The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 2

The whole field seemed frozen, silence falling over everyone.

Everyone stared at Xie Ruan, utterly dumbfounded.

What did he just say? Breakup?

He wanted to break up with Shen Xingyun?!

Impossible! Everyone at Shijia High knew how much Xie Ruan loved Shen Xingyun. He had been willing to set aside his pride to pursue him. After so much effort, he was finally successful, and now he wanted to break up?

Wang Zhao and Zhao Hongfu were just as shocked.

“This can’t be real,” Zhao Hongfu tugged at Wang Zhao, asking, “Is today April Fool’s?”

“April Fool’s my *ss,” Wang Zhao muttered, though he still pulled out his phone to double-check. “It’s only October.”

“What’s going on, then?” Zhao Hongfu asked, bewildered.

Wang Zhao shook his head, still in shock. “No idea.”

Shen Xingyun looked stunned for a moment but quickly recovered, his face darkening as he pulled off his jacket and threw it on the ground. “Xie Ruan, what’s the meaning of this?”

“We’re breaking up,” Xie Ruan repeated, hands in his pockets, his voice calm. “I’m breaking up with you.”

Even though he hadn’t consciously pursued Shen Xingyun before, he had genuinely put in effort. Now, with a new sense of awareness, he couldn’t accept Shen Xingyun’s treatment any longer.

What kind of relationship was that? It was just being toyed with!

Besides, Xie Ruan valued his life and wanted nothing to do with the two main characters and their messy drama. He needed to distance himself; otherwise, the plot’s pull might drag him down to that tragic ending.

Shen Xingyun had always had things his way, his status untouchable. Embarrassed in front of everyone, he sneered, “Like I’d care. Fine, we’re done.”

“Great,” Xie Ruan said, nodding, then turned and walked away without a backward glance.

“Really, what’s gotten into him?” Wang Zhao wondered aloud, watching Xie Ruan’s retreating figure. “Do you think he heard us talking?”

“No way, he’s not a thousand wind ear,” Zhao Hongfu scoffed, hesitating. “And… we’ve said worse right in front of him before, and he never cared.”

“So…” Wang Zhao rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe it’s reverse psychology?”

Shen Xingyun’s chest heaved, obviously furious. “What?”

“Think about it, Brother Yun,” Wang Zhao said, analyzing the situation. “He’s been chasing you like crazy, right? Would he really change his mind out of nowhere? He probably saw how indifferent you were and decided to try some tactic.”

“Like I care,” Shen Xingyun muttered coldly, bending down to grab a water bottle. “He was annoying anyway—finally, some peace.”

Wang Zhao sighed. “This was a big misstep for him. Right, Old Zhao? Old Zhao? What are you looking at?” 

Zhao Hongfu was staring ahead. “He’s coming back.”

Wang Zhao: “…”

Wang Zhao snickered. “Wow, I thought he’d at least hold out a little longer.”

Shen Xingyun’s lips almost twitched into a smirk, which he quickly suppressed as he looked down at Xie Ruan, arrogantly waiting. “What, you regretting it already? Too la—”

Before he could finish, Xie Ruan snatched the water bottle out of his hand.

Xie Ruan lifted his eyelids slightly. “I bought this. Did you pay before drinking it?”

Shen Xingyun: “…”

Everyone else: “…”

Then they watched as Xie Ruan knelt down, grabbed the entire box of water bottles, and made a beeline for the school store. This time, he didn’t look back.

As the story’s main character, Shen Xingyun was the center of attention on the court. News of their breakup quickly spread, nearly crashing Shijia High’s forum.

D*mn, so much for ‘patience pays off.’ Sometimes you get nothing at all.

HAHAHAHA, my crush is single again—couldn’t be happier!

Finally, they broke up!! Does this mean I have a chance now? Brother Yun, wait for me!

Actually… just so you know, Xie Ruan was the one who suggested breaking up first.

??? Stop teasing us. No way!

I was there too, and yes, Xie Ruan did initiate the breakup, and he seemed pretty firm about it.

D*mn! What happened?

Unbelievable! What’s going on?

The underdog takes a stand? The sidekick strikes back?

…

Unaware that he had become the center of gossip, Xie Ruan returned the water bottles at the supermarket and went straight to the office to request a class transfer.

For a regular student, transferring classes on a whim was out of the question, but Xie Ruan was different. His pursuit of Shen Xingyun had already caused quite the stir in the class, and the teachers had been eager to separate them for some time. 

They’d even spoken to him a few times, hinting at switching him to a different class.

At the time, Xie Ruan was entirely focused on Shen Xingyun and had refused to budge, standing firm against the teachers’ pressure.

But now it was different.

“Are you sure you want to transfer classes?” The homeroom teacher looked at him in surprise and cautioned, “School is not a place to be wishy-washy. Once you transfer, there’s no turning back.”

It wasn’t that the teacher didn’t want him to leave—in fact, he’d love nothing more than to pack Xie Ruan up and send him off immediately. Although societal attitudes had evolved over the years, some of the older staff still didn’t view same-gender relationships favorably.

Besides, with classes now split between sciences and humanities, he would be responsible for guiding Class 21 all the way to graduation. 

A student’s performance affects a teacher’s evaluations, and next year’s promotion to Senior Teacher would hinge on Class 11’s grades.
* switched to class 11, not sure if mistake

For Xie Ruan to be openly involved in a teenage romance with Shen Xingyun was, in the teacher’s eyes, only holding the class back.

