Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 57:

Chapter 57: After the Rain

In late August, the widely watched murder retrial concluded. The public had been worried that the case would drag on for years and end hastily, but to their surprise, the true culprit came forward to surrender. Han Qirun, the only son of the Han family’s head, was arrested and sentenced to death in the first trial.

The Han Group’s stock price plummeted, though fortunately, a small hidden asset remained untouched. While there was no possibility of a full resurgence, the accumulated wealth over the years was enough for the remaining Han family members to live a life of affluence.

Some said that the Han family had sacrificed Han Qirun to protect the interests of the majority of the family, and because of this decision, the power behind the scenes turned a blind eye and did not completely destroy them.

At the same time, an old case resurfaced. The Han family had been acting lawlessly in the local area for a long time. Twelve years ago, they had maliciously retaliated against the on-duty doctor following a medical accident, first expelling her from the hospital and then attempting premeditated murder. The female doctor was stabbed five times at her doorstep.

It was rumored that this female doctor shouldn’t have been the primary person responsible for the medical accident at all; she had completely taken the blame for someone else…

News stories emerged one after another. More and more “insiders” came forward with revelations, but no one could clearly explain the whole story in one go. Information was released bit by bit each day. Keywords like the Second Municipal Hospital, Jin Shaoqian, and Neurosurgery were scattered across the sea of words, with no one having a definitive account.

It was almost as if it were being deliberately controlled, keeping the truth consistently veiled.

These days, when Fu Jia’an went to work at the hospital, besides performing his duties, he spent his time appreciating Jin Shaoqian’s expression. Jin Shaoqian still maintained a righteous facade, seemingly unperturbed on the surface, but the fear of complete ruin constantly hung over him. He held onto a final thread of luck, hoping to escape unscathed this time as well.

In fact, after the previous time he was taken away for investigation, Jin Shaoqian thought Fu Jia’an had already exhausted all his means. Little did he know that the current Fu Jia’an was like a cat playing with a mouse. His inaction wasn’t due to fear but a plan to torment him step by step.

The discerning people within the hospital could tell that Jin Shaoqian’s power was fading, and this was just his final struggle.

Fu Jia’an, on the other hand, had his attention elsewhere recently.

Lu Jie had been away on a business trip for half a month, attending an academic seminar in Lincheng. By all accounts, he should have been incredibly busy organizing data, creating presentations, and attending meetings. Fu Jia’an was afraid of disturbing him, so he didn’t message him much. However, Lu Jie would call five or six times a day. If Fu Jia’an happened to miss a call because his phone was on silent, he would find over a dozen unread messages when he checked his phone.

Having just finished a night shift, Fu Jia’an video-called him back immediately.

“Why are you up so early?”

“I didn’t sleep. I was reading literature all night,” Lu Jie seemed to be sitting in front of his laptop. The background showed neatly organized books and documents. He looked a little tired, his eyes half-closed, which gave him a lazy sort of sexiness, and his voice was slightly hoarse. “I knew you were on a night shift, so I stayed up with you for a bit. Wait… where are you right now?”

“My brother’s dorm. You’ve been here before.”

“Oh,” a thought like “It’s Shen Rufēi again” seemed to flit across Lu Jie’s face, but he didn’t say much. “Are you sleeping here before going home?”

“Of course not, I’m just changing clothes,” Fu Jia’an quickly appeased him, otherwise the recurring, tiresome question of “Who is more important, your brother or me?” would start again…

Speaking of the two precise triggers for Lu Jie’s jealousy: Shen Rufēi and Zhan Qionglou.

Fortunately, Zhan Qionglou was recovering well and had not required Fu Jia’an’s daily visits since last week. The resident doctor was responsible, giving timely updates on any situation. Security outside the ward had not yet been removed to prevent the Han family from resorting to malicious retaliation again.

After hanging up the phone, Fu Jia’an decided to check on Zhan Qionglou before leaving work. Zhan Qionglou, whose sight and mobility had been restored, was lying in the hospital bed reading a book. He seemed to sense Doctor Fu’s arrival and merely raised an eyelid coldly.

