Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 52:

Chapter 52: Memory

“Did you bring an umbrella? Could you please hold it for him? I’ll add three hundred dollars to your fee.”

“He won’t get in the car?” Lu Jie stood by the office’s floor-to-ceiling window, which offered a view of the street below. Frowning, he added, “Please wait for him nearby. I will add more money.”

Hanging up the phone, Lu Jie stayed by the window, watching for a while. He saw the driver holding an umbrella next to Fu Jia’an, but Fu Jia’an just stood below, staring motionlessly at the entrance of the building.

Lu Jie had no choice but to send Fu Jia’an a message.

If you don’t leave, the driver won’t leave. The rain is heavy; go back soon.

After sending it, he felt the tone was too much like a command. He hesitated for a moment and added: Let’s both cool down, okay?

The standoff downstairs continued for a while. Lu Jie saw the driver struggling to hold the umbrella steady while trying to persuade Fu Jia’an, and half of his body was drenched. Finally, Fu Jia’an got into the car.

Lu Jie sighed in relief. He paced around his office for a bit and decided to call Jiang Yan to ask him to make some ginger soup for Fu Jia’an at home. Before dialing, Lu Jie hesitated. How could Jiang Yan possibly make ginger soup? …He should just order takeout.

Knock, knock, knock, someone was knocking on the door outside.

All the employees had left the company. The knocking startled Lu Jie. He turned around and saw that Jiang Yan had actually come.

“Wipe the water off yourself. Anyone would think a large dog ran out of someone’s house,” Lu Jie threw a towel at Jiang Yan. “Remember to wipe your pant legs, too; the water droplets are getting on the carpet.”

“I came specifically to find you! You’re so heartless!” Jiang Yan complained while rubbing his hair.

“Was Fu Jia’an home when you left?”

“No. I was hoping to help mediate between you two… After all, I’m partially to blame for this,” Jiang Yan casually took off his expensive watch and tossed it onto the small coffee table. “I realized I didn’t bring an umbrella when I got downstairs at the company, so I got a little wet.”

“You? Being a peacemaker?” Lu Jie brought a cup of hot water to the young master, annoyed. “Just don’t make things worse.”

“Still holding a grudge? Look, to redeem myself, I even told Jia’an the reason we were arguing. Now even he knows about the proposal…” Jiang Yan sighed, leaning back against the sofa with his arms spread. “It’s hardly a secret now. I feel like everyone knows except Shen Rufēi himself.”

“…” Lu Jie thought, Actually, even Shen Rufēi himself already knows.

Is my brother truly an idiot? After only a few seconds of this thought, Lu Jie felt he wasn’t much better himself. They were truly brothers in misfortune.

Jiang Yan: “Hey, I say, do you have instant noodles here?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m hungry. Should we cook some instant noodles?”

The young master of the Jiang family, dressed head-to-toe in expensive haute couture, was soaking wet, wearing slippers, and staring wide-eyed at a steaming bowl of instant noodles, utterly lacking in refinement.

Since he was cooking for Jiang Yan, Lu Jie might as well make a bowl for himself too. Who would have thought that on such a miserable, rainy night, two bosses who wouldn’t go home would be huddled in the office slurping instant noodles…

However, being distracted by Jiang Yan seemed to have lifted Lu Jie’s mood slightly.

After eating, Jiang Yan got straight to the point. “This time it’s really serious, right? …I’ve never seen you so angry, and I’ve never seen Jia’an so flustered.”

Lu Jie looked tired, rubbing the corner of his eye. “It’s not really anger, I just don’t understand why things have to be this way. Yes, I shouldn’t entirely attribute Fu Jia’an’s feelings to a desire for control, but why do people have to make things so hard for themselves? Why take the long way around? Love is love, not love is not love. Does extending the time change a person?”

“Maybe,” Jiang Yan looked a bit melancholic, as if something had reminded him of the past.

