The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 57

Xie Ruan’s place was close to the subway, so in just a few minutes, they reached the station.

The morning rush had passed, and the carriage was mostly empty.

Bo Jin found a seat near the door and was about to sit down when Xie Ruan beat him to it.

Bo Jin raised an eyebrow, looking amused. “What’s up?”

“Just want to rest a bit—I’m tired.” Xie Ruan tapped the bar beside him, leaning into it for support.

After their late-night conversation, he’d been too wound up to fall asleep and still felt a bit tired. With the long distance between stops, he figured he could take a nap.

“You could have said so earlier.” Bo Jin laughed, stretching out his arm to rest behind Xie Ruan’s seat, giving him a little nod.

Too bad Xie Ruan didn’t catch on to his intentions at all.

“Say it earlier and what?”

The noise of the subway was loud, so Xie Ruan turned down his earphones and leaned slightly closer to hear better.

Bo Jin, being taller, had a clear view of the cowlick at the crown of Xie Ruan’s head.

Soft and round, it shimmered slightly under the lights.

Much like Xie Ruan himself—prickly on the outside, but soft at the core.

A feeling of tenderness crept over Bo Jin. He tried to resist but eventually gave in, pressing a hand on Xie Ruan’s head and gently pulling him over.

Caught off guard, Xie Ruan found himself falling right into Bo Jin’s chest.

“What are you doing?” Xie Ruan’s heart pounded as he scanned the surroundings.

Luckily, most people seemed preoccupied, either pretending to nap or absorbed in their phones.

“Behave yourself.” Xie Ruan nudged Bo Jin’s foot in warning.

He just didn’t get it—how was Bo Jin this bold? Did he want everyone around to notice?

“Hmm?”

Bo Jin raised an eyebrow, as if he hadn’t heard.

Thinking his voice had been too low, Xie Ruan leaned a little closer and was about to repeat himself when Bo Jin suddenly turned his head.

In an instant, their faces were inches apart, close enough to feel each other’s breath, their lips almost touching.

“What?” Bo Jin just watched him with a hint of amusement, his voice low and teasing, like a mischievous student whispering in class. “Planning a sneak attack?”

“Get lost!”

“Wow, someone’s got a mouth on him.” Bo Jin narrowed his eyes, clicking his tongue. “Is that what I’ve been teaching you lately? Tsk, learning only the bad things.”

“And what good have you got?” Xie Ruan scoffed, firing back.

Bo Jin leaned in, looking into his eyes. Then, he laughed.

“Seems like you didn’t get it before.” Bo Jin straightened slightly, his tone teasing. “I’ll have to go over it with you again.”

Go over it?

Go over what?

Xie Ruan felt every nerve on alert. Knowing Bo Jin was up to no good, he got ready to leave, but Bo Jin leaned in closer.

“You—” Xie Ruan’s eyes widened, his heart racing wildly.

This guy… is he seriously thinking about…

Xie Ruan instinctively shrank back, trying to avoid him.

But being at the very edge, there was nowhere to go. He could only watch helplessly as Bo Jin leaned in closer and closer.

What the heck? Has he lost it?

Panicked, Xie Ruan raised his hand to push him away when Bo Jin asked, “Have you learned it?”

Xie Ruan paused, momentarily confused.

Learned? Learned what?

Seeing his bewildered expression, Bo Jin chuckled. With a quick glance to confirm no one was around, he lifted Xie Ruan’s chin lightly and said, “Learn to be as forward as I am.”

Xie Ruan’s ears turned bright red in an instant.

“Well? Want to lean on me?”

Bo Jin leaned back in his seat, patted his shoulder, and gave Xie Ruan a warm look.

“Get lost.” Xie Ruan turned his head away, still flushed.

The train gradually slowed down and eventually stopped at the platform. As people got on and off, Xie Ruan took off his right earbud and popped it into Bo Jin’s ear just before the train started moving again.

Bo Jin was momentarily stunned but then a subtle smile appeared.

By the time they reached Huaihai Road, Sun Haoxiang and the others had already arrived.

The KFC was warm, the heating creating a cozy contrast to the cold wind outside. 

Just as Xie Ruan took out his phone, ready to greet them, he noticed Sun Haoxiang leaning close to whisper something to He Mingjie, then tugging Pan Yu’s sleeve. All three glanced over, laughing in a way that felt oddly suggestive, as if adding a sound effect: yo yo yo.

Xie Ruan froze, suddenly feeling awkward.

