ROT CH 30

Chapter 30: Shall We Grow a Rose Plant?

The next day was Friday. Bai Chengyu had a treadmill test scheduled for the third and fourth periods in the morning and three Secondary Biology classes with Teacher Han in the afternoon.

Early in the morning, the two lingered in bed, rubbing against each other playfully, almost igniting another spark. Before things could escalate, Han Junzhou quickly stopped himself, knowing that if the passion flared up, Bai Chengyu might miss his exam, which would be a disaster.

He patted the dazed Bai Xiaoyu, who had been kissed senseless, urging him to freshen up. Meanwhile, he headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Just as the toast popped out of the toaster, Bai Chengyu emerged from the bedroom wearing Han Junzhou’s bathrobe and holding a crumpled bundle of clothes.

“I don’t have anything to wear,” Bai Chengyu complained, staring at the wrinkled outfit in his hands. Han Junzhou went back into the bedroom and brought out a few of his more casual clothes. Although they were oversized, the rolled-up cuffs and hems gave Bai Chengyu a stylish look.

After changing into the clothes, Bai Chengyu admired himself in the mirror. His gaze lingered on the red string bracelet adorning his wrist, and satisfied, he stepped out of the room. “Hey, let me take a look around your house,” he said cheerfully.

As he wandered through the house, he found it quite spacious yet minimally partitioned. Besides the master bedroom, there was only a study. Han Junzhou’s study door was left open, but out of politeness, Bai Chengyu only peeked in from the doorway. He saw a large bookshelf, a big desk with a computer, and several books and a cup scattered across the desk. Standing there, he imagined being invited by Han Junzhou to study or do homework together in the future. The desk was big enough for both of them, and Bai Chengyu thought about placing his own cup next to Han Junzhou’s.

Smiling to himself, Bai Chengyu returned from the balcony with two mint leaves he had plucked and was now playing with. Han Junzhou, sitting at the dining table, called him over for breakfast.

“Uncle, your plants are thriving! I can’t seem to keep anything alive. Even Uncle Xu doesn’t let me touch the flowers in our garden.” Uncle Xu was their family gardener. Bai Chengyu dashed over to the table and was about to start eating when Han Junzhou caught his hand. “Your fingers are dirty from playing with the plants. Go wash your hands before you eat. And stop plucking leaves randomly. Also, don’t call me ‘uncle.’ I’m your boyfriend now. Calling me ‘uncle’ messes up the hierarchy,” Han Junzhou chided gently.

“Old Boat,” Bai Chengyu replied without missing a beat, recalling the nickname he had just given Han Junzhou the night before. His cheeky grin lit up the room. Han Junzhou, annoyed, lightly knocked Bai Xiaoyu on the head, thinking it might have been better to stick with “uncle.” The new nickname made him feel even older. Taking a wet wipe, he carefully cleaned Bai Chengyu’s fingers one by one and asked softly, “What kind of plant do you want to grow? I’ll teach you.”

Rubbing his forehead, Bai Chengyu mumbled complaints but immediately perked up when he heard Han Junzhou’s offer. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he said, “Let’s grow… a rose plant! Qinglang Garden used to have roses. A few years ago, I dug them all up. Uncle Xu said they were some rare ‘Louis XIV’ variety…”

“…Now?” Bai Chengyu hesitated, looking embarrassed at the thought of recklessly planting something back home. He muttered, trying to change the topic, “Should we raise it here instead? Your balcony is so spacious. Adding one more rose plant shouldn’t be a problem, right? What do you think?”

Han Junzhou had just finished wiping Bai Chengyu’s hands. While Bai Xiaoyu began to enjoy his toast, Han Junzhou observed him quietly. Breakfast was a simple bacon-and-egg toast, not much different from what he had at home. Yet, eating Han Junzhou’s slightly charred eggs felt especially satisfying, filling Bai Chengyu with happiness.

Han Junzhou’s gaze deepened. He could imagine that years ago, when Bai Chengyu dug out the roses, it must have been during his initial differentiation. He was likely angry at the rose-like scent of his own pheromones and took it out on the roses at home.

