Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 28:

Chapter 28: Leaving

The sky had been overcast for a long time, and it was dark and heavy outside. With the arrival of heating in late November, Fu Jia’an wore a long-sleeved school uniform under a hoodie in the classroom, and a thick, long black down jacket outside—in short, he bundled himself up very tightly, as he was quite sensitive to the cold.

He felt that his relationship with Lu Jie was very subtle; the atmosphere was quite harmonious as long as there were no exams or ranking lists.

“Hey,” during the break, Fu Jia’an felt someone poke his elbow with a pen. “What do you think the answer to this question is?”

Lu Jie loved to tease Fu Jia’an this way, or perhaps the days of constantly solving practice problems were too dull, and occasionally being provocative was a way to find some fun. The fill-in-the-blank question he pointed to was worth 10 points, the most difficult of the section. He looked at Fu Jia’an with a demeanor that implied, “You’re a genius, so you should be able to calculate it in the blink of an eye, right?”

In the blink of an eye, Fu Jia’an said, “1/2.”

Lu Jie didn’t believe him. “Are you just guessing?”

Fu Jia’an said lightly, “See? I tell you directly, and you don’t believe it.”

Lu Jie immediately flipped to the answer. “Damn! It really is.” He felt foolish, propped up his left arm to create a barrier, and sulked, ignoring the other person.

Fu Jia’an secretly smiled.

This problem was easy to solve. You just made it too complicated.

In mid-December, Lu Jie walked back to the classroom from the office with his third monthly exam report card. The corridor, which hadn’t felt cold before, suddenly whipped up a bone-chilling gust of wind, and a few snowflakes landed on the list.

The freshly printed ink hadn’t dried, and Fu Jia’an’s stroke at the very top had slightly bled, merging with the horizontal line of the chart and the strokes of Lu Jie’s name. Lu Jie’s mood was complicated; even seeing this entanglement felt annoying.

Ranked first in the grade: Fu Jia’an.

Ranked second in the grade: Lu Jie.

Mr. Dai probably wanted to offer some comfort, patting Lu Jie’s shoulder and saying, “It’s not a shame to lose to Fu Jia’an, is it?”

This only irritated Lu Jie more. Why shouldn’t it be a shame to lose to Fu Jia’an? He is him, and I am me. Even if I lost to Einstein, don’t I have the right to feel sorry for myself? But he knew his uncle didn’t mean it that way. He could only grit his teeth, nod, and push the door open.

In this moment, Lu Jie hated everyone: he hated Dai Xin, he hated Fu Jia’an, and he hated the strangers passing by in the corridor. He also hated himself. It was he who had personally pushed himself into this predicament, with nowhere to vent his anger.

He was the one who had initially pulled Fu Jia’an under his protection, and now that he was truly second place, no one would speak up for him anymore.

It was entirely his own doing.

It was Friday, and going home would likely mean facing an interrogation from Dai Mengshu. After school, Lu Jie immediately grabbed his backpack and hailed a taxi at the school gate. He decided to stay with his father, Lu He, for a few nights.

Lu He was surprised when he opened the door, and his first question was, “Did your mom agree to you coming over today?”

“No, I turned off my phone,” Lu Jie walked in, tossing his backpack and phone onto the sofa. He then opened the fridge, grabbed a can of ice-cold Coke, and drank half of it in one gulp.

“Oh… Drinking cold Coke in winter, your mom definitely wouldn’t allow it.”

Lu Jie collapsed onto the sofa, his long legs stretching out a considerable length. “If I get scolded, you can just take the blame for me.”

It had been a while since he last visited. Lu Jie found his father’s place a bit unfamiliar. The sofa seemed to be new, and the various furnishings had changed, with the whole color scheme updated. The overall feeling was very comfortable, aesthetically pleasing yet practical.

The walls hadn’t changed, though. One entire wall was covered with paintings Lu He had done in his youth, six pieces framed together, staggered and full of artistry.

Lu He had already started moving around in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge while muttering, “You should have sent me a message in advance. I could have bought groceries.”

“Just heat up some leftovers. I’m not hungry.”

“Alright,” Lu He said. “I developed a few new dishes at noon. I’ll heat them up later. Give me your opinion and see if they can be added to the menu.”

“Okay,” Lu Jie knew his father had opened a small restaurant two years ago. The business was just so-so, barely breaking even. It was a miracle it had lasted this long, yet Lu He was still constantly thinking about innovation. This was precisely what Dai Mengshu had hated most about Lu He: his love for unnecessary fuss.

Before Lu Jie started elementary school, Lu He was an interior designer, rushing between clients, often getting home late at night, but fortunately, he earned a good income. It seemed like an ideal profession, accumulating resources with each passing year. Yet, Lu He gave up halfway, choosing to resign and become a full-time painter in his late thirties.

It seemed that the conflicts between Dai Mengshu and Lu He began increasing around that time.

He painted for a few years, but didn’t achieve much recognition, far from earning the title of “artist.” Lu He had no income at home, so while painting, he also took responsibility for cooking and childcare. It was during that period that he discovered his culinary skills. One day, he bought groceries and saw a small local Spitz in a metal cage, exposed to the scorching sun on the street. He bought it from the vendor and brought it home.

Lu He took a few dishes covered with cling film out of the fridge. Lu Jie’s voice came from the living room: “Dad, have you ever thought about getting another dog?”

Perhaps seeing the photo on the cabinet reminded Lu Jie of Sweet and Sour Fish (the dog’s name).

After Lu He divorced Lu Jie’s mother, he quickly moved out of their original home. To find a place that could fit his frames and art supplies and give Sweet and Sour Fish enough space to run around, Lu He had to rent a three-bedroom apartment in a very remote suburban area.

