ROT CH 46

Chapter 46: Someone Who Came Just for Him

Bai Chengyu’s identity as an Omega was exposed, and his student-teacher relationship with Han Junzhou was revealed. He once thought these revelations would lead to catastrophic, irreversible consequences.

But, in truth, nothing of the sort happened.

Everything had been clarified at the time, and Bai Chengyu no longer felt troubled or uneasy about it. After returning to school, life went on as usual, except for the occasional, inexplicable encouraging smiles from his classmates.

Dr. Han remained busy as ever, coming to A University twice a week to give lectures. These visits also doubled as an opportunity for them to meet. Meanwhile, Bai Chengyu stopped pretending to be someone he wasn’t. In addition to his original group of Alpha friends, their daily gatherings now included Wen Yuyi, Lin Yunru, and Liang Yuchan. Even Liang the goddess had finally stopped giving him the cold shoulder.

The most surprising thing was Xue Ba, who took the initiative to talk to Bai Chengyu. Though his tone was often taunting, his questions were intellectually stimulating. At first, Bai Chengyu found it annoying, but after a few exchanges, he realized that their spirited debates could be quite entertaining. Their back-and-forth even developed into a peculiar kind of friendship — one where two top students respected but also couldn’t stand each other.

Particularly during exam season, the anxious Xue Ba would always come to spar with Bai Chengyu a few times before calming down. Bai Chengyu found it both irritating and amusing, generously throwing out a few “idiot” remarks for free.

Recently, Bai Chengyu had been feeling quite content. Even at home, he no longer felt as irritated when encountering Bai Jun and Bai Chongwu.

Perhaps Bai Lin had noticed something as well. Whenever Bai Jun brought Bai Chongwu over, Bai Lin no longer asked Bai Chengyu to accompany them. If they happened to run into each other, Bai Lin would find an excuse to send Bai Chengyu away before Bai Chongwu could pester him. Standing by, Bai Jun would make sarcastic remarks like, “If it’s something important, let us Alphas handle it. Chengyu, you go ahead.”

Bai Chengyu couldn’t be bothered to respond to them and was quite satisfied with Bai Lin’s effort to keep Bai Chongwu away from him.

As for his relationship with Han Junzhou, he had only recently come to understand that falling in love and undergoing therapeutic comfort were entirely different things. It wasn’t just his physical restlessness and heat that were soothed; even his heart felt calmed.

His once sharp, porcupine-like demeanor had softened. Both his body and his heart had become gentler. Bai Chengyu hadn’t realized that love could change a person so profoundly. Just thinking about someone could make the entire world seem tender — like the moonlight after a rain, glowing with a gentle halo that made the entire night sky exude a hazy, languid charm.

He constantly wanted to see him, couldn’t help but want to linger around him.

Probably, this was just an Omega’s natural instinct — the uncontrollable desire to be near their Alpha.
In the past, Bai Chengyu would have scoffed at such a thought. But now? He leaned into it without hesitation.

Tonight was New Year’s Eve, and Han Junzhou had a date planned with his boyfriend. They had agreed to meet at 7 p.m., so Bai Chengyu arrived punctually at 6:30 p.m., waiting at the entrance of Yunbang Hospital. However, just as he spotted his boyfriend walking out of the hospital doors, he saw him answer a phone call.

Dr. Han had received an emergency call: a construction accident. A male Omega at a site had been struck by a falling load of bricks, sustaining severe injuries to his head, back, and even having his nape gland crushed. The ambulance was still en route, but the emergency department had already mobilized the entire general surgery team. Han Junzhou couldn’t leave.^[1]

Han Junzhou spoke rapidly into the phone as he approached Xiaoyu. By the time he reached his boyfriend, the call had ended. He quickly explained the situation and, with regret and an apologetic tone, told Bai Chengyu that their date would have to be canceled.

He kissed his still-dazed boyfriend, told him to go eat by himself, and mentioned that the surgery might take a long time, so there was no need to wait for him.

Before Bai Chengyu could say anything, Han Junzhou had already turned and hurried back into the hospital.

The more Bai Chengyu thought about it, the more unwilling he felt. It was New Year’s Eve — he didn’t want to eat alone or go home by himself.

He wanted to be with his boyfriend.

He desperately wanted to spend both the last moments of the year and the first moments of the new year with him.

