Orange Storm chapter 1
Hospital
It was 7:32 in the evening.
It was still late autumn, and it was not yet dark, but dark clouds pressed down, making the sky pitch black. The strong wind blew, and on the road, the signboards clanged on the gg brand cars, as if they were about to fall at any moment. There were already few people on the road, and now most of them had quickened their pace, hoping to get home before the storm arrived.
In this situation, Fang Xing appeared somewhat out of place on the roadside.
By the sidewalk, next to a row of trees whose branches were swaying in the wind, Fang Xing sat on his black 20-inch suitcase, staring across the street at the bar named “Cloud Seven,” tapping his phone casually on his knee.
That day, he wore a black hooded sweatshirt with no patterns, light-colored jeans, and carried a canvas backpack on his back. He was wrapped in the gloomy weather. Although the storm hadn’t arrived yet, the wind was already mixed with damp mist, covering him from head to toe, and a bit of moisture had settled on his thick eyelashes.
But he couldn’t be bothered to wipe it off and, instead, surveyed the entire bar from the signboard to the ground.
The bar had a simple metal style, with black signage and decoration. Several large brown floor-to-ceiling windows separated the inside and outside, blocking Fang Xing’s gaze completely.
Fang Xing had been here for nearly an hour, and only a few customers had entered the bar, and all of them came out in less than a few minutes. Finally, a guy in a black shirt came out, collected the small tables placed at the door, turned the “Closed for Business” sign hanging on the door, and seemed to be a bartender preparing to close early due to the weather.
Perhaps it was because the weather was too bad, and the way he guarded his suitcase looked too much like a stranger who has just arrived in Shaojiang and was at a loss. A girl who had just finished work and was originally rushing home hesitated for a moment, stopped by the roadside, and asked softly, “Hello… Do you need help?”
Fang Xing turned his head and looked towards the source of the voice.
When he left home, he had just cut a neat crew cut, revealing sharp and distinct facial features without any cover. When looking at people, his expression was indifferent, and his pupils were like ink that won’t dissolve.
The girl was startled by him, took a step back slightly, and Fang Xing nodded slightly in response.
“No, I’m waiting for someone.”
He paused for a moment and added, “Thank you.”
Fang Xing’s voice was somewhat hoarse, and the girl quickly waved her hand, “Then be careful on your own. The heavy rain is coming soon.”
When the person walked away, Fang Xing turned his phone around, turned it back, and pressed the topmost text message.
“Affected by the typhoon, it is expected that the city will experience medium to heavy rain on September 22, with local heavy rain, and the maximum rainfall will be 30-50mm, locally exceeding 80mm. Heavy rainfall is mainly concentrated tonight, with strong winds, thunderstorms, and other severe convective weather occurring locally. A storm orange warning is now issued. Please take precautions.”*
It was a weather warning.
He looked at it for a while, about to turn off the screen, and WeChat rang two more times, and another message came in.
[Mom]: “Xiao Xing, have you arrived?” [Mom]: “If you’ve arrived, reply to Mom, okay?”Fang Xing’s movements froze, and he slightly frowned, staring at the two messages until the screen’s light went out completely.
Then he took a deep breath, as if making a determined decision forced upon him. Finally, he withdrew his phone, stood up, casually put on the hoodie to shield himself from the rain, and carried his suitcase towards the bar.
In front of the bar’s door, there was a flower bed with a bunch of vines, green plants, and succulents. Fang Xing just pushed open the tea-colored glass door, and he heard the faint conversation of two men.
“Why hasn’t Jiang Ge come yet? Should I make a call to ask?”
“It’s pouring rain. He’s probably too lazy to come out—take the keys home tonight, and come early tomorrow to open the door.”
“Why are you asking me to take them again? You take them yourself.”
“Alright, then you settle the bill.”
“No, no, no, I was wrong…”
Fang Xing took a few more steps inside. There were two figures at the bar, both wearing black shirts. The one outside looked only a little older than Fang Xing, with dyed blonde hair, sitting on a chair in front of the bar, wiping a glass while absentmindedly turning his head. He just happened to see Fang Xing at the entrance.
He paused for a moment before sitting up slightly, revealing a smile to Fang Xing, “Sorry, bro, we’re closing early today.”
Fang Xing released his suitcase, saying, “I’m looking for someone. Is Jiang Zhijin here?”
Blondie widened his eyes and turned his head towards the person inside the bar, saying, “he’s looking for Brother Jiang.”
Without him saying anything, the person behind the bar had already looked over.
Fang Xing also raised his eyes to look.
The other person had somewhat long hair tied in a small bun at the back of his head, with a few strands falling on both sides. At first glance, he appeared somewhat feminine and pretty, but he was tall, with distinct and masculine features that prevented any confusion.
When he noticed Fang Xing’s gaze on him, he smiled, put down the ledger and pen in his hand, and spoke with interest, “Who are you, looking for our boss?”