This was more like his original nature: cold, cynical, and irritated by anyone who came to visit. Even last week when his sister, Zhan Yu’an, came over, he didn’t show much reaction, only speaking slightly more than usual. It was as if he wasn’t the one whose fingers trembled uncontrollably when Fu Jia’an handed him the Braille book with his sister’s message.

Fu Jia’an only spoke a few words of instruction to the resident doctor outside the door; he didn’t go in. He wasn’t wearing a white coat, and his tall figure was only visible in the corner of Zhan Qionglou’s peripheral vision, quickly missed if he shifted his gaze.

It was only after the person left that Zhan Qionglou calmly turned his head, staring fixedly at the white wall where Fu Jia’an had been standing. The book hadn’t been turned since earlier; his fingers were gripping the bottom corner of the page.

A few seconds later, he turned the page and lowered his gaze to read, everything as usual.

Fu Jia’an arrived at the apartment door and ran into someone—a person he remembered clearly.

It was this woman who had caused a scene in the school corridor, wanting Lu Jie to quickly change seats. It was because of this that Lu Jie had stubbornly sat at the same desk with him, and their destinies became intertwined.

She was Lu Jie’s mother, Dai Mengshu.

Dai Mengshu knocked a few times on the door and then pressed the doorbell. She seemed agitated. After waiting a while and receiving no response from inside, she took out her phone to dial a number. The call seemed to have been hung up on the other end, so she knocked again. This process had likely repeated many times.

Finally, she seemed somewhat tired. Whether she accepted the fact or intended to rest for a while, she straightened her bag and turned around, only to run headlong into Fu Jia’an.

“You are…” Dai Mengshu didn’t immediately recognize who he was. “?”

Fu Jia’an thought for a moment and decided to keep his identity hidden for now. “Auntie, are you looking for my roommate?”

Dai Mengshu seemed relieved but quickly became wary. “Roommate? You’re Xiao Jie’s roommate?”

Fu Jia’an nodded.

He invited Dai Mengshu inside to sit for a while. There was no one else at home, which explained why no one answered the door earlier. Dai Mengshu had probably never been here before. From the moment she stepped inside, she was astonished that her son lived in such a large apartment, constantly looking around the room and subtly observing Fu Jia’an as he brought her tea.

This roommate of Lu Jie’s seemed vaguely familiar; she felt like she had met him before. Yet, she knew all the close friends and college classmates Lu Jie had, and she didn’t remember this person.

Moreover, given his looks, she felt he should be unforgettable after one meeting.

“You guys… how much is the rent for such a large apartment?”

“It’s not expensive, Auntie. We have two other friends living with us.”

“It must still be very expensive, this neighborhood,” Dai Mengshu sighed, then seemed to remember something. “Um… are you close with my Xiao Jie?”

Fu Jia’an rubbed the couple’s ring on his left middle finger under the table and said, “We’re close, I suppose. I haven’t seen him recently either.” This was technically true.

Dai Mengshu probed further. “Has he brought anyone else home to stay? Have you noticed anything unusual about him?”

“I don’t think so.”

Fu Jia’an dodged her questions all morning, and Dai Mengshu never stated her true purpose.

It wasn’t until Fu Jia’an offered to treat her to lunch that Dai Mengshu hurriedly decided to leave. Finally, she asked when Lu Jie would return from his business trip, but Fu Jia’an didn’t know the exact date, so she gave up.

Once Fu Jia’an was alone in the apartment, he replayed the roundabout conversation. He was certain that Dai Mengshu had been unable to contact Lu Jie, so she came directly to the apartment to corner him without his knowledge. She seemed to know Lu Jie, yet her conversation subtly revealed an anxiousness that her son was already beyond her control.

It was evident that Dai Mengshu was somewhat afraid to face this reality, and thus somewhat afraid to actually see Lu Jie. The only thing that could have driven her to rush to the apartment door was some utterly unacceptable event that she needed to confront Lu Jie about face-to-face.

For example, who exactly Lu Jie was dating.

Lu Jie hadn’t disappeared; he had just spoken to him on the phone this morning. So, the only possibility was that Dai Mengshu had received some evidence and repeatedly questioned Lu Jie, causing Lu Jie to simply stop answering calls and texts.

