Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 32:
Chapter 32: Deviation
The second semester of senior year began, and Fu Jia’an’s seat had been empty the whole time. Mock exams became frequent, and Lu Jie effortlessly reclaimed all the first places.
He was too busy every day to think much; life was like a train entering a pitch-black tunnel, only concerned with speeding forward, ignoring the world outside the windows.
A month quickly passed. Everyone was living without knowing what date or day it was; the only unit of time measurement was the “xx days until the college entrance exam” sign overhead.
Every desk was piled high with thick stacks of books and practice workbooks, forming walls that created individual, isolated spaces. The classroom was silent as usual, only the shua shua sound of writing and occasional questions about problems breaking the quiet.
A voice suddenly emerged, not loud, but it caused an explosive reaction:
“I heard Fu Jia’an decided to get an early admission to J University.”
“What?”
“That’s so sudden. So that’s why he hasn’t been coming, because he got early admission?”
“Does that mean he doesn’t have to attend class anymore?”
“When did he apply? The application period for early admission should be long over by now, right?”
“He’s Fu Jia’an, though. Every university must be fighting over him.”
…
Lu Jie snapped out of the discussions, realizing the tip of his black pen had rested on the paper for too long, the ink bleed almost penetrating the back of the page. He put down the pen, lowered his head, took out his phone, and refreshed the WeChat interface. Still no message had been sent.
He stared at the screen for a few seconds. His phone vibrated—a message from Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan: [Did Fu Jia’an tell you?]
Lu Jie didn’t reply. Just as he was about to put the phone back in his pocket, another message came through.
Jiang Yan: [He came to school today to complete the paperwork]
Lu Jie’s fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of the phone screen. “Came by” meant he had either already arrived or had come and gone.
The early admission news caused a sensation, everyone had heard, but Lu Jie knew nothing. He sat closest to Fu Jia’an’s seat, yet hadn’t received a single word of news. This was likely Fu Jia’an’s last time at Yaochen High School, but he hadn’t even considered coming over to say goodbye.
Jiang Yan was right; he was heartless. Class 3-1 wasn’t just Lu Jie. Didn’t Ye Mingyan treat him well? Didn’t Peng Yuan treat him well? Many people liked him like a younger kid, tolerated him, and gradually accepted him as a somewhat aloof and unusual genius.
Were they all worthless in his eyes? Were these past few months just a few quickly flipped, discarded pages?
The discussion grew more intense and out of control. Peng Yuan slammed his hand on the desk, finally providing some deterrent force: “It’s self-study, talk about it during the break.”
The self-study period was full of undercurrents. It seemed quiet, but everyone was secretly passing gossip via their phones. Lu Jie sat in the back row, taking in all their expressions: surprise, curiosity, excitement. Senior students lived in a dull, high-pressure environment, and any bit of novel outside news could easily cause a stir.
No one, however, messaged Lu Jie. For some reason, everyone tacitly avoided talking about it with him.
But even if Lu Jie didn’t ask, Jiang Yan packaged up the gossip and delivered it to his doorstep.
Jiang Yan: [Hey, I heard Tang Ningxue confessed to Fu Jia’an outside the school auditorium.]
Jiang Yan: [What’s going on?]
Jiang Yan was like he had surveillance installed next to the auditorium, sending a new message every minute.
Jiang Yan: [Report! He seems to have talked a lot with Tang Ningxue over there. The atmosphere was good.]
Jiang Yan: [He wouldn’t have actually accepted, would he! Early admission to J Uni and dating the school belle??? That’s just too much good fortune.]
Lu Jie thought, Are you asking me? I’m sitting here like an idiot. What could I possibly know?
He looked at those lines of text, analyzing them repeatedly. Oh, so the person Tang Ningxue liked was Fu Jia’an. Lu Jie felt he’d received too much information today. If it were just one thing, he might have been able to process it, but with everything tangled together, his mood was extremely complicated.
Tang Ningxue… Everyone said she liked him, and he really had been self-absorbed. He had even delicately expressed his refusal during that chat while walking her back to the classroom previously. Tang Ningxue had just smiled and listened. At the time, Lu Jie thought he’d handled it so gracefully; now, in retrospect, it was utterly mortifying.
What was the difference between him and Dai Mengshu? Weren’t they both cleverly imposing their own assumptions onto a girl?