Had it been anyone else, the teacher would have summoned parents and issued formal reprimands. However, the Shen family was not an ordinary family, and Xie Ruan himself had been personally recommended by the school board, leaving the teacher little choice but to turn a blind eye.

He reminded Xie Ruan just in case he had second thoughts and might cause an even bigger scene later. Young people are prone to back-and-forth relationships, after all.

“Yes, I’m certain,” Xie Ruan responded, remembering the absurd behavior he’d displayed under the author’s control. Feeling slightly guilty, he softened his tone, “You’re right. Class 11 isn’t the right environment for me.”

“Alright then,” the teacher said, seeing he was serious and agreeing after a moment’s thought. “Go back for now. I’ll notify you once the transfer process is complete.”

Though transferring mid-year wasn’t standard procedure, anything to separate these two storm-bringers was worth bending the rules.

Xie Ruan nodded, thanked the teacher, and left the office. 

Just as he reached the door, he overheard several teachers conversing quietly.

“Teacher Sun, did Bo Jin come out on top in your class’s latest test again?”

“Does that even need asking? It would be strange if he wasn’t first, right, Teacher Sun?”

The teacher, addressed as Teacher Sun, laughed proudly. “Just business as usual.”

“…”

Xie Ruan halted mid-step, unconsciously pausing.

Bo Jin: second-year science major, Class 1’s top student, Olympiad contestant, and a perfect scorer in all six school subjects. 

Even the most prestigious school in the city, Shanghai Foreign Language School, had lowered their standards, offering him a guaranteed spot with no testing.

But Bo Jin had chosen Shijia High, an ordinary school, for unknown reasons, which left people shaking their heads. Everyone thought he was wasting his talent.

They couldn’t have been more wrong.

Through all of his first year, Bo Jin maintained his place as top scorer in both school and national exams. In July, he’d even represented the national team at the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning gold with perfect scores—one of only two contestants worldwide to do so.

The Olympiad achievement stirred up excitement in academic circles, but what made Bo Jin famous outside of it wasn’t his scores—it was the official photo released of the national team.

In the photo, Bo Jin, tall and lean, with a striking presence, somehow wore the team uniform like it was a high-end brand, making everyone else look like extras.

A scholar with good looks is an unbeatable combination, and Bo Jin’s popularity skyrocketed. Within days, he had unseated top stars and current events from the trending topics list, holding the top spot for three consecutive days.

A genius, a scholar, an absolute stunner… Bo Jin was a figure many would envy and admire, born to be at the pinnacle.

If Shen Xingyun was a dream that you could reach with some effort, Bo Jin was a god that could only be revered from afar.

However, this widely admired, brilliant genius eventually took his own life in his senior year.

No one knew why, and the book never mentioned it.

Xie Ruan wasn’t the type to pry into others’ business, but for some reason, he felt rooted to the spot and found himself asking, “Teacher, which class will I be transferred to?”

The teacher, thinking Xie Ruan was about to start trouble, immediately became wary. “It’s still undecided. Why do you ask?”

Xie Ruan forced a smile. “Nothing.”

He was the type of person no one would miss if he were gone, but Bo Jin was different—a once-in-a-century genius who shouldn’t have to fade away so early. For a moment, Xie Ruan had the impulse to ask to be placed in Class 1.

But before he could say anything, reason returned.

There were 18 science classes in second-year, with Classes 1 through 4 being experimental classes and the rest regular ones. With his scores, he couldn’t even touch the edge of an experimental class. Wanting to be placed in Class 1 was a pipe dream.

Xie Ruan shook his head, brushed away the scattered thoughts, and left the office.

He didn’t return to class but instead went to the rooftop.

After learning the truth about this world, he might have appeared calm on the outside, but he hadn’t fully processed it. He wanted to visit the rooftop—the place where he’d supposedly died in the story.

Fortunately, at this hour, except for a few classes in gym, most students were still in their classrooms, so there was little risk of running into anyone else.

After a few minutes of mental preparation, Xie Ruan finally reached out to push open the rooftop door.

A flood of sunlight poured in, piercingly bright. He raised his hand to shield his eyes and waited for them to adjust to the light. Just as he was about to step forward, his footsteps froze.

In the shadowed corner stood a tall boy. He leaned against the wall, looking down at his phone, a cigarette between the fingers of his free hand. A few stray strands of hair fell over his sharp brow bone, giving him an air of nonchalance.

Hearing the door, he looked up.

Only then did Xie Ruan get a clear look at his face.

The boy’s features were strikingly defined, with deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and a sharply contoured mouth. His lips, though slightly thin, were well-shaped, with distinct, clean lines, exuding a refined intensity.

Xie Ruan was stunned.

It wasn’t that he was captivated by the boy’s looks—it was because this face was all too familiar.

The school honor roll, online forums, classroom chat groups… His candid shots were everywhere.

This was Bo Jin, God Bo, the school’s ace, beloved by teachers and idolized by students.

Yet “rooftop” and “smoking” were two words that should never be associated with a model student like him.

Recalling Bo Jin’s fate in the original story, Xie Ruan suddenly felt a chill.

Could he already be contemplating something drastic?

Was he here to scout a spot?

Xie Ruan’s heart raced as he stared unblinkingly at Bo Jin, bracing himself in case the other made any sudden moves. Just as he was about to step forward and pull him away, he locked eyes with Bo Jin’s sharp gaze.

“Shen Xingyun’s boyfriend?” Bo Jin’s voice was low. “What are you looking at me for?”

After a pause, he blew out a lazy smoke ring and smirked. “What? Catching feelings?”