“What’s wrong with you? Acting all weird first thing in the morning.” Bo Jin pulled out a chair for Xie Ruan to sit, gave them a quick glance, and sneered. Seeing He Mingjie smirking like a sly fox, he lifted the bottom of He Mingjie’s soy milk cup with a flick.

“Cough, cough, cough!” He Mingjie nearly choked, slamming down his cup to swat at Bo Jin. “What the heck? Can you not act like such a jerk?”

Bo Jin casually deflected his arm and, as he scanned the QR code to order food, asked Pan Yu, “You guys eaten yet?”

“Nope,” Pan Yu replied, putting his tablet away. “We were waiting for you, just ordered drinks.”

“Alright,” Bo Jin nodded, then turned to Xie Ruan. “What do you want?”

“Soy milk, whatever for everything else,” Xie Ruan replied without thinking.

He just loved KFC’s soy milk.

“Got it.” Bo Jin’s long fingers slid across the screen as he added items to the cart. Without looking up, he said, “I’ll order the usual for you three.”

“Ohh, Brother Bo is treating us?” He Mingjie’s face immediately lit up as he obsequiously asked, “Mind throwing in a thick egg Panini for me?”

Sun Haoxiang quickly added, “Not the usual for me— I want hot dry noodles with an extra marinated egg!”

Bo Jin paused, looking at him with mild disbelief. “You came to KFC to order hot dry noodles and a marinated egg?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Sun Haoxiang replied, unbothered. “I heard they’re pretty good, just haven’t had the chance to try them until now.”

His mom, a health nut, insisted on organic veggies and banned junk food from the table. School was his only chance to eat freely, but during breaks, he was stuck with tasteless healthy meals.

Finally free, he couldn’t help going all out on the flavors.

Bo Jin didn’t bother arguing, submitting the order.

Fast food came quickly, and their meals were ready in no time.

As He Mingjie tore into his burger, he asked Bo Jin, “Brother Bo, can I borrow your winter break homework to copy? I’ll swing by your place tonight to pick it up.”

Bo Jin froze.

“Seriously?” He Mingjie assumed his hesitation meant no and started whining. “What kind of friend are you, Brother Bo? You can’t even help a brother out?”

Bo Jin slowly unwrapped his burger and smiled. “When have you ever seen me doing winter break homework?”

He Mingjie: “…”

Now that he thought about it… never.

He had been so focused on Bo Jin being the top of the class, he forgot that Bo Jin had always been a bit unconventional about it.

Panicking, He Mingjie stammered, “Then what do I do?”

With only half the break left, he needed someone’s homework to copy, or his homeroom teacher would kill him when school started.

“I’ve got a tip for you.” Bo Jin took a sip of his soy milk, gesturing at Xie Ruan with his chin, his mood visibly lifted. “Little Xie’s done with his, copy his.”

Before He Mingjie could say anything, Bo Jin added, “Know how he did it? Livestreamed himself every day, right under my nose.”

He Mingjie: “???”

But, did he ask?

Eating the chicken egg, did he need to monitor the chicken laying it?

He looked bewildered, but Pan Yu and Sun Haoxiang exchanged a knowing glance, picking up on his motives. Pan Yu nonchalantly put in his earphones, while Sun Haoxiang busied himself with his food.

Bo Jin continued, “Every morning at eight or nine, he’d start streaming, only shutting it down at night. Living under one roof couldn’t get any closer.”

He Mingjie: “….”

Seriously, this guy couldn’t go a day without showing off?

Xie Ruan nearly choked, kicking him under the table. Seeing Bo Jin about to go on, he swiftly stuffed a burger in his mouth.

He couldn’t fathom what was so worth bragging about. Didn’t he feel even a little embarrassed?!

From across the table, Sun Haoxiang snickered at the sneaky move under the table.

Some people flaunted their relationship in public but got smacked around in private.

“Hitting is affection, scolding is love, and only true feelings make you feed someone,’” Bo Jin swallowed his food, smiling as he looked over at Sun Haoxiang. “What’re you laughing at? Jealous?”

Sun Haoxiang was speechless.

He had lost, completely.

After finishing their meal, they didn’t linger and got on the bus heading to Phoenix Mountain.

Phoenix Mountain is in the suburbs, far from the city, but it’s a fairly popular scenic spot with convenient transportation.

The weather was nice today, with the sun high in the sky and the green mountains and trees giving a refreshing, open feel.

They bought some bottled water at the base of the mountain and, after preparing themselves, began their climb to the summit.

Phoenix Mountain is the city’s tallest peak, with steeply built stairways. Not long into the climb, the one with the worst stamina, Sun Haoxiang, was already gasping for breath.