Fu Jia’an seemed to have shown concern for Tang Ningxue before. If Tang Ningxue confessed to him, wouldn’t that be exactly what he wanted? Would he accept? Yes, Tang Ningxue’s beauty and intelligence were obvious. What reason did Fu Jia’an have to refuse?
And the early admission? Did he change his mind after discussing it with someone else?
But Fu Jia’an had promised him twice! Twice! Why did he have to play him like this?
Lu Jie’s desk felt like a cage drawn around him. No matter which way he turned, the walls were within reach. He was confined to the narrow space, feeling both agitated and stifled. He couldn’t learn the full picture of any event, nor could he influence the direction of any of them.
Suddenly, someone in the classroom called out, “Fu Jia’an!”
“You’re back! Did you finish the paperwork? How long can you stay?”
“No college entrance exam, awesome!”
“Wow, I heard that you’ll be…”
Lu Jie looked up. Fu Jia’an was standing at the doorway, his face looking narrower with the baseball cap on. In just a few months, he seemed to have visibly grown taller, and his cold, taciturn demeanor made him look like he’d aged several years overnight.
From a distance, his skin was pale, and he was wearing a hoodie with jeans. His bright, fresh appearance instantly separated him from the dusty, stressed senior students; he belonged to a completely different world.
Fu Jia’an walked straight to the back row. He was expressionless, his eyes almost completely hidden by the shadow of his cap. No one knew how much he was struggling inside. He badly wanted to look at Lu Jie. The past few months had been excruciating; he dreamed of him constantly, but Fu Jia’an didn’t have the courage to look into Lu Jie’s eyes right now.
He had decided to go to J University’s medical school. He knew that if he told Lu Jie the whole story, Lu Jie would understand. But perhaps because he had promised twice, he had always been afraid to face the moment he broke that promise.
Having run away for so long, this time, Fu Jia’an thought he must speak properly. Lu Jie was the best person in the world, and he would definitely understand.
Fu Jia’an stopped at Lu Jie’s desk. “Can we talk?”
Lu Jie suddenly stood up. The desk scraped against the floor and then hit the back of the student’s chair in front, making a loud noise.
He walked out first, tossing back, “Outside.”
The two stood on the corridor. This time, the atmosphere was nothing like the relaxed, friendly night talk they’d had before. They were still close, but a clear distance had opened between them.
“I…”
“Do you like Tang Ningxue?” Lu Jie launched the question like an accusation.
His lips were pressed into a line, his brow furrowed, clearly unhappy. This was the first time Lu Jie had been so fierce with him, and it was because of Tang Ningxue.
But in fact, Fu Jia’an felt he had barely interacted with Tang Ningxue. He had only spoken to the girl two or three times in total, and being stopped by her in front of the auditorium just now had felt rather inexplicable.
“I don’t like her.”
Hearing that, the confusion and turmoil in Lu Jie’s expression lessened, replaced by more anger. If the subject of the rumors had been any other girl, he might have been calmer, but it had to be Tang Ningxue. His guilt, his apologies, his embarrassment—all of it was fuel being thrown onto the fire of his rage. The fire burned hotter and hotter, to the point where even he forgot the origin of the flame.
“Then did you agree to date her?”
Seeing how anxious Lu Jie looked, Fu Jia’an spoke casually, as if it didn’t matter, “Yeah, I did.”
Lu Jie froze for a moment, then glared at him. “You don’t even like her, why would you agree?”
Standing there, Fu Jia’an wanted to ask Lu Jie, What about you? If you don’t like me, why were you so good to me?
Fu Jia’an thought he could keep ignoring that question. As long as Lu Jie wasn’t dating anyone, he could hold onto a sliver of hope. But seeing Lu Jie rage at him now, that fantasy was shattered. Lu Jie would probably never like him; he didn’t like guys, and the only people he wanted to protect were cute and pretty girls.
He smiled and replied to Lu Jie, “It doesn’t matter, it’s just for fun. If it were you, would you have refused?”
When Jiang Yan and the others rushed out, Lu Jie was pinning Fu Jia’an to the ground and hitting him. The end-of-class bell rang at the perfect moment, and a large crowd poured out. Dozens of people witnessed the scene.
