The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Quits Chapter 72

Xie Ruan used all his strength without holding back. Shen Xingyun stumbled back, crashing hard against the railing, his face instantly swelling red.

“Xie Ruan, are you insane?!”

Shen Xingyun was furious. 

Sure, he’d come with no good intentions, hoping to stir things up between Xie Ruan and Bo Jin. But regardless, he had indirectly revealed the truth to Xie Ruan about Bo Jin’s motives, sparing him from being completely blind to the situation.

Yet Xie Ruan, ungrateful as ever, had dared to hit him!

Shen Xingyun had never been hit in his life—not even by his own parents. Who did Xie Ruan think he was?

Rubbing his bruised face in anger, Shen Xingyun lunged forward to retaliate.

Back then, the Shen family treated Bo Jin with hostility, but pampered their own son, training Shen Xingyun in Taekwondo to protect himself at school. He was a decent fighter.

But Xie Ruan was no slouch either.

Having grown up as an “outsider,” Xie Ruan had been in countless fights. Now, in a full-blown rage, he was unleashing his potential.

Shen Xingyun was no match for him. He barely got to his feet before Xie Ruan kicked him down again.

Pinning him to the ground, Xie Ruan pressed down hard, his eyes red with fury as he punched him repeatedly.

So, it was your family’s fault they adopted and mistreated Bo Jin.

He had planned to investigate and uncover the people capable of such cruelty. He never imagined Shen Xingyun would walk right to him today.

“You had the nerve to seek me out… the nerve to confront me!” Xie Ruan gritted his teeth, grabbing Shen Xingyun’s hair to keep him steady, and landed another punch.

An orphan—so what? Did a temporary stay in Shen’s house give them the right to project their own twisted assumptions and malice?

The thought of Bo Jin needing or desiring anything from the Shen family’s meager assets was laughable. He was capable of achieving anything he wanted on his own.

Yet here they were after so many years, flaunting their past cruelty rather than hiding it. Who gave them such gall?

Shen Xingyun was utterly stunned, not expecting this intensity from Xie Ruan. 

To him, Xie Ruan had been that obedient, fawning kid who followed him around. But now? This wasn’t some “loyal puppy”—this was a relentless hound.

Pain clouded Shen Xingyun’s vision as he realized just how badly he was being beaten. He had never been treated like this. Blinded by anger, he forgot his purpose in coming here. All he wanted now was to hit back.

Fueled by rage, Shen Xingyun finally broke free and lunged, swollen-eyed and vengeful.

Xie Ruan, caught off guard, took a few hits, enough to split his lip. But he wiped the blood from his mouth, ducked the next punch, and grabbed Shen Xingyun by the throat, slamming him back against the wall.

“Listen up, Shen Xingyun.”

Breath ragged from the fight, Xie Ruan’s rage was unmistakable. “Anyone else might criticize Bo Jin, but not you. Do yourself a favor and avoid him in the future—understood?”

He wasn’t choking Shen Xingyun fully, but enough to make him cough. Even in this state, Shen Xingyun smirked provocatively. “Once it was me, now it’s Bo Jin. Xie Ruan, do you just have this thing for being a loyal dog?”

“Once it was you?” Xie Ruan’s expression turned complex.

Observing Shen Xingyun’s smug face, Xie Ruan let out a laugh. “Correction—I never liked you. Not now, not ever.”

“Oh, sure.” Shen Xingyun sneered, convinced Xie Ruan was lying to save face. “Then why’d you follow me, give me gifts, and confess your feelings?”

Xie Ruan paused, considering before replying. “Consider it performance art.”

Shen Xingyun: “…”

Shen Xingyun nearly choking on his outrage, about to launch a tirade when Xie Ruan cut him off, “You’re here spouting all this—do your parents know?”

“Do they know?” Shen Xingyun shot back, sneering. “They don’t care about you!”

“I don’t care what they think,” Xie Ruan answered coolly. “But let me ask you—have they ever spoken about their time fostering Bo Jin?”

