Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 25:

Chapter 25: Engagement

“Why are you bringing up an uncomfortable topic?” Lu Jie smiled nonchalantly, pretending not to take the matter seriously. “It was just a joke that day. Do me a favor and just forget about it.”

“I can’t forget. You know I have a very good memory,” Fu Jia’an’s voice was gentle, carrying a playful smirk, yet with a sense of gradual insistence. “Every detail from last night is playing on a loop in my mind like a video recording. High-definition and uncensored, by the way.”

“……”

How does normal conversation sound so corrupted coming from Fu Jia’an? Lu Jie thought. This kid wasn’t like this before.

Not to be outdone, Lu Jie used his current posture to press a hand against the door, looking down at Fu Jia’an. “True. Living together is a good thing for me, too. Desensitization therapy works exactly like this, Dr. Fu. Isn’t that right?”

In fact, Lu Jie also wanted to know if he could become more mature when he could truly face Fu Jia’an calmly. At that point, he would be invincible and likely wouldn’t be foolish anymore.

In the afternoon, Lu Jie rested in his room downstairs. The sketchbook on his desk had a few simple pen strokes, revealing a lifelike outline. Every time he filled a small square in the sketchbook, he felt like he was transferring his current mood onto the paper, which somewhat eased his overflowing thoughts.

He hadn’t rested well last night, and drowsiness quickly set in. Just as Lu Jie was about to sleep, he heard some movement in the living room. It was probably Fu Jia’an coming downstairs. He put on his eye mask, but the clattering noise from the kitchen was too noticeable.

A few seconds later, Lu Jie also appeared in the kitchen.

Fu Jia’an had just finished washing the small clay pot, dried it, and set it aside. He was now washing the spoon. The sound of running water drowned out the footsteps, and he didn’t realize Lu Jie had arrived.

Turning off the tap, he turned around and bumped right into Lu Jie.

This was truly unexpected. Fu Jia’an rarely looked confused. Lu Jie suppressed a smile, folding his arms in all seriousness. “Did you sort the trash? I’m checking.” He pointed to the two bins side-by-side on the kitchen side. “Left one is for food waste.”

“There is no food waste,” Fu Jia’an said. “I finished everything just now.”

“Really?”

Fu Jia’an drew a finger down his throat to the center of his chest. “Then you’ll have to cut open my stomach to check.”

Lu Jie silently cursed him as a lunatic but had to admit he felt a little better. The highest affirmation of someone’s cooking is an empty plate, especially since that small half-pot of porridge wasn’t a small amount.

“Hand me the clay pot,” Lu Jie opened a compartment in the overhead cabinet. “I’ll put it up.”

“I can reach,” Fu Jia’an said, standing beside Lu Jie and touching the edge of the cabinet to prove his capability.

Lu Jie ignored him, lifted the small clay pot with one hand, and with steady arm muscles, placed it onto the shelf. His other hand playfully rested on the top of Fu Jia’an’s head, his voice tinged with a smile. “Well, I’m still taller than you.”

The feeling of having his head pressed down wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t a caress, devoid of any warmth, conveying only suppression and a desire to win.

But Fu Jia’an just stood there, his neck slowly turning red from the roots of his hair.

Lu Jie probably didn’t know that, in that moment, he greatly resembled his eighteen-year-old self. Competitive, unwilling to show weakness, always retaliating when provoked, like a restless fire, crackling with reckless and passionate sparks.

Fu Jia’an loved the moments when the sparks flew at him; it didn’t matter if it hurt.

Lu Jie must have realized that avoiding the challenge was not the way. Only a frontal confrontation could truly “overcome.”

Fu Jia’an felt it was a good sign.

He wanted to tilt his head but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to move out of Lu Jie’s grasp. He held his neck stiffly and asked, “What are your plans later?”

Lu Jie withdrew his hand: “Staying home. Why?”

Fu Jia’an said, “Just asking casually. I’m going out soon.”

“See you later,” Lu Jie opened the fridge and took out a can of Coke.

“Are you sure? I’m going to play ball with your employees.”

Lu Jie turned back: “You’re really playing with them?” Seeming to think his tone was too surprised, he deepened his voice. “No, why didn’t I notice you were so keen on making friends before?”

Fu Jia’an didn’t hide his personal motive. “I’m quite pragmatic when it comes to making friends. Anyone useful to me can be my friend.”

“My employees, what use are they to you?”

Fu Jia’an shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I can ask them some secrets I’m interested in.”

“……”

“I’m going to change.”

“Wait, I’m going with you!”

The researchers of Jiang Shi Pharmaceuticals, looking forward to a pleasant afternoon of playing ball with Dr. Fu on their day off, were least excited to see Lu Jie.

Yet, after Dr. Fu got out of the car, the person who followed him out of the passenger seat was none other than President Lu himself.

The group’s waving greetings froze, and their excitement and joy instantly shattered. Seriously? Having a meal at the same table as President Lu was scary enough. Why was he intruding on their weekend ball game?

“What’s wrong? Are you that unhappy to see me?”

Lu Jie wasn’t deliberately putting on airs; it was just the persona he typically maintained in front of his employees. He was accustomed to a cold, serious demeanor, and it was hard to switch gears even in a private setting.