Lu Jie’s mind was blank; he only focused on throwing punches. The sympathy, empathy, and admiration he’d once felt for Fu Jia’an—those indescribable feelings of affection and dependence—were destroyed with every punch. Subconsciously, he decided this was his last encounter with Fu Jia’an. Fu Jia’an had come today as a triumphant winner to gloat, and Lu Jie had to destroy all of it and teach his foolish, soft-hearted self a harsh lesson.
The method was brutal. He probably couldn’t go back now. Their relationship couldn’t go back either.
Lu Jie wasn’t someone who fought often. Even losing his mind, he couldn’t hit with lethal force. His punches were wild, occasionally hitting the ground. Fu Jia’an was only struck twice, but those two hits landed squarely: one on the shoulder, the other on the cheekbone. Fu Jia’an’s eye socket and the area beneath it instantly bruised.
His skin was pale, his frame slight, so even a small injury made him look miserable. Fu Jia’an lay motionless on the ground like a punching bag. He just stared at Lu Jie, with no intention of fighting back. Jiang Yan and Peng Yuan came to pull Lu Jie away, only to find that Lu Jie stopped himself without much force needed.
He looked at Fu Jia’an’s face and stood up, as if he’d suddenly sobered up, or perhaps it was a defeated “whatever, it’s not worth it.” He stood tall and straight, his shadow enveloping Fu Jia’an in gloom. Because he was looking down, Fu Jia’an detected a hint of scorn in his expression.
“You’re too weak.”
Lu Jie said coldly as a final remark.
Walking back to the classroom, Lu Jie heard many people crowding around Fu Jia’an, their worried voices concerning his condition growing louder and louder.
Was he that precious? It was just a fight. Whose fault was it that he didn’t fight back? He’s really good at pretending. As expected of a genius, not lifting a hand just made it look like I was the only one hitting him. So clever, he calculated everything. Lu Jie almost wanted to applaud Fu Jia’an.
“Wait, why is there a puddle of bl00d here! His ankle is cut.”
“Oh my god, there’s an exposed nail sticking out here. Did he get cut when he fell just now?”
“We need to get him to the infirmary quickly! He needs a tetanus shot.”
“That serious? How many stitches will he need…”
Lu Jie stopped short. He stood at the classroom doorway, silently turning his back on the throng of people passing by. It wasn’t until the noise subsided that Lu Jie recovered from his dazed state and slowly walked back to his seat.
Lu Jie had no mind to consider the consequences—the potential punishment, demerits, or impact on his college entrance exam. He only wondered what was wrong with him, how he could be so impulsive. Every decision Fu Jia’an made was easy to understand; everyone looks out for themselves, and even if he was wrong, it wasn’t Lu Jie’s place to lecture him.
The last time he fought with a classmate was nearly ten years ago, wasn’t it? Was he an elementary school student? Was he insane?
Two days later, Lu Jie had completely calmed down. He wondered if Fu Jia’an would come back for a few days once his injury healed. Students with early admission for foreign languages from other classes didn’t just stop coming to school immediately after submitting the application; they usually stayed for a while longer.
Many classmates believed this too and even discussed whether to hold a farewell party for Fu Jia’an.
Lu Jie didn’t know when Fu Jia’an would return, so he went and bought some snacks in advance. He asked Ye Mingyan what kind of snacks Fu Jia’an liked when she used to give him treats. At the end of the checkout, Lu Jie added two lychee lollipops.
The bag of snacks was placed on Fu Jia’an’s seat, but its owner never returned.
Dust collected on the desk, then was wiped clean. Blank practice papers piled up, all with Lu Jie’s name written on them. One morning, when Lu Jie arrived and was about to sit down, he noticed that everything on Fu Jia’an’s desk and in his seat had been cleared out. The desktop was clean; nothing was left behind.
The first class that day was Chinese literature. Ye Mingyan passed the test papers backward as usual.
Lu Jie told her, “This seat is empty. You don’t have to pass them back here anymore.”
Both of them have flaws, and they are just sixteen or eighteen-year-old kids. No matter how much more mature they are than their peers, there will still be moments of poor judgment and hotheadedness.
Me: Ahhh, Lu Jie, how could you beat up little Jia’an!! 〒_〒
Lu Jie: Ahhh, I thought he would fight back! ⊙_⊙