The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 36

Xie Ruan had no idea what kind of a stir Bo Jin’s antics were about to cause.

All his focus was on the upcoming exam.

As the bell rang, the proctor entered on time. After reiterating the exam rules, he opened the sealed envelope, counted the papers, and handed them to the students in the front row to pass back.

Unlike the midterm city-wide exam, this monthly test was prepared by Shijia High School itself.

Perhaps intending to encourage students before the final exams, the questions were surprisingly simple. While this might not be ideal for top students hoping to widen the gap with their competitors, it was a pleasant surprise for Xie Ruan, who was still working on the basics.

Once he skimmed through the exam, Xie Ruan relaxed. He took a deep breath, filled in his name and class on the answer sheet, and began.

During his last test, he’d been anxious, nearly panicking, and it was only thanks to Bo Jin’s help that he’d managed to stay steady. This time was different.

His growing knowledge base gave him confidence. Far from fearing the test, he was ready to take it on.

The language section was lengthy. Despite having two and a half hours, Xie Ruan didn’t let up.

Finally finishing the last word, he set his pen down and shook his tired fingers. Before he could check how much time was left, the proctor announced that time was up and instructed those still writing to stop.

Feeling a sudden jolt of panic, Xie Ruan quickly flipped to an earlier page to change a multiple-choice answer he was uncertain about, then placed his answer sheet and exam paper on the upper-left corner of his desk and began packing his things.

The proctor, with years of experience, collected the tests swiftly. Within minutes, they signaled that students were free to go.

At this, the students—eager for freedom—burst out the door like wild horses.

Only Xie Ruan, with his backpack slung over his shoulder, walked calmly at the back, contrasting sharply with the frantic students rushing ahead.

It wasn’t that he was any less eager for lunch, but Bo Jin had told him he’d take care of it and that he could head straight to the cafeteria after class without hurrying.

Looking at his classmates running out of breath beside him, and then at himself, feeling relaxed and at ease, Xie Ruan smirked slightly, realizing that sometimes Bo Jin could actually be useful.

Bo Jin had no idea that because of a single meal, his image in Xie Ruan’s mind grew just a bit taller.

Today, as usual, he’d finished his test half an hour early and had already eaten. In front of him were four meals he’d picked up for Xie Ruan, Sun Haoxiang, and the others.

Noticing that class was about to end, he sent Xie Ruan a message with his exact location. Just as he was about to put his phone down, a message from Sun Haoxiang popped up.

It was a long voice message.

Bo Jin disliked voice messages, especially the long ones. Without hesitation, he texted back with two words:

[Bo]: Text it.

Sun Haoxiang, knowing this quirk of his, quickly sent a text message instead:

[After repeatedly turning down the school beauty, Sun Haoxiang]: Where are you? I’m at the round table by the window, but I don’t see you.

Bo Jin glanced around and spotted him not too far away, then typed a reply.

[Bo]: Turn around.

Confused, Sun Haoxiang turned around, and Bo Jin raised his hand to wave.

“Man,” Sun Haoxiang said as he walked over, eyeing the huge lucky bamboo plant beside Bo Jin. “I was wondering why I couldn’t find you with so few people in the cafeteria. You were hidden behind this thing.”

He found an empty spot, sat down, and scooped a piece of spicy chicken. “Whose idea was it to put lucky bamboo in the cafeteria? Aren’t they worried the grease will kill it?”

Bo Jin glanced down at his phone screen. With no reply from Xie Ruan yet, he figured he was still in the classroom. Bo Jin looked up and asked, “Why are you out so late today?”

Sun Haoxiang usually finished around the same time as him, handing in his paper about half an hour early. Today, he’d only been out five minutes early, which was unusual.

“Don’t even ask,” Sun Haoxiang took a sip of his soup, sighing as he told Bo Jin, “I was unlucky enough to get Old Sun as my proctor, and he wouldn’t let me go until I’d filled in every blank on the reading comprehension.”

He flexed his chubby fingers with a pained expression. “I’m exhausted. I need a good meal today.”

He stood up, meal card in hand. “I’m gonna grab an order of salt-and-pepper ribs.”

“Sit down,” Bo Jin called, his tone casual. “I got enough for you.”

Sun Haoxiang shrugged. “The more, the merrier, right? If I can’t finish it, I’ll just toss it. It’s not like we’re short on cash.”

“Oh?” Bo Jin smiled. “So, are you short on the latest iPhone?”

Sun Haoxiang: “…”

His new phone had recently been confiscated by Sun Fuan, and although he had a backup, it wasn’t nearly as satisfying as the new one. He’d been pestering Bo Jin all week, hoping he’d help him get it back.

