ROT CH 57

Chapter 57: Your Place? Or Mine?

After class, Bai Chengyu usually took his time packing his bag, then quietly left through the back door. Even after their relationship became public, he rarely sought out Han Junzhou in the classroom in front of their classmates. Even when they had plans afterward, they would typically leave separately and meet elsewhere.

But today, Bai Chengyu was acting differently. He quickly swept his stationery and books into his bag, zipped it up, and stood. Slinging his bag over one shoulder, he walked directly toward the podium. By the time Han Junzhou had finished tidying his things and looked up, his boyfriend was already standing in front of him.

Before Han Junzhou could say anything, Bai Chengyu blurted out in rapid-fire succession, “Are you ready? Let’s go. I’m hungry. Want to grab a bite together? After that, your place or mine?”

For some reason, even though Han Junzhou had been as warm and gentle as ever over the phone these past few days, Bai Chengyu couldn’t shake a sense of unease. He thought it was because they hadn’t seen each other for days, but seeing him now only made it worse. The inexplicable anxiety left him restless. He couldn’t even wait until their usual meeting spot under the big tree and instead rushed straight to the podium, masking his nervousness with a barrage of questions.

Han Junzhou smiled faintly. “Alright, let’s eat first. After that, we’ll go to your place.”

Their voices weren’t particularly loud, but standing together on the podium made them quite conspicuous.

“Ohhh…” Some classmates began teasing, shouting, “They’re dating!” Hearing the commotion, Bai Chengyu nonchalantly extended his right hand behind him and flipped off the noisy crowd.

As Bai Chengyu stepped closer, Han Junzhou turned slightly, reached out, and clasped Bai Chengyu’s hand, tucking the offending gesture behind his back and into his palm. He held it tightly as if shielding it. The classmates, now force-fed a dose of affection, were simultaneously elated and indignant, slamming their desks dramatically in exaggerated frustration.

Bai Chengyu let himself be pulled along, Han Junzhou’s warm, firm hand gripping his tightly. The unease in his heart dissolved in an instant. He had planned to ask Han Junzhou what had been going on lately and whether something had happened. But being held so securely like this, walking side by side, made him feel like his worries were nothing more than a figment of his imagination caused by missing his boyfriend too much. If he asked now, it would feel incredibly foolish.

Still, he should have asked.

After their meal, Han Junzhou and Bai Chengyu headed back to the Bai residence. Having not seen each other for nearly half a month, the familiarity of their surroundings sparked an immediate reaction. Bai Chengyu rushed to his room for a shower, and as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, he was seized by Han Junzhou, flipped onto the bed. His newly donned bathrobe was swiftly removed as Han Junzhou pulled him close, his touches filled with a sense of urgency to make up for their time apart.

Still carrying the warmth of his bath, Bai Chengyu’s body exuded a faint scent of roses, which became even more alluring under Han Junzhou’s pheromone-laden teasing. He slipped into heat almost immediately. His green eyes gleamed brightly, like a feline prowling the night, tense and eager, letting out soft whimpers before willingly surrendering to his lover’s embrace.

The night was a whirlwind of passion and fervor, culminating in Han Junzhou’s hoarse declaration, “I love you.” For the first time, Bai Chengyu heard such heartfelt words from Han Junzhou’s lips. It was far more intense and moving than a mere “I like you.” Those three magical words carried a weight so profound that it felt like a solemn confession all over again. It sent Bai Chengyu soaring with happiness, only to be gently grounded and cradled in Han Junzhou’s warm embrace, where he drifted into a sweet and shared dream.

Han Junzhou awoke the next morning to find Bai Chengyu still fast asleep, clinging tightly to him with possessive arms and legs. Gently disentangling himself, Han Junzhou moved carefully, not wanting to disturb his slumbering partner. Luckily, Bai Chengyu was a heavy sleeper. He murmured a few words in his sleep, turned over, and buried himself in the blankets, continuing his rest.

After freshening up, Han Junzhou grabbed the items he had brought with him the previous night and stepped out of Qinglang Pavilion. As he exited the courtyard, a servant approached, informing him that Master Bai Lin requested his presence in the study.

Han Junzhou nodded and followed the servant. The previous night, while Bai Chengyu was showering, he had sent word through Hei Sheir, asking for a meeting with Bai Lin. They had agreed to meet in the study that morning.

In an eastern courtyard, Bai Lin was already waiting. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Bai Lin offered breakfast, but Han Junzhou declined. “Let’s discuss business quickly. I promised to have breakfast with Xiaoyu,” he said.

“Alright then,” Bai Lin replied, smiling good-naturedly. “Go ahead and say what’s on your mind.”

“Have you heard about the pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden?” Han Junzhou asked directly.

