The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 60

On the day he’d arranged with the Volunteer Association, Xie Ruan woke up extra early.

Chen Wei had already prepared breakfast and was setting the table.

To cater to working customers, He Jinqing’s convenience store always opened early.

Seeing Xie Ruan, Chen Wei was surprised. “Xingxing, why are you up so early?”

During the winter break, Xie Ruan hadn’t exactly slept in, but he’d never woken up at this hour before.

“I have to go out,” Xie Ruan replied sleepily, pulling out a chair and sitting down. He ladled himself some congee and began sipping it absentmindedly, his eyelids drooping in drowsiness.

Chen Wei hesitated for a moment, then sat down beside him. “Going out with friends?”

“Mhm,” Xie Ruan replied, without going into details.

In the past, he’d been happy to share his life with Chen Wei. It had made him feel like they were still close, as they had been before. But after so much disappointment, he no longer felt like opening up.

Besides—

Xie Ruan’s lips curved slightly. Now he had someone who belonged solely to him, someone who would never be distracted by anyone else.

Chen Wei noticed the change in her older son, though she didn’t know how to bridge the gap. She looked up and saw a tuft of hair sticking up on top of his head, looking rebellious. She smiled, reaching out to smooth it down.

But Xie Ruan reflexively turned his head, leaving Chen Wei’s hand hanging in the air.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the dining room grew painfully awkward, as if the air had frozen.

Finally, Xie Ruan broke the silence. He quickly finished his congee and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I won’t be back for lunch. Don’t wait for me.”

With that, he turned to go back to his room.

Sunshine Orphanage wasn’t close to where he lived, but fortunately, there was a direct subway line. It would take about forty minutes to get there. He still had some time before the meeting, so he could go back and work on a practice test.

Under Bo Jin’s watchful eye, he had developed a solid study habit.

Now he felt compelled to study for a few hours daily. Otherwise, he’d feel unsettled.

“Wait,” Chen Wei called out to him.

Xie Ruan turned back. “Yes?”

Chen Wei looked at him.

Xie Ruan took after her in appearance—fair skin, fine features, so striking that he turned heads wherever he went. But now, Chen Wei felt as if she was looking at a stranger.

The innocence of youth had faded, and his face had begun to show its edges and sharpness.

When she didn’t speak for a while, just stared at him, Xie Ruan thought something was on his face and reached up to check. Finding nothing, he turned to leave.

“You… should focus on your studies when you have time. Stop running around all the time,” Chen Wei said in a gentle tone, trying to guide him. “You’ll be in your final year soon. Without good university grades, what will you do in the future?”

He Jinqing had checked, and public universities were quite affordable—only a few thousand per semester. But private colleges were a different story, costing tens of thousands.

That wouldn’t be an option; He Jinqing wouldn’t cover that expense.

Chen Wei genuinely wanted what was best for him. She didn’t want him to end up with only a high school diploma.

Xie Ruan paused and then let out a brief, bitter laugh.

The entire winter break, his mom hadn’t checked on him once. If she had, she wouldn’t have believed He Jinqing’s claim that he’d just been playing on the computer instead of studying.

His face expressionless, Xie Ruan replied, “I’ve been studying.”

“You always say that,” Chen Wei frowned slightly.

Her gentle appearance matched her personality—soft, never loud, and even her scolding lacked intensity. Yet she inspired a kind of pity, making others feel guilty if they didn’t listen to her.

“Xingxing, your future is your own. You’re not deceiving me, but yourself.”

Seeing the sincere concern on Chen Wei’s face, Xie Ruan suddenly felt at a loss for words, a deep exhaustion overwhelming him.

He could barely move, standing motionless, as he listened to Chen Wei continue advising him with good intentions. “A bachelor’s degree isn’t even that valuable anymore, let alone a high school diploma. Please, listen to me. I won’t lead you astray, I—”

“Mom.”

Xie Ruan interrupted her.

Chen Wei was stunned; it had been a long time since he’d called her that. This winter break, he’d lived like an invisible person in the house. If she hadn’t seen him at the table daily, she’d almost have thought he wasn’t home.

Pleased, Chen Wei immediately responded, “Yes?”

“I’m almost an adult,” Xie Ruan said, standing by the door and looking back at her.

He’d grown another two centimeters over the past six months and now stood at 1.8 meters. His features had a sharp, clean look, indistinguishable from a grown man’s.

“I know what I’m doing and can take responsibility for my future. He Chen is still young; give him more attention. As for me…”

Xie Ruan gave a small, sad smile. “Just… don’t worry about me, alright?”

