ROT CH 24

Chapter 24: Bai Chengyu’s Little Fin

In the movie, the clownfish father, Marlin, named Nemo’s small fin “Lucky Fin.”

But Bai Chengyu said, “When my father discovered my little fin, he abandoned me.”

Han Junzhou felt a sharp pang in his heart. He wanted to retort, “Don’t be ridiculous; you don’t have a little fin,” or “Your father didn’t abandon you.” But the memory of Bai Lin leaving Bai Chengyu in his clinic two years ago was still vivid. It wasn’t nonsense—it was the truth. Even as a bystander, Han Junzhou found it heartbreaking. How much more gut-wrenching must it have been for Bai Chengyu, the one who was left behind?

“First of all,” Han Junzhou said seriously, looking at him, “you don’t have a little fin.”

“I do.” Bai Chengyu forced a lighthearted smile and tilted his head slightly, his gaze drifting to a table of diners in the distance. “Didn’t I differentiate as an Omega?”

“A secondary gender isn’t a little fin.” Han Junzhou reached across the table, gently turning Bai Chengyu’s head to face him. “Your differentiation was perfect.”

Bai Chengyu stared at Han Junzhou in stunned silence. Han Junzhou brushed his cheek and rubbed his earlobe. “To me, you’re perfect. You’re not Nemo, and you don’t have a little fin.”

Bai Chengyu felt flustered by Han Junzhou’s tender tone. He stammered, “Of course, I’m not Nemo. My parents aren’t Marlin and Coral. Heh, Marlin and Coral loved each other so much. My parents… forget it.” Bai Chengyu lowered his head, unwilling to say more.

“What about your parents?” Han Junzhou asked, puzzled. “As far as I know, they were very much in love.”

“What do you know?” Bai Chengyu sneered. “My mom was tricked by my dad. Love? Yeah, right.” He scoffed dismissively.

“That can’t be true. Why would you think that?” Han Junzhou was even more perplexed. “Back then, their story was the talk of the town. Everyone knew about it. Your parents met on a boat. My uncle and cousin were on the same ship, and they told me a bit about it when they returned.”

Bai Chengyu eyed Han Junzhou suspiciously, signaling him to continue.

“I heard it was on a huge cruise ship called the April. It operated a tourist route through several European countries every April. Your mother worked as a waitress in one of the ship’s restaurants. She was very beautiful and frequently harassed by the passengers. One day, when a passenger tried to grab her, your mom got so angry that she slapped him. That passenger was your dad.”

Han Junzhou stifled a laugh. “Actually, your dad was innocent. He was just passing by. The ship swayed suddenly, and when he saw your mom almost fall, he reached out to steady her. Unexpectedly, he got slapped.”

Bai Chengyu looked at Han Junzhou in shock, finding it hard to imagine that his father, the stubborn Bai Lin, could let such a slap slide.

“My dad must’ve been furious. So, to get back at the waitress, he played dirty?” Bai Chengyu felt a bit disgusted. “Did he force himself on her, get her pregnant, and end up marrying her?”

“Of course not! How could you think that of your dad?” Han Junzhou was also surprised. “Not to mention how handsome your dad was when he was young, the Bai family’s immense wealth and influence, and the coveted position of his spouse—why would he use marriage to punish someone?

Defending Bai Lin a little, Han Junzhou continued, “Bai Lin was indeed furious. He brought the restaurant manager to settle the matter, and the waitress later realized her mistake and kept apologizing. But your dad, being as proud as he is, naturally didn’t accept her apology. Still, he had no intention of making things difficult for an Omega waitress, so he left with a sour expression.”

“That waitress felt so guilty that she often sought him out. By the time the ship docked a month later, they were already deeply in love. Bai Lin took her straight off the ship and back home, announcing he wanted to marry her.” Han Junzhou shook his head with a smile. “Your family’s head of the Bai clan suddenly announcing his marriage to a foreign waitress shocked everyone. Many elders in your family didn’t agree. But Bai Lin didn’t care and insisted on throwing a grand wedding, inviting all the prominent families.”

“Then… but how did things end up like that?” Bai Chengyu was astonished by his parents’ love story but even more puzzled about how they had become so estranged.

“Later…” Han Junzhou hesitated, finding it hard to explain. Since meeting Bai Chengyu two years ago, he had idly looked into the Bai family’s affairs and learned some things about Bai Lin and his wife, Katherine. “Your parents didn’t know each other long before they married. Once the honeymoon phase was over, conflicts in all areas began to emerge.

Your mom, being a foreigner living here alone, had little to no contact with her family or friends. The language barrier made things harder, and the only person she could rely on was your dad.” Han Junzhou gave a wry smile. “And your dad, as you know, isn’t the kind of person to comfort others. Slowly, their arguments grew more frequent… until you were born, and their disputes hit a peak.”

“Me?” Bai Chengyu asked in confusion. “What could a baby like me have done?”

“It wasn’t you; it was the Bai family’s tradition,” Han Junzhou explained. “You were raised by a dedicated team from the start, right? A whole childcare team was responsible for taking care of you.” Bai Chengyu nodded.