Determined, Bai Chengyu turned and ran away from the hospital. He first stopped at the porridge shop Han Junzhou loved, buying a jar of abalone porridge. Then, he ran back to Yunbang Hospital, waiting obediently outside the operating room.^[2]

There was a comfortable sofa in the family waiting area nearby, but he didn’t sit there. Instead, he chose to sit on the row of plastic chairs directly facing the automatic doors of the operating room, so that Han Junzhou would immediately see him upon stepping out.

As the night deepened, Xiaoyu started to feel both cold and sleepy, but he refused to leave his seat to buy a cup of hot coffee. He had no idea when Han Junzhou’s surgery would end, and he was afraid that if he left, they might miss each other. So, he stayed put. Hugging the warm thermos tightly, he sat on the hard, icy plastic chair until he eventually fell asleep.

In his sleep, he missed the beautiful bursts of fireworks outside, the loud booms and flashes marking the year’s end and the gentle transition into the new year.

By the time Han Junzhou stepped out of the operating room, it was already 1 a.m. Exhausted, he rubbed his face and tried to gather his energy, preparing to speak to the patient’s family.

As the automatic doors opened, and before the family members surged forward, Han Junzhou spotted his boyfriend. Bai Chengyu was sitting quietly, hugging the familiar silver-and-blue thermos from the porridge shop, sleeping in an awkward and uncomfortable position with his head tilted.

Han Junzhou stared at the peaceful figure, his heart swelling with a mix of bittersweet emotions, until the rushing movements of the patient’s family obstructed his view.

Suppressing the wave of tenderness and ache in his heart, Han Junzhou explained the gland repair surgery and the patient’s condition to the family. Once the nurse guided the family members to see the patient, Han Junzhou walked over to where Xiaoyu was sitting. He squatted down in front of him, quietly observing him.

“Xiaoyu, wake up.” Han Junzhou, wearing a simple surgical isolation gown, held a surgical cap in his hand. Today was his scheduled surgery day. His original schedule already included three surgeries, and with tonight’s emergency operation, he was utterly exhausted. Especially since this last emergency surgery took over five hours—from 7:30 PM until now. A whole year had passed during the procedure.

In previous years, New Year’s Eve often played out like this. Many times, he’d find himself performing surgeries while fireworks blossomed outside the window. During lighter, smoother operations, the nurses would sometimes join in counting down the final ten seconds of the year, ringing in the new year alongside the anesthetized patient on the operating table.

Then, after the surgery ended, he would be surrounded by anxious family members bombarding him with questions. In the crowd, he was present but never the focal point of their care.

But this year, when he walked out of the operating room hallway, there was someone—someone waiting just for him. Someone holding a warm meal and patiently staying put.^[3]

He reached out to gently adjust Bai Chengyu’s tilted head, massaging his neck and shoulders. Once again, he softly called out, “Xiaoyu, wake up.” He rubbed his chilly hands, “Wake up already, you’re freezing to death…”

“Mm…” Bai Chengyu let out a drowsy hum and tried to shift his body to turn over, wanting to continue sleeping. Unaware that he was sitting, the motion almost caused him to fall off the chair. Luckily, Han Junzhou was there to catch him. The sudden sensation of falling startled Bai Chengyu awake. Hugging the container in his arms tightly, he blinked groggily and was greeted by Han Junzhou’s disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes.

“All done?” Bai Chengyu’s eyes brightened instantly. “Can we go now?” He beamed at his boyfriend, who smiled back at him.

Though Han Junzhou was smiling, the exhaustion in his eyes couldn’t be concealed. Bai Chengyu tenderly touched the area under his eyes where the goggles had left marks on his skin. “You’re completely worn out, aren’t you? Are you hungry? Want to eat something first?” He held up the insulated container. “It’s abalone porridge from your favorite place—it should still be warm. Have some to fill your stomach.”

Han Junzhou nodded and pushed himself up using his knees. “Wait for me. I’ll go inside to shower and change real quick.” He pointed towards the operating room.

Bai Chengyu nodded back. “It’s fine. Take your time.” Seeing his well-behaved boyfriend, Han Junzhou couldn’t resist the urge to lean in for a kiss. But considering he’d just finished surgery and was likely covered in invisible germs and viruses, he decided against it for hygiene reasons. He didn’t want to risk contaminating him.

Han Junzhou walked briskly back into the operating room but returned less than two minutes later. He held up his jacket with his fingers and tossed it to Bai Chengyu. “Put this on.”

The rare commanding tone, wrapped in tender affection, made Xiaoyu grin so widely his eyes curved into crescents, just from holding the jacket.

(To Be Continued…)



T/L: Awww I love these two so much! ♡✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚

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-End of chapter-

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