Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 10:

Chapter 10: Declaration of War

On the weekend, Lu Jie closed his door and sat alone at his desk in his room.

The date September 23rd on the calendar was circled; according to the original plan, this should have been the day he flew to the United States for the competition. His phone vibrated twice. Jiang Yan, who hadn’t gotten a reply about playing basketball, was still persistently sending nagging texts.

Lu Jie didn’t want to reply. He was still dizzy from not sleeping well.

At breakfast, Dai Mengshu had asked him, “Xiao Jie, when was that overseas competition you mentioned?”

Lu Jie swallowed the mouthful of steamed bun and said, “I’m not going.”

“That’s good,” Dai Mengshu sounded pleased. “I heard from your uncle that the competition trip would take almost a week, and it’s not really useful, just like an overseas trip.”

“Uncle said it himself? Not useful?” Lu Jie couldn’t help but seize on the words and talk back.

Dai Mengshu said, “I don’t need him to say it. It doesn’t add points to the college entrance exam. The most important thing for you now is not to let these things distract you from your studies, got it?”

Distract from studies.

Whether it was truly distracting didn’t matter. As long as Dai Mengshu perceived it as a “distraction,” she would intervene and stop it. Whether it was Lu Jie’s seat, Lu Jie’s competition, or the little dog he loved most when he was a child, named “Sweet and Sour Fish.”

The year Lu Jie was in seventh grade, Dai Mengshu and Lu He divorced. Dai Mengshu flatly ordered Lu He to take Sweet and Sour Fish with him when he moved out.

When Lu Jie returned home from school, the house was sparkling clean. The dirty tennis ball that Sweet and Sour Fish loved to hold in his mouth was gone from the carpet, and the iron cage and food bowl were gone from the balcony. It was as if a puppy had never been a part of his life.

He still remembered the scene: standing on the balcony, he felt pitiful and helpless, yet no sound could escape his throat. It felt as if even a huge cry couldn’t release the profound grief he was feeling.

A piece of his heart had been gouged out, but he couldn’t throw a tantrum, couldn’t scream, because he had to be considerate of the good intentions of the mother who would be raising him alone from now on.

…

Forget it, stop thinking.

Lu Jie pulled out a well-worn university physics textbook from the bottom drawer of his desk. It was old, one he had frequently read before senior year, and it was also given to him by Teacher Mo.

Lu Jie never publicized this special attention, nor did he show off by using concepts outside the syllabus on tests. But knowing more complex physics concepts than his peers and being recognized by the teacher he admired and respected greatly satisfied a teenage boy’s vanity.

Two slips of paper were tucked inside the book. One was written by Teacher Mo: “Go for it! Q University Physics Department awaits you!”

The other was a sentence Lu Jie, in middle school, had written to himself, the cocky and proud look in his eyes when he wrote it seemed still present: “Lu Jie, you will become a scientist someday.”

At that time, he used the childish word “scientist,” a dream so pure and transparent.

You will become a scientist someday.

Lu Jie muttered a self-mocking laugh: “I actually thought so too.”

He looked at the two notes for a moment longer, then stacked them together and tore them up.

He would probably never forget that moment, the moment he tore up his delusion with his own hands. The moment where he couldn’t blame anyone, only his own powerlessness.

Two days later, before Fu Jia’an even returned, the news of him winning the silver medal in the international physics competition had already spread throughout the grade, quickly gaining him a host of admirers. For the following week, people from other classes frequently passed by the door of Class 1, just hoping to catch a glimpse of the ‘God of Physics.’

Even students from sophomore and freshman years would run up to the senior year building during long breaks to ask who Fu Jia’an was.

“I thought he’d get a gold medal, seriously,” Jiang Yan was visibly annoyed with Fu Jia’an. Lately, pretty junior girls repeatedly approached him—only to ask for information about Fu Jia’an—and now the mere mention of the name set him off.

Early that morning in the hallway, Jiang Yan, with his backpack slung diagonally, began to complain.

Lu Jie, however, was unusually objective: “He prepared in a rush. To get a silver medal after two weeks of crash course preparation means that a gold medal wouldn’t have been too difficult for him.” After two days of psychological preparation at home, he seemed to have accepted it and now wore the look of a gentleman conceding defeat.

“???” Jiang Yan was so impressed he almost applauded. “Whose side are you on? Be careful, he might steal your girl too.”

“I don’t have a girl.”

“Tang Ningxue, the school beauty. You don’t even care about her?” Jiang Yan said. “I think you should just go for it as soon as possible, or aren’t you just wasting that girl’s feelings?”