Lu Jie missed Sweet and Sour Fish. He often took a bus for over an hour after school to Lu He’s place to play with the dog for a while before leaving.

One Thursday evening, Lu Jie returned after walking Sweet and Sour Fish. Dai Mengshu had come to find him on the road just as the streetlights came on. Lu Jie immediately wanted to run away, but Sweet and Sour Fish wouldn’t leave, barking excitedly at Dai Mengshu.

Across the sidewalk, Dai Mengshu yelled, “Lu Jie, your teacher called me and said you’ve skipped night study several times. Don’t you know you’re about to take the high school entrance exam?”

Some pedestrians who had just gotten off work turned to look at them. The 15-year-old Lu Jie was so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into a hole. He just wanted Dai Mengshu to lower her voice and not yell outside; even arguing at home would be better. Sweet and Sour Fish was still wagging its tail excitedly, desperately trying to lunge forward. Lu Jie didn’t pull hard, and in a moment of distraction, the leash slipped from his hand. The little Spitz bolted forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Before he could react, a truck zoomed past with a “swoosh,” and Lu Jie heard a collision, followed by a whimper.

Sweet and Sour Fish, lying a few meters from the zebra crossing, struggled faintly a few times. Bl00d gushed out, painting a field of red.

By the time they reached the door of the pet hospital operating room, Lu Jie was in a daze. He sat on a chair, covering his face, his eyes vacant. He felt completely powerless and had no energy to care about his parents, who had started arguing loudly in a public place again.

“I didn’t object to Lu Jie living with you, but is this how you pressure him?”

“What right do you have to criticize me? What contribution have you made to this family?”

“Say no more. Lu Jie will live with me from now on.”

“What kind of joke is that? Is Lu Jie going to be a failure like you?”

…

Lu Jie later felt that that scene greatly altered a part of his personality. He didn’t cry when he should have, and he wasn’t willful when he could have been. He matured prematurely, understanding every selfish act of Lu He and the hard work of Dai Mengshu.

Just as he always blamed himself for not being good enough for every parental argument, he also blamed himself for not holding the leash tight enough for Sweet and Sour Fish’s death.

Lu He closed the fridge door and said to Lu Jie, “If you want to get another dog someday, I’ll support you. But I don’t plan to get one again.”

This decision was consistent with Lu He’s usual character. He seemed gentle and easygoing, even a little weak, but he cared deeply about his own feelings. He wouldn’t simply get another dog to compensate his son, just as he hadn’t initially brought the dog home for Lu Jie.

During dinner, Lu Jie gave an objective review of the new dishes. Honestly, the flavors were quite good.

“Dad, have you ever thought that maybe it’s not that you’re not doing well, but simply that you don’t have good business luck?”

Lu He clutched his chest. “Son, do you have to be so direct? You’re making me a little sad.”

“What I mean is,” Lu Jie looked down, somewhat idly scraping the last few grains of rice in his bowl. “If you’ve truly done your best, but the result is still not good, what should you do?”

“On this matter, your mother and I have different ideas. I don’t know if saying this will lead you astray…” Lu He said. “But I think that what’s important in life isn’t necessarily getting first place, but finding something you want to spend your life doing.”

“What about you, Dad? What do you want to spend your life doing?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Huh?”

“Who says adults must have everything figured out?”

“…Oh.”

That night, Lu Jie lay in the guest room and heard his father take a phone call outside, talking back and forth for a long time. It was probably to fend off another round of interrogation from Dai Mengshu. He could have a peaceful weekend.

Outside the window, snow fell softly, quickly dyeing the world silvery white. This year’s first heavy snow finally ushered the unpredictable weather into winter.

Lu Jie thought, I didn’t get first place today, I secretly ran to my dad’s place far from school, and I drank cold Coke. That’s quite rebellious… Then he thought it was quite amusing that his imagination for rebellion was so limited. Not to mention others, if these few “sins” were committed by Jiang Yan, his old man would be elated, beating gongs and drums.

Will there ever be a day when I can allow myself to be more free, and openly become a son who doesn’t necessarily make his parents proud?

But Lu Jie also wondered, Is this the self-justification of a loser? He had always won from childhood. Perhaps someone like Fu Jia’an appeared just to teach him how to lose. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Adjusting his mindset from a different perspective, Lu Jie felt his health bar was fully recharged. No more gloom, no more lethargy.

He could lose, and he could admit that his talent was inferior to a genius, but he must not be completely defeated. He wouldn’t believe that Fu Jia’an could win against him for his entire life.

Lu Jie sat up and turned his phone back on. Dozens of messages popped up simultaneously. There were messages from Dai Mengshu and from Jiang Yan. At the bottom of the chat interface, a red dot indicated a new friend request.

The user name was “Expired Can.”

Weird, but it feels like an acquaintance.

Lu Jie accepted the request: [Fu Jia’an?]

Expired Can: [Yes, it’s me.]

Lu Jie: [How did you get my contact information?]

Expired Can: [I glanced at your ID before and remembered it.]

Lu Jie: [……]

Lu Jie: [What can I do for you?]

Lu Jie thought, Please don’t be here to console me, or I’ll block you immediately.

Expired Can: [Do you want me to leave school?]

Lu Jie: [What do you mean?]

Expired Can: [A few universities are contacting me, and all majors are open. I can submit my application materials and then won’t have to come to class anymore.]

That’s annoying… The first semester of the third year of high school wasn’t even over, and they were already bypassing the regular process to snatch him up. He could even choose any major—special treatment to the extreme.

Lu Jie: [If you get successfully accepted, when will you leave?]

Expired Can: [The weather forecast says this snow will last until December 30th.]

Expired Can: [I’ll leave after this snow ends.]