Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 31:

Chapter 31: Dark Clouds

Fu Jia’an clutched the examination report in his hand. The doctor’s diagnosis: Medulloblastoma relapse.

WNT-type medulloblastoma, after complete resection, is one of the brain tumors with the lowest recurrence rate. Even if it recurs, the high-risk period is usually 2 to 5 years after treatment, and the chance of late recurrence after ten years is very small.

Yet, Fu Jia’an was still affected.

He had always felt that he was a collection of low-probability events: low probability of being born with a brain tumor, low probability of being adopted by the most outstanding chief neurosurgeon, low probability of being cured by surgery, and low probability of the surgery not affecting his brain development, resulting instead in superior intelligence.

Fu Jia’an had no doubt that if he died one day, it would certainly be an unusually low-probability death—like being struck by lightning while walking, or being hit by a comet.

Fu Zihua and Shen Rufai were once worried that Fu Jia’an would live in fear and worry, so they constantly reassured him from a young age: “Our Jia’an overcame the hardships of childhood, so he’s bound to have good luck from now on.”

Fu Jia’an never reassured himself. He felt it was fine to die at any moment. He was like a cluster of gray, overcast clouds born to drift, casting a shadow wherever he went, a shadow even his biological parents tried to avoid. But since Fu Zihua and Shen Rufai wanted him to live well, he simply floated gently in the air, neither happy nor sad, ensuring that even if this cloud wasn’t clear and bright, it wouldn’t rain.

There were things he had to endure alone, like when Fu Jia’an was in elementary school and casually talked to classmates, only to realize they didn’t remember events from shortly after birth. But Fu Jia’an remembered the scene: he was wrapped in a small blanket, being held, his view swaying.

A woman kept crying, a man wiped her tears, and then he was placed in an unknown location.

Then came a long wait. He cried and cried, and that memory was twisted and stretched, as if he cried for many years.

When he woke up again, he saw nurses in white uniforms. An elegant, beautiful woman in a white coat often came to see him. She later told him she was his mother.

He was given a new name, Fu Jia’an.

For the next ten-plus years, Fu Jia’an was acting: acting as a child who wasn’t afraid of radiotherapy or injections, acting as a teenager who was unaware of being abandoned, acting as someone who could easily forget pain—though he hadn’t forgotten anything.

Lu Jie’s appearance was a dazzling ray of light piercing through that darkness, a light that was hot and scorching, yet it penetrated the clouds and gently landed in Fu Jia’an’s palm. For the first time in his life, he felt a longing for this world.

But the examination report in his hand was like an alarm bell, reminding him of his cursed fate, telling him to accept his lot and not dare to long for happiness.

But why did it have to be on the last day of the year? Was it a reminder that he didn’t deserve a new beginning? Fu Jia’an couldn’t help but laugh out of helplessness.

He sat in his room for a long time before finally opening the door. Fu Zihua and Shen Rufai had been standing outside for an unknown duration, watching him with worried eyes when he emerged.

Fu Jia’an put his hand to his mouth and yawned. “Have you two been standing guard here since earlier?”

“Jia’an, listen to me,” Fu Zihua said. “Mom looked at your test results. The tumor location isn’t too bad, and we caught it early before spinal metastasis occurred. I’m confident I can remove it completely.”

Shen Rufai put an arm around Fu Jia’an’s shoulder, trying to sound cheerful. “That’s right, don’t worry. The best neurosurgeon in the country is our Dr. Fu, isn’t she?”

“I know,” Fu Jia’an looked at the two of them. “I’m not worried at all. It seems like you two are the ones who are more concerned, right?”

“Then why were you in your room this afternoon…”

“I was just sleeping. What are you guys thinking?” Fu Jia’an said to Fu Zihua. “Mom, why are you still here? Didn’t you say you had to go to the hospital tonight to cover for Uncle Jin?”

“Are you really okay? Should I stay home and keep you company?” Fu Zihua hesitated.