With his weak spot exposed, Sun Haoxiang had no choice but to sit back down, begrudgingly eating his food. 

Inwardly, he couldn’t help but complain—what was with Bo Jin and his no-leftovers rule…

Ignoring Sun Haoxiang’s gloomy expression, Bo Jin exited the chat app and, for once, opened the school forum himself.

He had orchestrated that whole scene in the hallway on purpose today. He didn’t believe no one would be gossiping about it.

The peanut gallery didn’t disappoint. The top trending post on the homepage was about this very incident.

[So, did anyone see it this morning? Let’s sync up—hallway, outside Class 11, year 1.]

[??? What’s this about now?]

[Me, me, me! I was shocked! Are they really together?]

[Enough with the cryptic messages; just spit it out already.]

[Fine, I’ll say it! Just before the language exam, Bo Jin was touching Xie Ruan’s face outside Class 11!]

[So what? Just touching a face? Big deal. I touch my desk mate’s leg under the desk all the time.]

[No, no! It was the kind of face-touching where they were almost nose-to-nose, like they were about to kiss!]

[I think it’s real. I heard they were holding hands all morning.]

[Seriously? Are they really this blatant? Aren’t they afraid of the teachers finding out?]

[Bo Jin’s not afraid. Think about it—if the teachers told him not to date, he’d probably just ace another test the next day. The principal would probably cry and write him a love letter.]

[Ugh, I’m so jealous. Imagine being able to date freely in high school…]

[They’re probably just really good friends. If they were a couple, they wouldn’t be so open about it. A little face-touching or even a kiss doesn’t mean anything. I’ve even shared a kiss with my best bro.]

[??? Who’s weird here, me or you?]

[Stop kidding yourselves. With the vibe they give off, if they’re not dating, come at me with a knife.]

[Best friends +1. Stop looking at it with tinted glasses.]

“‘Best friends,’ my foot…”

Bo Jin’s smile slowly faded. This year’s gossipers were clueless.

Sun Haoxiang, startled by his expression, nearly thought Bo Jin was about to cut ties with him. He looked around nervously at the lunch trays, relieved to see no food spills before he relaxed a bit.

Bo Jin couldn’t believe what was going through the minds of his schoolmates. Has the definition of “best friends” broadened that much? Did he really need to step in and officially confirm the ship?

His phone buzzed—it was a voice message from Xie Ruan.

Bo Jin tapped to listen.

Xie Ruan said, “Got it. I’m on my way.”

Xie Ruan’s voice was that clear, bright tone unique to teenage boys, without a hint of hoarseness from voice-changing. Probably relaxed after the exam, there was a slight laziness to it, making it sound particularly pleasant.

Bo Jin couldn’t resist replaying it, inwardly marveling at his desk mate.

Why couldn’t he say a few more words? Was he worried about using up Bo Jin’s storage? Just a few seconds didn’t even satisfy his ear cravings.

Swiftly, Bo Jin long-pressed the voice message and saved it to his favorites so he could listen to it anytime.

Sun Haoxiang, who had been watching everything beside him: “??”

Hello? Who was it that just said he didn’t listen to voice messages?

D*mn, how does he manage to double-standard so shamelessly?

Sun Haoxiang wore a blank expression, feeling that his spicy chicken didn’t taste as good anymore.

“Brother Bo!” Just then, He Mingjie rushed over and immediately asked, “What did you pick for the classical Chinese summary question?”

Pointing at Pan Yu, he said, “Old Pan picked C, and I picked B. I was torn between those two options for so long but eventually went with B.”

Bo Jin put down his phone and answered nonchalantly, “C.”

“Darn!” He Mingjie groaned, clutching his head. “That question was worth three points! My physics isn’t good, so I was counting on getting extra points in Chinese!”

After a test, it wasn’t unusual to see people like him in the cafeteria. Those nearby weren’t surprised and continued drinking their soup and eating as if nothing had happened.

Bo Jin ignored him and turned to Pan Yu, asking, “Didn’t you see Xie Ruan on your way over?”

“No,” Pan Yu removed his glasses and set them aside to avoid them slipping down while eating. “Maybe his test room was slow in collecting papers, but he should be here soon.”

Just then, Xie Ruan’s voice sounded nearby, “You guys got here fast.”

“Cough,” Sun Haoxiang wiped his face and looked up. “Hey, Little Xie, we’re all men here; maybe skip the word ‘fast.’”

Xie Ruan: “…”

Xie Ruan laughed and called him out, then glanced around and saw that the only empty seat was next to Bo Jin. He put his bag down and sat there.

