The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 32

After that hug in the little garden, it was as though Xie Ruan and Bo Jin had crossed some invisible boundary, bringing them closer.

They still acted much the same, with no dramatic gestures, but there was now a sense of intimacy that no one else could breach.

During the evening break, Bo Jin went out to take care of some things and came back with a cup of popular milk tea he’d recently seen online for Xie Ruan.

Xie Ruan had a sweet tooth and had wanted to try this shop’s milk tea for a while. But since school hadn’t let out, and the line was always long, he hadn’t had the chance.

“Thanks.” Xie Ruan no longer felt the need to be as formal with Bo Jin as he had initially. Taking a sip, his eyes lit up instantly.

There was a reason for its popularity—it was refreshing, not overly sweet, with plump strawberries that were perfectly juicy and tangy.

“Like it?” Bojin noticed Xie Ruan half-closing his eyes, looking like a cat basking in the sun, which made his mood brighten as well. “Then I’ll bring it for you next time.”

Before Xie Ruan could respond, He Mingjie, who had been an unwilling bystander to their “dog food” all week, piped up.

With a dry smile and a raised brow, he said, “Bo Jin, I’d like to request the honor of receiving the first milk tea of evening study, too.”

Recently, He Mingjie’s goddess, Lin Lu, had started dating an athlete from the neighboring school. He’d followed them around once and saw, to his dismay, that the guy was taller, better-looking, and, most irritatingly, richer than he was!

The hope of winning back the goddess was practically zero.

He’d just had a breakup, and here these two flirty guys were playing around right in front of him—who could stand that?!

Heartbreak made him reckless, and He Mingjie completely forgot the fear Bo Jin had instilled in him over the years. On impulse, he blurted out.

Bo Jin raised an eyebrow, giving him a cool look and said, “So, do you want to be the first to tackle tonight’s physics problem?”

He Mingjie: “….”

D*mn, right out of the gate with a direct hit—does he even let people live?!

“Drink your tea and ignore him,” Bo Jin said, lowering his voice to explain to Xie Ruan, just in case he took it seriously. “Him, Pan Yu, Sun Haoxiang—none of them drink bubble tea. Just can’t keep their mouths shut.”

Hearing this, Xie Ruan seemed to think of something, and suddenly his eyes curved into a smile.

Seeing that mischievous look in Xie Ruan’s eyes, Bo Jin knew he wasn’t up to anything good. “What?”

“Mouth Lacking*…” Xie Ruan deliberately emphasized the phrase, casting sly glances at Bo Jin, heavily hinting, “Birds of a feather flock together, Bo Jin.”
* means mouth won’t stop talking nonsense

His boldness had grown, even teasing Bo Jin—he clearly hadn’t been teased enough.

Bo Jin raised an eyebrow, glancing at him with a smirk. “Mouth lacking? What do I lack? A kiss?”

He toyed idly with his lighter, letting his gaze drift boldly over Xie Ruan’s lips, his eyes full of roguish charm. “Then come on and kiss me—if you dodge, I’ll take the loss.”

Xie Ruan: “…”

What on earth does this guy eat to make him so shameless?

Fuming, Xie Ruan kicked him under the table, blurting out, “I’ll kiss you—kiss my *ss!”

The words had barely left his mouth when they both froze.

Xie Ruan belatedly realized what he’d just said, and he was mortified.

Red flushed his cheeks, spreading slowly up to his ears, down his neck, and by the end, even his collarbones were tinged with a faint blush.

“D*mn!” Xie Ruan cursed, burying his face in his English book in embarrassment.

Recalling that scene, Bo Jin felt his ears heat up a bit. He took a deep breath, pressed his fist to his lips, and coughed lightly. With a chuckle in Xie Ruan’s ear, he whispered, “It’s fine, I know it was a slip of the tongue; you didn’t really mean to…”

Before he could finish, a hand covered his mouth. “Will you cut it out already?”

Xie Ruan, both embarrassed and annoyed, snapped, “Don’t bring it up again, got it?”