Fu Jia’an’s relaxed expression turned serious: “No, if you two act so worried, I wasn’t nervous before, but now I’m starting to worry.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Zihua immediately went to put on her coat. “Then I’m leaving. Rufai, make some food for your little brother…”

As the door closed, Shen Rufai turned and rubbed Fu Jia’an’s head. “What do you want to eat? It’s New Year’s Eve; let’s have a good meal.”

Fu Jia’an knew that Shen Rufai saw right through him, but he didn’t expose him. Shen Rufai was acting along with him, as if everyone pretending to be relaxed would really make the craniotomy a minor issue.

While waiting for the food, Fu Jia’an fiddled with his phone and finally saw the message Lu Jie had sent him. He checked the time: it was already past 1 AM on New Year’s Day. Although this New Year’s Eve was terrible, Fu Jia’an’s heart couldn’t help but flutter when he saw Lu Jie’s profile picture.

He simply replied “Happy New Year,” then thought that replying with only four words after more than a day of silence seemed too cold. So Fu Jia’an walked over to Shen Rufai. “Let me use your phone.”

“What for?” Shen Rufai was in the middle of a game of Fight the Landlord, and the other two players were urging him to play quickly.

“To find an emoji.”

Shen Rufai let out a long “Wow,” his eyes narrowing with the desire for gossip. “My dear little brother is going to use an emoji? Who are you sending it to?”

“Someone I like.”

“OMG,” Shen Rufai discovered a major piece of news. He didn’t care about his phone anymore and thrust it into Fu Jia’an’s hand. “Quickly tell me about them. Am I not the last to know? Does Mom know? I know before her, right?”

Fu Jia’an automatically tuned out the questions. He lowered his gaze and scrolled through Shen Rufai’s phone, showing a critical and disdainful expression toward every emoji. He swiped several screens without finding a satisfactory one.

Not long after, Fu Jia’an’s phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw it was a call from Lu Jie.

Fu Jia’an tossed Shen Rufai’s phone back, turned, and left. “I’m going to the bedroom to take a call.”

“Who’s calling you this late?”

“The person I like.” He only left Shen Rufai with a view of his back.

After hanging up with Lu Jie, Fu Jia’an thought his life might not be so bad after all. He could continue going to class, he could see Lu Jie at school, the surgery could be scheduled during the winter break, and after a period of recovery, he might even be able to return to school for the next semester. He could graduate with Lu Jie.

He hadn’t eaten much since yesterday and was starting to feel a little hungry. He pushed open the bedroom door and saw the takeout bag on the kitchen table, but Shen Rufai wasn’t in the kitchen.

Fu Jia’an decided to unpack the food first. They had ordered from a cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style diner). Opening the containers, the aroma of various dim sums, including char siu bao, signature rice noodle rolls, and sweet osmanthus red bean soup, wafted out.

Shen Rufai returned from the balcony. He had just taken a call, and his expression wasn’t good. Fu Jia’an rarely saw his brother looking so troubled.

That premonition returned. The dark clouds above his head slowly gathered, swallowing the light. The air was heavy, seemingly brewing a storm.

“Something happened to Mom. A serious medical malpractice case. The deceased was the youngest son of the chairman of Shengxiang Group. Mom has been suspended for investigation.”

On the day of the parent-teacher conference after the final exams, Lu Jie saw a strange man sitting in Fu Jia’an’s seat.

The winter sun cast a soft light on the man, making the curves of his eyebrows and eyes appear gentler. Before Lu Jie could say anything, the man smiled and spoke first: “Hello, student. I’m Fu Jia’an’s older brother.”

So this is Fu Jia’an’s brother. Lu Jie nodded politely and didn’t say anything more. He turned his head and looked at various corners of the classroom, not wanting to seem anxious, but his strained neck and searching gaze betrayed his inner feelings.

“Jia’an won’t be coming today.”

