Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 1:

Chapter 1: The Tide Turns

Lu Jie felt like he was extremely unlucky lately, as if he had been hexed; he encountered every bizarre piece of bad luck imaginable.

First, he was woken up for several nights in a row by the constant meowing of stray cats downstairs in the early hours of the morning. Then, he went to the institute to work with dark circles under his eyes, only to encounter a delivery thief. He spent half an hour just looking for coffee, and finally had to run across the office building to buy a cup before heading upstairs. As soon as he clocked in, he heard that the new intern had knocked over 16 petri dishes, and he nearly suffocated.

Normally, when one’s luck hits rock bottom like this, it should bounce back. Lu Jie was someone who had earned a full scholarship for eight consecutive years to complete his Ph.D. in Pharmacy at Q University, so his psychological resilience wasn’t bad. He understood the principle that things can only get better after reaching their worst.

It wasn’t until he broke his leg, got a cast, and was admitted to the Municipal Second Hospital that he truly wanted to look up and ask the heavens what grand gift they planned to send him next…?

Lying in the hospital for a month, life was relatively leisurely. Just after lunch that day, Jiang Yan called, and the first thing he said was, “Lu Jie, can you come to the company meeting with your crutches? If not, I can hire someone just to push your wheelchair.”

Lu Jie was too lazy to even scold him, his tone quite flat: “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

His bed was by the window. When he opened the window, the cool April spring breeze blew in. With his crutches leaning against the wall, Lu Jie put his weight on his elbows and leaned on the window ledge, looking out. He suddenly felt that this period of recuperation was quite enjoyable. The hospital’s disinfectant smell, no matter how unpleasant, was more relaxing and therapeutic than the lab. Being forced to rest after being busy for so long, he felt a bit lazy.

“Hey, hey, don’t hang up. We really can’t do without you,” the voice on the other end sounded genuinely worried. “Our project needs to give the investors a quarterly report.”

“So you’re asking me to come back to make a PPT?”

“Making a PPT is too minor an issue. You also have to present the PPT yourself.”

“…Go away.”

“You gotta admit that half of this company is yours, right?” Jiang Yan said.

To be precise, Jiang’s Pharmaceutical was a biotech company founded by Jiang Yan, a rich second generation, backed by the Jiang Group. Jiang Yan focused on investment and sales, while Lu Jie was in charge of pharmaceutical R&D. Lu Jie didn’t own any shares; he was just a more respectable workhorse. Although the researchers in the institute called him “Boss Lu,” everyone knew that if the sky fell, it would be Jiang Yan who took the hit.

Moreover.

“The sky hasn’t fallen yet,” Lu Jie firmly believed the world could turn without anyone. He looked at the few pear blossom trees outside that had bloomed at some point, feeling quite comfortable inside, and magnanimously pointed out a clear path for Jiang Yan: “Find Researcher Xun.”

“Alright, I was waiting for you to say that.” Jiang Yan couldn’t actually make Lu Jie attend the investors’ meeting on crutches. He called because he wanted Lu Jie to recommend a reliable and articulate researcher to accompany him to the investment meeting. He knew Lu Jie was responsible and would only rest after making sure everything was meticulously handed over.

After discussing work matters, Jiang Yan switched back to his role as a former classmate and a chatty friend of 20 years, his tone a hundred times lighter than before, his concern sounding like a weasel greeting a chicken: “Hey, Brother Lu, you still haven’t told me how you broke it?”

Lu Jie scoffed, “You’re asking at a great time, my bone is almost healed.”

Mentioning this made Lu Jie fume. He glanced at the empty bed next to him, lowered his voice, and recounted the incident.

…

“You were hit on? Hahahahahahahaha. Again?”

Lu Jie felt the laughter was too penetrating. His head was buzzing, and he raised a hand to rub his forehead. “I told you a long time ago, why not put a gym on the top floor of the company? We have to go out to find a gym, and the nearest one is the only one.”

Lu Jie was tall and straight, broad-shouldered with a narrow waist. His excellent proportions made anyone next to him look overshadowed wherever he went. He spent years in the lab dealing with data, giving him an air of composure and decisiveness.