Bo Jin winked at him, signaling he understood, though his eyes and expression were full of amusement.

By now, he had no credibility with Xie Ruan whatsoever. Xie Ruan waited for a moment, confirming that Bo Jin seemed genuinely done with the topic, before slowly moving his hand away and retreating into his own thoughts.

“Come on, sit up,” Bo Jin said, gently pinching the back of his neck like he was handling a small animal, his tone softer than he realized. “You’ll be uncomfortable lying like that. Let me get you a pillow.”

Xie Ruan didn’t lift his head or respond.

After a moment, he stretched out his hand to the side like a child in a sulk.

Bo Jin chuckled, took his wrist, and placed the pillow in his hand.

In the background, He Mingjie, who was feeling left out and somewhat resentful, thought, “…” 

I should be under the desk, not here!

During evening self-study, Bo Jin and Xie Ruan went to the small study room as usual.

At first, only their own class knew they were studying together privately. But the small study room was right next to the office, and each time class representatives came by to drop off assignments, they’d sneak a glance or two. Plus, with so many people interested in Bo Jin, word quickly spread.

The school forum buzzed with envy and jealousy.

“I gotta say, I want a study god to tutor me too!”

“No wonder Xie Ruan’s grades jumped by 200 points! My study habits aren’t the problem—I just need my own study god!”

“A friend from their class says God Bo even writes Xie Ruan’s notes for him.”

“D*mn! Why is God Bo so nice to him? I’m not okay with this!”

“Forget tutoring. I just want to ask God Bo if he’s willing to sell those notes he made for Xie Ruan. I’ll pay for them!”

“I’d pay too +1.”

“Count me in! God Bo, notice me! Money is no issue!”

“So their relationship is really close, right? Honestly, even for my best buddy, I wouldn’t go this far.”

“Hey, first, you’d need the ability to do this, [shut up].”

“They’re close, but… what kind of close?”

“Case closed. Now we know why Xie Ruan broke up with Shen Xingyun. It’s because he found God Bo. God Bo is unbeatable! If I were him, I’d have broken up too…”

The forum was lively, and students frequented it during breaks, including Shen Xingyun.

After that incident in the hallway with Xie Ruan snapping back at him, Shen Xingyun had been nursing a silent grudge, feeling increasingly irritated and out of sorts.

That irritation flared up intensely when he saw the post.

He’d known about Bo Jin since the beginning of school—a prodigy, ranked first in the grade, recruited personally by Director Zhao from the foreign language department.

But Shen Xingyun had never given it much thought.

As a wealthy young man used to having things go his way since childhood, he didn’t look up to academic stars like ordinary students did. On the contrary, seeing those bookworms with their noses in books gave him a sense of superiority.

What’s the point of trying so hard? In the end, they’ll just end up working for me.

Bo Jin truly caught his attention only when he noticed how close he was getting with Xie Ruan.

Shen Xingyun couldn’t quite figure out his own feelings toward Xie Ruan.

At first, Shen Xingyun just thought it was flattering to have such a good-looking, devoted admirer. Watching Xie Ruan’s mood change with a word or gesture from him gave Shen Xingyun an immense sense of satisfaction.

So even though he never intended to date a guy, he didn’t mind giving Xie Ruan a false “boyfriend” label.

He thought Xie Ruan would chase after him forever, always there whenever he called, never absent.

But he never expected that one day, Xie Ruan would be the one to bring up a breakup.

Even if he didn’t want to accept it, Shen Xingyun had to admit that he’d misjudged things from the start. Xie Ruan wasn’t playing hard to get—he genuinely wanted to distance himself.

People are like that; they don’t value what comes easily. It’s only after losing it that they’re filled with regret.

Shen Xingyun had gotten used to turning around and seeing Xie Ruan there, used to his attention and affection. With all of that gone, he felt a nagging emptiness.

Xie Ruan was like a summer thunderstorm—intense, loud, seemingly fleeting. But by the time Shen Xingyun realized it, the impression was etched deep in his mind, impossible to erase.

