Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 24:

Chapter 24: Overcoming

[What kind of joke is this]

Lu Jie frantically typed: [Is it Fu Jia’an who’s moving in?]

[Jiang Yan, are you crazy?]

Jiang Yan, who usually replied instantly, was nowhere to be found, leaving Lu Jie and Fu Jia’an staring at each other at the door. Good heavens, the last person he wanted to see right now was Fu Jia’an, and yet here he was, delivering himself to the door.

“I understand,” Fu Jia’an leaned on the door frame, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the side. “Did Jiang Yan not tell you in advance?”

Behind him, two movers were already coming up with large cardboard boxes, piling three or five of them in the hallway in the blink of an eye.

Fu Jia’an called out toward the elevator: “Masters, please don’t bring any more up for now.”

He then turned back, smiling understandingly. “Before everything is moved up, I’ll have them take it all back. Don’t feel burdened, I’ll find another place to live.”

The words were considerate, but Fu Jia’an was looking directly into Lu Jie’s eyes, staring at him nakedly. Though he wasn’t reciting any spells, his gaze had a captivating power.

Lu Jie thought of the dilapidated building Fu Jia’an lived in, which was in a great location but seemed like the kind of place where a strong gust of wind could snap the power lines—it was practically a place for a caveman. “Another place? Your original apartment?”

“Yes,” Fu Jia’an replied cheerfully, acting as if going back home was no big deal.

Lu Jie’s first reaction upon seeing Fu Jia’an was definitely that he didn’t want him to move in. But Fu Jia’an’s attitude was so agreeable, and he said it didn’t matter if he moved back… The thought of the man who barely rested, spending day and night at the hospital, having to return to such a miserable environment, actually gave Lu Jie a feeling of guilt.

Besides, Fu Jia’an was now the Chief Resident, the busiest time of his career. He would hardly ever be home, so even if he moved in, they wouldn’t cross paths much, right?

Forget it.

Lu Jie shifted his body to the side. The light, which had been blocked by his tall, solid frame, suddenly flooded in from the doorway. Behind him was a huge floor-to-ceiling window, through which one could see the dazzling sunlight and the city center’s landmarks.

“Come in. Your room is on the second floor.” Lu Jie no longer blocked him, but he didn’t offer help either, strolling into the living room as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Fu Jia’an couldn’t hold back, subtly curling the corners of his mouth. Before Lu Jie could change his mind, he turned and gestured to the workers, asking them to hurry and move all the boxes in.

Actually, over a decade ago, Fu Jia’an discovered that Lu Jie responded to kindness, not coercion, but back then, he was only sixteen and couldn’t bring himself to coax Lu Jie.

Now it was different; his skin was much thicker.

The apartment, usually home to only two, suddenly became lively. Although Lu Jie tried to ignore it, Fu Jia’an’s figure was constantly moving back and forth in the living room.

Lu Jie’s sofa was in the center of the living room, with his back to the busy line of movers. He sat perfectly straight; a closer inspection would reveal his entire body was stiff. Since things had come to this, Lu Jie now only hoped that the events of last night would be forgotten—Fu Jia’an wouldn’t bring it up, and he wouldn’t think about it anymore.

To find something to do, Lu Jie looked down at his phone. Only now did he remember Dai Yaoxi’s message hadn’t been replied to, so he reopened their chat box and replied after more than ten hours.

Lu Jie: [What is it?]

Dai Yaoxi replied quickly, as if he had been guarding his phone waiting for a message: [I just want to learn more about Senior Fu Jia’an.]

Lu Jie: [Go ask your dad, he was Fu Jia’an’s homeroom teacher.]

Dai Yaoxi: [He refuses to talk. He told me to ask you, said you were his high school deskmate.]

Lu Jie: [Why do you want to know about Fu Jia’an? He has nothing to do with you.]

Dai Yaoxi: [Who says? We’re both J University alumni.]

Lu Jie almost forgot. Dai Yaoxi was also studying at J University Medical School. Come to think of it, he was not only a high school but also a university alumnus of Fu Jia’an. Furthermore, connecting the dots, Dai Yaoxi might have been inspired to apply to J University because of Fu Jia’an.

Sure enough, Dai Yaoxi immediately sent a message that confirmed Lu Jie’s guess: [I really admire him!]