His appearance was not only handsome, but the temperament in his eyes was captivating. He looked deep and coolly aloof when focused, somewhat difficult to approach, but when relaxed, he was easygoing and steady, his hidden charm subtly radiating.

Especially his eyes, you could almost fall into them with a single glance.

It was normal to occasionally be hit on at the gym. Right after a workout, with his heart rate not yet dropped, the sweaty look made him appear warmer and more masculine than usual.

Except this time, the person who approached him was a man. He truly hadn’t noticed at all. The man frequented the gym, was extremely muscular, and always wore a loose, old-fashioned tank top that looked a bit baggy from years of wear, sometimes revealing the outline of his chest muscles when he walked.

Lu Jie hadn’t paid much attention to any of this, only that their gym times often overlapped, and they had exchanged greetings a few times. Being a man himself, Lu Jie hadn’t considered any other possibilities.

That day, Lu Jie was running on the treadmill with his headphones on. The man came over and said something, and before Lu Jie could reply, he reached out to touch Lu Jie’s arm muscles. The touch was suggestive, immediately making Lu Jie’s scalp tingle and giving him goosebumps.

Lu Jie violently shook his shoulder, trying to pull away from the hand, forgetting that he was still on the treadmill, and his long legs stopped pumping. He then slipped, his body getting pulled under the running belt. By the time he came to his senses, he was already on a stretcher.

“Hahahahahaha, I didn’t know you were homophobic?”

Lu Jie hadn’t really thought about that aspect, and he didn’t care if others called him homophobic. But then he remembered that Researcher Xun under him was also gay. When a minority group becomes someone you actually know, the word “phobia” sounds a bit inappropriate.

If all gay people in the world were like Researcher Xun—meticulous in experiments, organized with data, neat and presentable, and easy to get along with—then what right did he have to mind their sexual orientation?

“No, it was just too sudden,” Lu Jie said.

“Alright,” Jiang Yan changed the subject. “By the way, have you run into Fu Jia’an at the Municipal Second Hospital?”

“Why would I run into him?” Lu Jie frowned, annoyed by the question.

“Hey, didn’t they say Fu Jia’an was later recommended for admission to J University School of Medicine, and then went to intern at the famous Municipal Second Hospital, in, like, the Neurosurgery Department?”

I think you’re the neurotic one.

Lu Jie couldn’t be bothered to respond. He shifted his gaze back to the downstairs view outside the window. A gust of wind blew again, scattering the pear blossoms. For a moment, there were so many petals they clustered together, almost obscuring his vision.

After a while, it was as if a god had reached out a hand and brushed aside the waterfall of flowers, and the small white petals scattered like snow. Lu Jie recalled a transition effect; such elaborate foreshadowing and suppression always seemed to lead to a dramatic reunion.

Involuntarily, Lu Jie blinked.

The person Jiang Yan just mentioned truly appeared under the tree that Lu Jie was looking at. Wearing a white coat, holding a cup, he walked past like an NPC.

“—Hello? Are you there?” Jiang Yan’s voice on the phone interrupted Lu Jie’s moment of daze. He mainly thought, This is too much of a coincidence.

Someone he hadn’t seen in almost twelve years appeared right after Jiang Yan mentioned him? Impossible, were these two in on it!

Downstairs, Fu Jia’an felt like something had hit him on the head. He reached up in confusion to touch his hair and caught a few petals. He stared at the petals for a few seconds, seemingly contemplating how such a light object, with the added velocity of the wind, managed to hit the back of his head.

He looked up toward the culprit, searching for the tree the flowers fell from. The moment his chin tilted up, Lu Jie almost thought they were going to make eye contact. He instinctively ducked away, finding cover like a sniper avoiding a shot, leaning against the wall, then peering out the window to observe the enemy’s movements.

In fact, Fu Jia’an just glanced at the tree and continued walking.

Lu Jie felt embarrassed in retrospect. Why was a man over six feet tall hiding from a man who was definitely not as muscular as he was? At worst, they could fight, and he could still pin Fu Jia’an down like he did in high school.

Soon, Lu Jie was startled by the violent thought that flashed through his mind. How many years had it been since he was so childish? Fighting? So much time had passed, who would still care about all that old nonsense?

Still, though.

How annoying.