Lu Jie was about to tell Jiang Yan to stop talking nonsense when he looked up and saw a figure he hadn’t seen for days.

It was ridiculously funny. Fu Jia’an was signing an autograph for a freshman student? He was surrounded by several starry-eyed classmates whose adoration was practically overflowing.

The cool early autumn wind ruffled the slightly longer hair behind Fu Jia’an’s ears. His skin was very pale, making him look even colder in the crowd. Among the bustling figures, he resembled a fallen leaf that could be blown away at any moment.

Being praised and admired, he only offered a faint smile, giving off a sense of being completely without worldly desires.

As Lu Jie approached, the younger students scattered to rush back for morning self-study. He walked up to Fu Jia’an with his hands in his pockets, his back so straight he felt like a statue.

“Well, congratulations….” Lu Jie grit his teeth. “Congrat…”

“Z…” Lu Jie tried again. This time, it was as if his teeth were glued together with superglue; he couldn’t get the word out.

The class bell rang.

Fu Jia’an waited for a bit but still didn’t hear what Lu Jie was trying to z-out, so he pointed to the classroom door: “I’ll go in then?”

Lu Jie lowered his head, his clenched fist relaxed. He gave up and said, “Go in.”

“What were you trying to say, anyway?” Jiang Yan slung an arm over Lu Jie’s shoulder, making his own attempts at the sound, trying to guess the next syllable: “Ah, I get it. You were trying to say: ‘You blockhead, you only got second place after I tutored you for so long. You embarrassed me.'”

“……” Lu Jie gave Jiang Yan a look reserved for blockheads.

Fu Jia’an sat down at his seat and rubbed the desktop with his finger, finding it spotless. However, in the few days he was gone, the classroom seemed unrecognizable. The two desks that used to be pushed together were now separated by a gap.

Seeing Fu Jia’an staring blankly at the distance between the two desks, Lu Jie took off his backpack and dropped it onto his seat, kindly informing him: “Monthly exams tomorrow.”

Then we can sit next to each other again after the exams, right?

Fu Jia’an didn’t ask, only nodding.

Ye Mingyan turned around and, as usual, gave Fu Jia’an snacks. Without waiting to see if he would eat them, she placed a few chocolates on his desk. She said ecstatically, “Fu Jia’an, I heard we don’t have the last two classes tonight. The whole school is gathering at the sports field to listen to you share your competition experience!”

Fu Jia’an: “Mhm.”

Ye Mingyan smiled, her eyes crescent-shaped, and generously added, “I forgot to congratulate you on your silver medal! You should win more awards in the future so we can skip more classes.”

Fu Jia’an couldn’t help but be amused.

After Ye Mingyan turned back, a voice came from the other end of the desk amidst the rustling of turning pages. Fu Jia’an didn’t need to identify it to know who it was.

“Congratulations.”

Just three words, yet it sounded like a massive decision had been made to say them. It felt like a resolve to be magnanimous, and a resolution to bury the hatchet from now on.

Fu Jia’an read all this information from Lu Jie’s expression and smiled.

That contradictory look of not having given up yet, still arrogant, but trying to appear genuinely defeated, reminded him of those “poisoned” black coffee packets—it was so provocative.

Right after morning self-study, someone was at the door looking for Lu Jie. The person politely knocked first, then was tacitly allowed to walk in by the Class 1 students, heading straight for Lu Jie’s desk.

Tang Ningxue seemed to want to tell Lu Jie a secret, so she practically leaned in close to his ear: “Senior Lu, there’s a…”

The rest of the words were inaudible. A few gossipy students in the front of the class glanced over, their eyes flickering with amusement. Fu Jia’an peeked over. Is that the school beauty Jiang Yan mentioned this morning?

The school beauty who likes Lu Jie.

Fu Jia’an bowed his head, burying his face in his desk to invite drowsiness, a faint, sour, tingling feeling in his heart. His fingers unconsciously traced circles on the desktop, his short, neat nails making a faint sound against the wood. He wondered if this clean desktop was wiped by Lu Jie.

“Fu Jia’an.”

He heard Lu Jie call his name, so he sat up, looking like he had just woken up, a little listless.

“This is Tang Ningxue, a junior from our science class,” Lu Jie continued. “Teacher Mo is her physics teacher too. Teacher Mo had something come up and couldn’t make it to school this morning. He wants you to go to their class and help supervise a physics self-study period.”

“Me?”

“Yes,” Lu Jie scratched his head. “You’re more suitable than I am.”