Xie Ruan wasn’t stupid; on the contrary, he was quite smart—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to raise his grades to over 500 in just one semester.

If Shen Xingyun had always known about this, he would’ve given Bo Jin trouble a long time ago, given how petty he could be. But he hadn’t, which meant he’d only recently found out.

Adopting a child from an orphanage isn’t something to hide; there’s no need to cover it up. Besides, Bo Jin was good-looking and smart, and if he’d been rehomed due to unavoidable circumstances, it would only be a regretful matter, nothing shameful. 

Sometimes, when emotions ran high, they’d at least mention it in passing, even without giving many details.

The Shen parents, however, had kept this buried tightly. Shen Xingyun hadn’t heard a peep for over a decade, which only meant they felt guilty.

Shen Xingyun’s expression shifted slightly.

Of course, Xie Ruan’s words wouldn’t sway him, but he’d noticed his mom’s unusual reaction to Bo Jin’s name, and the unconscious frown on his dad’s face whenever Bo Jin was brought up. This hinted that there was more to the story.

He hadn’t thought much about it before, but now, after Xie Ruan’s direct remarks, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was definitely off.

“Figured it out?” Xie Ruan sneered, letting go of his hand. Without another glance at Shen Xingyun, he said coldly, “Then get lost!”

After cooling down on the rooftop for a bit, Xie Ruan figured it was almost time for the bell to ring for evening study and headed downstairs.

The whole way, he was trying to think up a way to explain the cut on his lip to Bo Jin.

Scraped it? Bumped into something?

Neither would work; Bo Jin wasn’t stupid—he’d never buy such a lousy excuse.

The more anxious he got, the harder it was to think of a believable reason. He slowed down, his pace nearly as slow as a snail’s crawl by the end.

Bo Jin had thought he’d just gone to the restroom and didn’t pay much attention at first. But when he’d waited and still no one returned, and his messages weren’t being answered either, he grew concerned, though he knew nothing major would happen at school. Setting down his phone, he went out to look for him.

The moment he opened the door, he came face-to-face with Xie Ruan, who had been hesitating at the doorway.

Noticing the fresh cut on Xie Ruan’s lip and the swelling around it, Bo Jin’s face darkened. “How did this happen?”

Bo Jin was usually mild-tempered, rarely losing his cool, especially with Xie Ruan. He was more likely to dote on him than to scold him, let alone show him a cold face.

So his sudden seriousness made him especially intimidating.

Xie Ruan swallowed reflexively, glancing around at the people passing by. He took hold of Bo Jin’s wrist and led him to a secluded corner in the hallway. For once, he obediently said, “Brother.”

“Don’t try to sweet-talk me.” Unmoved, Bo Jin held his chin, forcing him to lift his head as he inspected the cut closely, his face expressionless. “Out with it. What were you doing just now?”

“I…”

“Think carefully before you speak,” Bo Jin’s gaze landed on the corner of Xie Ruan’s lips, fixating on that small, glaringly red spot. A sense of frustration welled up inside him, and his words had a biting edge. “Just try lying to me.”

Xie Ruan lowered his eyes, looking like a student caught misbehaving, hesitating for a while before finally muttering, “I… I got into a fight.”

Bo Jin asked, “With whom?”

Xie Ruan pressed his lips together, staying silent.

“Are you testing me?” Bo Jin gave a mocking laugh, giving him a pinch on the back of his neck as punishment. “Xie Ruan, do you really think I won’t do anything to you right here in the hallway?”

Knowing exactly who he was dealing with, Xie Ruan’s scalp tingled. “No, no, don’t!”

Realizing he couldn’t hide it any longer, Xie Ruan had no choice but to tell the truth. “With Shen Xingyun.”

Bo Jin’s expression grew icy, practically radiating cold air. “He hit you?”

“No.” As much as he was annoyed with Shen Xingyun, Xie Ruan didn’t twist the facts. “I started it.”