“But your mom wasn’t willing. She believed children should be raised by their parents. She wanted to care for you herself. Combined with her previous arguments with your dad, having you taken away pushed her to a mental breakdown. From what I heard, she never recovered.” Han Junzhou observed Bai Chengyu carefully.

“She passed away just a few years later,” Bai Chengyu said lightly.

His feelings were complicated. He didn’t have much attachment to his mother as a person. No one dared to say much about her around him. His memories of her stopped at a madwoman’s embrace and his father’s disdainful remarks. He didn’t feel he needed that embrace, nor had he ever mourned not having a mother.

Now, hearing Han Junzhou talk about her, Bai Chengyu realized his mother once genuinely wanted him. Even though it was just a short story, it gave him a fuller image of her—something beyond that single embrace, filling the blank spaces in his memory.

“My father always called her a useless Omega,” Bai Chengyu said after a long silence. “He didn’t love her; he looked down on her.”

He suddenly felt anger toward Bai Lin for treating his mother that way. If he couldn’t love her deeply, why did he have to forcibly pluck that flower?

Han Junzhou hesitated, unsure how to respond. Love wasn’t something easily explained with logic, and explaining Bai Lin’s version of love was even more complicated. However, the boy in front of him desperately needed some kind of explanation. His expression showed resentment and injustice, yet his eyes revealed deep pain.

Han Junzhou tried to put himself in Bai Lin’s shoes, hoping to cast a better light on the love that had brought about this little leopard.

“I guess…” Han Junzhou said hesitantly, “I guess your father’s feelings stemmed from frustration.”

“Frustration?”

“Your mother was too delicate, at least emotionally. She was fragile and often hurt herself by overthinking. Bai Lin, being the kind of man he is, probably didn’t know how to handle that. He wasn’t good at comforting people and felt helpless. So he masked his guilt with anger, frustrated at your mother’s frailty and at himself for failing to make her happy. I don’t think he truly believed your mother was useless. He was probably angry at himself for being useless—for not being able to bring joy to his Omega.”

“Think about it: after your mother passed away, your father never found anyone else. He focused entirely on raising you.”

“Unfortunately, I disappointed him too. I ended up becoming the ‘useless Omega’ he talks about,” Bai Chengyu murmured.

Lowering his head, Bai Chengyu reluctantly admitted that Han Junzhou’s explanation wasn’t entirely illogical. From what he could remember, his father never had any romantic partners since he was old enough to understand such things. Although he’d heard that Bai Lin sought comfort services occasionally, it was purely for physical relief as an Alpha. Over the years, Bai Lin’s bed remained empty.

Bai Jun had once enthusiastically tried to play matchmaker for Bai Lin, introducing numerous Omegas—both men and women. Even Bai Chongwu had joked with him that he might be getting a stepmother. Yet Bai Lin never accepted anyone else.

Bai Chengyu also vaguely remembered that every April, there would be a few days when Bai Lin would drink himself into a stupor.

April. The April. It was the month of their love and the place where they had met.

It also seemed to be the season when she had passed away.

Bai Chengyu’s eyes grew misty as he reflected on the bittersweet and unresolved love between his parents.

Han Junzhou stood up, moving to sit beside Bai Chengyu on the sofa. He pulled him into an embrace, offering comfort.

“Don’t be sad. After everything I’ve said, you should know by now that you’re the product of your parents’ love. Don’t let strange thoughts cloud your mind. You’re not defective, and your father loves you very much.” Han Junzhou tried to reassure him, “Think about it: your Heijiao family has produced only Alphas for ten consecutive generations. Bai Lin never even considered that you might…”

“…an Omega. He just didn’t react immediately at the time—it’s not that he doesn’t love you.” Han Junzhou added, “Look, he even went as far as bringing the young master of the Yunbang Han family to provide soothing therapy for you.”

Bai Chengyu shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe.”

“Has he treated you poorly in recent years?” Han Junzhou asked cautiously.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad.” Bai Chengyu didn’t want to elaborate on how he’d been treated like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. Was such meticulous care considered good or bad?

Han Junzhou fell silent for a few minutes. He knew it wasn’t his place as an outsider to comment too much on the relationship between Bai Lin and Bai Chengyu, so he decided to shift the topic to something he could speak about.

“I think I’m really lucky to have met you. If you want a cute nickname like Nemo, I can give you one,” Han Junzhou said as he ruffled Bai Chengyu’s hair, only to have his hand slapped away. He chuckled softly and then playfully scratched Bai Chengyu’s chin.

“Little Baby Fish,” Han Junzhou teased. “You’re my precious little fish.”

The unusual nickname successfully caught Bai Chengyu’s attention.

He stared at Han Junzhou as though he were a lunatic, utterly baffled.

Well, overly cutesy nicknames didn’t seem to resonate with the little leopard. Han Junzhou rubbed his nose in mild embarrassment, feeling a bit awkward.

(To be continued…)

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