The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 50

That evening, Bo Jin didn’t return. Xie Ruan didn’t notice, assuming he was just out relieving stress before the exam.

After all, Bo Jin didn’t stay in the classroom much anyway, especially in the second half of the semester.

As he grew closer to Bo Jin, he learned that Bo Jin had been working on a facial recognition project outside of school, which had recently hit a crucial phase and required more of his attention.

Though Xie Ruan didn’t fully understand it, he at least knew where Bo Jin’s confidence to spend so freely came from.

The more he got to know Bo Jin, the harder it was for Xie Ruan to accept the tragic ending awaiting him in the book. With just one semester left, he needed to act quickly.

Looking at the empty seat next to him, he found himself lost in thought.

By the way, who was Feng Qiao? When did Bo Jin make a friend like that? He’d have to ask He Mingjie and the others about it. Right now, anyone suddenly appearing in Bo Jin’s life was worth his attention…

“Why are you spacing out?” A hand knocked on his desk, and Sun Fuan walked over with a stern face. “Ready for tomorrow’s exam? Can you at least pass English?”

Xie Ruan was startled and immediately lowered his head, feeling guilty.

Promises of passing English exams—he didn’t dare make those.

Seeing his expression, Sun Fuan knew right away what was going on. With a disappointed tone, he said, “Well, if that’s the case, shouldn’t you be revising instead? What’s on your mind, running off with your desk mate?”

Though Sun Fuan spoke casually, it struck a nerve in Xie Ruan, who had indeed been thinking about Bo Jin just moments ago, his fingers now nervously scratching at the desk.

Sun Fuan, the no-nonsense type, didn’t notice anything odd and continued lecturing him, “You can’t compare yourself to Bo Jin. You two are in different situations. Keep up the same motivation you had before; don’t think it’s the end of the term and you can slack off. You’ve still got a long way to go.”

As Xie Ruan nodded, Sun Fuan picked up the notebook on his desk, flipping through it as he asked, “So who’s family is coming for the parent-teacher conference on the 18th?”

The final exams at Shijia High School were set for the 15th and 16th, with results out on the 17th and a parent-teacher conference on the 18th.

Winter break was indeed approaching, but before that, the students needed a little reminder to keep them focused. The last thing the teachers wanted was for the kids to get distracted from their studies.

Xie Ruan replied, “My mom.”

The conference date had been announced long ago, and Xie Ruan had confirmed with his mom, Chen Wei, over the phone. She had agreed readily, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

“Good,” Sun Fuan handed the notebook back to Xie Ruan, encouraged him a bit more, and finally left the classroom.

The progress Xie Ruan had shown this term was noticeable. Although the final exams hadn’t yet occurred, Sun Fuan was already planning to praise him in front of his family. If all his students were this disciplined, he’d have far fewer gray hairs!

And the most improved award? Xie Ruan had earned himself a spot in consideration.

As Sun Fuan mused, he returned to his desk, unscrewed his thermos, took a sip of hot water, and leaned back in his chair.

Between Bo Jin and Xie Ruan, they had given him enough reasons to feel proud. All the homeroom teachers in the school envied him—he could tell from the look on their faces.

Sun Fuan sighed contentedly, a rare smile appearing on his face.

This was the good life.

But the next morning, that good life quickly turned sour.

He had just gathered his materials and was heading downstairs to proctor the exam when Zhao Caiming, looking frantic, stopped him in the hallway and said something that nearly made his heart stop: “What happened with Bo Jin? Why isn’t he here for the exam?”

Shijia High had invested heavily to recruit many high-quality teachers. However, due to its relatively new reputation, its student quality couldn’t yet match that of other top schools, leaving it at the bottom of the city-wide rankings.

Bringing Bo Jin to the school had been a strategic move to enhance the school’s reputation through his academic achievements.

And Bo Jin had delivered—ranking first in every exam without ever slipping up, even winning a gold medal in the Olympiad this year, which brought an unexpected boon to the school.

