Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 11:

Chapter 11: Monthly Exam

The results of the first monthly exam were released.

Since Fu Jia’an’s speech, his fame across the school had soared. However, the conclusion of his speech was interpreted differently by everyone. One group felt Fu Jia’an was simply expressing his determination to achieve good grades; another felt Fu Jia’an was arrogant and looked down on everyone.

Naturally, Lu Jie formed his own group: Fu Jia’an’s words were a declaration of war against him.

Lu Jie didn’t believe Fu Jia’an had a strong desire to win. He thought Fu Jia’an must have seen through Lu Jie’s continued hostility and was simply giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Perfect. If he doesn’t want peace, let’s be enemies!

However, when the eagerly anticipated exam rankings were posted, everyone was stunned. First place was still firmly held by Lu Jie, second was Peng Yuan, and after counting over a dozen more names, they finally found Fu Jia’an’s position.

19th in the grade.

Jiang Yan, naturally siding with Lu Jie, loudly began to make snide remarks. “How ridiculous, boasting before the scores were even out, and now he can’t even get second place. If his knowledge is lacking, maybe he should consider repeating freshman year?”

Peng Yuan said, “I heard he got perfect scores in all of science, math, physics, and biology.”

“Wow, now that you put it that way, he seems even more divine, what the heck!” Some people started discussing. “A genius with skewed subjects, this is the kind of character you only see in movies.”

“More than just divine, he’s a freak,” more people couldn’t resist joining the conversation. “When does he even study? I see him sleeping in class most of the time…”

“Tch, what’s so great about that? Something he gets without much effort, is that really worth bragging about?”

Since they had spent more time with Lu Jie, many students in the class resented the new kid stealing the academic god’s spotlight. “And geniuses like him have weird ideas. Aren’t they all selfish and extreme?”

After the monthly exam, all the desks for classmates in the class were pushed back together, except for Lu Jie and Fu Jia’an’s desks, which remained far apart, like two opposing forces.

Lu Jie sat in his seat, silent, but the discussions all fell into his ears without affecting his mood in the slightest. To be honest, Fu Jia’an’s 19th place truly delighted him. What was that called? Blowing a big horn, then immediately getting slapped in the face.

I don’t care if your science subjects were all perfect scores. If you’re not first, you’re not first. Isn’t that embarrassing?

Although he didn’t want to seem too gloating, Lu Jie was in such a good mood that his long legs swung leisurely back and forth, and he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curving up, almost humming a tune.

“Hey, Lu Jie, Teacher Dai wants you to go to the office.” Ye Mingyan pushed the classroom door open and walked in.

“Mhm.” Lu Jie stood up with a composed face, still exuding the unflappable, veteran-like calmness that once again dazzled everyone. This was what you call a true god, with impeccable character, intelligence, and diligence!

When he reached the office, Lu Jie found that Fu Jia’an was also there.

Dai Xin had a Chinese language test paper in front of him and seemed to be earnestly saying something to Fu Jia’an. Seeing Lu Jie arrive, Dai Xin quickly finished his conversation: “I can’t make an exception to count your Chinese score this time. Be careful next time, understand?”

Fu Jia’an pointed to himself nearby, kindly reminding Lu Jie: “Mine.”

“……”

So, the implication was that Fu Jia’an scored 19th in the grade without his Chinese score counted? Lu Jie’s composure shattered. The victim of this blunder wasn’t Fu Jia’an; it was me! It was me!!!

Lu Jie looked at Fu Jia’an, who was looking back at him with clear eyes, giving off an impression of carefree innocence. But having experienced Fu Jia’an’s subtle cunning at such a young age, Lu Jie now thought every action and expression he made had an ulterior motive. He’s doing this to deliberately annoy me, right?

Dai Xin explained, “Fu Jia’an hasn’t taken many exams. He’s used to finishing all the questions first and writing his name last. During the Chinese exam, he didn’t finish the essay, so he forgot to write his name at the end.”

???

Is this the thought process of a genius? Lu Jie was greatly shocked.

“Lu Jie, you sit next to Fu Jia’an. Can you please remind him more often in the future?”

Am I his babysitter? That thought flashed through Lu Jie’s mind.

But soon, he realized this was the boomerang from his decision to sit next to Fu Jia’an. Furthermore, Dai Xin was his uncle, making this more of a private request than a class teacher’s “appointment.”

Lu Jie could only nod.

“Oh, by the way, I heard some discussions,” Dai Xin seemed to want to talk to Lu Jie about something else: “Is Jia’an not integrating well in the class? Is anyone… bullying him?”

Before Lu Jie could speak, Fu Jia’an chimed in: “Everyone is very nice to me, especially Brother Lu Jie. The separation of our desks isn’t because he dislikes me. Teacher Dai, you really don’t need to worry.”

My god, you are quite the talker.

“Is that so?” Dai Xin looked at Lu Jie. Knowing his character well, he didn’t say anything harsh. “You’re in the final year of high school. Interpersonal relationships also affect your mood. Don’t make things so complicated. Spending this last period harmoniously will benefit both your studies and your mental well-being, wouldn’t you agree?”

Lu Jie grit his teeth: “Agreed.”

On the way back, Fu Jia’an kept observing Lu Jie’s expression. Lu Jie’s face was dark, and he didn’t say a word. The surrounding leaves were golden, and the autumn wind was chilly. Fu Jia’an felt cold all over, the chill seemingly emanating from the person next to him.

“Are you angry?”

Lu Jie remained silent.

“I really didn’t forget to write my name on purpose.”

Lu Jie stopped and scrutinized Fu Jia’an for a moment. “Whether you write your name or not, what does it have to do with me? Are we close?”

