Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 50:

Chapter 50: Fleeing

“I was going to tell you…”

Jiang Yan tried to continue but was speechless, his throat seemingly choked. He knew that anything he said now would sound hollow. He had ten years to tell him; how had he not found a single opportunity?

Even not long ago, when Lu Jie stumbled upon Jiang Yan and Shen Rufēi’s relationship, Jiang Yan could have told him everything. But all he admitted was that he and Shen Rufēi had been dating for “more than three months.”

Yes, ten years is also more than three months; he was skilled at blurring the focus.

Jiang Yan knew Lu Jie well. When Lu Jie was angry to the extreme, he would be too lazy to argue, just like he was now—eyes downcast, silent, expressionless, yet looking as if he could smile at any second.

…It was terrifying.

“Hey… Lu Jie,” Jiang Yan tentatively took two steps forward, about to say something, when the apartment door opened.

Shen Rufēi and Fu Jia’an returned from their walk. They seemed to have circled the community, returning with a few bags of fragrant potstickers and roujiamo.

Jiang Yan felt he had never been this flustered. Lu Jie hadn’t been mollified, and the person he was planning to propose to was also back. The atmosphere of confrontation in the room was clear to anyone with eyes. Jiang Yan subconsciously sought help from Lu Jie, trying to shake his head to send a secret signal, but Lu Jie completely ignored him.

“Why are you two standing there?” Shen Rufēi cast a questioning look.

Lu Jie seemed to “reboot” in that instant. He glanced at Jiang Yan. “Too slow with the chores. The dishes were only just washed.”

Jiang Yan immediately chimed in, “Ah, right, see, we don’t have to cook dinner, they bought so much good food, so there’s no rush…”

“Mhm,” Lu Jie was cooperative, turning to smile wearily at Fu Jia’an. “You guys eat. I’m going to sleep for a bit. I have a meeting tonight too.”

Lu Jie turned and went back to his bedroom.

Jiang Yan knew very well that Lu Jie’s willingness to speak just now wasn’t because he had forgiven him, but because he was saving face and not outright revealing the proposal. But Jiang Yan was so depressed now, and he couldn’t even tell Shen Rufēi… sigh.

Lu Jie didn’t leave his room all evening. He wanted to stop the catastrophizing of everything, but he was completely unable to control it.

Twelve years since graduating high school, and Jiang Yan and Shen Rufēi had been together for ten years. Jiang Yan was abroad from age 18 to 23 and rarely saw Lu Jie. How did he manage to pursue Shen Rufēi?

The only possibility was that Jiang Yan had liked Shen Rufēi before going abroad, and since age 18, all those people Jiang Yan constantly talked about—breaking up one moment, passionately dating the next—were actually the same person. Liking him to this extent, Lu Jie didn’t think Jiang Yan was simply too lazy to tell him; it had to be deliberate concealment.

Deliberate concealment of what? That he never broke contact with Fu Jia’an’s brother, or even Fu Jia’an himself?

Some things are like Pandora’s Box—once opened, they can’t be closed. Many past clues flew from the depths of his mind, piecing together a complete and terrifying truth: Fu Jia’an had never disappeared; he had simply deliberately vanished from Lu Jie’s world.

Fu Jia’an had spent twelve years weaving a web, making it impossible for Lu Jie to escape once he fell in. Every direction led to Fu Jia’an. All possibilities were guided to the same outcome, leaving Lu Jie no choice but to surrender.

Tonight’s moon was full, a silver disc hanging outside the window. Moonlight streamed into the room through the window, the shadow of the window frame cutting stripes of darkness across Lu Jie’s body, outlining a cage he could never escape.

The most helpless thing was that after thinking for a long time, Lu Jie couldn’t decide whether to hate Fu Jia’an or continue to love him.

Just before drifting off to sleep, Lu Jie felt someone in his arms. It was Fu Jia’an, who had indeed sneaked in to find him. Two people were squeezed under the thin blanket. Fu Jia’an was unusually well-behaved, just quietly holding Lu Jie.

“Are you upset?”

“No.” Lu Jie’s tone was gentle. He could feel Fu Jia’an looking up at him, the emotion in his eyes watery, both captivated and obsessive.

Fu Jia’an clutched at the clothes on Lu Jie’s lower back a little plaintively. “Even though we agreed to keep our relationship a secret from them, you’re too good at acting cold. I haven’t seen you all night. I miss you.”

“Sorry, I was in a meeting all the time. I’m just tired.”

Lu Jie didn’t know how to treat Fu Jia’an, but he habitually took into account others’ circumstances. He knew the situation with Jin Shaoqian wasn’t resolved yet, and this wasn’t the time for an argument. So, once again, Lu Jie pushed his own feelings aside. Even as he held Fu Jia’an, he only felt a darting, arrow-like pain through his heart.

He felt Fu Jia’an patting his back, gently, rhythmically, as if lulling a child to sleep. Lu Jie thought, perhaps love had blinded him. He had forgotten that Fu Jia’an was inherently covered in soft thorns, and that Fu Jia’an’s docility always carried poison; the moment he relaxed, he would be pricked until he bled.

Lu Jie closed his eyes, recalling Lu He’s words: The place you love him will one day be the sharpest blade he turns against you.