Now, the school’s website traffic had increased significantly, showing that it was beginning to make an impression on parents. With a little more effort, surpassing the provincial top school seemed achievable.

So, for every major exam, Zhao Caiming would swing by Class One to check on Bo Jin.

It wasn’t just Bo Jin he was looking for—it was the school’s pride!

But today, after searching the classrooms and exam halls, Bo Jin was nowhere to be found. Zhao Caiming started to panic. Where was the school’s pride? How could it just disappear?

Sun Fuan, startled by his alarm, almost thought Bo Jin had asked for permission to skip the final. After hearing Zhao Caiming out, he relaxed and waved him off, saying, “Maybe he’s just running late. He’ll be here before the exam starts.”

Unlike Zhao Caiming, who didn’t spend much time with Bo Jin and wasn’t familiar with his personality, Sun Fuan knew him well.

Bo Jin might come across as casual and laid-back, but he was highly responsible.

If he wasn’t planning to attend the exam, he’d definitely have called to explain. He wouldn’t just skip out without saying anything.

Seeing Sun Fuan’s calm attitude, Zhao Caiming got even more anxious. He pulled him over to the first exam room, pointing to the empty seat at the front. “Look, there are only five minutes until the exam starts, and he’s nowhere in sight.”

Zhao Caiming was genuinely distressed. “And I even asked your students—he wasn’t in the classroom last night, nor did he come in this morning.”

Sun Fuan remained unfazed. “Don’t worry; he’ll be here.”

Bo Jin had already mentioned that he’d be busy for a while and might miss some classes. Sun Fuan knew about it.

“Can’t you at least give him a call?” Zhao Caiming, frustrated by his laid-back attitude, wanted to take matters into his own hands, but he couldn’t go over the homeroom teacher’s head. “What if there’s an emergency?”

Sun Fuan, thinking there was little chance of an emergency while Bo Jin was staying at school, eventually took out his phone to appease Zhao Caiming. Just as he was about to dial, a voice came from behind, “Good morning, teachers.”

Zhao Caiming turned around, pleasantly surprised.

Bo Jin strolled over, holding his bag casually.

Dressed in a black-and-white school uniform, he was tall and lean, with damp hair suggesting he’d just taken a shower.

Sun Fuan shot Zhao Caiming a look as if to say, “I told you so.” He knew his student well enough. Bo Jin wasn’t the type to bail on something important.

Feeling proud but maintaining a stern front, Sun Fuan said, “Why are you so late? Didn’t you know the exam is about to start?”

Bo Jin stood in the hallway with one hand in his pocket, his face bearing faint shadows under his eyes. Rather than looking worse for wear, it gave him a laid-back charm.

In response, he remained silent for a moment.

Maybe he’d been too harsh? Sun Fuan began to second-guess his tone.

Seeing Bo Jin’s tired look, Sun Fuan assumed he’d been up all night working, which made his previous tone seem too harsh.

As Sun Fuan was about to soften his words, Bo Jin sighed and said, “Important people always make their entrance last.”

Sun Fuan: “???”

Zhao Caiming: “???”

Sun Fuan’s face turned a shade darker, and he replied coldly, “Oh, would you like us to roll out a red carpet for you as well?”

Bo Jin went along with it easily: “If you really insist, it’s not like it’s impossible.”

Sun Fuan: “…”

Sun Fuan tried to hold it in but eventually couldn’t. He raised a hand and smacked Bo Jin lightly, saying, “Get inside and take the exam!”

“Yes, sir.”

Both Sun Fuan and Zhao Caiming had their own duties, so after confirming that Bo Jin didn’t skip the test, they each went off to take care of their tasks.

As soon as they left, the smile on Bo Jin’s face faded. He hadn’t slept the entire night, his mind a chaotic mess of memories with Xie Ruan. What had once felt like sweet moments now felt like sharp stabs to his heart.

More than once, he’d thought about storming into Xie Ruan’s dorm, grabbing him without any explanation, and kissing him senseless to stop the endless speculations in his mind. To h*ll with the fact that Xie Ruan didn’t like him.