Fu Jia’an immediately realized that Tang Ningxue had come for Lu Jie, and Lu Jie had pushed the task onto him, unsure if it was genuine humility or spite. Fu Jia’an could have refused, but he barely hesitated: “Okay, I’ll go.”

It was a long walk from the Senior Year building to the Junior Year building. Fu Jia’an walked silently. Tang Ningxue was a little shy, but perhaps finding the atmosphere too awkward, she tried to start a conversation: “Senior Fu, I heard you’re sixteen this year?”

The situation was a bit funny, as Fu Jia’an was actually younger than Tang Ningxue yet was called a senior.

But Fu Jia’an was fine with the title “Senior.” “Mhm.”

Then he started acting like an old man: “Do you like Lu Jie?”

“Ah,” Tang Ningxue was visibly stunned. “Did Senior Lu tell you?!” A seventeen-year-old girl’s feelings are sensitive. Her mind raced, and her face instantly turned red with embarrassment.

“Don’t misunderstand,” Fu Jia’an shook his head. “I just guessed. Are there many people in this school who like Lu Jie?”

“Of course,” Tang Ningxue said. “Senior Lu, he’s kind to everyone. He has good grades, and he’s handsome. It’s hard not to be popular, right?”

Having finally found a topic they could expand upon, Tang Ningxue talked a lot about Lu Jie’s legendary deeds, adding all sorts of exaggerated adjectives from a fan’s perspective.

Fu Jia’an listened, thinking. It’s a long walk, ten minutes at a quick pace, fifteen minutes if you walk slowly. If Lu Jie and Tang Ningxue walked together, it would practically be a date.

Thanks to my interference, it’s a blessing that the scene was prevented.

In the afternoon, all classes gathered in the indoor sports arena. Freshmen and sophomores sat orderly in the stands, while the entire senior class sat directly on the basketball court floor.

The Grade Director first gave a few congratulatory remarks. Then, applause thundered as Fu Jia’an stepped onto the makeshift stage, where a microphone was set up.

Lu Jie adopted the principle of “out of sight, out of mind,” closing his eyes to rest as soon as he sat down in the last row. Fu Jia’an’s speaking voice echoed throughout the gym. The students around him couldn’t stay quiet, whispering to each other.

“I feel like Fu Jia’an gained some weight during this week he was gone, didn’t he? He doesn’t look like a chopstick anymore.”

“Kids are still growing, you know. I think little Jia’an suddenly got taller.”

“Little Jia’an? That’s so creepy!”

“I don’t know if it’s the God of Physics filter, but he’s not bad-looking when you look closely.”

“He was never bad-looking! I think he just hasn’t fully grown into his looks yet because he’s young. Objectively speaking, his features are good.”

“Guys, the director wants us to worship the God of Physics’s spiritual world, and you’re all just discussing his face.”

“I mean, is there anything we can learn from Fu Jia’an’s spiritual world? Zero reference value, honestly. Just be jealous of the genes his parents gave him, and that’s it.”

“…True.”

“……”

Fu Jia’an, Fu Jia’an, Fu Jia’an. The whole damn world was this name, even with his eyes closed.

Lu Jie straightened his posture, telling himself for the Nth time: No jealousy, no struggle, no anger. After taking a few deep breaths, he felt purified from the inside out, almost radiating a faint Buddha glow.

Opening his eyes, Lu Jie saw Jiang Yan in front of him using his thumb and forefinger to pinch an imaginary tiny person, comparing him to the distant Fu Jia’an, muttering, “He only got a little taller, right? Still not as handsome as me, right?”

Did he get taller?

He did seem a little taller.

Hearing Jiang Yan’s words, Lu Jie took a moment to observe Fu Jia’an. Fu Jia’an’s speech was already in its closing remarks. The summarizing sentences drifted into Lu Jie’s ears: “The silver medal I received this time is inseparable from the help of my classmates.”

From afar, Lu Jie and Fu Jia’an’s eyes met. It was a look that held a smile, yet concealed a challenge.

Deep breaths…

“Thank you to my desk mate, Lu Jie.”

No jealousy…

“Without him, I wouldn’t have made such great progress in such a short time.”

No struggle…

“Only getting silver this time, the person I’m most sorry to is him. I want to tell Lu Jie, don’t worry, I’ll take all the first places from now on for you to see.”

No… Screw you!

Lu Jie was completely provoked.

Fu Jia’an closed his speech draft, and blinked at the figure in the distance who was shaking with anger, as if issuing a declaration of war.

—Don’t give up.

Keep being my opponent.