Lu Jie froze for a moment, not because of the two-word answer, but because of the rare seriousness in Jiang Yan’s demeanor.

Jiang Yan said, “You know, the first time I saw Shen Rufēi, my heart fluttered. Later, I persistently pursued him for a long time. Before I went abroad for university, I even waited downstairs at his place, begging him to try being with me. Shen Rufēi playfully kissed me then. After the kiss, he probably felt unenthusiastic and said, ‘Kid, you’re not my type.'”

“So I spent a year and a half trying to become the person he liked. He didn’t like boys who were too skinny, didn’t like ‘kids,’ and preferred men with broad shoulders, muscles, and a sturdy build. I worked hard to become the man he described.” Here, Jiang Yan’s expression changed, and he said through gritted teeth, “So you know why I hate He Shiye? Because that guy, at such a young age, is Shen Rufēi’s ideal type in height and looks. Damn it, why does he have that setup from the moment he appears?”

Lu Jie was noncommittal. “What if you couldn’t change into the person he liked?”

Jiang Yan recalled his youthful determination. “Then I wouldn’t have returned to the country, or I wouldn’t have contacted him if I had. Because I liked him too much, seeing him would only bring regret, so not seeing him was best.”

“Wouldn’t that be a year and a half needlessly missed?”

“It’s only called ‘missed’ if there’s a ‘getting together’ ending later. Otherwise, it’s just ‘separation.’ It’s normal for people to choose avoidance when faced with helpless emotions. I kept the secret for Jia’an because I understand how he feels…”

Lu Jie still didn’t fully agree. According to Jiang Yan, Fu Jia’an left for twelve years to become “the person Lu Jie liked,” to have a better chance of being with him.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, Fu Jia’an had changed a lot, but in Lu Jie’s eyes, he had never changed. Had he ever asked himself what kind of person he liked? What if they had continued their entanglement back then? Would they have had a good ending?

That’s why Lu Jie felt Fu Jia’an had wasted time. The path not taken always made one look back.

Lu Jie stood up, holding the small pot with only a bit of instant noodle soup left, and said mercilessly, “You’re just an advocate bribed by Fu Jia’an.”

After washing the pot and bowls, Lu Jie wiped his hands and walked back. Jiang Yan, full and sleepy, heard someone ask:

“Hey, so how has Fu Jia’an been all these years?”

Lu Jie was called to the Second Municipal Hospital the next day by Old Du, who was returning for an orthopedic follow-up and had brought some local specialties from his hometown for him.

Downstairs at the hospital, Lu Jie received two large bags of treats, including dried apricots, red dates, and longans—all large and plump. Since he had slept at the company last night and hadn’t had time to prepare anything, he told Old Du and Du Zhenzhen that he would treat them to a meal after the checkup.

“Oh, right, did you manage to get an appointment with Doctor Shen today?”

Du Zhenzhen nodded. “We didn’t have an appointment for him, but I messaged Doctor Shen yesterday, and he said he would be at the hospital today and could check up on my dad conveniently. He told us to take the X-ray and just find him, no need to register.”

“Ah, I see.” Lu Jie thought, If Shen Rufēi is at the hospital, Fu Jia’an must be back too.

“Brother Lu, are you interested in Doctor Shen?” Du Zhenzhen blinked her big eyes, still thinking about her preferred couple. “It’s been months now, you’re a bit slow, aren’t you?”

“…” Lu Jie thought this was a good excuse, so he went with it. “Yeah. Can you help me find out something later?”

“What is it? Is it about Doctor Shen?”

“Sort of. Remember that young neurosurgeon who came when Doctor Shen was doing rounds? The one whose last name is Fu. Can you subtly ask if he came to the hospital today?”

“No problem!”

Du Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up, feeling the glorious recognition of her gossip-loving soul by the person she admired.

Lu Jie was afraid she would make too much of a fuss. “Uh, don’t let Doctor Shen or Doctor Fu notice, can you do that?”

