ROT CH 44

Chapter 44: Old Ship, Don’t Overwork Yourself

During the weekend, the seven-member online defense team led by Wang Ziheng had been fighting tirelessly on the campus network. However, such gossip only grew more intense the longer it was debated, spiraling further out of control. Even though a few rational voices attempted to intervene, they were outnumbered, making little to no impact.

It wasn’t until Sunday evening that an unexpected development occurred: Professor Chen Tingyu, known for never engaging in gossip, broke his own rule and posted on the campus network. His post featured a photograph of Bai Chengyu’s secondary gender studies exam paper.

Beneath the photo, Professor Chen wrote only a few words:
“I wrote the questions, graded the papers, and gave the full marks. Any objections?”

The master-level, notoriously old-school professor had spoken. With such a domineering and concise statement, who would dare challenge him?

The publication of Bai Chengyu’s exam paper validated the claims made by Wang Ziheng and his group. Earlier, they had tried to explain the events in the dean’s office, but their efforts were dismissed as biased attempts to shield him. Now, with Professor Chen stepping in to personally certify the results, doubts about the legitimacy of Bai Chengyu’s grades significantly subsided.

Professor Chen’s statement was initially posted in an obscure forum, but it was quickly noticed and widely shared. The first repost, which garnered the most attention, came from none other than Xue Bingsheng. He forwarded Professor Chen’s clarification from the exams forum to both the Medical Academy’s sophomore class forum and the gossip forum.

In his repost, Xue Bingsheng added these words:
“I’m Xue Bingsheng from the Medical Academy, Class 2. Regarding Bai Chengyu’s answers and grades, I fully accept and acknowledge them. If you think you can provide better answers, bring it on. Otherwise, shut up.”

This blunt and straightforward message immediately gained support from classmates who had been defending Bai Chengyu. Xue Ba’s (Overlord Xue’s) ^[1]post in the class forum quickly went viral, with nearly all classmates following his lead and leaving similar comments in support of their class representative. One after another, they wrote:
“I am [Name] from [Academy], [Class]. Regarding Bai Chengyu’s answers and grades, I fully accept and acknowledge them.”

The flood of reposts rapidly cleared the gossip forum, erasing nonsensical and fabricated topics.

Wang Ziheng and his group carefully observed the situation. Within just three hours, nearly all forums discussing Bai Chengyu’s incident were overtaken by the reposts. Although they were still upset with Xue Bingsheng, they couldn’t help but admire his ability to stem the tide. His quick response—sharing Professor Chen’s post within three minutes of its upload—suggested he was privy to it in advance. It wouldn’t be surprising if Xue had even approached Professor Chen to take the photo of the exam paper and make the post himself.

After all, Professor Chen, who was dedicated to academia, likely didn’t know his way around the campus network.

Of course, the controversy surrounding this incident was not limited to the grades alone; it also involved Bai Chengyu’s secondary gender and his teacher-student relationship with Han Junzhou. However, as Han Junzhou explained, one’s secondary gender is a private matter, unrelated to public interest, and there is no obligation to disclose it. As for the relationship, both individuals were single adults over the age of twenty, and the university’s regulations did not explicitly prohibit teacher-student relationships. If one were to debate the matter, it might carry a slight moral flaw but was not illegal. Additionally, Han Junzhou had done everything possible to avoid conflicts of interest in his capacity as a teacher.

Thus, once the most important issue had been clarified, the rest of the gossip was left to fade away. After all, rumors never truly end.

Wang Ziheng’s seven-member task force had completed its mission, though their group chat remained active. Liao Sheng, using the excuse of celebrating the conclusion of the teacher-student relationship controversy, invited everyone out for a meal. Consequently, the seven members occasionally gathered for meetups. Over time, he continued his matchmaking efforts between Wang Ziheng and Liang Yuchan, only to end up unexpectedly dating Lin Yunru himself. But that’s a story for another time.

Meanwhile, the two protagonists who had paid little attention to the campus gossip from the very beginning returned home late on a Friday night, carrying two potted flowers.

While browsing the flower market, Bai Chengyu received a call from Hei Shier. He stepped aside to speak softly, but Han Junzhou still overheard him telling the person on the phone that he wouldn’t be coming home this weekend. After hanging up, Bai Chengyu returned to Han Junzhou’s side, his face flushed as if nothing had happened. Naturally, after buying the flowers, Han Junzhou didn’t ask and simply drove him straight back to his own home.

They had only just entered their romantic phase. Despite being well-versed in practical experience and having been completely honest with each other for over two years, Bai Chengyu still couldn’t help feeling shy and grinning foolishly whenever he faced his tall, handsome, mature, and composed boyfriend.

Han Junzhou, however, wasn’t as clueless as Bai Chengyu. He was still holding a grudge.

Uncle Han was still salty about the congee shop incident—the one about not being able to get it up. Or rather, his extraordinary self-control.

The well-dressed beast of a man led his innocent and sweet Bai Xiaoyu into the house. After placing the flowers on the balcony, he coaxed him into taking a shower together.

In the bathroom, he pinned the little leopard against the wall and devoured him twice. The rich scent of roses seemed to ooze directly from the little leopard’s body, so intoxicating that midway through, Han Junzhou had to open the bathroom door. Otherwise, the hormone-charged particles condensed in the steam would have grown so thick, they’d weigh down the air like low-hanging clouds, ready to unleash a downpour of roses in the bathroom.

Bai Xiaobao’s ragged breathing sounded just like the low growls of a big cat, which gradually turned hoarse. His voice gave out entirely, leaving him to open and close his mouth like a fish gasping for air, unable to make a sound and pleading silently with his eyes. Even outside of his heat, climaxing twice in succession was quite a challenge for Bai Chengyu. By the end, he could barely stand, relying entirely on Han Junzhou’s support to keep from collapsing. When they finished, he immediately dropped to his knees. If not for Han Junzhou holding him in his arms, he might have ended up sprawled helplessly on the floor.

Han Junzhou propped him up on the toilet seat and meticulously washed him from head to toe while Bai Chengyu, dazed, let himself be pampered. Afterward, he was carried into the bathtub, soaking in the warm water so comfortably that he nearly fell asleep.

Once Han Junzhou had cleaned himself as well, he joined Bai Xiaoyu in the tub, enjoying the warmth together for a while before scooping up the drowsy young man, wrapping him in a large towel, and half-carrying, half-dragging him back to bed. Watching the obedient and soft Bai Xiaoyu lying half-sprawled on his bed, Han Junzhou felt utterly satisfied. Climbing into bed beside him, he pulled the little fish into his arms, gently patting his back as though soothing a precious child.

This adorable child, on the verge of sleep, wrapped his arms around Han Junzhou in return, nuzzling his chest with fearless innocence. In his sleepy haze, he mumbled recklessly, “Mhm… Old Ship, don’t overwork yourself… You might not be able to… get it up…”

“…” Is he looking for trouble?! Just as Han Junzhou had settled into a comfortable position, those words hit his ears, and he sprang up in outrage. Flipping over, he pinned Bai Chengyu beneath him, kneading his body mercilessly. “Get up. You’re not sleeping tonight…”

Bai Chengyu burst into laughter as they wrestled playfully on the bed.

(To Be Continued…)

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