But Lu Jie hadn’t mentioned anything. Every time he video-called, he was as natural and affectionate as ever.

Two nights later, Lu Jie finally returned with his suitcase. Fu Jia’an was waiting for him at home and greeted him with a kiss full of longing when he opened the door. The weather was hot, so Lu Jie took a shower first. When he came out of the bathroom, he had changed into casual loungewear. Water occasionally dripped from his semi-wet hair, running into the towel draped around his neck.

He habitually took a bottle of ice water from the fridge, but after a couple of sips, he put on a look of pain, clutching one side of his face.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Jia’an, who was watching TV, turned to ask.

“I think one of my teeth is inflamed,” Lu Jie walked over, leaning on Fu Jia’an to complain. “It hurts when I eat anything cold or hot.”

“Sit down, I’ll take a look for you.”

The living room was dark, and the TV light was faint; they felt as if they were in a movie theater. Fu Jia’an turned on his phone’s flashlight. Lu Jie opened his mouth, and Fu Jia’an inserted his index finger, carefully checking his wisdom teeth one by one from the right side.

“Is it this one?”

“%#%#” Lu Jie mumbled that it was not.

“How about this one.”

Not this one either.

“Here?”

Lu Jie frowned, seeming to hurt the tooth again as he inhaled. It seemed he had found the right one.

“Lu Jie.”

“?”

Fu Jia’an smiled and said, “You look quite hot like this.”

Lu Jie, whose finger was still in his mouth: “…”

He pulled Fu Jia’an’s hand out, his eyes giving a deep side glance. “You know about dentistry now.”

“No, but I can go with you to see the dentist tomorrow.”

Lu Jie knew he was being teased, but he wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he grabbed Fu Jia’an’s wrist, increasing the pressure to firmly pin him into the corner of the sofa.

“It’s not the first time you’ve seen me with something in my mouth, is it? Your husband can help you recall it again, how about that?”

Fu Jia’an calmly cupped Lu Jie’s chin. “You just got back from a business trip. Wouldn’t it be bad to make you work hard?”

Lu Jie: “I think it’s quite good.”

“Lu Jie,” Fu Jia’an maintained the posture, suddenly interrupting the intimate atmosphere. “Do your family members know about us?”

Lu Jie was slightly stunned by the question. The force with which he was pinning Fu Jia’an eased. Fu Jia’an, however, turned his hand and gripped him tightly, seemingly having intended to converse in this intimate position all along.

With no escape, he had to admit, “I didn’t want you to know about this. I can handle it myself. A relative took a photo of us walking on the street. It’s very blurry, and we weren’t holding hands, but it looks intimate.” He had been calling Fu Jia’an frequently recently, unsure if it was due to his own anxiety or concern that Dai Mengshu might impulsively show up at the apartment and upset Fu Jia’an.

He hadn’t actually planned to solve it or respond. He had long escaped the life template Dai Mengshu had tried to impose on him, and he was no longer the compromising Lu Jie of the past. Now that Dai Mengshu wanted to force him back into the ‘son’ shell she was familiar with, he absolutely wouldn’t let it happen.

The old Lu Jie would have found ways to maintain superficial harmony. He could ignore the conflict, change the subject, or concoct a lie to appease Dai Mengshu. But he didn’t want to do that anymore. He didn’t even want to spend time explaining, because he had long understood that trying to persuade anyone means being subject to them.

Lu Jie still maintained respect for Dai Mengshu, but his life no longer required her approval.

Fu Jia’an said, “I know you can handle it yourself. What I want to tell you is that you really don’t need to feel pressured. I’m okay with anything.”

This had always been Fu Jia’an’s attitude in this relationship. What mattered to him was whether Lu Jie stayed by his side. Whether to go public or seek parental support was irrelevant.

“As long as I know you like me, that’s enough.”

Fu Jia’an was very moving when he said this, his eyes clear and beautiful like crystal. Lu Jie thought about how terribly foolish he was. These eyes were confessing every time they looked at him, yet it took him so long to understand.

“It’s more than just liking.”

Lu Jie said.

“I love you.”