Fu Jia’an: “I didn’t want you to think I was someone who didn’t take the exam seriously.”

That’s it. So that’s why he was angry. It wasn’t because of Fu Jia’an’s score, but because he felt too easily provoked into competition, so easily put on guard by a 16-year-old kid.

And the opponent? He didn’t even bother to deploy a single soldier.

“Then let me see how many points your serious attempt gets,” Lu Jie sneered, snatching the nameless Chinese test paper from Fu Jia’an’s hand and quickly scanning it from top to bottom.

The opened white test paper covered half of Lu Jie’s face. Fu Jia’an openly let his gaze linger over Lu Jie’s handsome features. They were the eyes of a favored son of heaven, casually upturned, aligning with the defiant line of his brow bone, giving him an intense, perfectly-structured handsomeness.

A person like this shouldn’t be so gentle. Fu Jia’an recalled Tang Ningxue’s words, “Lu Jie is nice to everyone,” and he simply couldn’t stand being one of those “everyone.”

“How is this unfinished? You didn’t write a single word for the essay.” Lu Jie frowned, suddenly feeling helpless as he looked at Fu Jia’an.

“…I didn’t know how to write it.”

The two stood in the hallway, looking exactly like children who had been called in to see their parents and were being scolded for poor exam results.

In reality, it was the grade’s first-place student sighing at the grade’s potential second-place student (after adding the Chinese score).

Back in the classroom, the lively discussion atmosphere hadn’t ended. Lu Jie pushed the door open, and the classroom instantly fell silent. The academic god was followed by the expressionless Fu Jia’an. With both subjects of the rumors back, everyone quickly shut up and quietly returned to their seats.

What’s going on? Did the two of them get into a fight?

They didn’t dare speak, but their eyes agilely followed the two “big shots” back to the last row.

Lu Jie slapped his hand down on his desk with a loud “PANG,” startling everyone. Then, he placed his other hand on the side of the desk, pushed hard, and the entire desk slid forward.

Finally, it aligned perfectly with Fu Jia’an’s desk.

Fu Jia’an felt a gear click into place in his own heart. The other person’s presence was suddenly very close, and the scent he liked gradually surrounded him. He was so happy, a happiness that seemed to have no root cause. His entire chest felt filled with blooming flowers, but where the stems were rooted and when the seeds were sown, even a genius like Fu Jia’an had no idea.

It was a feeling of lightness he had never experienced since childhood. It felt like he didn’t have to do anything, and his heart was warm and full.

This mood lasted until the afternoon.

Senior Year Class 1, unusually, had a physical education class. According to Peng Yuan, it was because the class’s overall exam performance was good, so all subject teachers collectively decided not to take up the class time, allowing the students to go outside and get some fresh air.

However, as soon as they left the classroom and walked onto the field, Class 1 and Senior Year Class 6 met unexpectedly. This seemed a bit illogical. Class 6 was squarely at the bottom, the perennial “Last Place.” Why would Class 6 get a reward when Class 1 did?

After running laps, the students from the two classes mixed up. Gossip circulated through the crowd and eventually reached Lu Jie’s ears.

“I heard that a senior from the Third High School next door jumped because of excessive academic pressure.”

“What the heck!???”

“City officials made a statement, demanding the implementation of stress reduction for seniors and attention to their mental health. That’s why they’re making up for lost time by giving us P.E. class, right?”

“No wonder the teacher didn’t call my parents even though I scored so badly this time…”

“But I heard he jumped not because of academic pressure, but because of bullying.”

“Bullying? Why?”

“It seems his grades improved too much, and he became a target for others… For the academic aces whose grades have always been top-notch, people are used to it and don’t say much. But for those who suddenly catch up in senior year, how should I put it? It feels like they’re snatching something away from others? So, some people would be unhappy, especially since everyone is on edge and very sensitive during this time.”

Lu Jie didn’t join the conversation. He lined up with Class 1 as the P.E. teacher blew the whistle for assembly.

No matter the time, there were always some students who didn’t like P.E. Forcing them to jump and run for an entire class might not be relaxing. So the P.E. teacher set only one condition: each student had to shoot a basketball into the hoop once. As long as they made the shot, they could have free activity for the rest of the class, as long as they didn’t go back to the classroom to sit.

A few tall boys skilled in basketball eagerly raised their hands, showing off various trick shots. There were also girls who were good at sports, like Ye Mingyan. She had always been the Class 1 P.E. representative, famous as a scoring sprite during the girls’ basketball competitions—sweet-looking but cool and fierce when playing.

Shooting a basket was a piece of cake for her. As her feet sprung off the ground, she raised her hand and flipped her wrist. The basketball arced perfectly through the air and hit the basket with one shot, earning applause from the entire court.

Unknowingly, most of the class had completed the task, but they didn’t leave, staying around the basketball court in a circle.

Because there was more excitement to come.

Fu Jia’an and Lu Jie hadn’t shot yet.

Next was Lu Jie. He took the basketball and stood at the three-point line. Without even jumping, he simply lifted himself onto his toes, using the power of his wrist and arm muscles to effortlessly shoot a three-pointer.

Jiang Yan applauded nearby: “Nice flex!”

Lu Jie turned around, automatically searching for the other person’s figure.

Good, very good. Fu Jia’an wasn’t even looking this way. Among all the eyes fixed on him, only Fu Jia’an and Ye Mingyan were standing together, discussing something. They were talking animatedly, raising their arms to gesture as they spoke. Ye Mingyan was teaching very earnestly. Feeling that the angle of Fu Jia’an’s arm was wrong, she even reached out and gently adjusted it for him.

As if his brain were controlled by something, Lu Jie walked straight over, stood between the two of them, lowered his head, and said, “Excuse me, coming through.”