Followed by an emoji with watery eyes.

Lu Jie was speechless, not only because Fu Jia’an’s admirers had become so pervasive they reached his own backyard, but also because his youngest, stubborn cousin, who rarely chatted with him, had sent a cute, coquettish emoji, as if he were possessed.

Lu Jie felt it wouldn’t hurt to indulge the kid: [That’s easy. I’ll introduce you to him.]

Unexpectedly, Dai Yaoxi quickly refused: [No, no need.]

Lu Jie: […Then what exactly do you want to do?]

Dai Yaoxi quoted his earlier statement: I just want to learn more about Senior Fu Jia’an.

Lu Jie was baffled. What kind of logic is this? He couldn’t understand.

But on second thought, since Dai Yaoxi had never met Fu Jia’an in real life, to him, Fu Jia’an was just a distant legend, a genius boy posted on the school bulletin board. Compared to those who had actually interacted with Fu Jia’an, Dai Yaoxi was admiring an imagined, dazzling star.

So, the curiosity, the fantasy, and the reverence that only dared to observe from afar were understandable.

What exactly is a genius like? Because they were so rare, people often sought out Lu Jie for information. Although most people weren’t driven by admiration, but simply a sensational desire for verification.

In fact, Lu Jie felt that Fu Jia’an was annoying, but he didn’t have any strange quirks, nor was he completely devoid of empathy due to his high intelligence, like in the movies. The longer he was around him, the more he would forget that Fu Jia’an was the so-called “genius.” He was only 16 at the time, and though precocious, he occasionally revealed a childish side.

When Lu Jie once mentioned this, Jiang Yan expressed disbelief: Is the Fu Jia’an you know the same person I know?

So Lu Jie had to admit that he, too, had probably never completely figured out Fu Jia’an.

However, he was also curious. Even though he had always disliked Fu Jia’an and had fully witnessed his devilish, provocative, and cunning side, when others asked about him, why couldn’t he say a single harsh word?

Perhaps it was because Lu Jie knew that he was the closest person to Fu Jia’an back then; he was the primary eyewitness to the life of this much-watched genius, and anything he said would become a widely circulated testimony.

Lu Jie knew in his heart that Fu Jia’an was only a little mean to him, but that didn’t mean Fu Jia’an was a bad person.

“Do you want to eat something later?”

Fu Jia’an suddenly leaned over from behind, bending down to speak to Lu Jie naturally.

Lu Jie, who had been spacing out, was startled. He looked sideways to see Fu Jia’an resting his elbows on the back of the sofa, about an inch away from him. His eyes were on the delivery app on his phone, scrolling through the list casually.

It was as if they were long-time roommates who always ate together.

Fu Jia’an was wearing a short-sleeved shirt today. The lower half of the shirt was buttoned, while the large cut-out neckline had interwoven ropes like a tether. The ropes were tied loosely, with the two dangling ends of unequal length, making him look lazy and relaxed.

From Lu Jie’s position, he could clearly see the deepening hollows of Fu Jia’an’s collarbone as he leaned over. Following the neckline, he could also glimpse a small part of his well-toned chest muscles.

Lu Jie turned his head back. “You eat. I’m not hungry.”

Fu Jia’an said, “That’s how you get stomach problems.”

“Don’t think you can boss me around just because you’re a doctor now,” Lu Jie said. “I’ll cook my own porridge later.”

“Then I want porridge too,” Fu Jia’an smiled and put away his phone, getting up.

“I’m not making you any,” Lu Jie stood up, shoved his phone into his pocket, and went to the kitchen.

Water, rice, fire in the pot. Lu Jie waited in the kitchen, stirring the bubbling white rice grains with a spoon, thinking he wasn’t making it for Fu Jia’an. An individual serving of porridge was only a handful of rice, and it wasn’t worth lighting the stove for just a handful of rice.

So, he casually added two more bowls of rice.

Plain white porridge was a bit bland. He sliced two hot dogs, washed some greens, and chopped them into small pieces to cook in the pot. Finally, he seasoned it with a little white pepper, turned off the heat, and finished.

Lu Jie carried the steaming pot to the coffee table in the living room. By now, no more workers were entering the house, and the apartment door was closed. Fu Jia’an was probably organizing things upstairs, and Lu Jie waited a while, but no one came down.