Lu Jie picked up his phone and cursed Jiang Yan a few times to vent, then hung up the phone abruptly while the other party was confused.

He felt much better than before. So what if he saw Fu Jia’an? The hospital was huge. He was in Orthopedics, and Fu Jia’an was in Neurosurgery. Their inpatient buildings were separate. The world might seem small, but it was actually huge, with so many intricate paths crossing in the same location. Even if he wandered around all day, the probability of running into him at the same time and place was slim.

Just as Lu Jie was thinking this, he heard a few knocks on the door. It was time for rounds. Dr. Shen, wearing a white coat and holding a chart, stood by the door, tapping the cover with his pen, his smile as warm as the spring breeze.

“Dr. Shen,” Lu Jie hopped on one leg to the edge of the bed and leveled his fractured leg, looking like a very obedient patient.

Dr. Shen lowered his head to examine the injury, asked a few questions, and then noticed the two dumbbells at the corner of Lu Jie’s bed. Dr. Shen adjusted his glasses, his peach-blossom eyes narrowing: “Take it easy.”

Soon after Lu Jie broke his leg, he had Jiang Yan bring him two 15kg dumbbells. He couldn’t train his legs, but at least he could work his arms. People who work out feel it’s a pity to stop completely, but things didn’t go as planned; since showering was inconvenient, he hadn’t actually trained many times.

Old Du, the patient in the next bed, was also there. It just so happened that his daughter, Du Zhenzhen, who was 19 and at an age for wild imagination, had come to visit and just helped him back after a walk. Lu Jie was full of vibrant muscle, mature and well-mannered, and handsomely intimidating. Dr. Shen was witty and easygoing, and although he always wore a mask, judging only from the exposed eyes, he was certainly a handsome guy.

In her eyes, whenever Lu Jie and Dr. Shen were in the same frame, they didn’t even need to speak. Lots of blooming flowers automatically appeared around them, swirling and swirling, full of ambiguity.

Lu Jie sensed Du Zhenzhen looking over again in his peripheral vision, feeling a bit sweaty under her gaze. He didn’t understand why he was constantly being mistaken for gay lately, or if young girls nowadays just start shipping anyone who stands together, regardless of gender?

It probably started when he said to Shen Rufeng, “Dr. Shen, have we met somewhere before?” Du Zhenzhen covered her mouth and her eyes darted around, looking like she’d need a ventilator any second.

Lu Jie was exasperated. He was serious about feeling like he had met Dr. Shen before; he wasn’t hitting on him…

It wasn’t that important where they had met, but every time Dr. Shen came for rounds and his eyes met Lu Jie’s, the forgotten question would resurface, making him involuntarily try hard to recall.

To be honest, Lu Jie, who prided himself on his intelligence and excellent memory, disliked these moments. Normally, if a name of a document or a drug ingredient popped into his head, he would force himself to figure it out. He always considered this a brain exercise. Now that he was bedridden and his limbs were restricted, Lu Jie’s pressure on his brain increased instead of decreasing.

While wrestling with his thoughts, Lu Jie heard the sound of fabric rustling near his ear. He followed the white coat upward and saw another person beside Dr. Shen.

Fu Jia’an had his hands tucked into his white coat, leaning his head towards Dr. Shen and whispering. They were very close, clearly indicating an intimate relationship. Dr. Shen seemed to have heard something that pleased him; his eyes curved, revealing a rarely seen gentle, private emotion in the ward.

He lowered his head to write a few notes on the chart. After a while, he seemed to realize his pen was out of ink, so he casually took a pen from Fu Jia’an’s chest pocket, scribbled a few words, and then just as casually tucked the pen into his own pocket.

“Can you stop being so shameless?” Fu Jia’an laughed reproachfully, pulling the pen back unceremoniously, returning it to its original place. He neatly arranged the pens in his chest pocket, patted them, then looked up, finally condescending to give a glance to the orthopedic patient who had been staring at him.

As if finally recognizing an acquaintance, the relaxed expression on Fu Jia’an’s face disappeared: “Lu…”

Before he could finish the name, Dr. Shen looked at Lu Jie in surprise, his narrowed peach-blossom eyes opening: “Patient Lu in Bed 24, are you uncomfortable? You’re almost picking a hole through the mattress edge.”