The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 48

When Xie Ruan got Bo Jin’s call, he was still out.

He had been roped into buying a family bucket for Song Xinghe, so he was dutifully paying up to satisfy his “honorary boss.”

“Out eating,” he said, tilting his head to hold the phone between his shoulder and ear while carrying a tray forward. “What’s up?”

Of course. School had just let out, so what else would Xie Ruan be doing but eating? Bo Jin rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit too worked up. He took a deep breath, then chuckled. “Yeah, just a small thing. Message me when you’re back?”

“Is it urgent?” Xie Ruan set the family bucket in front of Song Xinghe, nodding to indicate he should go ahead and eat. “Otherwise, I can head back now.”

“No need.” Bo Jin didn’t want to interrupt his meal—plus, the package hadn’t arrived yet, so there was no point. “We’ll talk when you’re done eating.”

Xie Ruan’s curiosity was piqued, and he couldn’t help asking, “What’s it about, anyway?”

Bo Jin heard the curiosity in his voice and laughed softly, but he didn’t plan to spill the surprise. What’s a surprise if you reveal it early? He just replied, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

What’s with all this mystery?

Xie Ruan muttered to himself, but since this “dog” was even laughing, it couldn’t be bad. He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Alright, fine.”

After hanging up, Xie Ruan reached for a chicken wing, but when he looked up, he found Song Xinghe staring intently at him.

“…” Xie Ruan kicked him under the table and said irritably, “Spit it out if you have something to say.”

Song Xinghe had been waiting for this, so he immediately put down his half-eaten drumstick and leaned in, gossip practically written all over his face. “What’s going on with you and Bo Jin?”

Xie Ruan took a bite of chicken, confused. “What do you mean, going on?”

“Tell me the truth; I swear I won’t tell a soul,” Song Xinghe whispered, barely containing his excitement. “When did you two start dating?”

Man, his bro was something else—even managing to snag Bo Jin? Impressive.

“Cough, cough!” Xie Ruan choked on his chicken wing, almost gasping. “What the h*ll are you talking about? That’s impossible!”

Baffled, he asked, “Where are you even getting that idea?”

Song Xinghe was even more baffled than he was. “You two hold hands, give each other stuff, you don’t come back at night several times, and now you’ve even got check-in calls—but you’re just innocent classmates?”

He gave Xie Ruan a look. “Are you dumb, or do you think I’m dumb?”

Xie Ruan: “…”

Sure, all of that happened, but none of it had anything to do with *that.*

“It’s not what you think,” Xie Ruan said, dropping his gaze, trying to ignore the ripple of emotion stirred by the mention of “dating,” and continued calmly, “We’re classmates and desk mates, plus he’s been tutoring me lately, so we’re closer than usual. That’s all.”

“Oh really?” Song Xinghe chuckled dryly. “And which part of tutoring involves hand-holding? A romance lesson?”

Xie Ruan was at a loss and, realizing he couldn’t dodge this, finally admitted quietly, “I got scared of heights that time.”

Song Xinghe was speechless.

So, that was it?

He wasn’t quite satisfied, though, so he pressed further. “Then the times you stayed out overnight—weren’t you in Bo Jin’s dorm?”

Xie Ruan had nothing to hide here and admitted freely, “Yep.” Before Song Xinghe could ask again, he added, “But I was there to study.”

Seeing how straightforward Xie Ruan looked, with zero guilt, Song Xinghe couldn’t help but swear. “… D*mn!”

“But hold on,” he muttered, exasperated. “Aren’t you into guys?”

Xie Ruan nodded. “Yeah.”

“So with the great God Bo around you all the time, aren’t you at least tempted to drag him into your own home?”

 

Drag, my foot, Xie Ruan thought. Between studies and investigating Bo Jin’s past suicide attempt, who had time for nonsense like that?

Shaking his head, Xie Ruan said sincerely, “Not interested.”

Meanwhile, Bo Jin, unaware of this conversation, was in a particularly good mood. Even seeing Zhao Caiming’s wrinkled face didn’t bother him; he went over to say hi, scaring Zhao Caiming, who almost thought Bo Jin was getting recruited by another school and was putting on this sudden warmth out of guilt.

Bo Jin chuckled and explained repeatedly that he had no intention of transferring. He was just about to call and check on the delivery time when Wen Yong’s name popped up on his phone.

“Brother Yong,” he greeted, walking toward the school gate.

Since Xie Ruan wasn’t around, he figured he might as well head over to the reception area and wait for his package.

“Little Bo,” came Wen Yong’s voice, unusually anxious. “I have a document at the orphanage that needs to be stamped and urgently sent. There’s no time to mail it. Could you grab it for me and scan it?”

Bo Jin paused, his smile fading. “Brother Yong, this is the second time this year.”

“Sorry, Little Bo,” Wen Yong apologized, “but I really have no other choice…”

“Can’t you ask the director to scan it for you?” Bo Jin interrupted.

“The director’s unavailable,” Wen Yong replied.

Bo Jin remained unfazed. “Then have the director ask someone else to do it.”

There was silence on the other end before Wen Yong spoke, his voice strained. “Little Bo, you know I changed my name to keep my time there private.”

“And what about me?” Bo Jin took out a cigarette, pressing on. “You think someone in my situation… you think the director and everyone would be happy to see me?”

“I’m sorry.”

The two lapsed into silence.

Finally, Bo Jin spoke up, “This is the last time.”

He slipped the unlit cigarette back in his pocket; Xie Ruan had mentioned he didn’t like secondhand smoke. Bo Jin had held off for a long time and didn’t want to ruin things now over something so trivial.

“Next time, send urgent documents sooner. Stop waiting until the last minute.”

