The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 70

Startled, Xie Ruan quickly turned around.

The sensor light in the stairway was on, illuminating the child on the steps with wide, round eyes, making every detail clear—even the curve of his open mouth.

The two brothers looked at each other, their gazes meeting in the air, but neither spoke.

In the silence, it was Xie Ruan who forced himself to uphold the authority of an older brother. “What are you doing downstairs so late?”

He Chen was still in shock.

He was at an age where he was neither quite young nor fully mature. With the way social media is these days, adults might think they’re keeping certain things from kids, but they understand quite a bit.

Not to mention, even in He Chen’s class, there had already been some gossip.

But…

He Chen swallowed.

Those were all about boys and girls. Could it really happen between two boys?!

Thinking about what he had just witnessed, He Chen felt lightheaded. His brother was something else—grabbing another guy by the collar and pinning him against the wall for a kiss!

His brother was a legend!

In this moment, Xie Ruan’s image in his younger brother’s eyes had never been so impressive.

Seeing that He Chen was silent, Xie Ruan thought he might have scared him. He immediately regretted it; he shouldn’t have let Bo Jin talk him into doing something like that in the hallway.

After all, he had checked thoroughly before kissing to make sure no one else was around.

Was He Chen part cat, walking around so quietly?

“He Chen, say something.”

He Chen only knew that kissing was something couples did, but he didn’t understand much beyond that. Same-sex relationships didn’t seem like a big deal to him; it just felt a little different from what he usually heard about.

Bo Jin didn’t interrupt. Hands in his pockets, he leaned against the wall, watching the brothers with amusement.

When Xie Ruan called his name, He Chen snapped out of it, remembering why he had come downstairs. “Mom asked me to check why you weren’t back yet.”

Xie Ruan knew right away he was lying.

Chen Wei spoiled him like he was her treasure; it was already past ten, and while the neighborhood was safe, she wouldn’t send him alone to pick someone up.

He probably came on his own but was too embarrassed to admit it.

Seeing He Chen’s uneasy expression, Xie Ruan couldn’t help but smile. This kid had always been stubborn since he was little, and he hadn’t changed a bit.

He turned to take the backpack from Bo Jin and said, “I’m heading up. You can go.”

Bo Jin raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

What else?

The look Xie Ruan gave him was like he was staring at a shameless scoundrel. Did he really intend to continue what they hadn’t finished, right in front of a kid?

Everything Xie Ruan thought was written clearly on his face. Bo Jin, seeing through him, flicked him on the forehead and laughed. “What are you thinking? I’m not that shameless.”

“What I meant was,” Bo Jin leaned down to whisper in his ear with a chuckle, “he ran into his brother-in-law so shouldn’t you introduce us?”

Brother-in-law, my foot!

Xie Ruan wanted to smack the guy who didn’t know when to stop. He made a “behave or else” gesture, then reluctantly waved He Chen over. “This is Bo Jin, your Brother Bo. Come over and say hi.”

He Chen’s curious gaze had been locked on Bo Jin, and he hopped over right away, calling out, “Brother Bo.”

“Good kid.” Bo Jin reached out to ruffle his hair, then took out a pack of mint candies from his pocket. “Didn’t bring a gift this time, so I owe you one for next time we go out.”

He Chen’s eyes lit up, and his impression of Bo Jin instantly improved.

The gift wasn’t the important part; it was going out together!

He had wanted to go out with Xie Ruan for a while. His brother was tall and handsome, so it was always cool to be around him, but he usually ignored him.

Who knew early dating could bring perks like this?

He Chen snuck a glance at Xie Ruan’s expression, almost dazed by Bo Jin’s coaxing, yet still confirming with him, “Really?”

Just as expected—always finding more things for him to handle. Who thinks taking care of a kid is easy?

Hungry, thirsty, tired—it’s all a hassle.

Xie Ruan shot Bo Jin a look, adopting an indifferent stance: “Whoever takes him out is responsible.”

Bo Jin straightened his rumpled collar, casting a meaningful look at Xie Ruan. “If you’re already taking care of one kid, what’s another?”

