The bottle was more than half empty, with only a short bit left, yet it felt heavy in Xie Ruan’s hand, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
It wasn’t that he disliked Bo Jin. They had even shared food from the same plate when they first met, let alone now.
But to actually drink..…
Xie Ruan looked up and met Bo Jin’s smiling gaze.
Gritting his teeth, Xie Ruan thought, Who could drink under such scrutiny from this guy?
If this had been before, he’d have thrown the bottle right back, but Bo Jin had just helped him a lot. Having a top student tutor you one-on-one was a huge advantage in every way.
Torn between options, Xie Ruan felt his ears heating up in frustration.
Bo Jin took in his expression, holding back a laugh, and urged, “Drink up. What’s the hold-up? Need me to open the cap for you?”
As he spoke, he even reached his hand out for it.
Xie Ruan instinctively held his hand down.
Warm fingers rested against the back of his hand.
Bo Jin looked down at their intertwined hands, the corners of his mouth curving up slowly.
He gently turned his hand over, moving so delicately, as if afraid of startling him, and quietly held Xie Ruan’s hand.
Deep in his own thoughts, Xie Ruan didn’t notice this, simply allowing him to hold on.
The small study room’s window was half-open, and the autumn night breeze stirred the blue curtains slightly, filling the room with a quiet, gentle atmosphere.
After a moment, Xie Ruan broke the silence.
“I…” He wanted to explain that he didn’t actually dislike Bo Jin, but he couldn’t find the right words to convince him. After saying “I” several times, he was still at a loss, clearly conflicted.
“Pfft.” Bo Jin couldn’t help but laugh.
Seeing Xie Ruan’s slightly furrowed brows softened his heart.
Bo Jin didn’t know what was going on with him lately; he just seemed to want to tease Xie Ruan.
Watching him blush, jump, and even curse—it was all endearing.
“Just kidding,” he finally took the water bottle from Xie Ruan’s hand and set it on the desk. “Don’t drink this. Wait here.”
With that, he stood and left the room.
Before Xie Ruan could process what he was doing, Bo Jin returned with a cup of water.
The cup was an oversized paper one, about as big as the mug Xie Ruan usually used.
“Drink up; both the water and the cup are clean,” Bo Jin said.
Xie Ruan stared at him blankly, without a word.
“Not thirsty anymore?” Bo Jin bent over and, smiling, lightly touched the rim of the cup to Xie Ruan’s lips.
“Tha…thanks.” Xie Ruan took the paper cup, as if trying to cover something up, and quickly took a big gulp.
Seeing this, Bo Jin smiled knowingly. “Need me to get you another cup?”
“No, this is enough.” Xie Ruan wiped the water from the corner of his lips and, without looking up, asked, “Where did you get this from?”
“Director Zhao’s office,” Bo Jin replied.
Xie Ruan choked suddenly.
“What’s the matter?” Bo Jin chuckled, amused by his reaction. After recalling the scene in Zhao Ziming’s office, he hesitated. “Is Director Zhao really that scary? I didn’t think so.”
Watching Bo Jin’s clueless expression, Xie Ruan felt a mixture of envy and jealousy. “Of course he treats you differently than he does us.”
Leaning back in his chair, Bo Jin looked at Xie Ruan with a faint smile. “And you?”
“Huh?” Xie Ruan was caught off guard by the abrupt shift.
Bo Jin curled his lips, hinting, “Everyone treats me so well, so considering our relationship, shouldn’t you treat me a little better too?”
“What? How am I not treating you well?” Xie Ruan responded, indignant.
He’d never been so attentive to anyone before: worrying he’d go up to the rooftop, that he couldn’t sleep, or that he might spiral into despair. He was practically glued to Bo Jin all the time, watching out for him.
Bo Jin shook the half-empty water bottle in his hand, casting Xie Ruan a sidelong glance that made his meaning clear.
Xie Ruan’s scalp prickled with anxiety. He quickly lowered his head, mumbling, “Enough, let’s focus on studying.”
Bo Jin, observing his nervous profile, gave a slight snort, thinking, One of these days, you’ll be the one coming to me on your own.
When the first period of evening study ended, Xie Ruan was about to head back to the classroom to grab something and refill his water bottle, but before he could, Sun Haoxiang and a group of friends burst in, laughing.