“Thank you, Little Bo. I owe you one.”

Bo Jin cared little for favors owed. Anyone else and he’d have ignored the request entirely. But Wen Yong was different; as the older brother who had protected him since they were young, Bo Jin still made allowances for him.

He hailed a cab straight to the orphanage, watching the cityscape zoom by, and snorted, thinking to himself how Wen Yong always had impeccable timing.

The last time he’d been asked to help at the orphanage had been right before the math competition, and this time it was even worse—right before his final exams and planned confession.

Always at crucial moments—what was he, some kind of stopwatch reincarnate?

The orphanage wasn’t far from Shijia High School, just a short cab ride at minimum fare.

Staring at the main gate, Bo Jin steadied himself before stepping inside.

Although he didn’t visit often, Bo Jin was still a familiar face at the orphanage; the guards all knew his situation and didn’t stop him. He made his way to the director’s office without any issues.

The office door was open, and the director was crouched down, getting some water, unaware that someone was standing nearby.

Bo Jin lightly knocked on the door.

The director looked up, and the moment she saw Bo Jin, her hand trembled, and the cup in her hand clattered to the floor.

After a brief, instinctive panic came a surge of joy. Forgetting about the fallen cup, she hurried over. “Little Bo, what brings you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

“Here to pick up some materials for Brother Yong,” Bo Jin smiled, lowering his eyes politely so he wouldn’t look directly at her and not standing too close either. “Didn’t he tell you?”

The director blinked. “No, he didn’t.”

Bo Jin’s brow furrowed subtly. What was Wen Yong doing? Hadn’t he said the director wouldn’t have time, and that’s why Bo Jin needed to come by?

Just as he was thinking about this, the director’s phone rang—it was Wen Yong calling.

Bo Jin instinctively looked up and noticed that, although she was trying her best to keep calm, the director still seemed a bit uneasy. He smiled, turned, and stepped out of the office to stand in the hallway. “You should answer; I’ll wait here.”

The director felt her nose sting and silently scolded herself a few times. After taking a deep breath, she answered the call.

Bo Jin had no intention of eavesdropping, and as he was about to walk further away, a woman in her fifties or sixties suddenly rushed over. “Director, there’s a child who—”

Her voice stopped abruptly when she saw Bo Jin.

Bo Jin greeted her, “Aunt Feng.”

This was the same Aunt Feng who used to tell Bo Jin as a child how valuable platinum was.

“Oh, Little Bo’s here.” Aunt Feng straightened up instinctively, smoothing her hair in embarrassment. “Here to see the director, huh? I’ll leave you two to it.”

Without waiting for a reply, she quickly walked away, as if something terrifying were chasing her.

Bo Jin watched her leave, and after a moment, he smirked slightly.

When he was young, he’d thought his strong memory was impressive and used to blurt things out.

He’d recall details from things as trivial as what color clothes the director had worn two weeks ago, to more personal moments of the other staff. At first, they praised his intelligence, but gradually, they began to sense something was off.

When he was diagnosed with hyperthymesia, the orphanage staff started avoiding him more openly.

It was natural; no one wants to feel as if their every move is being recorded by someone, as if living under constant surveillance, without a single thing hidden.

Bo Jin understood. That was why he almost never came back to the orphanage.

Knowing that everyone was doing well was enough; there was no need to show up and make everyone uncomfortable.

“Little Bo,” the director emerged with some papers in hand, explaining, “Your Brother Yong called around noon, heard we’d gotten some new kids, and assumed I wouldn’t have time. He’s just too much! It doesn’t take long to scan some papers. If he’d asked, he would’ve known he didn’t need to trouble you.”

“It’s fine, I’m close by,” Bo Jin replied, though something about it didn’t sit right. He took the documents, still avoiding her gaze. “I’ll be heading back now; I’ve still got evening study class.”

The director had wanted to ask him to stay, but hearing that, she quickly changed her tone. “All right, off you go. Study hard.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “Come back and see us often. Everyone… everyone really misses you.”

“Of course,” Bo Jin packed up the papers and smiled. “Who wouldn’t miss a face like mine?”

The director had still been berating herself for her earlier reaction, but she couldn’t help laughing at his words, giving him a playful scolding before shoving a piece of bread into his hands and letting him leave.

After leaving the orphanage, Bo Jin went to a copy shop to scan the documents for Wen Yong and then returned to school.

The package had arrived. The little Baize pendant was intricate and lovely, fierce yet adorable, just like Xie Ruan. Bo Jin gazed at it for a moment, a smile unconsciously spreading on his lips as the melancholy from the orphanage gradually lifted.

He didn’t care if everyone else avoided him, as long as Xie Ruan willingly approached him.

Xie Ruan liked him. He’d even crossed the pedestrian bridge, facing his fear of heights, just to ask about Bo Jin’s childhood…

The more he thought about it, the faster Bo Jin’s steps became, until he was almost running. He wanted to see Xie Ruan—right now.

But, unexpectedly, Xie Ruan wasn’t in class.

Maybe he went to the restroom?

Bo Jin clicked his tongue; he didn’t want to confess in a bathroom—that was way too lowbrow. As he walked closer, he was about to ask Sun Haoxiang about it when he noticed Xie Ruan’s notebook lying on the ground.

Bo Jin smiled to himself, amused by how hurried his classmate must have been. He bent down to pick up the notebook, but as he saw the contents of the open page, he suddenly froze.

The page was densely filled, the handwriting messy and rushed, but he could still make out a few underlined key phrases.

“Prevent suicide,” “Depression (X),” “Sunshine Orphanage,” and “Boss Wang’s Tea Restaurant.”

Bo Jin’s grip on the notebook tightened.

What… was this supposed to mean?

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