Xie Ruan froze, immediately feeling his face heat up as he realized the implication.

Bo Jin chuckled, “We have a gathering on Sunday. Bring him along.”

Xie Ruan hesitated; because of He Jinqing’s attitude, he avoided getting involved with He Chen whenever possible. Better to keep a distance and avoid He Jinqing’s paranoia, thinking he was out to harm his son.

But… seeing the hopeful look in He Chen’s eyes, Xie Ruan sighed inwardly. “Alright.”

Just this once.

If He Jinqing caused trouble again, there wouldn’t be a next time.

He Chen instantly forgot his minor sulkiness, nearly jumping for joy.

“I’m off.” Having formally met his future brother-in-law, Bo Jin was finally satisfied. Out of He Chen’s sight, he curled his finger at Xie Ruan. “You two head back upstairs.”

With He Chen nearby, Xie Ruan was left flustered, heart racing and mouth dry from the subtle gesture. He lightly brushed his finger against Bo Jin’s, “Text me when you get home.”

“Sure.”

Watching Bo Jin’s figure disappear into the night, Xie Ruan led He Chen upstairs, all the while contemplating how to explain today’s events.

It wasn’t that he was worried He Chen would blab—Xie Ruan wasn’t one to fear trouble. He’d done what he’d done and didn’t mind if others knew.

But he didn’t want it to become a topic for gossip, making him the center of everyone’s entertainment.

Before Xie Ruan could figure out what to say, He Chen spoke up. Looking down, he avoided his brother’s gaze. “I won’t tell Mom and Dad.”

He’d seen stories about high school dating going badly, and now he might even get to hang out with his brother because of this. Keeping it quiet was a no-brainer!

That caught Xie Ruan by surprise, so much so that he nearly laughed. “Hmm?”

He Chen thought he wasn’t trusted, and with his fists clenched, he spoke up, “Really, I won’t say anything, even if they ask!”

“Got it.” Xie Ruan chuckled, giving him a light tap on the head. “Why so loud?”

He Chen mumbled, “I was just worried you wouldn’t believe me.”

“I believe you, okay?”

Time flew by, and soon it was Sunday.

Xie Ruan told Bo Jin to go to the restaurant first to meet their friends, while he went home to pick up He Chen.

“Xingxing, make sure to keep an eye on Chenchen.” Chen Wei was far from at ease with her older son taking her younger one out alone. She repeated her reminders so many times that Xie Ruan could almost recite them.

Noticing his brother’s frown, He Chen immediately sensed trouble. Worried that he might change his mind, he quickly said, “Mom, can you please stop nagging?”

Chen Wei’s motherly concern instantly got caught in her throat, and her expression darkened.

Ignoring her reaction, He Chen grabbed Xie Ruan and pulled him toward the elevator. He was red-faced from the effort but didn’t stop, as if there was something terrifying behind them. “Come on, bro, let’s go!”

Behind them, Chen Wei’s face darkened even more.

When Xie Ruan and He Chen arrived at the restaurant, everyone else was already there. Bored, a few high schoolers had taken out their phones to play games, and the room was filled with game sound effects, making Xie Ruan feel like he’d stepped into an internet café.

“Oh, you’re here,” Sun Haoxiang said, putting down his phone and nudging a little kid forward. “This is my younger brother, Sun Haomiao. Brother Bo thought your brother might get bored, so he asked me to bring him along.”

“Haomiao, say hi to Brother Xie.”

Sun Haomiao, a chubby little guy who resembled his brother, shouted, “Hi, Brother Xie!” and ran over to play with He Chen.

After watching them play for a bit and seeing they were getting along well, Xie Ruan stopped worrying and let them have fun in the room.

He walked over to the seat Bo Jin had saved for him. “Have you ordered?”

“Yep,” Bo Jin checked the time, guessing it’d still be a while before the food arrived. “Don’t worry, I didn’t order anything spicy.”

There were two kids, after all. If they got sick, it’d be a hassle to explain.

Xie Ruan nodded, but before he could say anything more, He Mingjie’s teasing voice chimed in, “What are you two whispering about? Speak up; let us hear it too.”

