Orange Storm chapter 65

Xiao Zhijin

The day the classes were suspended happened to be a Thursday, so when Fang Xing returned to class, it was already the following Monday. Before class, Tang Yi called him to the office for a chat, essentially advising him to focus on preparing for the college entrance examination, get along well with classmates, report to the teacher if anything happens, and avoid impulsive behavior.

Most likely, all four of them had been called to the office. When Fang Xing returned to the classroom, Xu Hang was just being called out. As for Tan Zhuo, he had quietly taken his seat, and when he saw Fang Xing coming in, he just glanced at him briefly before turning his gaze away.

Almost everyone in the classroom was sneaking glances at him when Fang Xing returned to his seat. After sitting down, Jiang Xinxin in front of him turned her head cautiously and asked, “Are you okay?”

Fang Xing shook his head, “I’m fine.”

Even if Tang Yi hadn’t said anything, Fang Xing wouldn’t have bothered with them. The countdown to the college entrance examination hung on the back blackboard, tearing off one page every day. Like the clock hanging above them, ticking away, reminding them of the rapid passage of time.

Even on New Year’s Day, the school only gave them one day off.

Fang Xing didn’t mind the length of the holiday; as long as he could spend some time with Jiang Zhijin. As for what they would do together, he hadn’t thought about it.

Eating, chatting, playing games, or just lying together doing nothing… It was all good.

However, lying down doing nothing was impossible. 

On New Year’s Day, Jiang Zhijin had scheduled a sterilization appointment for Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan had just turned six months old. Jiang Zhijin had asked a doctor on WeChat, and this month was considered the least risky and most suitable for sterilization. Coincidentally, Fang Xing had a day off that day, so the two of them took the cat to the hospital together.

Early in the morning, Tang Yuan was brought out of the house, lying in the carrier, leisurely swaying its tail, completely unaware of what awaited it. Fang Xing reached out to tease it in the car, only to be impatiently swatted away by its claws.

“Temperament is quite strong,” Fang Xing withdrew his hand. “You’ll be a eunuch later.”

“Do you have any sense of being a big brother?” Jiang Zhijin drove and said, “Don’t bully your little brother.”

Fang Xing glanced at him, then lifted Tang Yuan a bit and faced Jiang Zhijin.

“See that? This is the face of your dad who wants to turn you into a eunuch. Remember this face, then scratch and bite this face when the time comes.”

“Really cunning,” Jiang Zhijin listened and laughed, “I’ll take care of all the bad things. Do you want to have a tearful parting with it later?”

“What tearful parting?”

“I’ve heard that when cats are sterilized, the owner should pretend to be very reluctant, reluctantly separate, and preferably shed a tear in front of the cat. This way, it feels like you’re being forced.”

“…Is that true?” Fang Xing smiled, lowered his head to look at Tang Yuan, “I think our cat’s IQ isn’t high enough. It probably won’t understand such a complicated plot.”

In the end, Fang Xing didn’t act when it was time for sterilization. It was particularly challenging to perform acting skills in front of a cat. He and Jiang Zhijin stood at the door of the operating room, watching Tang Yuan being carried in. Fang Xing even waved goodbye to the cat, playing the roles of both a dad and a big brother, showing a lack of humanity.

The surgery was done very quickly. When Tang Yuan came out, the anesthesia was still evident. Wearing an Elizabethan collar, eyes half-closed, two sharp fangs exposed, it looked silly. Now Fang Xing did feel a bit distressed. He gently touched its head and turned to ask the surgeon.

“Is it okay for it to be like this?”

It was the same clinic where they had checked Tang Yuan before. The same doctor smiled and replied, “It’s fine after the anesthesia wears off. Remember to give it medicine twice a day for the first three days, morning and evening. For the first week, apply anti-inflammatory ointment to the wound once a day. Pay attention to whether there’s any inflammation. It’s best to take a picture of the wound every day and send it to me—”

She turned to Jiang Zhijin, “If there are any issues, bring it over.”

After she finished speaking, Jiang Zhijin nodded and said, “Got it, thank you, Dr. Bai.”

“You’re welcome.” The doctor smiled and glanced at the two. “Both of you brothers are quite caring.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Xing glanced at Jiang Zhijin first. Jiang Zhijin smiled, not refuting.

When Tang Yuan woke up from the anesthesia and was checked again to confirm there were no issues, Fang Xing and Jiang Zhijin took it back home. In the car on the way back, Tang Yuan looked quite listless. Fang Xing touched it a couple of times, but it didn’t react. It was far from the imposing manner it had when it was about to fight earlier.