Predictably, everyone looked even more nervous, exchanging glances.

“Your President Lu heard I was playing ball with everyone, and since he was bored, he said he wanted to join,” Fu Jia’an walked over first, pointing to Lu Jie behind him. “But today he’s just a background character. Don’t mind him, right, Lu Jie?”

Lu Jie followed behind, not really caring, and responded, “Yes, you guys go ahead and play.”

Later, everyone realized that President Lu really wasn’t there to spoil the fun. The tennis court was outdoors, with tiered seating along the side. Lu Jie sat there like an invisible person, neither playing nor talking to anyone.

Occasionally, he fiddled with his phone, or sometimes he watched the game on the court, checking the score.

Perhaps because Lu Jie was dressed more casually than usual today and wore a baseball cap, only half of his handsome face could be seen from afar as he sat there. He looked a bit lazy, even yawning occasionally. This image was difficult to associate with “President Lu” from the lab; he looked more like a relative of someone in the group.

After a few rounds, the sun gradually set, and the evening breeze blew, making everyone feel relaxed. Everyone felt a bit hungry after playing. Turning their heads, they saw that the large table under the big tree outside the court was already laid with ordered takeout and drinks.

The tennis court was near a resort. The table was on a slight slope, and the surroundings were beautiful—behind them were lush, surrounding trees and the lit string lights of the mountain resort, while looking forward offered a view of the city landscape.

Lu Jie sat at the very corner of the table, looking down at his phone, reading a paper, deliberately minimizing his presence. But the young researchers were chattering excitedly, practically shouting the news that President Lu was treating them for the whole city to hear.

“You can order takeout in a place like this?”

“Wow, this Japanese food place is expensive. I usually can’t afford it.”

“And they have my favorite brand of fried chicken!”

“President Lu’s spending is always grand… I hope he is more generous at the company in the future, hee hee.”

Lu Jie lifted the brim of his cap. “Who is ‘President Lu’? There’s no President Lu here today. This was ordered by a ‘background character.'”

Jiang Xiaoli, chewing on a slice of pizza, said, “Really? Then can we speak freely?”

Jiang Niannian raised her hand. “Then I have a few questions about Mr. Lu, or rather, the background character, to ask Dr. Fu!”

Lu Jie glanced at Fu Jia’an, who was seated diagonally across from him, separated by a few people. “Why are you asking him about my affairs?”

“Because you definitely won’t tell us,” Jiang Niannian said. “So we’ll ask your friend; he must know.”

Fu Jia’an smiled and said, “Sure. And no matter what you ask, there won’t be any retaliation come next Monday, right?”

“……” Lu Jie sighed. “Yes, right.”

“Then one question per person,” Fu Jia’an said. “Starting with Xiaoli.”

Jiang Xiaoli crammed the last bite of pizza into her mouth: “Um, I’ve always been curious, the female CEO of LX Biotech was aggressively pursuing President Lu back then. Did they ever actually date?”

Before Fu Jia’an could open his mouth, Lu Jie said: “No. And it wasn’t exactly ‘aggressively pursuing,’ either.”

Jiang Niannian followed up: “There was a pretty lady who kept waiting for President Lu outside the company, claiming to be his girlfriend. How long did that relationship last?”

Lu Jie interjected again: “We didn’t date at all. We just had a few meals together. She went around saying she was my girlfriend, and then we stopped seeing each other.”

Encouraged, the next two people also asked about the prevalent rumors regarding Lu Jie’s romantic relationships within the company. Jiang Yan had actually told Lu Jie about these stories as jokes, and Lu Jie thought there was nothing to clarify, so he let them be.

The reason he came along today was that he was worried about them spreading rumors, and he couldn’t guarantee that Fu Jia’an wouldn’t exploit them.

He thought that since he was personally present, they would be more cautious. But the post-millennials had such a frank way of teasing people to their face, with a reckless abandon that suggested they didn’t care if they got fired tomorrow as long as they had fun today.

Lu Jie really couldn’t resist, jumping in to answer all the questions before Fu Jia’an could speak, practically holding a press conference.

“So that’s how it is,” Jiang Niannian, who had listened to the debunking, sounded a little disappointed. “The truth isn’t explosive at all…”

“How much more explosive do you want it to be?” Lu Jie laughed exasperatedly. “I had no idea you were so good at spinning stories besides doing research.”

The last one was Xun Zhuo. Similarly, he threw his question to Fu Jia’an.

“Dr. Fu, I want to ask, is your ideal type sitting at this table?”

“Whoa—”

Everyone admired Xun Zhuo’s courage. They all knew that while President Lu was usually fierce, he wasn’t petty. However, Fu Jia’an was the only “outsider” at the table, and everyone was slightly unsure of Dr. Fu’s personality. Despite their curiosity, no one dared to ask such a personal question. They were afraid it wouldn’t match Dr. Fu’s composure.

In those few seconds of silence, Lu Jie pulled his gaze back, looking out at the night.

“Yes.”

He heard Fu Jia’an say.

With five men and four women at the table, the answer was ambiguous. While it narrowed Fu Jia’an’s ideal type down to eight people, it didn’t specify whether it was a man or a woman.

“Too bad no one else has the right to ask a question…”

“Hey, didn’t President Lu still have a question to ask?”