Bai Lin was slightly taken aback. He had assumed Han Junzhou sought him out regarding Bai Chengyu, but the conversation had taken a completely unexpected turn. Pondering for a moment, Bai Lin nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of it. Our Heijiao Shipping has encountered pirates there several times, suffering heavy losses. It’s made maritime operations almost unprofitable year after year.”

“Specifically, five times,” Han Junzhou clarified. “According to Bai Jun’s reports, Heijiao Shipping publicly claimed to have been attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on five occasions. These incidents occurred primarily within the first three years of the company’s operations. What I found surprising was that despite having the most extensive routes in the market, Heijiao Shipping has been operating at a consistent loss.” Pausing for a moment, Han Junzhou continued, “Don’t you find that odd, Master Bai?”

“What’s so odd about it? Every time we encountered pirates, it dealt us a severe blow. Besides, having the most routes doesn’t guarantee profitability. Not all routes are lucrative; some barely break even. Balancing them out, it’s inevitable we’d run into cash flow issues. You’re a doctor, so you might not understand these business nuances.”

After finishing his explanation, Bai Lin’s expression suddenly darkened. “Wait a moment—you said you investigated Heijiao Shipping? Why?”

“Because Yunbang Shipping also encountered pirates ten years ago.” Han Junzhou began narrating the pirate incidents Yunbang Shipping had experienced a decade ago, mentioning his father’s severe injuries and the subsequent shipping issues that forced Yunbang to abandon seven routes, including the Aden Gulf. These routes were eventually taken over by Heijiao Shipping.

“So what? If Yunbang gave up those routes, why shouldn’t we, Heijiao, take them over?” Bai Lin found Han Junzhou’s early-morning visit to dredge up old matters utterly baffling. “Besides, those routes are terrible—they’ve been losing money. I told Bai Jun to just give them up, but he refused. He claimed that if we didn’t take them, no one else in the country would, and that would cut off shipping options for clients who rely on sea freight. He said abandoning them would cause massive inconvenience. Honestly, I’m at my wit’s end. Running a business isn’t charity work—why think so much about others?”

Han Junzhou almost wanted to facepalm. What kind of spell or potion had Bai Jun used to brainwash Bai Lin into believing such nonsense?

“Those seven routes were the most profitable for Yunbang back in the day. Why, after Heijiao took them over, did they become loss-making routes?”

“Are you accusing Bai Jun of being a poor businessman?” Bai Lin frowned. “Why do you even care? What’s it got to do with you—”

Bang!

Han Junzhou threw a bag of documents onto Bai Lin’s desk. “What’s it got to do with me? Heijiao Shipping’s losses are none of my business. But Bai Jun orchestrated the downfall of Yunbang Shipping. He staged pirate attacks on Yunbang’s ships to seize those routes—plundering goods and injuring people. That’s something I cannot tolerate. Today, I’m here to demand justice for Yunbang Shipping.”

Bai Lin listened skeptically as Han Junzhou detailed the evidence Yunbang had gathered over the past decade. At first, Bai Lin tried to refute it, but as Han Junzhou continued, his expression grew increasingly grim. Han Junzhou pointed out discrepancies that had long puzzled Bai Lin: the persistently unprofitable yet aggressively expanded routes, Bai Jun’s insistence on retaining these supposedly high-revenue routes despite their losses, and the unusually rapid approval of financial transactions by Heijiao’s accounting department.

Bai Lin opened the documents Han Junzhou had brought. He’d skimmed through these ledgers before, noting only the ongoing losses. But Yunbang’s annotated versions were color-coded, with cross-references to other documents. Flipping through just a few pages revealed a peculiar and complex flow of funds.

Bai Lin picked up the most recent ledger, its annotations bursting with vibrant colors. Compared to the earlier records, this one from the previous year was riddled with glaring gaps. The concealment was so sloppy it was as if the culprits didn’t even bother hiding their tracks. Bai Lin couldn’t believe such blatant discrepancies had passed through without question. Were Heijiao’s financial auditors complete fools? How could they not see through such shoddy accounting? How had this kind of sloppy bookkeeping been approved by Heijiao’s headquarters?

Suddenly, Bai Lin realized the truth.

Images of Bai Jun and Heijiao’s chief financial officer, arms slung around each other at various social gatherings, flashed through his mind. He’d always known they were close friends but hadn’t realized just how close.

It turned out the fools weren’t in Heijiao’s accounting department. The real fool was Bai Lin himself—the president of Heijiao.

A chill ran through his heart.

(To Be Continued…)

If you enjoy this translation,
consider giving it a high rating on Novel Updates! 😉
⸻⸻⸻✿⸻⸻⸻

-End of chapter-

NEW CHAPTER RELEASED DAILY/EVERY TWO DAYS.
ADVANCED CHAPTERS WILL BE UNLOCKED EVERY MONDAY.

Stay tuned, and happy reading! 📖✨