Han Junzhou nodded. “Growing roses isn’t difficult. If you want to grow them here, that’s fine, but since they’re your flowers, you’ll need to come over regularly to water and fertilize them. I’m not going to do it for you.” Uncle Junzhou found a convenient excuse to bring someone over frequently, his sly intention barely hidden. However, Bai Xiaoyu was far more excited than him upon hearing he could visit often, his eyes lighting up as he nodded enthusiastically.

“Hey, Han Junzhou…” Bai Chengyu called out, drawing out his voice in a soft and endearing tone. He couldn’t call him ‘Uncle,’ nor could he use the nickname ‘Old Boat’ without getting lightly smacked. Using ‘Han Junzhou’ seemed to strike the perfect balance. The way he called his boyfriend’s name was so tender it melted Han Junzhou’s heart.

“What is it?” Han Junzhou, sipping his coffee, looked at Bai Chengyu over the rim of his cup, a smile playing at his lips.

There wasn’t anything in particular. Bai Chengyu just wanted to call his name.

After breakfast, Han Junzhou ensured that Bai Chengyu took his suppressant and even sprayed a full-body masking agent for him. Although Bai Chengyu had been temporarily marked by Han Junzhou and wouldn’t emit his Omega scent randomly, his unique physiology always seemed to differ from others. Han Junzhou worried that the temporary marking might make Bai Chengyu overly reliant on his Alpha. If they ended up flirting uncontrollably in the middle of class, that would be disastrous. To be cautious, Han Junzhou even applied a masking patch on himself.

Once everything was set, Bai Chengyu asked Han Junzhou to triple-check that his high-collar shirt covered the bite mark on the back of his neck before they headed out. Han Junzhou didn’t have classes at A University that morning, but he did have a seminar at A University’s hospital. He decided to drop Bai Chengyu off for his exam first before heading to the hospital nearby.

As they walked toward the car, a small gray blur suddenly darted past their feet, followed closely by a larger multicolored blur that let out a sharp cry while chasing the gray figure. A few smaller cats trailed behind, running and playing as they went.

Bai Chengyu froze in his tracks, stiff and unmoving. Han Junzhou, realizing his companion was no longer walking beside him, turned around after a few steps to find Bai Chengyu standing in the middle of the road, his face looking somewhat pale.

“Hm?” Han Junzhou walked back, struggling to suppress a chuckle as he tried to keep a straight face. “Scared? You don’t like mice, huh? It’s okay. No one likes mice—I don’t like them either.” The cats and mice had already run off into the distance. Taking Bai Chengyu’s hand, Han Junzhou guided him into the car and settled into the driver’s seat.

Bai Chengyu remained visibly stiff. Han Junzhou fastened Bai Chengyu’s seatbelt for him and gently rubbed his shoulder. “Alright, the little mouse is long gone. Don’t be upset.” Out of consideration for Bai Chengyu’s pride, Han Junzhou avoided telling him not to be afraid.

Sure enough, halfway through their drive, Bai Chengyu finally relaxed and shook his head slowly. “I’m not afraid of mice.”

Han Junzhou kept his eyes on the road, a smile tugging at his lips. “Alright, alright, I never said you were scared…”

“I really wasn’t scared,” Bai Chengyu interrupted him. “Back in my first year, during the lab on white rat dissection, I was the one in charge of the needle.”

Han Junzhou immediately understood what Bai Chengyu was referring to.

Every medical student in their first year faces a series of gory lessons. One such lab involves the dissection of white rats to observe how the heart and muscles behave post-brain death. The first step of the experiment requires inducing brain death in the rat—a rather brutal procedure. Students must firmly hold the rat in one hand while using a needle in the other to pierce the rat’s cervical spine, penetrating its skull to destroy the brain tissue.

The fact that Bai Chengyu was the one responsible for this step in his group was a testament to his courage.

So if he wasn’t afraid of mice, then what had happened earlier? Han Junzhou didn’t have time to think further about Bai Chengyu’s reaction when the latter frowned slightly and, in a soft voice, revealed the truth:

“I’m afraid of cats.”

(To Be Continued…)

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