bai Chengyu said softly, “but at least during these years at school, beyond studying and interning, I want to have something—some memory—that I actively participated in. Joining the student council is one of those things. While I still have the chance to enjoy myself, I want to. Once we’re in the fifth year, internships at hospitals will start, and time will get tighter…” His voice grew quieter as the auditorium lights dimmed. He sat there with his head bowed, clearly not in high spirits.

On the screen, the opening sequence began, accompanied by cheerful music. Han Junzhou ruffled Bai Chengyu’s hair. “The movie’s starting—look, there’s you.”

Suspiciously, Bai Chengyu glanced at the screen, only to see a group of mischievous little fish swimming through the rippling water. He turned to glare at Han Junzhou, but a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Redirecting his gaze, he saw the large title “Finding Nemo” appear, as a vast deep blue ocean unfolded before them.

The movie, 100 minutes long, ended just as quickly as it began.

The colorful clownfish, the forgetful Dory, the slow but elegant sea turtle, and the menacing-looking yet vegetarian sharks—all these characters made for a tightly-woven, delightful story. The children in the audience alternated between bursts of laughter and gasps of surprise. Far from being annoyed by their reactions, Han Junzhou found their energy endearing. Pixar movies had a timeless charm that captivated both adults and children alike. Han Junzhou had watched Finding Nemo long ago, back when it first came out in theaters, but revisiting it now with Bai Chengyu was just as enjoyable.

Bai Chengyu watched intently. Even when the credits rolled and the audience began to file out, he remained fixed on the screen. Han Junzhou stayed with him.

“Look, there’s Mike Wazowski,” Han Junzhou pointed at the screen, which displayed a chubby little monster wearing flippers and biting a snorkel. “Do you know him? He’s from Monsters, Inc., one of the main characters. Have you seen it?”

A faint smile lingered on Bai Chengyu’s face as he lightly shook his head. “I’ve never watched the movie, but I’ve seen that green frog keychain on my classmates’ backpacks. They said it’s called Mike Wazowski.”

Han Junzhou chuckled. “It’s a monster, not a frog. Be careful—it might come find you while you’re sleeping at night.” Looking at Bai Chengyu, whose eyes were slightly red at the corners and still held a trace of bewilderment, Han Junzhou added, “Next time, I’ll take you to watch Mike Wazowski’s movie.”

The two of them were among the last to leave. Han Junzhou took Bai Chengyu out for dinner, but along the way, Bai Chengyu was unusually quiet. So quiet, in fact, that Han Junzhou found it odd—how could someone turn this subdued after watching such an adorable animated comedy?

When they arrived at the restaurant, Han Junzhou had chosen a place not far from the school. It was a Japanese-style eatery with a history that showed in its atmosphere. They served casual home-style dishes like curry rice, simmered potatoes with meat, Japanese fried chicken, and handmade hamburg steaks.

Curious, Bai Chengyu ordered the handmade hamburger steak with fried chicken. Han Junzhou added a cola for him, while he himself, having already eaten earlier, only ordered a few small snacks and a cup of black tea.

“This place has been here since our time. Over 20 years now, and thankfully it’s still standing,” Han Junzhou said, spearing a soy sauce-flavored dumpling with his fork.

“Mm, the hamburger does taste different from the ones at fast food joints. It’s more…” Bai Chengyu paused mid-sentence, choking slightly. He had intended to say it tasted more like “a mother’s cooking,” but then realized how little he knew about that. He’d barely met that woman, let alone eaten anything she had ever made. Clicking his tongue in frustration, he corrected himself. “…It tastes more like real food.”

Han Junzhou nodded with a smile, choosing not to press Bai Chengyu about his sudden low mood after the movie, nor the hesitation in his words. He simply sat there, quietly keeping him company as Bai Chengyu ate, piece by piece, until the table was cleared.

The restaurant was illuminated by warm yellow lights, and the late hour left only a few diners scattered around, their tables spaced out enough that their soft murmurs created a cozy, safe atmosphere. It was the kind of setting that made one feel an unexpected urge to share their thoughts.

After finishing the last bite of his hamburger and washing it down with a sip of cola, Bai Chengyu finally spoke, his voice slow and deliberate.

“I envy Nemo,” Bai Chengyu said. “Nemo’s father accepted and embraced his little fin^[1]….”

“But my father… when he discovered my little fin, he abandoned me.”

(To Be Continued…)

T/L: OMG… My tears… poor little Yu 😭

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