“Poor thing, bearing so much burden on the first day of the new year.” Jiang Zhijin took a moment to look at the passenger seat. “When we get back, let’s give it some good food.”

Fang Xing turned to him with a smile. “What should we get?”

“Are you asking for the cat or us?” Jiang Zhijin replied. “For the cat, give it some canned food. As for us…”

Jiang Zhijin glanced at Fang Xing.

“What do you want to eat?”

“For lunch, anything will do. For dinner… how about hot pot?” Fang Xing thought for a moment and answered.

“Okay.” Jiang Zhijin smiled.

Cloud Seven had just hired two part-time workers, so they had enough manpower. Jiang Zhijin took a break and didn’t go to the bar. Instead, he and Fang Xing went to the supermarket to buy the base ingredients and vegetables for hot pot.

When they returned home, Tang Yuan’s condition had improved a bit. It started to move around slowly and didn’t seem to mind the Elizabethan collar much, but it wasn’t very interested in Jiang Zhijin and Fang Xing. Sometimes Fang Xing tried to play with it, but it acted as if it hadn’t seen anything.

“I told you to act.” Jiang Zhijin had just finished washing the vegetables and sat on the sofa, playing with his phone while watching Fang Xing teasing the cat. He laughed, “Harboring a grudge, huh?”

“With its brain, it probably can’t hold a grudge.” Fang Xing ignored the cat, stood up, and walked towards Jiang Zhijin, directly pouncing on him, pressing him onto the sofa.

“Tomorrow, it will forget everything.”

“Do you know how heavy you are, handsome guy?” Jiang Zhijin felt a bit amused and helpless. He put down his phone and hugged the person on top of him. “Can you control yourself and not pounce on me next time?”

“I can’t control it.” Fang Xing buried his head on Jiang Zhijin’s shoulder, kissed his neck and smiled. “I don’t know why, but I just want to hold you or… press against you.”

“…Your words leave me speechless.” Jiang Zhijin rubbed Fang Xing’s head, pausing for a moment, then glanced at him.

Fang Xing instantly realized and couldn’t help but laugh, “No, I just like being close, hugging, or sticking with each other for a while… not that pressing down meaning.”

“I understand. You don’t have the courage for that yet.” Jiang Zhijin laughed.

“Tsk, trying to provoke me?” Fang Xing pinched Jiang Zhijin’s waist. “Let’s try.”

“Try what?” Jiang Zhijin chuckled. “Let’s put those things aside for now, and focus on studying, okay?”

Fang Xing wasn’t surprised at all by Jiang Zhijin’s words. After all, he had to be a boyfriend, a guardian, and also make time to be a caring brother to solve a series of troubles. Fang Xing recalled that Jiang Zhijin might consider his college entrance exam more important than his actual parents did.

“Got it.” Fang Xing breathed a sigh of relief, leaned over, and gave Jiang Zhijin a kiss.

For dinner, Tang Yuan got a can of cat food to make up for the harm it suffered that day, and it immediately became lively again. Jiang Zhijin and Fang Xing prepared hot pot. Jiang Zhijin opened a bottle of beer and got a can of cola for Fang Xing. After all, Fang Xing still had to go to school the next day.

Both of them could handle spicy food, and they opted for a spicy red broth. They prepared quite a variety of vegetables, and after finishing the meal, Fang Xing felt like he was almost unable to move. Jiang Zhijin was almost the same, lying on the sofa and unwilling to move. Fang Xing forcibly dragged him downstairs for a couple of laps.

The sky had just turned dark, and it was a bit cold with the wind blowing. Perhaps because it was New Year’s Day, there were people selling sparklers at the entrance of the community, the kind you wave in your hand. Several seven or eight-year-old kids bought them and played with their parents by the side. Jiang Zhijin watched for a while, then turned to look at Fang Xing.

“Do you want to play, Xiao Xing?”

“…I’m eighteen, not eight.” Fang Xing looked at Jiang Zhijin with a complicated expression. “Can you please acknowledge your boyfriend’s age?”

Jiang Zhijin laughed for a while, then lowered his voice, “Oh, but I want to play. Go buy a couple.”

“…You really are something. Why don’t you go by them yourself?” Fang Xing asked.

“Because your boyfriend is twenty-eight, not eight.” Jiang Zhijin laughed. “Can you please acknowledge your boyfriend’s age?”

Fang Xing burst into laughter. Jiang Zhijin lightly kicked him, “Hurry up.”

“Wait here.” Fang Xing stopped laughing, “Xiao Zhijin.”