Forget it, why am I waiting for him?

The hangover from last night really upset his stomach. A few spoonfuls of the light, stomach-warming porridge finally helped Lu Jie recover significantly. Dai Yaoxi’s messages kept pouring in, all questions about Fu Jia’an. Lu Jie felt like he was talking to a fanatical elementary school student and couldn’t keep up with the replies.

Dai Yaoxi was too curious, asking whatever came to mind. One would think he was writing a biography of Fu Jia’an. Lu Jie swallowed another mouthful of porridge and replied: [Why don’t you just get a yearbook, and I’ll have him fill it out for you.]

Dai Yaoxi: [Bro, I’m not kidding!]

Dai Yaoxi: [Help me out this once, and I’ll take a bullet for you at the next family gathering, okay?]

Lu Jie thought, That’s a good deal.

There was a little less than half a pot of porridge left. It would be a waste not to eat it, but he didn’t particularly want another meal of it from the fridge. Lu Jie swore he only didn’t want to waste food, so he put the still-hot porridge in a small clay pot, covered it, and carried it upstairs.

Fu Jia’an’s room door was ajar. To block the glaring sunlight, the room’s curtains were almost completely drawn. Inside the dim room, several boxes had been opened, with stacks of books and clothes piled up.

Since no one had lived there for a long time, there was a lot of cleaning to do. Fu Jia’an was standing on a stool, wiping the top shelf of the closet. Seeing Lu Jie, he turned his face and said, “Is it time to eat? Ah, you brought it up for me?”

Fu Jia’an jumped down from the chair and eagerly lifted the lid. Smelling the fragrance of the rice, he happily told Lu Jie, “You’re so good to me.”

It wasn’t “you are good,” but “you are good to me.” Lu Jie’s porridge was savory, yet the aftertaste on his tongue had a saccharine sweetness, as if too much granulated sugar had been added.

He kept his expression neutral, took the lid from Fu Jia’an’s hand, and put it back on. “There’s so much dust in this room. If you leave it uncovered, you’ll ruin my porridge.”

“By the way,” Lu Jie casually brushed the desk in the bedroom, which was spotless—Fu Jia’an had probably already wiped it. “What’s your favorite color?”

Fu Jia’an found it strange. “Why are you asking that? Suddenly curious about me?”

“Don’t be narcissistic. My cousin asked me,” Lu Jie added. “Mr. Dai’s son. He’s very interested in you.”

“Are you still thinking about introducing me to others? Wasn’t promoting me for marriage at your company enough?”

“What are you thinking? My brother is only in his second year of college. I’m warning you, don’t spread your evil influence to him. He just has an unrealistic admiration for you. Maybe if he knows a little more, the filter will fade.”

Fu Jia’an said, “White.”

“Huh?”

“The color I like. What else do you want to ask?”

“Wait a minute,” Lu Jie took out his phone, comparing the flood of questions from Dai Yaoxi. “Height?”

“183.”

Lu Jie replied to Dai Yaoxi immediately after hearing the answer.

“Weight?”

Fu Jia’an cooperated fully, answering every question. “65 kg during the last checkup.”

“First…” Lu Jie saw the line was “When was your first love,” thought, What kind of question is this?, and skipped it. The next one: “Favorite scent?”

“Lychee scent.”

Lu Jie’s typing hand paused, then he naturally covered it up with the next question.

After a few more innocuous questions, about ten minutes passed. Lu Jie turned off his phone. “Forget it, I’ll ask the rest later. I won’t disturb your unpacking.”

He turned to leave, mainly because the atmosphere had felt strange since a moment ago.

Fu Jia’an was one step faster, appearing at the doorway like a flash. He grabbed the doorknob, and the lock clicked shut. His back pressed against the door, the distance between them so close it looked like Lu Jie was pinning him against the wall.

The room grew darker, a narrow slit left between the drawn curtains, through which a golden, intense light filtered, making the floating dust inside the room stream like stars.

Time seemed to slow down, and even their breathing was clearly audible.

Fu Jia’an slightly raised his head, with a hint of willful, forceful coercion in his tone. “Lu Jie, didn’t you say you wanted to overcome me?”

“If you run away, how will you overcome me?”