Orange Storm chapter 83
Going Home?
Perhaps it was because the college entrance examination was over, freeing him from the necessity of waking up early, or perhaps it was because he had stayed up too late the previous night. The next morning, Fang Xing’s internal clock malfunctioned, and he slept until after nine o’clock.
When he opened his eyes, the room was already brightly lit, and he was alone in bed, with the sheets and blankets all in disarray. He pushed aside the covers and sat up. The bedroom door was open, and faint sounds of running water came from the bathroom. He grabbed the nearby pajamas and changed before leaving the bedroom.
As he approached the bathroom door, he knocked twice, and Jiang Zhijin’s voice immediately came from inside, surprisingly loud.
“It’s not locked.”
Fang Xing hesitated for a moment, then turned the handle.
Jiang Zhijin had just finished showering, wearing light gray sweatpants on his lower body while his upper body remained bare, leaning over the sink to brush his teeth. Fang Xing went over and wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his entire body against the other’s bare back, sighing contentedly.
Jiang Zhijin spat out the toothpaste foam in his mouth and glanced at Fang Xing’s reflection in the mirror.
“Being a pervert this early in the morning.”
Fang Xing chuckled softly and released his grip.
“You’re up pretty early. I thought you wouldn’t be able to get up,” Fang Xing said.
Jiang Zhijin squinted at him. “Is that praise for yourself?”
“…No,” Fang Xing paused, then realized what Jiang Zhijin meant, “You usually get up pretty late—why are you being a pervert so early in the morning?”
Jiang Zhijin finished brushing his teeth and set the toothbrush down, turning to look at him.
“Let’s be clear, who started being a pervert first?”
“Me,” Fang Xing sighed, not wanting to argue with Jiang Zhijin. “Are you… okay? I got a little… carried away last night.”
“I’m fine, my waist isn’t broken or anything,” Jiang Zhijin said.
“Let me give you a massage,” Fang Xing felt a bit guilty and wanted to laugh, “I’ll be gentler next time.”
“Next time, huh?” Jiang Zhijin chuckled and nodded. “Sure.”
In the morning, Jiang Zhijin took the time to check the property group chat. It explained that the power outage last night was due to construction in the neighboring community, which accidentally severed some lines. Repairs were carried out overnight, and power had been restored. They asked homeowners for understanding. There were also some homeowners who didn’t accept the explanation and were arguing with the property management. Jiang Zhijin glanced at it briefly before closing the chat.
The two made egg fried rice for breakfast. After finishing, Fang Xing went to wash the dishes and feed the cat. When he came back, he said to Jiang Zhijin, who was playing with his phone on the sofa, “Lie down, I’ll massage your back.”
Jiang Zhijin put down his phone and lay down on the sofa. He was only wearing a white T-shirt, and Fang Xing massaged his back over his clothes.
It was only in the early morning that Fang Xing remembered Jiang Zhijin had injured his waist and felt a bit sorry for him. Jiang Zhijin seemed to be in good spirits, closing his eyes comfortably as Fang Xing massaged him for a while. The cat, Tang Yuan, circled around them, and finally, with a gentle leap, climbed onto Jiang Zhijin’s back, stepping around where Fang Xing’s hands were.
“Hey,” Jiang Zhijin opened his eyes and smiled, patting Fang Xing’s hand, “That’s enough, you’re almost massaging me to sleep. Are we not going out today?”
“No, we’re not,” Fang Xing said.
“You guys in your class aren’t having a gathering? Is the relationship that cold?” Jiang Zhijin asked.
“They said they’re waiting a couple of days,” Fang Xing said, picking up Tang Yuan and placing him on the floor, “It was announced in the class group chat.”
“In that case, let’s invite Gu Xun and Zhou Hong to have dinner together tonight. They seem quite concerned about you, always asking about your college entrance examination,” Jiang Zhijin suggested.
Fang Xing nodded without much hesitation. “Okay.”
After saying this, he paused for a moment and then looked down at Jiang Zhijin, asking, “Do they know about us?”
“Gu Xun knows, he’s quite sharp. Zhou Hong… probably doesn’t know,” Jiang Zhijin said. “I doubt he’s noticed anything.”
Zhou Hong indeed didn’t know anything. That evening, they ate Sichuan cuisine. After ordering their food, the waiter recommended their newly released Jiangxi rice wine.
Jiang Zhijin had given Cloud Seven employees a day off and let everyone enjoy themselves. A few people chatted while eating. Gu Xun and Zhou Hong asked Fang Xing how he felt about the college entrance examination, and Fang Xing still replied with a simple “It was okay.”