Besides, he’d only taken two punches, while Shen Xingyun looked a whole lot worse—his face was so swollen it looked like a pig’s head; even his mother might not recognize him.

“So what if you started it?” Bo Jin’s protective side flared up, throwing all reason aside. “Just because you threw the first punch, he thinks he can hit you back?”

Xie Ruan: “???”

He was caught between laughter and exasperation but felt a warm sense of comfort as he tried to calm the nearly fuming Bo Jin. “I didn’t lose out. I hit him even harder.”

“He had it coming.”

Bo Jin sneered, taking a few deep breaths to resist the urge to drag Shen Xingyun out right then. He asked Xie Ruan, “What was it about?”

This time, Xie Ruan played it smart; instead of lying or spilling everything, he gave a half-truth. “He was saying not nice things.”

Bo Jin assumed Shen Xingyun must have brought up the past, mocking Xie Ruan for once chasing after him. He nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

Just let the guy who hit him off the hook like that?

Naive.

Seeing Bo Jin’s restrained fury, Xie Ruan couldn’t help shivering and tugged on his sleeve. “Don’t do anything rash.”

“You think I’m the impulsive type?” Bo Jin raised an eyebrow, relishing his boyfriend’s rare show of affection. Finally, he gave a reassuring nod. “Don’t worry.”

Xie Ruan always trusted Bo Jin, so he believed him and dumbly nodded with an “Oh.”

Seeing him so obedient and cute, Bo Jin couldn’t resist anymore. He took the chance to tease him.

“Actually, I was wrong; I’m impulsive too.” He leaned down, whispered something in Xie Ruan’s ear.

Xie Ruan froze, then turned red all the way to his neck.

Just like a snail, whenever Xie Ruan felt shy, he wanted to hide. But before he could push Bo Jin away, Bo Jin lifted his chin, inspecting his injury.

“Does it hurt?”

Xie Ruan shook his head immediately. “Not at all.”

This kind of injury was nothing to him, really no big deal.

But those words seemed to hit some hidden nerve in Bo Jin, whose expression darkened. “Not at all, huh? Then why don’t you—”

“Why are you two standing here after the bell rang? Get back to evening study!”

Sun Fuan appeared, frowning at them. They were standing so close that something felt off, though he couldn’t pinpoint it.

“We’re going.” Bo Jin straightened, giving Xie Ruan a light push and a knowing look before heading back inside.

The classroom had a communal first-aid kit that the boys often used for sports injuries. Bo Jin took out an antiseptic, carefully applying it to Xie Ruan’s cut.

Every time Xie Ruan tried to speak, Bo Jin shut him down, reminding him not to disturb others during study hours, leaving Xie Ruan anxious.

What did Bo Jin have planned for himself? Aahhhhh!

Throughout both study sessions, Xie Ruan was distracted. And his nerves only intensified when Bo Jin led him back to his dorm after class, not letting him go to his own.

Xie Ruan looked like a wary little creature in unfamiliar territory, clutching his bag as he eyed Bo Jin. “Why did you call me over?”

Bo Jin took off his school jacket and hung it up, now wearing just a white T-shirt. The usual sharpness of his looks softened a bit, making him appear gentler. 

Sitting on the bed with his long legs stretched out lazily, Bo Jin finally gave Xie Ruan’s anxious expression enough attention, then raised his chin. “Take it off.”

Xie Ruan froze, wondering if he’d misheard out of sheer nerves. “W-what?”

Bo Jin smirked mischievously. “Your clothes. If I don’t check thoroughly, how do I know if you’re hurt anywhere?”

Xie Ruan swallowed, trying to argue. “I’m not! It’s just this cut on my lip!”

“Is that so?” Bo Jin’s voice lingered over the words, letting Xie Ruan’s heartbeat rise before adding with a sudden change in tone, “I don’t believe you.”

He leaned back, watching Xie Ruan with a relaxed grin. “No need to worry; I already locked the door.”

“So, go on. Take it off.”

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