With that, he walked into his bedroom, grabbed the bag hanging on his chair, and left the house.

The door lock clicked shut, cutting off his retreating figure. Chen Wei stood there in a daze, and moments later, tears began to spill down her cheeks.

Xie Ruan had left home too early; there was still plenty of time before his scheduled appointment with the Volunteer Association, and he couldn’t enter the orphanage ahead of time. Looking around, he spotted an internet café across the street and decided to go inside.

However, it seemed his luck was off—he had barely opened the door when he bumped right into Shen Xingyun, who was heading out.

What the h*ll was this luck?

Cursing in his heart, Xie Ruan pretended not to notice Shen Xingyun’s gaze and walked past him and his group as if nothing had happened. He headed to the front desk to start a computer, only to be stopped.

“Xie Ruan.”

“What is it?” Xie Ruan continued rummaging through his bag for his ID, responding in a flat tone.

Shen Xingyun licked his lips but didn’t speak.

In truth, he didn’t even know why he’d stopped Xie Ruan. Xie Ruan’s attitude clearly showed he didn’t want anything to do with him. Shen Xingyun wasn’t exactly known for his patience—he’d been spoiled and indulged by family and friends since he was young, so why should he tolerate this?

But he couldn’t let it go.

Xie Ruan had once liked him so much, so how could he just walk away?

This frustration had only grown worse ever since he saw Xie Ruan getting closer to Bo Jin, nearly driving him crazy.

Maybe he needed to get some sort of “win” over Xie Ruan to feel better.

Seeing that Shen Xingyun wasn’t going to say anything, Xie Ruan simply moved on. After paying, he found his computer and turned it on.

Unexpectedly, Shen Xingyun followed him, lingering like a ghost.

“What game are you playing, PUBG or King of Glory?”

He sat on the table beside him, a smug look on his face. “Let’s play together. I’m really good; I could carry you.”

He paused, glancing toward the entrance with a hint of implication. “And what about that… what’s his name, Bo… Bo something? Bo Jin, right? Aren’t you two pretty close? Why didn’t he come with you?”

Xie Ruan set down his mouse and slowly looked up.

Feeling encouraged, Shen Xingyun continued, “Then again, that nerd probably can’t play games to save his life.” He smirked. “Calling him deadweight in the game would be putting it kindly.”

With that, he unlocked his phone and opened a game, casually showing off his level. “So? Wanna play together?”

Xie Ruan: “…”

Ignoring him, Xie Ruan opened the video he’d just searched for and reached into his bag for his own earphones.

He’d never liked using the ones provided at internet cafés, as they made his ears feel hot.

After a few seconds of loading, his screen was filled with a virtual green chalkboard, followed by the serious voice of a female teacher: “Today, we’ll focus on trigonometric functions…”

Shen Xingyun: “…”

Shen Xingyun: “What the…!”

He hadn’t expected Xie Ruan to actually be studying at an internet café.

Was this even reasonable?

Not in the least.

There were plenty of places he could watch online courses—why did he need to come to an internet café so early in the morning?

He must be doing this on purpose.

Watching Xie Ruan’s cold profile, Shen Xingyun let out a frustrated laugh.

Fine, if this was Xie Ruan’s way of snubbing him to please Bo Jin, he was curious to see how long he could keep it up.

In a show of stubbornness, Young Master Shen ignored the subtle urging of his friends and set up his own computer next to Xie Ruan’s, glaring at him from the side.

Noticing Shen Xingyun’s presence in his peripheral vision, Xie Ruan: “….”

Ridiculous.

Xie Ruan couldn’t be bothered with Shen Xingyun. Some people only get more excited if you give them attention. If he wanted to stay there, fine. It wasn’t like Xie Ruan was paying for him, and it wouldn’t be his fault if Shen Xingyun dropped dead from exhaustion.

Refocusing, Xie Ruan set an alarm so he wouldn’t lose track of time while studying, and continued watching the video.

The video had been recommended by Bo Jin; the teacher explained everything in detail, covering many additional points that were particularly helpful for someone with a weak foundation.

Soon enough, Xie Ruan was completely absorbed, forgetting Shen Xingyun’s presence.

Shen Xingyun: “…”

He hadn’t expected Xie Ruan to actually be there to study.

Looking at the dense notes and focused expression, even he couldn’t believe he’d thought Xie Ruan was using the course video to shut him up.