Staring at the line in the forum post, “God Bo is the coolest; I’d break up too if I were him,” Shen Xingyun sneered, pocketed his phone, and left the classroom.

He believed that Xie Ruan genuinely wanted to break up, but he didn’t believe he could move on that quickly. Those cold, dismissive gestures seemed now like deliberate attempts to mask his true feelings.

Because no matter how things were now, all the affection Xie Ruan once showed him was real.

Call it reluctance or unresolved feelings, Shen Xingyun simply couldn’t accept that Xie Ruan would leave his life for good.

If that’s how it was, then he’d just win him back. If Xie Ruan could like him once, he could like him again.

As for the sudden interference from Bo Jin—

Shen Xingyun’s expression hardened as he climbed the stairs. First, he’d deal with this irritating obstacle. There was no need for a third party to get involved in what was between the two of them.

After the first period of evening study, Bo Jin stepped into the hallway to call Wen Yong and ask about the project’s progress.

Though he’d fixed the previous bug, remote work wasn’t as convenient as Wen Yong’s on-site adjustments.

“It’s all sorted,” Wen Yong’s calm voice came through the phone. “Thanks for the hard work, Little Bo.”

Bo Jin chuckled. “No big deal; it’s hardly worth mentioning.”

Wen Yong was also from Sunshine Orphanage, nine years older than Bo Jin. After completing his post-doc at University A, he had formed his own team under his advisor’s support, specializing in facial recognition research at a renowned domestic tech company. Over the years, he had achieved great results and obtained numerous national patents.

Despite his young age and still being a high school student, Bo Jin was already a core member of this team.

Wen Yong laughed, “Alright, it’s not a big deal. But you’re so capable—how about helping me with something else?”

Bo Jin had always held great respect for this older brother, who had looked out for him since they were young. “Okay, send it over, and I’ll take a look.”

They chatted for a little while longer before Wen Yong hung up, not wanting to keep him from his studies.

The temperature had dropped recently, and the hallway was chilly. Bo Jin didn’t linger and, while looking through the requirements Wen Yong had sent over, started back toward the small classroom. He had only taken a few steps when his shoulder was suddenly hit hard.

Bo Jin looked up to see Shen Xingyun’s arrogant face.

With one hand in his pocket, Shen Xingyun blocked his path, chin raised. “Bo Jin?”

Bo Jin’s entire demeanor changed in an instant.

He put down his phone and looked at Shen Xingyun, his long, dark eyes filled with deep intensity. “Yeah, that’s me.”

Bo Jin’s aura washed over him like a tidal wave, creating immense pressure. Shen Xingyun unconsciously took a step back. Realizing he’d been cowed by a “bookworm,” he immediately grew angry and embarrassed. “Good. I’m warning you—stay away from Xie Ruan, got it?”

Bo Jin said nothing, merely looking at him with a mocking gaze.

Already impulsive and quick to anger, Shen Xingyun lost his cool under Bo Jin’s silent provocation. “You think Xie Ruan’s close to you because he likes you? Dream on. If not for your notes, he wouldn’t even bother talking to you.”

Bo Jin found this both amusing and ridiculous, looking at the enraged Shen Xingyun like he was watching a clown. Not wanting to engage in such juvenile drama, he turned to leave.

Just then, Shen Xingyun’s voice came from behind him. “See this phone case? Xie Ruan gave it to me. He knows I love basketball, so he got it custom-made online.”

“Oh, and this wristband—he bought it, too. It has our initials.”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t even returned the favor.” Shen Xingyun sneered at Bo Jin’s back, his voice venomous. “Since you’re so close with Xie Ruan, you should know what he likes, right? Tell me then—after all, given our history—”

He smirked, adding, “He was always the one giving me gifts.”

Bo Jin turned slowly, meeting Shen Xingyun’s challenging gaze. Suddenly, he smiled.

“You want to know what he likes?” Bo Jin looked down at him, his lips curving slightly. “I know.”

He paused, then spoke each word slowly, “He likes falling asleep in my arms. Got that?”