Bo Jin pushed the untouched bowl of kelp bone broth toward him and asked, “Why’re you so late?”

Xie Ruan gave him a side-eye and replied pointedly, “Didn’t you say not to rush?”

The truth was he had simply been lazy.

Running to the cafeteria three times a day was exhausting. Since someone had gotten his meal, he wanted to take his time for once.

“So obedient,” Bo Jin raised an eyebrow, his tone suggestive, “It’d be great if you were always this obedient.”

“What do you mean, I’m not—” Xie Ruan began but stopped halfway, realizing something was off. Who was Bo Jin to him, anyway? Why should he listen to him?

He glared at Bo Jin and then started eating in silence.

After a few bites, he turned to Bo Jin and asked, “Bo Jin, what did you pick for the classical Chinese summary question?”

What was it about that question? Why did everyone ask about it?

Bo Jin looked surprised and asked in return, “What did you pick?”

“I chose B,” Xie Ruan said, with a trace of uncertainty.

“Mm, I picked B too,” Bo Jin replied naturally.

He had corrected it!

A weight lifted off Xie Ruan’s shoulders, and he was just about to let himself feel relieved when He Mingjie said, “Wait, Brother Bo, didn’t you just say you picked C?”

A look of lottery-winning joy flashed in his eyes. “Did you remember wrong? Was it B and not C?”

Sun Haoxiang choked on his spicy chicken, tears streaming from his eyes.

Pan Yu’s hand shook, spilling half of his soup back into the bowl.

Honestly, there’s a better chance of the national soccer team winning the World Cup than He Mingjie developing any social awareness.

Xie Ruan wasn’t slow. Seeing everyone’s reactions, he understood right away—Bo Jin had chosen C but had purposely said B to spare his feelings.

He wouldn’t freak out, of course. His nerves weren’t as fragile as before, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.

He’d picked the right answer initially. If only he hadn’t second-guessed himself! Why did he have to mess with it?

For the rest of the meal, he remained distracted, hardly tasting the food.

Seeing his mood, Bo Jin shot a chilly look at He Mingjie, one that seemed to promise later consequences.

Even He Mingjie, slow as he was, understood the hint this time, slumping his shoulders and trying to minimize his presence, afraid Bo Jin might come over and end him.

Bo Jin, concerned that this would affect Xie Ruan’s focus on the upcoming exams, was about to change the subject when a voice came from behind him.

“Excuse me, can I add you on WeChat?”

Bo Jin turned around.

A boy with a delicate appearance approached, holding his phone and blushing as he said, “God Bo, I’m Feng Qiao from Year 2, Class 2, also a competition student. I had a few competition questions I wanted to ask. Can we add each other on WeChat?”

He’d secretly admired Bo Jin for a long time but hadn’t had the courage to approach him until he saw that post on the forum today.

Why hesitate? If he didn’t act now, Bo Jin would be snatched away by someone else!

Bo Jin raised an eyebrow.

The provincial competition was long over this year, and as far as he knew, no one from their school had made it through. With the next competition so far off, no one would waste valuable college entrance exam prep on it.

Clearly, his intentions weren’t as academic as he claimed.

Bo Jin had an idea.

He’d been wondering how to dispel the “just friends” rumors on the forum and distract Xie Ruan in the process. This opportunity was perfect.

He was the chosen one; this was meant to be.

“Sorry,” Bo Jin said with a faint smile, taking Xie Ruan’s hand under the table and interlacing their fingers. “I don’t add people randomly.”

He paused, then added with intent, “Otherwise, he’d get upset.”

Feng Qiao: “!!!”

Was he too late? Whoever said they were just friends—come take a hit!

His heart shattered.

Bo Jin mentally gave himself full marks for this performance.

What self-discipline, Bo thought, amused.

The perfect boyfriend was one like him—upright, loyal, and with no interest in the outside world.

Nothing could make anyone feel more secure.

Bo Jin smirked slightly.

Xie Ruan must be touched now, right? Maybe he’d be so happy that he’d confess his feelings.

Meanwhile, Xie Ruan’s mind was preoccupied with that question he’d changed incorrectly, his soul practically floating out of his body, only catching bits and pieces of the conversation around him.

Noticing everyone staring at him, he raised his head sluggishly and said, confused, “What are you all unhappy about? Add whoever you want; it’s got nothing to do with me.”

It wasn’t like they wanted his WeChat, so why were they looking at him like that? Were they nuts?

Bo Jin, who’d been expecting admiration and praise: “…”

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