They all thought Bo Jin’s motives were suspicious, so the moment the break started, they rushed over to see what was happening.
“This is a pretty nice setup you guys have here,” Sun Haoxiang said with a grin, hands behind his back as he strolled around the room like a nosy old man, purposefully taunting Bo Jin. “Just a little too empty. Add a few more people, and it’d be perfect.”
Knowing that Pan Yu would stay out of it, Sun Haoxiang turned to He Mingjie and gave him a look. “What do you think, Old He?”
Catching the hint, He Mingjie quickly echoed, “Right, right! Hey Brother Bo, why don’t we come here for evening study too? It’d create a better study atmosphere.”
Bo Jin leaned back in his chair, not even glancing at them, and let out a dismissive snort. “I’ll hit you, and that’ll really stir up your ‘atmosphere.’”
Sun Haoxiang and He Mingjie: “…”
That b*stard really lived up to his reputation!
Undeterred, Sun Haoxiang stole a glance at Xie Ruan, teasing, “So, you’re trying to keep it a private little world between you and Little Xie, huh?”
Bo Jin smirked, clearly enjoying this. “You’re just figuring that out? Don’t push your luck.”
Sun Haoxiang was taken aback, shocked by Bo Jin’s bluntness. He wasn’t even pretending to hide it anymore!
Curious, he turned to see Xie Ruan’s reaction—only to meet Xie Ruan’s death glare.
Sun Haoxiang froze, quivering a little.
Xie Ruan shot him a warning look, indicating he should stop with the nonsense.
Today, Xie Ruan finally understood why he and Bo Jin were friends. Birds of a feather—they were both equally unbearable.
Ignoring them, Xie Ruan stood up and addressed Bo Jin, “I’m going back to the classroom to grab something. Do you need me to bring anything?”
Bo Jin was about to say no, but then he hesitated and said, “Bring my English book.”
He didn’t want Xie Ruan to notice his memory problem, so he tried to cover it up a bit.
“Alright.” Xie Ruan nodded and left the small classroom.
The hallways were loud with students hanging out, laughing, and playing around. Navigating through them, Xie Ruan went straight to Class One’s room.
After gathering his things, he looked over Bo Jin’s desk but didn’t see the English book, so he bent down to check inside the desk compartment.
Seeing a thick book, he immediately recognized it as the English book.
As he reached for it, he accidentally pulled out another book that was wrapped in white paper, which fell to the floor with a loud thud, kicking up dust. Looking closer, Xie Ruan saw that it was Bo Jin’s favorite illustrated book.
He had been curious about this book for a while now—what on earth could be so captivating that Bo Jin wouldn’t part with it?
Taking the chance, he quietly opened it.
In the next instant, his expression froze.
Xie Ruan had guessed all kinds of possibilities: a collection of difficult problems, a manga with a sprawling universe, even a risque book. But never had he expected… it was a cookbook!
Yes, an actual cookbook, complete with detailed recipes and illustrated steps.
An academic star who always came first in class, and yet, instead of reading math or English, he was clutching a cookbook. Who would believe it?
Xie Ruan felt utterly floored.
In that moment, he realized he might never fully understand Bo Jin.
Placing the cookbook back, he numbly returned to the small classroom.
Break time had ended, and Sun Haoxiang’s group had already left, leaving Bo Jin alone in the room.
Noticing Xie Ruan’s odd expression, Bo Jin set down his phone and moved closer, asking, “What’s wrong?”
“You…” Xie Ruan looked at him with a complicated expression, seemingly at a loss for words. After a moment, he finally spoke in as calm a tone as he could manage, “That book you’ve been reading every day… it’s a cookbook?”
Bo Jin was taken aback for a second, understanding that Xie Ruan must have noticed while fetching his English book. He nodded. “Yes.”
The two were desk mates, so he hadn’t expected to keep it a secret for long anyway.
Xie Ruan was puzzled. “But… why are you reading a cookbook?” Unable to hold back, he added, “Aren’t study gods supposed to read books with some highbrow-sounding titles?”
Bo Jin casually spun his pen, smirking. “Because I’m genuine and unpretentious—unlike those flashy types out there.”
Xie Ruan: “…”
What a load of nonsense! This guy couldn’t say a straight word if he tried.