The whole thing was so bizarre that Shen Xingyun ended up zoning out himself, only snapping back when he saw Xie Ruan packing up to leave.

Wang Zhao approached, glancing at his expression with caution. “Brother Yun, are we going?”

Wang Zhao didn’t understand Shen Xingyun at all. When someone liked him, he treated them terribly, almost wanting to crush them into the dirt. But the moment they lost interest, he couldn’t let them go.

Wasn’t that just lowly?

He thought it but wouldn’t dare to say it out loud.

Shen Xingyun ignored him, staring after Xie Ruan’s retreating figure.

His seat was near the aisle, so he could see the doorway just by turning his head.

“Hey, is he going into the orphanage?” Zhao Hongfu exclaimed in surprise. “Is he an orphan?”

“What’s with you, Old Zhao? Watch your mouth,” Wang Zhao burst out laughing.

Shen Xingyun shot him a cold look.

Zhao Hongfu protested, “No, I didn’t mean it like that! I’m just wondering why he’s going to the orphanage.”

Wang Zhao thought for a moment. “Maybe he’s volunteering?”

Then he laughed at himself. “He probably just has some reason.”

Zhao Hongfu was puzzled. “What could he possibly need at an orphanage?”

Wang Zhao, who was in tons of school group chats and heard all kinds of gossip, said casually, “Maybe he’s looking for Bo Jin. Isn’t Bo Jin an orphan?”

“For real?” Zhao Hongfu looked surprised and asked, “Is this his orphanage?”

“No, no,” Wang Zhao waved it off, “I’m just speculating. Who could know?”

“True.”

“Hey, do you think…” Wang Zhao started, ready to gossip further. After all, Bo Jin was a top student, and everyone was curious about him. But when he caught sight of Shen Xingyun’s terrifying expression, he shut his mouth instantly.

Better to stay silent than get into trouble.

Hurriedly changing the topic, Wang Zhao asked, “Brother Yun, should we go?”

Shen Xingyun shot an angry glare at the orphanage gate, grabbed his coat, and stood up. “Let’s go!”

Bo Jin again! Bo Jin! Why is he everywhere?

As he stepped out of the internet café and felt the chill of the wind, his heated emotions cooled a bit, though he still felt a dull irritation in his chest. “Old Wang, go find out what Xie Ruan is doing at the orphanage.”

Wang Zhao was stunned. “How am I supposed to find that out?”

He might know a lot of gossip, but he wasn’t a private investigator.

Shen Xingyun looked at him expressionlessly, and Wang Zhao immediately gave in. “Alright, alright, I’ll go look into it.”

Whether or not he could actually find anything out—and when he’d find out—was another matter entirely.

The group split up outside the internet café, each catching a cab home to sleep. After pulling an all-nighter and then sitting around watching Xie Ruan for over an hour, even the energetic young guys were starting to feel worn out.

When Shen Xingyun returned home, his mother was just having breakfast. He greeted her and tried to head upstairs to sleep, but she called him back.

“You’re back. There’s salty pork bone congee, your favorite, in the kitchen. Have a bowl before you go to sleep.”

Not in the best mood and exhausted, Shen Xingyun wasn’t feeling hungry. He shook his head, saying, “I don’t want any; I’ll eat later after I wake up.”

“No, you need to have breakfast,” his mother insisted, pampering her only son since he was little and always attentive to his health. “Skipping breakfast isn’t good for you.”

Frowning, he wanted to refuse, but seeing the look in her eyes, he gave in and sat down at the table, picking up a spoon to eat.

His mother slowed her own pace and casually brought up their plans. “This year, we’re going back to our hometown for New Year’s. Don’t stay out all night with your friends again. You’ll look too tired, and it’ll worry your grandparents.”

Shen Xingyun gave a half-hearted “Mm.”

His mother smiled helplessly. “I’m being serious—”

Her words were interrupted by the sound of his phone vibrating. It was a voice message from Wang Zhao on WeChat. He meant to transcribe it to text but accidentally played the audio.

Wang Zhao’s loud voice blared through the room: “I asked around, and apparently Bo Jin didn’t go to the orphanage today.”

He didn’t go? So why did Xie Ruan go? Could he actually be volunteering?

Shen Xingyun turned off the message and was about to reply when he suddenly heard a loud crash.

Startled, he looked up instinctively.

Opposite him, his mother was standing up in shock, her face pale.

The chair had tipped over and crashed to the floor, her congee bowl had fallen, shattered into pieces, and hot congee had spilled everywhere.

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