“Of course. Don’t underestimate me.”

Watching Du Zhenzhen walk Old Du away, Lu Jie wasn’t sure if his move was meaningful.

He could have asked Fu Jia’an directly, he had his contact information, and he was even downstairs at the Second Municipal Hospital right now. Yet, what Lu Jie was doing was exactly what he had criticized—”taking the long way around.”

After Old Du and his daughter came back down, Lu Jie drove them to ‘Lu’ for lunch. Du Zhenzhen couldn’t contain her excitement and spilled everything she had managed to find out. “Doctor Fu isn’t here to work today, but to see a patient with the last name Lin discharged.”

“Is that so,” Lu Jie glanced at the rearview mirror, turning the steering wheel. ‘Lu’ was about 500m ahead. “Sounds like a very important patient?”

“That’s a long story. Brother Lu, do you follow the news? It turns out this Doctor Fu is the Doctor Fu who’s been all over the hot searches lately!”

“Oh, really.”

“In short, Doctor Fu performed surgery on a death row inmate. After the surgery was successful, he was widely criticized by netizens across the country. Then, the situation suddenly reversed yesterday. Most importantly, the death row inmate was suddenly exonerated. Everyone then turned around and praised his skill and character… However, during the two days of overwhelming criticism, some people were still trying hard to clear Doctor Fu’s name. The most frequent poster was the uncle of that patient, Lin Qi. He’s a reporter.”

“He should be thanked, no wonder he made a special trip to the hospital.”

Lu Jie parked the car and took Old Du and Du Zhenzhen inside to order. The three ordered five dishes and one soup. Old Du said it was too much, but Du Zhenzhen drooled over the menu, repeatedly saying they would just pack the leftovers if they couldn’t finish it all.

Lu Jie had been a bit preoccupied since earlier. He thought that he had finally become the type of person who would plant spies around others… and the information he got was completely insignificant! He had sacrificed his principles for nothing…

While waiting for the food, the resident tabby cat of ‘Lu’ suddenly appeared at the corner of the table. It meowed twice, rubbed itself against the table corner, and then jumped up to bump against Lu Jie’s trouser leg.

“This restaurant has a cat!” Du Zhenzhen leaned over to try and pet it.

“Yes, its name is Mantou (Steamed Bun).”

Mantou heard its name, flicked its sleek, oily tail, and the fluffy touch brushed right across Du Zhenzhen’s face.

The owner brought over two fragrant dishes, smiling. “Mantou went for sterilization and was only returned to the store after recovery. Little Lu, you haven’t seen it in a while, have you?”

Lu Jie looked at the adorable little cat and couldn’t help but smile. “No, I haven’t.”

Mantou was spoiled and raised. It wasn’t afraid of people, but it wasn’t overly affectionate either. It wouldn’t allow itself to be petted or held; it would only bump against people’s trouser legs when it felt like it. So when Du Zhenzhen tried to pet it, it darted away in the blink of an eye, jumping onto the windowsill in a couple of steps and basking in the sun like a concubine.

Lu Jie was too familiar with this scene, so he teased it, calling its name.

Every time he called out “Mantou,” the cat would only flick its tail, not looking back, appearing extremely perfunctory towards humans.

“That’s so interesting. It doesn’t know what a steamed bun is, but it knows its name is Mantou,” Du Zhenzhen said.

“It must have remembered from hearing it so often?” Lu Jie said casually.

In an instant, the faint, shallow smile on Lu Jie’s face vanished, replaced by a stark, paper-like paleness.

Fu Jia’an’s memory was so good that he could remember everything at a glance. Sometimes, it was so detailed that he could recount every minute and every second of the past. There was a saying that the earliest memories of highly intelligent people could be traced back before the age of one.

—”My world is actually collapsing every day.”

Perhaps there was a possibility that Fu Jia’an remembered everything from the day he was abandoned.

And he also remembered the name his biological parents gave him.