Seeing his displeasure, Bo Jin clicked his tongue and straightened up. “What’s all this ‘study god’ talk? The real skill is being a chef. Haven’t you heard?”
“In a three-year famine, the cook never starves.”
He tapped Xie Ruan lightly on the forehead with his pen, half-teasing, half-serious. “Learn to cook well, little buddy, and you’ll never go hungry.”
Xie Ruan didn’t believe a word. Even in a famine, there was no way Bo Jin would ever go hungry. Too tired of his nonsense to respond, he lowered his head and went back to studying.
Thanks to Bo Jin’s private tutoring, Xie Ruan was unusually productive that day. For the first time in ages, he didn’t bring any books home, giving him extra time to hang out in group chats, where he finally reached level 41 and unlocked a trove of information about Bo Jin.
Eagerly, Xie Ruan clicked on the file.
It started with a list of Bo Jin’s numerous accolades, stretching across the document. He was awestruck, thoroughly impressed. If Bo Jin was the quintessential “kid from someone else’s family,” Xie Ruan thanked his lucky stars he didn’t live next door to him—that’d be a lifelong nightmare.
Xie Ruan read through each line, careful not to miss anything of value, continually amazed until he reached a small line at the end—
Sunshine Orphanage.
Xie Ruan’s first reaction was that it must be a mistake.
How could Bo Jin have grown up in an orphanage?
He lived comfortably enough that he certainly didn’t fit the image. And anyway, a child like Bo Jin—smart, healthy, good-looking—would surely have been adopted quickly, not left behind.
After a moment’s hesitation, Xie Ruan privately messaged the group leader, suggesting they correct the error, since it could cause misunderstandings if it spread.
To his surprise, the group leader confirmed that it was true, adding that it had been Director Zhao who had originally brought Bo Jin out of the orphanage—something that couldn’t be fabricated.
As bedtime approached and the dormitory lights turned off, plunging the room into darkness, Xie Ruan sat on his bed, staring into the shadows.
Could Bo Jin really have come from an orphanage? Somehow, he couldn’t picture it.
Then, Xie Ruan suddenly remembered Bo Jin’s remark from study hall—
“Learn to cook well, and you’ll never go hungry.”
Why would he say something like that? Had he… actually been hungry before?
Xie Ruan had never been to an orphanage, but he could easily imagine that the conditions wouldn’t have been great.
As he thought of Bo Jin’s casual, handsome face, Xie Ruan unexpectedly felt a pang of discomfort.
These past few days, Bo Jin had noticed that Xie Ruan’s attitude seemed… softer somehow. Perhaps all his teasing had finally started to pay off.
Bo Jin, feeling rather pleased with himself, finished off his water, tossed the bottle into the trash, and grabbed his pillow for a nap.
He had just settled in when a bee buzzed in, circling persistently around him.
Annoyed, he scowled, ready to swat it, but then he felt a faint breeze above him as the buzzing stopped abruptly.
Bo Jin blinked, opening his eyes slightly.
Xie Ruan was standing next to him, holding a book.
Assuming Bo Jin was asleep, Xie Ruan had been lightly swatting the bee away so as not to make noise, occasionally glancing down at him to ensure he didn’t wake him.
Bo Jin quickly shut his eyes, suppressing a smile.
Behind them, Sun Haoxiang witnessed the whole scene, inwardly cursing Bo Jin as a shameless scoundrel.
When the break ended, and Xie Ruan went to get some water, Sun Haoxiang kicked Bo Jin’s chair, muttering, “Brother Bo, you’re a study god. Can’t you have a little self-respect?”
Bo Jin, lying back with his pillow, though not fully asleep, was thoroughly relaxed. He didn’t even argue, just innocently asked, “Self-respect? What did I do wrong?”
Dare he deny it? Sun Haoxiang’s expression was increasingly scornful. “You’re not fooling anyone; I saw the whole thing. You pretended to sleep so Little Xie would chase away a bee for you.”
Bo Jin’s eyes glinted with amusement. “That wasn’t deception.”
Sun Haoxiang: “??”
“What is it, if not deception?”
Bo Jin chuckled lazily. “It’s called winning affection by any means necessary.”
Sun Haoxiang: “…”
Cr*p!
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