But then he reminded himself that today was the final exam. These exams were critical for Xie Ruan, and he couldn’t mess with his mindset now.

Such a considerate “God Bo.”

Bo Jin was almost moved by himself, though it was unfortunate that the other person remained oblivious, utterly unaware of the thoughtfulness behind his restraint.

Bo Jin sighed, took the exam sheet from the proctor, kept one copy for himself, and passed the rest to Pan Yu, who was sitting behind him.

Up until yesterday, he’d never even entertained the possibility that Xie Ruan might not like him. He had thought their feelings were mutual, just waiting to be brought into the open. He’d even planned how to spend winter break and how many days they’d stay in bed together.

But the universe had thrown him a harsh curveball.

Even so, giving up was not an option. Bo Jin smirked.

If he had his eye on something, it was as good as his. After all, Xie Ruan had been the one to approach him first, repeatedly pulling him in. Now, it was only fair to bring him onto his “account register.”

As for Xie Ruan not liking him? 

Bo Jin raised his eyebrows as he wrote his name and class on the answer sheet. He’d just have to find a way to make Xie Ruan like him. He would fix Xie Ruan’s gaze on him so that no one else could catch his attention. With time, he was sure Xie Ruan wouldn’t escape.

And if nothing else worked, there was always the rooftop.

Bo Jin chuckled to himself—it was just a joke, a playful threat. Although he wanted to make Xie Ruan his boyfriend, he wasn’t the kind to actually use such tactics. Occasionally mentioning it was just part of the fun; to seriously use it as leverage would be disgraceful. That wouldn’t just disrespect Xie Ruan’s kindness—it would be beneath him.

Besides… Bo Jin’s lips tightened slightly. He couldn’t bear to hurt him.

Despite his clarity on the matter, he was still affected. Looking down at the nonsensical sentence on the test, he took a deep breath, trying to focus as he forced his mind to block out memories of what he’d seen in Xie Ruan’s notebook and started answering questions.

Meanwhile, Xie Ruan had no idea what Bo Jin was thinking. After the first subject, language arts, he felt he’d done pretty well; nothing had been overly challenging. Even the reading comprehension had made sense, so he was confident in his performance.

After submitting his test, he gathered his belongings, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed straight for the cafeteria to find Bo Jin.

This had become a tradition between them. Whenever they had exams, Bo Jin would always come out early to get their food.

Bo Jin’s spot was easy to find; his height and looks stood out even in a crowded cafeteria. Xie Ruan quickly spotted him and walked over, taking a seat across from him. Just as he reached for the tray, Bo Jin pressed it down.

Bo Jin smiled and said, “This is mine.” He pushed the other tray over. “This one’s yours.”

Xie Ruan: “???”

Xie Ruan stared at Bo Jin’s tray. Sweet and sour pork, pineapple stir-fried meat, and tomato scrambled eggs—all sweet dishes!

Bo Jin preferred savory foods and disliked sweet things, so piling his tray with sweet dishes was out of character.

Xie Ruan looked closer and noticed Bo Jin’s face seemed a bit off, like he hadn’t slept well. And…though he was smiling, he seemed to be in a bad mood.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Ruan immediately forgot about eating, putting down his spoon and frowning. “Did something happen?”

Was this little bit of concern really all he could get after suffering through a whole night of heartache?

God Bo was not pleased.

“Nothing,” Bo Jin replied casually, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handful of candies. Under Xie Ruan’s stunned gaze, he unwrapped one after another, adding them to his plate.

Xie Ruan was speechless, his words stumbling: “You…you’re eating candy with your food?”

Bo Jin nodded, crunching a candy to demonstrate his point.

“No,” Xie Ruan looked at the sweet dishes on the tray, then at the pile of candies, totally baffled. “Why are you suddenly eating so many sweets?”

Bo Jin looked him right in the eyes, enunciating carefully: “Because I’m feeling bitter inside.”

Xie Ruan: “…”