“I am…,” Fang Xing paused for a moment, as if unsure how to say it, and then said directly, “He asked me to come to the bar and find him.”
The two people in front exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat strange. Finally, the person with the small braid behind the bar spoke first.
“The boss isn’t here. Do you have his phone number?”
“I do.” Fang Xing shook his phone, “No answer.”
The guy with the small braid nodded and casually pointed to a seat, saying, “Sit and wait for a while.”
The bar had a spacious layout, with several sets of tables and chairs scattered around. Fang Xing placed his suitcase aside, pulled a chair at random, and sat down. He lowered his head, opened the call log, and selected the phone call he made at the airport two hours ago.
He didn’t even save the number, but fortunately, today’s call log only had this one entry. Fang Xing opened it and sent a text message to the other party.
“I’m at your bar.”
Fang Xing paused and added, “I’m Fang Xing.”
After Fang Xing put away his phone, the blond guy at the bar had already approached, asking with some curiosity, “Hey, why are you looking for Brother Jiang?”
He spoke in a carefree manner, and before Fang Xing could answer, the person with the small braid slapped him hard on the head.
“None of your business.”
The blond guy hissed, covering his head, and turned to ask, “What are you doing? Is it not okay to be curious?”
“Curious about what? Go call the boss.” The person with the small braid placed a cup of hot water on Fang Xing’s table, “Have some water first.”
While the blond guy went to another side to make a call, the person with the small braid nodded politely at Fang Xing, “Sorry about that. Zhou Er talks too much.”
He paused for a moment, then continued, “You’re still in school, right? You look quite young.”
Fang Xing answered briefly, “Senior year.”
The guy with the small braid raised his eyebrows in surprise but understood that Fang Xing seemed unwilling to say more. He tactfully stopped asking and turned to look at the blond guy on the other side.
“What did the boss say?”
Shrugging, the blond guy said, “Couldn’t get through, maybe he’s asleep.”
“Even if he’s dead asleep, he can’t possibly not hear the phone.”
Frowning, the person with the small braid said, “Try a couple more times.” Then, he turned to Fang Xing, “I’m Gu Xun. The guy on the phone is Zhou Hong. Cool guy, what’s your name?”
Fang Xing remained silent for a moment, resisting the urge to comment on the way they addressed each other, and replied, “Fang Xing.”
Gu Xun nodded, “If he doesn’t answer, just go to Jiang Ge’s place directly. Fang Xing, handsome lad, do you know where Jiang Ge lives?”
Fang Xing was puzzled for a few seconds before realizing that the person referred to as Jiang Ge was Jiang Zhijin.
Of course, Fang Xing didn’t know where Jiang Zhijin lived. After all, if you had to be specific, Fang Xing didn’t know Jiang Zhijin. As far as he could recall, the two had never met.
“I don’t know. I only have his phone number and the address of the bar,” Fang Xing said, feeling a bit awkward. He added, “He told me to call him when I got to the airport, but he didn’t answer.”
Fang Xing had waited at the airport for half an hour, then took a taxi to the bar’s entrance and waited for another hour.
After hearing Gu Xun’s estimation, he seemed to find his boss a bit unreliable.
Unable to hold back a laugh, Gu Xun said, “Jiang Ge has been quite busy lately, probably forgot. It’s okay; if we can’t reach him, I’ll take you there.”
Gu Xun was quite talkative, but before Fang Xing could say “no need,” he heard Zhou Hong, the blond guy, shouting, “Hey, who—damn it! Jiang Ge!”
Fang Xing and Gu Xun turned their heads to look.
“Whose call is this for Jiang Ge? Where are you? There’s—”
Zhou Hong blabbered on, and he was about to mention Fang Xing’s matter, but the person on the other end of the phone seemed to have said something that directly interrupted him.
While listening to the phone, Zhou Hong’s expression, originally careless, turned worse and worse. Suddenly, he cursed, “Damn it!” Then, he loudly asked, “Jiang Ge, are you okay?”
Hearing this, Fang Xing hadn’t reacted yet, and Gu Xun had already stood up, frowning as he walked over to Zhou Hong.
The person on the phone said something again, and Zhou Hong calmed down, repeatedly saying “okay.” Finally, he said, “Got it. We’ll be right there with Gu Xun.”
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Hong already had a grim face. He turned to look at Gu Xun, gritted his teeth, and cursed, “Damn it, Jiang Ge got blocked on the way, and now he’s at the hospital. Let’s go.”
Gu Xun’s expression also immediately turned unpleasant. He reached into the bar counter, grabbed a bunch of car keys, and said, “Which hospital, and how serious is it?”
“City Second Hospital. Jiang Ge said it’s nothing, just a bit of blood.”
Gu Xun nodded, holding the keys in his hand, then turned to Fang Xing.
“Let’s go, handsome.” He said, “I’ll take you to see Jiang Zhijin.”