Despite it being winter, he was sweating profusely.

“I can’t go any further; let’s take a break,” he said, wiping his face and starting to regret choosing Phoenix Mountain.

Of all the scenic spots and fun places, why did he pick this place? And to reach the top—he felt despair just looking at the stairs winding upward.

“Men can’t say they can’t!” He Mingjie, who was Sun Haoxiang’s opposite in energy levels, was still bouncing around, hardly tired at all. Grabbing the back of his collar, he urged him up, “Come on, let’s go!”

“Watch it, man!” Sun Haoxiang shook off his hand, nervously glancing down the steep incline. His scalp tingled as he muttered, “If I fall, I’d be done for ten times over.”

He was genuinely afraid of He Mingjie’s reckless behavior and shuffled over to Pan Yu, asking, “Old Pan, are you tired?”

Pan Yu adjusted his glasses calmly, “Not too bad.”

“Not too bad” meant he could keep going for a while. Sun Haoxiang looked at Bo Jin and Xie Ruan, who both seemed unfazed and not even sweating much. Realizing he wouldn’t find a fellow complainer, he resigned himself to trudging onward.

However, determination is one thing, and stamina another.

Because of Sun Haoxiang’s slower pace, they didn’t reach the summit until after noon.

Sun Haoxiang was soaked in sweat, his face and neck flushed red. The others were also quite worn out, though Bo Jin still looked about the same as usual, save for a few damp locks of hair on his forehead.

“What’s that over there, all covered in red?” He Mingjie asked, sitting on a stone platform and squinting at a spot ahead after catching his breath.

“The Fate Tree. They say it’s pretty effective,” Pan Yu, who had researched Phoenix Mountain beforehand, responded promptly.

“Seriously? I thought they were hanging lanterns for the New Year.” He Mingjie scoffed.

“What kind of ‘straight-man’ comment is that?” Sun Haoxiang nudged him aside and rubbed his hands together excitedly. “They say it works. Let’s hang one too! Maybe I’ll find someone special next semester.”

Pan Yu glanced him up and down, then slowly remarked, “Not unless you lose weight. You’ll still be single next year otherwise.”

Sun Haoxiang: “…”

Sun Haoxiang didn’t expect the typically quiet Pan Yu to take a jab at him, gripping his belly with an indignant expression. “What’s wrong with not losing weight? I want someone who isn’t shallow and doesn’t judge by looks!”

Before Pan Yu could reply, he grabbed Bo Jin’s arm. “Let’s go, Brother Bo! We’re getting a love charm. I don’t believe in this nonsense!”

Bo Jin screwed the cap back on his water bottle, chuckling in an ambiguous way.

Sun Haoxiang looked at him in confusion. “What are you laughing about?”

Bo Jin’s gaze shifted subtly to Xie Ruan as he replied with a slight smile, “Do you think I need one?”

Sun Haoxiang: “…”

Feeling indignant, Sun Haoxiang looked at the others and, emboldened by frustration, pulled Xie Ruan along.

Noticing Bo Jin and the others following them, he smirked with satisfaction.

Not interested? If he convinced Xie Ruan, then Bo Jin would be in. If Bo Jin was in, everyone would be.

The Fate Tree was enormous, probably over a century old. Its dense branches created a shady canopy, and its gnarled limbs gave it a striking appearance.

There were a few small stalls set up nearby selling love charms. Sun Haoxiang picked one vendor he thought looked pleasant and bought five small wooden charms, handing one to each of them. “Here, one for everyone.”

Xie Ruan wasn’t too interested in this and thought he’d rather spend the money on a game skin. But since they were bought, he joined in to avoid ruining Sun Haoxiang’s enthusiasm.

The Fate Tree was covered in charms, leaving almost no space on the front. Xie Ruan looked around for a while but couldn’t find a spot, so he walked around to the back.

After looking up for a while, he finally spotted an open spot. Rising on his tiptoes and trying to avoid the branches swaying in the wind, he was about to tie his charm when he felt a sudden tug, causing it to hang crookedly.

He didn’t need to guess who it was.

Turning to Bo Jin, he muttered, “Can’t keep your hands to yourself?”

“No,” Bo Jin replied, taking Xie Ruan’s charm and wrapping the red string around his finger. “See?”

Xie Ruan was baffled. “See what?”

It’s just a charm, nothing special.

Bo Jin raised his hand, letting the red string dangle between them as he smiled lightly. “Your red string of fate is tied to my hand.”

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