Lu Jie took a deep breath. Under the moonlight, for a moment, he felt Fu Jia’an was a devil visiting a prisoner. Despite this, he still held the person in his arms tightly.

When he woke up the next morning, Fu Jia’an found himself alone in Lu Jie’s bedroom. The other pillow was empty, and even the person’s body heat had been completely erased by the air conditioning. The surroundings felt frosted. Fu Jia’an curled up and shivered, reaching for the remote control by the bed, but touching a cold, hard phone instead.

It was Fu Jia’an’s own phone, and under it lay a piece of paper.

Fu Jia’an would never forget the handwriting; every stroke was etched in his heart.

「Sorry, things are busy at the company. I still need to go there today. I don’t know when I’ll be back tonight, so don’t wait up for me. I’m leaving your phone with you. Call me if anything happens.」

It was Tuesday. Lu Jie went to the company’s tea room for a cup of coffee. As he turned to leave, he heard two people talking as they entered. He ran into Xun Zhuo and Jiang Xiaoli.

Xun Zhuo was still his usual slightly shy, yet steady and calm self. Jiang Xiaoli, however, looked very startled, her face instantly turning red.

“Good morning, Mr. Lu.”

“Good morning, Mr. Lu…”

“Feeling guilty? Why so surprised?” Lu Jie asked.

“Mr. Lu, you’re too early. It’s only a little past eight. I thought Xun and I were early enough,” Jiang Xiaoli pouted, almost tearfully. “So we were just gossiping about you behind your back…”

Lu Jie couldn’t hold back his smile. “Don’t drag Xun into this. You were definitely the one who insisted on telling him, and he was forced to listen, right?”

Tears welled up in Jiang Xiaoli’s eyes. “Mr. Lu, you’re not going to fire me, are you!”

“Weren’t you quite bold normally? And what gossip was it? Tell me too.”

Lu Jie habitually kept a straight face in front of employees, but to the two little quails in the room, Mr. Lu was clearly out for bl00d.

Jiang Xiaoli’s eyes widened again. Only then did she realize Lu Jie hadn’t heard anything; she had impulsively blown her own cover. She bit her lip and whispered, “I heard… Mr. Lu… Dr. Fu… to pursue…”

“Speak up.”

“I heard that Mr. Lu asked Dr. Fu to come to the company for clinical training just to pursue Dr. Fu!”

“…” Lu Jie thought, Well, you’ve got the whole thing backward. He sighed, his expression still cold, but he didn’t pursue the matter. He simply asked Xun Zhuo about the application for the International Biomedical Award for the new drug and then returned to his office.

While waiting for the elevator, Lu Jie recalled the dream he had last night. He dreamt he was trapped in an endless darkness, with vines wrapped around his limbs and neck. When he tried to break free, the vines tightened. When he tried to move forward, the vines didn’t block him but quickly grew longer roots, following him like a shadow.

In the dream, Lu Jie looked at “Lu Jie” from a God’s-eye perspective, only to see the vines from a distance as constantly pouring sludge emerging from his body—a sludge that could not be gotten rid of without being flayed and deboned.

Lu Jie woke up from the nightmare to find himself holding Fu Jia’an. He gently loosened his embrace, rested for a moment, and got out of bed.

After getting dressed, he left the note by the bed, intending to leave. Touching the bedroom doorknob, Lu Jie couldn’t resist looking back. Fu Jia’an was sleeping soundly, curled up, somewhat resembling a baby in the womb. In the faint morning light, the cozy and peaceful scene looked strangely fragile.

It was actually before six in the morning when he left. Lu Jie just felt he couldn’t face Fu Jia’an when he woke up. His hurried search for car keys by the door looked more like a desperate escape.

“Leaving so early?”

Lu Jie turned around to see Shen Rufēi standing not far from the door, arms crossed, watching him. Lu Jie narrowed his eyes, speaking defensively. “Going to the company to fetch a document. I’ll be back soon.”

Shen Rufēi’s glasses glinted. “I know about Jiang Yan proposing to me. I suppose you do too.”

Lu Jie instinctively wanted to ask if he knew that he knew… but then thought the question was too convoluted and unnecessary.

And given Shen Rufēi’s personality, he was probably the type who knew everything but watched with an unperturbed expression as his junior admirer tried to please him.

What did he gain from captivating Jiang Yan, besides love? The help of the Jiang Group? Did he intend to exploit the power behind the Jiang family from the start? Was the reason he didn’t want Fu Jia’an to carry the burden of revenge because he wanted to find a solution himself?

Perhaps he was overestimating Shen Rufēi’s cunning, but the anger and frustration Lu Jie had barely suppressed finally burst out. He felt it was unfair to himself and his best friend. He frowned. “Don’t you two get tired of calculating everything? Are you satisfied with having Jiang Yan wrapped around your finger?”

Lu Jie didn’t want to say anything more. The main door was already halfway open, and just as he was about to step out, he heard the person behind him speak.

“I did intend to calculate things at first,” the voice hesitated for a moment. “Later, I didn’t.”

Since Lu Jie had known Shen Rufēi, he had always maintained an enigmatic appearance, difficult to read, his words hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and he had tricked Lu Jie a few times. But now, perhaps due to the faint gloom of the room, Shen Rufēi was unusually sincere, even a little helpless.

“Believe it or not, I genuinely love him. And Jia’an too…”

Clang! The door slammed shut heavily.