Song Xinghe joined in, tapping his bowl with his chopsticks. “Yeah, let us in on it too!”

Since the day they met, the two had been partners in mischief and were still close.

Reflexively, Xie Ruan glanced over at He Chen and Sun Haomiao, who were crouched in a corner, heads together, talking about who knew what. He sighed with relief, seeing they weren’t paying attention to him.

He raised an eyebrow at his friends, chuckling, “Have some tact, will you? Not everything’s meant for your ears.”

He didn’t mind any teasing—except from Bo Jin.

The jeering in the room only grew louder.

“Oh wow, look at that confidence, Little Xie! You’re a whole new person after a few days apart!”

“True love vibes, right there.”

Sun Haoxiang, He Mingjie, and Pan Yu were all curious about how Bo Jin had managed to win over Xie Ruan. Just last semester, Xie Ruan hadn’t shown any signs of interest, and yet, after one break, things had changed. They pulled him over, insisting he spill the details.

Bo Jin, eager to show off his love, was more than willing to put on a show.

Meanwhile, Song Xinghe had grabbed Xie Ruan by the arm. “Way to go, bro. You even won over the study god—legendary!”

He gave him a thumbs-up, nudged his shoulder, and whispered, “So, how far have you two gone? Have you kissed yet? How’s the academic god at kissing?”

Expressionless, Xie Ruan looked at him and deadpanned, “You curious?”

“Of course!” Song Xinghe sneaked a glance at Bo Jin, his face filled with admiration. “I mean, it’s God Bo!”

Pouring himself some barley tea, Xie Ruan replied, “Then go ask him yourself.”

Song Xinghe’s face went blank. “Do you really think I dare?”

Xie Ruan took a sip of his tea and smiled, “Guess you’re not that curious.”

Song Xinghe: “…”

Song Xinghe gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Well, aren’t your lips powerful now? Must’ve had plenty of practice with God Bo.”

Cough. Xie Ruan choked on his tea, coughing up a storm.

Actually…in some ways, Song Xinghe was right. They had been getting a lot of practice lately…

“You—”

“My brother dares to play on his phone during class!”

Sun Haomiao’s voice cut him off, and Xie Ruan turned to see the two kids in a classic standoff.

Xie Ruan: “???”

He and Song Xinghe exchanged confused glances, wondering what had just happened.

“It’s fine,” Bo Jin, thirsty after his enthusiastic storytelling, lazily reached for Xie Ruan’s glass and took a sip. “They won’t start a fight; kids are like that. They’ll be fine in a minute.”

“Oh.” With little experience in handling kids, Xie Ruan took his word for it and relaxed.

However, he relaxed too soon.

As a loyal “brother fan,” He Chen couldn’t let anyone’s brother outshine his own and immediately started fighting back.

“My brother can take on three people at once!”

Sun Haomiao wasn’t about to back down and racked his brain for his brother’s heroic deeds. “Well, my brother dared to steal my dad’s alcohol!”

Sun Haoxiang wasn’t even mad about being exposed and just chuckled, taking a sip of his cola. “My dad has so many bottles in his collection that he doesn’t notice if I take one or two.”

He Chen wasn’t about to be outdone. “My brother can bungee jump!”

Sun Haomiao pushed further. “My brother can catch snakes!”

He Chen pursed his lips, realizing this Sun Haomiao’s brother had some skills. Ordinary feats wouldn’t cut it.

With no parents around, He Chen’s clever little mind raced, and he blurted out—

“My brother dares to kiss Brother Bo!”

Song Xinghe’s phone clattered to the ground.

Pan Yu’s glasses slid up to his forehead.

He Mingjie smacked his head onto the table.

The worst is when the room goes silent all of a sudden.

Or when a kid says something unexpected.

In the awkward silence, Sun Haomiao clenched his fists and shouted at the top of his lungs, “My brother dares too!”

Sun Haoxiang nearly choked, spraying out a mouthful of cola.

Under Bo Jin’s death glare, he pulled his troublesome brother over with trembling hands and shouted with exasperation, “I don’t dare!”