There was a dish of stone pot tofu that Jiang Zhijin liked, but it had scallions. Fang Xing picked out the tofu for himself first, carefully avoiding the chopped scallions, and then picked some up for Jiang Zhijin.
Jiang Zhijin waited patiently for Fang Xing to serve him, and Gu Xun couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He sighed and said, “Xiao Xing, you’re spoiling this guy too much. It’s not like he can’t handle it himself.”
“You can’t stand others being in love, can you?” Jiang Zhijin teased.
Beside him, Zhou Hong, who was halfway through his fish, raised his head inexplicably and looked at the people in front of him.
“Who’s in love?”
“Me and Fang Xing,” Jiang Zhijin said.
“Oh,” Zhou Hong responded, a bit confused, “That’s a coincidence, you two are both off the market.”
His comprehension skills were something else.
Jiang Zhijin put down his chopsticks and stared at him, pointing to himself and then to Fang Xing. He repeated word by word, “I, am in a relationship with Fang Xing. We are dating, understand?”
Zhou Hong was stunned for a while, his eyes gradually widening. He still had a piece of meat on his chopsticks, which he hadn’t fed into his mouth for a long time. Finally, he slammed it heavily onto the plate.
“Damn it!”
“Is it necessary?” Jiang Zhijin couldn’t help but laugh. “You and Gu Xun have always known that I like men.”
“I do know,” Zhou Hong still hadn’t recovered, “But I always thought Fang Xing was… your son.”
As soon as these words came out, Gu Xun, who was sitting beside him, trembled with laughter. Fang Xing glanced at Zhou Hong, and Zhou Hong hurriedly explained, “No, I mean… that kind of description, that kind of feeling, you know?”
“I understand,” Jiang Zhijin nodded. “An older man with a younger lover.”
“Hey, Jiang ge, that’s not what I meant—”
Zhou Hong was so anxious that he was almost flustered. Finally, as if he had made up his mind about something, he nodded heavily, “Okay, as long as you two are happy, I won’t say anything else!”
After saying that, he picked up the glass in front of him and toasted Jiang Zhijin and Fang Xing, then drank it all in one go.
“I thought it was a wedding toast,” Jiang Zhijin laughed and picked up his glass. “Thank you, noted.”
By the time they finished dinner, it was already dark outside. After a few drinks, Zhou Hong and Gu Xun took a taxi home. The restaurant was close to Jiang Zhijin and Fang Xing’s neighborhood, so the two of them walked back slowly.
In the summer, the coolest time was when the evening breeze blew. There were quite a few people walking on the road, and some even took the opportunity to set up stalls to do business—selling phone screen protectors, fried skewers, ice desserts, candied fruit skewers…
Walking side by side in the crowd, Fang Xing suddenly felt very comfortable.
He liked this feeling, whether it was watching movies, sleeping, studying with Jiang Zhijin, or taking a walk together. Even if they didn’t speak, it still felt comfortable. It was like—
“Although there are many people around, it feels like it’s just the two of us in the whole world,” Jiang Zhijin suddenly said.
Seeing Fang Xing looking over, Jiang Zhijin smiled.
“Although we’re walking on the same road, facing each other, the level of integration between people is different, like a cup of water with a layer of oil floating on top, separated.”
For Jiang Zhijin, only Fang Xing could blend in with him. Fang Xing felt the same way about Jiang Zhijin.
“Your confession sounds… like a physics experiment,” Fang Xing finally responded after a while.
“Your response sounds like you’re asking for a beating,” Jiang Zhijin glanced at him.
Fang Xing laughed for a while and was about to say something when his phone in the bag suddenly vibrated.
He stopped talking, took out his phone, and glanced at the caller ID, which showed “Mom”.
He was stunned for a moment and immediately answered the call.
“Mom.”
“Xiao Xing, are you busy?”
“No, what’s up?”
On the other end of the phone, Zhou Ling’s voice sounded quite relaxed, “I should have called you yesterday, but I was worried that I would disturb you and your friends while you were out. How do you feel after the exam?”
“I’m okay,” Fang Xing said.
“That’s good.” Zhou Ling paused for a moment, then asked again, “If you’re free these days… do you want to come back to Chaocheng?”
Her tone was a bit hesitant, and Fang Xing clearly felt that something was wrong. He stopped his steps, furrowing his brows slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your dad is planning to divorce me, he doesn’t want anything, just wants to get the procedures done as soon as possible.”
Zhou Ling paused for a moment, then continued, “Originally, I thought I could handle it myself, but after all, you’re already an adult, so I should let you know—I just wanted to ask, do you want to come back?”