Fu Jia’an’s brother said from behind him.

“Oh,” Lu Jie turned his head. “Is he alright now?”

Shen Rufai still wore a slight smile and spoke in a very reassuring tone, “Mom and I are taking care of him, don’t worry.”

Needs taking care of, so he must be sick. Lu Jie thought of Fu Jia’an’s recurring minor illnesses since they first met. Seeing his brother’s calm expression, he assumed it was just a cold or flu, as before.

He felt a little relieved. Although Fu Jia’an saying nothing was a bit hurtful, on second thought, the other person wasn’t obligated to report his condition to him. Lu Jie didn’t chat with Fu Jia’an’s brother further and turned his attention to the report card just handed out to everyone.

Fu Jia’an’s name was prominently displayed in the first position, and Lu Jie was ranked second. This was expected. Lu Jie had long known that once Fu Jia’an surpassed him, he would always be ranked above him.

It was seemingly just a difference in rank, but Fu Jia’an, despite being sick, had come to the exam and widened the gap by another 20 points since last time. The sheer power of his talent was terrifying. However, this time, Lu Jie’s acceptance was higher than before, and his heart was even calm. Third time’s the charm, he thought. Perhaps getting used to losing meant the feeling of the sky crashing down would no longer occur.

Perhaps deep down, Lu Jie didn’t care that much about the top spot anymore. First place felt great, but not getting first place didn’t make him feel worthless.

Lu Jie was only worried about his mother. Dai Mengshu was like a bomb in his life that could detonate at any moment and always affected those around her.

After ranking second in the last monthly exam, Lu Jie had hidden at his father’s house for a few days. Dai Mengshu hadn’t said anything overly harsh to Lu Jie, merely reassuring him with a gentle attitude to try harder next time.

Lu Jie had breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that hiding had actually worked. But when he returned to school on Monday, he learned that Dai Mengshu, behind his back, had approached Tang Ningxue.

Dai Mengshu had somehow found out that Tang Ningxue from the second year often came to his classroom to find him. She rushed to Tang Ningxue’s class, called her out, and “educated” the young girl from her position as an elder.

When Lu Jie later found out about this, he was utterly humiliated. He pretended to be relaxed the entire day, but the heaviness in his heart wouldn’t dissipate. He had arranged to meet Tang Ningxue precisely to offer a sincere apology.

Through this incident, Lu Jie clearly recognized his predicament. He was like a child securely wrapped in protective film by his mother. He seemed free to see the vast world outside, but in reality, he felt suffocated every day.

He knew that this plastic wrap could be easily torn off with a violent action, but he was held back by too many considerations. He always conceded, always relied on luck, and always dropped his guard because of fleeting, deceptive illusions. Unknowingly, the plastic wrap had been wrapped layer upon layer, and he might not be able to break free even after becoming an adult, twenty or thirty years later.

On the first day he officially became deskmates with Fu Jia’an, a provoked Lu Jie had thrust a thorn at Dai Mengshu, and that thorn had poked a tiny hole in his airtight life. It didn’t overturn his situation, but it finally gave Lu Jie a chance to breathe.

Perhaps because of this, there was a secret connection between Fu Jia’an’s existence and “free breathing.” That night during the power outage, Lu Jie pulled Fu Jia’an out for a chat and immediately felt lighter. It was a strange feeling—even without sharing his difficulties, just sitting with Fu Jia’an seemed to bring back his lost strength.

He had been too ashamed to face Tang Ningxue, but after returning to the classroom, he walked Tang Ningxue back to her academic building and offered a sincere apology along the way. That embarrassing matter was resolved faster than expected.

How much longer until Fu Jia’an returns?

Lu Jie couldn’t resist touching that name on the report card with his fingertip. He wasn’t that carefree. Fu Jia’an’s presence or absence was not without impact on him.

Even if they couldn’t become friends, he still hoped Fu Jia’an would stay by his side.